raw energy bars

I absolutely, love, love, love, these raw energy bars. They are packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E, vitamin B, calcium and the list could go on and on. All of that mixed with just the right amount of honey makes these the perfect snack for kids, after a good work-out...basically for anyone, any time of day. I will usually double this recipe and keep one batch in freezer and one in the fridge.

Ingredients:
1 C almonds or other nut(chopped if not using a food processor)
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C flax seeds
1/4 C unsweetened coconut
1/4 C carob chips
1 t or more cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/4 C almond butter
1/4 C coconut oil (melted)
1/3 - 1/2 C honey (a 1/2 C makes them pretty sweet...I usually do 1/3 C)

Combine all dry ingredients and process until desired nut size.

I chop mine pretty fine for my nutbars.

Add in wet ingredients, process until mixed...

...and you're done!

Press into a small pyrex...top off with shredded coconut.

Keep in fridge or freezer (they will get gooey and won't taste as yummy at room temperature).

A great idea for kids is to roll them into balls and then roll them in the coconut.

raw strawberry cheesecake

Spent some time with my family this weekend on Whidbey Island...what a beautiful place, even if it did rain most of the weekend. The Pacific Northwest has got to be one of the coolest most beautiful places on earth (you can tell I'm not bias or anything:)

I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out a new raw dessert recipe and see their reactions. I made raw strawberry pie but we all agreed it seemed more like a cheesecake. It was super yummy! Everyone loved it, or at least they said they did and did not want to hurt my feelings:) I usually gauge the success of a recipe from the reaction of the nutbars...my two year old wanted, "...more, big piece. more, big piece..." So pretty much it was a hit.

I absolutely loved it and will make it again and again for sure. It may just become my go-to dessert recipe when entertaining guests.

I changed a few things from the original recipe on gone raw...so here is my adaptation of...

...raw strawberry cheesecake...

Crust:

2 C almonds

1 T coconut oil

1/4 t vanilla

4-5 dates, pitted

1/2 t cinnamon (optional)

pinch of salt

Process nuts in food processor until very fine. Add coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pulse to mix. Add dates in and process one at a time, until the the mixture holds together when pressed with fingers. I think I used about 6 dates. Press into a coconut oiled pie dish and freeze about 30 minutes before filling.

Cheesecake filling:

2 C cashews soaked 1-2 hours (I have read cashews aren't really considered raw but still works for me:)

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 -1/2 honey or other sweetener

3/4 C fresh strawberries

3/4 C coconut oil, melted

1/4 C water

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. I have a regular blender and I blended everything for a good 2-3 minutes just to make sure the nuts were well mixed in...wouldn't want the texture to be gritty. Pour just a little filling on to frozen crust...just enough to cover the bottom. Add a layer of sliced strawberries on top of filling. Then add the rest of the filling on top of those strawberries.

Keep in freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve. Add sliced strawberries on top before serving. I also made chocolate mousse and added a dollop on top of each slice.

As my nutbar and I would say, "...uh huh, it's delicious...uh huh, it's nutritious..."

easy guacamole

I can't remember where I originally found this recipe but it is super easy to make.

2 ripe avocados

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T or more salsa

1/2 t salt or to taste

1-2 T lemon juice ( this is really only needed if you think there might be any leftovers:)

Mash avocados with fork, mix in other ingredients. Chill for awhile in fridge and enjoy!

Could it get any easier?

pancakes and porridge

This week I tried a few new raw recipes from two blogs I really like...cinnamon banana pancakes from Veganlicious and breakfast porridge from Raw on $10 a Day...both turned out pretty good.

cinnamon banana pancakes:

We ALWAYS have whole wheat pancakes every Saturday morning with homemade whipped cream...it is a tradition that my nutbars look forward to every weekend...so I wanted to keep the tradition going but try something new...this recipe seemed perfect. It was a little more work then I had thought. I should have planned ahead better and done a few things ahead of time, like grind the flax seeds and make the date paste. It was super easy to make though once I had all the ingredients together...I just mixed it all up with the kitchen aid mixer. The neat thing about raw pancakes is once your batter is made, you are done and ready to eat! I also really liked that the nutbars and I could form them easily into fun shapes! We added carob chips for a smiley face:)

Instead of regular whipped cream we had raw almond cream, which tasted way better then I had thought. To top it all off we had mixed berries and homemade chocolate sauce, which is just cocoa powder, honey and coconut oil...so yummy!

