A More Raw Raw Bar

When I first went Raw, I relied on Larabars to get me through tough spots. I always had one or two in my purse, and stocked up on them for travel. I still think they're one of the healthiest snacks widely available in conventional markets, but their Raw quotient varies from one flavor to another, and I want something more reliable. Still in need of a Raw convenience food I can slip in my purse, I went looking for an alternative.

Gopal's Healthfoods had me with their tagline: Raw is Good - Raw & Sprouted is Best! I ordered the brazil nut and macadamia Sprout Bars from VegSource. One of them reminded me of the coconut candy I used to eat when I was a kid, but I'm not sure which it was. I guess you could say I enjoyed them both. I had planned to share them with the Lovely Boyfriend, but I looked down and they were finished!

Four raw, organic ingredients made up each of these delicious bars. The nuts used in the bars are germinated, which is awesome! Soaking the nuts so they can germinate gets rid of the enzyme inhibitors, making the enzymes available to aid in digestion. It also reduces the phytates, compounds which bind with minerals and prevent them from being absorbed. The only slight downside for me is that the bars are made with agave, which I've drastically reduced in my diet. That's not a huge deal for me though, just something to keep in mind.

Both bars I tried were delicious, and I'll be ordering more for my emergency snacks-to-go stash. If you've got a favorite Raw bar, leave me a comment so I can check it out!

Raw Food Today

Breakfast: Chia pudding with chopped nuts, apples, and raisins

2 cups green/white tea

1 serving Vitamineral Green

Lunch: Nori bites topped with cucumber, mango, avocado and lamb's lettuce

My daughter asked for raw nori rolls for lunch, and I didn't feel like rolling. Next time, I'll cut the nori into smaller pieces.

(I apologize to whomever published this idea on their blog, website, or in their newsletter. I'd like to give you credit, but I can't remember where I saw it. It was earlier this week, so if anyone reading this saw it somewhere, please leave me a comment with the proper credit. Thanks!)

Snack: 1 serving Vitamineral Green

Blender soup with lots of spinach, avocado, tomato, onion, and green onion, topped with sun-dried tomato and more green onion

This soup is so good. Funny thing, I was really turned off by cold soups when I first went Raw. I guess I'd had a bad experience with gazpacho in the past. My how things have changed! I can't get enough of these soups. Now, if I can just convince the Lovely Boyfriend to not just eat it, but enjoy it!

Post-workout Snack: a handful of kale chips, 1 young Thai coconut

Dinner: More blender soup

Dessert: dried cantaloupe

Raw Veggie Burger

Everyone in the family loved this all Raw meal! The Raw veggie burger immediately appealed to me, because it's veggie based. Most raw burger recipes seem to be nut-based, and since my 11 year old daughter is allergic to nuts, those are pretty much out.

Raw bacon is always a favorite around here. You've never seen an eggplant (or two) disappear so fast. We eat a lot of salads, so it's always nice to find dressing alternatives. Ranch dressing definitely fit the bill. This one is nicely tangy. I'm prone to experimentation, so I rarely follow recipes exactly. The recipe is nut-based, but I had some sunflower cheese left over from yesterday, so I used that as the base instead.

Yummy deliciousness ensued!

We also made it to the Dekalb Farmer's Market today. This is only part of our haul. Some things, including 10 young thai coconuts, are already in the fridge. If you're in the Atlanta area, this farmer's market is a great place to check out, especially when the open-air markets are closed for the winter.

Another Raw Onion Bread Recipe

When I ate a standard cooked diet, I was a sandwich master. There seemed to be an endless variety of bread options available, and don't get me started on the best cheese/veggie/condiment combinations. I never thought sandwiches got enough respect. A well-rounded meal you can hold in one hand--what more could you ask for?

Bread is still one of my favorite things. Wheat makes my face break out and my ears itch, so cooked bread no longer tempts me, but I love experimenting with Raw breads, crackers, and crepes. A piece of toast on the side of my salad, a Raw burger, or a veggie sandwich is one of my greatest pleasures. The options are still limitless.

