Embracing My Health

Fresh figs are appearing and I bought my first batch this past week. I’ll confess that I’ve never had a fresh fig until now. Figs are a great nutritionally!

• high mineral content, filled with potassium, calcium, iron and trace manganese
• high fiber
• good source of flavonoid and polyphenols (plant-based antioxidants)

I bought enough figs that I knew I would need to find a smoothie recipe to help me use them up. After some poking around online and experimenting on my own, I discovered a smoothie that was, to the taste buds, Christmas in August. So here it is, the recipe for “Green Eggnog!” Enjoy!

Healthy Green Eggnog Recipe

• 4 fresh figs
• 1 1/2 bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups water
• large handful of greens (I used spring mix greens)
• vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

If you try it, let me know what you think!!

Embrace Love and Life. Embrace Your Health!

Today was, for us Pacific Northwestern folks, uncomfortably hot.   By mid-afternoon, I was wilting.  Because of my recent oral surgery, I still can’t chew vegetables.  To get my desired quota, I’ve been making an extra green smoothie each day.  Today’s smoothie creation was MOST welcome! I’ve dubbed this smoothie “Super Fresh Raspberry Refresher!”   Made with all locally grown (and most of it picked just this morning!) produce…

Ingredients:

• heaping cup of fresh raspberries,
• a medium cucumber
• 6 large leaves of red buttercrunch lettuce
• cinnamon and a little stevia to taste
• 2 cups of water

Pile in blender and presto!  Green smoothies are not only easy and delicious – and so very, very good for you!!  This one for example…  has

• 11 grams of fiber
• 4 grams of protein
• 42% RDA of Vitamin A
• 104% RDA of Vitamin C
• 10% RDA of Calcium
• 14% RDA of Iron
• as well as a great source of magnesium, potassium and additional trace vitamins and minerals!

You can’t go wrong.

Try it!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

For more about green smoothies and more tasty smoothie recipes, click here!

Embrace Love and Life. Embrace Your Health!

I got a great question from Catherine about whether you can add cilantro to green smoothies. Brilliant question and, more than that… GREAT IDEA! Absolutely yes on the cilantro! Cilantro isn’t just yummy, but very good for us too! Cilantro is great for us. The list of health benefits is impressive!

• rich in phytonutrients, flavonoids and active phenolic acid compounds
• facilitates heavy metal detoxification
• stimulates and improves digestion
• eliminates bad bacteria, like salmonella
• improves mood
• fights inflammation and free radicals
• high in vitamin A and lutein

That’s a lot of health punch for such a tasty herb! As for recipes… Victoria includes this recipe in her book:

2 1/2 cups of spinach
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 lime (juiced)
1 tsp stevia (1 green leaf)
3 roma tomatoes
2 cups water

Makes 1 quart.

I found these doing an online search:

1 tbsp agave syrup
1 grapefruit
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 banana

Another one that’s similar (that I think I’m going to try tomorrow):

Pink grapefruit or if unavailable, an orange (peeled)
Cucumber (peeled)
Cilantro (1/2 a bunch)
Half a lime (juiced)
2 slices of pineapple
1 tbsp agave syrup
Vanilla extract (to taste)
Big pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt (to taste)

Let me know if you try any and what you think.

Thanks Catherine for stopping in and the question! You’ve inspired me to make a cilantro smoothie tomorrow morning!

Embrace Love, Embrace Life, Embrace Your Health!

Posted for Evan.  Evan mentioned he’s been interested in trying raw food and has been debating about either adding in raw foods or going “gung-ho.”  Like I told Evan, for many people, going gung-ho can actually be too hard on the body. I’d suggest starting by adding in green smoothies each day. I’ve discovered this myself and have read again and again… Raw food is a journey. Definitely start by adding in raw foods. As you transition more and more to raw food will definitely change your health and how you feel. That’s been my experience (in a big way!). Thanks Evan for your comment! Keep me posted on what you do and how it works for you.

For a more in depth conversation on green smoothies and their health benefits, I highly recommend reading Victoria’s book Green for Life.

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As the Russian proverb says: New- is something old, that has been long forgotten. This summer I re-discovered green smoothies. What do I mean by green smoothie? Here is one of my favorite recipes: 4 ripe pears, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 big cup of water. Blended well. This smoothie looks very green, but it tastes like fruit. I like green smoothies so much that I bought an extra blender and placed it in my office, so that I could make green smoothies throughout the day. More than half of all the food I’ve had in last several months have been green smoothies. I have so much more energy and clarity that I have removed green juices from my diet. (Juicing has been something that I’ve been doing regularly for years.) Green smoothies have numerous benefits for human health.

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. I believe that the ratio in them is optimal for human consumption: about 60% – ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% – organic green vegetables.

2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.

3. Green smoothies, as a posed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber.

4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the green vegetables balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding nice zest to it. Green smoothies are simply the best tasting dishes for the majority of adults and children. I always make extra smoothie and offer it to my friends and customers. Some of them eat a standard American diet. They all finished their big cup of green smoothies with complements. They were quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice and sweet.

