Right now, there are so many places I wanna eat that I have to delegate some of the dining to you.  There’s too much to do and I’m stretched too thin with work, school and baby to make it out often.  So, if you’re looking for ideas for eating out, here are my latest ones.  If you take me up on a suggestion, I don’t do refunds, but I do love report-backs.   So drop a comment and share your experience.

Aztek Grill

18th and E. Main St

This is a brand spanking new Mexican restaurant, so you know they’ll have dollar tacos.  But, who is Aztek really? Well, ordinary, they are NOT!  The menu features yucca, papusas, ceviche, sopas, chorizo, cubano and pescado frito sandwiches.  Examine the details of their menu and you’ll be impressed with the fresh perspective on Mexican cuisine (relative to Richmond’s standard shlock).  Try it out and lemme know how it turns out.

Aziza’s (for dinner Thurs/Fri)

21st and E. Main St.

I’ve raved previously about the quality and simplicity of the lunch/brunch/prepared-foods that Billy makes at Aziza’s.  And as sad as I am that I don’t get to visit often, what’s really eating at me is Billy’s foray into dinner. How long has this been going on?  Only two nights a week and similarly selective menu items.  A few salads with local greens, quality cheese and meat apps, a couple fishes, veal, and several sides.  And after? Billy’s famous chocolate topped creme puffs.

Helen’s (for dinner)

Robinson and W. Main St.

Our Restaurant Week dinner here was so tremendous we are definitely going back for the regular dinner menu.  Chef Big John is a character that you get to watch in the open kitchen for no extra charge.  Plus, the man brings the fancy cooking skills.  For those that remember Helen’s hey-day, I would argue that they’ve returned to form.

The Fat Goat

Somewhere on Lakeside Ave (the old Cafe Zed)

I recently hung out with one of the chefs (watching UFC).  We talked food.  He’s proud of the local organic ethic in the kitchen and has never been happier in a cooking job.  If that’s not reason enough to visit, he claims they make the best pizza in the city.

Garnett’s Cafe

Meadow and Park

If you’ve already been, then you’ve still got 37 other intriguing sandwiches to try. Personally, I wanna try their white bean spread, or tuna niciose, maybe a grilled cheese. But for meat-eaters, the selection of sammies is extra tantalizing. Plus, I’ve heard that you need to eat the pickles there.

Asian Bakery Cafe

Horsepen and Broad (facing Broad, tween Tan-A and Vietnam 1)

Probably 15 types of banh mi sandwiches, and custom ones too – upon request.  The bread is crusty and the fillings are zesty with spice.  It’s like a bowl of pho without the broth or noodles.  And, don’t forget to top off your meal with a bubble tea (taro flavor is my favorite).

Infuzion

Roseneath and Marshall

I had fish tacos the other day at the most unlikely of places.  The newly reopened Infuzion bar/club.  The ice bar is gone (they admit that was a mistake) and I can’t really compare it with the previous incarnation, cuz I didn’t venture in when they were going for maximum gimmickiness. However, my fish tacos consisted of some tasty quality ingredients, if kinda clumsily made (should have had white cheese, not cheddar).  But what do you expect from a bar at lunch?  I probably won’t ever make it in for dinner, but i’d love to know how it goes.  Assuming they only stay open for a few months, don’t you wanna say you gave the place its due?

Okay, yall.  Now it’s your turn.  What’s the deal on these places?  Or, better yet, where are you itching to eat?

On the 14th day of my raw food detox diet, I had a great raw meal with friends at Ipanema Cafe to celebrate the end of a worthwhile and somewhat difficult experiment.  The idea was inspired by Kendra, Ipanema’s owner, when we went to her new restaurant, Garnett’s.  It seems that her relatively new head chef, Chris Rubinstein, likes to make raw dishes and has taken a few special requests with enough notice.  “You should have him make you something while you’re still raw,” she advised.  At first I kind of dismissed the idea.  This raw thing is my personal cross to bear.  I don’t wanna get anyone else tangled up in it.  And what if it’s not good?  Of course, many of my raw meals over the past two weeks were really unappetizing, so that skepticism of mine doesn’t hold water.

It wasn’t until the next day that I decided that a raw restaurant meal would be a great way to hang out with friends, expose them to raw cuisine, and have a brief moment in the limelight as I conclude my cleanse.  Using Twitter, I tested the waters:

RVAfoodie: If I arranged a raw food dinner at Ipanema on Tuesday night, who’d show up to eat and help me celebrate the end of #rawdetox?3:46 AM Oct 18th

Maggie from VisArtsCenter was first to respond, then my friend Emily.  Karen wanted to bid farewell to this raw bullshit that overtook her husband and the kitchen (there’s a little animosity there).  Suddenly, we had a party in the making. I bounced the idea off Kendra over Facebook and gave her a final head count on Monday for a raw meal for five and two little girls on Tuesday.  Even with my unprofessional experience making raw dishes, I knew that wasn’t really enough notice, considering soaking/dehydrating times.  Oh well.  Next time, I’ll call a week ahead (and you should too). On to the food.

