Nuts for Coconut

Yesterday 4 health-filled coconuts came to our home. This morning, I took one of them and poked it's eye right out with the pointy end of a knife sharpener. I inserted a straw and let the kiddo drink. After he had his fill, I drained it's water. That most nutritious & delicious source of electrolytes was for me. What to do with a coconut missing an eye? Pop it into a plastic bag, tie it off and smash it to pieces by slamming it onto the sidewalk. Repeatedly.

Now, that does not sound like a very nice thing to do to a poor lil coconut, does it?! 

Oh there are more civilized and stylish ways to get to the "meat" of the coconut, but hey, this is Simple Raw Food Mamma and I am a farm girl...

After the rather un-fanciful treatment of one hairy little coconut, we had rawsome green smoothies for breakfast today!

- 1 1/2 cups water (preferably coconut water, if you didn't drink it all yet)

- cram blender up past the 3 cup mark with greens (garden-fresh spinach & collard)

- blend

- add about 1 cup of blueberries

- and 1/2 peeled orange

- and a chunk or two of coconut

- blend again

Viola! Yummers!

Recently...

We have made raw strawberry pie.

We have made a whole wheat crust filled with gooey, spiced plums.

We have made a farm fresh, very colorful & flavor-filled veggie salad.

Oh, the fun and the yum we had in our kitchen! Stay tuned for posts and recipes and pics on the above...

Why Raw/Living Foods?

Okay, back to my Q&A section about eating the way I do...

Why do I eat raw/living foods?

In My Story I tell about how I felt horrible after eating out and overindulging in food one night and that I had recently seen a not-so-lovely photo of myself. Upon waking the next morning I went raw. Simple. 

I had had enough of not feeling like I knew I could. Like I knew I should. That's it. As I have heard it said, "I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired." Simple.

I am an all or nothing kind of girl. My personality doesn't do the "let's do a little good here and there while keeping the bad tucked in my back pocket." It either needs to be done or whining about it needs to end. Simple.

By the second day of switching to a living foods lifestyle, I had so much energy. I could not believe it! Of course I had a little gas too while my body adapted to the all raw veggie consumption--but that passed within a few days! Ha!  ;-)  Okay, that was the worst thing...some tootin' around. Simple honesty, folks.

Why living foods? I live in a living body. Eating foods with the living enzymes still intact give me more energy, less illness, more vitality, less moodiness, more time awake, less time slugging around, more days feeling good, less days feeling bad. More goodness, less badness. Simple.

If you are still eating the Standard American Diet (the SAD diet) and you are suffering the consequences of poor health (disease of some sort, feeling tired & wore out, low energy...), you can do something about it. Make a decision to live the life you want. The life you deserve. The life God wants you to live. Simple.

Would you prefer to slug around &/or stay in a diseased state while you hold onto the foods you won't give up and/or don't want to give up? Or do you want to say THIS IS NOT ENOUGH! THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME! I WANT MORE!

If you make the simple choice to improve your food intake, then you have made the simple choice to improve your health and vitality. And vice versa. Simple!

Why did I go raw? Simple.

So

I

May

Pursue

Life

Energetically

Stay tuned for more Q&A... How do I get started? How do I learn more?

How Do You Eat Raw Food?

"How do you eat this way?" 

Above is another question I answer and one of the reasons for this blog...the "what" and "how" I eat...SIMPLE foods.

Sure there are food prep books (can't really call them "cook books" now can we?!) out there with fancy food and pretty pictures and guideline for creativity, but SIMPLICITY is how I do it. Oh yes, there are times when I want the "wow" factor and whip up some raw food dessert that tastes better than the richest chocolate cake you could even imagine, but that doesn't fit into my lifestyle or my character for day-to-day culinary fare.

I start the day with a green smoothie. Cram some greens into the K-tec Champ, add some water and blend away. Then I add some frozen fruit and possibly some fresh fruit too. I add flax seeds that I pre-ground if I remember. That is breakfast.

For snacks, I eat a couple dates or small handful of raisins. I used to chomp some almonds or pine nuts too, but since I am doing the NO FAT (based on Dr. Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Hearth Disease" eating plan) option for a couple of months, I pass by the nuts. Of course with fresh produce abounding, snacking is no problem. Fresh fruits and veggies. Sometimes a small serving of frozen "fruit ice cream" hollers out to be eaten too!

