We Can "Have our (raw) Cake and Eat it Too"

I spent the morning talking to my dearest friend Bobby about all of the logistics of my raw dessert/snack company undertaking: websites, business licenses, securing a commercial kitchen, food handling tests, even a seemingly little thing like where to order packaging from. Not to mention knowing how much to sell my products for to the stores, who will then jack it up so that they too make a profit. It's a little overwhelming. (just a tad) Luckily Bobby knows me better than anyone on this planet, and knows exactly what to say and how to say it to make me feel safe and like I can do it all easily. He is truly a blessing in my life. After talking to me logically about all of my next actions and breaking down even the seemingly difficult tasks into easy peasy steps (he didn't actually use that word, just so you know), I felt so much more capable bc I know he is here with me and supporting me. I am not alone with all of these daunting tasks looming over me. Which could lead me into a post about how leaning on others for support and help makes life so much grander, but that's not where I'm going with this. After we talked logistics, we started talking about my logo and what I wanted it to represent. Bobby reminded me to think about why I started making these healthy raw desserts in the first place, and I want to share this with all of you.

The story behind my creating all of these raw creations, especially the desserts, is bc I spent most of my life obsessed with my weight and trying to eat (or rather not eat) to stay skinny, so I never ever allowed myself to have sweets, (unless it was a holiday, in which case I would go crazy and spend the entire Christmas vacation feeling sick- a few New Years' ago, I ate so much cheese dip that I literally doubled over in pain and fell asleep at 10:30 bc I couldn't bear to be awake). Ha. Anyway, I would try all of these fat-free, sugar-free crap things that didn't taste good, left me feeling sick, and didn't satisfy me at all. Then, over a year ago, I discovered that if I ate REAL foods, that haven't been processed and that were good for my body, I could eat things that I never would have thought to eat before, such as chocolate (raw, made with healthy cacao) and even cupcakes (made out of nuts with a little natural sweetener). I allowed myself to eat oils (gasp!), fats from avocados and other natural sources, carbs (another gasp!), and "naughty" things like cacao and nuts. All of these foods, which make up most of my daily intake now, would have made me cringe a few years ago. But, as I changed my diet and realized how good I felt and looked, not only did I not gain any weight, but I actually lost some weight and settled at my normal weight for my frame. After years of suffering, punishing myself, having a terrible relationship with food and being down right miserable about "nourishing" my body, I was finally free from those chains. I now love what I eat, and I love how what I eat makes me feel. I finally get the joy of eating.

After I started making raw desserts for myself, (bc I could finally allow myself to have sweets!!!), I started making them for others. Which is where this whole thing began. My whole motivation is that these desserts aren't something one should feel guilty about eating- they are part of a healthy diet, and can be consumed not just as a "guilty pleasure" treat, but as something that is contributing to the person's overall well-being. This is really important to me. I want to break the whole "dessert is only for special occasions, and/or I should feel guilty when I eat it" mantra, because it's not true! We truly can "have our cake, and eat it too."

Left: Mango Coconut Rawpie