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

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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!