Grocery Store Tour with Megan Adams Brown

This Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with nutritionist and health coach, Megan Adams Brown at my local Whole Foods grocery store. Megan and I met a last month when I covered her home for Houzz.com. When I realized she as a food guru, I asked her to re-introduce me to my grocery store with fresh eyes.

Why do I need a health coach to show me around a store? Because I'm in a rut. I love to cook and I love to eat my raw meals as well. But after a while I find myself picking the same things to eat over and over again. I also am aware that I need to plan ahead for healthy fast food. With two children, a heavy work load and a house to keep in order, I frequently get caught with no time and no plan for food. I need a health coach to help me come up with some back up plans so I don't end up in the drive through at McDonalds.

Meet Megan... isn't she lovely?

I want to share a little bit about some of our time together. Of course, it was so comprehensive that I can't include it all here, but I can give you a little taste:

The first thing that Megan and I did was sit down and talk about my lifestyle, about my hopes for optimal health and the issues I'd like help with (all that stuff I just mentioned above).  After a lovely chat, we headed to the produce section because that is where good health begins. More specifically we headed to what Megan called the "wall of greens". Has this section ever been intimidating to you?  It is for me. I always grab some romaine and a bunch of kale and run away. Sometimes I venture into the world of chard, but usually I stick to my old habits. Try something new! Bring it home, cook it up and you just might make a new food friend. Here was my takeaway information from the "wall of greens".

1.  Leafy green things = Awesome for your health

2.  Greens are the building blocks of life

3.  Get them into your diet EVERY DAY

Cooking Tip: if a recipe calls for a certain kind of green you can interchange it with any green.

Shopping Tip: There is always at least one dark leafy green on sale. Megan says she buys whats on sale to keep her budget in check. 

Next, Megan took me to the bulk section. You know, it's the isle with all of the stuff in bins. Instead of getting stuck with big packages of nuts, baking products, grains and spices, you can come to this isle and just try out a little!  Then if you like it you can come back and get more. I usually shop the bulk isle for nuts, but have never considered spices.

Cooking Tip: If you're in a cooking rut, ditch the salt and pepper and grab some Tumeric, Basil, Cumin, Cardamom or anything that sounds wonderful. If you don't know how to use it, hop online and search for recipes.

Shopping Tip: Don't buy your raw honey in jars, bring your own container and get local raw honey from the bulk section. You'll save packaging (less waste), it's cheaper and local honey will help you better defend against allergies than the stuff shipped in from elsewhere.

I came home with a lovely selection of fruits, vegetables and even some new additions to my grocery list like a probiotic supplement, Chia seeds, Hemp Hearts, Ume Plum Vinegar and for a quick snack - Mary's Gone Crackers. I also picked up a spaghetti squash and cooked it for dinner with a little help from THIS post on Megg's blog.  It was delicious!  

About Megan:
Megan received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York where she was trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. She also has a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin. You can read more about Megan's offerings HERE.

In her words:
We all have to find the right balance that enables us to get what we want out of our days and our lives. As a holistic health coach, I work with people to help them find balance for themselves and achieve their own personal health goals. Whether it’s to have more energy, lose weight, prevent disease or learn to cook, I work with people to help them take small, manageable steps toward a happier and healthier life.

Megan elsewhere...

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Detox Soup

This recipe comes via a friend who has been doing a lot of clean eating lately. It is delicious! So I'm sharing it with you. Go forth, make soup and be healthy!

3-Day Count Down to my Juice Fast

In the three days leading up to a juice fast I like to prepare my body and brain. I've tried going cold turkey before.  Yes, I'm that stupid lady who tried In n' Out Burger the night before and then strait to liquids the following day. It doesn't work. Take it from me.

This time I'm making some different choices and I thought I'd share what I'm doing to dial down my complex solid food intake before going all liquid. Here's what my Saturday, Sunday and Monday will look like:

3-Day Count Down

Saturday: Eliminate meat, alcohol and dairy. (I can eat anything else.)

Sunday: White flour and white sugar join the elimination list. (I can eat anything else.)

Monday: Grains, nuts and carbs join the elimination list, which means only veggies and fruit for the last day. But I can eat as much of it as I like.

Then What?