5. By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated. Many people do not consume enough of greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. The molecule of chlorophyll has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, to consume chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion.

6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Many people told me that they do not consume green juices on a regular basis because it is time consuming to prepare green juices and clean the equipment after juicing, or to drive to the juice bar.

7. Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.

8. When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.

9. Regular consumption of Green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. Several people told me that after a couple of weeks of drinking green smoothies, they started to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough of green vegetable is often a problem with many people, especially in children.

10. Green smoothies can easily be freshly made at any juice bar, restaurant or health food store for the great convenience of health-oriented customers. Please bring a copy of this article to your local juice bar.

I encourage the readers of this article to start playing with green smoothies, and to discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful delicious and nutritious addition to the menu. Here are more ideas for your green creations. Some of my favorite greens to add to green smoothies: parsley, spinach, celery, kale and romaine. My favorite fruits for green smoothies are: pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, mangoes and apples. Strawberries and raspberries taste superb in green smoothies, when combined with ripe bananas.

Delicious Combinations To Get You Started

Mango-parsley
2 large mangos
1 bunch parsley
Water

Peach-spinach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Mango-weeds
2 mangos
1 handful of lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc
Water

Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
1/2 bunch romaine
Water

Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
1/2 lemon juice
4-5 leaves of kale
Water

Kiwi-banana-celery
4 very ripe kiwis
1 ripe banana
3 stalks of celery
Water

Pear-kale-mint
4 ripe pears
4-5 leaves of kale
1/2 bunch of mint
Water

Finger banana-spinach
10 finger-bananas
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Bosc pear-raspberry-kale
3 bosc pears
1 handful of raspberries
4-5 leaves of kale
Water
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Victoria Boutenko teaches classes on raw food at South Oregon University and, as a result of her teachings, many raw food communities have been formed throughout the world. Victoria and her family have lived on a 100% raw food diet for nine years and all four have cured their incurable diseases. The transformation of Victoria’s family to raw food is described in her book, Raw Family. Victoria is also the author of 12 Steps to Raw Foods. Her two children have written a book containing delicious raw food recipes called Eating without Heating. Visit Victoria’s site at http://www.rawfamily.com

This recipe, I confess to not having tried yet. I plan to make it this week. It’s a popular one and Carol Alt – who includes it in her book, The Raw 50 — says it’s a favorite of hers.

• 3 cups raw pine nuts
• 3⁄4 cup cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil
• 2 whole lemons, zested, then peeled and quartered
• 1 medium shallot
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 garlic clove
• 3⁄4 cup purified water
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium or 2 small red beets
• 3⁄4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
• Cracked pepper to taste

Directions

• Soak the pine nuts in enough purified water to cover them for 1 hour. Drain, put the pine nuts in a food processor, and add the olive oil, lemon quarters, shallot, and zest. Process for about 8 minutes until the mixture is well combined and clumps together.
• Pour half of this mixture into a blender and set the rest aside. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the peppercorns to the mixture in the blender and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes, until thick and smooth. Transfer the “goat cheese” to a bowl and refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place the reserved pine nut mixture in the blender. Add the remaining teaspoon of peppercorns, the garlic, and the water, and blend on high speed for 1 minute, until smooth but quite liquid. Add the salt, and set the sauce aside.
• Roughly chop the tarragon and fold 1/2 cup of the leaves into the cheese once the cheese has completely chilled. Add salt to taste.
• Peel the beets and slice paper-thin. Lay out half of the slices on a clean surface. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cheese onto each slice, then top each with a second beet slice. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with salt, then store in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour the sauce onto a deep serving platter and arrange the ravioli on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of tarragon leaves, and salt and cracked pepper.

Who doesn’t love Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup?  I mean, what’s not to love?  Oh, wait, let’s read the label…

Ingredients:  High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Cocoa, Sugar, Potassium Sorbate – Preservative – 2% or Less, Salt – 2% or Less, Mono and Diglycerides – 2% or Less, Xanthan Gum – 2% or Less, Polysorbate 60 – 2% or Less, Vanillin – Artificial Flavor – 2% or Less

There is three different kinds of sugar in Hershey’s Syrup… the largest amount (as well as the #1 ingredient), high fructose corn syrup, being the absolute worst for you.  Most of us are learning just how bad high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) really is for us.  The word is getting out so much so that the Corn Refiners Association has started putting out advertisements trying to convince you that it is actually natural and good for you.

Don’t buy it.  These ads are akin to the tobacco ads of yore where a kindly and smiling doctor with a stethoscope around his neck advised you smoke a cigarette to reduce stress and improve your health.  Yeah, not so much.

HFCS is used because it is… cheap!  Food manufacturers like cheap because it improves their bottom line.  But, let’s be clear, it does not, will not, and cannot improve your, um, bottom.

