The Organic Climber – Vegetarian running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing and raw foods.

This update is a bit late, but life has been busy, but in a good way. This past weekend was amazing, it was a slower passed weekend than usual and I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my wife. We don’t have Internet at the apartment right now, so it’s difficult to make updates on my blog, but on the plus side, it allows us to spend more time together.

Anyway, I ended up driving up to Stephenville Texas to the Barefoot Market for the final day of Cleanse America to hang out with Paul, Penny, Daniel, and Linda. It was the best day of the Cleanse in my opinion because it took me out of my normal routine. I finished up work in the Bearded Brothers kitchen early that morning, and drove the 3 hours to Barefoot Market, where I was greeted by this sign…

Chris, the other Bearded Brother, was planning on making an appearance too, but had to stay in Austin at the last minute. I spent much of the day chatting with Stephenville resident’s, demoing bars, and hanging out with some of the Cleanse America crew. I even enjoyed my first durian experience with Paul Risse, something I would likely repeat, but not sure if I would buy the exotic fruit on my own. It wasn’t as strong smelling as I thought it would be, but the onion like taste topped with a custardy sweetness threw me for a loop and blew my mind. And, within an hour of eating the fruit the tryptophans had kicked in, giving me a very calm and relaxed feeling.

It was a good feeling to just let go of control for a day and not worry so much about work and what was and wasn’t getting done. I was even able to spend a few moments in the sun reading for pleasure. It’s not often that I just relinquish my day-to-day tasks and allow myself to relax. It’s something I need to learn and practice more regularly. One of the reasons I wanted to start my own business was so I would have more free time to enjoy personal recreation and time with family. But, sadly the nature of a bootstrapped startup means I’m working constantly. I really enjoyed giving up control for a day, though. I plan on doing it again for an entire week in May. It’s the last opportunity my wife and I have to take a vacation together before our baby comes in September, and it’s going to be the longest period of time I’ve taken off since starting Bearded Brothers.

The Cleanse was a great experience, and below is a summary of what I took away from the whole experience.

1. I got affirmation on something I already knew. A high raw diet is ideal for optimal energy. I had more energy during the 10 day cleanse than I had in a long time. This was primarily seen on two occasions. One, the day after I had a restless nights sleep of only 6 hours I still had loads of energy and lots of mental clarity to get work done. Two, was the final day of the Cleanse when I decided to drive to Stephenville, TX to the Barefoot Market. Again, it was another night of little sleep, as I had to start work early that morning then drove the three hours and stayed up until midnight hanging out with friends.

2. Mental Clarity. I found myself more productive during the week, able to focus for longer periods of time, was distracted less and got lots of work done. I also felt less anxious and stressed. I had more of a calm about me than stress and worry that I tend to carry with me.

3. Even a healthy plant based diet doesn’t compare to 100% raw. I don’t desire to maintain a 100% raw diet for a number of reasons, but I was surprised at how much my body detoxed. It just goes to show how much food affects the body. I have been vegetarian for 4 years now, and have always been high raw (in varying degrees). I had foggy head during most of the Cleanse, and experienced numerous bowl movements, expelling toxins from my body. I was really shocked at the amount of detox I went through, despite a very healthy diet. It’s served as a reminder I always, always, always need to be mindful of what I am putting into my body.

4. I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer and reflection during my trip to Stephenville and was reminded of how much God has blessed me. I was also reminded by friends that God has his hand in the things I am doing. It was comforting to know that I am being taken care of and to appreciate all the blessings I have experienced in the past two years. It hasn’t been easy not having an income other than my wife during that time. But the hard work is about to pay off. In just a few months I should be able to start paying myself and my wife will be able to leave her full time job to become a stay at home mother.

5. Discipline is something I am still capable of. I started off the year with a 7 day juice/raw food cleanse and gave up caffeine during that time. I told myself after the Cleanse was over I would mostly drink tea, rather than coffee. I quickly fell off the wagon though, but gave it up again for Cleanse America. Since then, I have had coffee twice, but the desire for it is considerably lower and I feel that I will be able to commit to less coffee. I felt much better without it and I truly believe that I’m capable of only having it in moderation. I find I’m less anxious and focus better when I don’t have high amounts of caffeine coursing through my veins.

