A new day

Not a raw one - but each new day is full of new opportunities and possibilities. And I'm getting closer!  I'm eating fairly high raw right now (for the past few days) and I am hydrating myself well . 

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd - I feel pretty good! 

Not as good as I know I will when I go even higher raw.....but I'm happy for this small step. I'm thankful.


Unfortunately my dehydrator is packed and I'm out of raw almonds. So some of what I would normally do to get back on track, won't be done. But we're really coming into 'fresh fruit and veggy season'  and I'm super excited to be eating cleaner and closer to the ground. :)


I did make a GREAT treat recently. I had two huge gallon freezer bags full of nanners in the freezer so I took a few chunks out, put them in the food processor (the mini one) added a scoop of raw cocoa, some agave, a touch of water (the mini chop just wasn't up to the job otherwise) and a few minutes later I had a FABULOUS raw treat. So unbelievably tasty and not horribly bad for me. :)


I'm back on green smoothies every day. YAY! I was really missing them, and so was my Dad, so we're back in the groove now with that. 


I can't wait to get past this current period (packing and moving) so I can set up my kitchen again and enjoy further exploration with the dehydrator and even the food processor. I've never owned a full size one, but in using the small one more and more, I'm now dedicated to saving up for a full size processor. YAY!

Hey Stranger!

In this case, I'm the stranger. (in more ways than one)

I have been tres busy and haven't posted. Not here, not there, not anywhere.....

I miss blogging here. But more than that, I miss feeling good.

Lately I have NOT been feeling good. And I know - I KNOW - that the majority of the reason is dietary.

I blame it partly on the food itself, and partly on the preparation. I'm eating junk and I'm not eating raw. (part raw, but not nearly enough)

And I don't want to be a downer.....that is NOT what I want this blog to be, but I do want to be honest here. I need to be honest here. Because I need support. I'm not a whiner by nature......I am thankful that I am born a 'glass is half full' person. But sometimes I need to whine.

So I'm going to unload and then I'm going to move on.

I have struggled with my eating for MONTHS. . . and actually, to say I've struggled is an overstatement. The truth is, I just sort of gave up, caved......couldnt bother to care sort of.

But the thing is - I feel like shit. Can I just say that? Just once can I say it that plainly? My head hurts - always. Feels like its going to pop. I have a headache almost constantly - not a migraine type headache - more like I feel this knot in the front of my forehead - I know my eyesight has gotten worse and so I think my head could be partly that - but I know that it is also what I'm eating, or what I'm not eating.

I have a blistery rash on my elbow and my finger. I used to have this all the time - for several years - plus back then it was on my foot and both ankles. Then I went raw, and it went entirely away. COMPLETELY and entirely. I don't know if that is related to glucose or purely a certain food (gluten maybe?) I don't know.

What I do know, again, is that I feel crappy. AND, I know its doing me damage that will come back to haunt me later. I'm only 43 (?) but I already have notice (suffer) effects of harm I did in my youth. I don't want to keep repeating the same mistakes.

So, its time for change. Again. Change is a constant, and I'm ok with that - what frustrates me is making the same change over and over. Its some kind of weird crazy nightmarish feedback loop I'm stuck in.

I'm eating great during the day - but really crappy at night. I've just tossed in the towel as far as dinner. And don't even talk about beyond that. I've always been a nighttime snacker, but when I went all raw - it was all under control, it was golden.

And I felt great.

So this is all to say - can anyone relate? Can I get some encouragement here?

Its like Paul saying : I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (NIV)

I wish I could say that I know I'll do what I want to do tomorrow - which is to eat right - but I'm not confident. :(  Maybe the truth is that what I really want is to eat junk but not feel like junk. Maybe that is the truth. So maybe I need to work on my brain - start believing that what I really want is to eat right to feel right. Cuz Lord knows I want to feel better. This feeling like puke warmed over has got to stop. I'm tired of it.

You would think

that I would have had a lunch rich in bananas today.

Well, you would think that after you learned that I picked up 3 bags of bananas from the grocery store this weekend

couldn't pass them up at a mere 33cents a pound.

How odd that THAT is a good sale, right?

However, I also bought 3 pineapples this weekend and since I don't like to freeze them...

I instead froze the nanners........

these were chopped and bagged and went in the freezer for later use in smoothies and frozen treats

and pineapple played a starring role in my lunch

Pineapple, romaine, spinach, a dash of salt and a tiny spoonsful of raw tahini.

Tossed in the morning and eaten for lunch.

YUM!

I have already chopped a kiwi, an apple, and some more pineapple for tomorrow. Might chop some raw nuts to throw on top.

Today's tip - look for veggies and fruit that are just sort of edging past the 'best' date - you can often get them at a reduced price and if they aren't incredibly wilted, bruised, or broken apart - they are still quite nutritious and tasty!

Plans for 2011

I've never been big on resolutions. I'm not a good list maker or goal maker (or keeper).

Part of that is just my personality and when it matters I overcome it and I get things done. We all have things we must struggle with, things that just seem to be ingrained as part of our personality. The older I get, the more I learn....and having learned more about myself and life in 2010 - I do know that the things that I am passionate about somehow get my attention. I've always struggled with organization and so in a sense that is going to be a focus for this year. FO-CUS.

