saRAW

Debit Card Drama, Disneyland Trip, Maple Roasted Tempeh and Seasonal Fruits and Hurom Slow Juicer

2010-07-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

OMG.... I can't believe i am finally posting! Which means I actually have a day off! I have been so busy... I gave my notice at my job to start another one working for a Urologist. So, I have been doing both jobs until the 24th... it is a lot. The new job will be good though because it is normal hours, Monday through Friday and I will be able to spend more time with Mackenzie, which is the most important :)

So...

We had fun in Disneyland even though my debit card number was stolen two days into the trip and my bank shut my card off... good thing I had brought another credit card to use because it was the weekend of the 4th and all the banks were closed. Have you ever had you identity or credit cards stolen? Big pain in the ass! Not cool!

Mackenzie loved getting autographs and meeting all the characters and I did get her onto a few scary rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones... but there was no way she was about to get onto California Screamin'... the BIG roller coaster I would have loved... maybe next time!

we waited for an hour in line to see Minnie Mouse!

Glad she had fun!

Onto food... I have been enjoying my Maple Roasted Tempeh... sweet and yummy.

1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 package tempeh

Mix first two ingredients and brush onto the tempeh, roast at 400 for about 20 minutes, flip half way through. Yummy and easy.

I have also been enjoying fresh figs. Love these and they are not around for long. I was excited to see them at a farmers market I went to and snatched some up. Do you have any good fig recipes to share?

My newest purchase is the Hurom Slow Juicer. I haven't used it yet, but will today. I have been wanting it for a while. After readind review I have found that people say it maintains the nutrients in the juice better. When I juice with my juicer if I don't drink it right away, I don't like the taste. With the Hurom you should be able to juice in advance (which means less clean up... a huge plus for me!) and still enjoy the juice later. I'll let you know what I think next post.

Next recipe I will share is my baked Falafel balls with cucumber sauce... so good and healthier then the fried version. I am on a falafel kick lately... can't get enough of them!

Hope you all have a great day!

More to come soon!

2010-07-10T11:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has left comments lately... I have been super busy and have not had time to post. I will get to it soon. I want to share with you....

Our disneyland trip and ATM card drama/ issues while vacationing.

My new favorite recipes...

Averies crackers

Sweet Maple Cinnamon Roasted Tempeh (YUM!)

My new Juicer purchase...

and more!

Raw Macaroons, Raw "Cheetos"

2010-06-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It's been quite a while since I have posted... I have been super busy with work, summer projects, Mackenzie being out of school and I guess just life in general. Next Tuesday Mackenzie and I are headed to Southern California for a 7 day vacation of hanging out Lake Arrowhead and then going to Disneyland... we are both very excited! I can't even remember the last time I took a seven day vacation or got to spend 7 relaxing days with my little girl!

I have been busy trying new recipes too. I stumbled upon these protein cakes on the site Foods of April after reading about the protein ice cream that Heather of Heather eats almond Butter makes. These are both two of my new favorite recipes. The protein cakes are really good and easy to put your own twist on. What I used was...

1 and 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon apple sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon
splash vanilla extract
sprinkle of stevia

Mix it up and microwave for a minute. They are so good cut in half and smothered with almond butter. They keep well in the fridge too.

I also made Stacy Neely's raw "cheetos" but used Kristen Suzanne's cheezy hemp sauce for the coating. Soooo good and easy! Here's how to make them...
Cut cauliflower into florets

Coat with sauce (use Kristen's Hemp sauce or Stacy's "cheeto" sauce {recipe follows})

Dehydrate until crisp... overnight for me.

Enjoy!

Stacy Neely Stower's Cheeto Sauce recipe is here...

"Stacy's Fabulouso Cheeto Puffs" and "Spicalisous Nori Nachos"

1 cup sunflower seeds soaked and sprouted
1 c raw soaked cashews soaked
1 c raw soaked almonds
1 big orange
1 cup red pepper diced
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
2-4 Tbsp of nutritional yeast

Process all ingredients and use this as a batter to coat small pieces of RAW CAULIFLOWER. dehydrate at 108 for 24 hours or until crunchy. ENJOY!

I use this same "batter" for the inside of my "Spicalisious Nori Nachos"....except I omit the nutritional yeast and I add cayenne pepper for the SPICALISOUSNESS! Spread batter between 2 layers of raw unroasted nori sheets and dehydrate at 108 for 24 hours or until crunchy. cut into triangles.

I know your family will looooove these!

I also decided to make raw macaroons since I ordered this huge bucket of coconut from Tropical Traditions...

I used...

2 cups shredded coconut from Tropical Traditions

3/4 cup ground cashews

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut oil from Tropical Traditions

small squirt of agave

1/3 cup ground flaxmeal

chocolate chip (to half the batch)

pop into dehydrator...

Then devour!

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Kaia Foods Giveaway Winner & Best Soup Ever!

2010-06-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Hope everyone has been enjoying their weekends. I have been working but today is my Friday... yay! The weather has been beautiful and it finally feels like Spring, now that it is almost over.

The other day I watched this video clip of Natalia Rose sharing an easy soup recipe. I love sweet potatoes and had leftover carrot cake carrot juice (recipe below) so I made it. It is my favorite soup recipe to date.

2 to 3 cups carrot juice
1 large sweet potato diced
4 or 5 dates
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon (or more) pumpkin pie spice.

Blend until creamy and smooth and enjoy. It is so good... tastes like pumpkin pie and reminds me of the sweet potato cassarole that I love to make.

I used some leftover Carrot Cake Carrot Juice that I had made. I used...

1 two pound bag of carrots
4 apples
small chunk of ginger
sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg (sprinkle them right into the juicer)

At work, some of the girls have been asking me about raw foods. I usually get... "what do you eat, just salad?" So, I think I will prepare some raw foods and bring them in. I always like to surprise people with what you CAN eat raw, not what you can't eat.

Maybe I can bring in Raw Apple Crumble....

Or Raw Fajitas...

What about a raw cupcake?

What foods do you like to prepare for non-raw friends to wow them?

Onto the winner of the Kaia Food giveaway...

The winner is comment # 8,Lauren..

Lauren said...

I added you to my blogroll: gingeristhenewpink.blogspot.com

Lauren, please email me at sryseff@yahoo.com with your mailing address... congratulations!

Kaia Foods Giveaway!

2010-06-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Scroll down for information on the giveaway! :)

The other day I was making my favorites quick lunch of whole grain bread with nut butter, honey and sprinkled with cinnamon when I realized I was out of nut butter. I usually buy the almond butter from TJ's. It occurred to me, why have I not been making my own in my dear Vita Mix? So I did. I only had raw pecans, so I used them. I also threw in some vanilla and cinnamon. So good! I will be making my own nut butters from now on. It is so much less expensive too. Some nut butters are like 10.00 a jar and if they have vanilla or some other flavor, even more. Way cheaper to do it yourself.

During my shopping trip yesterday I stopped at the Asia food mart and grabbed a case of young coconuts. While I was there I noticed durian in the freezer section. I didn't get any but I think I will try it next time. Have you tried Durian? I know Bitt has.... she even made a durian moonie pie! I did find gogi berries there for 10.00 a pound and bought some of those.

Onto more important things... the lovely people over at Kaia Foods would like to give away a product of your choice to one lucky person in the continental US. If you have not tried Kaia food products here is your chance to. Kaia makes yummy raw granola, fruit leathers and nuts, which I have not tried yet, but want to. I can vouch for the granola... it is great!

To enter:

1)Go to the Kaia Foods website and leave a comment telling me which product you would like to try.

2) Link this contest on your blog. For this you get 3 extra entries... leave 3 separate comments.

3) Post this contest on your Facebook page and leave a comment telling me you did that.

4) Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment telling me you did that.

5) Add my blog to your blogroll and leave a comment telling me you did that.

Contest ends Saturday night at 12:00 am PST. Winner will be announced Sunday morning!

Kombucha... it is multiplying! Heather's Mango Tart

2010-05-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

Hope everyone is doing well. The weather here in Northern California has been gorgeous!

School is almost wrapping up for Mackenzie and I am trying to plan out the summer. I have planned a trip to Disneyland in the beginning of July... we can't wait! I also want to attend the Health and Harmony festival in Santa Rosa, California and the Raw Food Expo in Santa Rosa. Are any of you planning on attending these? Do you have any summer plans yet?

I had posting about making my own kombucha. I love kombucha but it gets expensive at 3.00 a bottle, so I am glad mine has been coming out good. The batch just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) doubles every time you make a batch. I went from one batch...

to this...

I have been flavoring some with different fruit juices. Yum!

Onto dessert! I made Heather of Sweetly Raw's Mango Tart. The only things I changed were to use apricots instead of raspberries, added raw oats to the crust (I posted about the raw oats here) and I omitted the cocao butter because I didn't have it.

The mango mix

The crust

Layer of apricot slices

The finished product. Mine did not set as well due to not adding the cocao butter but it still tasted great... as any of Heather's recipes will.

The past couple days eats have been mostly smoothie for breakfast or whole grain waffles with coconut butter and fruit.

I have also been enjoying salad with roasted sweet potatoes, beets, onions, and raw corn all tossed in Kristen Suzzane's Cheesy Hemp Sauce. This sauce is good on everything.... use it as a dip or dressing. Yum!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!

The BEST Raw Oats, Chocolate Coconut Bars, Dehydrated young thai coconut and Healthier Cinnamon Banana Chips

2010-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It feels like it has been forever since I posted. I have finished my classes and have been working more. I will be starting full time next month. It is exciting because all the work I have done going back to school to change careers is coming full circle. I have to say that I LOVE being a nurse, so rewarding! And, of course I keep my Real Estate license current so if the market decides to come back strong I can always go back to that too.

Anyway.... I wanted to share with you a recent purchase that I am just thrilled about. These YUMMY organic, RAW, fresh flaked oats and oat flour that I ordered online from Sunrise Flour Mill. They are so good, fresh tasting, and RAW. Why buy dead processed oats when you can get fresh flaked raw oats! It is amazing the difference in taste with the fresh oats... you should order some and see what I mean.

What have I been making with the oats? First I did Averie's overnight oats with a twist. I placed some oats in a bowl, added maple syrup, soy milk, cinnamon, dash of salt, walnuts and raisins and it soak overnight. It was creamy and sweet in the morning. Yum! It made me remember being a kid I used to mix uncooked oatmeal with water and eat it... I love the taste of oats.

Breakfast today was a fluffy waffle, left over from Sunday mornings breakfast, topped with coconut butter (my new favorite slather on everything goody) banana and maple syrup.

I want to share a delicious treat that could not be easier to make. I found this online but can't remember where. Anyhow, take the meat of a few young coconut and dehydrate until chewy. It is SOOOO good! It is hard to not eat it all at once. Chewy, sweet and good for you.

I really like banana chips, but are they fried? I decided to make my own. I melted some coconut oil and mixed in some cinnamon...

tossed the banana slices and dehydrated.... yum!

I pulled mine out when they were still a little chewy.

I also made some Chocolate Coconut bars. Similar to my copycat Lydia's Organics Bars but with cocoa powder and cocoa nibs. These are crunchy, sweet and light.

In food processor, mix 2 bananas and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Add 2 cups flaked coconut and some cocoa nibs

Optional... add some cinnamon and cayenne pepper for a kick.