Lunch might be a nori-roll--raw seaweed wrap filled with veggies, some sort of sunflower seed patte (a.k.a. paste), and finely chopped lettuce. Or lunch might be a "lettuce boat"--same sort of fillers but put atop a nice large piece of lettuce. Or lunch might be a salad with lots of veggies piled high.

Snacks...see above and repeat throughout the day. When eating raw food, rarely do you have to worry about caloric consumption, especially if consuming green smoothies too. I eat all day long. I actually graze all day long...little snip-its of food and water throughout the day.

Dinner is the most challenging in the summer because we  live in the country and evening chores and projects abound this time of year. We are usually in the house after 8pm. I open the fridge and see what strikes me. Of course like many of you, sometimes I wish a pre-made meal would just jump onto my plate, but alas that has never happened at my house! The closest to that is another green smoothie and some pieces of fresh fruit on the side.

So, lately I chop up assorted veggies and pile them on a plate in their wonderful own little mounds of freshness. I whip up some hummus or some other protein-rich filler. I heat up some whole grain pita pockets or whole wheat tortilla shells (for the hubby and son). I make some honey mustard dressing. I rinse some lettuce, beet greens, and other greens and make a salad. Cut some corn right off the cob into the bowl of lettuce. Viola! Dinner. 

My boys either stuff the pita with everything and top it off with some dressing drizzled on top (my hubby) or they make lovely little piles and mow through each food individually (my son). I do the same, but once again I use a lettuce leaf and skip the dressing. 

Or dinner could be a giant salad with all those veggies (zukes, cukes, carrots, onions, beets, kohlrabi, radishes, peas...) and a dressing. I serve it with brown rice and black beans.

Dessert is delish when it is a raw food strawberry pie or chocolate cake, but usually dessert is divine right off the vine...some fresh fruit or some frozen fruit made into a shake or ice cream. Sprinkle some chopped almonds or granola on top for crunch and fun. FYI: this sort of "ice cream" is often served for breakfast around here! Sometimes even in a cone!

SIMPLE. SIMPLE. SIMPLE. That is "how" I eat and how I feed my family! I think ole Forrest Gump sums it up best...

Simple is as simple does. ;-)

Honey Mustard Dressing

- honey (brown rice syrup works too!)

- lemon juice

- olive oil (cold-pressed)

- mustard (pre-made health food store variety or mustard powder)

I never measure and everyone likes a different amount of sweetness so try some combos out here... 

- 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 to 1/3 cup lemon juice, a big ole glob of honey, a squirt of mustard. 

- Now whisk in a small bowl and taste. 

- Add whatever you need to please your palette!

My Influence

"Why do you eat vegan raw food?"

This question requires multi-faceted response, but I will start with one aspect of it today. Look over at the right side panel, see that Biblical scripture quote from Genesis 1:29? That is why! I think that men and women were made by God to eat in this manner. Adam and Eve were instructed by God with the very words that mandate a fruit, veggie, nut & seed dietary intake. Simple.

Doing this raw food and healthy living blog was prompted by the questions and inquiries I get--most of which come from fellow Believers. When I first went raw, I did plenty of research online. I was taken aback by the amount of information out there...lots of it. But I was even more taken aback and in a state of angst at the source for the majority of this data. There are a lot of folks out there who subscribe to energies, forces, enlightenment, and other non-Christian ways of thinking, living, believing. 

This is not me and when I find a raw food site or book that I like, I try to determine if the person behind the health statements and insights follows something or someone other than my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If so, I won't read any further, nor will I put them out there for you in my reference section.

Indeed there are people out there who know more than me in the field of health, nutrition and raw food eating, but alas if they follow someone who influences their thinking about the universe or the new earth created in their own mind, they are not part of my blog. Simple.

Who made the earth? God! 

Who created me? God! 

Who influences my mind, heart, and soul? God! 

How do we obtain Salvation? By believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

Who holds my trust and hope and future? My Father God, Master of Heaven and Earth!

Amen.

~> For more information, please go to the Hallelujah Acres website and click on the free download by Rev. George Malkmus for Biblical eating!

What's for Lunch

When I first heard of rawfood eating, I had a lot of the same questions as you, even though I was already a vegan and knew a great deal about nutrition. Immediately after I tell people of our raw food vegan way of eating, I get a lot of questions. 

One of those is "What do you eat?" 

