Simple Eating & Drinking

Simplicity. 

If you are a regular follower, you know that I am certainly a Simple Raw Food Mamma. There are two reasons I have not written much lately. The first is that I am homeschooling my son and it takes time...time that I gladly devote to him and his education. The second reason is that I have been eating and drinking so simply that I don't know what to tell y'all about! 

But alas, as the cold weather settles in, I am sure that those vegan raw comfort foods with substance will soon make a comeback in my dietary realm. So stay tuned for raw food recipes and how-to's for crackers, holiday desserts, "burgers," and even breads. With less time outside, more time will be spent inside doing food prep and eating.

So, what have I been eating that is so basic and simple for the past month? I start out the day with a green smoothie. I make a large batch and put half of it in the fridge for later.

Basic Green Smoothie

- water (1 cup)

- kale or rainbow chard (crammed in the blender to the 3 cup mark)

-> blend until smooth

- frozen blueberries (1 cup)

- frozen strawberries (1 cup)

-> blend again to smooth

Then for lunch I eat a 

Simple, Simple Salad 

- zucchini chopped

- tomato chopped 

- hemp seed sprinkled on top

or

I eat a 

Simple Raw Food Wrap

- zucchini cut into strips

- tomato sliced

- greens (kale, lettuce...)

- 1/2 avocado sliced, smeared, or chopped

- red pepper sliced

- raw (do not toast) nori sheet(s)

-> follow directions on nori sheet package; put veggies onto wrap at one end, moisten edges, roll wrap tight with sushi mat (or just use bare hands), cut if desired

~ here is a link to a previous post a nori wrap recipe & photos

And then for dinner, I usually make my two fellas something cooked (whole wheat pasta with sauce, baked potatoes, rice & beans...) and a bowl of mixed raw veggies. I either eat the veg. salad or drink my remaining green smoothie or both.

So, it has been a simple culinary autumn around here as we have been busy with dehydrating and freezing foods for wintertime...and doing homeschool.

I been requested to teach a raw food class concentrating on holiday dessert ideas. Keep an eye out for that event.

Welcome new readers. I hear there are a couple of you.

Keep it simple.

See results.

Feel better.

Stick with it!

Oh yes, watch out for some mustard greens! Yum-yum-yum. If you are a mustard green newbie, start with small bites. Oh, they are so good and add such a flare and flavor to your salad or even your smoothie. I grab wads of the greens throughout the day and cram into my mouth! Yeah, love that spicy sensation...

Catch-up--recipes & photos

Even though it has been many days since I updated this blog, I still have been snapping photos with the intent of posting. So, here is a little catch-up...

My son and I made a salad of sorts a while back. I did cook the blue potatoes, but the rest is raw. 

We snapped green beans, popped out some peas, chopped some tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. We tossed those fresh veggies with made a simple olive oil-lemon juice dressing and the cooked potatoes. Viola! 

Simple Raw Kiddo is the one who reminded me to take a photo. He said, "Mom, take a picture of my salad. The people will want to see it."

Do take the time to involve your kids in food preparation. They will not only learn basic kitchen skills, but they will learn to love food for its nourishment.

Well, I don't know about all these people he thinks are spending time at this blog... I do hope that someone is encouraged to improve their health by the ideas I share, facts I pass along, and photos I post.

Here are some homemade pizza photos too. I made a wheat-free crust, spread some homemade pizza sauce (olive oil, chopped tomatoes, italian seasoning--smash & simmer), topped it off with lots of fresh veggies and a little vegan mozzarella cheese. 

A healthy pizza that tastes as good as it looks. My boys ate it up! Yummyumm.

With autumn fully upon us we have been busy harvesting and preparing food for winter storage and ultimately winter consumption. My son helped me make some spiced plum butter and spiced apple butter. Mostly he helped with the clean-up--licking the spatulas and bowls.

Even boys can be in the kitchen. It does help if one wears camouflage pants under their mamma's red apron though!

Another use for ripe plums and apples... 

Cooked Vegan Dessert: 

Slow Baked Plums & Apples

Core 'em, chop 'em, smother 'em in honey, sprinkle in some pumpkin pie spice, top 'em off with oats & chopped almonds, cover and bake at low heat (250) for a couple of hours. Before serving, take off foil and bake at 425 for a few minutes. The house smelled marvelous and my guests said the dessert was delish too!

