Raspberry Applesauce Popiscles

The days are getting warming, which means it will soon be popsicle weather! 

My children are hit or miss on eating applesauce but they love it in frozen form. This recipe is so easy to make and delicious! While you could use applesauce from a jar to make this in one step, fresh applesauce is worth the little bit of effort that it takes!

 

 

Raspberry Applesauce Popsicle Ingredients

-4 gala apples
-1/2 cup of water
-dash of cinnamon
-handful of raspberries, about a cup (fresh or frozen)

Directions
1. Cut and core the apple (peel if desired)

2.  Place in Instant Pot along with the water and cinnamon. Cook on manual mode high pressure for 10 minutes, use a quick release. Alternatively, simmer on the stovetop until apples are mushy and easy to blend.

3.  Use a blender or immersion blender to mix until smooth. Add the raspberries and mix until they are blended as well.

4. Allow to cool, pour into popsicle molds.

5. Freeze for a few hours if you want it to be slushy or overnight for a hard popsicle.

Chicken Patties (Whole 30 Approved)

These chicken burgers are adapted from the salmon cake recipe that you can find in the book "It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I'm not the biggest salmon fan, but I do like a quick meal that works well for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or best of all: brunch!

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of chunk chicken breast (I like the ones from Trader Joe's and Wegmans)
• 1 can of pumpkin or about 2 cups of cooked sweet potato (or other squash, butternut works well)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of almond meal or flour
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 4 teaspoons dried)
• 2 scallions, thinly chopped or 2 tablespoons of onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 3 teaspoons dried)  
• 1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or similar) 
• t teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• ghee or coconut oil to coat the pan
• optional: mustard, lemon juice, tartar sauce, lettuce

Directions:

 Preheat over to 350F

With a fork, stir the eggs in a large bowl until there is a bit of air mixed in with them. Mix the rest of the ingredients in and combine. Grease cookie sheet with oil or ghee. Scoop out with 1/3 cup measuring spoon onto cookie sheet and shape into patties.


Bake for 20minutes, then rotate pan (flip them if you feel ambitious). Bake for another 10minutes. Serve hot in a lettuce wrap with mustard or stick in your fridge to grab and go throughout the week!

Makes about 8-10 patties.

Cookies for Breakfast!

Oats + Almond Flour

 So lately I've really been enjoying these super easy, delicious oatmeal cookies.They are mostly pretty healthy ingredients so if you feel like eating cookies for breakfast, I say go for it....it's better than sugar-puffs! 

 

Usually I bake them, but in the summer heat I discovered they are also good simply frozen instead. Since there are no eggs in the batter, it's safe to eat raw!


 This recipe is for a double batch, but feel free to half it.

It's a pretty forgiving recipe so if you want to experiment a bit it will most likely still taste good. Case in point: if you like a fluffier cookie, add 3 eggs to the batter (but don't eat raw then!).

I like to mix up the extracts for a fun variety of cookie flavor!

Ingredients  (for double batch)

• 4 cups of rolled oats (I use Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats)
• 2 cups of almond meal/flour (Trader Joe's has some that isn't too expensive). You can also use another nut flour, rice flour, or whole wheat flour.
• 1 cup of shredded coconut (OPTIONAL)
• 2 tbs cinnamon
• dash of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon if you want to measure it out)
• 1 cup maple syrup (more or less to taste. Don't cut this too much though or the batter won't stick).
• 1 cup of coconut oil (or a light olive oil or sunflower oil)
• 2 tablespoons of extract. I like vanilla, almond, orange....feel free to mix and match here.
• 1 cup of walnuts (OPTIONAL)
• 1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips or raisins (OPTIONAL) 

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients, add in wet ingredients. Finally add in the nuts & chocolate chips or raisins. 

2. Put the batter in to the fridge for about 20minutes (this allows it to soften and hold together easier).

3. If baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

3. With your fingers or a melon-baller, roll batter into small balls. I like gum-ball sized cookies but you can make them larger if desired. 

