I wanted to share with you some of our eats around here the past few months!
Of course there have been smoothies!
This one was a Chocolate Peach situation with shilajit and lucuma topped with bee pollen.
Banana, peach, blueberry, lucuma, amla berry and coconut water for the little.
Frozen banana, fresh mango, aloe Vera, snow pea tendrils and chlorella with bee pollen. I am loving bee pollen this Spring!!
Another banana, mango, aloe and chlorella smoothie. So healing for the gut lining. It’s just an amazing plus that it tastes truly incredible! There were many more, but this is what has been recorded for posterity’s sake.
There were also juices. Lots of wild greens.
Pretty much all of these has some combination of chickweed, cleavers, cucumber, celery, apple and lemon.
Also, there has been food. Much more than this, too lol!
Cauliflower and jicama in a wild garlic cream sauce, spinach with coconut aminos, olive oil and lemon and some raw bread I made using psyllium husks for the first time!
That bread going into the dehydrator.
Some high raw wraps with greens, sprouts, quinoa burger and green Gaia dressing.
Green juice and raw brownies. Love.
Red bell pepper gazpacho with spirulina and bee pollen.
Kelp noodles in a cheesy sauce with black pepper and scallions. Amazing 🙂
I’ve been feeling pretty incredible recently with all the green juices and wild spring greens. Having large quantities of it daily really just changes everything! So worth it!
Oh, this porridge is good! Breakfast is ALWAYS one of the pitfalls for me in maintaining a high raw diet. Some mornings, especially in the colder months I just do not want a green smoothie. I have been loving my green smoothies recently, don’t get me wrong! Just not first thing in the morning. Hence, the buckwheat porridge! I first blogged about it over a year and a half ago when I was still pregnant, so it has been a while! I don’t really know why as it is also damn easy once you have your buckwheat prepared. You can even do that the night before- just soak a bowl of buckwheat before you go to bed, and it will be ready the next morning. Is it better and more optimal to have your buckwheat after two days of sprouting? Well yes, but sometimes ain’t nobody got time fo dat! And that is good enough for me!! So anyway,
This porridge has rosehips added for extra vitamin C action and shilajit for trace minerals.
Raw Vegan Sprouted Buckwheat Porridge
2 cups sprouted buckwheat 1 handful sprouted hazelnuts 1 banana 2 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp rosehips powder 1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp shilajit (optional)
Blend until smooth. Heat gently on stovetop if you want (I won’t tell!)
Top with fruit of choice ( my berries were not seasonal or local, but a needed burst of summer flavor I needed this morning) and more maple syrup if desired, and any toppings you like- hemp seeds, bee pollen etc.
Enjoy!!
Last night, our local vegan/veggie group here in Shreveport had our first potluck! The turn out might not have been insane, but it meant that we were able to chat more intimately with each other, and I personally am all about that kind of interaction 🙂
Also, vegans usually know how to rock a kitchen and there was no disappointment in the offerings- even considering that Dan and I don’t eat wheat! So much gluten- free vegan goodness. My friend Nancy even made gf vegan crab cakes and remoulade sauce!
We brought a Spanish Omelette and Raw Superfood Brownies. It is a real basic raw brownie recipe, but I pimped it out and wanted to share!!
Raw Vegan Superfood Brownies with Chocolate Coconut Ganache
3 cups walnuts 1/2 cup cacao powder 1 tbsp lucuma powder 1 tbsp Maca powder 1 tbsp mesquite powder 2 tbsp Sacred Strawberry Pura Vida Powder (or any other green superfood powder you like!!) Pinch vanilla powder Pinch kalahari or Himalayan salt 3 cups dates
2 tbsp coconut oil
In food processor, process walnuts until just crumbly. Add everything else except dates and coconut oil and pulse until combined. Add dates and process until the dates are fully broken down and homogenized with the mixture. Add coconut oil and pulse a final time. Press mixture into pan and leave in fridge to set while you prepare the ganache.
Chocolate Coconut Ganache
3 tbsp coconut oil 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 tbsp cacao powder
Pinch vanilla
Blend in high speed blender until smooth and drizzle or spread over brownies. Let set in fridge.
I happened to have some of my raw Chicha chocolates left over from an order, so I melted those and drizzled that on, too! Yum, total decadence!!
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.
