Fruity Delights

For simply ages I have been wanting to make the famous Concord Grape Sorbet from "Raw Food, Real World", so when Dad brought home a box of them, I was absolutely buzzing. Just 'cuz summer is gone, doesn't mean we can't be transported to the tropics through a fantastical, creamy delight.

I didn't have any agave, so I used maple syrup...basically, I have discovered, if you want to make a smooth, silky fruit ice-cream or sorbet all you need is:

• A fruit (I want to try not just berries, but banana, orange, apple, cantaloupe, pomegranate, and lemon)
• A sweetener (Agave, honey, maple syrup, or perhaps dates)
• Liquid base (water, nut milk, or a juice)

All you need to do is blend up your concoction, strain it through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag (I actually use a paint strainer bag that I got at a hardware store, works great) to get the seeds out (I don't think you need to, if you use bananas or cantaloupe). Then you just pop it into your ice-cream maker for 10-20 minutes or so.

Last night was my Mom's birthday...we went to the city, did some bowling (I lost royally, as usual), and then headed over to Montana's for supper. I ordered a blueberry balsamic salad and guess what I found in my salad? Purslane! I thought it was the coolest thing ever...that mainstream restaurants have put wild weeds in their menu. It was the first time I've ever eaten it in a salad actually and now I'm stoked about putting them in our own salads at home. Yay for Montana's!

And I'm so proud of my Dad...he's really gotten into green tea...replacing his usual ice-tea (sugary stuff) and hot cappachino or hot chocolate drinks with it. Granted, he still drinks the others, but not very often anymore. Yay Daddy!!!

Happy News

I'm so pumped about one of the most recent additions to our kitchen. We got (finally!) an Excalibur Dehydrator! I've been wanting one of these for years, always sighing over it when I saw a picture of one or people writing recipes that seemed to always include the famous Excalibur.

And I can see why it's so famous now. It's really amazing! We use to have a little round one, with the trays with holes in them. The heat was so hot, I was afraid that it was "cooking" rather than "un-cooking". When we made raw pizza rounds, they may have been round, but the hole in the middle was most inconvenient. And I always had to switching around the trays so that the heat was evenly distributed. Often in the night I'd get up to check on my raw creations (setting my alarm) because I had to make sure I didn't over dry things. And to top it all, I had to stop using down to basically nothing, because the electricity bill went up because of it.

Sigh...this one is a dream. Beautiful, huge square trays (9 of them, we got the biggest) that fit scads and scads of things, no hole in the middle. I don't have to switch trays because the heat of it is even distributed. I don't have to babysit the thing, because it has an adjustable timer. And hurrah! The Excalibur is really good on electricity and doesn't cost barely anything to run.

I love that thing! But despite my evident love for it, my Mom has been using it more than I have been. Lately, I've been wanting more fresh fruits and foods, or just not heaps of it...going more for the lighter stuff.

Last night she made fruit leather and has been drying apples. We've been doing pears, bananas, and all sorts of lovely fruits in there. I'm looking forward to culturing and making homemade yogurt in there too.

But there's more happy news, at least for me...yesterday I was SO SO SO tickled pink to find out that on Raw Epicurian's Blog I had won a book by Matthew Kenney! I've only won one other contest in my life, so I'm pretty excited. I just love the work that M.K. does, he's inspiring. Ingrid is such a sweetie to do all those contests.

Running is going okay too...I'm such a baby beginner and I feel like I'm gonna kill myself when I run, but afterwards...mwah! It's like a clean energy burning through you. Not like I should deserve that energetic feeling, now...the furthest I've run is 3 K. But I'm celebrating my victories and trying to make it fun. Maybe someday soon I'll be running 10 K...like my amazing older brothers (who are into running).

What's some of the most amazing things you like to make in the Dehydrator? (I want some more lovely ideas)

Running Aspirations

I've taken up running this summer, very casually. I'm just a beginner and I'm not sure I even like running too much (but I'm liking it better lately, thanks to my new Nike+ shoes), but oh! I love the feeling afterwards. I don't run very far yet, but even if it's just 2 k. I feel so good afterwards. Usually the rest of the day I feel very alert, energetic, and all "buzzy" inside (does that make sense?).

We had a bit of family reunion in the late summer, and nearly each morning I would run with my brother. That was a lot of fun...as he lives far away from us, I don't spend heaps of time with him (sniff!). He is such a dear, he took pity on my running in flip flops (yes! I did that...don't laugh) because I didn't have any runners. He helped me buy a pair of the dreamy Nike+ shoes. They're awesome! You have a sensor in your shoe and a connector to your i-pod. It tells you how far you go, your pace, calories burned, and as you listen to music with the i-pod, a voice will come through to tell you how far you've gone and how many minutes are remaining. It's the most amazing thing ever and I'm having fun with it.