Dehydrate overnight or until crisp. Break into chunks and enjoy!

Question: Do you have several careers under your belt? Have you had a major career change due to the downturn in the economy?

What do you do differently now than you did before?

Also, check out the daily raw cafe for a chance to win a Jennifer Cornbleet uncook book or Blackbird Truffles!

Schools almost over! Favorite recipes...

2010-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I have not posted in a while because I have been so busy studying... yes... finals next week then I am done with my classes... yay! I can't wait to get back to devoting more time to creating yummy raw recipes, product reviews, and training for another half marathon.
I will be signing up for the half marathon in Santa Rosa in August.

I am curious... what are your favorite raw recipes? Are there any recipes that you love that you would like to be made raw? I know that I LOVE bread and have had fun creating different raw breads, like my cinnamon raisin bread, and this nut free raw bread recipe.

slathered with avo, yum!

I also love my spiced buckwheat crispy granola... have you made it yet?

perfect with fruit on top and nut milk!

I am on a mission to create some fabulous new raw dessert recipes. Anything you would like to see? Pie, cake, cookies???

Started Clean Program

2010-05-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Mine is just flying by. I realized today that I have only 20 days left of school! So excited, but not for the finals...yuck!

Some of you may remember that I had bought the book "Clean" by Dr. Alejandro Junger and that I went on to buy the clean kit. I was planning to start the 21 day total detox after my half marathon. Well, I started yesterday. The basis of the program is to have two shakes a day, one for breakfast and one for dinner and eat one meal at lunchtime. There is a simple list of foods to include and exclude and pretty much has you eating a very clean diet. The kit includes the supplements that Dr. Junger recommends.

Yesterday I made a shake with the Tropical flavored powder and added a mango. It was pretty good. For lunch I had a salad and later snacked on some raw almonds. The dinner shake was the chocolate orange flavor and I added cherries.

I have to say that I do have a bit of a headache today, I'm sure it is from not having coffee in the morning, which I have replaced with green tea. Lunch today was some quinoa with cauliflower, asparagus, beets and some Raw Coconut Curry Soup, which is a Cafe Gratitude recipe that I love and have made several times.

Through this cleanse I am hoping to feel lighter, have more energy, clearer skin and to reduce my cravings for starch and sugar. I will keep you posted on my progress. If you have not read "Clean" I recommend it, it is a great book. You can do the program without buying the kit as well.

One quick thing before I go... after I received the kit in the mail one if the "wellness coaches" from Dr. Junger's company called me to see if I had any questions about the program or needed any support. Pretty amazing... when was the last time you got service like that...never!

Hope you have a great day! :)

Half Marathon, wrapping up the weekend.

2010-05-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It is Sunday morning and I have had a great weekend. I hope you have too! I ran my first half marathon yesterday... yay! I want to do another one now just to try and beat my time. It was fun.

My mom, Mackenzie and I headed to Sacramento the night before the race and stayed the night there. We got up super early, had breakfast and were off to the race. The crowd was huge and it really gets your adrenaline pumping. Mackenzie and I before the race...

Here I am getting ready to run...

That is me with the the black top and the pony tail.

I was really tired coming in but I was trying to smile although I look like I am in pain...

Luckily I had Mackenzie and my mom there to cheer me on!

Mackenzie & I after the race...

She is happy to be wearing the free shirt and hat I got. After that I let her wear the metal too and she was happy about that.

I let my mom drive home because my feet were killing me! All in all, it was fun. I am going to buy myself a garmin though, so I can better track my time and mileage. There is a half marathon in Santa Rosa I want to do in October. Until that gets closer I am just going to enjoy my running and not force myself to stick to a schedule.

That's all for today, I haven't been home to create any new recipes and don't have any exciting eats to share... so, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy Monday, Raw Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2010-04-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and are having a great start to the new week.

My weekend was productive I guess. I ran my first "race" on Saturday, just a 5K, but it was fun. Since I have been training for my half marathon, which is this Saturday, I have been more focused on distance than speed, so running fast in the 5K was different for me. It was a small race (65 people or so) and the divisions were 19 and under, 20 to 59, and 60 and over. Well, I didn't win, but I had fun and want to work on my speed more when I am done with the half marathon.

On Sunday I did a 10 mile run with my running group and later took a hike with my sister. I came home and cleaned (a little) watered the newly planted veggies, did crafts with Mackenzie, and just hung out. The weather was beautiful! Unfortunately, it is cloudy again today.

As I usually do on the weekends I broke out the dehydrator to make some goodies. I made Averie's (Love Veggies and Yoga) Blondie macaroons... YUMMY! and simple to make, as most of Averie's recipes are... which I love!

I also made some raw cinnamon raisin bread which turned out really good. Here is my just winging it recipe...

Raw Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 cup buckwheat groats (soaked overnight)

1 apple (diced)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

dash of salt

1/4 plus 1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup ground flax meal

1/8 cup flax seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup agave (or to taste)

Blend everything except 1/4 cup raisins in a food processor until smooth. Stir in remaining raisins. Spread onto non-stick dehydrator sheet. Score into pieces with a knife. Dehydrate at 105 until it reached the desired dryness for you. I like mine a little soft.

Enjoy!

Fajitas, Spicy Salsa & Spanish "rice"

2010-04-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

So glad it is Friday and the sun is shining! What are your plans for the weekend? I am going to do a 5K race on Saturday morning, a long run on Sunday and hopefully get some veggies planted. I also ordered Food, Inc. from my netflix and am looking forward to watching it.

The other day I was checking out Heather's blog (Sweetly Raw) and she had a yummy recipe for fajitas. They looked so good, I got them started that day. I used sliced baby bella mushrooms, an orange bell pepper and a sweet yellow onion. I soaked them in Heather's marinade over night and the veggies softened just enough that I did not need to dehydrate them. They are so good.

Alongside, I made some Spanish "rice" as I had cauliflower to use and it seemed perfect for the fajita meal.

Spanish "Rice"

adapted from raw-food-diet-inspiration

1 head cauliflower

1 bell pepper (I used orange)

handful cilantro

Onion (I used a leek)

Process cauliflower in food processor to make "rice"

process bell pepper and onion

add chopped bell pepper and cilantro to cauliflower mix

Mix above ingredients together and set aside.

Combine...

1 avocado

cumin

coriander

chili powder juice of 1 lemon or lime

1/2 jalapeno pepper

1 teaspoon garlic

squirt agave

basil

Mash together in bowl. Add to cauliflower mix and lightly toss together. Enjoy!

I ate some as a snack in endive leaves. Yum.

I made a quick salsa to go along with the meal.

Spicy Salsa

2 tomatoes

handful cilantro

1/2 jalapeno pepper

salt

onion

garlic

Blend together and enjoy.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :)

Happy Earth Day! Raw chocolate. Manna Bread link :)

2010-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well we are more than half way through the week. Where does the time go? The weather is still cold and windy here in Northern California, it has been a month since Spring began and we have only had a few nice days. I am ready for some nice weather already!

I went for a 9 mile run and packed a little bag of dried fruit to eat along the way if I was feeling tired. Thanks to those who have given me running advice. It was sooooo windy I felt as if someone was pushing me backwards while I was running.

When I got home I made a smoothie with banana, cantaloupe, a mandarin orange, almond milk, twister powder, ice, huge handful of swiss chard and a few drops of stevia. Yum. It kept me full until lunch when I had a almond butter and honey sandwich on sprouted bread, carrots, and a piece of raw chocolate that I had made last weekend when trying my hand at moonie pies. For the chocolate I used...

coconut butter (melted)

coconut oil (melted)

carob powder

cocoa powder

agave (to taste)

Sorry I didn't measure anything, just eyeballed it.

I LOVE carob powder and the coconut butter makes these super yummy!

I LOVE nut butter and honey sandwiches but it did not agree with my tummy. The gluten? I might need to try making lettuce wraps with the nut butter and honey instead. Or... I need to find a raw bread recipe that is not flavored with herbs or onion, you know, a neutral flavor... do you have one you can share with me?

Did you catch my Manna Bread recipe? I have been eating it and it is soooo simple but so good, I love the raisins and nuts and the breads dense texture. You should try it!

Since it is Earth Day I decided to buy myself one of these eco friendly reusable water bottles with filters from Bobble. Today only, for each bottle you buy, get one free. I ordered a few.

Tomorrow I have a raw spanish "rice" recipe for you that I made for my Spanish meal.

My try at the moon pie, Herb Marinated Veggies, The BEST raw bread ever!

2010-04-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. The weather here has been drab and I am hoping for some sunshine soon. Yesterday I pulled out the dehydrator after finding a yummy looking raw bread recipe I wanted to try. I love bread and I have not had too much luck in finding a raw bread recipe that I really like.... until now! The recipe comes from the very talented Russell James and is on his blog here. I followed it exactly but cut it in half. Here it is...

Russell James's Nut Free Bread

Nut-free bread
Makes 18 ’slices’
1/2c olive oil
1 ½c sun dried tomatoes
3c sprouted buckwheat (2 ½c dry & unsprouted)
1 ½c flax meal
3 ½c peeled courgette, roughly chopped
2c apple, cored and roughly chopped
3T lemon juice
2 avocados
1 large onion
½c minced parsley
- Process the olive oil, sun dried toms, sprouted buckwheat, courgette, apple, lemon juice, avocados, onion and herbs until thoroughly mixed.
- Transfer to a large bowl and mix with the flax meal by hand. The reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that you are likely to have too much mixture for the size if the processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine.
- When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again, but in small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture.
- Divide the mixture in half and place on Paraflexx sheets on dehydrator trays.
- Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the whole thing into 9 squares.
- Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will allow you to peel the Paralexx sheet off and continue to dehydrate the underside of the bread.
- Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so you’re not tempted to eat it before it’s ready) or until bread feels light in your hand. If the pieces don’t fully come apart where you scored, use a knife to cut them.

Here is a piece of the batch I made slathered with avocado.

I topped it with tomato and basil and ate it for lunch with a simple salad of shredded carrots, spiralized golden beet and some herb marinaded veggies I made.

I topped the salad with Natalia Rose's Liquid Gold Elixir dressing. I also used the same dressing to marinate the veggies.

I mixed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and some dressing..

tossed them on a dehydrator sheet

and two hours later, here they are...

Yum.

After drooling over all the beautiful entries in Heather's Moonie pie contest, I had to order the book myself. I got busy making moon pies and I have to say, they are delicious! Mine are not as pretty as most I have seen on Heather's blog, but they are really tasty!

In my defense, I was impatient and did not let the layers set up as long as directed to. I had fun trying and will have fun trying more flavors! BTW... Heather, you truly are a dessert Goddess! To buy Heather's Moonie Pie e-book, click here. Also, check out her Just Desserts e-book, which I reviewed in this post.

Enjoy your week!

Days 8 and 9 of initiative. Cantaloupe and Blood Orange Sake Martini, Quinoa Krispies

2010-04-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I am excited to say that I was 3 pounds lighter when I weighed in yesterday... yay! Possibly some water weight, but none the less, it feels good. One week down, 10 more to go! Do you need some motivation to get healthier or drop a few pounds? Visit Raw Food Rehab!