Then, I start a 7-day juice fast on Tuesday. I'll mostly be drinking green juice throughout the day. I usually change up the menu for my afternoon juice to something else, but then return to the green juice in the evening. I drink as much green juice as I want during the day. At night, sometimes I treat myself to a warm mug of plain green tea. And that is it!

Here's a meatless meal to kick off my countdown:

Sweet Potato, Onion and Kale Tacos: This is one of my favorite cooked meals and its perfect for day one of my 3-day count down. I start with a hearty vegetable / starch as a base such as chopped sweet potato (my favorite), portobello mushrooms, brown rice or quinoa. I sauté the veggies in a little olive oil until semi-soft. Then I toss them in a tortilla and serve. I like to add my favorite salsa for a little kick. So good!

I threw in some quinoa at the last minute to stretch it out and feed my husband. 

The count down begins!

Seize the Moment - Raw Ranch Dressing

One of the beautiful things about returning home after weeks of being away is that your refrigerator is empty and you have to start over. Okay... mine wasn't completely empty. I still had a bottle of Tanqueray in the freezer. But other than that, it was pretty cavernous.

The first trip to the grocery store tends to be expensive but it is also very freeing. Last night after consulting my raw food prep books I made a list of fresh healthy foods and headed to the store to stock up on all the veggies, fruits and whole foods I could stuff in my reusable bags. It was awesome.

First up? A plate of veggies served with a raw ranch dressing made from a recipe I found in Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet book. It was delicious!

Raw Ranch Dressing

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1/2 Tablespoon sea salt 

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried chives

1 Tablespoon dried sage
1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. (I use a Vitamix.) Add more olive oil for thinner consistency. This dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Raw Fudge Brownie with Mango Cashew Kreme

I got jiggy last night with my Vitamix blender and made a yummy raw dessert! Inspired by the Fudge Brownie recipe from Ani's 15-Day Fat Blast (page 161), I created the concoction below.  It's not a particularly pretty dessert, but boy is it good.

Raw Fudge Brownie

1 cup raw (unsoaked) walnuts 

1/4 cup Cacao Powder

pinch sea salt to taste

1/3 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup frozen blueberries (or other berry)

1/4 teaspoon maca powder to taste (optional)

I simply pulsed all of the above ingredients in my Vitamix, scraping down the sides as needed until it was all blended together. It makes a dense, moist ball of goodness. Then I split it into two bowls as is.

Ani Phyo is far more civilized than I am and here are her instructions: 

Combine walnuts, cacao powder, salt and maca in a food processor. Pulse into medium pieces. Use some of this mix to powder the bottom of a baking pan. Add dates and pulse to mix well (she doesn't include the frozen blueberries - that was my own bit of brilliance). Batter should stick together when squeezed into a ball. If it's too loose, add a few more sticky dates to help bind it together. If too sticky, add a few more crushed walnuts to firm it up.

Scoop brownie mix into the powdered baking pan and flatten it to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pressing lightly. Cut into squares. To serve place brownie in a dish and top with berries (or cashew mango kreme like I did!).

Cashew Mango Kreme

1 mango peeled and pitted

1 small apple (I used gala) cored and peeled

1/2 cup cashews

6 pitted dates

1-2 heaping Tablespoon of raw honey

1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk for desired consistency

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and serve over Fudge Brownie. 

This is also great served as a fruit dip.

Raw Sweet Corn & Red Pepper Chowder

Last night I made a delicious Raw Sweet Corn and Red Pepper Chowder.  It was so yummy that I thought I'd share my recipe here. Just a tip if you're trying raw recipes: Presentation!  Make your healthy food enticing! I always feel so much better about eating healthy food when it looks gorgeous. Just imagine this chowder without the slices of green avocado, the dollop of red salsa and the corn kernels sprinkled about.  It would still taste great, but it would look like something from a Gerber jar. You're an adult and you deserve pretty food.  Here's a photo of the final product:

Raw Sweet Corn Chowder for dinner:

SOUP BASE:
3 ears corn cut from cob
3/4 cup Brazil Nuts
1 avocado
1/2 red bell pepper (seeded)
1 clove garlic
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 - 2 cups water for desired consistency

SOUP TOPPING:
keep a little corn on the side to top soup
keep a few slices of avocado out for topping
dollop of raw salsa
fresh ground pepper

Blend all ingredients and pour into bowls.
Arrange toppings and serve immediately.