I used to run my short little distances (I'm not very good yet, lol) with flip flops, no music, and it was not as much fun, to say the least. Now I'm enjoying myself much more.

After I do exercise (like running) in the morning I usually crave something hardier than juice, but yet light, cold, and refreshing...something like a smoothie. I did this one yesterday after a run. It's got lots of the needed things that your body wants after exertion.

Runner's Smoothie

1-2 pears

1 banana (frozen)

1/2 c. pitted dates (I used honey dates)

about 6 ice cubes

a liquid base of apple juice (preferably unpasteurized)

Blend up and guzzle down. I love, love, love the pear taste in this smoothie! It truly tastes oh-so-good!!!

What do you like doing for exercise?

Best Face Mask

....and though it's not a raw mask made from the usual honey, fruit, or veggie mask, I think it's truly the funnest thing ever. It's just Miracle Whip...or mayonnaise!

Here's the how-to:

Spread a teaspoon of MW on your face and leave on for 10 minutes. Then you rub your face for a couple minutes in circular motions. Lots of rubbery balls will come off your face...this is dead skin and MW. I know it's gross...but after you rub your face for a bit and then wash with your regular face wash, your skin is all pink, silky, and soft and it's definitely worth it.

Some people say that the reason it exfoliates so well is because of the vinegar in the MW. I don't know exactly what it is, even though I analyzed the bottle of MW, but I've heard of those people who don't want MW on their face trying olive oil mixed with ACV (apple cider vinegar). I haven't tried it yet, but that might be worth a shot too. I'm thinking homemade mayonnaise might work well too.

So have fun...sometimes just doing a pedicure or a mask can make you feel all spoiled and beautiful. Everyone needs that...

About a week or so ago, I got Disqus...faithfully obeying the call of duty that Drumhil suggested. I suggest all you other bloggers get it too....makes life so much easier for people who aren't on blogger to comment on your blog and you to comment on theirs. I'm going to see if I can convince my sister to get Disqus, I'm so happy with it.

Today I started off my day with Natalia Rose's famous Green Lemonade. Mmmmm!!! I love that stuff...so divine. You feel invincible when you drink green juice, like you're a superhero, infusing yourself with drinkable energy and power for adventures ahead. I always feel so good when I start my day with juices (and smoothies) and fruit till at least noon. I'm trying to make it a lifelong habit, not a rule (cuz' sometimes you do want something else). And I think it's one of the best things you can do if you're trying to be healthier. Juices and fruits till noon take little to no energy to digest, leaving your body (which has been cleansing all night) to detox several hours more. It does a body good. :)

We did it...I'm sick...and the best face mask in the world

How's that for a random, disjointed title? I need to learn more about "case and point".

Anywhoo, Anne-Marie and I finished our 25 day RAW challenge and had SO much fun. Now that we're done...I'm excited about eating more raw food in addition to what other food I eat. I'm not a 100% raw girl or an extreme-ist, but I certainly do love the beauty of raw and living foods.

The day that we finished our 25th day I got so, so sick...I barely ever, ever get sick and here I had been eating mostly all raw. I figure it was just a very tired me that was susceptible to germs...that day we were up almost 22 hours because we were doing a concert over 6 hours away. We drove up and back in one day, not to mention the actual concert, set up, and tear down. I think not getting much sleep lately, singing in the freezing cold (it was a tented concert for a children's home), and whatnot that made me feel so bad. Although Annie didn't have a problem...

I absolutely adore raw, but to be blunt, I often feel a lot better when I balance a lots and lotsa raw diet with other non-raw, healthy food such as brown rice, our organic wheat bread we grow on our property and then make ourselves, steamed veggies, eggs and tomatoes on sprouted toast, or yogurt with fruit. These 25 days have been so good for me...I loved them, but I've come to the conclusion that I could never be a raw fanatic (like so many amazing blogger friends who I love). It's just not me...I can do it a while...but in the long run, it's not my character. I love to make gourmet food, I love preparing healthy food for my family, I love helping out with menu planning, I love arranging things to make it look truly beautiful, and I love the smell of garlic gently simmering on the stove. And there's something great about awareness and balance that I really love...eating raw food and balancing it with other things you love too. I think it's all about where you feel your best at, where you love where you are and what you're doing.