Yesterday I ran 3 miles and did an hour of weight lifting at the gym. Then Mackenzie and I took a trip to Ross, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods... I could spend so much money in there, I have to be careful.

My eats for Saturday...

Sprouted grain toast with coconut puree (blended coconut meat and water)

1/2 banana

1 raw energy bar

Salad with guacamole, veggies and mango vinaigrette at High Tech Burrito while on our shopping trip.

Frozen yogurt on the trip home, Mackenzie insists on stopping for this... it is like a tradition/ treat for the 50 minute windy ride home. I topped mine with carob chips and almonds.

After getting home I decided to try a new recipe from the cocktail section of Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis. The book has recipes for some really yummy looking martini's. I drink alcohol very rarely but wanted to try one. I picked up some sake at Whole Foods and made a spin off of one in the book.

Cantaloupe and Blood Orange Sake Martini

1/2 cantaloupe

2 small blood oranges

juice of 1 lemon

squirt of agave

sake

I blended everything except the sake until smooth. I added some sake, to taste, and shook with ice until very cold. Poured into a pretty glass and enjoyed. I had leftover juice... this is enough for a few drinks. It was very good! I want to try other combos of fruit now.

Dinner was a mix of leftovers... the Curry Cilantro Corn Soup I made the other day,

some corn and cherry tomato salad with shredded carrots tossed in and some tofu.

Finished the night with some popcorn dusted with carob powder.

I got up this morning and went running but only ended up doing 12 miles, not 15... I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I need to try eating something else before my run.. suggestions? Please!!! The protein powder, banana, nut butter smoothie just didn't cut it today. Maybe oatmeal or something.

I came home from my run and was starving so I grabbed the quickest thing I could find, some greek yogurt (I have not been eating much dairy at all lately) with coconut cream and some of the quinoa krispies I made.

I never thought dairy bothered me, but boy did it today... talk about stomach cramps. Did I used to feel this way and just didn't know it, or am I more sensitive now? Who knows? What I do know... no more dairy! I also had a green juice.

I also had some of these tasty things I picked up TJ's... yummy!

I wish I had bought more because between Mackenzie and I we finished the bag!

So, I had mentioned that I needed to get some veggie plants planted after starting some seeds...

Notice some are missing?

Bad doggie! Good thing he is cute!

Haha... notice the one ear back, I know I did something bad look?

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Check back next week for some raw goodies give away!

11 week initiative, day 7. Raw Curry Cilantro Corn Soup & More raw cupcakes!

2010-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

I am so glad the weekend is here and the sun is shining! What are your plans for the weekend? I ordered some raised veggie beds that I have been waiting to set up so I can plant some veggies. I want to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, potatoes, lettuce, kale, herbs and anything else I can get to grow.

I think I will take Mackenzie to see the new movie How To Train Your Dragon, and make a much needed trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Where do you do most of your shopping? I live in such a remote area that I have to drive about 50 minutes to get to TJ's or WF's. Other things I am aspiring to do... clean my car, long run on Sunday, yoga on Saturday and some cleaning of the house.... save the best for last right? Wrong! :)

Yesterday I made some soup with a few ears of corn I had in the fridge. Here it goes...

Raw Curry Cilantro Corn Soup

3 or 4 ears corn (kernels shaved)

1/4 cup cashews

1 cup water

1 teaspoon garlic

1 green onion

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon tumeric

dash of salt

handful of cilantro

1/4 jalapeno pepper

Shave kernels from corn cobs.

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the corn kernels for garnish. Blend the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining kernels. Optional garnishes are avocado, cilantro or a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

After breakfast I decided to make some more raw cupcakes from Shannon's Cupcake E-Book. I made 4 of the Bunny Spice Cupcakes with Nut Butter frosting from the book. So good! These are perfect for me as I love pie spice and nut butter. Perfect! Here they are....

Naked Cupcake...

Frosted Cupcakes...

One with coconut and golden raisins..

One with walnuts...

and one with pecans...

All yummy! Don't you want to eat one Ellen???

Have you joined Shannon in her quest to get Ellen to eat a raw cupcake? Jump on board, it is so much fun!

Before I get to my eats for the day,I have to update yesterdays... around 10:00 last night I was starving so I made Danielle's microwave banana cake... yum!

For today... after my five mile run I made a huge green juice with romaine, celery, ginger, an apple, and a grapefruit.

The finished product...

For breakfast I had some mixed fruit (banana, blood orange, strawberries) topped with cinnamon.

Lunch was some of the corn soup from above, some tofu and a salad with corn and cherry tomatoes.

Later I had a raw cupcake and some popcorn at the movie theater that I brought along with me.

Dinner was kelp noodles with veggies and tofu... I have been on a tofu kick lately.

Dessert was banana soft serve with a few pecans on top... yummy!

Also, tomorrow is the big weigh in for the 11 week initiative... be sure to come back and check my progress!

11 week initiative, day 6, another great smoothie

2010-04-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I am so excited the weekend is almost here. This morning I went to yoga class then came home and made a green smoothie (I seem to be on a green smoothie kick lately) made of...

1 scoop protein powder

1 banana

1 mandarin orange

1/2 cup carrot juice

1/2 cup water

huge pile of spinach

ice

Blend until smooth and enjoy. I drank this around 11:00 and wasn't hungry for lunch until around 2:30. Before lunch I did one of my new work out videos, have you heard of Tracey Anderson? Her workouts are designed to make the body long and lean, not bulky... which is what I have been wanting to switch my workouts to. Simple moves, but boy were my arms and legs burning!

For lunch I had the same as I had for dinner last night. Marinated kelp noodles with almond butter dressing and veggies, but today I added some tofu. I also had a Ginger Snap Lara Bar, which is my favorite flavor so far.

For dinner I steamed a sweet potato and 2 beets, simple, but two of my favorite veggies so it hit the spot. Then I enjoyed a small dark chocolate bar. LOVE dark chocolate!!! Today I also made a creamy corn curry & cilantro soup, which I will post tomorrow.

I am looking forward to a nice run in the morning and having some time off. No school, no work... what will I do with myself?

11 week initiative, day 5. Kelp noodle recipe, smoothie recipe, Almond Butter Dressing & cupcake e-book,

2010-04-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

It has been a good but cold Wednesday here. I am ready for some real sunshine. I started the day with a 5 mile run and some lower body weight lifting at the gym. I came home and made a green (it came out brown) smoothie with...

Fruity Cinnamon Smoothie

1 pear

1 banana

1 mandarin orange

carrot juice

cinnamon

vanilla

ice

2 huge handfuls of beet greens

It hit the spot and kept me full until lunch. For lunch I packed a green salad with lots of veggies an d hemp seeds.

and a raw bar... have you heard of this one? It is really good, crunchy but chewy at the same time, and only 150 calories, which is low for a raw bar.

For dinner I marinated some kelp noodles in a mix of nama shoya, garlic, ginger juice, and chinese 5 spice powder.

I topped the noodles with bean sprouts, and lots of other raw veggies and topped with an almond butter dressing, original recipe adapted from Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga.I use...

Almond Butter Dressing

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 tablespoon ginger juice (or grated ginger)

1 teaspoon garlic

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

juice from one large orange

For dessert I am going to have my first raw cupcake! (losing my raw cupcake virginity!)

I'm sure many of you are aware of Shannon over at Rawdorable and the cupcake e-book she has created. After seeing so many of her yummy looking creations I knew I had to buy it. Today I got the time to create one the recipes. I chose to do the "lighter" recipe since I am doing the 11 week initiative over at Raw Food Rehab. The recipe was super simple to follow and came out perfect! The things I love about this e-book are...

Lots of recipes... I love variety.

Savory recipes too

A "lighter" version

Many frosting choices

The recipes are for 1 or 2 serving, which I LOVE because I don't usually like to make big batches of things... back to that liking variety thing (and I know that it is highly possible I will eat them all!)

The book is fun to read and look at, full of pictures and brightly colored.

If you like raw sweets (who doesn't?) that are easy to make, so should go to Rawdorable and pick up Shannon's e-book now. Also, I think Ellen would LOVE any of the cupcakes in your book Shannon!

The verdict... the cupcake is DELICIOUS! I split it with Mackenzie and she loved it too and asked for more before she was even done. Great job Shannon! Thanks!

The naked cupcake...

The frosted cupcake....

Not the best picture... sorry!

For other raw recipe books I love click here. Lori is doing a GREEN WEEK CHALLENGE for Earth day. Check it out here. Averie has a chocolate give-away, click here.

I have a few give-aways and contests coming up... so become a follower of my blog with google friend connect so you don't miss out! Think raw treats!

11 week initiative, day 4.

2010-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a short post because I am super tired. I went to Bikram yoga class this morning then came home had some breakfast and went for a 3 mile run and did a little lower body weights at the gym. I have got to step up my running again, my half marathon is May 1st! I can't wait!

Today I ate...

Green Smoothie with banana, strawberries, kale, romaine, chia seeds and a blood orange.

Lunch was a green salad with bell pepper, tomato, carrots, some of the butternut squash rice recipe

I made a few days ago and some tofu. About an hour or so later I had a Lara bar. Apparently not all Lara bars are raw...Luckily Robyn over at Girl on Raw had a recent post about which ones are raw. Thanks for that Robyn!

For dinner I packed up some raw cauliflower, asparagus, carrots and a steamed sweet potato and ate it on break while I was at class.

When I got home from class I had banana soft serve with vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa nibs. Yummy!

I hope everyone is having a great week. :)

11 week initiative, day 3. Raw Marinara Sauce, A cute kid and dog!

2010-04-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today I dropped Mackenzie off at school and headed to the gym for a much needed workout. I did a couple miles on the treadmill and did a spin class, which I have not done in a while. I like the fast tempo of it.This morning after the gym I had a green juice and packed a bowl of mixed fruit,a Lara bar and a Kombucha for lunch. When I got home I did some crafts with Mackenzie. We made play food for her American Girl doll. If any of you have girls, then I am sure you are well aware of American Girl dolls. She loves her "Bitty Baby" and her doll and has fun being "mommy" to them.

For dinner I a had a spiralized zucchini with raw marinara sauce that I made yesterday, mushrooms, tofu, and a sweet potato. A while later I had some popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon and stevia. Here is my recipe for raw marinara sauce.

Raw Marinara Sauce

8 or 9 sundried tomatoes, soaked until soft

8 or 9 cherry tomatoes

handful of fresh basil

1/4 red bell pepper

1/2 carrot

dash of salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Blend it together and enjoy!

Yesterday I had a dollop on the raw Rosemary Basil Crackers I made.

Perfectly easy, healthy and delicious!

Just for fun... a picture of Mackenzie and Blaze.

11 week initiative, day 2. Chocolate Quinoa Cripsies, Rosemary Basil Crackers

2010-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hello,

It is day two of the 11 week initiative at Raw Food Rehab. I ended the night last night with a banana topped with cinnamon and cocoa powder... just sweet enough to call dessert. I have always been a fan of cereals, as a child and as an adult. I guess I like the crunch. I have made my raw gingerbread granola a few times...

but wanted to try something new. I also like quinoa because it is packed with protein. This is the first time I have tried it raw. I sprouted the quinoa overnight, then made this simple but yummy recipe that will satisfy my craving for cereal or something crunchy.

