by Heidi Trilling

Elizabeth Dahnken and Josh McHugh of Living Intentions. Photo credits: Heidi Trilling

Living Intentions is delighting lots of happy customers. 

Founded by Bay Area natives Elizabeth Dahnken and Josh McHugh in 2005, the Living Intentions company creates a line of gourmet, organic, raw nut snacks under the name “Gone Nuts.” There are eight different flavors, so far. Savory ones and sweet, like “Cilantro Lime Mojo Pistachios & Pepitas” and “Maple-Mesquite Flour Candied Walnuts.” All feature tantalizing combinations of nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices.

The “Gone Nuts” line has sprouted a crowd of devotees posting glowing reviews online, and buying up these seasoned nuts from stores — in bulk quantities. It’s no surprise. These raw nut snacks are not only delicious, they are nutrient-rich and satisfying, like little meals unto themselves. Passionate fans eat them straight from the package, or crush them up and add them to pasta sauces, soups, salads and desserts.  

Dahnken and McHugh are passionate about raw foods, too. Both came to the raw foods lifestyle through wanting to improve their health. 

“I’ve always been into natural foods, and I’m a diabetic,” McHugh explained. “I went to a lecture on raw food up in Eugene, Oregon. I had never heard anything about it before — about live enzymes, and people healing themselves. It was amazing! And pretty much overnight, I decided I was going to go for it.” McHugh did just that, and his health and energy improved considerably.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Dahnken was working on Capitol Hill, with a high-stress job and a “crazy lifestyle.” As Dahnken explained it, she was eating poorly and found herself “getting sick all the time. For years! Respiratory infections, sinus infections, pneumonia, bronchitis. I was always on antibiotics, always at the doctor.”

On a trip home to the West Coast, Dahnken reconnected with McHugh, a friend from high school. “I was learning from Josh about organics and raw foods, and my life was transforming! All of this positive energy! After a period of time, no more doctors’ visits, no more meds — it was really powerful and healing!” 

So powerful, in fact, that Dahnken packed up her bags, left Washington D.C., and came home to the West Coast.

At the time, McHugh was tinkering with raw foods in his kitchen, learning to blend flavors, use spices and create uniquely delicious recipes. “I was toying with the idea of catering,” McHugh recalled. Dahnken soon joined in, and their first joint business venture was born: a 100 percent raw food catering company, which was years ahead of its time. “We were serving some raw chip products,” McHugh remembered,  “And people said: ‘These are amazing! You should really put these on the shelves!’ ”

So, the fledgling catering business soon morphed into a raw chips business. However, making the chips themselves proved to be extremely expensive and laborious. But McHugh and Dahnken were onto something: raw food snacks.

McHugh said: “I had a recipe for raw seasoned nuts. At the time, no one was doing anything with seasoned pistachios, so it seemed like a great idea. I started tinkering again, and eventually, we came out with the first five of these bags of snacks.”

Dahnken added: “That’s when it really started for us. It was a total grass-roots approach. I would walk into shops with little bags, and say: ‘Hey, try out these products!’ ” 

Their cold calling paid off. The “Gone Nuts” line is now available in Cunha’s Country Grocery in downtown Half Moon Bay, in all the New Leaf Community Markets (including the new Half Moon Bay location), at Whole Foods Market and Piazza’s Fine Foods in San Mateo, and at Earthbeam Natural Foods and Que SeRAW SeRAW in Burlingame, among other places.

Fans of Living Intentions will soon be able to enjoy even more of Dahnken and McHugh’s delicious offerings: a line of raw “Superfood Cereal” that will be available in Whole Foods Market in Fall 2008. “These cereals are a delivery system for super foods like spirulina and raw cacao,” Dahnken explained. McHugh added: “There is an apple-ginger flavor, a chocolate flavor, and a hemp-greens flavor which is sweet, like granola. Everything is organic, sprouted, and completely allergen-free.”

Both Dahnken and McHugh envision a future in which people will better understand the connection between fresh, organic food and good health. “We’re trained to go to the doctor when we’re sick,” Dahnken said, “And it will take a generation or two to break that paradigm and move to something else, like really thinking about what we eat.” McHugh added: “What we’re putting in our bodies matters. Pure food equals good health and positive energy.” 

Dahnken and McHugh also envision joining together with like-minded businesses to bring healthier foods to schools, vending machines, snack bars, etc. “Partnering with different companies to combine skill sets, different channels of distribution, and different ways of community outreach is awesome to us,” Dahnken said. 

So is keeping the grass-roots, upbeat, person-to-person culture as the Living Intentions company grows.

“We have great relationships with our suppliers,” McHugh said. “We’ve personally met all the farmers who we get nuts from in this country. It’s great to know exactly where our food comes from, and that it’s as fresh as possible.”

 “Food,” Dahnken continued, “should travel the shortest distance from farm to plate.” McHugh agreed: “Eat simply and eat clean. Eat pure foods. Whether it’s cooked or raw — whatever your trip is — just make sure it’s clean. Educate yourself about what you are eating. That’s the most important thing.”

On the Web: www.livingintentions.com.

Pure Banana Ice Cream

Pure Banana Ice Cream with Gone Nuts Raw Cacao Brazil Nuts & Mulberries.

with “Gone Nuts Raw Cacao Brazil Nuts & Mulberries”

by Elizabeth Dahnken and Josh McHugh

Go to the farmers market for a bunch of organic bananas.

Peel and freeze them. Purée in a blender.

Mix in some green powder, like spirulina, if you want an extra boost.

Add some vanilla or coconut oil, some cinnamon and nutmeg, and agave.

Top with crushed (or whole) “Gone Nuts Raw Cacao Brazil Nuts & Mulberries”

Enjoy!