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.

Beet Smoothie

Recently we had some warm weather so extra time was had outside in flower beds and soon-to-be-garden areas...less time for computers and blogs.

This morning I made a beauty of a green smoothie. This one was the most brilliant raspberry-ish color...no raspberries in it though.

1 cup of water

5 large collard green leafs

1/2 peeled beet (cut into 4 pieces or so)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

3 dates (pits removed)

Blend the water and collards first. Then add the other stuff. Blend again and again. Those beet chunks like to bump around for a while in the blender.

Yum-yum-yum. This one will help to detox you too with the beets. By the way, children should only have about 1/2 a beet a day as they could be too harsh on their little selves. 

Do you look at the lid of your blender when you are done? It always displays a pretty picture of the living nutrients involved in making a green smoothie... Do like me, look at it and then lick it clean. We don't want any of that raw food goodness going down the drain!  ;-)

Make sure to save the greens of your beets to use in a smoothie. Actually mine are the first green to go in the fridge. They are so packed with nutrients. Look at some of these comparisons for the beet itself and the beet greens--per 100 grams...

calcium............beet-16mg........beet greens-117mg

vit A..................beet-33IU.........beet greens-6326IU

vitK...................beet-0.20mcg....beet greens-400mcg

~ info from p. 33 of  "Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko

Beets roots are higher across the board in the B-vitamins and of course in calories. 

Just go ahead and use the whole plant in your healthy eating!

Healing Crisis

Howdy All! No, I haven't fallen into a big ole vat of a green smoothie or moved off-the-grid with no internet connection. We have had some excitement around our place with the birth of a new foal. And to tell you the truth, I have been experiencing some symptoms of a "healing crisis." It is a much better term than "detox," don't you think?

Anyway, in our pursuit of health and vitality, we will all experience some unpleasant symptoms every now and then. This is a good thing! It means our bodies are healing and getting stronger. I imagine the way I recently felt was the "normal" way most people feel on a daily basis. I had been so used to my high energy, illness-free, and ready-set-go body, that going through this healing crisis knocked the wind outta my sails. It was a struggle to keep up with my regular go-go-do-do-do-it-all routine. 

Now, after some encouragement from another raw foodist, I feel like I am not losing my mind or my health. I just need to hang in there, pray, and listen to my body. If I am not hungry, I should not eat just because the clock says it is breakfast time or dinner time. Sometimes our bodies need a period fasting (drinking water and/or fresh juice) so that energies can go to healing, not digesting. 

We all have some sort of health issue now or have suffered from some ailment or another, right? It is amazing these bodies we have. God made us so great. As improvements are made in our eating and in-turn our health, our body wants to get rid of the stuff sickness left behind. Hence a headache or aches and pains or low energy or sometimes even flu-like symptoms occur as we purge junk from our systems.

Yes, even healthy-eating raw foodists have yucky stuff lingering in their bodies and are exposed to toxins in the environment, home, workplace, or even food. No one is exempt from this. My theory is that when your body is functioning at the high end of the scale, you notice all the wibbles and wobbles in your health. But if your body is at the low end of the scale (meaning your not feeding it enough "living" foods and are exposed to environmental toxins) then you don't necessarily feel it when you detox for a day or even a week. You are just used to feeling kinda sluggish all of the time. 

I know that the latter was true for me. Each time I made an adjustment to my diet, I did feel better. I went from SAD (Standard American Diet) to vegetarian to dairy-free vegetarian to vegan (all animal product-free) to partial raw foodist to complete raw foodist. At each step I felt a noticeable increase in energy and vitality. And at each step I could feel it when my body was ridding itself of the nasties. 

* I would like to say that I am not promoting leaving your medical advice or prescribed medication out of your health regime! I am an insulin-dependent diabetic and although I have seen a decrease in my insulin needs, I still need medication to live. And some of you may be taking prescriptions that also enable you to function and survive. In addition, do take into consideration food. We put so much of it into our bodies, shouldn't we do it to the best of our ability? *

So, if you are making a step or a leap into great eating, be ready to catch the vitality! But when you have a healing crisis, know that it shall pass and you will come out on the other side feeling even better. And able to do even more!

I have to share with you another green smoothie recipe I did this morning.

1+ cup cold water

spinach in the blender to the 3-cup mark

1 small apple or pear (cored)

1 handful frozen mango

~ if you like it sweet, add 1/2-1 frozen banana

Blend the water and the spinach. Add in the rest of the fruit and blend away. It is awesome and the most lovely spring green color you have seen. Please use organic produce folks.