After everyone was at Ipanema, seated around the table with drinks in hand, our charming server, Amanda, brought out the chef who uncooked our food: Chris Rubinstein. He gave us a rundown of four courses, bid us happy eating, and went back into the kitchen to manage the suddenly uncharacteristically jam packed slate of orders considering that it was early on a Tuesday.

• Cauliflower popcorn: When Chris said these words, my brow furrowed and my smile evaporated. We make this all the time at home in a 400 degree over for an hour, turning for even caramelization.  How can it be raw?  And he mentioned a butter sauce!  Oh well, gotta roll with it.  Maybe I misheard him. He did mention a dehydrator in his description.  Then, little soup cups with cauliflower nuggets piled in were distributed and we each tasted and looked at each other.  This is cooked food!  Everyone agreed. Delicious, but cooked.  It wasn’t the baked recipe I use at home, but it was clearly steamed cauliflower. I rationalized that a stint in the dehydrator would soften the veggie before drying it out, but the decadent sauce coating them had to be peanut butter made with roasted peanuts. We were wrong on both counts.  Chris later told us that he actually wanted to keep the cauliflower in the dehydrator even longer (at 105 degrees – nutrients break down at 118).  And the sauce was almond butter made with soaked nuts, shoyu (soy sauce), garlic, etc, giving a richness that made me wolf my portion down and the little girl’s cup next to me too.
• Cream of mushroom soup: Whenever something raw is also called “cream” that means pureed nuts, usually soaked first.  But, when I do it, the solids and liquids separate and it’s a nauseating mess to try and choke down.  This soup was a homogeneous pool of porcelain puree with green chive garnish.  The garlic gave zip and played off the earthy mushrooms.  This time, I resisted eating my neighbor’s food as it was becoming clear that you can indeed get full on raw foods (something that eluded me most of the previous two weeks).  I only wished I had bread to sop up the bottom of my bowl.
• Lasagna and side salad: The main course was such a big hit, the whole table was oohing and ahhing between bites until we’d each inhaled the dish.  I had imagined stacks of uncooked squash and tomatoes and basil leaves, but this was nothing so haphazard as that. The thin zucchini strips were marinated until tender and flavorful. There was a pseudo-ricotta, consisting of nuts and pesto.  The tomato sauce was tangy and concentrated. Chef Chris had clearly used real expertise in raw cuisine to craft this entree.  Every bite was instantly pleasing: hearty and packed with layers of flavor.  I could go raw for another two weeks with a supply of this stuff.  After the meal, people at my table who’d never contemplated raw diets said they would order it off the menu if Ipanema made the dish a regular offering.  And Chris said that would be a possibility if he got enough requests (hint to you all:  Ipanema’s # 804-213-0190)
• Banana sorbet with strawberry coulie: The banana sorbet seemed to be a sweetened mash of frozen bananas (an ingredient that figures prominently in many raw frozen desserts).  And who doesn’t like to finish a meal with a cold bowl of ice cream? By this point, I was floating, so my analysis is only so useful.  There was a sweet and tangy bright red berry topping that Chris called a “coulie.”  No idea how that was reduced to this effect.  Even the two little girls liked theirs.

When Chris came out to explain the dishes (after the dinner rush died down a bit), he referenced the dehydrator enough times that I think that might be his trick for intensifying flavors.  We talked about the amount of leadtime he needs to make raw dishes (call a week ahead, yall), but he welcomes requests and seems to enjoy the challenge of making raw food compelling to dinners.

Despite the lack of a market for a raw food restaurant in Richmond, I think Ipanema is a resource for anyone who is remotely curious in any kind of vegetarianism on the spectrum.  My four courses were relatively inexpensive and the fanciness was on par with anything you’d get at Restaurant Week or a standard Richmond prix fixe meal.  I missed their five course beer dinner that took place a few months back, but I can only imagine that was an even more impressive spread.  In fact, I think Ipanema should be a part of Restaurant Week. Richmonders should be able to experience fancy vegetarian once in a while.

I’ve probably eaten there 100+ times since they opened in the late 90s, and this visit really changed how I look at Ipanema. So glad I went.  Thank you Chris, Amanda, and Kendra. Now, it’s time for pizza.  End of detox.  Beginning retox.

