I am so proud of myself this week! I have managed for the first time in a long time to eat mostly raw! Sounds crazy for a raw food business owner, right??! But I have to be real, open and honest 🙂 I reached a point where I just felt physically bad again because here in the States, unhealthy food really is ubiquitous- it is the status quo without a doubt. The amount of planning, research and willpower that has to go into maintaining a truly healthy diet ( raw or not ) is mindboggling. Which is why I do what I do!! If I can help someone eat a little better and feel a little better by offering high quality raw snacks and food then I have done my job 🙂
And the truth is, a week in- I feel amazing!! I’ve had lots of green juices, including this one with broccoli stalk, parsley stems, green apple and lime
Raw soups, like this carrot, cashew, and Ras-al-Hanout spiced one
This smoothie with mango, banana and spinach is pretty much like the very first green smoothie I ever had so many years ago!
And I have been LOVING having different variations if Kate Magic’s Purple Mayhem for breakfast.
The basic recipe is this: 2 tbsp. mesquite powder 2 tbsp. cacao powder 1 tsp. purple corn extract Mix in bowl, then add 1 tbsp. tahini 1 tbsp. coconut nectar 1 tbsp. water Then stir in
1 cup sprouted buckwheaties
I love trying out new variations on this and if always keeps me satisfied and energized for hours!! Also, breakfast has always been one of the most challenging meals to keep interesting while doing raw because I never, ever want a smoothie first thing in the morning.
Hope you try it and enjoy it! Much love.
Last weekend, I realized that I had tons of almond and hazelnut pulp stored in my freezer. And I also really wanted cake. So I defrosted the pulp and got to work creating! And here are the fruits of my labor:
First I set to work on a Carrot Cake.
Horrible pic but delicious cake 🙂 This is made with hazelnut milk pulp, carrot pulp, date past, lucuma, coconut oi and spices and topped with an amazing cashew white chocolate coating.
And then I decided I also wanted a choccie cake!
This one is made with almond pulp, cacao nibs, carob powder, lucuma, purple corn and cacao butter. I think the topping is the same one I used for the carrot cake but with some ground cacao nibs and a bit of chaga powder as well.
And if that wasn’t enough, last week when I placed an order with Raw Living to stock up on my favorite Sunwarrior protein powder, I also bought a mini Quantum Cake made by the delightful Kate Magic.
Anyone wanna pop round for some raspberry leaf/nettle tea and some cake?? 🙂
Green Juice is an often overlooked but, in my opinion, vital part of ANY diet.
Most people need to eat WAY more greens than we actually do. Â At a MINIMUM, one large head of leafy green vegetables per day. Â It would be difficult, time-consuming and boring to sit and chew well a head of celery, two bunches of spinach, two cucumbers, and more. Â But you can juice these easily, and within a few minutes, have a glass of it to easily drink.
Also, with juice, the vital nutrients, minerals and enzymes are delivered quickly and effectively into our bloodstream. Â Our body does not have to work so hard to break down the cellulose before being soaked up by our intestinal walls. Â Think of it like a direct energy shot! Â This means great things for our body and attitude.
Green juice can be daunting for beginners, but don´t be afraid.  I´ve got a few tips that have helped me tremendously.
1. Don´t be afraid to use enough vegetables.
When we first began experimenting with green juices, we were juicing a few stalks of celery, a few carrots, and a cucumber.  This amount gives you enough juice for a small glass for two people. This is good, but not enough juice to really make a difference.  You need to think in entire heads/bunches/bulbs.
2. Don´t be afraid of the cost.
I want to do a separate post on doing raw on a budget, but if the cost frightens you, then do the best you can.
- Check out the Dirty Dozen list to see which non-organic crops are the least contaminated: http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214
- Grow your own! Â Nothing beats freshly picked produce, and greens are some of the most nutritious and easiest crops to grow. Â You can grow dense bunches of greens in pots. Â If you have even the smallest of space outside- an entryway, walkway or window box could work for you. Â If not, pots indoors in a sunny place works too. Â Sunflower greens and wheatgrass are other options to green your juice grown at home.
- Shop around.  Check out a CSA in your area, haunt local farmers markets, co-ops and health food stores.  Don´t forget normal grocery stores too.  Many major chains are really making an effort to get in more organic produce.  When you see a good deal, take advantage of it and stock up.
- Forage!!  Look at your backyard in a different light.  One of my all-time favorite greens, dandelion, is commonly seen as a gardener´s enemy.  Almost everyone knows what dandelions look like, they are extremely nutritious and actually tasty.  In my area, nettle is another plant that I forage to juice.  It is a great blood purifier as well.  Clover, yellow dock, lambs quarter and sorrel are other common and easy to spot varieties.
3. Sweeten it up!
Green juice is a delicious, but no doubt acquired, taste.  In the beginning, think about juicing in  a few apples.  This sweetens it a lot and goes a long way to add to your enjoyment of your green juice.  Next, try citrus fruits-lemons or limes, to sweeten juice.  They really do lighten the flavor and make it more palatable.  Ginger is another possibility.  You can use it alone or in combination with apples and citrus.
4. Make it medicinal.
Add ins like herbs, garlic, cayenne, foraged greens and superfoods really take your  juice up a level!
Some of my favorite combinations at the moment are apple, chard, cilantro, cucumber, celery and lime; and cucumber, celery, apple, fennel, dandelion, parsley, ginger and lemon.
I also juice things that I have an abundance of in the fridge.  If I don´t feel like I can eat 2 kilos of carrots in a week, then I juice them.  If I have a lone turnip chilling out in the crisper, then I juice it!
The last bit of advice that I want to leave you with about green juice is that you DON´T need a juicer.  This is a video of the fabulous Kate Magic showing you how to just that!
I hope you try it! Â I promise you will love it!
xx