* I have made this with the crock pot too.

I have been making green smoothies all week with some lovely collard greens. 

-water

-collard greens

-pear

-blueberries

-blend until smooth!

Whew, until next time...

Please remember that health and vitality 

is as close as your next mouthful of food! 

Make it fresh.

Make it from scratch.

Make it simple.

Make it count.  ;-)

Protein--Healthy Truth

How do you get enough protein in your diet?

That is one of the most common questions I get in regard to eating a raw food vegan diet. 

Well folks, quite simply put, there has been way too much hoopla regarding "complete" & "high-quality" protein in one's diet. The fact is, you can achieve and maintain a very healthy body by consuming plant-based proteins! Steaks, chops, roasts and burgers have been scientifically proven to promote diseased bodies, whereas the plant-based proteins have been linked to longevity.

If you haven't heard of, read, watched/listened to an interview with Dr. T. Colin Campbell in regard to his book "The China Study," you must make the time to do so. In trying to prove that the meat and dairy way of eating is the best, he came across startling evidence so he undertook a 20-year long study looking at and establishing a cause & effect between protein sources and incidence of disease. Startling evidence...

Early in his career as a researcher with MIT and Virginia Tech, Dr. Campbell worked to promote better health by eating more meat, milk and eggs -- “high-quality animal protein … It was an obvious sequel to my own life on the farm and I was happy to believe that the American diet was the best in the world.”

The research project culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. More commonly known as the China Study, “this project eventually produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.” 

The findings? “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell.

above quote taken from http://www.thechinastudy.com/news.html

Why are his findings so startling? And why isn't this making headline news on more airwaves, doctor's offices, hospital hallways, and around water coolers? The answer really is simple. Human nature. Human nature dislikes change. Human nature is resistant to reality. Human nature doesn't like to be startled.

I would like you to be startled just enough to educate yourself and then make an informed decision about the health and welfare of you and your family. At least take the first step by reading an excerpt from his book right here. After that, it is up to you to reclaim your health and vitality. I am here to pass along pertinent information and promote an eating style that has proven itself time and again...

China Study excerpt 

Oh yes, back to the protein topic. We learned in our high school biology class or basic nutrition in health that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Some amino acids we make within our bodies and others we must consume. In the old days, food combining was thought of as the best way to assist our bodies in the manufacture and utilization of "complete" proteins. But nowadays, it  has been shown that our bodies keep an amino acid pool. And from this pool, our body can assemble and assimilate "complete" proteins! 

These amazing bodies that God gave us in the Garden were first made to consume only plant-based foods, remember? So, God already made our bodies with the intent to survive and thrive on a plant-based diet. Hmmm.

I for one have noticed over the years as I refine my diet (my story) that my muscle mass is more lean, I recover from athletic endeavors quicker, and I have way more energy. Tri-athlete (Brendan Brazier) and even some champions in the Mr. Universe and body building world are vegans. Hmmm.

Cows. Horses. What do they eat? Where do they get their muscle mass? Where do they get their energy? How do they grow, reproduce, lactate, and live? Yes, indeed those massive animals eat plant-based diets. Hmmm.

In a future post or two I will go into more detail about protein, but I just wanted to give you a taste (pun intended) of what your protein source is doing to your health --or lack thereof.

 

Coke & Pop-tarts Are NOT Breakfast!

This video clip is Ann Cooper, the director of Nutrition Services for the Berkeley Unified School District. Ms. Cooper is the author of "Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children." In this clip she is speaking at a 2007 conference. 

Ann Cooper is also known as the "Renegade Lunch Lady." It is sad that when one is an advocate for wholesome, healthy food they are called a renegade. Well, then that makes me an official crazy lady too! Crazy for kids. Crazy for health. Crazy for you to make informed decisions.

Back to the video clip...she tells it exactly like it is. If I were standing on a stage voicing the facts and stats on this topic, this is exactly what I would want to come outta my mouth! Please take the time to watch this and pass it along to anyone you know who has kids in the public school system. 

What are the kids eating at your public schools?

What diseases are your kids at-risk for by eating at the public schools?

I love this breakdown she gives in her address:

- $110 billion spent on fast food

- $100 billion spent on diet pills

- $50 billion spent on veggies

- $200 billion spent on diet-related illnesses

Spend less on fast food & more on veggies, then the other amounts will decrease! Duh. This is a huge "duh" moment.