 

I also threw a nice salad together this afternoon and topped it with a Walden Farms salad dressing.  I hadn't tried this brand of dressing before mostly because my assumption is that if it has no calories, its going to taste like urine. To my surprise and delight, the Italian Walden Farms dressing is pretty good! Its not my favorite, but for 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar and gluten free - its an awesome choice.  I got mine at a crunchy health food store. Here's a shot of the label and ingredient list in case you're curious:

Still taking small steps...

Even at the end of my Smaller Sarah year, I'm still taking small manageable steps.  I've realized that there are no big sweeping decisions, no overwhelming seismic shifts that catapult you through the day to day process of losing weight and getting healthy.  No matter where you are on your journey, whether just starting out or on your 9th year of maintaining, you still need to take small steps.

One small step this week was to locate and purchase a set of circle resistance bands.  I use these every once in a while at boot camp and really like them.  Big impact, but small enough to stash in a purse.  Since I'm leaving for a few weeks, I wanted to have something to maintain my strength training.  I found this set of three at Target for $9.98.

Another small step is to eat raw meals whenever I can manage it.  If there is a raw meal available, that is what I eat.  And tonight, it was an Arugula and mixed green salad with tomatos and a raw dressing.  My sweet neighbor and walking partner, Jessica, dropped off an enormous bag of Arugula greens fresh from her garden.  Delicious!  I've included the raw dressing below for you.

Walker (4 years old) was my dinner date tonight! 

He thought the arugula was a bit spicy, but ate it all the same.

A Zesty "Go With Everything" Raw Salad Dressing

1 cup cold pressed olive oil

3-4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 heaping teaspoons of raw honey

juice from 1/2 lemon

optional: a bit of crushed garlic

Put all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake the shit out of it.

Pour on salad and store the rest in the fridge for up to a week.

Raw Chocolate Cherry Malt

One of my favorite raw treats is this Chocolate Cherry Malt recipe from Ani Phyo's book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.  It's starting to get WARM here in Dallas and this "malt" is the perfect thing to beat the heat!

Photo from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Raw Chocolate Cherry Malt by Any Phyo

2 cups of cherries (pitted)
3/4 cup of almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
2 Tablespoons Carob or Cacao Powder
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 cups water

Put all ingredients in blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend until smooth.  It will keep in the fridge for up to three days.  I like to use a little less water and throw in a big handful of ice to make it colder and thicker.  When I served it to my four year old son he said, "This is the best ice cream shake ever!"  He's not kidding.  Here's a photo of my malt below:

Vegan Queso

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  In honor of today's holiday (and my Mama's birthday) I thought I'd pass along a vegan queso recipe from my friend Jacki.  At only 144 calories a cup, this stuff is going to become a staple in my home!  Its the perfect thing for that creamy dairy fix, but without cream or dairy.  Love it!

Spicy Queso Soup / Dip

1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped.
1c of vegan fat-free vegetable broth (you can use whatever you want, but this is what I used for the nutrition info)
12 oz Mori-Nu extra firm silken tofu
1/2c nutritional yeast (mine is mostly powdery, not big flakes)
2T lemon juice
1 1/4t salt (or to taste)
1t onion powder
1/4c garlic powder
1 15oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (not the tiny Ro-tel can, the bigger one. if you use the tiny cans, use two. More is fine, less would be lame)


Add potato, carrot, onion to the broth in a pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 15m. Stir occasionally. In another bowl, combine the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and spices. When the vegetables are done, add the tofu mixture to the pan. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (I use a Vitamix) to blend until smooth. Alternatively, add the soup in batch to a blender or food processor. Return to pan and heat on low. Stir in entire contents of the canned tomatoes, un-drained. Heat for about 5 minutes on low, stirring. Add water to thin for soup as necessary. Serve. This is fine stored in the fridge, you may need to add a bit of water to thin it when you reheat. The flavors do improve over time. Mmmmm!