Chocolate Quinoa Crispies

1 cup quinoa, sprouted overnight

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons carob powder (can use one or the other)

3 tablespoons agave

dash salt

dash cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon stevia (optional)

Mix everything together...

spread onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet.

Dehydrate at 105 overnight. Enjoy plain, with milk, or however you choose! Here is how it looks done...

I also made some raw crackers in the dehydrator. I started with the same base as the cheese crackers I made before which I am still enjoying, but flavored them different.

Rosemary Basil Crackers

1 cup soaked almonds

1/2 cup ground flax

sea salt

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 handful fresh basil

1/2 cup oat bran (this is optional)

Mix everything together in a food processor. Proccess until smooth, add water if you need to. You want it to be thick, but easily spreadable.

Spread onto teflex sheet... Start at 145 for a hour and drop down to 105. After 4 hours peel back non stick sheet and continue to dehydrate until dry.

Here is one served with raw marinara and a leaf of basil...

What are your favorite things to make? I tend to do most cooking or "uncooking" on the weekends. Do you plan your families meals in advance? I will sometimes have an idea of something to make later in the week, but don't generally plan meals.

Hope your weekend has been great!

11 week initiative, day 1. Dr. Junger Detox Program... Clean. Marinated Veggies and Butternut Squash Rice Recipe

2010-04-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. As I mentioned a couple days ago, today is the first day of the 11 week initiative on Raw Food Rehab. I woke up this morning and had a headache and felt kind of blah. I wanted to dive into a huge muffin but keeping my goals for week one in mind, I made a green lemonade instead. After that I went to the gym for a quick workout. I did some upper body weight lifting and only like 15 minutes on the treadmill. As I have mentioned before, I do not really like to go on the treadmill... I prefer to run outside, but it was raining and I was tired, so I just cut the workout short. I will save my energy for tomorrow's 15 mile run, which will be rain or shine.

The half marathon I am doing is quickly approaching... May 1st. When I signed up for it a few months ago I had never ran more than a few miles at one time. Now 13, 14+ miles is really no problem. My original goal was just to complete the half marathon but now I am going to change that goal and set a time for it. Not sure what it will be yet...we'll see.

Breakfast today was my green lemonade. For lunch I had some avocado sushi rolls that I picked up at Trader Joe's yesterday.

For dinner I have started a medley of marinated veggies which I will top on a green salad (keeping with my goal!) I used...

Cauliflower

Carrots

Asparagus

Red Bell Pepper

Mushrooms

Marinated in ...

Nama Shoya

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Ginger juice

Cayenne pepper

I placed the veggies in my dehydrator and will leave them in for about 4 hours to soften and warm. The cold weather has me wanting something warm to eat.

I ended up eating the marinated veggies along with some swiss chard and a garden burger on a piece of rye bread. I also snacked on a few pieces of tempeh.

I ate the muffin I wanted so badly this morning for dessert. It was one of the bran muffins from Trader Joe's... I am in love with them! Vegan, no sugar added and just plain yummy!

A couple days ago I made a dish adapted from Ani Phyo's book.

Butternut Squash Rice with Walnuts and Raisins

1 small butternut squash, chopped, peeled and seeded
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup raisins (I used golden)
1 cup walnuts, crushed
dash salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Process squash in food processor to rice consistency. Add remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Have you heard of Dr. Junger? He is the author of the book, Clean, which I purchased last week and started reading yesterday. His program for detoxification is endorsed by Martha Stuart (click to watch a video of her experience with the cleanse) Gwyneth Paltrow, Donna Karen, and many others. After doing some research on his website and other people's websites, I decided that I really want to do this detox. I ordered his kit... it was pricey, but I feel the results will be well worth every penny. I am trying to decided when to start, as it requires a 21 day commitment. I am thinking of waiting until after May 1st, which is my half marathon day. When I do start I want to document my experience day by day and post a before and after picture. Seeing is believing, right?

My question for you... have you ever done any type of detox or cleansing program? Did you notice a change in how you felt when you were done? Was it hard to stick with it?

Averie has a giveaway right now for some custom chocolate bars.. check it out HERE!

Raw Food Rehab and the 11 week initiative

2010-04-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

If you have never visited Raw Food Rehab you should check it out. It is a fantastic blog for raw foodies or those who are curious about raw food can share their experiences, share recipes and lots more. On April 10th, it is the beginning of the 11 week Raw food initiative.I have signed up, knowing that bikini season is quickly approaching and want to look super hot in my new Victoria's Secret bikini's I ordered. So, I will be setting goals for myself each week and posting my progress and meals. For week one my goals are going to be...

1) 1 green juice per day
2) 1 meal to be a green salad or green smoothie
3) Snacks in between meals will be raw fruits or veggies

:)

Vita Mix... I love you! Raw Brownies and Roasted Butternut Squash soup

2010-04-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

When I first started eating raw I was using my regular food processor and blender, which worked okay for most recipes but not great for others. Before long I decided to buy a Vita Mix. I was torn between the Blend Tech and Vita Mix and ended up buying the Vita Mix because I got a good price on a reconditioned model off the Vita Mix website. I am so glad I bought this appliance! If you are going to invest in something to make your raw lifestyle easier and more delicious... get a Vita Mix... YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

My soups are so creamy! Even my favorite cooked soups, like a recipe from Ina Garten that I love, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Curry (recipe below) tastes even better when blended in the vita mix because it comes out velvety smooth.

The raw sweet potato cassarole that I love to make would never get so smooth and creamy in a regular blender. And green smoothies are like having dessert! The greens get blended so well you would never know they were in there if the smoothie were not green!

All of this aside, today I fell in love with my Vita Mix in a whole new way! I am a huge chocolate lover and my favorite non raw dessert is the ooey, gooey brownie! I LOVE brownies and for some reason had not tried to make them in my Vita Mix yet. I have tried in my food processor and the texture was just lacking for me.
Today I tried them in Vita Mix and I am a happy girl... REALLY happy! They are fantastic. Just as good... well, better than the original! Here is what I used...

Raw Brownies

2 cups walnuts

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons carob powder

squirt agave

9 medjool dates

Blend until smooth, press into tupperware and store in fridge or freezer. So easy but perfectly delicious!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Curry Condiments

recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 yellow onions
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1/2 teaspoon good curry powder
Condiments for serving:
Scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced diagonally
Flaked sweetened coconut, lightly toasted
Roasted salted cashews, toasted and chopped
Diced banana
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the butternut squash, onions, and apples into 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the squash mixture between 2 sheet pans and spread in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until very tender.
Meanwhile, heat the stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, put them through a food mill fitted with the medium blade. (Alternatively, you can place the roasted vegetables in batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add some of the stock and coarsely puree.) When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings to be sure there's enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. Reheat and serve hot with condiments either on the side or on top of each serving.

This soup is fantastic and comes out very creamy when blended in your Vita Mix!

Mock Mashed Potatoes, Heathy's Parfait, Pecan Pie, Creamy Corn & Avocado Soup and more...

2010-04-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a great weekend! I am bit sleepy as I worked until 10:30 last night and it was the first day of my new job. It is always hard to start new jobs but it feels great to be working as a Nurse after going back to school to become one. I am working again tonight but will have Sunday off. Which leads me to ask you... will you be celebrating Easter? My family will be spending the day together and I have been busy thinking of what yummy raw dishes I want to bring. I have decided on these for sure...

Mock Mashed Potatoes
(adapted from the RAWvolution book)

2 1/2 cups cauliflower
1/4 cup cashew nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
small clove garlic
pepper

Blend everything together until fluffy and smooth.

Sweet Potato Cassarole

Heathy's Coconut Creme and Fruit Parfait

It looks fantastic, light and I have almost everything I need in the fridge already... always a plus!

Coconut Cream
Fresh strawberries, diced
Fresh mango, diced

Any other fruit of your choice
Coconut Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups young coconut pulp
(my pulp was pretty firm)
1/3 cup coconut water
1/4 cup agave
2 Tablespoons agave powder (I don't have this so might substitute Lucuma)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy

Thanks for the recipe Heathy! If you have not checked out Heathy's Just Desserts E Book, you really should. It is filled with yummy desserts and is a great price. She also has a new e book on Moon Pies and a contest going on.... click here to check that out. I would love to be a judge for that contest!

I am also going to make Pecan Pie from the new book I ordered RAWvolution. Great book by the way, really delicious and simple to make recipes. Here is the easy recipe...

Pecan Pie

For the crust:

2 cups raw almonds
1/3 cup agave nectar

For the Filling:

1/3 cup coconut water
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Mix together crust ingredients and press into pie plate/ tin.
Mix filling ingredients and pour into crust.
Garnish with pecans.

How easy is that! Only 5 ingredients, that is my kind of recipe. Lots of the recipes from RAWvolution are like that. One of my new favorites books.

Today after my workout I decided to make some soup. I had a couple ears of corn and avocado that needed to be used so I made this...

Creamy Corn and Avocado Soup

2 ears corn (shave corn from ears)

1 avocado

1 cup water

1 heaping tablespoon miso (optional)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

dash cayenne pepper

dash sea salt

1 tomato

garlic (to taste)

Blend in Vita mix or food processor until smooth and creamy. Yummy!

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

Change of Plans...

2010-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

A little change of plans. I have decided to join the 11 week initiative on Raw Food Rehab that starts April 10th. I am excited because it is just the type of thing that keeps me motivated... having a whole group doing it together. It is a support group of people working towards better health, weight loss or eating more raw foods... whatever your goal may be. Check out Raw Food Rehab for more information.

I also started with my liquids (juice, smoothies, raw blended soups) for seven days. This is part of the juice club. For more information on the juice club scroll down my blog to the juice club box on the right. It is amazing how light and liberated you feel after giving your body a break from major digestion for several days.

I had posted that I had a job interview... well.. I got the job and am starting tomorrow. Wow, that was fast! This is my first job working as a new nurse so I am very excited!

Today I made one of my favorite soups. The Thai Coconut Curry soup that I had posted before. If you missed it be sure to check it out because it is fantastic!

Here is an affirmation that was shared with me that I really liked...

"I am powerfully creating the ME that I want to see"

Thanks Terces!

Day 3 raw challenge and colon cleanse kit, Miso Dressing recipe

2010-03-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It is the third day of my raw challenge and I am feeling great. I started the day off with 90 minutes of sweaty hot bikram yoga, which was perfect after my long run yesterday.

I am going to be starting a colon cleanse that I had purchased a few weeks ago. I bought it from Blessed Herbs and am excited to see what happens after reading the testimonials and seeing pictures of some people's results. Here is the kit I bought....

The best cleansing option requires a 5 day liquids only fast, which with my timing will be perfect because I am doing the juice club with Terces starting on the first of April.... see the link on the right side of my blog for more information on the juice club. So, tonight I will start the pre-cleanse (gradually decreasing your food intake and starting the supplements) for the next 3 days then finish with the 5 day liquid fast. I will keep you posted on my results. Wish me luck!

It comes with a digestive stimulator....

and toxin absorber...

which is to be mixed with organic apple juice. I will make my own when I am home but if I need to I bought this...

Today I have eaten...

2 chocolate chip cookies (I had to test them after dehydrating all night to make sure they were perfect!) from yesterday's post.

