Day 2 plus a review of Brad's Raw Chips!

 

Day 2 and I’m loving it already!! I do miss my day off in the kitchen though, but gotta make that money SOME how!

Breakfast: Young and Raw is seriously pulling out some amazingly delicious smoothies!!!

 

Day 5: Lemon Lime Detox Smoothie

• 1 Frozen banana
• 1 lime peeled
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 oranges, juiced
• 2 handfuls of kale, spinach or other green
• Aloe vera leaf (optional)
• Ice (optional)

Snacks: A cooled down green tea with raw honey, a yummy Double Ginger Kombucha from MTO, bananards, raw almond butter, and the rest of Brad’s Naked Raw Kale Chips.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Brad’s Raw Chips

I was GOING to save the BEST for last but after having yet another skidaddle with my daughter over Brad’s delicious kale chips – which excites me that my belief to lead by example is finally showing through my daughter’s healthy choices – I decided a review is necessary, like, NOW!

My little kale chip monster!

I think anyone who has transitioned to an alternate diet can agree that the first things we find are prepared snacks that fit into that diet in an effort to prevent total starvation (because fruit and veggies as a snack is absolutely ridiculous!).  Kale and kale chips were sweeping the FaceBook nation so I knew I had to grab me some and see what the fuss was all about. Brad’s catchy kale chip names caught my eye and it was love at first sight..and bite! Crunchy, cheesy and loaded with serious flavor! I couldn’t believe raw kale chips could taste so flippin’ good! My husband’s curiosity finally got the best of him and the Nasty Hots became a new routine grocery item. However, with our budget, we can only afford one each week or two so what do you think happens when there’s only one box and two of us are craving? WE FIGHT! Buying another flavor usually guarantees me full rights….that was until my daughter fell in love too. It’s a bit harder to deny her, but I do sneak into the closet and grab a few when no one’s looking :) Yes, they are that good.

Brad’s sells a variety of Kale Chips, from Naked Cheese, to the spicy Nasty Hots to yes, sweet and juicy Pina Kale-ada…and yes, them babies are so so good! If you think pineapple, coconut and greens do not mix? Think again.

Brad’s also sells a variety of raw chips, which I have only tried a few of. The one’s I have tried, Hot Red Bell Pepper and Sweet Potato, have been satisfying thus far. I love using them to dip into raw chili, salsa and of course, guacamole! They are a perfect substitute for tortilla chips.

I JUST learned not too long ago that they just produced and will be selling soon Raw Onion Rings!!! I am drooling just thinking about how tasty they are!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on them!

So if you are looking for a healthy, raw, fulfilling snack or just really curious to know what kale chips taste like, then ignore the price, grab a box of Brad’s raw kale chips and fall in love. Trust me, it’s worth it. Just an FYI, I am not responsible for the increase in your grocery budget… just saying. ;)

Lunch: My family and I are always craving sushi. We seriously could eat it every day. But let’s be honest, that ish is expensive and it barely fills you up! So I started making sushi at home. I haven’t perfected the texture and flavor quite yet, but I’m working on it. I didn’t have the rolling down either…until I made raw sushi and bamm perfection! Go figure…

This raw sushi is so satisfying and will curb all your cravings for sushi…especially when served with some tamari, pickled ginger, wasabi and/or sirachi.

Raw Sushi

Adapted from Young and Raw

Maked 2 rolls, 16 slices, 1 serving

Raw Sushi Rolls

• Raw nori sheets
• 1 carrot, julienned
• ¼ bell pepper, julienned
• ¼ cucumber, julienned
• 1 green onion, julienned
• ¼ avocado, thinly sliced
• Mixed greens
• Sprouts

Raw Cauli Rice

• 1 plus cups of cauliflower florets
• Handful of cilantro
• ¼ large avocado
• ¼ lime, juiced
• Salt
• Dulse flakes
• Chilli Powder (optional)

1. Place cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until it resembles rice. Add cilantro and pulse again until finely chopped. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, add avocado, lime juice, salt to taste, dulse flakes and chipotle powder. Mash well with a fork.
3. Add the cauli rice into the bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

To prepare the sushi roll, I recommend watching this video. It’s a lot easier than writing up instructions and in all honesty, it takes practice.

Once your sushi rolls are complete, slice and serve with tamari, wasabi, siracha and/or pickled ginger (note, not all of these condiments are raw).

I know, yumm!

Dinner: Diced mango sprinkled with flax seeds and some dessert :)

Dessert: Raw Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream

I am currently on a mission to perfect a raw coconut ice cream recipe. I’m using a recipe from The Rawesome Life but I have been making a few tweaks to it. The first batch I made came out amazing! I had used only one sweetener, honey, and I added raw cacao nibs. This time, I used a combo of sweeteners and added pineapple and it turned out, well, not so fab. The texture was off due to the alternate sweeteners, the flavor was lacking due to the crappy pineapple whose lack in sweetness and tartness didn’t counter the sweet and creamy taste of the coconut ice cream, and well…I just hated it. As a perfectionist, if something is slightly off, I toss it and start over and that is exactly what I did! Hopefully I’ll have a recipe by the end of the week. For now, enjoy the pics.

Workout:  2 minute run, 2 minute walk. I'm trying to retrain my body to run again. I did pretty good. No stopping. I did go at a slower pace but hey at least I didn't stop! I did have some help from the Fresh Beat Band..."It's just another perfect day!"

- BETH