Nutrition Facts: 6 servings, 1 cup each
Weight Watchers Points Plus 4pp

Calories: 144
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 4g
Calcium: 14
Cholesterol: 0
Protein: 12g

Raw Treats

Remember THIS post from last week?  Basically, I am tired of paying big money for raw Lara Bars - my favorite convenience food - and finally attempted to make them at home.  Today, I had a free 15 minute stretch to call my own and I produced these brilliant little raw fruit and nut balls.  How did I do it?  I took a handful of dates, raisins, nuts and some coconut powder and chopped them into submission.  Then I kneaded the mass of sticky nutty goo into a thick blob and rolled them into little balls.  The final touch?  Coat the balls in raw coconut powder.  They look like little truffles.  They were a huge hit with my Easter house guests and all of our children.  Here are some photos of the final product.  Delicious!

HERE are some recipes if you'd like to try this at home.

The balls above were made with:

Dates

Raisins

Cashews

Coconut Powder

Homemade Lara Bars

I love Lara Bars.  They're not completely raw - but for a prepackaged food, they're as raw as you get.  They're yummy and my husband LOVES them too.  When he's feeling peckish, this is his go-to snack.  The down side of Lara Bars or any packaged convenience food is that they're expensive.  And since I'm on a mission to keep our monthly grocery bill below 400 dollars, I can't really afford them.

So why not make my own?  I did a little research and found some great looking recipes!  I'm going to give them a whirl this week and post back here with the results.

Raw Fruit and Nut Snack Bars (Source)

Ingredients for 8 pieces:
300 grams of unroasted mixed nuts
300 grams soft dates, coarsely chopped
1/2 apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Dash of sea salt
Dash of agave syrup

Pulse the nuts in a food processor until just coarsely chopped. Sprinkle the chopped apple pieces with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Put nuts, dates and apples in a large bowl. Add the remaining lemon juice, salt and agave syrup. Knead until it sticks together. Lay on waxed paper and roll flat. Cut into 8 bars and store in the refrigerator.

Raw Energy Bars (Source)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, coconut, cashews) or roasted peanuts 1/2 cup (loosely packed) of pitted dates 1/2 cup (loosley packed) of another dried fruit (apples, apricots, cherries, pineapple, or more dates)

Directions

1. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, grind the nuts fine, then tip them into a bowl.
2. Now grind the fruit until it turns into small clumps, then add the nuts back in and process again until a small handful of the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. (If this never happens, then add in a few more dates; conversely, if the mixture seems too damp, add a few more nuts.)
3. Tear off four squares of wax paper, then tear them in half to make 8 rectangles.
4. Divide the mixture into 8 parts by picking up handfuls and squeezing. Squeeze and press some more to form each lump into a rough rectangle, then wrap in the wax paper. I do this the way I would make a burrito: I lay the bar near and parallel to a short side of the rectangle, then fold the long sides in, then roll it all up. Store them in air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe Note: Follow the basic 2 to 1 ratio of dried fruit to nuts and create your own flavors. Here are some combinations to try:

Cherry Tart: walnuts, almonds, dates, cherries
Peanut Butter Snap: peanuts, dates, dash of vanilla, sprinkle of salt
Apricot Muffin: almonds, dates, apricots
Apple Brown Betty: pecans, dates, apples, pinch of cinnamon
Key Lime Pie: coconut, pecans, dates, apples, finely grated lime zest 
http://family.go.com/food/recipe-890256-raw-energy-bars-t/

Maple Pecan Bar

1/4 C. dates

1/4 C. raisins

1/3 C. pecans

A drizzle of maple syrup

Lemon Zest Bar

1/4 C. dates

1/4 C. raisins

1/3 C. cashews

Grated lemon rind

1 tsp. flax seed (optional)

1 tsp. hemp seed (optional)

Chocolate Pistachio Bar

1/4 C. dates

1/4 C. raisins

1/3 cup pistachios and pecans

Sprinkling of unsweetened chocolate or carob powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Vanilla Coffee Bar

1/4 C. dates

1/4 C. figs

1/3 C. almonds

Instant coffee or coffee substitute (I used Roma)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

And if you don't want to make them into bar shapes, you could create little snack balls!

source

Raw Dinner Party Menu and Recipes

I did it.  I hosted an all raw dinner party for non-raw eaters.  And guess what?  They didn't make icky faces, or leave or order pizza!  I'm so thrilled with how it turned out.  The guest list mostly consisted of women who are currently training at Positively Fit Lake Highlands.  We also had some spouses and some new joiners!  The best part about hosting a raw dinner party is that all of the work can be done before the party.  All I had to do was plan ahead and plate the food when we were ready to eat!  Here is a look at the table just before we sat down to eat the second course.