In my last raw food detox related post, I went over the many things that I’ve been denying myself in the hopes that my body would forget everything bad I’ve done to it.  Then my core would regenerate itself in the mode of an archetypal warrior or some kind of primitive athletic and resilient species like that.  Anyhow, fantasy aside, the transformational tools are what I really need to pass along – my personal recommendations for a raw food detox.  Although mine was two weeks long, the duration is up to you. And really, the epiphanies have been coming at such an alarming rate, I’ll have to keep the metaphysical out of this, or I’d lose readers.  Maybe I’ll save the big picture stuff for the epilogue and just focus on the materials required for a good cleanse (in my experience).

So, I made a list of important stuff.  In fact, I carried around a grocery bag filled with many of these things to make sure I was prepared to ply my body with raw treats at at the first sign of hunger pangs.  Despite my resourcefulness, it’s been such a roller coaster this past 12 days.  There were three days of acute withdrawal, followed by fire in the belly optimism and energy.  When I’d made it a week, I was ecstatic. But, most recently, there were a few days of hating everything I put in my mouth.  Then, this weekend, I started preparing the best raw food creations of my life (thanks to the dehydrator, some recipes, and allowing some maple syrup for dessert concoctions).  For me, weekends were a boon to raw food detoxing because I had time to shop and do food prep to my heart’s desire but to the detriment of my familial obligations (sorry Karen and Jasper).

Stuff for Raw Food Detoxing

(hat tip to Kelley for a lot of this info/guidance)

• Kale: for this recipe (requires a refrigerator) or this recipe (requires a dehydrator).  Seriously, greens of any variety work your insides like some roto-rooter scrubbing bubbles.  Work’em in every day in whatever way.
• Raw almonds germinating:  Soak a pile of almonds in water over night and you’ll have seeds that have awakened from dormancy, ready to grow into a tree and allegedly more nutritious and easier to digest.  Most importantly, the germinated almonds take on a texture reminiscent of coconuts.  Use these as a snack or a base for dips and spreads.
• Oat groats for breakfast: Before there is oat meal, there are oats.  And before there are oats, there are oat groats.  The oat groats are raw and packed with flavors that are lost when the groats are rolled and toasted. Buy “steel cut oat groats” or buy them whole and run them thru your food processor.  Then, just soak some in water over night (with some cinnamon, ground flax seeds, chopped dates, etc). Now you can start the morning with something hearty and raw (stir in some berries or chopped apple, bananas, etc).
• Really good extra-virgin olive oil: A little drizzle and some salt will make almost any raw veggie taste good.  Right now my oil of choice is El Koura, a Lebanese variety from this place in Richmond.
• Lemons: in your water, and on your food along with the EVOO and salt.
• Dehydrated bananas: You won’t believe the flavor until you make these yourself. Chewy and sweet.
• Lara bars: Raw energy bars made with very basic ingredients.  It helped me to have something candybar-like to chew on at times. Mind the sugar content.  These tend to have a lot of dates in them.
• A favorite herbal tea at the ready: You could go with a detox tea, but I’d say anything comforting and soothing will do.  So much anxiety comes up when you take favorite foods out of the equation.  A good herbal tea can stimulate your palate, fill your tummy, and relax the mind. (damn, that sounds hippy)
• A battery of natural cleansing pills: These can be steep (Dr. Natura) or cheap (Garden of Life or Renew Life on sale, or generic). You don’t have to do a detox diet the whole time you’re on them, but the combo is, KABOOM, a powerful cleansing campaign.  Keep reading material handy in your favorite potties.
• Sassy water: Drink two liters of water per day, preferably water that’s sat overnight with razor thin slices of ginger, lemon, cucumber, and fresh mint leaves (making it “sassy”).  Good on the gut and flushes the kidneys. (I’m guilty of adding a little maple syrup to mine for motivational purposes)
• Probiotics: Gotta repopulate the digestive tract with good bacteria so the bad ones don’t find a home after the detox is done.
• Raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas): put them on everything, especially salads.
• Kombucha tea drinks: a great snack, although irrationally expensive.  The vinegary taste tells you it’s working (contains probiotics).
• Peppermint enzymes: I got these at the health food store (Ellwoods) and I think they helped keep me from feeling too bloated.
• Green smoothies or green lemon aid:  This is arguable the most important snack or meal replacement during a cleanse. A green smoothie is any raw smoothie you like with a couple handfuls of greens thrown in (gotta have a good blender to make this drinkable). Add sweet and sour fruits to offset the bitterness of the greens.  Green lemon aid is particular to The Raw Food Detox Diet book, by Natalia Rose.  She recommends juicing ever day and downing a big ol’ glass of this stuff (juicer required): several celery stalks or a big cucumber for the water component, several kale leaves (or other greens), a lemon without the rind, an inch or so of ginger, 1-2-3 apples in whatever quantity required to make the juice sweet enough to drink.

