Buckwheat and Dehydrating Failure

I'm trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. I had good luck with buck wheat when I made the buck wheat granola, so I decided to try to sprout a bunch. This is one of two large bowls.

I soaked the groats overnight, then rinsed them and put them in a 'cheesecloth hammock' secured by a rubber band, creating a colander effect. Then I covered both bowls with dish towels and put them in a cupboard overnight, the next day...

It worked! 

To activate the chlorophyl I rinsed the buckwheat again then put it into mason jars covered with cheesecloth and let them sit upside down on my dish rack all day.

I love sprouting, it's the closest thing I have to a garden right now!

I made a yummy buckwheat cereal by blending a banana and a few tablespoons of almond butter then mixed in about 3/4 cup buckwheat sprouts. SO good. Reminiscent of oatmeal, I liked this even better than my Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cereal. 

I also tried to make zucchini muffins. Key word, tried. I've made very few things in the dehydrator that have worked for me, I'm not used to the way flavors become more intense. Also, the consistency is never quite what I had hoped. 

I did eat a bowl of batter, and it was goooood, 2 cups buckwheat sprouts, 2 medium zucchini, 1/4 cup maple syrup blended until smooth. Serpico liked it too!

I also made another buckwheat granola using only banana and cinnamon with the buckwheat. It was okay, not great. Another dehydrating disappointment. 

On a happier note, my copy of Raw Food Real World arrived thanks to Averie's awesome giveaway! Thanks Averie!!! I love it, so many new ideas and ways of thinking about a raw lifestyle. I've been reading it cover to cover.

The only thing I've made so far is the almond milk, and it was delicious.

It also inspired me to get a nut milk bag because it took forever to strain through cheesecloth. (Still worth it though!)

My favorite meal this week was this Raw Corn & Avocado Salad.

Raw Corn & Avocado Salad

1 corn cob, kernels cut off
1 avocado, cubed
1 medium tomato, chopped
2-3 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste

Makes only one serving.

This is a great way to cure a Mexican food craving, like eating salsa, guacamole, and corn chips all at once!

I haven't eaten enough greens this week, and I can feel it. Goals for the week: eat lots of greens, eat all raw, find a wonderful job :)

Anyone else have goals for the week?

More Raw Food

Quick raw snack to go: Artisana Cacao Bliss, raw almond butter, bee pollen, mulberries, and Mealsicle cube.

Trader Joe's run, oranges, tomatoes, avocados, basil, mushrooms, cucumber, strawberries, zucchini, and peanut butter for Jesse :)

I love heirloom tomatoes, I wish they weren't so expensive!

I made my first raw lasagna, another meal I expected to be difficult and complicated that was actually quite simple!

I've seen a few recipes, and they've all been complex and intimidating, I made mine very simply with tomato sauce (turned out green!)

Super basic nut cheese

Mushroom, spinach, garlic filling

And zucchini noodles

Raw Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Tomato Sauce

1 medium tomato

5 large basil leaves

2 sun dried tomatoes

Blend until smooth

Cheese

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup water (add a little more if it's too thick to blend)

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Blend until smooth

Mushroom Spinach Filling

3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup baby spinach

approx. 1/6 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pulse in food processor until mushrooms are cut into approx. the size of peas

1 zucchini sliced thin with a mandolin

1 tomato sliced thin

I layered the zucchini, the tomato sauce and cheese, zucchini, spinach mushroom filling, zucchini, and repeated until I was out of ingredients. I finished with a topping of fresh tomato slices.

I ate it immediately after prep, and it was good, but it was even better the next day after the flavors mingled.

I also made a make shift sprouting bowl with cheese cloth and a large rubber band to sprout buckwheat.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Raw Works

Ahh! I've been so busy the past few weeks, doing wonderful things fortunately but I miss my bloggies! Even though I've been so busy, I've still been able to maintain a high raw diet :)

Before shifting into high raw, I did a lot of raw trials that led me to believe that Raw Living would never work for me. I guess I had similar feelings about switching over to vegan, but one day it just clicked and the same happened with raw food. Before I shifted, I did a lot of experimentation with raw eating to find out what’s practical, affordable, and satisfying to me. This is what I’ve found:

Raw Works When
-I drink one or more green smoothies every day
-I eat mostly fresh watery fruits and vegetables
-I eat a lot of protein, especially in the morning
-I eat a lot of good fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil, hemp oil, etc)
-Incorporating cacao nibs or cacao powder into my diet early in the day reduces later carb and sugar craving
-Eating a cooked item or meal occasionally, esp. in social settings.
-Establishing my raw rules. Do I consider something to be raw if it’s made with expeller pressed oil? Or nutritional yeast? Or agave? I think this is important, because I was so focused in on making sure my raw experimenting days were all raw, there was no way I would have stuck with it. Plus it seems like everyone has varying degrees of raw living that work for them.
-I plan ahead!