Portabello Mushroom Steak with Brazil Nut Broccoli Mash and Asian Slaw!

Here is the full dinner menu:

APPETIZERS

Sunny Red Pepper Pate served with Zucchini chips and Baby Carrots

FIRST COURSE

Savory Creamed Carrot Soup

 

SECOND COURSE

 Marinated Portabello Mushroom Steak

Brazil Nut Broccoli Mash

Asian Slaw with Raw Dressing

DESSERT

Cashew Cherry Cheesecake
(This dessert turned out to be FANTASTIC.  I'll definitely be making it again!)

And here are the recipes:

Sunny Red Pepper Pate - Jeremy Safron

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of almonds (soaked for 2 hours and drained)

1 large red bell pepper seeded and chopped

1 clove pressed garlic

2 Tablespoons fresh dill chopped (I used dried)

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

1/2 red onion minced and rinsed

juice of one lemon

2 Tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or Nama Shoyu Soy Sauce (I doubled the soy sauce)

Process or blend ( I used my Vitamix Blender) seeds, almonds, pepper, garlic and herbs.  Transfer to bowl and stir in the onion, lemon juice and Braggs or soy saice and serve with zucchini slices and baby carrots. 

Sunny Red Pepper Pate

Savory Creamed Carrot Soup - Kristen Suzanne

2 cups fresh carrot juice (I juiced a two pound bag of carrots)
1/2 c. water
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan crystal salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 tteaspoon cayenne pepper
dash cinnamon
2 avocados pitted and peeled
Chopped vegetables - optional

Blend all ingredients except avocados at high speed.  Then add avocados and blend until smooth.  Pour into bowls and serve immediately or store in fridge for two days.  You also have the option of serving the soup base with chopped vegetables to make it "meatier". 

Marinated Portabello Mushroom Steak - Natalia Rose

3 Portobello Mushrooms sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 Tablespoons cold pressed olive oil

3 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and allow them to marinate for 2 hours (or as long as two days).  I sealed mine in a freezer bag for 24 hours.)  Serve them side by side like steak and use the marinade as "steak sauce". 

Brazil-Broccoli Mash - Ani Phyo

2 cups of broccoli (chopped)

1 cup of Brazil Nuts (I used a combo of Brazil nuts and walnuts)

1 teaspoon sea salt

pinch of ground pepper to taste

1/2 clove of garlic (whole clove if you LOVE garlic)

a few dashes of Nama Shoyu soy sauce (optional)

Process (I used my Vitamix blender) garlic, pepper, salt and nuts.  Empty the nut mixture into a bowl.  Next, process or blend broccoli while adding Brazil nut mixture back in.  Serve like you would mashed potatoes.

 Asian Slaw - Natalia Rose

1/2 head red cabbage

1/2 head green/white cabbage

1/2 cup raisins

black or white sesame seeds for garnish

Thinly chop (I used a mandolin) cabbage.  Add raisins.  Toss with Liquid Gold Elixr dressing to taste (see below) and garnish with sesame seeds.

Raw Dressing for Asian Slaw: Liquid Gold Elixr - Natalia Rose

2 cups fresh lemon juice

3 whole garlic cloves

3 Tablespoons minced ginger

3 Tablespoons Nama Shoyu soy sauce

3 heaping Tablespoons of raw honey

1 1/2 cups cold pressed olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in blender.  Begin blending and slowly add oil until its completely blended.  When made right, this dressing is a beautiful gold color.  Will last over a week in the fridge.

photo source

Cashew Cherry Cheesecake - Beth @ Sweet Freedom

 Crust:

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 8 soft Medjool dates
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked if they're actually raw, but don't bother otherwise)
• Juice of 1 lemons
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 10-15 fresh sweet cherries, pitted (or any other berry, I'm sure)

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine pecans, dates, salt and vanilla.

2. In a spring form pan, or a pie dish lined with parchment paper press crust mixture evenly.

3. Process the ingredients for the filling until it forms a very creamy paste. All traces of cashew crumbs should be gone. 