After enduring a pesky cold for a month, I decided to take evasive action and cut all cooked foods out of my diet until my congestion was gone.  It’s kinda like taking a wrecking-ball to a house to get rid of the mice in the kitchen.  Well, that’s how the first couple days felt.  But, there are lots of other reasons to do a raw detox, like losing weight, cleaning the digestive system, reducing migraines, skin issues, and improving my mood and energy level. At this writing, I’m concluding day #5, and I’ve definitely made it out of the woods of withdrawal from everything I love (love, meaning dependency, unconscious reality maintained by my behavior, but still love, tainted tho it is). By the way, what are those things I’ve given up (temporarily)?

• All cooked or processed foods. (bread, noodles, tofu, all restaurants, 7/8ths of my fridge and my entire pantry)
• Dairy products. (When in doubt, I add cheese and follow up with ice cream)
• Smoking. (I don’t do it often, but now, it’s not even an option to distract me from hunger)
• Coffee/tea/caffeine. (I love good coffee every morning)
• Sugar. (candy at the office every day!)
• Alcohol. (I was having a bev before bed almost every night)
• Compulsive munching. (now noticing how often I reach for food without rationality)
• Sodas, pasteurized fruit juice, soy milk, Vitamin Water, protein shakes. (it seems that I drink stuff to keep from eating stuff)

The only addiction I didn’t give up is Twitter. In fact, Twitter kinda got me into this little experiment/pilgrimage/dark-night-of-the-soul).  A fellow foodie tweeter, Kellly Reibel, challenged me to do a detox along with her. Her reasons are similar to mine.  She doesn’t have a cold, but she does have a bunch of food allergies (just about everything except bacon).  She’d also like to get healthier and fitter, and we’re totally on the same page about doing a digestive system refresh and starting from scratch to assert some control over our health, respectively.

Since Kelly and I embarked on this dietary journey on October 8th, we’ve been updating the world about it on Twitter.  We tagged most of our messages with a #rawdetox hashtag.  If you want to stay up to speed, you can follow either or both of us on Twitter, or you can just search #rawdetox on Twitter. However, to save you a bit of trouble, I thought I’d paste the past five days of #rawdetox tweets (mostly me and Kelly).  To read them in chronological order, start at the bottom.