I think to think this particular query is so funny because at first people assume raw food vegans subsist on virtually no food. Wrongo! I eat so much! My family eats so much!

• So much healthy food. 
  
• So much variety. 
  
• So much energy-giving food. 
  
• So much freshness.
  
• So much nutrient-rich fruits.
  
• So much  nutrient-rich veggies.
  
• So much!
  

For example, lunch for my son and I today was as follows:

- corn on the cob (raw, don't cook it! and please don't put butter on it either)

- cauliflower, pea & dill salad

- some soaked raw sunflower seeds mixed with some black beans & chopped onions

- a couple of large lettuce leaves

We started out chomping our way through the corn on the cob. Then I made "boats" out of my lettuce and the sunflower/bean/onion concoction, whereas my son ate the plain ole beans. He likes his lettuce on the side if you please! And we finished with the cauliflower/pea/dill salad. My son also had some steamed yams and potatoes from yesterday with a dash of sea salt...and some mustard and ketchup!

Variety. Nourishment. Living foods. Freshness. That is what was for lunch today!

--> For my next few posts I will address some of the common questions you probably have for this way of eating. If you have something you would like to ask, please leave it for me in the comments section following the posting.

--> Also, I am trying a no-fat approach to eating for a couple of months. In support of my mom-in-law who is recovering from a heart attack and other severe health challenges, my husband and I have sent her a book entitled "Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease" by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn. Go to www.heartattackproof.com for more information. 

His basic premise for prevention and a virtual drug-free treatment is a vegan eating plan topped off with a nice hunk of NO FAT ALLOWED. His book is impressive and the results from this method are astonishing. So, if I am asking someone to do something with their dietary choices, I am going to do it too. As of last week I cut out all of my almonds, avocados, and cold-pressed olive oil. I don't look at what I cannot have, I look at what I can and do have...

• Education
• Health
• Vitality
• Fresh Fruits & Veggies & Seeds
• Energy

So, stay tuned for more questions and answers regarding raw food eating and my progress on the no-fat train. 

Green, Living Foods

Howdy! Despite the rain today, everything is green, green, green here in western Oregon. A great reminder to drink green smoothies! This morning I made a concoction that reflected the beautiful green medley of the grass, leaves, ferns, trees, and new growth.

1 handful spinach

1 handful mixed baby green

1/2 fresh mango

1 pear

1 cup water

As usual, blend the water and greens first. Add the rest and blend away. Yum!

Here are some more notes from the hand-outs I passed out Saturday at the healthy eating class and demonstration of green smoothies. It was an awesome day. Thank you to PR for inviting me to speak. And thank you to all who attended, listened, ate "chocolate cake" &  "almond cookies" and slurped some green smoothies!  ;-) 

This is the continuation of an INTRODUCTION TO RAW/LIVING FOODS...

Benefits

Ø    Simplicity—raw food is the best “fast food”

Ø    Increased energy—when you eat processed/dead foods your body diverts energy and resources (i.e. enzymes) for proper digestion & assimilation. By consuming living foods, you are making a living investment in your living body!

Ø    Weight loss—when the majority of your calories are from fresh fruits & veggies and you consume less calories & have more energy (for exercise); your ideal body shape and weight will be revealed. Eating a processed diet forces water to hang out with all the sugars and salts in our tissues, creating that “puffy and fattish” look.

Ø    Other side effects include an overall sense of well-being. You need less sleep, you have more energy, your emotions get more stable, and you experience things more fully—as if you are more alive!

 

How do I start?

Ø    You will need to want to experience health benefits.

Ø    Fill your fridge with fresh fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds—you are what you eat & you eat what you buy.

Ø    Breakfast: replace standard cereal with raw fruit, nuts, and “mylk” (non-dairy alternative)

Ø    Lunch & Dinner: eat a lovely, large salad as your main course and have some whole grain pasta or brown rice as a side dish.

Ø    Add juicing and green smoothies to your eating plan.

Ø    Try a new raw/living food recipe once a week!

Ø    Read books, magazines, blogs, websites, and talk to others with the same interest.

All of the green I see today reflects life. So as you feed yourself and those around you today, ponder this... Are you adding to a life so that it can thrive or just survive? Are you eating living foods for a living body?

Upcoming Event

I am preparing for an open house at a pilates studio this Saturday where I will be discussing healthy eating, with a focus on the raw food diet and green smoothies. So, instead of writing new stuff for the blog today, I am including part of the notes from my hand-outs...

