VitaCost Discount Code for $10 OFF First Purchase! iHerb Discount Code $5 OFF First Purchase
1.  VitaCost 
http://goo.gl/Zn1B1t is the link to sign into VitaCost.com for $10 off your first purchase of $30 or more.  See the other "Deals" available on the site, generally found by clicking "Deals" in the upper right.  Plus, generally excellent discounts on Nutritional Supplements, Soaps, Organics, Raw Foods, Natural Pet Products, and their name brand products tend to be good too for extra savings.
Brands like NOW, HealthForce, Garden of Life, Solar, Newman's etc.
2. iHerb     
Visit iHerb.com and use Discount Code WAL660 at checkout for $5 off first purchase of discounted Nutritional Supplements, Soaps, Organics, Raw Foods, Natural Pet Products, ad brands like NOW, HealthForce, Garden of Life, Solar, Artisana, etc.  They offer cheap International shipping and free shipping for orders over $20 in USA.
Link to Free items at iHerb:  http://www.iherb.com/free/?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb home page: http://www.iherb.com?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb supplements:  http://www.iherb.com/Supplements?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Skin Care products:  http://www.iherb.com/Skin-Care?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Bath and Beauty:  http://www.iherb.com/Bath-Beauty?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Sports:  http://www.iherb.com/Sports-Fitness-Athletic?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Grocery:  http://www.iherb.com/Food-Grocery-Items?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Kids and Babies:  http://www.iherb.com/Children-s-Health?rcode=WAL660
Link to iHerb Herbs:  http://www.iherb.com/Herbs?rcode=WAL660
Thanks for using the discount codes.  
Have a most Happy and 
Healthy New Year from
SouthWest Desert Blogger

Discount Code

Howdy to the first Southwest Desert Blogger reader from China.  2012 is the year of the Dragon -- the Water Dragon.  What will this mean for us?  Anyone out there who can explain this?

Last year's 99 cent store plant is blooming again.  I keep it in the shade.

The sun is getting stronger in the Southwest Desert.  Some of the days are tasting like the hot dryness of summer.  It is just a taste -- an appetizer -- a reminder of what is to come.

The Code:  WAL660
For all you international jet-setters, cowboys, cowgirls, city slickers, taxi riders, horse riders, bike riders, board riders, wave riders, bus riders, range rovers, raw vegans, omnivores, and everyone just hoofin' it, I have a discount code WAL660 you can use at iherb.com . Link to: www.iherb.com/info/benefits.  My iherb shipments to the USA Desert Southwest arrive in 3 business days, with online tracking.  The iherb site has health food, super foods, vitamins, green powders (Hawaiian Spirulina, and others), homeopathics, organics, raw food and supplements such as raw chia seed, raw hemp seed, raw cacao, coconut oil, kelp noodles, healthy pet food, organic shampoos and skin products, tea, loose herbs, sports supplements, essential oils, protein powders, and new products added every week, all at discounts.  I think it will help you balance the budget. The WAL660 code will get you $10 (USA dollars) off your first order of $40 or more, or $5 off a first time order less than $40.  Just enter the code WAL660 in the shopping cart before final check-out. 
I am also told there is free shipping for international orders over $60, available now, but it may end March 31, 2012.  So get a move on and check it out.  iherb ships to over 180 countries.  They have been shipping international for over 14 years.  Average shipping time to China: 8-day average delivery time with possible extra delays/ expenses due to customs. This option offers tracking information. Yamato Japan, average 4 day shipping barring possible customs delays.  Check out the average delivery time for International Airmail for selected countries, based on feedback from iherb.com customers. Updated May 2011:

Australia 11	Canada 9	Germany 12	Israel 7	Mexico 15	Romania 8	Sweden 12
Austria 7	Czech Republic 7	Great Britain 10	Italy 14	Netherlands 8	Russia 17	Switzerland 11
Belarus 13	Denmark 8	Greece 9	Latvia 9	New Zealand 10	Singapore 9	Taiwan 11
Belgium 11	Estonia 10	Hong Kong 9	Lithuania 10	Norway 8	Slovakia 7	Ukraine 8
Brazil 22	Finland 8	Hungary 10	Malaysia 13	Poland 15	Slovenia 6	Spain 9
Bulgaria 8	France 10	Ireland 8	Malta 11	Portugal 9	South Korea 9

More international shipping info at http://www.iherb.com/info/shipping/International#iqs .