And with oganization comes planning - with planning comes puh-lannnnns.

So yes. All of a sudden now I have plans! Good ones too I hope!

I plan on being more consistent here - sharing more recipes, more insights from my raw journey thus far. Part of what that means is to share from my distinct perspective and lifestyle. There are people who focus on raw on a budget, on certain health restrictions and raw, on sweets and raw, etc. . .

So just what is my perspective? Well, its about being raw as a single parent in the midst of a non-raw household. Its about a hectic schedule, working full time, and trying to make raw and cooked food (for part of the family) and all on a limited budget.

Let's face it - there are some inherent struggles in that, but if I can do it - so can others. I'm not going to tell anyone how THEY should do it. NO way - NO how. I'll share how I am going about it - my successes and my struggles. The good and the bad.

Hopefully there will be something of use for others and something that might even inspire someone else.

yay plans!

To start it off - I'm going to share my take on a recipe that you can find all over the raw net.

Kale Chips





Mine are very similar to what else you will find out there, and yes, it does require a dehydrator.


I have to say that while the dehydrator is not a necessity of the raw kitchen, it is nice to have. The dehydrator is inspiring to me. I did fine without it for more than a year, but I'm really glad to have it now and explore some foods that I couldn't previously try.






When I share my recipes I will try to provide photos and also a download at the end.

Here is what went into the chips I made the other day:

Kale

Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Balsalmic Vinegar

Nama Shoyu

Rice Wine Vinegar

Sea Salt

Nutritional Yeast

Chili Powder

First tip - do not buy preprocessed kale. I don't know why but it just isn't the same, it doesn't come out tasting right. Buy WHOLE leaves, long stems in.

I prepare mine by removing the stem first.

I do this by folding the leaf over and grasping the leaf part with one hand and the stem/vein with the other

and carefully pulling the two apart.

Discard stem.

the defrocked, errrr, deveined leaf

Next, I tear the leaf into small pieces.

Not necessarily bite sized, but not more than two bites or one large ‘stuffing’ of a bite. ;-)

As I am tearing up the kale, I place the pieces I am going to use in a salad spinner.

This I use to clean and dry my kale.

I do about two very full spinners for a batch of kale chips.

The spinner just makes it really convenient!

The photo is without the lid, I give it a little rinse without the lid, then place the lid on, allowing the water to run through the hole in the lid and I spin the knob heartily to remove dirt.

Lifting the spinner to rest on the middle ledge of the sink, I then spin without water to dry the kale.

Once the kale is spun clean and dry I just set it aside and get to work on my coating.

In a VERY large bowl I mix all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the nutrional yeast.

I use a wisk and give it a quick beating.

Then I add the nutrional yeast

I do not have measurements, I just eyeball it keeping in mind what flavors I enjoy most.

You want enough of a sauce to get in all those lovely ruffles on the kale leaves.

Once the sauce is mixed - dump in the kale.

I normally begin mixing gently with a large wooden spoon or spatula.

But then I get in there with my hands, massaging the sauce into the leaves to ensure a good coating.

Once this is all mixed I will typically add another heaping spoonful or two of nutritional yeast.

The yeast really gives a nice flavor as well as a nice visual on the resulting chips.

I like to let the kale sit for 20-30 minutes for the flavors to develop a little, but this is not necessary.

Using tongs, I carefully place the kale in a single layer in the dehydrator.

I try to give the kale some room, but I don't mind them touching or even overlapping a little.

I use two trays in my tray Excalibur dehydrator.

I like to leave some space in between the trays to allow for plenty of circulation.

I also will rotate the trays (upper for lower) about half way through.

I dehydrate them at about 115 degrees for 2-3 hours - until they are nice and crispy!

I check them each hour, sometimes they need less time, sometimes they need more time.

I suspect it has to do with how much marinade is on them and what the temperature/humidity conditions are in the house.

Everyone in my house has tasted these and confirms they are good.

Not everyone likes them enough to choose them over other snacks, but 3 of us REALLY enjoy them.

YUM! SOOOO good!

They have a little tang from the vinegars and soy...

and a cheesiness with a touch of saltiness.

Oh my. I really enjoy these!

Not to mention that kale is REALLY REALLY good for you!

I aim to phase out more of the pre-packaged snack foods in the house during 2011 so these may become more appealing as time goes on.

Click here for the recipe as a free download. (download will be up by Jan. 1, 2011!)

ENJOY!

Failures and Successes

As noted, I've had many failed recipes and meals but I have also had some great successes!

One thing I have tried before that I wasn't too crazy about was kale chips. They were just 'ehhh-ok' the first time I made them and they weren't very good the second time I made them -- BUT - the third time apparently really IS the charm! I made kale chips a week or so ago and they were FABULOUS. I mean REALLY good. Everyone in the family liked them. Some of us more than others.....true. But still, everyone ate them and said they'd eat more.