Do you know, we more money is spent on one gourmet cup of fancy-pants coffee than is spent within the school system per child, per week for their lunch food! 

Watch out for the crazy ladies. We are comin' round the mountain!

Upcoming Class

Howdy! It has been so long since I posted a message here on Simple Raw Health. 

We have been busy around here with home schooling, a vacation, and getting all the autumn harvest and end-of-garden-growing stuff done.

For my Longview WA, Kelso WA, Rainier OR and other nearby readers, please take note of the post prior to this one... I am teaching at Longview's Country Village this Saturday. In addition to reading about Green Smoothies here, you will have the chance to learn more about the how-to's & health benefits of these blended beauties. I will teach, demonstrate, give out samples, answer questions and point you in the right direction for resources.

You may call in to have your name added to the list and/or stop by in-person before Saturday to register.

I hope to see you there!

Green Smoothie Class Information

Country Village 

Café & Nutrition Shoppe 

in Longview, Washington

presents the

Saturday 

Health Education Series

with

An Introduction to

Green Smoothies

 

 
1.               What is a green smoothie?
2.               What are the health benefits?
3.               How do I start?
4.               What are some easy recipes?

 

These and more questions answered.

Samples provided.

Resources available.

Lose Weight  ~ Increase Energy 

~ Improve Health & Vitality

 

Do you constantly hear the news reports & read the articles that tell you to add 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies into your diet? Truth be told, even vegetarians/vegans/raw foodists do not get the amount of veggies, let alone greens needed to thrive. Let me teach you how to nourish your body all while increasing your consumption of amazing & healthy raw produce.

 

Space is limited so please pre-register by signing-up today!

date:   Saturday, September 27^th

^{time:   12pm-1pm}

^{cost:   $5/person}

 

Darlene is a local health educator & raw food/healthy living coach with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Idaho in School & Community Health Education (minors in Physical Education & Athletic Training). She was a guest lecturer at the University of Idaho, implemented a Women’s Health Education Series in Rainier, & teaches at various health-related venues in the area. Darlene also has in-depth knowledge of Type I, insulin-dependent diabetes and a background & knowledge in alternative medicine & health care. 

Leaves and Things

Thursday we picked up our CSA farm share and included this week was a head of raddicchio lettuce. Now when it is this big it is strongly flavored with a bitter bite. I am not sure exactly what we will do with it, but as I prepped it for the fridge I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos. It is amazing with the light-colored veins streaking the green and red leaves.

For those of you who drink green smoothies, here is a tip for winter:

- when you find that you have extra greens (i.e. collard, beet, lettuce...), wash in cold water & lay on towel to dry

- pat off excess water

- place several leaves into a zipable plastic bag

- press out air & seal bag

- toss into freezer 

- pull out and use in your wintertime green smoothies

It won't matter if the greens don't hold their original form when you are going to whiz 'em in the high-speed blender! If you can stock up for winter with some self-frozen greens you will save time and money for cold-weather green smoothies.

Dirty Dozen, Cleanest 12

Buying organic produce is very important to me and my family. And it should be to you and yours too. We don't need any sort of toxic residue, film, coating, or gunk covering the produce we eat. Simple. Eat the fruit & veggies plain & simple!

Click the above "photo" to view the short lists in pdf format. And for more details [i.e. did you know that peaches carry 100% load of pesticides? Bad news if you eat conventional peaches folks!], click the link below. 

PESTICIDES IN PRODUCE

I know that 100% organic isn't always easy or even possible for all of us, so I want you to know which foods you definitely want to buy in organic and which one you can get away with buying the conventional variety--only occasionally.

Here is a simple way to think about buying conventional produce...ask yourself this question. Would you take a spoon with you to the stinky, gagging, overwhelming, chemical control area of your local garden store? A spoon? 

Yes, would you take a spoon and ask the sales clerk to pop the top on the assorted poisonous pesticides and/or herbicides? Just so you could get a good taste of what will coat your produce if you use those chemicals on your own garden or purchase conventional produce in your marketplace. Would you go to a taste-testing party at your garden store's chemical section?

