Day 27 of 28 Days of Raw - Where has the time gone?

What a crazy few days.  So busy with teaching classes and another workshop that my meals were kept pure and simple.  I have to confess I did have some cooked food yesterday and one day during the weekend making it 80% raw on those days.  Again, I did forgive myself and carried on.

I can't believe its already day 27 and one more day to go.  Tomorrow I'll be posting an overview on the entire 28 days.

Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Apple cinnamon buckwheat granola
L: Thai lettuce wraps with spicy almond dip
D: Zucchini spaghetti with raw marinara sauce

Special treat for my special day:  Vanilla Cashew Cream Tart

Have a great day everyone!

Vanilla Cashew Cream Tart

Day 23 of 28 Days of Raw - Is it Friday Already?

It's a busy day today in my raw food kitchen.  I'm preparing 3 trays of buckwheat sunflower bread.

As you well know tonight it's pizza night, however, I think I'm going to take tonights pizza to a new level by adding some raw almond meat as one of the ingredients.  Have no idea how it's going to taste, but I have a hunch that it's going to enhance the flavour and texture to something that any meat lover would enjoy as well.  Check in tomorrow with my critique of my own version of uncooked, simply raw, faux meat lovers pizza!

Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Green Berry Bliss Smoothie
L: Thai veg wraps, with spicy dipping sauce.
D: Almond meat lovers pizza with rawsted vegetable and macadamia nut goat cheese.

Here is a new recipe for you to try.  A great alternative to tapioca pudding and much healthier too!

Vanilla Superfruit Chia Pudding 
In a bowl add:
1/8 cup chia seeds (I used the white seeds for more of an authentic look)
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Agave to taste (I used very little to the pudding but drizzled some onto the fruit prior to serving)

Stir and place in the refrigerator overnight.

To serve:
Divide the pudding into 2 small bowls, top with thawed blueberries, blackberries and cherries, drizzle agave on top for sweetness, and serve!

Super easy to make and super good for you!

Vanilla Superfruit Chia Pudding

Day 22 of 28 Days of Raw - Where did the days go?

I had good intentions when I started this 28 day journey to make sure I posted something every day.  The last 2 days have been a struggle.  When dealing with a family emergency it is very difficult to find time to sit in front of a computer and type away when feeling a bit stressed and exhausted.

So here I am today on the 22nd day of my journey and feeling good to be able to sit here for these few moments and let you know what I'm up to in my raw food kitchen.

Since being away for the last couple of days I do have lots of veggies sitting in my fridge that I need to use up.  The best way to do that is to A) juice them B) use them in a raw soup or C) Just cut them up make a sunflower seed hummus and munch away.

I think I'm going for option C today.  Keeping it low key and gosh darn simple!
 

Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Sprouted buckwheat granola topped with fresh fruit
L: Field green salad loaded with fresh veggies, walnuts and tossed with apple cider vinaigrette.
D: Vegetable crudite with sunflower seed hummus

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a dessert recipe that is so easy to make and so darn good for you!

Day 19 of 28 Days of Raw - Crazy Energy Burst!

I have no idea what I ate last night but I was wired around midnight!

Where did all that energy come from?  Must have been the jicama or maybe the cashew in the jicama rice, or maybe it was all the eggplant, zucchini and asparagus that I ate.

Who knows but it was just so odd.  I have eaten all of those items before and never have I had such a burst of energy.

Oh wait, I did eat two figs with a couple of walnuts as an evening snack.  Could it have been the natural sugar in the dried figs?

After some tossing and turning I did eventually fall asleep and woke up again feeling very energized and ready to teach my Monday morning yoga class!

Have a happy family Day!

Today in my raw food kitchen:
B: Raw Cranberry-Orange breakfast bread with almond butter
L: Nori Rolls with ginger-tamari dipping sauce
D: I'm thinking of making a raw zucchini lasagna with a side salad.