I thoroughly enjoyed cleansing and enjoyed seeing how others benefited from it as well. I plan on making cleansing a regular routine in my life. I also plan on being more conscience of my every day decisions. Even though I already eat very healthy, there are still numerous things I can do to bring about a better balance in my life. I’m thankful that the Cleanse helped remind me of these things.

Did you participate in Cleanse America, or have you had a recent cleanse experience? If so please share it in the comments.

Health & Fitness, Life and Motivation, RAW Food by OrganicClimber
america, barefoot, bearded, brothers, cleanse, market, organic, RAW
1 comment

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Well, it’s almost the end of day two, of Cleanse America – a 10 day cleanse with people all across the US participating. I officially decided to take part in the cleanse just a couple days before it started. Prior to that I didn’t thank I was going to be able to afford 100% raw for the 10 days, but thanks to a friend, it has become possible!

I’m extremely grateful to be able to take part in the cleanse. Having formerly eaten a diet as high as 80% in recently years I didn’t think I would begin experiencing detox symptoms at all, much less at the start of day two. I woke up this morning feeling foggy headed, the feeling stayed with me most of the morning and lifted later in the day, but returned just before beginning to write this post. It just goes to show how much diet affects the body.

I think the thing I’m most excited about it just getting to eat raw foods! Since moving to Austin my food budget has drastically decreased, thus not really giving us the option to eat as much raw foods as we would like. And, to be completely honest, Austin got the best of me with its local eateries and taco joints. When I first moved here I was trying a new restaurant every week. However, my wife and I had to tighten the reins on the food budget which has lead us to cooking almost every meal at home; though my breakfast and lunch is usually raw.

I’m also looking forward to a variety of salads and other yummy raw meals. For the past year I have been stuck in a salad rutt, eating the same salad nearly ever day, which had caused me to move away from raw foods for weeks at a time. So, I hope the cleanse will break my salad boredom streak with some variety and new recipes. Just this morning I made a delicious walnut vinaigrette dressing (recipe below) that went really well on my apple and hemp seed salad!

I also hope to break my “addiction” to coffee. It was something I had given up for about a year previously, but got addicted again when I moved to Austin and started working from coffee shops. Sort of ironic, since I was in the planning stages of Bearded Brothers, my raw organic snackfood company! I was originally planning on allowing myself tea during the cleanse, but I decided yesterday that forgoing caffein for the entire cleanse was going to be best. I went sans coffee through the weekend and had my last cup of tea yesterday!

I’m also hoping my energy levels will rise. Even though I get consistant sleep and a good amount of exercise, and still eat an overall healthy diet my energy levels are not what they used to be. I remember when I was able to run half marathons and then still go out and have fun doing other things in the afternoon, without a nap. Lately, though I’m wiped out after a 10 mile run or 40 mile bike ride.

And finally, I hope to get motivated to exercise more, even if it’s just pull ups on my hang board at the house. It was one of my new years goals that I have failed out due to lack of motivation, and honestly remembering to do it. So hopefully the cleanse will help clear my mind as well and help me to remember better. I plan on getting exercise nearly every day during the cleanse.

To learn more about Cleanse America, check out their website and Facebook Page.

I hope to make daily updates about my progress during the cleanse.

Walnut Vinaigrette Recipe

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup of water
• 3/4 cup of walnuts
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 TBSP of raw honey
• dash of sea salt, to taste

Instructions: Place all the ingredients in the blender and whirl! If the mixture is too thick add a bit more water. I like the constancy of mine fairly thick though, it sticks very well to lettuce leaves.

Health & Fitness, Life and Motivation, RAW Food, Recipes by OrganicClimber
america, cleanse, detox, food, organic, RAW
2 comments

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Bearded Brothers recently was asked to be a sponsor of 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell. For me (Caleb) this was a huge honor, as this is one of the most popular climbing competitions around. Being a climber myself I have always wanted to enter the competition, but it has never landed on a weekend that worked for my schedule; usually I was there climbing with friends the weekend before, so two trips in a row to Arkansas was not realistic for me.