There are lots of easy, quick,  and healthier chocolate syrup options out there for you.  Recipes like this one eliminate the HFCS, corn syrup and preservatives and still provide you with a tasty chocolate syrup… that’s cheaper than buying the Hershey’s brown bottle to boot.

And if you want to forgo the sugar but still have your syrup too… there are several raw chocolate syrup recipes out there that are delicious and dangerously close to being… *gasp*… good for you.  Here’s just one example of what I found: (more can be found searching for chocolate sauce recipes online)

The below recipe is sweetened with agave syrup.  Agave is wonderful because of its low-glycemic impact!  A great sweetener option!

Deep Dark Delicious Chocolate Sauce

2 T raw cacao powder, either ground from raw cacao nibs or purchased as powder (I like Nativas Naturals or Green & Black’s.)
2 T raw agave syrup
1/2 t coconut oil or other organic raw nut oil

Mix the agave syrup and the oil or water together.

Slowly whisk (do not use your blender) the raw cacao powder into the agave syrup mixture, mixing it in until well-blended into a smooth sauce. The amount suggested is a rough guideline. How much cacao powder you will ultimately use depends on the consistency you want.

(recipe source: AdventuresInRawFood.com)

Enjoy!!

Back in April, I found this recipes for Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes. In some shape or form of the recipe, they have been a staple in our home. Me being me though, I’m always messing with recipes. Recently, I’ve landed on a combination that, for us, has been perfect. One of my goals in tweaking this recipe was making it packed with nutrition because Amira loves to eat them cold out of the refrigerator. I typically double this recipe so I have extras on hand just for that purpose.

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tbsp ground chia seeds (I buy mine online at Hildago Foods which is much cheaper than Salba brand)
1 scoop of Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Chocolate Powder (optional)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I use vanilla hemp milk)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp agave syrup
2 tbsp safflower oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the middle and add remaining ingredients. Use a whisk and mix gently for about a minute.  If the batter is too thick (chia soaks up liquid fast!), mix in more liquid (more water or hemp milk) to preferred consistency.  Let the batter rest while you preheat your griddle on medium-high heat. Grease griddle lightly with extra virgin coconut oil. Flip your pancakes when you see the air bubbles begin to disappear.

We serve them with maple syrup, fresh fruit, applesauce, peanut butter, or whatever else you love on your pancakes. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! If you try them, let me know what you think.

So, I was spoiled by a very good breakfast this morning. Quinoa flakes with ground chia seeds, fresh blueberries, bananas, sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of agave syrup and vanilla hempmilk. Sounds complicated as I type it out… but it was easy and yummy. Double bonus! – Amira loved hers too.

In all my reading, raw foods is something I haven’t delved into much. I’m just beginning to learn more about it’s benefits now. One of my breakfast recipes is perfect for raw diets though:

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• 4 cups rolled grains – my current blend has been 1 cup oats, 1 cup triticale, 1 cup wheat, and 1 cup rye. You can also use spelt, hulled buckwheat, hulled barley, etc. as well.
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds – I grind them, but you can put them in whole if desired
• 1 cup raw, unsalted nuts – I use raw almonds. I use slivered almonds and chop them up a little further.
• 1 cup lecithin granules
• 1/2 cup flax seed – I grind them, again, you could use them whole
• 1/2-3/4 cup chia seeds, ground
• 1 cup milk thistle seeds – ground
• 1-2 cups dried fruit, I’ve used goji berries (whole or ground), dried cherries, apples, apricots, raisins, etc. – You can use whatever dried fruit appeals.

Mix, then store in the refrigerator.

TO SERVE: Soak in milk* for 15-30 minutes before eating. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.

(*You can use milk, soymilk, nutmilk, or water. We use hempmilk (a mixture of chocolate and vanilla flavors.)

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Paul & I both like this breakfast – it’s filling and leaves you feeling energized through the day. I need to come up with a grain combination that is gluten/wheat-free for Amira. I’ll have to experiment with that.

All in all, good day.

My breakfast today:

2 scoops chocolate raw brown rice protein (Sun Warrior brand)
1/4 cup unsweetened organic coconut milk
1 scoop Amazing Grass Green SuperFood, Chocolate flavor
1 cup water

Nutrition Info: Cal: 290, Fat: 14g, Carbs: 16g, Fiber: 6g, Protein: 33g

Pretty good. When I do it again, I think I will add in some unsweetened coconut flakes as well… and a little bit of Stevia or agave syrup for a touch of sweetness.

Good enough that Paul and Amira both shared it with me and liked it:

1 serving Sun Warrior Protein (Natural Flavor)
1 mango
1 med Fuji apple
1 small bunch of spinach, stems removed
2 tbsp golden flax seed meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 packet SweetLeaf SteviaPlus

I had intended to include some avocado in this recipe, but forgot. I’ll try it next time. Avocadoes are great for adding healthy fats and a creamy smoothness.