Raw Zucchini Lasagna

Looks like it's baked doesn't it? It's not, it's dehydrated until it's warmed through!
Yumm

Day 18 of 28 Days of Raw - Friends Day!

As I mentioned last Sunday, Sunday mornings it's all about me and doing something special with my gal pals.

This Sunday we opted to stay local and enjoy the beautiful sunny day to hike around town.  It was great running into people we knew as they did their morning run.

After our walk we headed over to our favourite cafe for a hot beverage, which of course is not technically raw.  But it sure hit the spot and yes, I did forgive myself for having it!

Again today, keeping it very simple in my raw food kitchen.  I like keeping it simple, means no heavy prepping and giving myself permission to take fly by the seat of my pants when putting a meal together.  Thank goodness that I took a Raw Chef Course because following a recipe from some of my un-cooking books can be very time consuming.

So if you are planning to add more raw food in your diet here are my three recommendations:

1. Keep it simple
2. Be spontaneous and use fresh fruits and vegetables that you have never eaten before
3. Don't be afraid to experiment with flavours

Today in my raw food kitchen:
B: Chocolate buckwheat granola with chopped almonds a few raisins and vanilla almond milk.
L: Huge organic field green salad, with chopped green onions, Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, cucumber, with a sprinkle of pine nuts and sunflower seeds.
D: Marinated raw thin slices of asparagus, zucchini and eggplant on a bed of jicama cashew rice.

Day 17 of 28 Days of Raw - Yoga Workshop Day

I know it's Saturday but it is going to be a really busy day for me!  Teaching two back to back yoga classes in the morning and a yoga workshop in the afternoon!  Have I ever told you how much I love my yoga life?  Well I do and add the raw food energy boost that comes along with eating raw it really has brought a lot of clarity to my teaching as well.

I LOVE MY YOGA LIFE!!!!

Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Not feeling very hungry so fuelling up with some fruit.
L: Avocado, tomato and cashew cheese on a buckwheat sunflower bread
D: Not quite sure just yet.   For now I'm thinking of this: To start it will be a green organic salad, perhaps raw taco lettuce wraps with the left over almond taco meat from the other night!

Enjoy your Saturday night everyone!

Day 16 of 28 Days of Raw - Shopping for Supplies

I'll be honest Day 16 was a bit tough.  Eating and staying raw when visiting with my parents is tough.  Always something good cooking in their kitchen when I'm there which reminds me of home of course!

Tempted to eat some home cooked meals, I didn't and remained raw.  I made it simple on myself by bringing my own breakfast smoothy and offering to make lunch which consisted of a big cucumber and tomato salad, seasoned with EVOO imported from Italy, oregano and salt.

It was a good day and a happy one with my parents whom I love dearly!

As I promised the other day here is a recipe for you that I do hope you will try and enjoy as much as I do!

Cherry Vanilla Breakfast Smoothy

1 cup organic sweet black cherries (frozen)
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 Tbsp soaked chia seeds
1 Scoop green vibrance or add a handful of spinach or kale (optional)

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Today in my raw food kitchen:
B: Cherry Vanilla Breakfast Smoothy
L: Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad
D: RAWsted vegetable pizza; after all it is pizza Firday!

Have a happy weekend everyone!

Day 15 of 28 Days of Raw - It's Mexican night!

Oh yeah, it's mexican for tonights diner.  Haven't made a raw chilli  in quite awhile and that is what I'm craving.

When it comes to making raw tacos or chilli you definitely need to be a bit creative.  Over do it on the spices and it just tastes awful.  Almonds are a great as taco or chilli meat.  Blended with spices and fresh chilli peppers you wouldn't know it's not the real thing.


Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Mixed fruit granola bowl

L: 1/2 raw-sted veg sandwich on sunflower buckwheat bread topped with avocado, lettuce and some rawkin cashew mayo.

D: A big bowl of Raw Chilli

Spicy Raw Chilli on a Bed of Lettuce

Ay caramba, a spicy chilli on a bed of lettuce that will knock your socks off and you would never believe its RAW!