Be sure to visit the iherb freebies pages and select one free item with your order.  For all you domestic folks, i.e., non-international, there is free USA shipping for orders over $20 and faster free shipping for orders over $40.  Just select your shipping option at checkout.  I have dealt with this company for years and find the shipping fast and efficient.
Most of the products they sell have customer reviews with interesting ideas and thoughts about the products.  Check it out between waves you Hawaiian dudes and wahinis, rhinestone urban range cowfolk, sprout-growing southerners, and radiant raw food friends.  This cowpoke wouldn't steer you wrong.

I AM your
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012

Got Omega VRT Problems?

Wheatgrass (?) string in my Omega VRT350HD juice

This morning I made a juice with my Omega VRT 350 HD juicer.  I juiced baby spinach, a handful of second growth wheatgrass which was not more than a few inches in length, skinny carrots, yam, cucumber, and a bit of apple.  In addition to the usual huge amount of pulpy particles there was a 1.5 inch fibrous string that I assume to be a piece of wheatgrass (what else could it be?  baby spinach has short tender stems) in my juice.  It was, as the youth used to say, "Gross."

Then I read an anonymous comment asking whether I cut my veggies into pieces, feed them slowly, and rotate the produce (leafy then non-leafy) as I feed.  Yes, yes, and yes, generally.  As I understand the official Omega version of the cut the veggies into pieces, from my contact at Omega, is that too small is not necessarily better.  Other so called experts vary suggestions regarding the size of the produce to feed into the Omega VRT.  It jams if the carrots are over an inch in diameter so... I like to keep the jams to a minimum.  Feed slowly?  I never use the pusher tool.  Slow enough I presume.  Rotate the produce?  If I don't, all I get is wheatgrass foam and maybe finally a bit of juice.  I need to put in a carrot or something else to get the VRT juicer to put out or push out the green juice.  This makes it difficult to accurately measure the amount of green juice produced.  In other words, the green juice does not come through on its own when I just want an ounce of wheatgrass of a couple of ounces of baby spinach.  There appears to be green juice, perhaps in stages of juicing, that requires another firmer fruit or vegetable to push it out.  The Omega VRT I have seems to need the variety of produce to juice most effectively. 

"Anonymous" commenter, why don't you tell me and the other Southwest Desert Blogger readers how small you cut your veggies?  Do you have a VRT350HD?  How do you get one ounce of pure wheatgrass juice without rotating in other produce?  I don't want my wheatgrass mixed with anything else, and I do not want to produce mass quantities of wheatgrass juice.  Just an ounce or two of fresh, pure wheatgrass juice.  Not wheatgrass foam!  Mono-juice; not V8.  

I wanted to get off the complaining about the Omega VRT350HD, but that 1.5 inch string in my uber-pulpy juice this morning chaffed my emotional chaps. Then the anonymous commenter with the standard cut the produce, feed it slowly, rotate... line peeved me.  Are you from Omega?  Do you sell Omega?  Do the Omega sales give dealers more profit than other brands like the other vertical juicer I was talked out of by the dealer?  I suggest "anonymous" teach the Southwest Desert Blogger readers how to deal with the produce and pulp that gets under the auger regularly, how to clean the tiny pulp port and juice exit port, how to get beet and green stains off the parts and tiny areas the cleaning tool does not reach, how to clean the vegetable matter caught in wiper blade assembly.  Should I take the blades out?  Or maybe anonymous can tell me how strings are getting into my juice?  Don't just feed me that old "slow feed and rotate" line.  We are talking about an expensive juicer, not a buffet and square dance.

Is it possible I have received 2 defective VRT350HDs?  Is it possible all the folks who use search terms like "Omega sucks" (not my words mind you) and "Omega ... too much pulp" who find their way to this blog are just not feeding the produce slowly?  If I fed it any slower, I could write a post between additions.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't you get your own blog and laud the virtues of the Omega VRT350HD?  Based on our experience, some of us just think it is a poorly designed, sloppily manufactured, disappointing product for the purpose which we intend it.