Drink up and cheers to good health and vitality!

Book & Website

I have a new favorite book for raw food recipes..."Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet. What I love about this book is that she uses simple ingredients found in your local grocery/health food store and that she uses basic kitchen equipment (blender & food processor). The book has chapters devoted to the basics of raw food eating, kitchen set-up, a glossary, and resources. Also, the recipes are nicely divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner categories.

I love this book! Finally I found a raw food recipe book that is simple! You can also visit Ms. Cornbleet's website at www.learnrawfood.com for a sampling of the recipes, photos and lots more info. I have put a link to her site and the data about her book in the sidebar to the right -->

Let me give you a hint on a fabulous dessert...Flourless Chocolate Cake...is soooooogooooood! You will find the recipe on her site. There are only a few ingredients. One note, I would use raw carob or raw cocoa powder. Her recipe doesn't specify "raw" for those ingredients, but that is what I used and it was divine.

Remember that these recipes are for 1 or 2 people and raw food desserts are quite rich and fulfilling, so don't be taken aback at the smallish size  ;-)

Here are a couple photos of my son. I gave him some of the cake "batter" and he made his own pancake-sized version. I think he is a raw food chef in the making...he put some almond crumbles on top and added some walnut shells "so the people know what's in it, mom!"

Pesto Pleaser

Ahhh, pasta and pesto, what could be better in the culinary world? Not much. The living food version of this meal is fabulous. I made it and of course consumed all of it today for lunch. If I could put a scratch-n-sniff tab here, I would. It smelled great and tasted even better. 

My amateurish photos do not do it justice. And since my 4-year old doesn't use the camera, you will have to just imagine the look of "awe, that is sooogooood" on my face.

Spur of the moment pesto/spinach recipe:

1 small handful of spinach leaves

about 1/4 cup worth of basil leaves (fresh!)

about 2 TBPS olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts (raw, not roasted!)

1 piece of a sun-dried tomato 

dash of sea salt

Put it all in the food processor and pulse it into a bumpy paste. Turn off processor and scrape sides. Turn on and zip it until it is the texture you desire. If you want it thinner, add some more olive oil.

Okay, now what about the pasta? If you are taking baby steps with your dietary choices, toss the white flour pasta and choose a whole wheat variety. If you are going for a living foods meal, you will need one of those cute little zucchinis. Don't give me that look, just try it! You won't believe it.

Peel the zucchini, cut the ends off and keep your peeler handy. Now, take your zucchini and peel away. Once you have a stack of peeled zuc innards, slice them lengthwise. You know, into noodle-like form. This is the simple way. There are indeed tools to do this with, but remember, I am the simple girl. Viola! There are your noodles. No kidding.

Yumm.

What could I do with the leftovers? It was too tastey to put it away in the fridge for another meal. I had to eat it all at one time! So, as you can see, I made myself a tomato sandwich. Oh, now that was sooogoooood too. I did use a fork and knife people! 

Remember, if you are taking baby steps, just take one! And if you are taking bigger strides by my side, try to keep up!  ;-) 

Hey, is anyone trying this stuff? Pesto, cookies, wraps...oh my.

We Love Cookies

I know that some of you are still trying to figure out what all of this "raw food" hoopla is. And I am aware that I ramble along like an old truck bumping along a dirt road, bouncing from here to there with information and ideas. Just hang on, cause as my son likes to say, "Oh boy, here we go again!"

Cookies. Raw food. What? Yes, you can have healthy cookies. Like I said before, toss the whites (flour, sugar, butter), now make some good-for-you cookies! But how do we do that without the ingredients formerly known to mankind as the only cookie ingredients? Ahaa, make a raw food version!

This recipe idea came from the wonderfully simple food preparation book entitled "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet. This is the book to buy if you are looking for one with easy recipes. And like the title says, it is sized down to small portions. And the ingredients are common, unlike some raw food preparation books that leave you with a shopping list to fill in Portland or your regional metropolis.

Anyway, back to the cookies. I liken these to a raisin cookie at Grannie's house. Of course I didn't have the right flavored extract, but I am sure that my recipe modifications (maple substitution and additions) helped make the cookies so tasty!

1/2 cup raw almond, UNsoaked

1/4 cup raw walnuts, UNsoaked

dash salt

1/2 cup pitted dates, UNsoaked

1/4 teaspoon maple extract

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 tablespoon PURE maple syrup

1/4 cup ground almonds

Place nuts and salt in the food processor outfitted with the "S" blade. Process until coarsely chopped. Add the dates, maple extract and maple syrup. Zip, zip the processor until it sticks together. When you can pinch some of the mixture and it stays together, stop processing. Now add the raisins and give it another whirl to mix. 