What’s up? Things have been going here, it’s all kinda crazy and some days I don’t really know which way is up or down or have time to even catch my breath, much less scrub the bathtub and vacuum the floors. Any other mamas out there feel me? But I wouldn’t change a thing, and the days of having an impeccable house can wait until the babe is older and/or I can afford some help 🙂
This smoothie here is perfect for one of those days when everyone seems to need a piece of you and it’s three o clock in the afternoon and you still haven’t had time to have lunch, much less make it to the gym!! Take care of yourself, get enough nutrition in, and most importantly ENJOY it!!!
-4 frozen bananas -3 cups almond milk (or whatever type of milk you do) -2 tbsp vegan protein powder ( I use my own Sacred Strawberry Pure Plant Protein blend, but anything mild will work) -2 tsp green powder ( I use my Sacred Strawberry Pura Vida blend, but again, anything green will work.) -2 tbsp raw chocolate hazelnut spread (I used my own, but there are some great ones on the market OR just add one tbsp nut butter and one tbsp cacao powder) -1 tsp vanilla powder
-10 drops Medicine Flower banana flavored extract (optional)
Blend in a high speed blender till smooth and creamy. Makes 2 biiig servings.
If I had to make a list of ten things I miss most about living in Spain, mangos would be on it! Not just any mangos, but the ones grown by a man named Rufino who has a food forest in the south of Spain near Granada. His finca, Fruta y Sol, has the most diverse offerings of anwhere- mango, cherimoya, passionfruit, green coconuts, fresh dates, macadamias and so much more!! Southern Spain has microclimates that are so much more tropical than most people realize. Anyway, every time mango season came around in early Fall, we would buy huge cases- like 15 kilos big ( a bit over 30 pounds!!!). I don’t even know what to say about these mangos. They were the ripest, juiciest, most luscious pieces of fruit to have ever graced these lips. Mango is a funny fruit, it most definitely has it’s own distinctive flavor but a truly tree ripened mango will tease you with other flavors- hints of coconut, pineapple, passion fruit, even vanilla! We would basically mono-meal on mango for a while, and then I would freeze lots of it for the richest and simplest sorbet ever- simply frozen mango in the food processor. Best Ever by far! The other day, i came across some nice looking mango in my local supermarket that smelled nice and fragrant ( yes, i am that crazy lady at the grocery store sniffing the fruit, LOL) so I bought a few and made a smoothie that was just beautiful and simple and delicious.
And it inspired this trip down mango nostalgia lane. Is there a fruit that holds a piece of your heart?
This was that smoothie, by the way:
Mango Love Smoothie
3 ripe mangos 2 bananas lots of crushed ice, 2 tablespoons of lucuma powder
1 tsp ashwaganda powder for some adaptogenic goodness!
Blend in a high speed blender until ice is fully blended and the texture is light and creamy. Feel free to add in any fresh greens or green powder you fancy. Green is always good 🙂
I am still smoothie-ing it up! Although today I also had a raw lunch. My morning smoothie was this one, and I was just blown away by how complementary these two flavors are until today! So if you have ever wondered what to do with mesquite powder, try this out.
Blueberry Mesquite Smoothie
3 frozen bananas 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 tbsp mesquite powder 1 tbsp lucuma powder (optional) 1 tsp purple corn extract (optional) 1 tbsp Vitamineral Green (or other green powder, chlorella, Spirulina, etc.)
2 cups coconut water
Blend and serve! Makes 2 large servings.
I’ve been feeling sort of blah lately, lacking the energy to make it to the gym regularly or yoga class at all and then getting really frustrated with the lack of progress I am seeing towards my fitness goals. Well, as the adage goes, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity! So, I decided to shake things up again and do smoothies all day! Really, what a difference in how I feel already- and with absolutely NO sacrifice!!
For breakfast, I had this little delicious thing here:
This one had frozen banana and peaches, strawberries and blackberries from the FarMar, wild dandelion greens, Malabar spinach and spearmint from the garden, maqui berry powder and soaked hazelnuts. It kept me going for hours and fueled me through my workout today at the gym.
When I got home, I was sooo ready for this variation on the carrot cake smoothie:
Organic carrots, frozen banana, more Malabar spinach, vanilla, almond milk and a packet of Vega protein powder in Vanilla Almondilla flavor. So so good!
Dinner tonight was a big ol green salad and a bit of Amy’s Kitchen gluten-free vegan pizza doctored up with artichoke hearts, sautéed mushrooms, onions and red bell pepper. Maybe not health food, but good for the soul of this tired mama who did not want to cook tonight 🙂
I leave you with a vegan ice cream recipe that takes advantage of the seasonal bounty of delicious berries. I used strawberries and blackberries but any kind of berry would work here. Get your good fat on!