Although I was not competing this year, we had a great time passing out samples of our tasty organic energy bars to hungry climbers, volunteers and spectators. We handed out over 1,400 bite sized samples. We run out of samples hours before the competition was even over.  Bearded Brothers was present among other big named sponsors, such as: Patagonia, Backwoods, Tall Grass Brewing Company, Petzl, and many more.

The competition gets it’s name because it’s hosted at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, in Arkansas, just south of the Buffalo National River. Climbers compete as a team, but are also scored individually. Each route the climber completes earns them points. Points are determined based on the difficulty of the route. So, a climber that completes more easy routes than a climber finishing fewer harder routes could potentially still win.

The competition was kicked off at 10 a.m. at the sound of a shotgun after completing the “climbers creed”, that has new additions to it every year.  Climbers can climb any route on the Ranch, but have to be finished by 10 a.m. the next morning with their score cards turned in.  Some climbers choose to climb the full 24 hours. Others sleep for a few hours then wake up to complete more climbs.

The competition was full of energy. Several pairs were dressed up in costumes ranging from warrior princess’, to 80’s spandex with heads shaved to look balding. Awards were also given for best costume. The competition really came to life at night fall. Most climbers flock to the west side of the ranch and share lights to make night climbing easier. All climbers were equipped with head lamps, and several carried portable lights with small generators to light up the wall.   Every hour climbers would participate in the “hourly yell”. Yells could be heard all across the canyon.

After the competition was over climbers spend the day resting before the evening pasta dinner and awards ceremony. Hundreds of climbers packed into a large barn that felt tiny once filled with stinky sweaty bodies. Lots of free gear was passed out and awards were given to the best overall climbers as well as best teams.

After the awards were handed out climbers flocked to the dining hall for a free pasta dinner and free beer from Tall Grass Brewing Company. Bearded Brothers was also on site selling bars at a discounted price. It was loads of fun talking to people and making new friends. After the dinner climbers congregated back in the barn for a slide show reflecting on the past six years of the competition. It was cool to see how the event started off with around 30 climbers and grew to 250, plus volunteers. It’s a true testimony to the quality of this event. Andy Chasteen, the organizer puts in blood sweat and tears to make it all happen every year.

The event was concluded with an after party that was kicked off with an arm wrestling competition, which even pitted girls against guys. We didn’t stick around to find out who won since we had to be back on the road early the next morning, but we later heard the party went well into the morning. A good number of people even participated in a night-time session of the ropes challenge course the Ranch offers to its guests.

The event was an amazing experience and we look forward to returning again next year. There might even be a Bearded Brothers team in the competition.

Visit the Bearded Brothers Facebook page for more photos of this event!

Climbing, Health & Fitness, RAW Food by OrganicClimber
24 hours of horseshoe hell, bearded brothers, Climbing, competition, energy bar, organic
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Just wanted to send out a huge thanks to everybody who made our project on Kickstarter a huge success. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. Check out the video below for the latest news about Bearded Brothers and see the new logo.

You can also check out the original project on Kickstarter.

Cross Training, Health & Fitness by OrganicClimber
almonds, cashews, energy bar, gluten free, organic, RAW, seasoned, snacks, vegan
3 comments

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Before I get started with the recipe, I have a plea. Visit my Kickstarter page and make a $5 donation. As you probably know by now, I am starting up a raw food snack company – Adventure Naturals. But in order to make it happen we need startup capital to pay our first months rent and buy our first batch of product. A simple $5 donation gets you a tasty energy bar. Just think, that $5 earns you a bar that will retail for $3, AND it helps bring nutritious goodies to the weary traveler, backpacker, rock climber, runner, swimmer, and you!

Anyway, here we go. I thought it would be fitting with the Christmas season upon us to create a Christmas themed smoothie. When I think of Christmas, the flavor that instantly came to mind was peppermint. So, I made a trip to Whole Foods earlier last week and picked up some peppermint extract to create this delicious smoothie. I also had a sweet tooth earlier in the week and created a raw ice cream that I will likely post the recipe to later this week.