This time, I started with my version of Matt Amsden's classic onion bread recipe, and used Julie's technique for caramelized onions. I threw in my own twist, and the result was delicious. (I also like to add in other veggies, like zucchini or finely chopped spinach when I have them on hand.) I'm a big fan of taste-as-you-go food creating, so I didn't measure or write things down. This is how it generally went.

Garam Masala Onion Bread

2 medium yellow onions

1 medium red onion

sea salt

1 tablespoon agave

1 cup flax seed, soaked in 1 cup water for 30+ minutes

3/4 cup sunflower seed, soaked and drained (Mine were already dehydrated.)

1/4 cup wheat-free, reduced-sodium tamari

1/8 cup agave

1/8 cup olive oil

garam masala seasonings

water as needed

sea salt to taste

(My onions were crazy strong in flavor and odor, so I used Julie's method of caramelizing them. They actually can go in without that step.)

Slice onions thin. I used a mandoline for this, but I cut my finger! Sprinkle generously with sea salt and let sit for an hour or two. Pour off the excess liquid. If they still seem stronger than you like, rinse them in running water.

Toss the onions with 1 tablespoon agave and a bit of salt. Let dehydrate overnight, or until they reach the desired consistency.

In a high-speed blender, process the soaked flaxseeds with enough water to get the job done. It can get very sticky in there if you don't add enough water, and it would definitely shut down a regular blender. If you don't have a high-speed blender, you're better off grinding dry flaxseeds in a coffee grinder.

Grind the sunflower seeds. Mine were soaked and dehydrated, so I used the coffee grinder.

Add the seeds and all other ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Add water until you get your desired consistency. More water will result in a thinner bread.

Dehydrate on teflex sheets at 105-degrees, or until you can easily flip the sheets and lift them off. Dehydrate overnight, or until the bread is as crispy as you like.

This is great for sandwiches or topped with Raw honey butter (coconut oil mixed with honey and a dash of salt.) Enjoy!

Raw Food Restaurant - Atlanta

After reading about Lov'n it Live on Raw Food Passion, Lovely Boyfriend and I decided to give it a try. We had three hours to kill, and we haven't been to a Raw food restaurant since we relocated. We also went back two days later for a takeout meal. Because we really enjoyed our food and the experience, I'm not going to say much about the service. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this place, so I'll just say the service was . . . odd--odd enough that we had a long and humorous conversation with another patron about it.

Everything was presented nicely. We started with the nori rolls, filled with greens, tomatoes, and nut meat, and we both enjoyed this simple and delicious dish.

LB had the sage burgers topped with greens, tomato, and pine nut cheese, served on kamut bread. We shared our entrees, and I was really glad he order this. It was one of the best Raw burgers I've had, and I've had them in several different Raw restaurants in Cali. I think this was lentil and seed based, rather than made from nuts, resulting in a lighter burger. I'll try to replicate this at home.

I ordered the tostado. I'm afraid we may have annoyed the other patrons with our oohing and aahing over how delicious this was. (We also may have annoyed them with our singing along to the old school classics coming through the restaurant speakers.) A flax shell topped with field greens, avocado, pine nut cheese, and sage patty crumbles, the menu claims this is their most popular dish, and I can see why. It's worth a trip to Lov'n it Live just to have the tostado.

The brownies looked appealing, and we ordered one to go. It was big enough to share, but I found the taste a bit off-putting. I think I'm not a fan of carob. LB found it a little chalky but passable.

I'm looking forward to returning to Lov'n it Live soon. I'll probably take my house guest this weekend. If you're not in the Atlanta area, not to worry. Take a look at their menu for ideas you can whip up in your own kitchen.

Raw Food Today

Breakfast: 3 cups green tea, chia pudding with chopped apples, dried bananas, raisins, and pecans

Lunch: Raw bar with 1 apple

Pre-workout Snack: Green drink

Dinner: Chopped collards (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, Raw apple cider vinegar, crushed garlic and ginger, and sea salt; dehydrated for 6 hours at 105-degrees F) topped with tomatoes, avocado, onions, and sesame seed

Raw Food Today

Breakfast: Chia pudding with chopped nuts, diced apples, and raisins (Shocking, I know.)

