Alternative lyrics to "Bringing in the Sheaves"

Ok, that's got to be the oddest post title, not to mention very random sounding, but somehow it rather fits. For those the least bit interested, while I was learning banjo (our family is a singing group and we do tours together) today I kept on singing in dramatic tones "Bringing in Chinese...bringing in Chinese, we shall come rejoicing bringing in Egg Foo Young!" This of course was to the tune of "Bringing in the Sheaves". Even though I did not make a raw alternative to Egg Foo Young, Chinese food must've been on my mind, because that is what I ended up making for my supper.

In the picture above, I had a stir-fry (tender and warm from the dehydrator, SOOO good!), creamy cabbage salad, and "chicken" nuggets with sweet and sour sauce. My favourite was definitely the stir fry, but the salad was really nice too. The sweet and sour sauce was fine, but I would definitely make it more sweet and add less of a salty flavour next time. I know I can make a better sweet and sour dressing myself (this was a recipe) so I shall do so next time.

Today there was no time for our hobbit's tale, I went and helped a neighbor pack up some stuff before their moving day. And soon, in a few minutes, I head off to Bible study with my sister. They always have snack time there first and usually have some fruit and tea, as well as some other sweet things that I won't eat. But it is really nice to be able to go somewhere and have those healthy alternatives handy, rather than feeling like the odd one out because you're not eating or drinking any thing.

Here's the soup that I made a day or two ago. Oh, I can't wait to make it again. I'm sorry I didn't post it earlier, but our camera died and needed the batteries recharged.

Of Hobbits and Tea Time

DAY 29

My intention with this blog was to write once a day (great!) or once every two days (good!), but oh dear, this is my third day. Dreadful, isn't it? But I don't feel the least bit guilty because our Internet was down nearly the entire day yesterday. For some fellow bloggers, the weather is summery, hot, and perfectly lovely...here, well, right now it's -30 Celsius (which is very, very cold). The little corner of the world that I live in happens to be boiling hot in summer (yay!) and freezing cold in winter. But I love it here! The cold weather makes everything cozy in our nice warm house.

Take yesterday, my sister Anne-Marie and I cuddled up in a warm quilt, a tray laden with a teapot and mugs, apples and raw caramel apple dip (my sister and I adore it) and we snuggled together reading "The Fellowship of the Ring" in the cozy glow of a beside lamp. Outside the wind whirled and danced cold and hard , but inside, we were transported to Hobbiton and the event of Bilbo Baggins birthday party. We laughed, drank our tea, tried to convey tones and meaning into the character's voices, and had a jolly time. Yes, indeed, there are certainly lovely things about winter. Today we hope to read some more, again with that pot of tea by our side.

Yet, despite the cold I'm afraid I must confess that I had my 3rd bowl of ice-cream in 3 nights. It happens to be my favourite raw treat (I have a sweet tooth). I topped it with raw cacao nibs, raw agave nectar, maple syrup, chopped walnuts, and the rest of the caramel dip (I loved that addition).

One of the things that I discovered a couple days ago was the most divine soup. Really, I shouldn't say discovered, because I used Shannonmarie's www.shannonmarie.blogspot.com cream of broccoli soup recipe, but tweaked it a bit. My family was having cream of cauliflower and soup sounded so heavenly. So I remembered Shannonmaire posting something about it way back and got her recipe and changed it around for myself. But what I'm so excited about is that with just a half a cup of soaked cashews and whatever spices and additions I want, I can make any creamy dreamy soup I want to. Mine looked nearly identical to my family's and it tasted heavenly!!! I warmed it in my Vita-Mix to perfection. Oh, now I want to make soup for tonight.

So you see, there are plenty of ways to beat the cold out here and have a blast while doing it. I enjoy lots of tea every day (my family loves tea) and I usually do some sort of exercises every day, whether it be creative aerobics or Pilate's. So with a sigh, and the knowledge that I'm about to go downstairs and have some tea, I must say, "I love winter!"

Frozen Pudding and Family Fun

DAY 26

Since today is Saturday I decided to do something a little more special for breakfast, rather than fruit or a green smoothie. I made Ani Phyo's "Love the Chicks Pate" or "scrambled eggs". On the side I had two oranges. It seems like I'm craving citrus all the time now, which is very convenient since, after all, it is orange season. Once I made the "eggs" I added tomatoes and marinated mushrooms. It was delectable and filling. (I'd post a picture but once again my sister has the camera, lol) It was really the mushrooms that made it taste so good, but it's true that when it comes to mushrooms I really feel like a little hobbit and want to gobble them all up for myself.