Real-time results for #rawdetox

1. RVAfoodie I know it seems like I’m off my culinary rocker w/this #rawdetox stuff. It’s a bitter pill 4 me 2. Lookin fwd 2 breaking these good habits. 2 minutes ago from Power Twitter
2. RVAfoodie I made a raw broccoli & cauliflower soup that didn’t taste good. @kelleil witnessed the train wreck. Recipes? #rawdetox 21 minutes ago from Power Twitter
3. kelleil @pure2raw Not to get your secrets, but what’s your general flour base for cupcakes? Was working on it until #rawdetox about 1 hour ago from web
4. RVAfoodie Jogged til I almost died. Hoping to dislodge chest congestion. Coughing up lung now. Good thing I have two. #rawdetox One ear ringing badly. about 1 hour ago from UberTwitter
5. kelleil So what to do about a sluggish colon that doesn’t include stimulants? Serious problem on this #rawdetox venture about 1 hour ago from web
6. RVAfoodie My colon is going to be a born again virgin thx to the probiotics and cleanse supplements I just bought for my #rawdetox. about 3 hours ago from UberTwitter
7. RVAfoodie I don’t believe in the 2lbs of bubble gum or pile of 20yr old gyros lodged in the gut. For me #rawdetox is spa treatment for the insides. about 3 hours ago from UberTwitter
8. bpfox @kelleil Just remember that Sally Fallon is “slightly” nuts. I interviewed her once. Raw, fresh milk though–I get it weekly. #rawdetox about 3 hours ago from TweetDeck
9. RVAfoodie Day 5 = proselytizing @ #rawdetox. Many cooked foods create a graveyard in yr gut that haunts u 4ever: allergies, B.O., acne, the blues… about 8 hours ago from Power Twitter
10. kelleil 2 raw goat milk programs in Chesterfield. My colon is months away from ready but making my own goats kefir for happy bacteria? #rawdetox about 8 hours ago from web
11. kelleil My hope is to one day transition to the Nourshing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon. Why can’t I get a tiny url to come up? #rawdetox about 8 hours ago from web
12. bpfox @RVAfoodie What’s the raw detox diet? #rawdetox about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck
13. RVAfoodie They say #rawdetox gets easier after day 3 and can verify that it’s true. But it helps to have a whole weekend to do food prep. about 11 hours ago from UberTwitter
14. RVAfoodie Well, I’ve got 4 days of #rawdetox behind me and I’ve lost 4lbs. However, still have a knot of congestion in my chest. Time for exercise. about 11 hours ago from Power Twitter
15. kelleil Trying kim chee. I don’t hate it exactly. I’ll get used to it, right? Gotta kill yeasties, heal then repopulate colon. #rawdetox about 23 hours ago from web
16. pure2raw We r doing good! RT @rvabusiness: @kelleil @RVAfoodie Another good #rawdetox source I couldn’t remember for you earlier = @pure2raw. 1 day ago from TweetDeck
17. RVAfoodie So, I was hoping to stay raw thru Sunday, maybe Tuesday. But, I haven’t even broken out the dehydrator or the juicer. #rawdetox 1 day ago from Power Twitter
18. RichmondGL @RVAfoodie Reading your #rawdetox stories is like watching a horror movie for me. It’s like the healthy version of Requiem for a Dream. 1 day ago from web
19. RVAfoodie @rvabusiness It’s day 4 and clearly getting easier. Not sure when #rawdetox will end. Maybe Sunday? Tuesday? Suggestions from @pure2raw? 1 day ago from Power Twitter
20. kelleil @RVAfoodie I’d love to come by. What time? I’m gassy as all hell. And I’ve had serious water loss. Peeing every few minutes #rawdetox 1 day ago from web
21. RVAfoodie I’m gonna eat chips’n’salsa, dammit. Made a kickin’ fresh salsa and chips out of razor thin cut raw sweet potatoes. #rawdetox 1 day ago from Power Twitter
22. rvabusiness @kelleil @RVAfoodie Another good #rawdetox source I couldn’t remember for you earlier = @pure2raw. How’s it going so far? 1 day ago from UberTwitter
23. kelleil @RVAfoodie I think Jesus was 40 days. What are you doing for protein baby? How’s the gas? #rawdetox 1 day ago from web
24. RVAfoodie For breakfast, i had a trip to the Southside. For lunch, a nap in the car with the baby. A lot of calories to make up at dinner. #rawdetox 1 day ago from UberTwitter
25. RVAfoodie Dear drug addicts: Go raw, save money, and lose your mind for free. #rawdetox 1 day ago from UberTwitter
26. RVAfoodie When to end the #rawdetox? How long did Jesus fast in the desert? How much LSD did Jim Morrison take b4 breaking on thru to the other side? 1 day ago from UberTwitter
27. RVAfoodie Need to list things I quit cold turkey on the #rawdetox. Then decide which I’ll allow back, when + how much. G’bye, unconscious consumption? 1 day ago from UberTwitter
28. RVAfoodie My stomach hurts a lot. #rawdetox 1 day ago from UberTwitter
29. RVAfoodie Got enough produce from Victory Farms at SOTJ mkt to fuel a long term #rawdetox. Not sure my will power is game 4 that. Still sick w/cold! 1 day ago from UberTwitter
30. kelleil Also, miss the non-wheat grains and bacon. Really miss bacon. But at least last night I got full really quickly, so that’s good? #rawdetox 1 day ago from web
31. kelleil Btw, sick of salads all ready and sick of not having enough time to “cook” so I can avoid the constant salad situation #rawdetox 1 day ago from web
32. kelleil Headed to Rockville MD for another flamenco class with Ana Menendez. Have scoped out two restrauants where I can stay #rawdetox 1 day ago from web
33. RVAfoodie It provokes a fight in the classroom. Then sounds the recess bell + stampeding children thunder thru the hallways + out the door. #rawdetox 1 day ago from UberTwitter
34. RVAfoodie That raw chocolate shake in my belly feels like I went off my #rawdetox diet. But I’m still craving ice cream. 1 day ago from UberTwitter