3 cups green tea

Lunch: 2 apples, a handful of banana chips

Early dinner: huge salad of chopped spinach, marinated mushrooms (olive oil, salt, Raw apple cider vinegar, a bit of agave), and a handful of zucchini and squash chips (dressing: olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice)

Raw Sparrow-Grass

Raw asparagus, anyone? It's a good source of lots of yummy goodness. Anti-carcinogens, fiber, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, folate, zinc, potassium, Vitamin B6 and more.

In the 1600's, asparagus was referred to as sparrow-grass. (I just discovered this fact today while reading a book completely unrelated to food.) I'm in love with the name, not surprising given my affection for archaic terms.

Asparagus is a family fave around here, but it wasn't always that way. My first sampling of the green stuff was a soggy, mushy mess. Repulsive. It may have been frozen, or come from a can, or simply have been boiled to death. Whatever the case, I didn't dig the stuff until I had it grilled and the roasted. After that, I couldn't understand my friends who turned their noses up at it. If I could eat it every single day, I would.

Once I decided to go Raw, I thought sparrow-grass would be one of my cooked hold outs. I never saw it on the menus as Raw food restaurants, and assumed it was one of those veggies that required cooking to be enjoyed. Oh silly cooked foodie.

Marinated sparrow-grass is one of my all time favorite foods. (It's not in season here, but when my Lovely Boyfriend makes a rare grocery trip, I don't turn my nose up at anything in the bag.)

I love the skinny stalks. I chop them on a bias and marinate them in a combination of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice (or vinegar), and salt. If the stalks are thick, I use a peeler to create ribbons, but I don't like to do the extra work. They don't need to be dehydrated, but I like to throw them in a pyrex, cover with foil and leave them in the D overnight, at say 105-degrees F. The longer they marinate, the better. Just don't let them dry out.

Try it!

Raw Food Today

Pre-workout green powder drink

Breakfast: chia pudding with chopped apples, pecans and raisins (This is sooo easy and delicious!)

3 cups green/roobios tea

Snack: smoothie (pineapple, strawberry, coconut water and green powder)

Lunch: a chopped plate of avocado, tomato, and sweet onion, topped with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Snack: 1 cup of coffee (This can be dangerous for me. I've had coffee 2x this week, and I don't want to go back to needing it daily.) 1/2 banana

Dinner: Bed of spinach topped with shredded squash and zucchini marinated in olive oil, tamari and spices and dehydrated for a few hours

Dessert: Sliced pear dipped in Raw chocolate? If I'm hungry, that's what I'll have.

Raw Food Today

Breakfast: 1 and 1/2 chopped apples, topped with raisins, chopped walnuts and chia pudding (soaked chia seeds) 3 cups* green/roobios tea

Snack: 1/2 apple, 8 oz. green drink, 1 Raw bar

Lunch: salad of shaved fennel and apples, with olive oil, * balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and a dash of agave

Snack: 1 cup *coffee

Dinner: Cheezy Squash with Spicy Tomato Sauce (all Raw, except a bit of Nutritional Yeast)

Lots of water. I start every day with about 32 ounces of pure water and keep knocking it down throughout the day.

How to Stay Raw for Life

I subscribed to more Raw food blogs than you can shake a stick at. Even after avoiding those that conflicted with my personal choices in lifestyle and philosophy, there were 40+ popping up in my reader every morning. Recipes, links, books, health news, calls to action, challenges, and social networks--I enjoyed it all, but couldn't keep up. Unless Raw food was to become my full-time job, I'd have to cut back.

Being a woman of extremes, I didn't just cut back, I cut out. I stopped opening my reader and popping into goneraw or giveittomeraw to see what was going on in the online Raw community. With the move from Southern California to Atlanta, Georgia, I lost real world access to Raw folks as well. (Yes, I'm sure there are some here in the city, but certainly not as much as there was back in the land of sunshine.) Not long after I isolated myself from the Raw world, I drifted away from Raw foods. It happened slowly at first, and gradually my reliance on real foods in their natural state decreased.

