What an amazing three days I have had. It began with having some neighbours over for a friendly talk about raw and living foods. In order to be able to speak at a local organic store I need to be a published author (Do blogs count? I'll have to check on that one), one that's written books on the subject that they are to speak about. For me it's all about what I have read and experienced in my year (so far) journey into raw foods. So instead I am bringing people to me and opening my home to those who want to know more.
It was a small group, all ladies but what a great afternoon we had. I was nervous at first because I had never actually tried to prepare living foods for anyone and talk about it at the same time. At first I fumbled around with trying to put my mind into the two spaces at the same time but eventually found a rhythm that worked.
We started with a simple salad with Brendan Brazier's "Basic Salad Dressing" and they thought it was really tasty. I literally live on the stuff, most salads I eat have that dressing on it. Really simple. For a large salad you would use:
4 tbsp. Vega Antioxidant Oil Blend
2 tbsp. Raw Agave Syrup
1 tbsp. aple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste.
Not sure on the 100% raw aspect of the dijon mustard...must make a point to check.
Then we did a green smoothie. I will talk more about these in my next post, which I will write tonight also. Green smoothies are amazing for you! They are my new favourite food.
2 bananas
1 bunch of kale
one cup strawberries (frozen)
1.5 cups of water
1 tbsp. agave
I don't usually use agave, but gave them some without the agave and then with. I would usually use another banana to add more sweetness. You can start by adding some agave and then slowly wean off of it as you get used to the taste.
After that it was time for a chocolate mousse shake. Now this is a delicacy, for sure. There are many variations that I do but this is the one I did for them on Sunday.
Sesame nut milk
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1.5 cups water (give or take depending on how thick you would like it)
Blend this and then strain out the hulls/meat of sesame seed. Put "milk" back into blender.
Add the following and blend:
2 bananas
2 tbsp. agave syrup
2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
Lastly I showed them how to make a raw cookie dough with variations. Handful of favourite nuts. I like to use almonds, macadamia nuts and cashews. Be sure you know your sources for nuts and seeds as most are heated in the shelling process. I currently get most of mine from GoneRaw.com they are in Naramata, British Columbia and are really quick getting your order to you!
Process the nuts into a "meal" and then add about 7 dates and process. Then I add honey, about a tablespoon or two and you process until it looks like cookie dough. Then you can add things like raisins, or coconut or roll it in coconut or process a little raw chocolate into the mix. The variations are what makes it fun. You start with the base and play with it a little to find something new.
When they left that afternoon they were all pumped about raw foods and want to eat more of them in their daily lives. That's what it's all about. Just include more raw foods into your daily life. So many of us are just slogging along eating so much cooked food that we're clogging up our system...start unclogging it! Their energy really made me more energetic and I had a hard time falling asleep later that night with so many ideas floating around in my head. And, sleeping isn't something I've had any trouble with since going raw. In fact my sleep is the deepest, most sound sleep I have ever had. I am finding I am needing more now than when I first went raw...perhaps it's because the last three weeks of December weren't 100%?
I've been 100% for January so far and it's really working for me and I'm feeling that raw high that I have been missing over the holiday. In face I have had so much energy that I've been able to stay up later at night to get some reading done.
In fact I was sending some information to one of my guests that Sunday night only to find that Matt Amsden had written to me. His RAWvolution raw recipe book has been so inspirational to me. I included his book in my blog regarding some raw resources I have used. He took time out of his busy day and wrote to me, saying he was flattered I had mentioned his book. Talk about humble and down to earth. Even how he comes across in the book he seems like such a great guy. If I remember correctly, he's also Canadian born. Yay Canada! Thanks Matt for making my day!
This also made it real to me that this isn't just some diary that I am writing here under lock and key. It's a living document that I put out there and people read it. It's a resource guide for family and friends who want to include more raw in their diets. It's out there...in print, for everyone to see.
Then on Sunday night I also began reading Victoria Boutenko's book "Greens for Life". I really enjoyed her books
Raw Family: A true story of awakening
12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Food
"Greens for Life" is a book that I ordered a couple of months ago. Sounded interesting but I didn't make the time to read it until this week. Funny how I have been thinking that my raw diet needed some fine tuning. I was eating and craving too many sweet foods and wasn't eating enough greens. I had started juicing again (more on that in a future blog when I explain the second half of 2007) since the beginning of 2008 and if I made a smoothie, it always had some greens in it. Neither of these were daily habits though.Victoria Boutenko so eloquently describes the benefits of greens in our diets, be it the standard diet, a vegetarian diet, vegan, or raw vegan. She wants to see people incorporate more greens in their diets. An easy, tasty way to do this is by drinking a green smoothie. In her book she talks about the "Roseburg Study" where she had participants drink 1 quart of green smoothie a day. They were not asked to change one thing about their diets, although many did and felt it was a result of the daily green smoothie that they were ingesting. It changed them, their thinking, their habits, and their patterns. Most saw improvements in many aspects of their health and their lives. Could such a simple drink do this?
I want to see if I can reduce my sweet cravings, improve my eyesight, totally alkalize my body, see a reduction in gray hairs, and feel super energetic, waking up with lots of energy before the alarm clock. All of these things were mentioned as results some of her participants experienced in that one month of drinking green smoothies. SO....
For the next 30 days I am going to make green smoothies a daily habit. I will use the blog and youtube to record my progress.
Stay tuned...
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