When I got home from yoga I had a Green Juice made with celery, romaine, 2 small oranges, 1 apple & beet greens.

1/2 Banana

Lunch was a salad of spiralized zucchini, beet and carrot topped with tofu and Miso Tahini Dressing made of...

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon tahini

1 chopped green onion

1 tablespoon apple cider vinager

I felt like something sweet so although not raw, I had some popcorn topped with carob powder, stevia, cinnamon and a little salt. I have been loving popcorn since topping it with new things after reading how Averie makes hers. It is a nice light snack and keeps me from overdoing it on chocolate and nuts.

I went over to my sister's and while there I had a banana. I am hungry again and wondering what I want for dinner. I am supposed to be decreasing my food intake for my cleanse but I feel so hungry and I think it is because I haven't been drinking my Kombucha. I LOVE kombucha and have my own batch fermenting right now, but it has a couple weeks to go. I need to pick up a case tomorrow to get me through. It really decreases my appetite.

Here is my starter batch of kombucha...

I used the baby that grew off the original SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and started two more jars fermenting. Two more weeks and they will be done.

For dinner I had some leftover sweet potato cassarole, and made a couple lettuce wraps with almond butter and some cinnamon honey. Then I munched on a couple of the Lydia's Organics Copycat bars I made. Before bed I will take the toxin absorber from my colon cleanse kit. I'm off to a job interview in the morning... wish me luck! Hope everyone is feeling fabulous and loving life!

Eggplant Roll ups, Liquid Gold Elixir, Lydia's Organics copycat bars, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies

2010-03-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day here in Northern California! I went for a run this morning with my running buddies. I ran 14 miles and the first seven were uphill, that was my first time running uphill for that long. I am used to doing rolling hills, you know, a little up, a little down, then do it over and over. The rolling hills are so much easier because you actually get to recover a little. The seven miles back downhill was a treat!

Today I have eaten...

Protein shake before my run made with a banana, protein powder and a tablespoon of almond butter.

After my run I had a tall glass of Green Lemonade and some mixed fruit drizzled with cinnamon honey. I used a banana (love bananas!) a mandarin orange, a couple strawberries, and a nectarine. Yum! The cinnamon honey rocks!

For lunch I made a green salad with lettuce, asparagus, carrots, cucumber, some of the thai curry tofu from last night, and drizzled with Natalia Rose's Liquid Gold Elixir salad dressing made of...

1 cup lemon juice

tablespoon garlic

tablespoon ginger

3 tablespoons Nama Shoya

1 tablespoon raw honey

3/4 cup olive oil

It makes a big amount, so I store it in a mason jar and use it all week.

I used the same dressing to marinate some thinly sliced eggplant and mushrooms and have then warming in the dehydrator.

Here they are all nice, soft and warm...

I spread some pesto on each piece of eggplant, topped with a mushroom...

And rolled them up into little logs. Perfect snack!

Mackenzie and I watched a movie in the late afternoon and I snacked on some nuts while she enjoyed a bag of popcorn.

I started a few things in the dehydrator. I am making raw chocolate chip cookies, which I threw together a recipe based on the ingredients in the cookies I bought from One Lucky Duck, but with several tweaks. I used....

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup buckwheat groats

1 tablesspoon vanilla extract

dash of sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup cocoa nibs

a little less than 1/4 cup agave nectar

I blended the almond meal and buckwheat groats in a food processor then added the agave nectar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. I stirred in the cocoa nibs by hand and dropped the dough by the teaspoon full onto my nonstick dehydrator sheets. I have then dehydrating at 105 and will remove them when dry on the outside but still chewy inside.

I also started some more of my copycat Lydia's Organic's bars but added a couple strawberries and a heaping tablespoon of hemp seeds. I dehydrate these at 105 until totally dry.

The mixture...

On the sheet...

Remember to score it into bars after about 4 or 5 hours.

Just for fun... a picture of Mackenzie with the Easter Bunny on Saturday.

So nice to finally have her not be TERRIFIED of the bunny like she used to be!

My 30 day raw challenge/ Thai coconut sauce recipe/ smoothie recipe

2010-03-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously wishing the weekend were longer! I have decided to do a 30 day challenge where I will eat 90% raw or more. I will be allowing myself some tofu (I have been craving it) and protein shakes before my long runs. I eat mostly raw anyway but have been getting off track on several occasions, then I notice a huge difference in the way I feel... I feel like crap! So, since I want to drop a few pounds too before bikini season, this challenge will be perfect for me. Please follow me and cheer me on!

Everyday I will post what I ate that day, any recipes and how I am feeling. So here I go. I started the morning off with a green smoothie.

Super Green Smoothie

2 huge handfuls of mixed dark greens

1 mandarin orange

1/2 banana

4 strawberries

coconut water kefir

ice

a few drops of vanilla stevia

1/2 teaspoon blue green algae

(what do you think of blue green algae?)

Later in the afternoon I ate a banana and a raw protein bar in the car... I was on the run!

The other day I bought some Thai green curry tofu and scored big on a case of young thai coconuts from the Asia mart... 9 coconuts for 11.00... can't beat that! The tofu inspired me to make a thai coconut sauce to go with the tofu and put those over some kelp noodles and veggies.

Sarah's Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

meat from one young thai coconut

1/2 cup of the coconut water (or more if you want it thinner)

1 medjool date

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 jalapeno

1 teaspoon curry powder

salt

1 tablespoon almond butter

Blend it all in a food processor and blend well.

The finished product...

I poured the sauce over my kelp noodles and veggies, topped with tofu and enjoyed!

There really are kelp noodles buried under all that veggie, tofu and coconut sauce! I finished my meal with a cashew butter filled raw chocolate cup. YUM!

Raw Doggy Treats

2010-03-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I decided to make some raw doggy treats for my Boston Terrier, Blaze. I am happy to say that he LOVES them!

Puppy picture...

Recent picture...

I used 2 cups carrot pulp from making carrot juice

2 tablespoons chia seeds soaked in 1/4 cup water to make a chia seed gel

handful of coconut shreds

handful of raisins (optional)

1/3 cup almond meal (optional)

**** raisins can be toxic to dogs in large quantities, you can omit these if you are worried*****

Threw it in the food processor...

Blended well....

Scooped by the spoonful onto my dehydrator sheets...

and dehydrated until almost all the way dry. My spoiled doggy loves these and they are good for him. You might remember that I feed him kefir too!

He is a lucky pooch! Do you have pets and what do you do to spoil them?

Manna Bread, Apple Crumble, Juice & Chocolate Shake recipes

2010-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggy peeps!

I feel like I have not posted on here in FOREVER! With my laptop getting fixed, well virus being removed, I have had to resort to using my desktop, which I don't like so much. I like the freedom to be able to move around if I want... know what I mean?

I have a few recipes to share. First, Manna Bread. Have you tried this? I LOVE bread and it is one of the things I can not go without. Raw or not, I have to have it. I saw some manna bread in the freezer section of my local health food store and had to try making my own after hearing rave reviews. So here it goes....

I started by sprouting 2 cups of white wheat berries....

In the food processor, I put a 1/4 cup of each, cashews, pecans and almonds and pulsed until roughly chopped and transfered to a mixing bowl.

I added 1/2 the sprouted wheat berries to the food processor.

and blended until it formed a dough.

I added 1 tablespoon cinnamon and a dash of sea salt and mixed that in. Then I moved the mixture to the bowl of nuts and added 1/2 cup raisins.

Mix well and form into an oval shape on a baking sheet or your dehydrator sheet. You can bake the bread in your oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours or dehydrate until the outside is crisp and inside is still tender, about 7 hours.

With the other half of the dough I processed it with 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and some salt. I formed an oval log and placed it on the cookie sheet. I chose to bake this batch in my oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours. I have done a loaf in my dehydrator and it comes out perfect either way. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside... YUM!

Yesterday I made some juices... first my Green Lemonade...

Romaine

Dark Greens

Lemon

Apple

Ginger

Pear

Then I made some Carrot Juice with...

Carrots

Apples

Pears

Romaine

Cucumber

Last weekend I made Averie's Apple Crumble with a couple tweaks. It was so good! I took it to my sister's and I swear we could have finished the whole thing ourselves!

I mixed 1/2 cup oats, 5 medjool dates and about 5 dried mission figs, splash of vanilla, dash of pumpkin pie spice and 1/4 cup alond meal in the food processor and pressed into a tupperware container.

I chopped an apple and a pear, with the skin on and tossed with cinnamon, lemon juice and agave nectar.

I then added the apple/ pear mixture to the crust.

The I mixed 1/3 cup oats, 1/4 cup pecans, splash agave nectar, splach of stevia, splash of vanilla and more pumkin pie spice, then topped the apple mixture with the crumb topping.

This is to die for! So yummy and easy to make... Thanks Averie for the recipe, I can't wait to try it with other fruits... strawberries, peaches, blueberries.... whatever!

Last, but not least, last night I wanted something chocolate, so I made a Banana Chocolate Shake in the Vita Mix. I threw in...

1 frozen banana
1 tablespoon carob powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
6 drops liquid chocolate stevia
1 cup rice drink (from Trader Joes, can sub almond or any nut milk)

Blended it up...

Topped with cocoa nibs and a strawberry. Pefect!

Tomorrow I will be sharing with you... homemade Good for your Dog, Raw Carrot Pulp dog treats!

Happy Sunday...

2010-03-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and went for a 12 mile run with my running group... I feel great. It is so much better to run with other people, the time just flies by. I feel like I am ready for the half marathon in May... then when I am done with that I want to start training for a full marathon.

I had a good weekend hanging out with family and trying new recipes, which I would post pictures of but my camera is dead at the moment so I will do it tomorrow. I made sesame snap cookies from Ani Phyo's dessert book and citrus "cheese"cake tarts. I'll post recipe with pictures soon.

I joined a fabulous group of supportive raw foodies at this site... Raw Food Rehab. Awesome people, recipes, motivation and more. Check it out!

Averie of Loves Veggies and Yoga (my favorite blog to read) is having a giveaway. Check it out here http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/

I bought a couple fruit trees over the weekend, a fig and dwarf peach. I got them planted and hope they do well. I am excited to have my own garden this year! Do you grow any of your own veggies?

I also finished my first batch of feremented veggies. I got the motivation to try this from the twins at pure2raw and am so glad I tried it, they are really good and great for you. Here is what I did...

First I shredded several carrots and sprinkled with salt...

Then I shredded cabbage and sprinkled with salt...

Then I squished it all together with my hands for several minutes to break down the cell walls in the veggies and get them to release their juices...

After there was a bunch of juice in the bowl and the veggies had broken down I stuffed a glass jar full of the mixture...

Then I put the special air lock lid on which helps to prevent mold from growing (you don't have to do this... you can just cover with a lid but check daily for any mold growing and remove it if you see some... the veggies are still okay.)

I popped it in the pantry to ferment for three days checking every day to make sure the veggies were covered with the juices. They taste great now after three days but I am going to wait until tomorrow to get them a little softer, then I will store them in the fridge. YUM!

2010-03-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I am so glad the weekend is here and the sun is shining! I woke up and went for a 7 mile run this morning and I was dragging. It was harder than my 10 mile run last weekend. I think I need to start eating a little something before I run more than a few miles. Last weekend I ate an energy bar before my run and it helped to keep me going strong. I had bought a box of these bars when I found them on clearance on Vitacost.com. They are really good, kind of tastes like a Lara Bar.

