Raw Fudge Balls
The photographer in me has to first apologize for the blurry photo, but I don’t feel like taking a new one 🙂 This one is from a few years ago. Anywhoo…you MUST make these. Even if you aren’t eating “raw”, they are amazing. They are so easy, so nutritious, and so full of chocalately goodness. They are great for cravings! Bella LOVES them…and I am happy to give them to her because they are a good source of protein and fats.
This recipe is from Alissa Cohen…there are several out there, but I think hers is the easiest. This recipe will make about 15-20 balls depending on size.
1 cup raw almond butter (make sure it’s raw, not roasted!)
1 cup medjool dates (soaked and pitted)
1/4 cup raw carob powder (this is not the same as cocoa powder, but you could use that as well…it just wouldn’t be raw).
Note: These will keep for a long time in the refrigerator. Oh my yumminess!
Citron Oolong
As you know, I am a tea fanatic. One of my favorite teas of all time is Pacific Breeze from Gong Fu in Des Moines. However, when I’m on the road, I can’t always wait for them to ship it to me. So, I had to find a stand in. 🙂 Enter Rishi Citron Oolong. It’s sooooo yummy. Organic yummy. Citrus yummy. It makes me want to get out of bed in the morning yummy.
So what’s in it? 100% Organic Oolong Tealeaves, 100% Organic Jasmine Flowers, 100% Organic Lemon Myrtle and Natural Essential Orange Oil, 100% Organic Osthmanthus Flowers. Can it be any more delightful? Oh, and it’s fair trade!
Here is their other blurb about it: Citron Oolong is an artisanal blend of high-grown oolong tea, rare blossoms and succulent citrus designed to refresh and rejuvenate. The choice of connoisseurs, oolong tea is known as well as its ability to reduce cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Oolong teas pair well with any cuisine and are typically enjoyed throughout the day. The refreshing flavor of green oolong with accents of lilac, orange blossom and rare citrus make a great hot or iced tea.
Another reason to love oolong…you can brew it up to 4-5 times and still enjoy the flavors. You cannot do this with all teas. I usually brew a cup in the morning…and that first cup has the richest flavor. I leave the leaves in my strainer all day and just refill it at least 4 times. You won’t get at many citrus notes with the subsequent steepings, but the flavor change is really nice.
This is a really high quality tea…the leaves are full and intact when they open in the water and the flowers are huge! Clearly, I love it. Won’t you try it too? 🙂
Apple Avocado Sushi
This is a DELICIOUS treat for anytime of the day…I’ve eaten it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! It’s absolutely divine. Start with untoasted nori sheets, add:
- Sprouts
- Spinach
- Apple (peeled and sliced)
- Avocado
- Cucumber (I didn’t add it this time, but it’s delicious)
Roll it up with a bamboo sushi mat if you have one…I didn’t use one this time, but it makes it much tighter. Cut into small pieces and dip in raw agave nectar or honey. For those of you who think you don’t like sushi…the sweetness of the agave will overpower the nori and you can’t taste the seaweed flavor at all.
The many textures and flavors will make you happy. Sit back and sigh with delight. 🙂
Green Lemonade Love
Green Lemonade Juicer Recipe:
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- handful of dark leafies (5-6 leaves) of spinach, kale, collards, celery, or dandelion greens, etc. (I use kale)
- 1 whole lemon – peel, seeds, and all (Meyer lemons are sweeter)
- 2 fuji apples, cored (use 3 if you want to make it sweeter)
Juice and drink up right away.
I have owned a juicer in the past, but never used it. I do enjoy fresh “live” juices from a juice bar (they taste better when someone else has to clean up the mess!). However, my mother in law has a juicer and I thought I would give it a whirl again on my own during the next couple weeks before we leave. I found this juice recipe on Rawkin’: The Fine Tuned Art of Feeling Great From Eating Raw. It’s so cool that this can turn into the above photo! Bella loves to help me too.
I’ve been hearing about the amazing effects of “green drinks” for quite awhile now, but I’ve never implemented them. I’ve made the green lemonade for two days in a row now, and I am completely amazed at the results after such a short time. On a “normal” day, I eat a healthy high carb breakfast…and by mid-morning I’m back in the kitchen looking for a snack. And that continues for the remainder of the day (eat/snack/eat/snack). Not that there is anything wrong with snacking…I encourage it. However, my all day CRAVINGS have almost disappeared. My sugar cravings are going away, and I just feel “content” for so much longer than before. I’m excited to continue this for at least a week to gauge it’s effects. Yay!
Sidenote: For those of you who are thinking…GREAT! But that looks disgusting! It’s actually NOT. It doesn’t taste like grass. It’s rather sweet. The apples give it a delicious sweetness, and if you need it sweeter, just add some agave nectar. Whenever you are working with greens, just remember to add a sweet fruit with it…like a banana or apple. Mmmmm!
Here is a great article written by Victoria Boutenko (check out their “Raw Family” site)…it goes into more detail about why greens “fix” you 🙂 Next, I will try her green smoothies…which include the fiber of the fruits/veggies as well.
