Quickie Blackberry Nut Milk Ice Cream & other confessions

Happy Saturday night everyone! Hey, so my kids wanted Thrifty (now Rite-Aid) ice cream. So like a good mom I went and got them some and had to hold two pints of cookie dough and pralines and cream ice cream in each hand for the drive home..How agonizing was that? I do not care how healthy the raw diet is, I miss ice cream. So I decided to make a quickie raw version using some brazil nut milk I had in the frig and some fresh blackberries. It was like magic – well almost…it turned out pretty good and calmed my ice cream cravings down.

I have made some killer raw ice cream before using a recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's Raw Dessert Book (and I mean it was to die for!). This was a quickie version and it did the trick. I kept the agave to a minimum as I seem to feel it if I eat too much of that stuff (kind of the way I feel when I used to eat too much sugar).

 

Now onto the confession part – Forgive me for I have sinned. I am a very bad raw girl! It has been five months on the High Raw Diet – and yesterday I decided to treat myself to some crappy fast food at my fav place Del Taco. I ordered a small bean burrito no cheese. Its VEGAN. So why did I feel so guilty?

I am sure the guilt stems from that the fact that there is probably crappy ingredients in the tortilla and beans. I can make my own beans and buy my own tortillas and at least know every single ingredient that is in there. I do know that Del Taco has vegan beans and tortillas so at least that is good to know. But I have to confess that I LOVED EVERY BITE OF THAT BURRITO. I do feel deprived on the raw diet lately and I cannot help it. I am going thru a "If I eat another salad I am going to kill myself" phase!

~ Although this salad with Creamy Tahini dressing (recipe from

www.kristensraw.com) was really good ~

It is such a pain in the butt to make salads and eat healthy sometimes!

Ya know Dr. Fuhrman (the Eat to Live Doc) says if you can eat healthy 90% of the time you have mastered the art of healthy eating. So maybe I should treat myself every now and then to vegan cooked stuff. I am still high raw (like on average 80-90%) but I do enjoy the cooked vegan food ALOT when I have it!

Here is a list of cooked vegan food I have had throughout my duration of being High Raw (I have been 100% Vegan since I started and NEVER deviated from that – my kids were daring me to try a bite of real ice cream tonight!)

• Homemade Veggie burgers
• Quinoa Spaghetti and Organic Spaghetti sauce
• Stir Fry Veggies
• Roasted and baked potatoes
• Pinto beans
• A few French fries here and there
• Baked sweet potatoes
• Gluten Free and Vegan Scones (Homemade and killer)
• and ONE small Del Taco Bean Burrito NO cheese!

Now I have stayed high raw even though I have incorporated some of these items into my diet now and then. I could really see myself going more cooked vegan and REALLY enjoying it! So I am going to start making that transition. Especially since I cannot stay raw and backpack in the high Sierra's for two weeks, I better get my bod used to digesting cooked food.

I have to be careful though as I could easily be an overweight vegan. I like to eat ALOT of food and I can do that on raw and not gain weight. I know I would gain weight eating alot of vegan spaghetti and scones!

So I hope everyone has a great weekend! Summer is almost here! I went for a four mile walk today with the hubby and daughter. Trying to get into shape for upcoming backpacking trips!

Raw Bread Recipe Alert! – Kale-Hemp-Onion Bread

Hey there! How is Wednesday treating ya? I have been meaning to post some raw recipes that have actually been successful! I have had quite a few bomb on me, but I have to say (as I pat myself on the back) that my raw bread recipe is pretty darn delish. I have mastered Kale-Hemp-Onion Bread. I have made it a few times and tweaked it a little (sunflower seeds for hemp seeds, to add garlic powder or not) but each time it has turned out awesome.

Trust me – this stuff is awesome! And packed with nutrition! This is a great way to use nutritional yeast to get your B12s.

You can make it as thick as you want – this is about 1/4" thick

So without further ado…the famous recipe from a newbie raw foodie:

 

Kale-Hemp-Onion Bread

• 2 cups of torn Kale
• 1/2 white onion semi-chopped
• 1/2 cup Hemp Seeds (or use pepitas, sunflower – whateva you desire)
• 1 cup ground flax seed (or Bob's Red Mill Organic Flax meal)
• 2/3 cup Nutritional Yeast (makes this bread taste cheezy and awesome)
• 1 tsp Himalayan Salt (or whatever salt you have…I love this pink salt)
• 1/2 tsp Organic Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Organic Garlic Powder
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

Now toss it all in a food processor and process til that ball starts to whip around the container. The dough will be stiff – Now spread it or pat it with your hands on a lined dehydrator tray and score it in your desired shapes. I score mine so they will fit into a quart mason jar for storage (so like 3" x 3" squares) I put my last batch in the dehydrator at 10:30 pm and it was ready at 8 am. That is it! You should get about 8 slices.