4. Scoop about half the filling into dish and spread evenly. 

5. Add cherries to remaining filling and process until smooth. Spread remaining filling in dish. Place in freezer until firm.
6. Remove from freezer 15-30 minutes before you want to eat it.

Thank you to everyone who attended!  

It was wonderful to have you over.

Raw Recipe: Pear Frosty

I whipped up a yummy raw treat for dessert last night!  It was so good, I thought I'd share it here.  This recipe is from one of my favorite raw "cook" books called Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, by Ani Phyo.  It is so simple - just pears, dates, vanilla bean, water and ice.  And it's so frothy and delicious! 

Raw Pear Frosty

Makes four servings.

Ingredients

2 ripe organic pears seeded and quartered

1/2 c. pitted dates

1/2 vanilla bean

2 c. water

1 c. ice

Preparation
Blend pears, dates, vanilla bean, and water until smooth. Add ice and blend for another 10 seconds. Serve right away or keep for up to three days in the fridge.

The photos above were not taken by me.

Raw Cherry Cashew Cheesecake

This is going on my "must try" recipe list:

from Freedom Sweet Freedom food blog

Raw Cherry Cashew Cheesecake
(serves 8)

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 8 soft Medjool dates
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked if they're actually raw, but don't bother otherwise)
• Juice of 1 lemons
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 10-15 fresh sweet cherries, pitted (or any other berry, I'm sure)

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine pecans, dates, salt and vanilla.

2. In a spring form pan, or a pie dish lined with parchment paper press crust mixture evenly.

3. Process the ingredients for the filling until it forms a very creamy paste. All traces of cashew crumbs should be gone. 

4. Scoop about half the filling into dish and spread evenly. 

5. Add cherries to remaining filling and process until smooth. Spread remaining filling in dish. Place in freezer until firm.
6. Remove from freezer 15-30 minutes before you want to eat it.

My Favorite Juice Recipes

For those of you who just got a new juicer for Christmas (I'm looking at you, Tiffany), I thought I'd share some of my favorite juice recipes.  I use a Breville juicer, but have also made these with a Jack Lalanne juicer.

Green Lemonade is the juice I drink most every morning and sometimes even twice a day.  It's also a fantastic recipe for juice fasting!  It's hands down my favorite juice.  This recipe makes 2 pints.

Green Lemonade

1 head romaine lettuce or head of celery

2-6 stalks of kale

whole cucumber (if it has been waxed, peel it)

2 apples (I use Fuji, Gala and Macintosh)

1 whole lemon (you don't have to peel it)

1 inch of peeled fresh ginger

The following recipes are delicious, but I make them less often than the Green Lemonade.

The Park Lane 

(inspired by the Whole Foods at Park Lane in Dallas) 

4-8 whole carrots

1/5 head of romaine or 3 stalks of kale

2 apples

1 lemon (you don't have to peel it)

1 inch of ginger, peeled

The Pink Lady

1 pear

1 beet

1-2 inches ginger

1 ½ cups pineapple, in chunks


Veggie Ginger Juice
3 large carrots
1 beet
1 green apple
4 large stalks celery
1 large handful of spinach, parsley, or other dark green
1 small cucumber
1 inch knob ginger


Gimme a Beet Juice
(this recipe make about 1 litre (1.75 pints) of juice)
1 beet root, bulb only
4 medium carrots
3 oranges
5-6 apples
small bunch of parsley
4 strawberries

Running Shoes

Alright.  I'm on fire.  After running a mile yesterday morning with the boys in our new hand-me-down jogging stroller, I ran another mile at dusk while Jack hung out with the kids.  Two miles in one day?  I don't know what has happened to me - Ive gone bonkers.

So after jogging only four and a half miles in three days, its clear that I need some real running shoes - especially if I am going to run a 5K in March. The Sketchers I currently own are nice for power walking, but my ankles are pretty wobbly without the support of a real running shoe.  What to buy?  I have no idea.  I've never bought a pair of running shoes.  Any recommendations from my runner readers?  I like the look of the New Balance Rainbow Running Shoes below, but who knows how they'll perform? 

...and P.S.  This morning, I made the yummiest, sweetest smoothie EVER.

2 bananas

heaping tablespoon almond butter

heaping tablespoon raw honey

heaping table spoon coconut oil

2 heaping tablespoons ground flaxseed

put all ingredients in Vitamix and cover with almond milk

Blend on high speed with big cup of ice

Pour and enjoy!