Speaking of hobbits, some of my family and I are going to watch "The Fellowship of the Rings" tonight. A true classic. Oh, I love that trilogy! There are so many incredible lessons to be learned from it...sacrifice, loyalty, and beauty of doing what's right. So that's where the "family fun" part of the title comes from and the "frozen pudding" is just another thing that adds to that fun. I believe it would be impossible to watch a movie without a special snack!

Pictured above (blurry, I know...our camera is getting a little old and operates best in "just the right environment", lol) is the frozen pudding I made. The recipe is from "Raw Food Real World", but I like to tweak it just a little and then put it in our ice-cream maker for 15-20 minutes. It tastes incredible cold, frozen, and way creamier than normal ice-cream and I'm not kidding!

But this time I'm going to add cacao nibs to it for that satisfying chocolate crunch, and maybe add some raw chocolate syrup on top. (Oh, I think I'm getting hungry! lol) Last time I was in town I picked up these cacao raw chocolate nibs from a health food store, a bit pricey, yes, but I persuaded myself that I would make it last a while and made that my special treat. So just like Shannonmarie I let it be my "reward" for the blogger award she passed on to me. :0) I had never tried them before and was nearly giddy with excitement to try it. So as soon as I was in the car I ripped open the package to taste it. They were bitter, as I knew them to be, but their creamy, yet crunchy texture and the cocoa taste (I'm addicted to) kept me reaching for the bag for a "wee" bit more. Finally, I pulled myself away from them, only to have a little bit more at home. Now I keep on discovering chocolate nibs on the floor in my room, which I promptly pop in my mouth, lol. But really, I am making it last. :0)

Tickled pink...

DAY 25

Yesterday I was on an all-day shopping trip (which is why I didn't post) and when I came home and checked out some blogs I discovered this from Shannonmarie of http://www.rawdorable.blogspot.com/:





The Inspirational Blogger Award is, "For those bloggers who inspire others through their words and actions. With a positive attitude, and uplifting spirit these bloggers make the blogosphere a better place, and encourage others to do the same. This award is for bloggers who rise up to set an example but continue to reach out and support others.”


Hence the title (which is a great understatement!). Shannonamarie IS SO SWEET! I don't deserve it at all! I absolutely adore her blog and check it all the time. She posts all the time and keeps so many people, including me, very inspired in the raw and healthy lifestyle. Her writing style is so fun and easy to read! I love your blog, Shannonmarie! Muah! As far as I'm concerned I would tag her right back and give her the award again, but I liked the idea of giving it to other awesome blogs that haven't been awarded yet. Oh, and I have to say I'd award Kristen from http://www.kristensraw.blogspot.com/ too, but she has two. I just love, love, love her blog (and soon I'm about to add her link to my blog! I'm so slow!) Oh, and Raw Diva Keely http://www.rawdivakeely.blogspot.com/ I love her blog so much! There's just so many!


But as a recipient of being "tagged" I get to give the award to five other people who's blogs inspire me. So without further ado, I present five awesome blogs that deserve special recognition:


Julie at http://www.juliesrawambiton.wordpress.com/ She has an inspiring way of writing, and what she has written and posted is fun to look at. Oh! Especially her raw enchilada recipe and photos. I've got to try that recipe soon! :0)


Raw Food Experiments! www.derekandsara.com/raw/ Oh my word! I love their pictures and recipes! It all looks so good! Just the way the food is arranged in the photos is pure art form.


PeanutPea at www.makeeverydayraw.blogspot.com/ Her pictures and recipes look so great! I love the way she strives to be so committed to the raw lifestyle.


Chad at www.vegannosaurus.com/ He has an inspiring way of thinking outside of the box, for example, his rawcaroni salad. I love originality and his recipes really seem to be just full of that!


Curtis and Peggy at http://rawinspiration.blogspot.com/ Their blog is amazingly chock full of pictures, wonderful thoughts, and encouraging content. Their passion for the raw lifestyle is so evident in all they post.


So thank you guys for your great blogs! Keep up the great work.


Ok, at my time it happens to be 12:27 A.M. (even though the time posted says 10 something, I'm on different time) and you can probably tell I'm starting to fall asleep by now, but I was determined not to miss two days in a row of not blogging, even though I hate staying up this late. Sigh... I missed it by 27 minutes. :0) The reason it's so late is because tonight we raced to hear Phil Callaway (a Christian comedian/speaker) tonight. He was really good, a very down to earth man who really loves the Lord Jesus. Mr. Callaway made us laugh so hard and really inspired me. You can check out his site at http://www.philcallaway.com/ Not only that, but he kept us up late, lol. But it was a great evening.