Enjoy! Stay tuned for some more notes in upcoming postings. 

What is a raw/living food?

Ø    Raw/living foods are any fruits, greens, vegetables, nuts, or seeds that have not been heated/cooked at temps exceeding 117 degrees—the enzymes are still alive, available, and ready for work!

Ø    Basically, a fresh food right “off the vine” is the most divine!

What is a raw/living food diet?

Ø    Eating a wide selection of raw/living foods in their natural state such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and/or seeds.

Ø    Some say if you eat 75% or more of your food in the raw/living form, you are eating a raw food diet.

Ø    Of course others strive for 100% raw food consumption.

Ø    You make it what you want. Go for fancy or stick to simple. I prefer simple with a little fancy thrown in.

Nuts & Seeds

One of the sources for protein on the raw food diet is from nuts & seeds. Some guidelines to keep in mind as you transition into the nutty world of raw...

1. buy "raw" nuts and seeds

If you don't see "raw" on the label it has likely been roasted (roasting turns "good" oils into "bad" oils and destroys all living properties). 

2. as a general rule, soak nuts overnight and seeds for at least 4 hours

This makes the nutrients more digestible (after soaked, rinse your nuts/seeds very thoroughly; if you don't eat them right away, place them in your dehydrator for a couple hours at 104 degrees to dry them; store in fridge or freezer).

3. can be used in a multitude of recipes 

Keep your fridge/freezer stocked with a variety of nuts/seeds because they are used in everything from nut-milks to pie crust to raw food burgers to puddings...

4. sprouted nuts & seeds are packed full of viable vitamins and nutrients

Sprouting makes them one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet! It flip-flops the fat-protein ratio so you have more protein and less fat; when sprouted, they are chocked full of more nutrients at this time than any other. 

Basically, soak overnight (I add a little pinch of ascorbic acid to deter mold growth), rinse thoroughly, spread on a sprouting tray or a colander, cover from daylight, keep on counter, rinse frequently throughout the day; consume when little sprouties just poke through or when the full sprout is visible (do some research online or in a book to find out more about sprouting methods). Some refer to sprouting as countertop gardening!

My favorite thing to sprout are sunflower seeds. They are done in about 3 days and turn a slightly pinkish color, making for an interesting salad addition. Raw, organic sunflower seeds are easy to find and inexpensive too!

MY EASY RECIPE...

- couple handfuls of sunflower seeds (soaked or sprouted)

- 1 cup of chopped celery

- minced onion to taste (I use 1/4 cup)

- 1/2 sliced & diced cucumber

- 1/4 cup olive oil (cold-pressed and organic)

- 2 TBSP lemon juice (right out of lemon is best)

- 1 TBSP dill 

~ Mix it all together and eat on your green salad or spread on raw crackers/bread. I like to take about 1/3 of mixture and zap it in the food processor and add it back to bowl--this creates a pate flair. Ooohlaalaa. 

What is raw food?

"Raw food" as a literary term for most conjures up images of unsightly raw meats and assorted uncooked foods. To use an '80's term, "gross me out!"

What "raw food" really means is "living food." The basic and quick definition of raw food is this...foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds that are raw still have their active and very functional enzymes intact. 

Enzymes are the catalysts for many, many chemical reactions in our amazing bodies. When food is cooked, the enzymes are destroyed. And when you eat a food lacking in enzymes, your body has to exert all kinds of extra energy, starting in the gut for digestion and then throughout the body to counter other negative effects.

Both the digestive and metabolic arenas are highly involved. Instead of reinventing the wheel here, I will include a quote from the book entitled "How We All Went Raw" by the Nungesser siblings in regard to enzymes...

"When we eat food that has lost its enzymes, our pancreas compensates for the deficiency in order to facilitate digestion by using molecules that would have normally gone to making metabolic enzymes. The rest of the metabolic functions in the body suffer because of the expended energy lost to digestion of cooked food during enzyme production."

"We only have a certain amount of the basic building block molecules and only a certain amount of energy with which to build them. Healing, thinking, blood clotting, resting physical activity, and any other metabolic pathway that you can think of all suffer loss." 

Over time I will include much more information, but the enzyme explanation is the bulk of it. Basically, living foods assist a living body to thrive!

So, if you are interested in becoming a total raw vegan or just interested in adding some more fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds to your diet, climb aboard! We have all got to start somewhere.