Raw Muesli

Sometimes when I'm in the mood for a really hearty raw start to my day and green lemonade and fruit aren't cutting it, I throw together some muesli.  My raw pantry is stocked with all sorts of yummy nuts, grains, dried fruits, etc, so this is a quick fix for me.  Basically I toss any combination of the ingredients below into a bowl, top it with 100 percent maple syrup and cover with almond milk.  And that's it.

Dry ingredients I've used before:

pecans chopped

walnuts chopped

almonds chopped

sunflower seeds

pumpkin seeds

hulled buckwheat or barley

goji berries

dried apples

dried apricots chopped

dates pitted and chopped

raisins

coconut flakes

cinnamon

nutmeg

Fresh fruit toppers I've used before:

bananas 

figs

apples

berries

Top it with a drizzle of raw maple syrup or honey and cover in almond milk.  Best cereal ever!  If you're up for something a little more involved (like baking) check out this Quinoa Granola recipe over at Hungry Hungry Hippie.  It looks really good!

Write it Down - Raw Recipes

My new quest is to convert all my favorite raw recipes to index cards. Every time I need a raw recipe, I end up digging through big bulky books. It's time to get serious and embrace the fact that if I'm going to be preparing raw food, I need to have the recipes at my fingertips. Today, I made this lovely creation.  It is so delicious.  I like to spread it on zucchini that has been cut into chip shapes.

Here is a photo of my finished product.  You really must give it a try!

Raw Dining on my Anniversary

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary!  Yay for us!  Instead of going out, we put the kids to bed and had a late raw meal all fancy-like in the dining room with music and candles.  My husband, Jack, is a meat and potatoes kind of man, which makes his participation in my raw diet all the more incredible.  So, to show him that I respect his roots, I prepared a meat and potatoes kind of meal from one of my favorite raw cook books, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.

Here is the recipe - Portobello Steak with Brazil-Broccoli Mash and Mushroom Gravy.  It was so yummy, and pretty darn easy to prepare now that I have a blender that can process food as well.

Steak
4 portabello mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c Nama Shoyo (raw soy sauce)
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

To make steaks, in a large bowl, coat mushrooms in oil, Nama Shoyu, and rosemary. Set aside for 2 hours or more to marinate and soften.

Brazil-Broccoli Mash
1/2 clove garlic
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 c Brazil nuts
2 c broccoli (or more), chopped

Process the garlic, pepper, and salt into tiny pieces. Add Brazil nuts and process into a powder. Empty this powder into a bowl and set aside. Next, process the broccoli while slowly adding the Brazil nut powder back in.

Mushroom Gravy
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c mushrooms, you can use any kind but I like Shitake best
1/3 c water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt

Blend olive oil, mushrooms, water, vinegar, garlic, and salt until smooth. Pour gravy into a bowl.
To serve, slice each mushroom into 4 or 5 thick strips and serve on top of a scoop of Brazil-Broccoli Mash. Drizzle with Mushroom Gravy, garnish with a sprig of rosemary before serving.
Will keep for one day. Store portobello steaks separately to keep for two days. Mash and gravy will keep for several days in the fridge when stored separately. Makes 4 servings.

Raw Tomato Tahini Soup

Another yummy raw soup recipe to share!  Jack and I just finished devouring this amazing raw soup, which I made with my new handy dandy Vitamix!  This soup is stupid good.  The original recipe called for 5-6 tomatoes and did not have carrots in the ingredients list.  I supplemented the carrots because, frankly, that's all I had in my fridge.  I left a little 1/2 cup to the side and mixed it with some rice meal for my baby.  He lapped it up faster than we did!  This is some good eatin' people.


Raw Tomato Tahini Soup

Ingredients:

• 2-3 medium-sized ripe tomatoes (heirloom would be awesome!)
• 3 carrots peeled
• 6 sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw tahini
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Cut tomatoes and carrots into chunks.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree, starting with a pulse and building up to higher speed. Add water if needed to keep the mixture moving, but if you begin with a few pulses, you shouldn’t have a problem.  I added about 1/4 cup of water to the blend.
3. Pour and enjoy!

Makes 4 cups/3-4 servings

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