Since we were on the run to get there in time, I had to take along my supper. It was the easiest thing. I just grabbed some organic spring mix greens, threw them in a bowl, and squirted organic dressing on it. For a sweet to end off with, I sliced up banana, drizzled raw organic agave nectar (so much nicer than the average agave nectar, I think it tastes sweeter) over it, and topped with raw cacao nibs that I just bought. It was simple, quick, and tasty.




But before I fall asleep, I have to tell you a great idea for your salads that I did today. Marinated mushrooms are so tasty in salads, but have you ever tried marinating cubed eggplant? Yum, that's so good, a nice, tasty morsel that adds "umph" to your meal.

Ok, now I'm about to drop, so that's it for tonight, or this morning, I should say.

Raw Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce

DAY 23

Here it is, the recipe for my tomato sauce! This is enough for one hungry person like me. :0)

About 1/2 c. sundried tomatoes (they were packed in olive oil)

3/4 of a large tomato

3/4 of an onion scallion

1 medjool date (soaked previously)

A wee bit of the dried herbs following:

~cayenne

~rosemary

~oregano

~garlic salt

~dehydrated onion

~parsley

Mix it all up in the food processor to the texture you like and then heat it up in the dehydrator for 1/2 - 1 hour till warm.

I made zucchini noodles with a peeler as well as just slicing them into noodle shapes. I wish desperately I had a spiral slicer but I haven't been able to afford that yet. Still, it worked fine. I warmed up the "noodles" in the dehydrator with the sauce. When it came time to eat, I just placed the "noodles" on a bed of spinach leaves, dolloped the sauce on, and sprinkled with Carmella's (http://www.thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/) Parmesan cheese on top. And that's it!

This morning I had the same green smoothie I had yesterday, except substituted the Aloe Vera for celery. My Grandpa was watching me (my Grandparents live with our family) and I could see he was curious about it and all the things that I was putting in. After I blended it up, I gave him a small glass of the smoothie to try. He took a sip and said, "I can see how this would be a healthy drink." Another swallow. "And it tastes so good!" A few moments later, he says, "I bet you don't get sick very often." ...So now I have my Grandpa sold on green smoothies! :0)

Green Smoothies and Apple Cobbler

Today I kid you not, I made the most fantastic green smoothie ever. Oh, it was so good. In fact, I really can't express how grateful I am that there is still some left over in the fridge. I have christened it the Orananna Goodness! Here's the recipe for those who want to experience the taste of orange and green mingled bliss...

About 2 frozen bananas

1 big orange

Pure orange juice as a liquid base

1 big Aloe Vera leaf, filleted

2 big handfuls of spinach

And then guzzle it all up in your high-speed blender, pour into glass, and stick your straw in!

When I tasted it, I was surprised how close to the classic Orange Julius it tasted. I will definitely make it again...like tomorrow morning. :0)

To the right is an apple "cobbler" I had for lunch, very satisfying (I didn't feel like I wanted any snacks during the afternoon) and yummy tasting. It was simply one apple cut up, about a little less than a cup of Raw Food Real World's granola (you can use your own raw granola), a little bit of ginger powder, and tahina and liquid raw honey to mix it all up.

I imagine if you put this in your dehydrator for an hour or so it would be a great, warm dessert to serve after dinner, perhaps for your whole family.

Tonight our family is having spaghetti for supper, so I made a raw version for myself. It's always great when you can eat the "same" thing as your family and friends, just a raw version. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of it and of the tomato sauce that I whipped up this afternoon.

Vanilla Banana Shake

One of my favourite shakes is got to be the simple, but sophisticated milkshake. (Me enjoying one above, sorry the picture is fuzzy) Once you have the basic banana shake down the options are endless...you can add strawberries for the traditional strawberry shake, or cocoa or cacao powder for the chocolate malt, perhaps some pure mint essence with cocoa for chocolate mint, or maybe oranges for a lovely "creamsicle" shake. You can add anything you want to your basic banana shake and transform it to a marvelous gourmet creation that will make any mouth water when they see it. Also, it helps to remember that we "eat" with our eyes first so make it pretty. For that strawberry shake, garnish with a fresh, succulent strawberry. Sprinkle the chocolate shake with raw cacao nibs or a dusting of cocoa powder, or stick a raw cookie on top. For your fruit smoothie, add a piece of orange or a curl of the peel to the side of the glass. When I make berry smoothies I like to add some frozen berries to adorn the top of the smoothie.