4. Grease or line cookie tray with parchment paper. The double batch fills 2 cookie trays.

5. Either:

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until lightly brown around the edges. Cookies do not expand. You can't really under cook them but if you cook for too long they will dry out a bit so check often.

OR

Put cookie tray into freezer for about 3hours. Remove cookies and store in plastic bag or container.

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & grits are a total brunch comfort food, perfect for those chilly autumn mornings.

I've had this dish at a number of brunch spots, but decided to try and make my own at home. It's really easy to make and like the best brunch foods, good at any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 4 cups of water
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 clove raw garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 cup chopped broccoli (including stalk)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or juice of 1/2 small lemon)
• 2 cups of cooked shrimp (I used Trader Joe's frozen cooked shrimp)
• 1 cup of cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or mix of choice)
• butter to taste --about 4-5 nice big pats

Directions

Add salt & pepper to water and bring to a boil. Add in grits, turn heat to low, and stir to prevent lumps.

While the grits are cooking, heat oil and cook garlic & onion until they start to brown. Add in lemon juice & broccoli. Add in shrimp. Cook over a medium heat until broccoli is tender & shrimp is fully heated.

Once grits are cooked, turn off heat and add in the butter and cheese. Stir to combine. Pour grits into 4 bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve at once.

Serves: 4

Duck Egg Scramble

Farmers markets are wonderful things. The produce always lasts longer because it hasn't had to travel across the country and sit on a pallet before reaching you. The produce is always in season. Sometimes you run into a neighbor or friend. But my favorite thing about farmers markets is discovering new foods. 

Today I discovered duck eggs. The stand I was planning to buy chicken eggs from had run out, but they still had some duck eggs. A bit unsure of what to expect, I decided to take the plunge and try them! The people from Canter Hill Farm assured me that they were delicious -- richer than chicken eggs and good for baking.

They were right. I just made the most delicious, rich, amazing duck egg scramble. But don't take my word for it, try the recipe for yourself!

Duck Egg Scramble with pomegranate seeds

 

Duck Egg Scramble

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon of oil (I used coconut)
• 1 small bunch (about 1 cup) of raw broccoli, chopped (including the stock) 
• 1/4 cup raw cranberries, chopped
• 3 duck eggs
• ounce or two of cheddar cheese, crumbled (optional)
• lemon pepper 

 

Directions:

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, and stir until they start to slightly brown. Lower heat a little. Add the broccoli, and continue stirring. Add in cranberries.

Once the broccoli starts to tenderizer, push the veggie mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the 3 duck eggs in the space you created. Stir the eggs until it starts to be cooked. Add lemon pepper to egg mixture. Once eggs are almost cooked, blend with everything else. Once eggs are fully cooked, add the cheese and mix in to melt. Stir everything together over low heat for a few more seconds, and serve immediately with fresh fruit.

Serves: 1

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear & Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Before dining at Tapas on Main in Bethlehem, PA, I had never heard of Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup.  But it was so delicious that I had to try to make it myself!

Well I did, and a brunchmate who "doesn't eat soup" just inquired, "is there any more?"

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 ripe Bartlett pear
4-5 carrots
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cooked apple-chicken (or faux chicken) sausage, chopped (optional)
ground black pepper & slivered almonds for topping (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and cook until they start to caramelize. If using sausage, add it in now. Chop the pear into large chunks and add to pan.  Cook until pear starts to soften & becomes juicy. Break carrots into smaller pieces and add, turning off heat so they do not really cook yet.

In high speed blender (Vitamix is ideal), pour in vegetable broth. Then add in the pears, carrots, and onions. Retain approximately 1 tablespoon of the onions and the sausage.

If your Vitamix has a soup setting, run it on that. If not, then run mixture until smooth & creamy.

Once done, carefully remove lid and add in a dash more of salt to taste, the remaining onions, and the sausage. Pulse on low for about 10 seconds to combine.

If you've used the soup setting on Vitamix, pour into bowls and serve. Otherwise heat over stove and then serve. Top with ground pepper & almonds.

A sweet springtime soup that's sure to please! For a summertime meal it probably would also taste good as a chilled soup topped with Crème fraîche!