I need to get a wisdom tooth extracted.  I would like to drink healthful, nourishing, fresh juices after the extraction, during the time I must avoid hard food, vigorous swishing, brushing, and flossing the extraction area.  However, the juice my Omega VRT350HD produces is too pulpy and stringy.  I would worry that the "pulp", which is actually composed of tiny pebbles of produce, would irritate the healing gum area during the initial sensitive recovery period.  I will use my other juicer, as I do several times per week, to get a clean, pulp-free and string-free juice.  The only good thing about my Omega VRT 350HD: it is a little quieter than my other, 16 year old juicer.  But for me, a pulp-free, string-free juice quality is more important than the noise factor. 

Tried to end on a positive note, really,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012   P.S.  Support this blog and get healthy products using discount code WAL660 for $5 off first purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements, raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural soap, shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, soaps such as Dr. Bronner's, raw cacao, organic chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, kelp noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Orders of $20 or more ship free in US.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order.
Thanks.

Got Winter Food?

My diet has been mostly raw, live food since the 7 Day Raw Food Challenge this summer (see July 2011 posts and http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1383344 for more info).  Now that the cold days and nights have set in I have added some warm food.   OK, it's the Southwest Desert so a cold night is around the freezing mark, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, zero degrees Celsius.  I realize you folks from the Northern US, Canada, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and the Italian Alps, are laughing at me and thinking, "That's not cold."  I hear you.  Nevertheless, I found a list of warming foods, herbs and spices we can use.  *I know there are Southwest Desert Blogger readers in the Southern Hemisphere where it is summer, but most of the earth's population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, so you Southerners will have to store this warming food info for future use and scroll down to the raw cacao treats.
Warming foods:
cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cloves, coriander, cumin, chives, dill, fennel, fenugreek, lemongrass, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, pepper, spearmint, radish sprouts, fenugreek sprouts, quinoa sprouts, dried red hot pepper, cayenne powder, miso soup, peppermint tea and my own tamari soup.  Here is my recipe for quick and easy tamari soup.  The only thing that makes it quicker than miso soup is that you do not have to blend the thick miso paste with water.
Tamari or Shoyu Soup:
-one cup or mug of warm, pure water
-one teaspoon tamari (or more to taste)
-garlic and ginger to taste (You can use sliced, diced, grated, or powdered garlic and ginger; if using powdered, just a pinch or two will make a nice, flavorful, warming, quick broth.  If using fresh, just add a tiny bit so that you do not overpower the broth.  You can always add more to your taste.)
-optional: serve in a bowl and add bean or lentil sprouts, a bit of scallion (green onion) or any other thin cut veggies you have on hand.  Another option is to substitute miso or Bragg's aminos for the Tamari.

I know there is debate in the community as to whether Tamari and Bragg's aminos are pure enough products.  Are they raw?  As I see it, I do not use these things often, and if you are hard-core, you can just warm water (I said warm, not necessarily boil) and feel the comfort of holding the warm cup in your hands.  Personally, I have been making mild organic miso soup with sprouts almost nightly.

*I add organic powdered cinnamon to any sweet I make with raw organic cacao* and carob*.  David Wolf has written about raw cacao (chocolate) and lauds its virtues.  You can get *organic cinnamon, vanilla extract, nuts, raw cacao powder, beans,  and nibs, miso, Bragg's products, herbs, homeopathics, raw and natural vitamins, coconut oils, hemp seeds, chia, tamari, natural pet food, natural cleaning products, etc., all at discount at iherb: www.iherb.com/info/benefits  Use the discount code WAL660 for $10 dollars off first order of $40 or more, and free shipping for orders over $20. Also see their freebies pages and select one free item with your order.  There are product reviews that are helpful.  I have been buying from them for years.  They also ship to over 180 countries.