Day 14 of 28 Days of Raw - Another simple day in my kitchen

Wednesdays are another day of my week where I'm constantly on the go so to keep things from getting out of hand I keep Wednesdays very simple in my raw food kitchen.

The great thing about eating raw is that all the meals are super healthy.  If I'm hungry I eat more and if I'm not I eat less but always eat till i'm satisfied but not overly full.

Smoothies are ideal for days like today.  They are easy to prepare and ultra satisfying especially when you consider that they may contain a serving of fruit, vegetables, good oils (such as flax seed oil, or fish oil, or coconut oil) you can add extra greens in the form of powder and on days where your tasks are physically demanding a scoop of protein powder is gives the smoothy some staying power!

B: Organic Vanilla-Cherry Smoothy

L: Thai rolls with spicy dipping sauce

D: Meal size mixed veggie salad, a couple kalamata olives, chopped walnuts on a bed of field greens drizzled with my Mediterranean salad dressing.

Be sure to check back Friday for my Organic Vanilla-Cherry Smoothy recipe!

Day 13 of 28 Days of Raw - A Sweet 4 my Sweet Heart

Staying low key today on preparing something totally new in my raw food kitchen and using my energy into making something sweet for my sweet heart.

Really don't know what I will make as my mind is constantly jumping from one idea to another.  Maybe some raw chocolates or perhaps a vanilla almond cake with a dark chocolate ganache frosting or perhaps some cashew cream tarts.  

I guess it will be a surprise!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Namaste

Today in my raw food kitchen:

B: Raw Cranberry-Orange bread with almond butter.
L: Raw-wich with a side order of broccoli-cabbage slaw tossed with raisins, walnuts and a cashew mayo
D: Large field green's salad loaded with diced veggies and tossed in a simple lemon olive oil dressing.

Sweet surprise for dessert!

Day 12 of 28 Days of Raw - A Full Day of Yoga Teachings

Busy, busy, busy, so anything I prepare today has to be quick and easy and for me it has to taste good!

Keeping this post plain and simple for that is what I need today, here is what is un-cooking in my raw food kitchen today.

B: Superfruit smoothy blended with chia seeds, Green Vibrance, and maca root powder.

L: Raw eggplant bacon, lettuce and tomato on homemade raw buckwheat sunflower bread.

D: Large green salad with a combination of veggies from my fridge and a nut burger loaded with tomato, avocado, lettuce, chill peppers and what ever else my heart desires.

Have a Happy Monday everyone!

Day 11 of 28 Days of Raw - A day for me!

Sunday is my non-teaching day.  I love my Sundays.  I enjoy getting together with a couple of friends to head down to a yoga studio where no one knows me as a yoga teacher.  It gives me the opportunity to really be a student and to bring my awareness inward to connect with my thoughts and to the quiet whispers within my body.

Well, so much for that!  Todays yoga teacher constantly chattered throughout the class.  I really don't think there was a good 30 seconds of silence in the class to be had until the end of class when he left us there in savasana as he left the room.   One good thing, it really did show me that it sometimes takes a lot of effort to stay on my mat both physically and mentally!  LOL

Note to self: don't critique the latest block buster movie I saw Friday night while teaching class!  ;)


Today's raw food menu:

B: Sliced banana drizzled with a spoonful of almond butter

Apre yoga treat: Super fruit smoothy

L: As we were on the go I picked up Thai vegetable wraps with a chilli dipping sauce at Whole Foods.  Don't think the dipping sauce was raw but you I'll take it as it was the best I could do in a food court that is full of cooked food unless you want a salad.

D: mmm left overs!  Spicy raw coconut curry vegetables on jicama-cashew rice!

After noon snack: 4 dried figs stuffed with walnuts!  A great energy booster!

Day 10 of 28 Days of Raw - hmmm what do I feel like eating?

Here we are at Day 10.  When I took on this personal challenge I really didn't think it was going to be easy, not the eating 100% raw but what to eat and not get bored with the food.