These last few days I've been glad that I was done raw, because when I get sick...I love my herbal teas and my toast. That makes me feel good. I've also been downing water by buckets and fruit by the bushel (well, not quite). Young coconuts are amazing for you when you feel under the weather, as well as coconut oil. I ate one the other day and as well as drinking the water I ate the succulent, pudding-like meat. Oops...my family loves raw chocolate pudding and Mom was hoping we can make it with the meat. Today she's going to pick up another. I only have a few days left till our next concert, so I have to hurry and get better. My Daddy is such an angel...He went shopping for us and picked up heaps and heaps of fruit, so we could all keep healthy.

Here's Anne-Marie (my raw partner) with her closing thoughts for the time being:

"Well, I finished my 25 days of raw, and I'm sooo very glad I did it, even though at times, I was just dying for a piece of bread or a big bite of real chocolate. The discipline of it all was very beneficial for me and now that I'm off raw I kind of miss that structured style of eating. Nonetheless, I'll still be eating lots of raw (I love the light feeling it gives!) with my sister!!"

...Oh, and as for the face mask...well, you'll just have to wait till my next post. I'm serious though...I've tried LOTS of homemade face masks and have never seen such instant results as this one. It's amazing and I'm using it all the time now. It's the most surprising ingredient I have ever heard of as a mask and it's not very popular. Till then...

Avacado Dressing

DAY 19

And once again, things are going swimmingly. We were gone for the weekend singing, just got back home last night, and it was a fun challenge to eat raw while we were gone. Some cooked food did enter our system, but not very much...so I think we did jolly well.

I truly thought fall was here to stay, but I guess not. Today is so hot, so beautifully "summery"...so I'm soaking up any rays of bright sunshine however I can. Already I did some lawn mowing (probably the last of the season) and it felt so good to be outdoors, without bundling up. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the cozy-ness of autumn, wrapping up in warm blankets with tea in one hand and a good book in the other, to writing and reading a bit more, and getting caught up with preparations for Thanksgiving, which, for us Canadians, isn't very far off. I just love how the Lord changes the seasons just when you're ready for a change.

Anne-Marie ~ "Eating raw continues to go well, and I certainly am enjoying this time of feeling lighter, weighing less and eating live foods that enrich my body. We were gone during the weekend singing and consumed lots of fruit and salads while away. It can be harder to go raw while away from home, as your options are limited even more, but at least Charissa and I were in it together. Only 6 more days to go!!!"

Dill Dream

1 avocado

2 tsp. dried dill

1/3 c. olive oil

2 T. apple cider vinegar (I actually used Kombucha)

2 tsp. honey (or agave)

a few rounds of course sea salt

1/3 c. water

Blend all, but the oil together and then slowly add the oil in last. Use this as a dip for veggies or a dressing on salads.

I just ADORE avocados and just love their versatility. I've used them for not just dips and dressings, but puddings and shakes, adding them for their creaminess.

What do you like to do with your avocados?

Strawberry Cream Shake

As I promised...here is the shake that I fell in love with...mmmm! I know it's pretty basic, and maybe everyone in the raw world has made it, but it was just so amazing I have to write it down anyway, lol.

Strawberry Cream Shake

Almond Milk (as much as you want to drink)

4-5 big, frozen strawberries

1 tsp. honey (optional, depending if you like it sweeter)

the tiniest pinch of pink salt

2 TB. yogurt (I put some links to raw yogurt on the bottom of the page)

2-4 ice-cubes

Now blend and blend. Pour into a sparkling glass and garnish with a fat, juicy strawberry.

This is our 16th day...and it's going great. We've been having way too much fun picking out recipes that are special, as well as the daily things such as salads and smoothies. Some of the things we've been enjoying are raw oatmeal with almond milk (like this morning), chocolate pudding, ice-creams with chocolate sauce (we're hopeless chocoholics...never to be cured), caramel apple dip, cheesecake, and all sorts of amazing raw dressings.

Note from Anne-Marie:

"It's the 16th raw day for me and I continue to go on with the encouragement of my darling sis Charissa! Lately, I've been struggling with wanting to eat cooked food (the aromas from the kitchen can be so tantalizing) but I'm determined to do the 25 days raw and keep on. Charissa has made it such fun with special desserts she's made, smoothies, main dishes etc. Tonight we're going to have raw tacos and I'm quite excited about them. I do want to be good and hungry for them tonight, so I must not have too much for lunch. Going on raw has been so good for me in learning more self-control and even in just cleansing my body. I also am glad to have shed some pounds. Yay! Until next time..."

Yummy Yogurt

Pine Nut Yogurt

Coconut Yogurt

Cashew Yogurt