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

A recent visit to Lancaster County, PA reminded me of a dish that's quiet popular in this part of the world: baked oatmeal. For some reason I haven't found this treat on brunch menus....well, anywhere else that I can recall. I decided to try my own twist on the classic:

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups of oatmeal (GF brand--such as Bob's Red Mill--as needed)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/3 cup of maple syrup or 1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of coconut milk
*3 eggs 
3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or butter)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/3 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
fresh cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat over to 350 F.

Coat an 8x8 pan with coconut oil and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients.

Melt the coconut oil (or butter) and whisk together with the remaining wet ingredients (except for the cream).


Combine wet & dry ingredients, adding in the raspberries & chocolate. Pour into pan and bake for aproximately 40minutes. 

Serve warm with fresh cream.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish or dessert.

*(for vegan version, skip the eggs & add 1 extra cup of coconut milk & 1 tablespoon of chia gel) 

Whole 30 - Day 9 - Thanksgiving Cups

Today marks day 9 for my Whole30 eating.  

I adapted a twist on the "Egg muffin" recipe that I've kind of fallen in love with. The only thing that could possibly make these any better may be adding a bit of coconut milk to the batter, I'll have to experiment and let you know the results!

Thanksgiving Cups

Ingredients 

12 eggs
1 tablspoon of chopped onion
1 cup of ground turkey meat
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/4 cup cranberries (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
dash of salt
cupcake wrappers or extra oil to grease the pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
Caramelize the onions in coconut oil. Remove from pan and set aside. Add a little bit more oil and cook the turkey meat.

In a large bowl, whisk 12 eggs. Add in the onions, turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie spice & salt.  Pour into muffin tin (I used cupcake wrappers to make cleanup easier and better for eating on the go). 

Bake for approximately 20-30minutes. Allow to cool in the oven, or else your muffins will fall flat like mine did...

Enjoy these little bites of Thanksgiving on the spot, or store in air-tight container in the fridge. 

Whole 30 - Day 7

Scrambled Eggs with Onions and Avocado

 Day 7 of Whole30 eating. 

 For breakfast I cooked red onions and garlic powder up with some coconut oil. Once they had started to caramelize (about 3 minutes over medium heat), I added 4 eggs and stirred until almost mostly cooked.  In the last minute I added 1/2 of a ripe avocado.
Served with 1/3 can of pineapple chunks. Drained the pineapple juice and squeezed some fresh lime into it.  Delicious and filling! 

Kiwi, carrot, nuts

Lunch today was a bit skimpy. I had planned to make something else, but forgot to cook it and got hungry first. Really more of a snack, but it filled me enough until dinner. 1 carrot, 1 kiwi, and about 1 cup mix of almonds, pistachios, and macadamia nuts.





 

For dinner, I cooked swordfish for the first time ever using this recipe: Swordfish with Avocado Salsa. The avocado that I had was starting to go bad, and I did not have much avocado to add so I also threw in the rest of the canned pineapple, really good!

I also made the most delicious creamed cauliflower ever.





CREAMY CAULIFLOWER

Take 1 head of cauliflower, broken into flourets and steam it until tender. Remove and throw into vitamix or blender. Add water or canned coconut milk as needed to blend. Blend with salt, pepper, and garlic power until creamy and smooth.

White Pumpkin Pie

Cooked White Pumpkins

I've been on a pumpkin pie kick lately. I've also been eating gluten-free. I'm not the biggest fan of gluten-free crusts, but I found a recipe for a pretty mean crust-less pumpkin pie.  I played around with the recipe a bit and my latest version is made with white pumpkin. That's right, they're not just decorative, white pumpkins are edible.

Ingredients 

 2 cups of cooked white pumpkin (or 1 can of regular pumpkin)
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk 
1/2 cup of condensed milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
4 tablespoons of flour (either gluten-free, rice, spelt, or regular)
4 tablespoons of maple syrup (or more if you like your pie super sweet)
optional: 1 small slice of fresh ginger (about size of top part of pinky finger)

Directions

If using a raw pumpkin, slice it in half. Remove the seeds and rise them in cool water.