Dump into a bowl.

Take about 1/2 cup almonds and put them into the processor. Now let it run until you have a finely ground almond meal. Place into its own bowl.

Take about 1 TBSP of cookie mixture and roll into a ball. Flatten into a cookie shape. 

Dredge it in the almond meal, covering both sides. 

Place in airtight container and store in fridge or freezer. 

Eat a couple now... And when you need a cookie, pop one of these babies into your mouth. Yumm! I reckon that warming them up a tad in the food dehydrator (not more than 105 degrees) would be quite lovely too.

* oh yeah, please buy organic, pure extracts for your culinary needs

* and the pure maple syrup is NOT the kind that comes in a little bottle with a griddle on the label or in the jar shaped like an old lady! pure maple syrup folks!

* I put "UN soaked" by the nuts because many recipes require the nuts be soaked prior to use

We had so much fun making these. Of course this is a small recipe so after you make one batch and see how yummy for your tummy they are, you will want to make a double batch next time!

Wrap-n-Roll

Yesterday my son and I had a rawsome lunch! I was trying to figure out what to do with my soaked almonds...I made a patte of sorts. I put chunked carrots, almonds, pine nuts, onion, lemon juice, and dill into the food processor and zipped it into a paste. Then what? Hmmm, what about those UN-toasted nori wraps we just bought...add some paste and fresh veggies and we will have a marvelous lunch.

It was fun to make and even better to eat. Once we opened the nori sheets, we spread the almond concoction on, topped it with avocado, tomato, and celery, and then we rolled it into those lovely "sushi" rolls. Our Wrap-n-Roll skills are still developing, but the tastes and textures were all there for our eating enjoyment!

Now, if you are not a fan of the seaweed taste, use a large cabbage leaf, romaine heart leaf, or a collard green leaf. Or even a whole wheat tortilla. Add your paste (mix up something like I did or make up some hummus) and then top with veggies. Avocados really add a nice texture. Sprouts, green table onions, sliced radishes, and shredded lettuce work well too. Just use what you have.

It was so good that when we were done eating we each made another. I like to cut mine into bite-sized gobble-it-up pieces whereas my son likes the Wrap-n-Roll whole. 

Go ahead, eat your raw veggies and don't forget to play with your food!  ;-)

Keep It Simple

Simple. That word is even in the name of this here blog, but lately I have been getting off my "simple" track and boarding another train altogether. In light of these healthy eating postings I thought I should do some more research. And more looking on-line. By the time I clicked here and went there and then over yonder, my head was a spinning. I panicked and thought "oh, I need to include that...and that...and I better put that in too! And look at all that person does. Fancy food. Amazing photos. Ugghh!" 

Before I knew it, I was totally overwhelmed. After some thought and prayer, I am back to my regular self. Sure, there are always going to be others who know more and do it better. I cannot keep up with them. I can barely keep up with myself.

All I need to do is what I set out to do a few weeks ago, keep it simple. Write about what I know in a way that others can learn and apply to their own eating habits.

My passion is good health and my mission is to help you find it. So, to keep with the same tone of simplicity in my blogging ideals, that is a good idea for eating too. Especially when making changes to habits and ideas that you have lived with for many years. 

If you toss the wicked whites, replace them with wonderful whole grains (i.e. brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta, whole wheat flour instead of white flour). That is simple.

If you toss the dreadful dairy items and replace them with plant-based alternatives (i.e. soy or almond or hemp milk instead of moo milk, almond cheese instead of cow cheese, soy yogurt instead of curdled & coagulated cow juice), that is simple.

If you buy some raw coconut oil/butter and use it instead of your bottled lotion for your all-over body slather, that is simple.

If you take one small step at a time, that is simple.

If on the other hand you want to take one giant leap with your nutrition, that can be simple too. You are in control. You make it what you want.

Okay, my raw food recipe for today is simple too! 

Beet & Carrot Salad

- 1 beet (you already made the greens into a smoothie, right?!)

- 2 large juicing carrots or 5 regular carrots

- juice of 1/2 lemon or a splash of lemon juice 

- 2 TBSP olive oil (cold-pressed, organic)

Wash and peel the root veggies and chop into usable hunks. Using your "S" blade, add the beet and carrots to the food processor and whiz 'em into tiny chunks. Dump into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Give it good mix. Eat it! Enjoy.

Variations: top it with some soaked sunflower seeds.