This morning I really had no idea what the menu plan for today would be.  Instead of fretting over what the heck to make I just let the day unfold as it wanted to and I knew that I would come up with something.

During my last yoga class for the day I got this craving, not even sure if I can call it a craving, but I thought of coconuts.  I wanted something that was creamy and made with coconut milk.  Okay, that description can only be one thing for me, Thai coconut curry!  I could easily make a raw coconut curry sauce and pour it onto some kelp noodles, but that wasn't fitting the bill.  So I went exploring in the produce section in my local grocery store for some inspiration and picked up as many fresh organic vegetables that called to me.

My mouth was salivating just thinking of diner.  I was no where near home and getting pretty hungry since it was already way past lunch time.  No way could I have this for lunch, so when I got home I whipped up a large salad and sat down and enjoyed every bite.  Then headed into the kitchen to experiment making a great raw coconut vegetable curry.

The result was just as good as the cooked version!


Todays raw menu:

B: Sweet raw breakfast bread with almond butter.
L: Large field green salad with olives, grape tomatoes,  a few pine nuts, walnuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds and a lemon-olive oil dressing.
D: Spicy Thai coconut vegetable curry on a bed of jicama-cashew rice.

Not too many snacks today...just a banana!  :0)

Spicy Raw Thai Vegetable Curry
and
Jicama-Cashew Rice

Day 9 of 28 Days of Raw - TGIPN!

Thank Goodness It's Pizza Night and I'm so excited because I'm actually making my own version of eggplant bacon.  Yup, you read it right, eggplant bacon.

On todays menu:
B: Cinnamon-Raisin sprouted buckwheat and soft wheat granola, chia seeds, with fresh banana and apple with almond milk.
L: mmm left over nori rolls with a salad
D: Rawsted vegetable pizza with macadamia nut goat cheese and smokey eggplant bacon.  

Mid afternoon snack: kale chips, it's Friday after all and I think I deserve a treat!

Dessert: Raw chocolate cupcakes with fudge topping.  I did say it was Friday didn't I! ;)


Smokey Raw Bacon
1 Eggplant thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline

In a bowl add:
Tamari
Olive oil (extra virgin of course)
Agave
Garlic powder
Fresh onion finely chopped
Cumin
Lemon juice
Cayenne pepper for an added kick (I like it spicy)
A few drops of natural hickory liquid smoke

Add eggplant slices in making sure to coat each slice well.

For a more smokey flavour add more or brush a small amount directly onto the eggplant before dehydrating.

Marinate for 1 hour or more depending on thickness of your slices.  You want the marinade long enough to soften the eggplant thoroughly.  The thiner the slices the better and the faster they dehydrate.

Place slices on dehydrator sheets leaving space between each of the slices to ensure even dehydration.

Dehydrate at 145 degrees for the first hour and then turn the temp down to 115 and dehydrate for another 3 hours.

Peel them off the permafelx sheet, place them directly on the dehydrator tray and continue dehydrating until crisp.

Enjoy on raw pizza and in raw sandwiches.

Raw Smokey Eggplant Bacon

3 hours into dehydrating

Day 8 of 28 Days of Raw

As you already have read, energy, energy and more energy is what I am experiencing being on a 100% raw diet for 8 days now.

After a long day of teaching yoga, doing chores and running around all over the place I'm usually pooped and ready to hit the sac by 10 p.m.  Last night I couldn't believe how awake I felt and that I still had enough energy to want to get up and do something else.  Of course I didn't do that, get up that is, I just closed my eyes and focused on my thoughts till sleep settled in.

After another amazing nights sleep, I woke up ready to go.  Again not feeling hungry at all but having energy to get going, getting a fire on to keep the house warm, tidying up, and experimenting in my raw food kitchen.

Inspired by the smoothy I had yesterday I felt like I could do with another to have while I played around in the kitchen with new recipes and what I would like for lunch and diner today.