One of the differences was the kale. the first two go rounds I used pre-chopped 'packaged' kale. "fresh" but nos o fresh if you knwo what I mean. This last time I used whole kale that looked to have been bagged locally. I cut the stem out and then tore the remaining leaves into fairly large pieces.

The dressing was a combination of:

• a touch of oil
• a dash of balsamic
• a few grinds of salt
• nutritional yeast
• garlic
• cashew flour

I coated the kale with the above mixture and then dehydrated for a couple of hours. That is all it took to have CRUNCHY salty yummy cheesy kale chips!

I want to make more!!! Need to find some kale.

This experience as well as the wrappers that I made are giving me high hopes for my dehydrator. It wasn't a wasted money purchase!!

I've also made some yummy cashew cheese which I thickened in the dehydrator. YUM.

Next I am going to try a raw bread or cake in the D. I have made a 'cake' raw and chilled but I'd like to try one that is a little bit more dry. I have some fresh cranberries at home and I am contemplating soaking them in a water stevia combination or maybe a water/medjool date combination - to soften them and also sweeten them a bit - they are SUPER tart!!

I'll post the results. :)

I have NOT fallen

off the face of the earth that is.

I may have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. But I'm still alive and breathing! and eating more raw, though still not nearing 100% as I was before.

this is a quick post with some photos of recent food I've made. I'll come back and share recipes/methods later.



First is this peach pie.

SO incredibly tasty with fresh summer ripe peaches. Add some goji berries, a little cinnamon, stevia, some nuts - and top with a yummy crumb topping made with dates and nuts.

But wait - that's not really the top!









The fun thing is turning it out and the top becomes a crust.

And here it is ready for slicing.

mmmmmmmmmmm.

Yum.






In a previous post I mentioned purchasing a dehydrator.


To be honest, I have not had a ton of success with it. A few things I made ended up being tossed.

gar-baj

but this one - these wraps.

YUM-O!

I got the basic recipe for the wrappers from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw.




I altered it a fair amount and the wrappers still came out fine!



I can NOT remember what I filled these with.

I think it was a mix of 'minced' or 'riced' jicama in a tangy dressing. and some lettuce...trying to look at the photo and see what else was tucked in there.

Not completely sure. I just know it was pretty good!










ok, found another picture that might help...



looks like shredded carrot and some onion. Chopped lettuce or kale or something.

It was good, right now that is the only thing of which I'm certain!

I hope to have time to post in depth about these recipes soon!

~Janice

So very lovely!

I may have mentioned that I finally purchased a dehydrator.

An EXCALIBUR! dehydrator.

It's so very lovely!!!!!!

I got mine here. Decent price from what I've seen around.

I waited a year from going raw to actually purchase one.

Mostly due to the price.

But also, was I really going to STAY raw?

Well, after a year...with how I feel and the routine I've gotten into.....Yes, I'm staying raw.

HIGH raw.

So, I went ahead and got one. And after letting it sit for a couple of weeks - I finally began using it!

You may wonder what the big deal is -- especially if you're not into the raw scene - well, the dehydrator is nice because it can intensify flavors of some foods and offers different textures in food.

Texture is something that I missed. Not that there aren't different textures in what I was eating raw. There are - from smooth and creamy puddings and sauces to crunchy fruit and veggies and nuts.

But there isn't really anything like the crunch of crackers or the chewiness of some foods. (dates are chewy but not quite the same thing).

So although I am not trying to mimic certain foods or a SAD recipe or diet, I am hoping to increase the variety in texture.

I can't say that I was bored with my food, but I did miss these textures. For me I think that is a big part of the food experience.

So I am now able to begin experimenting with that experience.

I have only begun to play with my D, but I've already had some success.

I made my regular cashew 'cheese' and divided part out into a shallow container and put it in the dehydrator for a few hours. It thickened it a bit, deepened the flavor, and after refrigerating it is the consistency of cream cheese! Maybe not QUITE as smooth, which is fine, I don't mind that its a little different, I wasn't setting out to make cream cheeze......but the thickness of it after the little trip in the fridge - LOVE IT!!

I have had a mild success with a sort of cracker and am working on a sort of burger thing.....ohhh, and 'tortillas' -- I'd love to have an alternate 'wrapper' than leaves or seaweed.

Back to my cheese - I make my cashew 'cheese' just a little different than the standard recipes out there so I'll share my HIDI:

Cashew "Cheese" Spread

Ingredients:

• cashews
• nutritional yeast
• lemon juice (FRESH!)
• water
• salt
• paprika
• dry mustard

Method:

• Soak the cashews for a few hours, rinse.
  
• Place cashews in processor and begin processing.
  
• Add juice of half a lemon (or more - to taste) and add a little water if needed to improve mixing and consistency.
  
• Process until mixture begins to get smooth.
• Add the remainder of your ingredients. [And again - its to taste. Your preference may be for a little more or a little less of something. Go with it.]
• Process until you reach consistency
  

You may want to add a little more water once you add the nutritional yeast. It depends on how thick or thin you want it.

You can make this as a sauce or leave it thick for a dip or even thicker (dehydrator anyone?) for a spread.

ENJOY!

Wondering why there is an avocado up there? We'll get to that in the next post. :)

~Janice