You can cook the pumpkin seeds too --toss them with salt, pepper, and coconut oil and place on cookie sheet. They take about 15minutes to brown and crisp up and are super tasty!

Be sure to cook open side down so they don't dry out!

Pie Before Baking

Remove all the stringy parts and throw them out. Cover the pumpkin with oil or butter and place open side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 30-45minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and the skin peels easy. Remove the skin. 

In a high powered blender, mixer or vitamix combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into greased pie pan.  Cook at 350F for 1 hour, turning once.







Cool & serve with fresh whipped cream.

Looks a little like cheesecake, but tastes like pumpkin!

Spring Rolls

Spring Roll with Peanut Sauce

I've never made spring rolls before, but we had some rice paper waiting to be used. 

Turns out, rice paper is a lot easier to work with than I had imagined. These spring rolls take about 20minutes to make, but if you're faster at wrapping than I am, it could probably be done in less time. This recipe makes eating raw cabbage actually enjoyable.

Ingredients

• Rice Paper
• Warm Water (in a pan)
• 1/4 head of cabbage
• 1/4 fresh mango
• 2 tablespoons of chopped onion
• 1 carrot, julienned
• splash of soy sauce
• dipping sauce (peanut or sweet chili)
  

  
  
  
  Directions

  
  
  1. Julianne the carrot, chop the onion & the cabbage.
     
     
     
     

     

     Julianne a carrot

     
     

     
     
     
     

     

     Combine carrot, cabbage & onion with soy sauce

     
     

  2.  Combine in bowl and toss with a splash of soy sauce. Set aside.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  3.  Slice avocado and mango into thin strips. 
  
  

  

  avocado and mango strips

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Rice Paper

  

  Dip rice paper in water

  
  
  4. Take the rice paper and dip into water. Keep under water for 15-30sec.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5. Remove the rice paper from the water and place on a plate. Allow a few seconds for it to continue to soften & become a little sticky before adding your filling. Add a small handful of the carrot-cabbage slaw and then 3-4 slices of mango and avocado on top. 
  
  
  
  

  

  Add your filling in the middle

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Fold one side over

  

  Fold the two ends ups

  
  
  6.  Fold one side over, like in the photo.
  
  7. Fold the two ends up. and then fold the remaining side up and over like a package.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   8. Place on a plate in the refrigerator. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Prepared spring rolls can keep for a few hours in the fridge

  
  
   9. Serve with dipping sauce. I recommend either peanut (pictured) or sweet chili dipping sauce.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Spring Roll with Dipping Sauce

  
  This recipe makes approximately 10 spring rolls. You can either eat immediately or store in the fridge for up to 24hours.  Enjoy!
  
  
  
  

Tasting Table's Cocoa-Bean Smoothie

In the mood for something sweet but trying to eat healthy? Try this amazing Cocoa-Bean Smoothie recipe from the Tasting Table. It's so richly super chocolatey that it's hard to believe it's filled with beans!


For an added kick, add a teaspoon of chili powder before blending and a dusting of cinnamon on top.

• INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 ripe banana, peeled (preferably frozen or semi-frozen)
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed
⅓ cup chocolate-flavored rice milk  (Brunch Philly used coconut milk instead)
2 teaspoons honey
3 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. To a blender jar, add the banana, black beans, rice milk, honey, ice cubes and cocoa-water mixture. Blend on medium speed to incorporate, then increase the speed to high and blend until smooth and frothy, about 2 minutes. Pour into a tall glass and serve. 
Calories per Serving: 327; Sodium: 34mg; Total Carbohydrate: 73g; Fiber: 12g; Fat: 3g

Cherry Chia Cereal

Cherry Chia Cereal

This cereal is super easy to make. The chia has a slightly nutty consistency to it. If Grape-Nuts and oatmeal had a baby, it might taste a little something like this. Well, this probably tastes better. But you get the idea.