35. RVAfoodie I’m drinking a chocolate shake. Not cheating tho. It’s made primarily of apples, ice, and cocoa powder. #rawdetox 1 day ago from UberTwitter
36. RVAfoodie Shit! The Indian Festival is this weekend. I always go and pig out. Gonna hafta skip it this year. ( #rawdetox 1 day ago from Power Twitter
37. RVAfoodie You know how in The Abyss Segorne (sp?) Weaver has to train her body to breathe that pink liquid and it’s like death? Yeah. #rawdetox 2 days ago from UberTwitter
38. kelleil @RVAfoodie You can do it!!!! (I’m so hungry!) #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
39. kelleil @RVAfoodie YAY! The DE-tox portion! YAY!!! #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
40. RVAfoodie Y’ever seen The Exorcist? That’s the stage of #rawdetox I’m heading into. Not gonna hurl, but feel green, and head about to spin around. 2 days ago from UberTwitter
41. kelleil @kitchenmusings @RVAfoodie While that sounds AWESOME most grains not allowed. He does love his Sriracha though. #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
42. RVAfoodie Just when I thought I’d rounded a turn on Day 3, this article tells me #rawdetox Phase 1 is 10 days: http://bit.ly/N8r9D Ugh. 2 days ago from Power Twitter
43. kelleil @RVAfoodie I just want bacon. Instead I had soup. #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
44. RVAfoodie My stomach wants a foot long veggie sub with cheese, mayo, and hot sauce. Instead, I’ll eat some pumpkin seeds. ( #rawdetox 2 days ago from Power Twitter
45. kelleil @Brent_H @RVAfoodie perhaps the brown rice syrup? #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
46. kelleil @RVAfoodie Stevia for pickles #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
47. RVAfoodie These fresh pickles are crunchy (thanks to the vinegar) but too vinegary (thanks to the vinegar). What to do? Mince into relish? #rawdetox 2 days ago from Power Twitter
48. kelleil @RVAfoodie Not unusual to get worse before you get better. Expected really. #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
49. RVAfoodie This cold seems to think that my (temporary) diet change is a sign of my deterioration, so the symptoms are resurgent. Damn. #rawdetox 2 days ago from Power Twitter
50. RVAfoodie @anaRVA I started Wednesday AM, but how long to go is complicated. Peep the #rawdetox hashtag and you’ll see. 2 days ago from Power Twitter
51. RVAfoodie Forgot my 2 liters of “sassy water” at home. Drinking an herbal tea, but I don’t wanna say the name, cuz it falls under TMI. #rawdetox 2 days ago from Power Twitter
52. kelleil So, my raw is not the same as @RVAFoodie’s raw, as I has a specific health concern I am attempting to address #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
53. kelleil I am working from Body Ecology Diet from Donna Gates and adding some aspects of Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
54. RVAfoodie @anaRVA I would say a #rawdetox it’s very hard. But, I’m kind of a compulsive eater. So, discipline is key & prepping tasty raw foods. 2 days ago from Power Twitter
55. RVAfoodie This is the #rawdetox book that is serving as my basic blueprint http://bit.ly/2rk9EM although @kelleil is also providing guidance. 2 days ago from Power Twitter
56. RVAfoodie Doing #2 during a #rawdetox is like being on novocane and having teeth pulled slowly several times a day. Integral inside stuff exiting. 2 days ago from UberTwitter
57. RVAfoodie Something @ my body says “Free room + board for viruses.” Hopefully, #rawdetox is starving the fucker + it will leave me b4 I go insane. 2 days ago from UberTwitter
58. LesleyBruno @RVAfoodie i applaud you. i’ve never had the willpower to get through an entire detox. (it would require switching jobs.) bravo! #rawdetox 2 days ago from TweetDeck
59. RVAfoodie I’m having trouble sticking to “food as medicine” ethic in my #rawdetox. Instead of leafy greens, I’m gravitating to nuts/seeds, dates, etc. 2 days ago from Power Twitter
60. RVAfoodie On a beautiful day like today, going to work to sit at a desk and then class til 9pm is really not raw. #rawdetox 2 days ago from UberTwitter
61. kelleil This breakfast would be a whole lot better with bacon #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
62. kelleil @RVAfoodie I feel that most damaging is dairy, unfermented soy, grains & sugar. Those should be avoided. Animal, in moderation #rawdetox 2 days ago from web
63. MonkyGrassGreen I would stay away from animal during a cleanse. RT @RVAfoodie: Is ceviche raw? Is any animal protein appropriate during a cleanse? #rawdetox 2 days ago from TweetDeck
64. RVAfoodie Is ceviche raw? Is any animal protein appropriate during a cleanse? #rawdetox 2 days ago from UberTwitter
65. kelleil @BOILING_SKIES I’m on a detox diet and I’m not that hungry right now. Gaseous yes. Does that count? #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
66. kelleil I’ve been asked by @mandrachek to not tweet re: poo. Since he’s my oldest friend ever… I’ll just find euphemisms & let you guess #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
67. kelleil Hydrating like a m’fer. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
68. RVAfoodie So, during this cleanse, i won’t tweet what i excrete. Not b/c i’m discreet. But b/c @StyleWeekly retired the word “epic”. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
69. kelleil @RVAfoodie http://www.wildfermentation.com/index.php #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
70. kelleil @RVAfoodie Pickling is basically the same but to be fully cultured need 3-7 days and with much less sugar #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
71. kelleil @RVAfoodie Raw Cultured Vegs fermented veggies for the proliferation of lactobacilli. Its for digestion and repopulate colon. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