Another thing about running... does anyone get blisters on their feet? When I first starting running longer distances I got a HUGE blister on the arch of one of my feet, I had to stop running for about a week to let it heal. During that time I bought new shoes (I did not know that you should run in shoes a 1/2 size bigger than your normal size because your feet swell) and some thorlo socks. At 10.00 a pair they are not cheap but they helped a lot. The best thing I have found are these patches that you stick to the inside of your shoe wherever you are prone to blisters.

Very inexpensive and work fantastic!

When I got home from running I was starving so I drank a protein shake and has some of the gingerbread granola I made the other day with almond milk and a banana. It was so good and tastes just like the Kaia brand that is around 9.00 a bag.

Gingerbread Granola

1 cup sprouted buckwheat

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut

1/2 Cup Raw almonds

1/4 cup maple sryrup (could use agave, honey or yacon sryrup)

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice or Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

8 medjool dates

Blend medjool dates to make a paste. Toss everything else together with the date paste and dehydrate for 4 hours or until dry at 105 degrees.

One of my favorite things to eat is seaweed salad. I usually buy sun dried wakame and make my own. I had this the other night...

Wakame Salad

4 or 5 strips wakame

1 small orange peeled and segments removed

whatever juice you can squeeze from the orange after cutting out the segments

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

dash of chinese 5 spice powder

1) soak wakame in warm water until soft

2) mix everything together and enjoy.

I have since found these kelp noodles...

The WHOLE bag only has 18 calories! I am going to have these for lunch with a miso/ nut dressing. I'll post the recipe later.

Have a great weekend!

Raw Sweet Potato Cassarole & Smoothie Recipes

2010-03-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

I woke up in a fabulous mood today! I just knew it was going to be a good day. I dropped Mackenzie off at school and headed for the yoga studio. I did 90 minutes of bikram yoga then came home and made a yummy smoothie. I used...

1/2 head of romaine lettuce
5 leaves of kale
1 banana
2 mandarin oranges
1 cup nut milk kefir
ice
6 drops of vanilla stevia.

1 heaping tablespoon bee pollen (For information on benefits of bee pollen and where I get mine click here)

This made enough for 2 smoothies.

I also made a Sweet Potato Cassarole and it is to die for! I wish I had taken pictures along the way. You must try this. I thought it would have a weird texture but it doesn't... it is perfect! I split it into two portions (after cutting the recipe in half) and froze one.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts

• 4 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup dates

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

1) Put potatoes, 1/4 cup nuts, dates, cinnamon, water and vanilla in processor and puree till smooth.

2) Pour into a casserole dish.

3) In another bowl, mix the remaining nuts with salt and honey, and sprinkle over the potato mixture.

Amazing! I will be making this sure during the holidays!

Apple Pie, zucchini wraps, smoothie and cracker recipe

2010-03-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I just need to take a minute to vent. Where I live we run on electricity and propane. In my old house I used to have to fill the propane tank a few times a year, and a bit more in the winter. Keep in mind I am in Northern California so it is not like we are getting close to zero or anything. I moved into a new house last December and have had to fill the tank 3 times now at 400.00 a pop, that is almost once a month. Something has to be wrong, I have not been using the stove, the heater has been set at 60 at night and around 65 or so when I am home, it is just my daughter and I, can we really be using that much? I have someone coming out to check for a leak today (another 96.00 to the propane company) so we'll see what they say. If there is no leak... do I really have to budget 400.00 a month for propane on top of the PG& E bill? That is crazy!

Anyway... on Sunday I made the Apple Pie from Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen book, Mackenzie and I loved it so I thought I would share the recipe. I cut the recipe down because I didn't want 16 servings.

In food proccessor:

1 cup almonds

Proccess, but not to powder, and add

1 cup medjool dates

dash of sea salt

process again

Press mixture into individual

dessert cups or a small bowl after adding a little almond flour to the bottoms

(Helps to get your fingers a little wet)

Cut 2 peeled apples into thin slices and add 1/4 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon cinnamon

In the food proccessor...

1 small orange

about 6 dates

proccess into a syrup, you may need to add a little water

add syrup to apple mixture and toss

Spread apples into each cup onto the pie crust. Enjoy!

This morning I made a green smoothie with...

1/2 cup nut milk

1/2 cup coconut kefir

1 banana

5 drops vanilla stevia

1 small orange

ice

3 leaves kale

Blend and enjoy... the coconut kefir makes it tangy and creamy... LOVE it!

Zucchini Wraps

1 zucchini

splash of Braggs liquid aminos

2 tablespoons flax meal

sea salt

proccess in food proccessor

spread onto non stick dehydrator sheets

Dehydrate at 145 for an hour then drop down to 105.

Take them out when they are dry but still pliable. Wrap your favorite veggies inside and enjoy.

Cheese Crackers

So, I just finished a bag of chees-y quackers from One Lucky Duck and I loved them, but not the price. Here is my attempt at recreating them...

1 cup soaked almonds

1/2 cup flax meal

sea salt

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 red bell pepper

Proccess until smooth, add water if you need to. You want it to be thick, but easily spreadable.

Spread onto teflex sheet...

Start at 145 for a hour and drop down to 105. After 4 hours peel back non stick sheet and continue to dehydrate until dry.

Averie's Cookbook give-away!

2010-03-13T17:22:00.001-08:00

Averie of loves Veggies and Yoga is having a cookbook giveaway... click here to enter now!

Banana Coconut Smootie/ Gingerbread Granola Recipes

2010-03-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! I started off the day with a 10 mile run and I feel great. Nothing like a good workout in the morning to get the day started. After my run I came home and made a Green Smoothie, this is my yummiest yet! I used...

1 banana
1 scoop protein powder
1 mandarin orange
2 tablespoon of my coconut kefir
The water from the coconut I opened yesterday
Ice
slash of orange juice
3 large leaves kale

Blend together and enjoy. The coconut kefir and protein powder made it super creamy... yum!

A few days ago I made some gingerbread granola. I love the flavors of gingerbread and wanted to put them in something healthy... like granola.

What I used...

Gingerbread Granola

2 Cups Rolled Oats (optional)

1 cup sprouted buckwheat

1/2 cup sprouted quinoa

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raisins ann dried cranberries

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut

1 Cup Raw Cashews, Coarsely Chopped
1/4 cup maple sryrup (could use agave, honey or yacon sryrup)

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice or Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/3 Cup Finely Minced Crystalized Ginger

Toss all but the last ingredient together and dehydrate for 4 hours or until dry at 105 degrees.

I also managed to get some seeds started and ordered a raised bed kit from Gardner's Supply, I am determined to grow some of my own veggies this year! Here are the seeds I started...

Lettuce, beets, squash, peppers, cucumbers and I forget what else! Looking forward to some warmer weather so I can get these planted outside! Do you grow your own veggies?

Energy nuggets, sprouting, smoothie recipe, gingerbread granola

2010-03-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago I was feeling like making some raw bars... they turned out to be raw nuggets. They are really yummy!

Pecans
Cashews
Maple syrup
sesame seeds
dried cherries
raisins
carob chips

Mix it all together and scoop a tablespoon full onto a piece of plastic wrap. Squeeze into a ball. Store in the freezer or fridge.

Onto my kefir making. I was so excited to get the kefir grains in the mail so I could get my own started. There are lots of health benefits to eating kefir.. click here for more info.

These are the kefir grains (don't know what's up with the bottom of the picture)

This is the kefir I tried to make with Almond milk, I don't know why it looks curdled????

My dog, Blaze, enjoying his kefir. Boston Terriers are known to have GI issues... so kefir could only help!

This morning I opened this coconut, drained the water, used some of the meat in the smoothie recipe below and saved the yummy water.

Here is the coconut milk kefir I have working right now. Yummy!

For lunch today I made a great smoothie made of...

1 banana

1 nectarine

coconut meat

small orange

ice and water

So simple, so good!

End of Juice Feast...

2010-03-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

I felt so good during the juice feast that I want to do it again. Or at least replace a meal with just juice or a smoothie everyday. I felt so much lighter and better about myself. In the past couple days post juice feasting I have been overeating... why do I do this? I need to take inventory of how I am feeling when I do this.

I will get back on track... I want to feel as good as I was last week.

So, for those who don't know, I am taking some classes at the junior college. Currently... Microbiology. So, it is approaching midterm time and I think the stress of wanting to do well and having so much to study makes me turn to food for comfort sometimes. It seems that grabbing something to eat is a way to distract myself from the work I need to be doing... especially when I am having trouble with it.

Do you do this?

Here is my affirmation for the day...

It is easy for me to be in control of my body; both with my eating and exercising habits.

So... I was just reading someone's blog and at the end she wrote 5 things she was grateful for... what a good idea. So...

I am grateful for being able to be going back to school
I am grateful for having an amazing daughter
I am grateful for being able to sit here in peace right now
I am grateful for having the means to make healthy decisions

What are you grateful for?

Update on juice feast/ smoothie recipe and Kombucha started!

2010-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

It is a lovely Sunday here in Northern California, beautiful day, sun shining, family and friends close... what could be better? I am continuing to do my juice/smoothie fast or "feast" and it is going great. I made a green lemonade and just drank a gingerade kombucha. While I was drinking my kombucha I started my own batch of kombucha... I am so excited to see how it comes out. Here is a picture of the one I drank and my first batch!

Ready to ferment out of any sunlight...

For lunch I enjoyed this smoothie...

Creamy Orange Figgy Delight

1 banana

1 Orange

1 tablespoon Lucuma powder

3 dried black mission figs

2 handfuls of sprouts

1 cup almond milk

Ice

Pop in Vita Mix and let her whirl!

Ready to enjoy along with my favorite Glass Dharma straw!

AND....

Affirmation of the day...

I deserve to have positive experiences.

I am worthy.

If feelings of unworthiness come up,

I go deeper and realize them

as illusions.

Fruit Cookies... totally versitile recipe.

2010-03-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Raw Fruit Cookies

1 apple or pear, peeled and chopped (can also use pineapple)

1/3 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit)

2/3 cup unsweetened organic dried shredded coconut

*1/3 cup raw almond butter (or any raw nut butter)

Mix together all ingredients and do one of the following…

Form into balls and refrigerate until set.

OR

Form into balls and press flat onto a nonstick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate to the desired dryness at 105 degrees.

*For a nut free cookie, substitute the nut butter for 1/3 cup shredded coconut soaked in water for one hour then squeezed to remove excess water.

Happy Saturday, Smoothie Recipe & Treats

2010-03-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Wanted to share a couple recipes with you of things I have been enjoying. This morning after my bikram yoga workout I made a yummy smoothie. Here is what I started with..

1 cup almond milk

1 banana

handful of sprouts

1 tablespoon cocoa nibs

1 tablespoon Lucuma powder

2 strawberries

handful of blueberries

4 leabes swiss chard

ice

Toss everything in the vita mix...

Give it a whirl....and here it is...

YUMMY!

I got a package I have been eagerly waiting for as well. The treats I ordered from One Lucky Duck.

