Raw Food At It's Easiest!

Raw food can be a lot of things. It can be complex, detailed, tasty and delicious. It can also be easy. Easy works for me this week, as many of you busy moms know, time is limited some days. Other days I have lots of time to play and experiment in the kitchen and make detailed creations. Don't get me wrong, I love those days and I have quite a few of them. However there are days well.... you know? Days were the clock goes faster than you thought possible.

But please don't grab for the undesirables on these days. You can actually still eat really well on these hectic days. They may just be in the form of a blended juice or a quick salads like this one.




I have been making a ton of salads and veggie plates this week because I have been multi tasking a little more than I normally do. Who would have thought that was possible. Anyways, I have been so inspired and in love with making "crazy salads" this week. They have been filling, messy and quick, but oh so yummy.

As long as you have a plentiful supply of vegetables and some staples on hand, you can make a super charged salad in a few minutes. Here are a couple of mine from the weekend. Be warned I am on a zucchini kick this week.


Veggie Plate # 1:



Chopped Spinach
Sliced Beets
Sauerkraut (Bubbies)
Sliced Zucchini
Chopped Tomatoes
Sprinkle of Kelp Powder
Sprinkle with a little Sea Salt or Himalayan salt

Process the beets and zucchini in a food processor. Do a large quantity so you will have lots for the week. Decorate you plate to make it visually appealing. Add bunches of veggies. You can use carrots, parsnip, broccoli or kale. I don't put any dressing on my salads lately. However you could always mix a little oil, apple cider vinegar, sweetener and spices for your own creation.

Salad Plate # 2 Or Nacho Plate:





Sliced Zucchini
Guacamole (avocado, lime and sea salt)
Sunflower Seed Cheese (sunflower seeds,lemon juice, tamari, garlic)
Sliced Red Pepper
Cilantro (chopped and sprinkled on top)
Nutritional Yeast

I used this plate while I was watching one of my season finale's last week. (Sorry just could not give up my shows). I added some salsa and it was so yummy and actually very filling. Love guilt free eating. The sky is the limit with what you want to add to this plate.

Then of course who could forget the green juice. This little glass of green liquid can help give you a good energy punch. This is always a staple in my home. I added arugula to my regular mixture of kale, lemon and apples. Not bad at all. Arugula is a good source of sulfur, so it is great for your skin, hair and nails. A powerhouse veggie that you will want to pick up or even start to grown.




What are your favourite salads? Do you have any ingredients that you always turn to when you are pressed for time? Love to hear from you.

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Nut Smoothies & Goji Chia Jam

One of my favourite things to drink besides a fresh green juice is a nut based smoothies. I haven't had one for a while and after I made one this week, I could not figure out why I haven't been making this.

I think this is also a great drink to share with your friends who have never tried raw food or drinks. If you have someone who is skeptical that raw food tastes good then this is one to share. I love nut "mylk" because they are so nutritious and filled with trace minerals. They taste amazing and they don't have any negative anti-nutrients in them. They are not filled with sugars, chemicals or other additives.



This week I have made an Almond & Brazil Nut Smoothie and Protein Smoothie.

For almond milk, you will need to soak the almonds overnight. Put them in water before you go to bed and drain them and rinse them in the morning. Then you are ready to start. I use a Vitamix so I have some pretty powerful blending happening. However, you could use whatever blender you have on hand.

Almond & Brazil Nut Goodness:

1 cup almonds soaked and drained
5-6 Brazil nuts
Frozen banana
1 date (pitted)
Vanilla- I use powdered organic vanilla that is lovely.
Water

First add water to your blender with the nuts. Blend until the nuts are liquefied. You will need to strain the mixture with a nut bag. You will need to strain the mixture with a nut bag. Once you have strained you nut milk put the pulp aside for another dish. DON'T THROW THIS OUT. If you don't know what you are going to use it for you can freeze it. Add the milk back into the blender and add the rest of the ingredients.

I didn't put the exact measurements, because you can play around with the amount of dates and banana to get the sweetness you would like. As well if you are on a budget add a little more water to make the nut milk or "mylk" stretch.

Bring on the protein:

Later in the week I was feeling a little tired and this was in part due to the fact that I was rushing around doing to many things. Now who can relate to that? So I choose an nice protein packed smoothie to give me a lift. I am so loving Sunwarrior protein. I will give you my honest opinion, that I think it is the best out there. In this drink, you can not taste anything but pure goodness.

Vanilla Protein Punch:

1 scoop Vanilla Sunwarrior Raw Protein
Frozen Banana
Hemp Seeds
Vanilla (powdered vanilla)
2 spoons or almond butter
Water




This had the same amazing profile of the almond & brazil nut smoothie, however it was packed with a protein punch. Enjoy and take a moment to relax while sipping on this.


Now on to Goji Jam:

I have been eating a lot of goji jam this week. One raspberry and goji jam, one orange and goji jam and one ginger jam. However I think the best profile is with orange. If you don't like the goji flavour, then the raspberry mixture is a good one to choose. I originally got this idea from David Wolfe's recipe. However, I felt like trying something a little different.



Blyssful Health Goji Chia Jam:

1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 to 1 whole date (I don't have a huge sweet tooth, so you can up the dates to your liking)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup of chopped orange segments
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp of fruit zest (I used lemon and orange)
1 tbs of chia seeds soaked for a minute in 1 tbs water
pinch of salt (optional)
1/2 tsp coconut oil( optional)

Soak the goji berries in the freshly squeezed orange juice. Let the date sit in the water as well. I let it sit for about an hour or more. Place the goji berries and the liquid in your food processor. Add in the fresh orange segments and blend until smooth.Then stir in the lemon juice, fruit zest and chia seed mixture. You can add a pinch of salt. If you find the jam is to thick add a little more orange juice to the mixture. I also added about half a spoon of coconut oil to my mixture at the end.

If you want to hide the goji flavour, add some frozen raspberries to the mixture. You may need to add another date.

You can eat this on it's own, put it on some raw crackers or even use it in a salad.



Enjoy.

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