I never stopped eating Raw foods. I love them, and I want to feed my family what's best for them, but I went from eating mostly Raw all the time, to eating some Raw some of the time. Consequences, not surprisingly, quickly followed--weight gain, my face breaking out in response to wheat being added back into my diet, overall diminished energy and reduced productivity. Bummer!

So putting aside my usual excuses (not enough money, not enough time), I returned to Raw. Rawfoodrehab has been my support system, and I'm back to visiting a few blogs and thumbing through my Raw food cookbooks. The excess weight is dropping away and other problems are resolving themselves.

How do you stay Raw for Life? Don't try to do it by yourself. While Raw isn't a religion, it is a lifestyle, and any lifestyle is easier to maintain when you surround yourself with people who support it.

Having "The Talk"

Recently an acquaintance was visiting while I was in the kitchen making a Raw salad dressing for the night's dinner. This young lady is getting married in less than a month, and she still didn't have a dress. The problem: she was desperate to get down a size first.


Finally, she got around to asking me, "So how'd you lose all that weight?"


I hesitated. I was really busy, and not in the mood to explain all the theory behind Raw food, so I just said, "To tell you the truth, I mostly eat fruits and vegetables."


Note that I didn't even use the word Raw, and I didn't say I only eat fruits and vegetables.


"You mostly eat fruits and vegetables?" Yes. "And you don't get sick?" Huh?!?


Seriously, I didn't see that one coming. I might've expected the Protein Question, or a question about whether or not I get bored with my food, but not a question about getting sick.


If I thought she was really interested, I would've sent her to a few of the wonderful Raw websites, but not this time. I gave her a couple of recipes, advised her to give up soda and coffee drinks, and closed the conversation.


I know. It was, perhaps, a bit selfish, but I was busy, man! Do we owe it to everyone to have "The Talk" every time we get the chance?

More Mango Slaw

A quick treat on my way to a barbecue. This kept me on track, and was easy to prepare.

1/2 bag shredded cole slaw mix

1/4 small yellow onion

about 1 tbsp olive oil

1 mango chopped

1 jalapeño diced

Celtic sea salt

You can up the flavor with chopped cilantro, sliced red peppers, or added spices. What I love about this, is that it takes about 5 minutes to throw together and it travels rather well. It actually tastes better after a couple of hours. Both of my daughters love the sweet and spicy balance of the mango and jalapeño.

Okay, I know the plastic bowl wasn't the best. Let's pretend we didn't see that, shall we?

P.S. Sorry for the awkward formatting--Blogger!

Are You Ready?

If you haven't gotten over to Raw Fu to sign up for Bunny Berry's 100 Day Raw Food Challenge yet, then get your butt over there! Registration closes tonight.

You do NOT have to commit to 100% Raw. You set your own goals. It can be as simple as commiting to starting each day with a green smoothie, or having a salad for lunch every day. She has lots of fun mini-challenges, give-aways and contests. What better way to kick up your Raw food consumption than with the support of 100's of people who are doing the same?

I'm still waffling as to what my actual goals will be, but I'll know by tomorrow!

Today's Yummy Healthy Raw Living Food

After yesterday's food fiasco, I'm focused on enjoying the food that fits my lifestyle. What's done is done, right?

Breakfast: mate vana tea
huge plate of carrots with guacamole, and corn chips from Leaf cuisine
The tortilla chips are tasty, but man, they stick in your teeth!

Pre-workout snack: 1 nectarine

Lunch: salad of spinach and blueberries, tossed with olive oil and garlic

Snack: raw granola (sprouted buckwheat, sprouted flaxseeds, raisins & dates), mixed with more blueberries
Wierd snack for me, but I was having food cravings & this hit the spot.

Dinner: Watermelon (2 huge chunks)
Yummy salad LB made for me as soon as he got home: deer tongue lettuce, mushrooms, and cucumbers

Raw Food Tips

Haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately, though I've continued to enjoy reading Raw food, fitness and political blogs. In an effort to get back in the swing of things, I'll try posting some tips that I've picked up along the way. (Not that I always follow my own advice!) Many thanks to all the Raw foodies out there who've contributed to my knowledge.