I like organic raw carob better than organic raw cacao powder at this point, however they mix well and may have synergistic action.  Carob has some calcium and cacao has magnesium as well as caffeine.  Cinnamon* has chromium which is said to balance blood sugar, so it is nice to add to sweets.  I have been mixing 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, a tablespoon of honey, generous dash of cinnamon, 1/4 to half teaspoon vanilla extract* (optional), and a blend of raw cacao powder and raw carob powder to make a desert.  If you blend in enough powders, you get the consistency of chocolate truffles.  I like to grind brazil nuts and sprinkle into the blend for added selenium and texture.  I have also sprinkled in a bit of hemp protein powder for added nutrition.  Even the carnivores will like this sweet.  You can just eat it with a spoon or shape into balls or other shapes for presentation.  Just be careful of the caffeine in the cocoa -- it could keep you up at night.

It is a challenge to be pure raw in a world that prizes preservation and shelf-life.  I believe the herbs and spices we purchase are heat dried and may be irradiated.  The vanilla extract is probably well cooked, but I have found a superior organic vanilla extract -- not raw, but delicious.  I like the taste better than the organic raw powdered vanilla I purchased at a fancy price.  Maybe some day I will get used to the taste and texture of the powdered vanilla.  It appears to be a purer product, but for now it does not work for me.  I found a nice quality organic cinnamon powder in a glass jar at a local store.  I have seen the same product, Simply Organic brand, available in other states, so look around and see what you can get.  The quality of the Simply Organic powdered cinnamon* has been consistently high.  I keep it in the refrigerator and it lasts a very long time.  Bottom line here is that we generally do not use much vanilla, cinnamon, etc., so if it is not raw and organic, the choice is yours.  These are surely exotic luxury foods to be treasured and used judiciously.

I enjoyed some baked winter squash and yams for the holidays.  I added raisins and butter to some, cinnamon and raisins to others, ground nuts, raisins, and cinnamon to some, and a dash of salt sometimes.  This was a very warming and physically satisfying winter treat.  Not raw, but festive.  Sometimes I juice yams and sweet potatoes with my fresh carrot, greens, apple, celery juice.  It adds a nice thicker texture and richness to the winter juice.  I prefer the smoothness of the juice I get from my old centrifugal juicer over the Omega VRT 350 HD juicer.  The Omega produces weird "pulp" and strings along with the juice.  For those of you wondering, the Omega VRT350HD produces pulp in root vegetable juice too.   

Unless noted, I try to get organic produce whenever reasonably possible.  In my daily mixed greens and vegetable juice with a bit of apple, the weight of the pulp (waste material) from the Omega VRT350 HD is noticeably more than the waste pulp produced for the same amount of juice using my 16 year old centrifugal juicer.  Perhaps results would vary based on the brand of centrifugal juicer you use, but I get more overall efficiency, i.e., juice versus pulp, from my old centrifugal juicer.  Plus, I like the clean, flavorful, pulp-free juice the centrifugal juicer produces.  Also, the centrifugal juicer is faster and does not jam or leak as frequently as the Omega VRT 350 HD.  Don't get me started on an Omega Vert rant.  There are at least 9 previous posts dedicated to my Omega vertical juicer and its problems. 

Another interesting thing I have noticed this winter -- I do not like my tea or soup as hot as I used to.  A high raw diet has made me more sensitive to hot food and drink.  My soups are warm and I allow my tea to cool to comfortably warm.  Conversely, I do not like my smoothies as cold as I used to, even in summer.  In other words, I am more sensitive to the temperature extremes of food and drink and prefer to consume food closer to "room" temperature.  This seems natural. 

Environmentally, I use very little energy or fuel for cooking as compared to a conventional diet.  Over 75 percent of my winter diet is raw, including daily, fresh, mixed vegetable juice.  In summer I was 90 to 100 percent raw.  The juicer uses energy, but I save fuel by growing sprouts.  The sprout seeds require very little packaging and shipping fuel.  They produce at least ten times their volume in fresh green produce.  Sometimes a rounded teaspoon of seed will produce one or two cups of sprouts, or more, depending upon how long I let them grow.  The seeds are compact and require minimal storage space.  I keep them in glass jars with tight fitting lids.