Uh, no, not likely. Think about that the next time you are strolling through or looking over fruits & veggies at your farmer's market, grocery store, produce stand, or your very own garden. 

Would I like a spoonful of poison to make the produce go down?!

Cones & Chard

An ice cream cone for breakfast? You bet! I blended some frozen bananas and blueberries with a dash of chocolate hemp milk. Viola! Healthy fruit ice cream for breakfast. Of course the cones are organic and don't contain any nasty stuff.

Prettier, healthier and more edible than a bouquet of posies!

Yesterday was the farm share pick-up excursion. As always, I came home with a cooler packed full of produce. En route from errands across the river back to my place in the country, we stopped off at a friend's house. She gave us potatoes from her beautiful garden. And then she loaded us up with kale, gigantic rainbow chard, parsley, basil, cucumbers and love. All in all, we had our large cooler crammed full and three paper bags full of edibles.

Needless to say, I had a huge dilemna last night at about 8:30pm...no room in the fridge! None at all. I had been washing, sorting, and prepping produce since 6pm. After a quick call to a neighbor, my son and I took a full bag of goods up the road. 

I though the rainbow chard and basil were too lovely to stash in the fridge anyway, so I treated them like flowers and put them into vases. Well, in the case of the chard I used an old water filter pitcher as a vase! Look how lovely it looks today. Until someone else comes by to share produce with, my extras will grace the table.

When God blesses you with abundance, delight in it and then share it with others!

Health tip:

What you have in your fridge, 

you will soon have in your stomach!

 

Take the time and effort to fill your fridge, cupboards, and eventually your own self with nutrient-packed foods. You are what you eat. Choose to feed a living body with living foods today!

'Tater Fries

Look what we got when we picked up our farm share at our local CSA, Willow Grove Gardens Farm, last week! Yes, purple and red potatoes. Really.

Since we don't eat junk around here, grease-laden french fries are definitely NOT part of our dietary world. Before I became a rawfood vegan, I discovered this simple way to make homemade fries. And I still make these for my fellas. 

SIMPLE HOW-TO:

Take out your indoor grill (ours is a mock-off of the well-known boxer man's grill), plug it in, slice some spuds into fry-form, place them on the grill in a single layer, close the top and check in about 5 minutes for fork-tenderness. If you like, add a smidge of olive oil and sea salt. Or some powdered garlic. Or eat plain. Yum!

I had to share the beauty of the intense colors of the purple 'taters. Being a former Idahoan, I appreciate all spectacular specimens of spuds!

Healing Cancer from Inside Out--dvd

Recently I wrote about a cancer dvd--please click here for that posting. 

Above is a snip-it of that video. 

Watch it. Okay, now, please go order that dvd and watch it in its entirety! I just did this weekend and was blown away. It is a must-see video!

It is a 2-hour long show. I am quite sure that you will be upset by the information presented in the first hour--the Business behind cancer, the history of the AMA (American Medical Association), the progress (or lack thereof) in the cancer field since the 1930's, the drugs used to fight this disease, and much more. 

But hang tight, the second hour is also enlightening, as well as encouraging, inspirational, uplifting and most of all, full of hope for a real cure! Folks, you must get your hands on this dvd. I am going to order a slew of them and pass them out. I am going to share the information and the hope.

Education is the answer. 

As much as I want to save people their diseased state(s), I simply cannot do it. 

As much as I want for friends and family to listen and apply what I know to their diet and lifestyle, I cannot "want" them into good health. 

If you or someone you know is sick and tired of being sick and tired AND you really, really want a way out of that muck & mire of ill-health, then DO SOMETHING about it! 

My passion is health education. 

My mission is to get you the information so you can make an well-educated decision for your health. For your life. 

I started this blog so you would have an place to visit for simple, yet health-changing facts, guidance, recipes, encouragement, food photos, stories, and information.

I can and do want it for you, but you must want it for you too!

May God bless you and encourage you on your quest

 for health and healing.

 May He grant you the wisdom to make the changes 

He wants you to make. 

FYI: at the end of that video clip it says to visit the RAVE diet website for more information. Theirs is a plant-based, whole food diet. I have also linked the Hallelujah site in the right side panel. I prefer the H. Diet site for it's Christian influence, ease of use, well-rounded content, and free information. In addition the H. diet is primarily a raw food diet and it is my belief that we need to eat living foods for a living body!