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.