Here is what is un-cooking in my kitchen today:

B: Superfruit Smoothy

L: Raw beet hummus on sprouted quinoa

D: Nori rolls with jicama/cashew rice and wasabi-ginger dipping sauce.

Superfruit Smoothy

In a high speed blender add the following:

1 handful of organic kale

1/2 cup of organic frozen super fruit blend containing blueberries, blackberries, and dark sweet cherries

1/2-1 tsp chopped ginger

2 C almond mylk

For an added energy boost add some maca powder (optional of course)

Blend until smooth and enjoy!  

Raw Beet Hummus

In a high speed blender add the following:

1 cubed medium organic beet (approximately 1.5 cups)

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

2 heaping tablespoons of organic raw tahini

Pulse until smooth adding filtered water as required.  Do not add water until required or else it will come out a bit soupy just like mine did today.  

Raw Beet Hummus on Sprouted Quinoa

Nori Rolls

Jicama/cashew nut rice:

3 cups jicama, 1 cup cashews, 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ginger pulsed in a food processor until rice like consistency.  Try not to overdo or else it turns into mush.

Rolls:

Using raw nori add the following: 

Jicama/cashew nut rice

sliced avacado

diced carrots

diced mushrooms (any variety)

Dippin sauce: 

no exact measurements for this one folks just add the following ingredients in a bowl and taste test until your taste rejoice!

Tamari

grated ginger 

Wasabi to taste

Roll, cut, and enjoy!

Nori Rolls

Day 7 of 28 Days of Raw - and I'm energized!

Day 7:  One week into my 28 day raw challenge and I can't believe how energized I feel.  Still having such great sleeps throughout the night and ready to go when I wake up.  Again today I wasn't hungry in the morning and had to literally force myself to have breakfast before heading out to teach a morning of yoga.

During the classes the energy that I felt in the morning transitioned well into the practice with very little effort required to move into the harder poses.   I'm really getting hooked on this great vibe that stays with me throughout the day!

On todays menu:

B: raw cinnamon raisin sprouted buckwheat and wheat berry granola with almond mylk
L: Green smoothy made with organic kale, strawberries, apple, and ginger
D: Left over night!!!   Lots of left over Thai inspired jicama salad, eggplant ratatouille on a bed of sprouted quinoa and maybe a green field green salad!

After yoga snack:  banana and a 1/2 slice raw bread with a couple of slices of avocado

Bon appetite!

Day 6 of 28 Days of Raw

Okay this is becoming truly weird. Why am I not starving?

After a long day of teaching yoga, what I intended to have for diner last night didn't really pan out.  Get it pan...never mind, just thought it was funny because no pans are needed for raw food prep.  Okay, I get it....not funny!  ;0)

Needless to say, diner last night was quick and easy.  Chopped tomato and avocado guacamole on raw bread with a sprinkle of coriander.  It was great but I definitely thought I needed more.

Pleasantly surprised when this morning I didn't feel hungry.  There is a lot to be said about raw food.  I am definitely finding that less is much more in terms of satisfying my appetite.

Today on the menu:

B: Fruit bowl with a handful of chopped nuts, chia, almond butter and half a chopped date for sweetness.
L: Jicama salad on a bed of arugula with a Thai inspired apple vinaigrette
D: Something with eggplant and zucchini...not sure exactly what it will be yet.

Jicama Salad on a Bed of Arugula

with a Thai inspired dressing

Day 5 of 28 Days of Raw

Day 5, another great night sleep even though it was interrupted by my little dog Ella who wanted to get down off the bed and roam through the house at 3 a.m.

Woke up a few hours before I had to head out to teach a couple of hot yoga classes.  Was pleasantly surprised to how wide awake I felt and ready for another a day.

So today I'm looking to changing things up a bit with some of my raw food recipes.  Headed out between my yoga classes to the grocery store to pick up some goodies for tonights diner.