Raw Doesn’t Work When
-I eat too much dried fruit
-I eat too much fruit, esp. sugary fruit
-I only eat salads, I get bored!
-I eat too much dehydrated/dense food
-I don’t eat a variety of different things
-I get stuck away from home without a snack
-I'm too strict about what I'll include in a raw meal (oils, maple syrup, condiments, etc.)

So, I'm still eating a cooked item or snack from time to time (last night I made some brown rice with raw cabbage), but mostly-I just don't feel like it. I'm big on listening to my body, and right now mostly raw seems to be the way to go!

And so there have been lots of yummy raw creations! Like this Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

Yes, it's as good as it looks. I was eating this stuff by the spoonful. It didn't last very long!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

1/2 cup raw cacao beans or cacao powder

3/4 cup raw hazelnuts

2 tbsp coconut oil

4 tbsp agave nectar or to taste

Grind cacao and hazelnuts in a coffee grinder until mealy, then add agave and coconut oil and grind until smooth and spreadable. The grinding process took a long time because I didn't want it to get too hot and ruin it's raw integrity! After it began to warm, I would grind for 30-60 seconds then stop and give it a few minutes to cool. I cleaned the kitchen and prepared a meal while doing this, it took about 30 minutes total. 

Delicious with fruit!

My new favorite way to eat veggies is when they're covered in a spicy almond butter sauce. I wrote down the recipe, and can't find it! Until I do, enjoy the photo :)

My new favorite way to eat greens, is in my Green Mealsicles. 

Green Mealsicles

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups pineapple (in chunks)

2 cups baby spinach, packed

4 oz alfalfa sprouts

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tbsp spirullina

2 tbsp chlorella

1 tsp maca powder

1 tbsp cacao powder

4 tbsp hemp protein powder (or hemp seeds)

1/4 cup maple syrup

Mix the chia seeds into the water and let sit for 20 minutes, add all other ingredients to a Vita Mix or Blendtec while you wait! Once the chia seeds are nice and goopy, pour them into the blender. Make sure they flow down to the blade, you may have to move some stuff around to allow this. Blend until everything is completely pulverized, I put my Blendtec through the whole juice cycle, then the smoothie cycle twice. Pour the mixture into popsicle moulds or ice cube trays. It makes about 6 cups, I had enough for 3 ice cube trays and a few popsicles. Freeze until solid. 

I came up with these when we had guests sleeping in our living room almost every day last week and I felt bad turning on the blender so early in the morning, but really need my green smoothie to get me through the day! I've been filling a glass bottle with the cubes and drinking them later shaken with water or with chia pudding or added into other smoothies (like the chocolate banana peanut butter frosty I'm drinking now :)). It's great because they'll store forever, and you always have a back up if you're rushing out of the house. 

Great breakfast, or greatest breakfast?

Strawberries, banana, chunks of Green Mealsicle, almond butter, chia seeds, and Chocolate Hazelnut Spread! ! ! 

I hope you're all doing well, and your week has been more relaxing than mine :)

Chocolate & Other Ways To Raise Your Vibrational Frequency

My shift into a high/totally raw diet contributed to a recent shift in my vibrational frequency along with meditation, work with teachers, and probably many things that I'm completely unaware of consciously. Whatever happened, I feel great. Some days I can't even drive to work without tearing up over how beautiful everything is. I'm not saying that I'm not going to be down, depressed, angry, or fearful ever again, but I feel so much closer to our birth right, Innate Harmony.