Depending on the color of your chia seeds, your cereal may look be a different color, but the taste should be similar.

Ingredients

•  1/4 cup of raw chia seeds 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 tablespoon of coconut butter. I used Artisana Organic Raw Coconut Butter 
• A handful of dried cherries
• other fruit & nuts as desired 
• raw honey as desired
• spices (sea salt, cinnamon) to taste 

Mix the chia seeds with the water and the coconut butter. Allow to sit for approximately 5minutes, stirring once or twice. Mix in the extras and enjoy! It's as simple as that. 

Pasta Everyone Can Eat

Recently a brunchmate made the most delicious pasta for me. It was made entirely out of...wait for it...zucchini! ("zuculini")

At first I wasn't sure what to expect. Quiet honestly, I wasn't expecting to love it. But if you are hesitant as well, then clearly you haven't tasted it.




This dish is so delicious that I ran out and bought a julienne shredder to be able to make it. Here is my own twist on the original:


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of chopped sweet onions
1 teaspoon of ghee
1 medium zucchini
2 shiitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon (or to taste) sea salt


Julienne the zucchini while heating ghee & slightly caramelizing onions over medium heat. Add zucchini & shiitake slices. Add dash of salt or other spices to taste. Add splashes of water & also adjust heat to keep from sticking to the pan or burning. Serve as is, or grate cheese on top.

Serves one.

Portabella Stir Fry

This woodsy, crunchy, stir fry is super easy to make and even easier to eat. Serve it as is, or over rice or quinoa.






Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil
1 portabella mushroom (with stem), cleaned & gently salted
1 carrot
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1/2 cup of shelled edamame


Chop the carrot into small pieces and set aside in the soy sauce.
Heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over medium heat until melted. Add the chopped garlic, stirring often.
Chop the mushroom into small pieces and add to the pan, continuing to stir. Once mushrooms darken in color and begin to shrink in size, add the carrots in soy sauce & the edamame. Continue to stir. When cooked, the mushrooms will be a very dark brown, almost black color throughout. Remove from heat and serve.

Serving size: 1.

Sauteed Portobello with Mashed Rutabaga and Orange Cranberry Sauce

Sauteed Portobello with Rutabaga Mash & Orange Cranberry sauce is a delicious wintertime meal.
It is hearty enough to stick to your bones, but not so caloric as to ruin any New Year's Resolutions.

Mashed Rutabaga is a nice change from traditional mashed potatoes. Flavor-wise they are slightly sweeter than white potatoes but not as sweet as yams.


Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries
about 1 cup of orange juice
1-4 tablespoons of maple syrup


Rinse cranberries & put into pot. Add enough orange juice to cover about half-way (about 1 cup). Add sweetener to taste (keep in mind that as the sauce reduces, the flavors become a bit sweeter, so you can always add more at the end too!) . Cover and heat on simmer for about 30minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping an eye that it does not boil over. Once thick, side aside to cool. Or serve warm over ice cream.

Rutabaga Mash

Ingredients:

3 medium sized fresh rutabaga
about 1/3 cup of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 cup of sour cream (or vegan alternative if desired)
sea salt
lemon pepper
cheddar cheese (or other) as desired

Clean rutabata and cut off any rough parts. Slice into 1/2" chunks. Simmer, covered, in salt water until soft throughout. Transfer to blender or food processor. Add sour cream & milk, as needed, to blend.



Add salt & lemon pepper to taste. Once smooth, transfer back to pot. If desired, add cheese. Heat over low until warm & melted.


Sauteed Portobello

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of ghee (or vegan alternative)
2 portobello mushrooms
sea salt



Melt ghee (ghee is clarified butter--it can withstand high heat cooking and adds a great flavor!). Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring often, until onions start to turn clear & caramelize.

Clean the mushrooms and gently salt them. If there are stems, slice them off and add to the onions (they taste really good!) Add mushrooms to pan, stem side down, keeping heat low. Stir occasionally, to keep onions & mushrooms from burning. Turn once.



As mushrooms cook, they will start to brown & release water. Turn heat up a bit to burn off the water, stirring constantly. The center of the mushroom will go from white to brown once cooked.