Raw Food Tip: Keep it fresh. Dehydrated snacks are great but are best balanced with fresh food. A ration of 3:1 (fresh:dehydrated) or greater works well. Adding a green salad to almost any meal can make it easy to cover 3/4 of your plate in fresh living foods. This actually works great even if you're not going Raw. Imagine how much healthier a SAD plate becomes when most of its covered in living plant food.

Stay Raw, yall!

Staying on (or Reclaiming) the Raw Wagon

Did you go Raw overnight, twenty-seven years ago? Have you managed to make it more than a decade without consuming so much as a drop of nama shoyu, a piece of questionably dried fruit, or a heat-shelled nut? Congratulations, you've made it into an elite group that most of us will never join.

I first discovered Raw food as dietstyle five or six years ago. I was working my way through some Tony Robbins tapes, and he advocated a very low-fruit, high fat, high greens Raw way of eating. I tried it with great success, but eventually slid back into my old conventional foods. The results I achieved on Raw (weight loss, glowing skin, mad energy and more) impressed everyone around me. Still, no one got it. None of my friends or relatives knew how to support me in my Raw quest, and I had no idea what to ask of them.

The world's a much different place for me now, with Raw restaurants, products, meet-ups, social networks, websites and more. Going Raw came much easier this time. (Thank God for the Internet!) Though I still didn't have a miraculous over-night transformation, I've come across many more tips and tricks to aid me this time around.

If you're facing challenges with Raw transition or maintenance, check out this coaching call. Karen Knowler, the UK's Raw Food Coach, shares some insight with a client. It's 45 minutes long, but worth the investment of time, even if you have to listen to it in pieces. Good stuff to support any of us on this journey.

Edible Flowers

Last week, I lamented that the purple, white and red flowers that arrived in my CSA basket weren't edible. This week, my broccoli had started to bloom! Easy to get those are just tiny flowers.

Biggest Loser Week - Warm-up Day

Though our official BL week starts today, since LB worked in L.A. on Monday, I decided to go ahead and get a warm-up day in, so Day One wouldn't be such a shock to my system.

Monday's workout - Treadmill: 7.5 miles at 10.0 incline
Bike: 20 miles at levels 1-4
Abs: 15 minutes of training

Yesterday, Raw Model posted about why Raw Vegans still need to workout, and Terilynn invited us to think about what our bodies are really capable of doing. Timely, no?

"We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon

What have you done today to make you feel proud?"
- Biggest Loser theme song

Parsley - It Aint Just for Fresh Breath

For the last few weeks, my CSA basket has arrived bearing a bunch of Italian parsley (the kind with flat, pointy leaves). I've used a sprig here and there, but in the end, most of it ended in a dessicated mass, tossed during fridge cleanup.

This morning, I pulled out yet another bunch of those clean leaves, and I was determined not to let them go to waste. My first thought was to dehydrate the stuff, crush it into a powder and use it as a seasoning. But these were fresh greens, picked the very same day, and I desired to use them at the height of their nutritional potency.

It's just the plant we use to take up white space on a plate. What's the big deal about parsley?

• 3 times as much Vitamin C as oranges
  
• 2 times as much Iron as spinach
  
• Contains Vitamin A, Potassium, and Calcium
  
• Diuretic that stimulates kidneys to release waste
  
• Contains 4 known cancer-fighting chemicals
  
• Tastes like summer!
  
• Green leaves = Chlorophyll

A quick perusal of the Internet resulted in a salad idea. Here's my version:

Summer Parsley Salad

One bunch flat Italian parsley (chopped, with stems removed)

1 handful cherry tomatoes (quartered)

1 handful sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons really raw olive oil (try Bariani, as some cold-pressed oils are overheated)

a few drops sesame oil (to taste, and this stuff is strong)

2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon raw agave or raw honey

Combine parsley, mushrooms, tomatoes, and sesame seeds in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss. This salad is super-yummy if you allow the flavors to blend for 30 minutes or so.

This really was like eating a bowl of summer. I would've loved to add onions and cucumbers, if I had them. Yummy goodness!

Enjoy!