Here's the basic banana shake recipe that I like to toy with:

*frozen bananas (must be frozen, it gives it that milkshake/ice-cream feel)

*a tad of pure vanilla

*nut milk for a liquid base (you can use water too, but nut milks are creamier)

*you can add a wee bit of cashews for more creaminess

*a spoonful of raw honey (or you can add dates, but I like honey because it makes the shake whiter, the pic of the shake above was with dates)

Now add whatever essences you like and whizz up to a creamy, dreamy consistency. Top with pure maple syrup and chopped walnuts.

Spinach Casserole

DAY 19

Sometimes you just crave comfort food. Especially on a cold, snowy day when you long for something warm and cozy. This just about fits the bill! Oh, it was so good! Bless Carmella from www.thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com for posting her recipe. It had zucchini noodles tossed with a "cheesy" sauce (which was so good), marinated mushrooms that tasted fried, marinated spinach greens, and then topped with a Parmesan type "cheese" and some more mushrooms. I was particularly astounded with the Parmesan because the texture and the flavour was all very "right" for Parmesan (which I happen to adore the taste of). So I was very, very pleased with tonight supper and was able to restrain myself to save myself some casserole for tomorrow, but it was hard. ;0)

If you feel the need for a nice, comfort raw food, check out her full recipe here at http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/12/recipe-of-week-spinach-cream-pasta.html

Wilted Kale Salad

DAY 18

This is what I had for lunch and oh, it was so good. Definitely a comfort food! This is the recipe that Chef Russell James created, which I got off http://www.welikeitraw.com/ I'll definitely make it again soon.

Tonight we're hosting a Tupperware party tonight so it should be fun. Although I really prefer glass and stainless steel for kitchen dishes, some plastic is fine, depending on what you store in it. The company definitely has some nice stuff and it's good quality plastic. Still, I must repeat myself and say I'd rather have glass.

Health/Raw Questionaire

DAY 17

This has been floating around on a few blogs now, so finally I decided to fill it out for fun.

1. Favorite home-made nut (non-dairy) milk? Almond milk, oh, it's so good in shakes, smoothies, granola...
2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to make(cook)? I want to make a raw casserole, an apple crumble, and a kale avocado salad soon
3. Topping of choice for popcorn? When I'm not eating all raw, I like the simple. Coconut oil and salt sound good on popcorn.
4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure? A green salad dressing where I put in practically anything I saw in the fridge. It wasn't very nice.
5. Favorite pickled item? I don't know. Pickles?
6. How do you organize your recipes? I have my raw recipe books in a stack in my room and if I find a recipe I like on the web I'll bookmark it or something similar.
7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal? Compost anything that can be. The rest of our trash we collect and then burn ourselves.
8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)? Bananas, avocados, and perhaps a green powder.
9. Fondest food memory from your childhood? When I watched "Winnie the Pooh" I loved sucking on a tablespoon of honey. The honey on the video always looked so yummy.
10. Favorite vegan ice cream? The coconut ice-cream from Raw Food Real World. I love that stuff!
11. Most loved kitchen appliance? Vita-Mix and Processor, oh and I can't leave the coffee grinder out either.
12. Spice/herb you would die without? I wouldn't die without any of them, but I sure love parsley, cilantro, oh, and mint is sure good.
13.Recipe (Cook) book you have owned for the longest time? "Rejuvenate your Life" by Serene Allison (still a favourite)
14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly? Raspberry or strawberry
15. Favorite raw (vegan) recipe to serve to an friend? Banana ice-creams, salads, raw treats
16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh? Tofu
17. Favorite meal to make (cook) (or time of day to cook)? Raw chocolate pudding ice-cream, that is seriously, so incredible. It's so healthy you can eat it for a main course and is simple, simple to make. I like making things when I feel like it. :0)
18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator? Cookbooks, papers, and a cell phone
19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking. Raw treat balls I just made, sunflower seeds, pine nuts
20. What's on your grocery list? Young coconut, organic cocoa, medjool dates, eggplant are some I can think of
21. Favorite grocery store? Trader Joes, but the fact I live in Canada means we can't visit it very often. (sniff, sniff)
22. Name a recipe you'd love to rawify (veganize), but haven't yet. A pita-type flat bread
23. Food blog you read the most? I like Shannonmarie's Rawdorable (http://www.rawdorable.blogspot.com/) and Carmella's Sunny Raw Kitchen (http://www.thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/). A few of many.
24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate? LaraBars, Medjool dates
25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately? Goji berries maybe, but they weren't very much
26. Veganaise or Nayonaise? Never tried either.
27. What is one recipe or ingredient or cooking technique that you've become familiar with in the last year or two that you can't imagine you ever lived without? Working with the Vita-Mix!
28. Do you have a food inspiration in your life? Someone who taught you a lot about making a certain dish, or about food prep in general, or someone who taught you how to truly enjoy food? My Mother is an awesome cook, she hardly ever uses recipes because she's so creative. Whatever she makes tastes great. My sister, Anne-Marie loves gourmet cooking, so she's inspiring to me too. We both have really similar taste buds, so that's fun.