72. RVAfoodie @kelleil I swear this is the first I’m hearing of “cultured” veggies. It means pickled, right? #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
73. kelleil FYI: I will be switching from regular raw to raw cultured once I get those jars from @lisa_n and the culturing takes place #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
74. kelleil Is there such thing as Carbohydrate DT’s? @Lisa_N? #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
75. kelleil Not fair, I’ve been directed to pics of chocolate covered bacon & Cleveland’s Roman burger http://www.mrhero.com/subs_burgers.php #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
76. kelleil @Brent_H @RVAFoodie I’m getting a significant amount of protein. The lack of caffeine and sugar is what really hurts. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
77. RVAfoodie I just added Sriracha to my lunch b/c spicy is a comfort flavor for me. Also, made up for forgetting to add garlic to my chard. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
78. RVAfoodie Lunch: chopped chard, sun dried toms, & pumpkin seeds sat overnight w/EVOO, salt, & lemon juice. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
79. RVAfoodie My office and home are both laden with tasty treats like bags of cookies and chips. My hand keeps reaching for these things. Doh! #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
80. RVAfoodie I’ve got the chills now. Previously a sign to go eat some bread, pasta, something hearty. Now, it’s just detox tea to placate me. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
81. kelleil Dizzy. Headache, vague naseau. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
82. kelleil Dizzy again, damn withdrawal symptoms #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
83. kelleil Never noticed the inherent heat in Nutmeg. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
84. RVAfoodie Fresh pickled veggies in 3hrs: http://www.thehealingfeast.com/pickles.cfm Be sure to add extra spices, chilies & herbs. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
85. kelleil Will try that leftover kale I couldn’t force down. hopefully its not as crap today #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
86. kelleil Swiss chard as a salad w/ a chicken shitake (green chili powder, salt, pepper) topping and yummy pico de gallo I just made. #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
87. RVAfoodie Switching to raw foods, for this foodie, is so jarring, like reeling from a sudden break-up. Ohhh ohhh, diets hurt. (Nazareth ref) #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
88. RVAfoodie #RawDetox snacks 4 2day: green salad, sprouting almonds & adzuki beans, pickled veggies, apples, a Lara bar, apples, & raw pumpkin seeds. 3 days ago from Power Twitter
89. RVAfoodie Ready for Day 2 of #rawdetox. Having a cold is hindering my ability 2 take my insides on a pilgrimage to the holy land. Soldiering on tho. 3 days ago from Power Twitter
90. kelleil Squash this morning. May also steal the burrito idea. Leftover kale that I couldn’t force down for dinner. #rawdetox #rva 3 days ago from web
91. kelleil @daneomite Why thank you, so kind of you to say #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
92. Daneomite @kelleil glad to hear your morning is off to a good start! #rawdetox 3 days ago from TweetDeck
93. kelleil Serious gas but had a good poop due to http://www.renewlife.com/products/cleansemore.aspx #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
94. RVAfoodie A good listing of raw recipes: http://bit.ly/wkax7 #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
95. RVAfoodie The #rawdetox is about wiping the slate clean and starting over. It’s also a bit of a psychedelic trip and a test of the will. 3 days ago from UberTwitter
96. RVAfoodie @ispylindsey Search this hashtag on Twitter: #rawdetox I’ve been curious @ raw foodism for years. I’ve just let my health get outta hand. 3 days ago from UberTwitter
97. kelleil Strangely and overly tired at this time. Ugh. Hope I sleep awesome #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
98. kelleil @RVAfoodie I let it sit for a few hours… not over night. Hmmm. That’s where I went wrong #rawdetox 3 days ago from web
99. RVAfoodie I’m pickling tons of veggies. Using equal parts water/vinegar w/ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, salt, agave nectar, & a chili pepper. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
100. RVAfoodie Made a burrito filling of minced shitakes, turnips, raw almonds. Wrapped it in a swiss chard leaf. Surprisingly satisfying. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
101. RVAfoodie @kelleil Did you follow my kale recipe? You gotta let it sit w/EVOO and salt over-night. It gets tender and buttery. #rawdetox 3 days ago from Power Twitter
102. RVAfoodie In case anyone’s been wondering, my head hurt too much to tweet for a few hours. Ate some #rawdetox dinner and back in the game. 3 days ago from Power Twitter
103. kelleil Can I add some cheese to the kale at least? No? Man…. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
104. kelleil Raw Kale… yum… Not. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
105. kelleil Fennel tea with Stevia is helping the gas. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
106. kelleil Soooo… hungry. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
107. RVAfoodie Headed to Kroger to buy vinegar. Making quick pickles of various veg. Recipes call for loads of sugar. Gotta swap that out. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