The Recipe

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract or flavoring
• 1 giant hand full of spinach
• 8oz of almond milk
• 8oz of water
• 2 TBSP of cashew butter
• 1-2 TBSP of agave nectar (optional)

Directions: Throw all the ingredients into your Vitamix (or high-speed blender) and process until smooth. This should produce two servings. If you happen to be considering the purchase of a Vitamix for a Christmas present, you can order through the link on my Vitamix page (use coupon code: 06-004609) and receive free shipping. Sure, those coupon codes are ALL OVER the internet, but if you order it through me I get a nice commission!

Anyway, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. I hope you enjoy the smoothie. It is certainly one of my new favorites that I will likely make year round. How else am I going to use up a bottle of peppermint extract?

Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
adventure naturals, christmas, kickstarter, mint, organic, peppermint, RAW, smoothie
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This post is essentially a re-hash of the Larabar post I did a while back. These recipes are different and the date to nut ratio is far better. After seeing some raw energy bar recipes in Thrive by Brenden Brazier I got a better idea of how I should actually be making these. It is far simpler than what I was originally doing. Rather then pre-chopping the nuts I just toss all the ingredients into a food processor. So, I will actually be presenting to you two recipes here. One for Cashew Cookie and the other Pumpkin Spice Energy.

The Cashew Cookie flavor is my favorite Larabar, so now that I can make these on my own I will be buying them a lot less. Especially since I found out it’s easier than I had been making it out to be. For this recipe all you need is cashews and dates. It’s that simple!

The Recipe – Cashew Cookie

• 1 cup of pitted dates
• 1 cup of cashews

Directions: Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until the dates and nuts are well mixed and the nuts are coarsely chopped without any large chunks lingering about. There can, and likely will be a few but you don’t want too many. After your mixture is complete you have two options. One, place them on a teflex dehydrator sheet and shape into bars. I found myself creating one large square and then using a pizza cutter to divide into shapes. Once you have your bars shaped on the dehydrator sheet, place them in the dehydrator at 115 degrees overnight. In the morning flip them over onto the mesh sheets and remove the teflex sheet. Then dehydrate a few additional hours if needed.

Option two is to place them in the refrigerator overnight. They should also be stored in there as well. Your dehydrated bars won’t need to be stored in the fridge. My experience though with doing the refrigerator method with similar recipes is that they start to turn to mush after they warm up, so they have to be consumed relatively quickly after removing from the fridge, this is why I prefer using the dehydrator. When storing in the fridge wrap the bars in cellophane or place in a Ziploc bag.

The Recipe – Pumpkin Spice Energy

This one is destined to be one of my favorite raw treats. The Pumpkin Spice Energy bar is 100% my own invention too. Granted it was inspired by other raw goodies. Pumpkin Spice is one of my favorite flavors, so I will be more than likely making this recipe again and again. Another thing I like about it is I incorporate chia seeds. I have mentioned this potent little seeds before in Eating for Energy. The nice thing about chia seeds is that they slow down the breakdown of glucose when consumed with fruit (dates in this case), thus giving you loner lasting energy. Great for a long day at the crag, running or cycling.

• 1/2 cup of dates
• 1/2 cup of organic raisins
• 1/2 cup of almonds
• 1/2 cup of cashews
• 1 TBSP of chia seeds
• 2 tsp of pumpkin spice
• 1-2 TBSP of raw honey or agave nectar

Directions: Follow the same directions for the Cashew Cookie energy bar.

Oh, and on a side note. I fixed the overlapping comment box that occurs on shorter posts. So you will now be able to see the entire comment box without it being hidden by the sidebar. Yeah! Finally took the time to find the line of code that needed to be changed.

RAW Food, Recipes by OrganicClimber
almonds, cashews, chia seeds, dates, energy, energy bar, Lara bar, Larabar, nuts, organic, RAW, RAW Food, recipe, snack, sweet
7 comments

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