Pink Dressing

DAY 16

Since I’m in the salad dressing rut here, I’ve got to tell you what dressing I made for my supper tonight. After all, salads can be a big part of eating raw; therefore, dressings must be too.

Pink Lady

1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. apple cider vinager
1/3 c. of red onion (or a little more, to your taste)
1/3 c. of sweetener (I used dates, but if you use honey the dressing will be pinker)
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
2-3 TB. pure water
pure salt to taste
Whiz it up. Add a tad more of olive oil or water to the consistency you like.

I think that’s it. It’s got a beautiful color and tastes really good in a spinach salad with walnuts or pecans and dried cranberries thrown in.

Tomorrow I get the camera back, so I want to get in the habit of putting my own pictures and creations on this blog.

Caesar Salad Dressing

DAY 14

Today I'm having a gorgeous Caesar salad for my supper and although the recipe isn't mine, I just had to share it with you because it tastes sooooo good. I got the recipe from http://www.rawgoddessheathy.blogspot.com/ Bless you Heathy for sharing it on your site!

Woody Harelson’s Caesar Salad Dressing
5 tablespoons raw tahini
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 nice clove garlic
2 green onions, or 1/4 cup sweet onion
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or 3 soft dates, pitted
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1-2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1-2 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
2 tablespoons good olive oil (optional)
fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend.
In a blender, combine all ingredients, adding oil and fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend until very smooth.
Makes 1 pint of thick dressing that will keep fresh for a week.

Purple Greens

DAY 13 of raw and Green Cleanse completed yesterday!

We did it! Mumsie and I finished the green cleanse and as a result we’re very proud of ourselves. :0) During this week, we both had lots of energy and felt really good the entire time. I’m glad we did it, but I must admit, the raw granola and almond milk we had this morning tasted incredible! (and now I'm looking forward to the parsley and pine nut salad waiting for me at lunch :0)

One of the best tasting and most green loaded smoothie we had during this week was, in fact, purple! Now how did we manage that? First, I filled the entire Vita-Mix blender with mixed purple lettuce leaves. And then I loaded on top of that a bunch of different kinds of berries. Finally, as a base, I poured a cup or so of pure grape juice in the blender. The BEST smoothie of the week! So simple and extra-ordinary tasting! That was our well-deserved treat for finishing so well. I only wish I could've posted a picture of it, because it was such a bright, beautiful purple, but my sister has the camera for the week (hence no pictures of our blended creations). Once we get the camera back you can expect pictures of raw recipes and the creations I’ll make in the future.

A Cuppa Tea

DAY 11 of raw and DAY 6 of green cleanse

I have to admit there's just something about the cozy cup of tea, cradling it in between your fingers and savouring the warmth and the fragrant aroma rising to your nose. Nothing could make it better except a cozy quilt and an inviting book.

Some raw foodists aren't into the tea thing, but I LOVE it and would wither away without it, especially in the cold fall/winter months like now. Depending on the quality of your tea, it's a great thing to do for your health. I'm talking herbal (preferably organic) teas, not the regular Earl Black (which is loaded with caffeine). We drink so much tea in our household and we all love the ritual.

Here's some of my toppity-top favourites:

White Tea (it's higher in anti-oxidants than green tea)

Green Tea and Lemon (source of anti-oxidants)

Peppermint Tea (aids digestion and gives you good breath)

Rooibus Tea (in a multiple of flavours, yum, so delicious)

Chocolaty-Chai (yes, it's a tea and it's good! It's especially nice with a dollop of honey)

Chamomile Tea (so nice and light before bed; helps you relax)

If you can buy the organic loose-leaf teas, they're the best for you anyways! And they are so much more fun to play around with and make your daily tea time more fun. If you want, you can even mix up different types and invent your own (the idea just occurred to me! lol)

Now that I inspired myself I'm going to have some tea.

Green, the color of life!

DAY 10 raw and DAY 5 of green cleanse...

When people asked me what my favourite color is I would often reply that I didn't have one because I love them all so much, but now that I think about it I'd have to take back my answer. I love green! Why? Green is the color of growing things, of God's incredible nature, it's the color of life! The most important (I feel) foods we can eat in the raw diet are things that are green because they are the ones with probably the greatest effect on our body, alkalizing it, bringing along chlorophyll, an army of vitamins and nutrients, and giving us abounding energy. Greens are powerful!!!