I ordered the gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, blonde macaroons and the striped cookies. I tucked them away until Wednesday, when I will be done with my seven day juice/smoothie fast.

I can't wait!

I have had a request to create a nut free raw vegan gingerbread cookie. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Affirmation of the day...

2010-03-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

I transcend fear by meeting it willingly

and looking for what is deeper

than the fear.

Under the fear, no matter how many layers

there are beneath it,

I always find my true self,

the awake, empty awareness that I am eternally.

Recipes to come later and an update on my juice fast! What recipes are you looking for? Anything from the SAD you would like to see recreated or a raw food favorite that you would like to learn to make yourself?

Lydia's Organics Raw Food Bars

2010-03-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

I am in love with these. They are fantastic and I could eat one evryday, what I don't like is having to pay 3.00 per bar. So I came up with a copycat recipe that is pretty darn close to the original. I did not have raspberries, like the original bar, but feel free to add those if you want.

Raw Banana Coconut Bar

2 Bananas
1/4 cup flax meal

Blend these in a blender until smooth

2 Cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Stir into banana mixture

If mixture is too thick to spread add a little water or coconut water.

Spread onto non-stick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate for 6 hours at 105 degrees. Turn over onto dehydrator tray and score into bars. Continue to dehydrate overnight or until completely dry. Enjoy!

If desired (they are fabulous as is and don't need it... trust me) add raspberries, strawberries or mango to the mix.

Friday

2010-03-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a great day! I feel amazing doing this juice/ smoothie feast... I know this may sound extreme but it is really changing my life. I feel so much more clear, happy and at peace with myself.

Today I had...

Green Lemonade (from Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet)

Romaine Lettuce
Kale
Lemon
Apple
Celery

Then I had some Carrot Juice while making Gena's Butternut Squash Soup which I added curry powder to.

I just finished the best smoothie ever! I would post a picture but I need to find my cord to my camera. Anyway, here is the recipe...

Banana Nut Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
4 ice cubes
2 tablespoons nut butter (I used cashew)
Dash cinnamon

Blend it up and enjoy... it is fabulous! I am slurping up the very last bit through my glass darhma straw.

Raw "uncook" books I have purchased...

2010-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you are new to raw and are wondering what books to buy, I have a few suggestions. These are all books I have purchased and love. Some I got on amazon and some are ebooks you can download right onto your computer.

"The best of the Sunny Raw Kitchen" by Carmella

This is an ebook and it is great. The pictures and recipes are fabulous and there is a sliding scale for payment options, which is always nice for those on a budget.

Next...

Heather Pace's Just Desserts ebook. OMG! The recipes in this book are fantastic and the recipes are so versitile, well written and the pictures are great. I love this book!

I also love the books by Sarma Melngailis. Beautiful book... beautiful pictures... fabulous recipes! I am always browsing through Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine to see what I want to make next.

The next ones I like the most are by Ani Phyo. The books are well written with lots of great recipes and pictures. As you can tell I love books with recipes... afterall we do eat with our eyes first.

Ani's Raw Food Desserts

And...

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes

Last one...

I Am Grateful: Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude

This book is full of delicious recipes from Terces Engelhart, owner of the Cafe Gratitude restaraunts.

I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have.

Juice Feasting..

2010-03-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Do you want to join am online group of supportive people who are juice feasting for the first seven days of each month? I am so glad I joined, I feel great and Terces Engelhart who started the juice club is so supportive, with a blog and daily emails to help keep you going. Check it out here... Juice Club

Terces use affiramtions, as I do, so I will share the one from her with you today.

"I am perfect, whole and complete"

Thursday

2010-03-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning feeling great! Doing this juice feast is helping me to realize that I am strong and in control of the choices I make in my life. It feels great to cleanse the body and the mind. I feel more at peace with myself and know that I can accomplish whatever goals I set for myself.

Today I did Bikram yoga, came home and made a green smoothie...

1 banana
4 strawberries
handful of blueberries
huge handful of the sprouts I grew
handful of greens
tablespoon of each twister powder and cocoa nibs
water
ice

Around 1:30 I made a carrot cake smoothie (it came out more like juice but was really yummy)

1 cup carrot juice
dash allspice
dash cinnamon
1/8 cup cashews

Blend it up and enjoy!

The rest of the day I enjoyed a kombucha and for dinner a YUMMY Orange Creamsicle Smoothie...

2 small mandarin oranges
1 cup almond milk
splash vanilla
1/2 cup orange juice
ice cubes
1 banana

blend it up! So good! Perfect for dessert!

I also enjoyed watching a video made by Michelle and Lori of Pure2Raw on how to make fermented foods. I ordered a scoby and am excited to start making my own kombucha. The videos are great!

Onto another subject. I had mentioned that I bought a gowear.fit calorie monitor. I have been wondering how many calories I am burning doing 90 minutes of hot sweaty bikram yoga. Some sources on the internet say up to 1000 calories... I wish. I wore my monitor today and it seems to be around 350 calories I burned. I think I need to do yoga a couple days a week and run the other days. I like the yoga for the stretching and relaxation and the running for the calories burnt.

New day... fresh start.

2010-03-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I got way off track yesterday. It went from juice in the morning to way overeating in the afternoon. I have to figure why I do this. Started by me having a yummy raw cocojoy then proceeding to eat every sweet thing in the kitchen, raw and not. I am not going to beat myself up... today is a new day and a fresh start.

On a positive note... I got my Vita Mix in the mail yesterday as well as my glass straws from glass Dharma. Yay! All the motivation I need to get back on track. I made myself a mint chocolate smoothie (recipe below) and sipped it down with my pretty new glass straw. The shipping of the straws was super fast by the way. Here's to a day of happiness and good choices!

Mint Chocolate Smoothie

1 banana
small handful mint leaves
cocoa powder (heaping tablespoon)
Maca powder (tablespoon)
Ice (few cubes)
water (a cup or so)
5 leaves kale
handful of romaine
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs

Blend and enjoy!

Around lunchtime I enjoyed a tall glass if carrot/apple juice and a kombucha. When I got home from class I had a yummy glass od juice made of...

1 pear
4 stalk celery
1/2 head of romaine
6 leaves kale
1 lemon

So refreshing!

For dinner I can't wait to enjoy the coup I made earlier in my new vita mix (still so excited to have it!) This recipe is courtesy of cafe gratitude, a delicious restaraunt in Healdsburg, California.

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Ingredients:

Soup:

2 Thai young coconuts
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium dates, pitted
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu (a natural soy sauce)
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon Indian curry powder
1 jalapeno pepper

Garnish

1 avocado, cubed
1/3 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup marinated shiitake mushrooms
8 cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

1. To make the coconut into coconut milk, open the coconuts with a cleaver. Put the coconut water in a blender. Next, scrape the coconut meat from the shell and add it to the coconut water in the blender. Blend the milk and meat together.
2. To the coconut milk add all the remaining ingredients, except those for the garnish. Blend well until creamy and slightly warm.
3. Divide soup into four soup cups, garnishing each with a quarter of the garnish mixture. Top with cilantro leaves and serve

Juice Feast/ Fast

2010-03-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

So, today is day one of the juice feast I posted about earlier. I was going to wait until Wednesday because I had planned a lunch date for tomorrow but decided to just do mostly juice until then and then just juice for the next few days following. This is my first time doing this, so a few days would be great for me.

Today I did eat a small amount of solid foods... so far I have had..

Green Juice
Carrot/ Apple Juice
Kombucha
Water with lemon
Romain lettuce with almond butter and honey
Smoothie... banana, cocoa nibs, twister powder (cocoa, maca, hemp) blueberries, kale, honey, cinnamon and almond milk... YUMMY!

I do have to say that I am surprised at the fact that I am not hungry... it goes to show me that my body DOES NOT need the amount of food I was giving it.

My goals...

Listen to my body
Feel when I am hungry and when I am full
Eat when I am hungry, not bored
Love myself
Nourish myself
Think positive

I CAN and WILL accomplish my goals!

Have a great day! :)

Happy Sunday!

2010-02-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

It has beeen a nice weekend and I have doing good with my eating (for the most part.) I even went with my sister to a little gathering at a friends, actually we played Bunko... a dice game and I won... Yay! So, there was tons of cooked food screaming at me at be eaten... pizza, cookies, you name it... but I refrained and did great. I stuck to some organic rice crackers and veggies... I am super proud of myself.

I have been doing bikram yoga again and boy are my legs sore. I can run and run and they don't get sore but they are from the yoga. Just goes to show you it's good to incoprorate different things into your routine. I am loving it. The hot room makes you suoer sweaty and you can feel any toxins being released... it is nice.

So.. yesterday afternoon, Mackenzie (my daughter) and I watched legally Blonde together and shared a bowl of popcorn dusted with cinnamon and I added some carob chips to mine. It was a yummy snack. Later in the evening after dinner I was feeling like something sweet so I made some vegan oatmeal cookies, not raw but very good. Here is the recipe... (my changes are below the recipe)

1 mashed banana
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 of a cup of regular sugar
slightly less than 1/3 of a cup (about 1/4 of a cup plus 1 teaspoon) of oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 of a teaspoon of salt
2 cups plus one my-sized handful (about 1/4 of a cup) of oats
3 tablespoons of water plus maybe a few more drops

Directions:

Mix the vegan brown sugar, vegan sugar, oil, and water. Add the banana and vanilla. then mix in the already pre-mixed together mixture of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oats. If it is too thin, let stand a bit so the oats can absorb the excess liquid. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes. To check if they are done, flip one over and it should be browned. Rip off a chunk to see it it is still raw. I usually let them sit a bit before I take them off the cookie sheet because, well, I do not really know, but it makes me not cook them too long because they finish cooking outside of the oven. I should mention to drop them by the tablespoon.

I followed almost exactly except I did not add any sugar but added maple syrup and agave, just a squirt or so of each. I folded in some walnuts and carob chips... YUM! So, I know I ate too many but they sure were good and not bad for you.

What I ate today...

2010-02-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today I ate...

Green Lemonade

Salad with veggies and cilantro almond butter dressing
Romain lettuce with almond butter and honey inside... all wrapped up :)

Carrots/ bell pepper

Avocado Sandwich (avo on sprouted grain bread with lettuce and mustard)
2 more pieces bread

2 small squares dark chocolate
coconut water

I am going to start doing Bikram yoga again tomorrow. It has been a long time but I want to add some variety to my workout routine. It will be hot but I love it!

Raw food detox diet...

2010-02-25T12:07:00.001-08:00

As I have mentioned I have been reading Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet, and wanted to follow her advice for a week and see how I feel. I followed her diet plan yesterday and will post later to let you know what I ate today, following her plan of course.

What I have the most trouble with...

I love almond butter slathered on bread... which she says is a no no. Substitution... Natalia's oh-so-simple romain wraps. I didn't think I was going to like these but they are great and really easy.

Almond butter and honey on a romain leaf rolled up and enjoyed... YUM!

National Eating Disorder Week...

2010-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Gena ovet at choosingraw.com wrote an excellent post on her blog, which I wanted to share. Please check out blog if you haven't yet, it is fabulous! Here is her post..

Hi guys!

Happy hump day — or Raw Wednesday, as it’s known here on Choosing Raw.