I have been reading You Are What You Eat by Dr. Gillian McKeith.  It is one of a wealth of raw food and transition diet books in my local public library.  This book covers a broad range of health and nutrition topics.  The author espouses adding more raw to the diet, but does include information on the best grains, herbs, and nutritional supplements to use for therapeutic purposes.  It would be a good book for beginners looking to improve the diet, get educated, detox, and add more raw, live foods, although it contains good information for anyone looking to fine tune what they eat.  Check your public library and online resources to educate yourself.

Be happy.  Be healthy.
Staying warm,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012  *P.S.  Let me gift you a code for $5 off any purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements, raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, soaps such as Dr. Bronner's Castile, raw cacao*, organic chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, seaweed noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Currently, they ship free for orders of $20 or more.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order.  I think you will find iherb prices lower than your local store.  It is interesting to browse www.iherb.com so check it out.

Problems with the Omega VRT350HD Continue

This morning I tried straining the juice from the Omega VRT350HD vertical juicer.  The 2 ounces of kale juice produced so much foam it nearly covered most of the 5 inch strainer.  I chose to just juice 24 ounces of vegetable juice and strain the juice afterward.  The juice contained kale, carrots, celery, and a small amount of apple and cucumber.  Here are some photos of the results.
Notice the celery strings on the rim of the strainer.
These strings, and more, were in the juice!
There are many more strings in the pulp.

Close-up of pulp after I pushed out much of the juice with the back of a spoon.  Look closely and notice more celery strings throughout the pulp.  This pulp also contains carrot and apple.  The green kale material, which Omega says the 350HD does the best job of juicing, predominates this pulp although it was less than 10 percent of the total juice.

Select Celery Strings in the Omega 350HD juice:  Up to 2 inches long!

 Notice some celery strings from the juice in the photo on the right.  And yes Omega, I did cut the celery into quarters prior to juicing.  This celery was not the most stringy variety I have ever purchased.  It's strings were average.  This would have juiced very well in my 16 year old centrifugal juicer.  The old juicer produced a sweeter, pulp-free juice in less time, with no strings and fewer parts to wash.  Omega's answer to the problem of the large quantity (more than photographed) of strings in the juice:  it might be a defective auger.  This is the second auger!  I will try the third auger when it arrives and let you know whether things improve.  I am developing a new string theory.

So far, my experience with the Omega VRT350HD vertical juicer has been a strain.  And no, this is not pulp fiction.

With apologies for the puns,
Southwest Desert Blogger   P.S.  To support this blog, use discount code WAL660 for $5 off first purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements (Garden of Life), raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, organic soaps, raw organic cacao, organic raw chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, kelp noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Currently, they ship free for US orders of $20 or more.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order. www.iherb.com .  Thanks.

If you want to learn more about the 10 day juice fast (also see my September 2011 posts), the 7 day raw food challenge (see my July 2011 posts), or just want a free eBook with vegan juice and smoothie recipes and informative blog /videos link to:http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1383344
Be happy!
C. (c)2011

Omega VRT350HD Vertical Juicer Update #3

It has been a full week since I sent my "defective" Omega Vert back to Omega for a replacement.  Today I phoned Omega, and they were busy.  Problems?  I asked when I should expect to receive my replacement juicer.  I was told 5 business days from today.  That means I will have gone two full weeks without my new juicer!

Luckily I have my old juicer which works well.  Otherwise, I would be high and dry without fresh juice for two weeks.  Today I juiced a small sweet potato with my usual carrot, celery, spinach, and apple.  The sweet potato was a wonderful addition.  It gave the juice a rich quality and creamier texture.  I will get another little sweet potato and have that juice again.  It is a smooth, tasty, drink.

Still waiting for an Omega that works well,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011   P.S.  To support this blog, use discount code WAL660 for $5 off first purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements (Garden of Life), raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, organic soaps, raw organic cacao, organic raw chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, kelp noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Currently, they ship free for US orders of $20 or more.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order. www.iherb.com .  Thanks.

Got Ripe Bananas?

What to do with ripe bananas?
Make a smoothie.  