During this green cleanse I've felt great and had a lot of energy. It's been fun whizzing up concoctions that you don't know how will taste. Mom and I we've made so many shades of green with our "recipes", bright, verdant green, khaki green, army green, swampy green, and forest green. Some we liked more than others that's certain but none of them made me wish I didn't have to drink it. No sir, I'm now an official fanatic of green smoothies. Like the Green Smoothie girl (http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/) says, "If you do nothing else in your day that's healthy, do this!" (BTW, I really liked her site and she's got a great green smoothie demo movie on her home page you should check out)

CHLOROPHYLL Some people wonder, "Why are greens so important?" One of the many great reasons (putting the incredible results of a more alkalized body, more energy, weight loss, the essential vitamins and nutrients it gives aside) is because of the chlorophyll. This is the green pigment that makes all your greens green. Chlorophyll tackles tumor growth, purifies the lymph nodes, helps the adrenal glands, unstops arteries and enriches the blood. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals, phyto-nutrients, and colon-cleansing cellulose. Did you know that chlorophyll is only one molecule different than the makeup of human blood? It is a fighter, a good battle guy for our body. There. That's one reason.

TRY TO GET ORGANIC One thing I'm trying to do when we get greens is to get organic. As Serene Allison says, "Greens are your medicine." That's a great reason to our greens straight from the garden. You don't want your medicine to be sprayed with chemicals and pesticides, grown in depleted, horrid soil. No! You want it to be fresh and organic. At our house, it's not problem getting organic greens in the summer and spring because we do organic gardening, but in winter and fall it's a little more difficult, especially since where we live it's hard to get good organic, whole food, type of stores and resources. But we do our best and that's what counts.

HOW TO GET MORE GREEN IN OUR DIET My best advice would be green smoothies (a recipe below). Have a salad at the supper meal everyday (this helps your family eat more greens). When you're making your applesauce put in some greens (not cooked) and serve it the "green" way. Pick a milder green (like spinach) and put it in your raw ice-creams, add some pure mint extract and then you've got something that looks and tastes like mint ice-cream. Use your creativity and think of lots of ways to get more greens in you and your family's life. You can also get green supplements (and there's a lot of good ones out there) and put that in smoothies, juices, or water to help increase your "green-ity". Currently, I don't do that, but I would like to in the future (especially for when I'm on trips).

Here's one of my favourite green smoothies: (I won't give measurements, but just let you take it to your own level to emphasize the berries, bananas, or greens to what extent you desire)

BERRY GREEN

A mix of berries (your choice of one or more of raspberries, blueberries, huckleberries, blackberries, strawberries)

Banana(s)

A mix of greens (your choice of one or more of spinach, kale, collards, ect.)

Then add pure water or a berry juice to the consistency you want in the blender and whizz it up and lastly, enjoy!

When we eat our greens in the smoothie form, all the cellular walls of the greens have been broken down and we can absorb more nutrients than if we chewed a big salad. That's why when you eat greens you should chew long and well.

Here's to green!

Random subject: Pomegranates and Lip Balm

DAY 9 on raw and DAY 4 on Green Cleanse!

On this green cleanse I'm doing you can eat fruit when you're hungry and pomegranates have been one of my tip top choices. Yum! I love these sparkling red jewels! But the sad thing is they are not going out of season. My ever sweet Dad bought four pomegranates for Mom and I at two dollars per piece! A good price for them is a dollar and an average is one-fifty. They're simply loaded with anti-oxidants and helps mop up all those nasty free radicals.

Another thing I love is lip balm and when you add pomegranate to it you get...Burt's Bees replenishing lip balm. It's my all time favorite of all my lip stuff. It smells divine and helps soothe your lips when they're dry. Now that I sound like a commercial I shall say that I wasn't paid a cent for raving about it. All the same, if you need lip balm, you should try this. :0)

Mint n' Green

Day 3 of the Green Cleanse and Day 8 on raw...

We haven't made the same smoothie once yet. Not once. We're having fun trying new green recipes or mostly making up our own. Yesterday's lunch marveled me how many greens and veggies my Mom could get into one smoothie and it still tasted fruity and good. That invented one of hers was probably one of my favorites so far.


We had a papaya and greens smoothie for lunch and that was good. Having no bananas in it; yet, having a whole papaya had a very creamy, pudding-like texture.