The other day, I was speaking with a client who has struggled—as so many women do—with cycles of dieting, guilt about food choices, and body hatred. Over the course of our session, she had a revelation. “I love to eat,” she said. No sooner had she said it, than she recognized the enormity of those words. “I guess that’s a really big deal for me to say,” she chuckled, “because I’ve spent so much time trying to pretend it’s not true. And it’s something I’ve always felt so ashamed of.”

She’s not alone. For many, many women, nothing is more difficult than to admit to having an appetite. It may be OK to say we’re hungry after a workout, or because we haven’t eaten all day, or because we were super busy doing this or that, but rarely will a woman feel 100% comfortable admitting that she’s hungry for no other reason than that she desires food.

In case you haven’t seen it mentioned on other blogs, it’s National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA) week. What does this mean? Well, according to the National Eating Disorders website , it means this:

Our aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses — not choices — and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.

According to me, it means this: it’s a great time for us all to pay a little extra attention to the very real and painful consequences of eating disorders, and for us to show extra compassion to those we know who are suffering. It’s also a great time for us to do our part in battling these all too common and constantly multiplying afflictions. How? Well, we can show sympathy or understanding to someone who’s battling the condition. We can bravely and boldly share our own stories. We can set a good example by trying to live healthy lives, in which we seek out and maintain a positive and reasonable relationship with food. We can inspire others to enjoy meals by coming up with innovative, nourishing, beautiful, and balanced meals. Perhaps we can inspire others by taking a fun and joyous, rather than competitive, approach to physical fitness. Whatever your strengths are, whatever you have to give, you can find a small way to give it.

Back to desire. In Hilde Bruch’s The Golden Cage–which is, in my opinion, one of the finest books on eating disorders–the author posits that eating disorders have a great deal to do with the willed suppression of desire. They involve the negation, the defiance of appetites: appetites for food, for sex, for physicality. Women are particularly susceptible to this tendency, she argues, because we’ve been socialized to attach shame to our appetites, especially for sex and for food. Historically, and even now, we’re encouraged to be chaste, restrained, clean, and austere: to express carnal desire or a voracious appetite for food is distinctly un-feminine, at least in so far as femininity has long been dictated by a misogynistic culture. And sadly, we women (and some men) have become all too adept at denying our appetites, our hungers, our yearnings.

While I battled disordered eating, this urge was an enormous part of my illness. I’m often asked if what I wanted from the disorder was to be thin. The answer, naturally, is yes: of course thinness is what I wanted. But it was, in retrospect, only a surprisingly small part of what I wanted. When I look back on those years, I see that a lot of what I wanted was to quash my own needs. Overcoming this–connecting with my hunger for food, for sex, for vitality, for physicality–took a long time. Being able to declare to myself and to others that I not only needed to eat, but wanted to eat–and all that eating implied–demanded that I overcome a great deal of unconscious shame.

Of course, it’s not just women with eating disorders who feel this shame. It’s most women. Sure, we might open the pages of Maxim and read about how much men like a girl who can devour a plate of chicken wings and wash it down with a pint of beer, but this is a rather typecast exceptions to the rule, which is that women are and always have been encouraged to want, but not to want too much. We should to eat, but only in moderation; to desire, but never so much that we behave unseemly, or–God forbid!–slutty; to be assertive, but never so much that we’re bitchy or aggressive. Not that. To utter the words “I love to eat” feels like a shocking confession, a guilty secret.

In my travels through the raw community, I’ve encountered what I think are both the best and the worst kinds of attitudes towards this issue. On the one hand many raw foodists promote what I believe is a truly exuberant and healthy attitude towards eating. On the other, there are some who approach raw foods and fasting with what I believe is too much asceticism. Me? Well, being a vegan and eating more raw food have certainly helped me to realize that there are many things I thought I needed that I really don’t: an endless rotation of cute new clothing, carefully applied makeup, painted nails, and various other accoutrements of beauty. When you live healthily, beauty and vibrance radiates from within. But veganism and raw foods have also helped me, more than ever before, to embrace my appetites: for life, for experience, and, lord knows, for food. I’ve always liked to eat. And when I’m eating foods that I believe are not only optimal for my body, but optimal for the environment and for mother nature, too, I like itmore than ever.

Of course, we should always guard ourselves against excess. Appetites have limits, and food is just food. But let’s also try to embrace the very real hunger that nature has given us, even if it’s sometimes a little unruly. Desire is a part of life–and a pretty great part of it, if you ask me.

So today, in honor of NEDAwareness week, I think we should celebrate our hunger. In good ole AA fashion, I’ll go first:

I’m Gena. I love to eat

Today's meals..

2010-02-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today I ate...

Green lemonade
Salad (snow peas, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots) with cilantro dressing. Lara bar.
Green Juice
Salad (greens and other veggies)2 pieces sprouted grain bread and a sweet potato. Yum!

Juice Feasting

2010-02-24T19:24:00.001-08:00

While browsing online I stummbled across cafe gratitudes challenge of doing a juice feast every first week of the month. I signed up and ama excited and scared to get started on march 1st. If you want more information check out cafegratitude.com. I will try to post everyday to keep you posted on what I am feasting on and how things are going.

On another note.... I realized I have been eating far too many nuts and dried fruits and late at night. I also was not combining foods well. So I pulled out the raw food detox diet by Natalia Rose and refreshed my knowledge on her concepts. I am doing better at keeping in mind what foods to combine and what not to combine.

Do you only combine certain foods?

Kale chips, corn salad and pumpkin chocolate cups

2010-02-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

A few yummy recipes I wanted to share...

Kale chips...

1 heaping tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
garlic
splash of braggs
Kale (remove tough stems)

Mix all together and dehydrate until crisp. YUM!

Fresh Corn Salad

3 ears corn (kernels removed)
about 10 sundried tomatoes chopped (soak them if they are not soft)
cilantro
juice of one lime
1/4 cup chooped red onion
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon cumin and corriander

Mix with chopped avocado just before serving.

Pumpkin Pie Chocolate cups... (these are to die for!)

2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
1 tablespoon (or more to taste) agave nectar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix all and spoon into candy cup liners or just spoon onto a small bowl lined with plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge or freezer. These won't stay around long, they are addictive!

Enjoy!

So, I finally ordered a Vita Mix... I can't wait for it to come! So many reciped I can't wait to try.

Raw challenge update...

2010-02-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day although I fell like I overate on some raw sweets... but I will give myself a break because they were all raw. I enjoyed a few too many raweos and lemon cookies. I also made some copycat bumble bars (recipe below) and kale chips in my new excalibur dehydrator... It came so quickly, I am very pleased!

If anyone has a recipe for raw gingerbread cookies that they swear by, please let me know as I miss the flavor and want a raw version.

So, if you have ever had a bumble bar you know it a seedy nutty darn good bar. Here is my version...

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax meal
cinnamon to taste
splash vanilla
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup agave or more to taste
dash salt (optional)
1/4 cup nuts (I used cashews)

Mix all together and dehydrate to desired dryness. Or... just pop in the freezer if you don't have a dehydrator and enjoy once cold.

These are great, and oh so healthy! Enjoy!

Today is day 3 of my raw challenge.

2010-02-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

I feel great! Yesterday I ate mainly raw foods... I had..

Green lemonade
Fruit Salad (mixed fruit)

Raw "chips"

Salad
Lara Bar

Zucchini "pasta" with sundried pesto sauce (YUM!)
Carrot renew soup

"Pecan Pie" (Dried date stuffed with a pecan)

I am loggin my intake with the help of my gowear fit armband and their easy program online. I love it. I am feeling wonderful and excited to make a change for a healthier life!

A couple of my new favorite things...

2010-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Number one... my new spiral slicer. Wow, do I love this thing. I made zucchini "pasta" last night and I swear it was so good I don't think I will ever crave real pasta noodles again. If you don't have one yet, invest the $25.00 and get one, you won't regret it.

I also started wearing my gowear fit arm band. If you have not heard of it, it is an energy and calories expenditure monitor. It is so cool. It tells you exactly how many calories you have burnt throughout the day... doing normal stuff, not just excercising. It is pretty cool.

Day 1 of 28 day mostly raw challenge...

2010-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

I decided today to challenge myself to cut out all refined sugars, proccessed foods and eat mostly raw for 28 days. People say it takes about 28 days to start a new habit (or lifestyle in this case) so here I go.

Today I ate...

Green Lemonade
Banana

Salad with veggies
Bumble Bar

Flax crackers

Zucchini "pasta" with pesto
sprouted grain bread
asparagus

Blended banana "frozen yogurt" with a small piece of dark chocolate

I also ordered an excalibur dehydrator... I can't wait to get it!!!

Sunday...

2010-02-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

I got up nice and early this morning and went for a 6.5 mile run... perfect way to start the day! Then I made a recipe from Natalia Rose's book and LOVED it... I had to share...

Carrot renew soup

2 cups carrot juice
1/2 advacado
curry powder
ginger

Blend it all together... SO GOOD!

Romanesco Recipe

2010-02-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

This morning my sister came over and I made her her first green lemonade... she loved it and is on her way to go buy a juicer now! Yah! This morning I wanted to make something with the head of romanesco that I got in my weekly veggie box delivery... so this is what I did...

1 head romanesco proccessed in food proccessor until it is like rice
1 carrot chopped fine (you could shred it too)
1 green onion
1/2 red bell pepper chopped fine

Dressing....

1 heaping tablespoon tahini (my new favorite thing!)
1 tablespoon tamari
dash hot sauce
squirt of lemon or lime juice
garlic

Toss all together well and allow to marinate in fridge. Toss with cilantro or herb of your choice before serving. YUM! Enjoy :)

Out to Harbin...

2010-02-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

So I took a drive out to Harbin Hot Springs which is close to where I live. They have a great market full of organic and raw goodies. I tried my first thai young coconut, which the kind clerk opened right there for me. I slurped the water out and boy was it yummy! I also bought some raweos, so good! If anyone has a copycat recipe for these please let me know because they are so good but so expensive!

Some of my favorite recipes so far...

2010-02-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Raw Pad Thai (courtesy of recipezaar.com)

Ingredients

1 zucchini (spiraled into "noodles" or sliced thin and then julienned)
1 carrot (julienned)
1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1 green onion, chopped (tops and bulbs)
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 lemons, juice of
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or finely chopped hot pepper)
1 tablespoon honey (agave or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon gingerroot, chopped

Directions

1) In a bowl, mix the nut butter with the garlic and ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and hot sauce until smooth. Set aside.
2)Mix all of the vegetables in a large bowl (save a few green onion tops for garnish).
3) Right before serving, mix sauce with veggies and enjoy.
4) Chopsticks add a nice touch!

Sweets...

2010-02-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

I love my sweets and would feel deprived without them. I found this (and purchased) wonderful ebook, "Just Desserts: Nutritious, Delicious Raw Delights" by Adeventures of a raw goddess heathy. The recipes look wonderful! I can't wait to try them. To see the ebook, click here... http://rawgoddessheathy.blogspot.com/2008/12/raw-goddess-heathys-just-desserts-ebook.html

3 days into my raw transformation and strong...

2010-02-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

Today is my third day of mostly raw foods. I am feeling great! I have become quiet attached to my green lemonade in the morning! I am waiting for my dehydrator to come in the mail so I can make some raw crackers... I'll let you know how it goes.