Do you have any ripe bananas at your house?  The concept of a ripe banana varies from person to person.  Once we were camping with some Canadians.  We were given a big bunch of green bananas.  We were waiting for them to ripen, because we don't like green bananas.  We never did eat one of those bananas because the Canadians ate them all while they were, what we consider, unripe green.  That's how they liked them! I'm not saying that all Canadians prefer green bananas, but that bunch we were camping with ate the whole green bunch of bananas.  They were worried that the bananas would go bad because we were not eating any of them.                                                                           
 These days I like to peel ripe bananas, slice them into 1/4 inch slices, and put them into a one pint plastic container with a snug fitting lid. I use a cottage cheese container, (from the pre-raw vegan times), that has been washed and dried (is this too obvious?).  Usually 2 bananas will fit into a pint container.  Snap the lid onto the container and put it into your freezer to freeze the bananas.  Then, when you want to make a smoothie, you have wonderful, sweet, frozen bananas to make the smoothie cold, creamy, and sweet.  You can add some other fruit, such as berries, for color and added flavor, or not.
You may need to add liquid of choice unless your fruit is juicy and / or your blender is heavy duty (got $400 blender?). The liquid can be water, milk, cream, fruit juice...What else have you got?  I use pure water -- enough to facilitate blending -- about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  You don't want too much liquid or the whole thing will be too watery.  Start with 1/4 cup and add more if the blender is working too hard.  Ice cubes or crushed ice optional.
You can make a nice smooth, sweet, frozen desert by just blending the frozen bananas with a bit of milk (dairy, soy, or almond) water, or cream.  Just add enough to create a thick, custard-like consistency.  Sometimes just a pinch of cinnamon blended in adds an interesting and more complex taste.
You can always mash the ripe bananas with a fork.  The riper they are, the easier they are to mash.  Leave chunks, or make it smooth.  Add some other fruit, cut into small pieces -- strawberry, sweet orange, mango, peach -- try adding whatever you have available.  Garnish with some green such as a mint leaf.  Sprinkle with cacao powder or carob.  Put a shelled walnut in the middle.  I actually think this would be good garnished with some lettuce leaf.  (see Got Greens? blog)
I have had bananas almost every day for the past 10 days.  Most days I had 4 frozen bananas in smoothies!  Today I had only one, because I had only one frozen banana in the freezer.  I need to peel, slice, and freeze another batch of ripe bananas.  I promise not to eat more than 2 per day.  It is my summer treat.  Yin to all you macrobiotics.  So, don't throw out your very ripe bananas.  Freeze them.
Adding some additional nutrients to your smoothie or general diet?  Get discounts on quality vitamins, herbs, raw foods, superfoods, organics, raw cacao, chia, acai, hemp seed, goji, coconut oil, other organic oils, soaps, organic cinnamon, even organic pet food and dry skin brushes at www.iherb.com .  Use discount code WAL660 at checkout for $5 off and free shipping for orders over $20.   Be sure to select one Freebie free product with your order.  They have  international shipping, product reviews, and information.

Still raw vegan, Southwest Desert Blogger, C. (c)2011

Got Gas?

A big howdy to all you cowboys, cowgirls, city slickers, dude ranch dudes and dudettes, desert rats, yuppies, and hippy wannabees.  A few days ago I heard in the mass mediums, i.e., radio and TV, that Tucson has the cheapest gas prices in the US at $3.41 a gallon.  Well, the mass media got it wrong again.  I drove around Tucson and easily found several places where gas was, and still is, $3.39 a gallon.  I got gas at $3.379 per gallon at one of those big, membership, discount warehouse places with a name like Costlo.
A quick online search of gas prices in Honolulu within the last 36 hours reveals that the cheapest price per gallon there is $4.23.  On the island of Kauai the cheapest gas on the Kuhio Highway is $4.439 per gallon.
If you want to snowboard instead of surf, the cheapest gas on Highway 82, Aspen, Colorado is $4.099.  If you get your gas on Main Street, Aspen, the cheapest (is that a word anyone uses in Aspen?) gas is $4.269 per gallon.  A few blocks up Main Street you can pay $4.459 for a gallon of regular grade gasoline. 

So folks, if you want cheap gas, and you don't need to be near ocean or extreme high country, you know where it is:  the southwest desert, where the livin' is cheap and the skies are not cloudy all day.  Happy trails.