This bread has a great flavor..you cant really taste the onion that much at all, but it really helps to keep it moist. The nutritional yeast really compliments the bread and gives it a yummy cheezy flavor.

• Make veggie sandwiches – use avo and tomato slices, lettuce and organic mustard  - can you say YUM!
• Use it as a side to your huge raw salads!
• Eat it as a snack!

I feel this is a great go-to raw snack/food item to have on hand. One day I am gonna make all 9 dehydrator trays full of this stuff. But I need the super large 12 cup food processor! Hubby do you read my blog? Cuz that would be a super romantic surprise present! (HAHA)

Have a great day!

WOW! LDL Cholesterol dropped a whopping 30 points!

Hey Raw peoples! This is a quickie post and (sorry I have not posted but life has been crazy wicked) – Anyways, just got back from the Doc (a Hyst post-op appt) and my LDL cholesterol dropped 30 points – can you believe that? 30 points in four months. My LDL is now 109 – I am so happy! RA puts a person at much higher risk for cardio issues due to all the inflammation going on. So I want to do everything I can to lower my risks. My OB/Gyn Dr is so awesome. He is a firm believer in the overall total body approach and supports my veganism. All my other levels are great too. And I am not anemic – yeah!

So with that I will say…

"Goodbye In-N-Out Burger with melted, double cheese (for those who do not live in Cali, this is in fact a very traumatic goodbye) – Goodbye greasy french fries, Goodbye Ben and Jerry, Goodbye Taco bell, Goodbye fried chicken, Goodbye sourdough bread with butter slathered all over it - I shall miss you! Parting is such sweet sorrow (well sometimes it is!) and I am off to greener pastures!

Now if I could just lose that last 7 or 8 pesky pounds, my vegan life would be complete! lol.

The hubby's new pride and joy (I think he loves this Rubicon more than me!) We just got back from Utah – it was gorgeous!

Psycho Killer and Vegan Martinis

I can’t seem to face up to the facts.
I’m tense and nervous and I... can’t relax.
I can’t sleep, cause my bed’s on fire.
Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire.

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better
Run run run run run run run away
OH OH OH

This song is how I feel today~ It is one of those days! Especially the run away part! My RA is killing me, I am tired and could sleep the entire day away.  I had a Chocolate Cherry Bomb Shake by www.Kristensraw.com and used Hemp protein powder that has E3Live and Maca in it. Hopefully that will energize these weary old crippled bones! 

Yeah I know, this was NOT my Chocolate Cherry Bomb Shake…but it looks pretty good!

 

This puppy had raw cacao nibs on top…yum!

Here is the good ole Raw menu plan for today (I reserve the right to change this!)

Breakfast: Green Juice (I drank a quart!) – hey I save my Kale stalks from my massaged Kale salad and juice them later!

Lunch: Chocolate Cherry Bomb Shake with E3Live, MACA and Hemp

Snack: Apple

Dinner: Spinach salad with raw veggies and tahini dressing, my own Raw Kale Hemp Bread that I made and it was to die for…recipe coming soon.

 

Here is what I have been craving lately…

as if Raw martinis existed…raw vodka?

 

Good news! Vodka is Vegan – according to the Vegan Society in the UK…so that is good enough for me! I have not had a cocktail in four months. Now I am not much of a drinker at all (*cough* college days don't count), but semi-occasionally it is nice to mix a yummy, fruity martini and chillax a little. I used to love to go to the Cheesecake Factory with the hubby and sip on a Red Rasberry martini (one of the best drinks in the universe by the way.)

Absolut, Stoli, and Grey Goose are all Vegan. Just in case all you vegans wanted (needed) to know!

A GROSS, disturbing fact: Some drinks such as Campari are coloured with E120, a red colouring agent made from the red body material of scale insects (Dactilopius coccus). This is also found in some soft drinks and red wines. YUK – EEEWWW – Sounds like something Man vs. Wild would eat. The red body material of an insect. GROSS.

So what is everyone up to today on this ho-hum Monday? My 17 year old has a baseball game and then I am cooking chicken quesadillas for the fam. We are trying to go thru everything we have til payday. Of course my kids always tell me we have nothing to eat.  Last night they fought over pizza or Subway. I said "what do I care, I am raw, I don't eat that crap" – Raw gets me out of alot of dinner disputes!

Sorry my blog post is all over the place today…Psycho Killer, Martinis, Raw Shakes, Menu Plan…I am all over the place today!

I better run run run run run run run awaaaaaaaaaay!

PS – Now that song will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day! hee hee

Gluten-Free-Vegan Blueberry Scones – Yeah baby!

Life has been sooo hectic lately! I cannot believe I have not posted in over a week! So…will Blueberry Cinnamon Scones make it up to you? And hold on to your raw socks – These are VEGAN and GLUTEN-FREE! Yeah, baby, yeah!