And isn't that why we all (us food bloggers and readers) choose to eat what we eat? We feel good physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Whether we're vegan, raw, high raw, or even simply prepare most meals at home and are conscious of the food we eat, it all contributes to our happiness and well being. In the spirit of feeling amazing, I've made a list of things that raise our vibrational frequency, causing us to feel whole and at peace :)

-Eat fresh whole foods, the more fresh vegetables, the better!
-Prepare food at home for yourself or loved ones, LOVE is an important ingredient!
-Pray in thanks
-Write a heartfelt list of things you're grateful for
-Listen to music that makes you feel happy
-Meditate
-Think positive thoughts
-Send silent good wishes to people around you, strangers, acquaintances, and loved ones alike
-Play with animals
-Play with babies and/or children
-Do grounding meditations/visualizations regularly to stay centered and present
-Breathe deeply
-Stretch and/or exercise
-Tend to a garden or arrange flowers
-Stand in the sun
-Take a walk and recognize all the people and things around you as yourself
-Look at beautiful photos and paintings
-Touch any part of your body and thank it for all the things it does for you that you aren't even conscious of most of the time
-Give loving hugs and kisses to family, friends, animals, etc.
-Take note of any birds you come across. Birds are my favorite messengers.
-Say 'I love you' to yourself
-Imagine all your cells bathed in light
-Give a small gift however small to yourself or another
-Spend time with people you make you feel loved
-Open your hands and put your palms forward or up when you feel love/good vibes flowing around you
-Imagine your body as a ball of light expanding and contracting, becoming larger with each expansion
-Take a hot bath or if you don't have a tub, like me, soak your feet in warm water with essential oils
-Light candles
-Dance
-Laugh
-State aloud your intent to be loving, kind, and to serve the greater good.

And, of course, chocolate. In large quantities I might argue that it would lower your vibrational frequency as it may make your body feel slow and sick, but as a special treat it can make you feel oh so good :)

I've been meaning to make Averie's Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups for some time, and I finally got around to it!

I did make a few changes, I haven't eaten any refined sugar for over a week, I'm trying to stick to agave, maple syrup, molasses, and fruit to get my sweet fix so regular chocolate chips were out! I used Carmi's Dark Chocolate recipe from Sweetly Raw, substituting agave for maple syrup, and instead of peanut butter I used raw almond butter with a pinch of brewers yeast, a pinch of salt, and a dash of agave for the filling.

These are totally addictive, it's been very difficult to eat just one at a time. Using the muffin cups makes it so simple, and the yeast gave the filling such a heightened flavor, thanks Averie!!!

Don't forget to enter Averie's Raw Cookbook Giveaway and have a beautiful Thursday everyone!

Long week, but totally Raw!

I'm so tired lately, my work schedule has been tough. If I didn't eat the way I do, I'm sure I'd be totally caffeine dependent because... it's tough! But, I've been eating 80-100% raw! Whoo hoo! Yeah! Go me!

I'm a little excited. It was a goal of mine for a while that I'd almost dismissed as something that just wasn't for me, but something shifted and now all I really want is raw food. Most days I'll eat one cooked meal, or one cooked meal item with raw foods but I've also done a few all raw days with ease! I've just been photographing everything I've eaten. I was in the middle of a project so my kitchen and dining areas were a mess most of the week. There are a lot of close ups as a result.

Green salad with guacamole, flax seed crackers, and raw soup from Lifefood Organic in Hollywood.

Banana blueberry ice cream made from 3 frozen bananas and 1 cup frozen blueberries with fresh strawberries and agave.

I found blueberries at Whole Foods for $2.50! I ate these for breakfast two days in a row.

Work is stressing me out, trying to remember my heart center and eat lots of green. I treated myself to a Multigreen Kombucha after a particularly bad day.

A dinner of sliced bananas and strawberries with almond butter and chia seeds, yum!

My ginger snap smoothie with spirulina, chlorella, and hemp protein added with a quickly fading molasses heart on top.

A simple salad with green lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber, and avocado, dressed with a few dashes of chili sesame oil and liquid aminos.

I found strawberries at the farmers market, three containers for six dollars. They made an excellent addition to meals as well as a great snack.

Wonderful wonderful chia pudding made with cashew milk and topped with my superfood trail mix.

Cashew Milk

1/4 cup cashews soaked overnight

4 cups of water (I like mine thin, add less water for a thicker milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp agave nectar or to taste

Blend until nuts are liquified, strain if necessary.

My friend Fletcher enjoying some chia pudding! I'm converting all my friends :)

I also made my first buckwheat cereal! Here it is first mixed.

Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cereal

1 1/2 cups soaked buckwheat groats

3 tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp maca powder

1 banana, mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla 

5 tbsp shredded coconut

1/4 cup soaked cashews, chopped

3 tbsp cacao nibs

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated then spread a thin layer on parchment paper or a tephlon sheet and dehydrate for 8 hours or until crunchy.

I also finally made hummus again. I keep neglecting my chick pea sprouts so I bought some at the farmers market.

I've tried several hummus recipes, and I always end up adding more or less of every ingredient until it reaches a flavor I like, and I encourage you to do the same!

Hummus

2 cups sprouted chick peas

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Blend until very smooth.

I hope everyone's been well, I'm hoping to have more opportunities to update next week! 

Giveaway Winner!

And the winner of my first giveaway for Jason Powersmile All Natural Whitening Toothpaste is...

Averie!!! From Love Veggies and Yoga! Congratulations, whooo hooo! Thanks to everyone who entered, I'll be hosting another giveaway next month :)

Raw Adventures

Raw seems to have finally taken over my diet! Well, almost. I've been eating raw all day and cooked food for dinner, yesterday I was all raw, and today I had a vegan burger at the Blu Jam Cafe for lunch, but will stay raw for the rest of the day. I'm not pushing it too hard, it's all flowing very naturally.

My friend Fletcher and I shared a cooked dinner, raw spinach, leftover quinoa sauteed with chick peas, baked sweet potato, and whole wheat flat bread topped with olive oil, garlic, red onions, and olive spread.

My mom came up to visit me yesterday. She's been all raw for three days now and just called me to tell me how great she feels!

Before we left I made a green smoothie, spinach, strawberries, banana, hemp seeds, spirulina, and chlorella. 

I also made a simple chia seed pudding. As liquid, I made a superfood milk using a handful of the trail mix I made last week. It was perfect, not to sweet and very flavorful.

Here's the trail mix again, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, mulberries, goji berries, cacao nibs, and raisins.

My mom and I went to Bergamot Station to look at the exhibits. On the way, we made a wrong turn and stumbled upon a Psychic Fair hosted by the Southern California Psychic Institute. We each received aura healings and I'm planning on attending a meditation class next Saturday. 

After browsing through various installations, my mom and I went to eat at Planet Raw in Santa Monica. 

I left my camera in the car! But, everything was so good, I much preferred eating to photographing. We shared the Chicken Wings which were endive leaves filled with two delicious sauces that really tasted like chicken wings! Then we had the Mushroom Stew, the Caesar Salad and the Macho Nachos. The mushroom stew was creamy and spicy, with big pieces of marinated mushrooms, yum! The nachos were out of this world. Flax seed crackers/chips and endive leaves served with red sauce, white sauce, guacamole, nut cheese, and fresh cilantro. YUM.

On our way back, we stopped by Rainbow Acres per Alysha's suggestion on her blog, www.rawfoodnerd.blogspot.com. They really do have the best priced chia seeds, a little bit cheaper than my online order. I insisted that my mom get some for herself, and I bought more too!

I also purchased some coconut water, tamari, cacao powder, maca powder, shampoo and conditioner (on sale for $3.77 each!), cheese cloth, and some hemp protein powder. 

I bought Nutiva's Hemp Protein + Fiber because it was on sale for $10. Hemp seeds are the only listed ingredient, but I hope it's not more processed than regular hemp protein. But then, a little extra fiber probably won't kill me!

My mom bought Raweos. They are amazing, I want to try to make my own version with a frosting that's slightly more distinct.

It's been raining again, here I am last night getting ready to go out. You can't tell, but I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and a thick sweater under my coat. I'm impressed with all you folks who live places that are REALLY cold!

For breakfast this morning I ate an orange from my mom's tree. I kind of like it when the pieces don't separate neatly and I just have to tear it apart. It reminds me of eating like a monkey :)

Jesse's parents also gave us a bunch of oranges we need to finish! I made orange smoothies with orange, ice, vanilla, and agave nectar.

And I'm so excited because Sundays just got even better! Sunday has become Amoeba Records and Farmer's Market day, they're both on the same street. I love the farmers market and Jesse loves Amoeba and now, right in between the two is a new raw restaurant!

I picked up some soup that I'll eat for dinner :D I'm SO excited.

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, there's still a few hours! I'll announce the winner tomorrow! Have a great week everyone :)