Although they were good, they just weren't quite enough like regular pancakes to satisfy everyone...so the hubby wasn't too impressed. It was just different because of the texture and consistency. I dehydrated the leftovers and they came out like soft little cookies, which I thought tasted better, so next time I might try dehydrating them first, add the yummy toppings... and then eat them as pancakes.

breakfast porridge:

This one was pretty easy to make too. I did not have buckwheat groats so I used oat groats instead. I let them soak in the fridge over night, so in the morning I just drained/rinsed them put them in the food processor with the other ingredients and blended till smooth. I used honey instead of agave. This is another one of those great recipes that allows you to add just about anything you think will taste delicious...so I added banana and coconut. The nutbars loved it because it had raisins:) It is sort of like oatmeal with a little different texture... it sure is a filling breakfast ( I almost didn't even need my mid morning snack:)

If there is any leftover from breakfast just add it to your blueberry green monster shake or any other shake you have created...that could be a full meal by itself.

the raw plan

Trying to eat more raw food is so overwhelming to me. I read so many blogs and I see so many different recipes I want to try...I could literally spend hours online reading and reading about raw food. But spending hours on the internet probably is not a good idea for me or my family:), so I came up with a plan. My new goal is to try out two new raw recipes a week...one snack or treatie type and one side dish or entree. That way instead of feeling so overwhelmed I can just pick two at the start of the week and feel good about actually trying some new recipes.

So this week I decided to make a raw tomato sauce for spaghetti and meatballs. I am not quite ready to go completely raw for dinner and make zucchini noodles with nutballs...maybe next time. I also attempted...for the second time...to make sweet potato chips.

Raw tomato sauce:



This actually turned out pretty tasty. I don't usually care for the taste of raw tomatoes, but mixed with the other ingredients it was good. My husband said it tasted like brushetta on noodles:) I found the recipe at about.com I did not have fresh basil so just used a little dried basil...I can imagine it would be even better with the fresh. Before adding the tomato sauce, I also tossed the noodles very lightly with pesto sauce. All in all, we liked it...the nutbars did not complain at all:) I think I will continue to make this one whenever we have spaghetti.

Sweet potato chips:

I have tried this one in the past and did not have much luck...it seems as though I did not have any luck again. I think the main problem is I can't slice them paper thin. I tried slicing by hand the first time, but they turned out too thick. This time I used my food processor, but that still couldn't get them paper thin. They just turned out chewy instead of crispy and I dehydrated them practically all day. I was so bummed because I thought if I get this one down...it would be a great snack choice for us and could possibly even replace regular tortilla chips. I followed the recipe on The Sunny Raw Kitchen blog but obviously mine do NOT look like hers (and I highly doubt they taste like hers either)...see for yourself...

...hers...

...mine...

which would you rather eat?

gRAWnola

I have tried a few times in the past to make granola in the oven and it has never turned out...the edges were always burned or over done and I just never found a recipe that I really liked. That is until I started looking at raw granola recipes. We invested in a food dehydrator and now I make gRAWnola just about every week (we go through it so fast) This recipe is not 100% raw, I guess rolled oats are steamed to a temperature above 110 degrees, but it is raw enough for me and it is so easy to just mix it up and leave it in the food dehydrator overnight. In the morning your house smells wonderful and you have delicious granola waiting for you to eat for breakfast. We also put it in our yogurt and just eat it plain right out of the jar.

Here is the fabulous recipe:

1/3 C honey

1/3 C coconut oil

1/2 T vanilla

1/2 t salt or less

1 T cinnamon or less (we love it, so always put a lot in everything)

1/2 -1 T carob powder (optional)

3 C old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 C seed mixture (I use flax and sunflower)

1 C chopped nut mixture (I just use almonds)

* Remember when making raw recipes to always use raw nuts and seeds...not roasted, toasted or salted. If you really want to get into it, you can soak your nuts/seeds before hand or even sprout your nuts for extra nutrition.

* You can pretty much add whatever you think will taste good. Other items might be unsweetened coconut, pumpkin seeds, pure maple syrup, raisins or other dried fruit.

Chop the nuts/seeds until desired size. I put mine in the food processor to grind them up pretty small in order for my little guy to chew up easily.



Add the nut/seeds to a large bowl or mixer and just thoroughly mix in all other ingredients. Spread onto food dehydrator trays, set the temperature at about 105-110. Let run for 8-10 hours depending on how crunchy you like your granola. I like mine a little chewy, so about 8-9 hours does the trick.



Store in an air tight container and it will probably last 3-5 days, depending on how many nutbars you have:) I now double the recipe so it will last a little longer.

You can also make this recipe in the oven, although I haven't tired that method in awhile. I would recommend baking in a large roasting pan or cookie sheet with lip at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, so everything is baked evenly. You can add raisins or other dried fruit at the end as well.

Enjoy!

going raw

My newest health kick has been to eat more raw food...I sort of became obsessed for awhile reading all I could online and looking at all kinds of recipes...there is so much out there. It was actually a bit overwhelming but I have found a few recipes I really like and make regularly.