These scones are rockin' my house! Cant keep the fam away from them! Good thing for me, as I do not need the calories (And here I thought vegan food would never contribute to weight gain?! These would definitely!)

 Flying Apron's Blueberry Cinnamon Scones

These turned out so yummy! I have to admit that I tasted the dough and it had a weird taste to it. They are made with Brown Rice flour and Garbanzo bean flour so I figured the weird taste might be from these flours. But once cooked, they taste fantastic! You could spread Vegan butter on them or even coconut butter. The recipe is from the Flying Apron's Gluten Free and Vegan Baking Book. I am not a celiac but I am trying to watch my gluten intake, so alternative recipes make my heart soar! Yes, they are not raw, but a girl needs a baked treat now and then, don't cha think? I only had a nibble! But if I can get the family to eat healthy, vegan treats instead of the crap food they normally eat, then I have accomplished something.

So what's up Raw peoples? My raw intake the last week has been at about 70-80%. I am finding it hard to be 100% raw lately, as I am loving the stir fry veggies in coconut oil over brown rice combo – warm food just sometimes kicks butt over raw! And warm food just makes me happy sometimes. So I am all over that!

This past week I have been working out on the treadmill with walk-run intervals in my new Asics running shoes. I was hoping that running might jiggle loose some of this fat I am carrying around! Does it work that way?

Have a great Saturday!

Go Raw Cafe Vegas Review and Mid Life Crisis

Hey raw vegan peoples! On our way back from Utah Anniversary camping we stopped into the Go Raw Cafe in Vegas.  What a cute, little granola, hippy spot! When we walked in, they were having a yoga/vegan class which was kind of cool.

What a good sport the hubby is as he wanted the meat and potatoes thang!

 

Kind of a cafe feel to it…that's fine as I'm not a fancy girl

 

Anyways, short and sweet post here…everything here was pretty darn good. We ordered a Bruschetta Nut Cheez buckwheat appetizer thingy and I forgot to take a pic until the last bite! It was really, really, really, did I say really? good.

 Bruchetta Toast - “Cheese”, tomato, basil, garlic, pine nuts, & herbs

This was rockin' good

 

Next was the Go Raw House Salad…one of the best salads eva!

Go Raw House Salad
A mix of any or all of the following organic ingredients:
Mixed greens, cucumbers, shredded carrots, bell peppers,
tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, onion, nuts & seeds.

 

Then…

Mexicali Pizza - Topped with Mexi “cheese”, “beans”, “rice”,
guacamole, salsa, sour dream, & hemp seeds

This was rock your raw-socks-off crunking awesome!

I so wish I could uncook stuff like this!

I felt like I was in Berkeley when we walked in the Go Raw Cafe. If you have ever been to Berkeley you know what I mean. My kid attends Cal, and Berkeley is a cool, hippy, vegan, granola town. Vegas..not so much, but this cafe had a little slice of that Berkeley feel. They also had raw food items you could purchase off the shelf. The only thing I did not care for here was their desserts. Amazing as I usually love raw desserts, but the ones here were so-so.

 

Utah Camping post to come soon! Got my hubby his 50th birthday present early. A Jeep Rubicon! He has always wanted a Jeep. Its kind of a man-mid-life crisis thing I guess. My son reminds me that 50 is NOT mid-life but age 40 actually is. I guess we are 10 years late on the mid-life crisis.

Moab here we come! Water fast may be in order for awhile so I can recover financially from the Rubi purchase!

The most amazing sunset and I'm out of here!

McClure Meadows at Sunset – Evolution Valley August 2009

in the High Sierra Backcountry

Hey my little vegans! Quickie post! I am off for anniversary camping this weekend with the hub-a-dub-dub. No kiddos on this trip (bittersweet – I always miss them). So anyways, if I get a chance I will finally snap a pic of the food I tote along on these camping trips. High Raw, lots of fresh produce and a little vegan cooked meals at night. I will tell you a secret (sssshhh!) I might sneak a little popcorn in at night while we watch Lost on the I-Touch. I soooo miss popcorn! We are almost finished with season 3 – and yes I like Sawyer…can't help myself.

Quickie list of food stuff I am bringing:

RAW ITEMS:

Nut milk, a tad bit of raw granola

Frozen green juice

Teeccino herbal tea

Apples, oranges, pineapple – all fresh and organic

Massaged kale salad with carrots and hemp seeds

Fresh guacamole and salsa with raw corn chips

Pure and Larabars (But I am trying to stay off these lately)

Gena's Chocomole

VEGAN ITEMS:

Mary Jane's outpost Vegan backcountry meals

Quinoa spaghetti with Amy's organic pasta sauce

Bell peppers and onion for fajita stir fry with a brown rice tortilla

Popcorn (ssshhh!)

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend and see you in March! Oh and we have to see the tax man on Monday – boo!