GO GREEN!
Here are some bonus green drink recipes from Raw Food, Right Now:
Begin With A Green Drink
by Heidi Ohlander
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
2 big handfuls of Spinach
1/2 cup parsley
1 rib of celery
1 thumb of ginger, skin peeled
1 lemon
1 medium cucumber
2 apples
ice cubes (optional)
Directions:
In a juicer, place all ingredients except optional ice cubes in a juicer until juiced. Serve in your favorite wine goblet or other favorite glass of choice. If desired, add ice cubes for a refreshing cold beverage.
And now…. here are the same ingredients, but this time this is the recipe that Dr. Oz mentioned at the end of the Oprah show. His recipe needed a bit of clarification, so our changes have been added below to help you understand his recipe.
Dr. Oz Green Drink
Modifications made by Heidi Ohlander
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
1 Cup Spinach
4 Celery Stalks
1 Cucumber
1 Large Apple (cored and peeled)
1 Lemon (juiced in a citrus juicer or by hand)
1 Lime (juiced in a citrus juicer or by hand)
1/2 Inch Piece of fresh Ginger (peeled)
(small handful of parsley)
water, to blend
ice cubes (optional)
Directions:
Mix everything in a blender and blend until smooth. If needed blend on high 2-3 times until fully blended. Pour into two tall glasses and serve with ice cubes if desired.
Here is one more Green Smoothie recipe, this time with the addition of a banana. Adding a banana (or several) into a green smoothie gives it an unbelievable creamy texture, as well as helps the energy from the smoothie get absorbed into your body at a slower pace, which gives you released energy for hours!
Apple Lime Smoothie
by Heidi Ohlander
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
5 medium bananas
2 apples – harelson, honeycrisp, granny smith or similar tart/sweet apple (cored and peeled)
2 leaves of lacinato (dino) kale
1 cup of spinach
juice of 2 medium limes
1/4 cup water
ice cubes to taste (optional)
Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender except ice cubes. Blend, adding ice cubes at the end while still blending. Pour into glasses.
Get Healthy!
I am always on the look out for a great summary of my ideas on healthy living…and I came across this site. Here is the “Health Ranger’s” Health Tips. They coincide with mine perfectly…so I wanted to share them with you. I am in absolute AWE of how most of this country eats…and what they allow their children to eat. It’ s so saddening. Also, please check out this alternative to the traditional “Food Pyramid”.
Health Tips
- Exercise regularly: some form of cardio at least three times a week!
- Drink lots of water, it’s mother nature’s most versatile medicine
- Get 6-9 hours of sleep daily
- Meditate
- Buy locally grown, organic goods, preferably in season, as often as you can
- Nutritional supplements: whole food supplements, organic vitamins, Standard Process tablets, Alive! supplements, vitamin C
- Rainforest herbs: Amazon herbs, chanca piedra, etc.
- Enjoy one hour of full exposure to intense natural sunlight on a near-daily basis with no sunscreen (important for vibrational nutrition and essential for mental health, bone density, vitamin D production, etc.)
- Take absolutely no prescription drugs or pharmaceuticals whatsoever
- No visits to M.D.s or western medical doctors (visit naturopathic physicians only)
- No following the USDA’s ridiculous Food Guide Pyramid
- No steroids, andro supplements or other questionable bodybuilding supplements
- No diet pills, stimulants or fat burning pills
- No fad dieting.
- Sodium nitrite (causes cancer)
- MSG / monosodium glutamate / yeast extract (causes obesity and nerve damage)
- Hydrogenated oils (causes heart disease)
- High-fructose corn syrup / sugar / sucrose (causes diabetes and obesity)
- Artificial colors (causes behavioral disorders)
- Aspartame (causes brain damage, optic nerve damage)
- Homogenized milk fats (cause heart disease and cardiovascular disorders)
- Red meat (absolutely no beef, pork, or other red meat)
- Cows’ milk, cheese and dairy products
- Soft drinks, junk foods, snack foods or fast foods
- Processed foods such as cookies, crackers, frozen dinners, etc.
- Fried foods
- White flour and any foods containing white flour
- Refined carbohydrates such as breads, cereals, pastries, pizza dough, etc.