Berry Coconut Hemp Ice Cream with Chocolate Flake
2 cans full fat coconut milk 1 cup hemp seeds 1 cup strawberries 1 cup blackberries 1 cup coconut sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract 1 tsp maqui berry powder (or acai)
1/2 tsp strawberry extract (optional)
For chocolate flake: 1/2 c coconut oil, melted 1/4 c coconut sugar
1/4 c cacao powder
Stir or blend until smooth
Blend in high speed blender until smooth. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze as per manufacturers instructions adding in chocolate during the last 5 minutes or transfer to a freezer safe container, stir in chocolate and freeze, stirring every two hours until frozen. Let thaw briefly before serving.
Makes about 8 servings.
Thanks for reading!
xx
For me right now, working the Farmer’s Market Saturday mornings (4:30 wake up, yo!!) Friday night has become super busy work time for me followed by a “lets get as much sleep as possible” thing. Tomorrow will be the third market this week, as there was a special July 4 market yesterday. With a just turned 10 month old in tow, it is hard work! I’ve been relying on lots of liquid nutrition like smoothies and juices to power me through.
I had some noni juice for the first time! Verdict- foul by itself but pretty damn great mixed with kombucha! I will be having this the next time there is a festive occasion where I don’t want to be drinking alcohol.
I also had this quick and dirty green juice:
And this banana soft serve, pimped out with superfoods!
Even with all that goodness + the goodness that is my life, today I sort of hit an emotional and physical wall. Seeing Amethyst transform from a dependent, bald little baby into an independent little girl is so beautiful to see, but at the same time it is testing my ability to enjoy each moment and to allow myself to let go and surrender to the inevitable flow of life to the limit! Of course I want her to grow into the being she was meant to be, but I can’t help but selfishly want her to stay a baby! She is my little starseed. I felt her grow inside of me and then I released her, into the world. Each contraction that rocked my being to the core, each primal push that brought her a little closer into this dimension is forever etched into not only my memory, but my cells themselves, as I am forever changed because of it. Along with by body which opened to give her passage, my heart as well was cleaved wide open, raw and exposed. And right now, I feel it all too well. I see her, this living, breathing, laughing expression of me, of my heart, out there in the world and I know that it will never return. And so I continue to breathe deeply, wipe the tears off of my face (and hers), thank the Great Spirit for the gift of this experience, for the ability to feel such divine pain, kiss the tip of her nose and brush my face against hers. Kind of heavy, I know. But I have to be real and this is what I am going through now.
The Medicine though, is right here:
Nag champa incense smell in the bedroom. Not living in our own house right now is challenging, but walking into our bedroom and being enveloped in this scent makes me happy. It energetically feels like it makes the space ours even though we are surrounded by my mothers things.
New books! I look at them as an investment. Personally and professionally, never stop striving to do better than ever! Education is key in this endeavor .
Rosemary Gladstar- Medicinal Herbs A Beginner’s Guide
Now, while I wouldn’t exactly call myself a beginner, I have never read one of her books and it is always fun to review the fundamentals of ANY topic you love! I love discovering new techniques and approaches to things I do well 🙂
Superfood Kitchen- Julie Morris Same thing here as above. I love reading new recipes with ingredients I use daily! When you discover a new combination of flavors or textures, it is so exciting! The Law of Divine Compensation- Marianne Williamson
I have so much baggage around the topic of success, especially financial. It stems from a history of simply not valuing myself and I have worked hard over the last few years to overcome it. I chose this book because I still have a lot of resistance to actually choosing to love myself and value my gifts.
Smoothies- I seem to have gotten my smoothie groove back. Here are a few I posted to Instagram
Frozen blueberry and banana, hemp seeds, coconut water, Malabar spinach from the garden, pomegranate powder and Ormus supergreens.
Frozen banana and peach, Malabar spinach, local kale,fresh stevia leaf from the garden, moringa leaf powder, sprouted flaxseed, medjool dates and coconut water.
Young coconut meat and water, frozen banana, strawberry, strawberry powder, lucuma, Yumberry powder, and Medicine Flower strawberry extract. Shared with a special Littles in her special sippy cup.
And then there was this:
Carrot Cake made with coconut, hazelnut pulp, carrot pulp, dried pineapple, dates, lucuma, mesquite, coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and clove.
Frosting made with cashews, coconut sugar, vanilla, probiotic powder and spring water, gently fermented and then chilled. So freaking awesome ;). I am loving the leftover cream with all the fresh berries from the Farmer’s Market.
Lots of work to do before getting ready for tomorrow’s market so off I go!