The whole idea is that eating foods in their natural state, raw, is healthier and easier for our bodies to digest and use. Once a food is cooked or heated to a certain temperature the natural enzymes are destroyed and therefore your body isn't able to use those enzymes for proper digestion. I have read different numbers as far as the temperature goes...anywhere between 105-118 degrees seems to be the number. Here are some good websites to help you get started and answer the questions you will have:

Beautiful On Raw
Eat Raw
Rawmazing

Studies have shown that eating a raw food diet can reduce your risk for cancer and can aid in the treatment for fighting cancer. Raw foodists also have a lower chance of having any kind of cardiovascular problems. If the SAD (standard american diet) is linked to causing all the heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc, then the best thing to do is stay as far away from the SAD as possible, right? I'm thinking eating more raw food is the complete opposite of SAD and the road I want to be on as far as lowering my risk of those health issues for me and my family.

Why not eat our food the way God created it? We are always messing with things trying to make it better, particularly to food, adding so many other ingredients (I suppose to make it taste better) that the original nutrition in the food item gets lost and often times the food item itself isn't even recognizable anymore.

I don't have a desire to go 100% raw...for me that would be impossible. My personal goal is to make all of our snack foods raw and more raw side dishes for meals. So maybe that would equal out to about 50-75%. Combined with the shakes we've been having...I'd say thats good for me. It is definitely hard to get used to it and to get used to such a different way of cooking/baking. I do like using the food dehydratoer and I am still experimenting with different recipes finding what we like.

You can be a lazy raw foodie by basically just eating an apple with lunch or more salads with dinner, or you can go all out and start sprouting/soaking your nuts and seeds. Start using the food dehydrator to create all kinds of unique desserts and even make your own crackers and chips. However you choose to do it...just eat more raw.

It just makes sense to me...why cook your apples, when you can just pop an apple in the blender, add some cinnamon, coconut and dates...and in about 30 seconds you have tasty, nutritious, applesauce:)

You'll see...the results will be RAWsome!

* just wanted to mention that, although I wish I had, I did not make the raw blueberry peace pie. I actually couldn't find the recipe for that particular pie, but this raw blueberry pie recipe

seems pretty simple.

blueberry green monster smoothie

I thought I would share with you another green monster drink I have been making for my nutbars and myself lately...a blueberry green monster. We usually will have this smoothie for our morning snack and have our regular green monster at night with dinner. This smoothie is a great way to add fruit into the equation...

1 cup frozen blueberries (or mixed berries)
1 banana, frozen or not
two handfuls of raw spinach and/or handful of kale
about 1-2 cups raw almond milk (or other milk product) or just water
1 t cinnamon

Blend and enjoy! There are so many variations...you could add, coconut, carob chips, carob powder, other fruits or berries, nuts/seeds, almond butter, yogurt, granola. The list can go on and on so experiment to find what you and your nutbars like best. The great thing is...they don't even know there is spinach in it (well, unless they see you put it in) but it doesn't turn green, and it certainly doesn't taste like veggies. They will drink it up...and the best thing about this smoothie is...

...the blueberry shake face on your nutbars afterward:)

drink green

Since everyone is going green these days... thinking green, being green, driving green...doesn't it make sense that we would be drinking green? Everyone knows we need a lot of veggies everyday, but how many of us are really getting enough? I sure wasn't. I tried eating more veggies with lunch and dinner, but it was hard and difficult to get my kids on board, particularly with raw veggies. That is until I joined the Green Monster Movement. It is a movement to help motivate people to start eating, or should I say drinking, more veggies. A green monster is basically a veggie shake or smoothie. You can be very creative in making up your own green monster recipes...the trick is to drink it from a martini glass or other fancy cup! It just makes it better.
I would say most people drink their green monster in the morning, however, I have been making mine at night and the whole family drinks it before dinner, with dinner, or after dinner. One nutbar loves it and always asks when I'm going to make it. The other nutbar, not so much a fan, but he drinks it begrudgingly, knowing he will not get anything else to drink until it is gone. Here is the recipe for the griswold green monster:

1/2 avocado
2 celery sticks
4-5 red lettuce leaves
a handful of cilantro
juice from 1/2 or whole lemon
2 cups coconut water (this can also be replaced with 1 cup water and 1 cup orange juice or pineapple juice)

Blend all ingredients, pour into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon or lime wedge...and ENJOY! Can't you just feel yourself becoming healthier? I have even heard about adding a beet to create a pink monster...oooohhhhh...aaaahhhhhh.

Angela Liddon started the movement...visit her website for more recipes and tips.

So get off your computer for five minutes and drink a green monster! Join the movement, have fun with it and reap the benefits...more energy, weight loss, healthy skin, and more!
Let me know how it goes for you and share your recipe if you want...
Cheers!