Fresh Cilantro
Jicama
Arugala

Now what to make.  I picked up some sprouted rice a couple of weeks ago, so maybe I'll try and make a nice salad of jicama, soaked sprouted rice, assortment of organic chopped veggies,  arugala and a heaping handful of chopped cilantro.

I might have to come up with a new salad dressing recipe that will complement all the flavours!  That is what I love about my raw food kitchen, you never know what you will come up with!

On todays menu:

B: A big bowl of mixed fruit, chopped nuts, chia seeds, topped with some almond butter
L: Green smoothy made with mixed berries, greens and almond mylk
D: Jicama Salad Surprise!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Day 4 of 28 Days of Raw - Feeling Great!

Day 4 and woke up from another amazing night's sleep.

It's Sunday and it's my day off from teaching yoga to a day of being a student.  This morning a friend and I headed down to the city for a hot yoga class.  I love taking this time to take a nice drive, enjoy a great class, and then hit a local coffee shop for a great cup of tea before the ride home.  

On the menu today:

B: A slice of raw breakfast bread with almond butter
L: Cold Thai salad rolls with almond butter dipping sauce with lots of garlic and ginger
D: Vegetable nut loaf with a side field green salad.

After yoga snack: Berry smoothy made with berries, almond milk, and greens.

Mid afternoon snack: Organic Bartlett pear and a naval orange.

Tonight I feel like I want a dessert...hmmm what shall I make?  Any ideas?

Bon appétit!

Day 3 of 28 Days of Raw - Raw food Junky

I love how good I feel by the 3rd day on a 100% raw diet.  My mind is clear and I feel so energized.

It's been a year since I discovered the raw food lifestyle.  I gradually started to introduce more and more raw food into my regular diet until I got to approximately 80% raw.  So one of my daily meals would contain some kind of cooked food.

Since I made a commitment to myself and stay 100% raw for 28 days I'm discovering that with a bit of planning I can make my cake and eat it too!  Without the guilt!

I guess I'm becoming a raw food junky!

On today's menu:
B: Sprouted buckwheat and soft wheat berry granola with a sprinkle of cinnamon, raisins with almond mylk

L: Organic field greens salad with shredded cabbage, carrot and broccoli tossed in a mediterranean style dressing.

D: Spiralized Zucchini pasta with pesto.

mmm mmm good!

Day 2 of 28 Days of Raw

Feeling great and enjoying making raw food in my kitchen.   This morning I woke up to the smell of sunflower bread dehydrating in my kitchen.  After so many attempts at making a great raw bread I have finally mastered what ingredients make a great tasting bread that doesn't fall apart on the first bite.  The added bonus is that the bread itself makes a great pizza crust as well.   So tonight it will be "rawsted vegetable pizza" (yes the veggies are all raw as well as the sauce, crust and cheese)

On the menu for today:

B: Raw Breakfast Bread with almond butter with a bowl of fresh fruit
L: Broccoli Slaw with almonds and walnuts
D: Rawsted vegetable pizza with a side salad of organic field greens

Just love experimenting in my raw food kitchen!

Rawsted Vegetable Pizza

My Raw-wich!

This was my lunch today.

Marinated veg (mushrooms, red pepper, onion) on homemade raw bread with sprouts, mixed field greens and slices of avocado.

Served with a side salad!

Yum

28 Days of Raw-from 80 to 100% raw!

I'm taking my raw food diet to a new level for the next 28 days.  From 80% raw to 100% raw!  It's going to be a big challenge since I do cook food as well for my family, but I'm up for the challenge when it comes to my health and at the same time offer my family options to eat more raw as well.

So here I go.

Today on my menu:

Raw sprouted buckwheat and soft wheat granola with dates, an assortment of chopped nuts, apple chunks and banana slices.

Homemade raw sundried tomatoe and olive bread, loaded with mixed greens, mixed sprouts, avocado and  marinated mushrooms.

Mediterranean Salad: Large mixed green salad with tomatoes, green onions, 1 tsp pine nuts, kalamata olives, chopped cappers, drizzled with lemon and olive oil dressing.