108. RVAfoodie Painfully aware of my autonomic nervous system right now. My stomach left a msg with my spinal cord and marked it urgent: FEED ME. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
109. kelleil Craving a burrito with roasted chicken and chipotle chevre. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
110. RVAfoodie I’m having a recurring mental image of myself at Royal India having the lunch buffet and very happy about it. Hope that passes. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
111. kelleil Finished salad, still hungry. Stupid diet. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
112. kelleil @RVAfoodie whaddya think? Beef tartare wrapped in some sort of fun cabbage with kim chi? #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
113. kelleil Lunch: 3 leaf salad with homemade pico de gallo, chicken, and jalapeno/lime vinagrette, also homemade. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
114. kelleil Lunch: 3 leaf salad with homemade pico de gallo and chicken. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
115. a_trish @kelleil i’m no expert but tan a has some kimchi my roommates is into #rva #rawdetox 4 days ago from TweetDeck
116. kelleil Where can I get the best kimchi in town? #rva #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
117. RVAfoodie My stomach just said to me, “Alright, seriously. Where’s the food?” #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
118. RVAfoodie My lunch of kale salad proves that *good* extra virgin olive oil and sea salt work MAGIC when prepping eating raw veggies. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
119. RVAfoodie For tweets @ raw foods B4 they’re eaten, see me. For tweets about raw food after it’s been eaten, see @kelleil. Or both at #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from Power Twitter
120. RVAfoodie Why sassy water? Hydration, obviously. But the mint/ginger softens the intestinal “blow” of transitioning to raw foods. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
121. kelleil Gaseous, dizzy, hungry as hell even though I ate not long ago. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
122. RVAfoodie My body has recognized the missing caffeine and replaced it with fidgeting and agitation associated with not *really* eating. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
123. RVAfoodie Soaked almonds snack (how and why). Basically turns raw almonds into delicious coconut. http://bit.ly/r4nfw #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
124. kelleil Thank you to @lisa_n who is sending me mason jars to start the cultured vegetables! #rawdetox #rva BTW, she’s fucking hilarious. Follow her 4 days ago from web
125. mmh1 @RVAfoodie I was waiting for apples to show up in your #rawdetox 4 days ago from Brizzly
126. kelleil #rawdetox #rva Gaseous and dizzy. Great. 4 days ago from web
127. kelleil I am doing the #rawdetox to kill off a bad case of candidiasis and lose weight. I imagine this is long-term for me, but not for @RVAfoodie 4 days ago from web
128. RVAfoodie @IanGraham I’m going to be tweeting novel raw food concoctions with this hashtag #rawdetox if you’re looking for ideas. 4 days ago from Power Twitter
129. kelleil @RVAfoodie HAHAHA! Sure! Nice rhyme. Got any pickling recipes to share? I can copy a few I have here. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
130. RVAfoodie For those wondering, I’m doing the #rawdetox to get rid of a persistent cold, lose weight, & assert some control over bad habits. #RVA 4 days ago from Power Twitter
131. RVAfoodie @kelleil I’m gonna try to be discreet about what I excrete. But, you should go for it aned people can follow u for down&dirty. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
132. RVAfoodie Eating an apple, soaking raw almonds, drinking my “sassy water,” looking forward to kale and turnip salad for lunch. Here we go. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
133. kelleil Oooh and I need a pitcher for the <wince> sassy water. Suggestions? #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
134. kelleil And where is the best place for wide mouth mason jars? Gotta culture some vegetables. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
135. kelleil Kale marinating in lemon olive oil, yellow onions, garlic with a little extra lemon on top. Salad for dinner I guess. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
136. kelleil Breakfast: Chicken with spinach and onions. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
137. kelleil BTW. Trotter’s RAW? Completely impossible ingredients. Need to source the hell out of that. White Shoyu? Lime radishes?? #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
138. kelleil Guess I’ll bust out the Flavor Bible and see what I got. May steal @RVAfoodie’s raw kale suggestions. #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from web
139. kelleil Awake & slightly hungover after hanging w/ @RVAFoodie & @darlinoctopus. Unlike @RVAFoodie have nothing prepared. & hungry. Shit. #rawdetox 4 days ago from web
140. RVAfoodie Raw kale salad marinating over night. Tastes great already. I added some fresh lemon juice. http://bit.ly/13jpZE #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
141. RVAfoodie A batch of “sassy water” in fridge overnight. Water w/sliced cucumber, grated ginger, sliced lemon, & mint leaves. (via @kelleil) #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
142. RVAfoodie I feel like I’m up on the high-dive, afraid to jump, afraid I’m gonna fall. Is anticipation is the worst part? Not even close. #rawdetox 4 days ago from Power Twitter
143. RVAfoodie Frantically looking for food to prep. Need to get nuts/seeds sprouting & veggies pickling. Hey @kelleil. How bout a hashtag? #rawdetox #rva 4 days ago from Power Twitter