For our supper, we're having a recipe from the Green Cleanse guide called "Cool Banana". Here's the recipe if you're game enough to try:

COOL BANANA
1/2 c. water
4 bananas
1 handful of mint
1 handful of lettuce leaves

Here's some nutritional facts about mint that I'm discovering:

Peppermint is a good source of vitamins A and C, manganese, beta-carotene (I wouldn't have guessed), a good source of dietary fibre, folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B2. The high nutrient density and low calorie status qualified peppermint as a good source of omega-3 fats (that surprised me), potassium, and copper.

It's health benefits are an anti-cancer aid, helps digestion, gives you fresh breath as commonly known, and it has antioxidant properties which helps neutralize free radicals (the bad guys).

All that said, it makes me want to eat fresh peppermint. This is one herb I love to grow in the spring and not only do I enjoy eating it, but it's a lovely addition to a facial steam or even just throwing some in a cup of hot water for a natural tea. I like to use fresh peppermint leaves for breath mints instead of the traditional aspartame/sugar loaded mints sold at the stores.

Green Smoothies

Green cleanse DAY 2 and raw DAY 7!

Above is the famous "Green and Gone" smoothie from 1Christine at GoneRaw. We had this for our supper smoothie tonight and it is good! If ever you have time you have to check out this incredible raw site. http://www.goneraw.com/ It is one awesome, inspiring site and a great place to get recipes and encouragement.

I can't believe all the greens I'm slurping down, while enjoying the taste no less. Mom made a green smoothie for lunch that had spinach, cauliflower, parsley, broccoli, an orange, and banana. I was pleasantly surprised that the taste was not really that "green" at all. The "green" taste you get used to anyway, which is a good thing. Especially since there's five more days of this. But we're having fun doing it, which definitely helps. All the same...I've been craving raw chocolate pudding for two days, so there's something yummy to look forward to. :0)

Green Smoothie Cleanse, Day 1

DAY 6 of Raw yet DAY 1 of the Green Cleanse! My Mom and I started the day off with a strawberry/romaine/banana shake, even with some cucumber in it. So refreshing!

My family is all starting to come down with a cold and I feel like I'm starting to catch a strain of it with a sore throat, so today we'll have a young coconut based green smoothie for lunch. Young coconut is known for the power to strangle colds and sickness. I love young coconuts! Ummm. I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel after a week of this "green smoothie" thing. Should be fun.

The purpose of this cleanse is first of all, to detox your body and do a good "spring" cleaning, to lose any excess pounds (if needed), give your digestion a rest, get in control of your eating habits (if that's an issue), and to experience the power of green smoothies. Not just that, but as you're not making anything time consuming, it gives you a lot more extra time to get more stuff done than usual and clear up your space and home.

While I'm doing this I have a few other goals I (and others in my family) want to accomplish :

1. Get my room a little less cluttered, desk organized

2. Tidy pantry

3. Get Christmas decor down and housecleaned

4. Catch up on emails and letters

5. Clarify my goals and schedule

During noon hour too, while I'll have a bit more time this week...I really want to focus on spending more time with the Lord and in His Word. One thing that has really helped me grow in my relationship with Him is writing Him letters of my love for Him, how I admire Him, or how much I need Him. He's such an awesome God and I'm so honored to be His child.

Birthdays and Social Eating

Today was my sister Elizabeth's birthday. Yay! I love, love, love birthdays. Tonight I attribute my dessert sucess to Shannonmarie (http://www.rawdorable.blogspot.com/) with her raw brownies (I did make them a bit different, but the effect was very delicious) and then made up a chocolate raw syrup to top it off. So while nearly everyone else ate chocolate cake, I joined in the fun with a raw version. I don't like feeling left out...while everyone else has ice-cream it's no fun watching them eat it, so then, I make a raw ice-cream. Eating socially shoud never be too much of a problem with a raw lifestyle. Well, unless you live in the Artic in the dead of winter, I could see that being a problem.

This day I'm very excited because tomorrow...drumroll, my Mom and I are doing the 7 DAY GREEN CLEANSE!!! Yay! I'm so proud of my Mom to join me and we're gonna have so much fun doing it together, slurping down green concotions and making up new recipes. It's great to start the new year by doing some sort of cleanse, whether it's the famous David Wolfe grapefruit cleanse, the Master Cleanse...whatever. It's a super way to start your year with a good overall cleansing of the body. I encourage you all to do it. Cheers!

Favorite Recipe: Berry Cobbler

One of the best recipes ever is Ani Phyo's Berry Cobbler. Ummm, it's so wonderful! You know, that's one of the best things about the raw diet. I can eat half a cobbler for my lunch! Yay! I've also been known to make myself chocolate pudding for a main meal, all raw. Who says you're deprived when you eat raw? Nobody but raw foodists can eat desserts for a main course.