- Fruit juice drinks
- Brand-name laundry detergents (loaded with toxic fragrance chemicals)
- Popular deodorants (contain aluminum)
- Fluoride toothpaste (fluoride is a dangerous ingredient)
- Popular shampoos / soaps / conditioners (all contain harmful fragrance chemicals)
- Dryer sheets (contain fragrance chemicals)
- Chinese Herbs: Dragon Herbs
- Multivitamins: Life Extension Mix
- Superfood Supplement: Berry Green by New Chapter & Emerald Balance
- Minerals Supplement: Catalyst Altered Trace from Baseline Nutritionals
- Hemp Protein Shakes: Nutiva
- Sea Salt: Himalayan Crystal Salt from Transition Nutrition
- Face care: Amazon Herb’s Lluvia line
- Personal care: Organix South & Pangea Organics
- Pet products: OnlyNaturalPet.com
- Agave nectar: Madhava, Sweet Cactus Farms or Good Cause Wellness
- Spirulina: Cyanotech
- House cleaning products: Amazon Herb’s Clean & Green & Dr. Bronner’s
The Health Ranger Recipe For Health
- Juice Feasting
- Quinoa (boiled, used as cereal or soup base)
- Hemp products
- Almond milk
- Healthy oils from RAW: avocados, extra virgin coconut oil, macadamia nuts, cashews, almonds, peanuts, flax oil, olive oil
- Daily breakfast with supergreens shake: 2 cups soymilk + 1 scoop supergreens powder + 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel + 1 tablespoon coconut oil + coral calcium powder + stevia + chocolate rice protein + natural peanut butter
- Superfoods such as chlorella, spirulina, sea vegetables, broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, wheat grass, and various greens powders
- Massive quantities of vegetables: salad greens, cilantro, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, snow peas, okra, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.
- Raw, fresh fruits, especially berries (massive quantities of blueberries)
- Healing foods such as garlic, ginger, onions, etc.
Raw Inspiration
As many of you know, I ate a 100% raw diet a few years back and it lasted for a couple of months. I truly loved every minute of it…and felt healthier than I have in my entire life. And oh my…the food. So amazing. I haven’t ever gone back to 100% raw, but I love raw foods of all kinds and try to incorporate as many raw foods into my diet as possible. The benefits are amazing. Right now, I am probably at 50-60% raw (my goal is 80%+). I eat LOTS of fruits and veggies. Yum.
A typical day lately has been fruit or oatmeal and tea for breakfast, a big salad for lunch (with a simple homemade dressing) and then a healthy vegan supper with another salad. I have cut WAY back on my bread (even whole wheat), salt, and butter consumption and have seen a huge difference in how bloated I feel. It’s like a layer of myself peeled away. It’s hard to explain 🙂 I’ve stopped buying boxed “snack” foods for Bella as well. Nearly every one of them was made of “enriched” flour…even though they are organic. Blech. For snacks now, she eats raw fruits and veggies, dried fruit, or sprouted bread.
My friend, Tara, linked to a wonderful raw blog and I wanted to share it with you. I can’t wait to try the raw brownies she posted about…but I REALLY enjoyed checking out the entire blog. I especially loved the amazing before and after photos. You cannot deny the POWER raw food has to heal bodies and lives. It’s alive and powerful!
Be sure to check out this clip of a movie called Supercharge Me…it’s great!
Tuscan Vegetable Ragout
Tuscan Vegetable “Ra-goo”…click here to hear the pronunciation. 🙂 I started making this recipe when Bella was a baby and everyone LOVED it. However, it was just on a page I had torn out of Vegetarian Times and I lost it! I was excited today when I figured out the they have all of their recipes online here. It’s a quick recipe and has so many wonderful flavors…without adding any spices! You could also add tofu or tempeh for a heartier dish. I love to top hot dishes with cold avocado sprinkled with lemon juice and a little sea salt. Yum!
This can be served many different ways…the consistency is like a stew and it’s great over penne pasta, brown rice, or just with some yummy crusty garlic bread.
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (I like the basil/garlic kind)
2 15.5-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped Kalamata olives (I omitted these)
1 Tbs. capers**, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and zucchini, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and artichoke hearts, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add olives, capers and half the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with remaining basil.
Enjoy!
**If you haven’t ever used capers…you can find them in the aisle with olives and other condiments.
Sweet Little Pleasures
Some of you may think that I eat tofu and greens 24/7…but think again. While I do eat healthier than your average mama…I do have treats now and then. These little sandwich creme cookies are just too delicious to resist. Of course, I did put a little thought into it. They came from the natural food section. They are “natural” in the fact that they have REAL sugar in them instead of high fructose corn syrup. It doesn’t make them any better for me, but it’s a little easier for this ‘ol body to digest.
I call these “church cookies” because they remind me of the cookies the little old ladies used to bring for fellowship time in the tiny lobby of my church growing up. I used to be soooo excited for church to get over so we could finally go have cookies!! I love it when I visit a church that puts out cookies (if there is coffee…that’s even better!). I’m there to feed my soul…but filling my tummy makes me happy too.
Here’s to sweet little pleasures…
Sweet Thai Delight
This is my new favorite by Yogi Tea…it’s super yummy: rooibos (red tea) with cinnamon, coconut, butterscotch, and a hint of stevia. If they don’t carry it at your local health food store…request it! Rooibos is also the number ONE anti-aging tea for women…so drink up! 🙂
Easy Vegan Apple Crisp
Easy Vegan Apple Crisp
5 cups of thinly sliced apples
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon rice/soymilkDirections:
Heat over at 375 degrees. Boil apples in water for 2 minutes to soften them up. Strain and place at the bottom of a square cooking dish. Mix remaining ingredients until you get a flaky texture (if too moist, add a little bit more flour and mix well). Sprinkle over the apples and even out with a spoon. Place dish in oven and cook for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Happy Foody 