Rutabaga mash & cranberry sauce serves 4.
Portobello Saute serves 2.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge: Retrospective

Eating raw this week was a lot easier than I expected it to be. A lot more enjoyable too. And I feel really good. No food comas, or mid-afternoon slumps. No extreme cravings or that feeling of hunger that inexplicably remains sometimes after consuming a high calorie meal.



Yesterday I ate a brownie bite that looked fantastic, but after a week of eating unprocessed raw foods it tasted gross. I almost spit it out because of the super-sugary-preservative-flavor it delivered. I did not intend to stay on a totally raw diet, and I haven't, but in the two days since the challenge ended I chose to eat totally raw for both breakfast & lunch. And I have a feeling that I may continue to keep that up. If you've ever considered eating a diet of simply raw foods, I encourage you to try it (I'm not a doctor or dietitian, so you may want to talk with yours first). Even if you're not up for a radical change, try eating raw for one meal a day. You may be surprised at how energized you feel.

One of the best things I discovered about trying a raw diet is how many vegetables, fruits and nuts I've overlooked. For instance, I discovered that burdock root isn't half bad when chopped up with carrot sticks & served with dip (pictured above). And I've also discovered that eating raw doesn't have to be super complicated and you don't need to run out and buy any special kitchen gadgets to do it.



At the end of the day, moderation in any food choices seems to make the most sense. And perhaps that's what I liked about eating raw, it encouraged me to incorporate new foods and expand my diet.


Almost Raw Salad

Ingredients
3-4 cups of spinach
1-2 leaves of swiss chard
handful of raspberries
1oz soft herb goat cheese
1 cup adzuki beans
1/4 cup of mango chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup pomegranates
juice of 1/2 a lime


Rise & dry greens. Break cheese into small pieces & coat the greens. Mix together all the other ingredients and squeeze lime juice over everything.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 6

Day 6. I had a smoothie with fruit & greens for breakfast. Raw trek mix, fruit & honey for lunch, and raw guacamole with Brad's Sun Dried Tomato Chips. I don't really like these chips on their own, but with the right pairing the flavor explodes. They are really good with guacamole.




Raw Guacamole

Ingredients
1 avocado
juice from 1/2 fresh lime
lemon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped onion (optional)
dash of sea salt (optional)

Mash everything together until smooth & creamy. Serves 1-2.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 5

Day 5. I was not very hungry today. Not sure why. But I felt satisfied by all that I did eat, and when I broke down the nutritional information for today, I was a little low on protein but otherwise good.

Breakfast was kombucha and some clementines.






For lunch, I ate this:



For dinner I had leftover salad, some Go Raw Trek Mix, a bit more cheese & honey, and this smoothie:


Ingredients
1 banana
handful of frozen strawberries
handful of frozen blueberries
1 cup of spinach
1 container of TJ's mango puree
1 tbs. of ground flaxseed
coconut water (less water='soft serve style' more water='drinkable')
pomegranate seeds

Blend everything except for the pomegranate seeds. Pour into glass & sprinkle seeds on top.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 4

Day four started with oatmeal. Soaked oats are not at all like cooked oatmeal that's cold. When you eat cooked oatmeal when it's cold, it's usually a solid lump. Raw soaked oatmeal's texture is much more like hot oatmeal. But you need to plan ahead on this one for it to turn out right.



Ingredients:

1/4 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup of water
dash of cinnamon
raw honey to taste
fresh or dried berries


1 day before you want to eat it, mix the oatmeal, water and cinnamon. When blended, put into the fridge. Give it a stir once or twice over the next 24 hours. The next morning add the berries & eat!


For lunch I had almonds, clementines, honeycomb, and cheese.
And for dinner I made a salad:


Ingredients:
about 2 cups of spinach
lemon-cashew dressing (See: the "pasta sauce" recipe from Day 3's dinner)
handful of raspberries
handful of blueberries
carrot
grape tomatoes


Toss everything together & coat with the lemon-cashew dressing.