Children and Dancing

DAY 3

Today our family holiday's ended, my brother and his family left our house, leaving it quite empty all of a sudden. It was an awesome family fun time together.

One of the things that my sisters and I did (I have two older sisters) with our little nieces and nephews was dancing. Well, it really can't be called dancing because we didn't know what we were doing in the least, but we twirled, waltzed, jumped, hopped, whirled, fell, laugh, kicked, dipped, and spun to lively tunes of Jingle Bells and other Christmas songs. You wouldn't believe what a workout we got!! We were so sweaty and our arms started to ache (the two year old and the three year old wanted to dance being carried), but we felt good after. And it was such good excersise for the children too, they begged to dance with us so many times after. It really lifted our spirits. Dancing is an all-over workout and it's fun too, even if you don't know what you're doing. Not only that, it's such a sweet feminine thing for little girls to do, twirl around in floaty skirts. They LOVE it!!!

I really think one of the things that a lot of busy mothers overlook is the fact that children can be involved in their excersising. This can be a fun time for children and their mommies! Not a burden, for heaven's sake!!! Turn on some fun tunes and dance with your children, go for long walks with your little ones (and then piggy back them home for a strong back and arms), jumprope with your girls, do sports with your boys (who'll love you for it!), and swing on the swings and play at the park for an afternoon. My two-year old niece loves doing pilates with me and she's TWO! She may not pay attention the whole time and she does it horribly wrong, but who cares? It's quality time and excersise.

You know, mommie's can have the best workout, or those nannies/babysitters/day who are taking care of children. Their arms are firm with holding babies, their backs strong from lifting children, and legs and thighs strong from crouching at their level. Being a mommy (who says there's just not enough time) doesn't mean you can't be fit.

Superfood: Bee Pollen, the energy elixir

DAY 2

One of my favorite words is ... energy!!! Electrifying, rejuvinating, vigor, liveliness, glorious energy. Who doesn't want that?? God wants us to have abounding energy so that we can love and serve Him better and He has put the most awesome foods on this planet for that purpose. I mean, who really likes feeling sluggish and tired, worn out and frazzled? NOT ME!!!
The raw food diet gives you SO much energy! My poor family has to tell me to settle down sometimes because I get a little, ahem, lively...but that's a thousand times better than feeling sick and slow! And I'm not saying that if you eat only raw you'll never feel tired again, believe me, there are times and circumstances where I'm exhausted and I'm eating raw, but you see, those times are fewer and farther between than it used to be! This is exciting! With the raw diet, energy is ours for the taking! Raw food gives life, it's full of life-giving enzymes, minerals, vitamins, so incredible.
Here's some great info about one of the exciting energy-infusing superfoods God has given us:


BEE POLLEN


It contains over 96 different nutrients, including every single nutrient needed to sustain life. This superfood is made up of 40% protein all usable by the body without any other breakdown or metabolism. It contains 22 amino acids, vitamin C, B-complex, folic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, enzymes, and carotene, all of the major antioxidants. In addition, it benefits your body with a number of vital trace elements that it can’t manufacture, but needs in order to stay healthy. These include iron, zinc, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Also it has vitamins B, E, D, selenium, lecithin, and cysteine which strengthen the immune system. It has been known to give endurance and energy and build resistance to allergies (because of the traces of substances which trigger allergies, like a shot, but it should be avoided by people who have an allergy or sensitivity to bee venom).

Bee pollen is a taste you have to let "grow" on you and until you like it by itself, put a bit in your daily smoothie or even a bit in your salad dressing (just not too much) as you blend it up. Perhaps in time, you'll like it on top of your raw ice-creams, smoothies, or salads even. I don't love the taste yet, but I don't mind eating it by itself, but like I said...it "grows "on you.

New Beginnings

DAY 1, (hurrah!!!)

Whenever I'm off an exclusive raw diet I miss it and I always get so excited when I start again. Tonight my family is having the most incredible, sinful ice-cream cake that I've ever set my eyes on and I'm not going to let it bother me in the least. I'm just going to enjoy extra big slice of my Banana Chocolate Cream cake from the The Sunny Raw Kitchen blog (bless her!)

I get so excited when I imagine what God will bring along this next year and it's so awesome to know He's in control and He has His perfect plan for me and my family.

My menu for today was:

Fruit till noon (pomegrante, kiwi, mandarin, banana)

Snacked on baby carrots and small bowl of salad

Supper was a big Caesar salad and then Carmella's cake