Yep! It’s that time…AGAIN! And while you would think I would
be tired of doing this monthly, it is quite the opposite! I LOVE doing this
challenge every month! The raw challenge has become a monthly ritual; one that I
look forward to and enjoy every minute of. It’s never a dull moment during Brad’s
Raw Challenge and this month will not be any different.
This week I’ll only be completing 5 of the 7 days because this weekend I have a
vegan superfoods cooking class that I had to reschedule from this past weekend
due to this awful sickness I’m still recovering from, plus a restaurant review
to give sooo it’ll be worth it...I think…well, is anything worth NOT getting 2 packs
of Brad’s awesome goodies? I dunno…. ;)
With that, let’s get started!
Early Morning:
My schedule has now changed since school is officially back
in session and therefore, my eating pattern will mostly likely change as well.
I’m now starting my morning off with a warm tea….for this challenge, an herbal
or green tea, or a lemon or ACV tea to keep it raw. To help my body get back
into good health after working hard to kill this cold and for a little energy boost
I opted for a green tea with a pinch of honey. It was slightly warm and worked
well to ease the little pain left in my throat.
Breakfast:
I don’t know about you, but during the summer I tend to
indulge on all the seasonal fruit I can get my hands wrapped around because
once it’s gone, it’s gone. I’m not one to pay $8 for a small pack of organic
blueberries during the winter and watermelon, peaches and figs are nearly
extinct til the coming summer..at least in my area. One of my favorites that I
just cannot get enough of is watermelon. I noticed this past Saturday at the
Farmer’s Market the watermelons were getting smaller and after opening one,
less sweet indicating these babies were inching closer and closer to the end of
their season. *Sniff*
But until that happens officially watermelon I shall buy and
watermelon I shall eat.
This bowl was topped with a few sprigs of mint and some lime
juice…too bad I could barely taste :P
Lunch:
I’ve been testing a recipe out for Manitoba Harvest’s Salad
Contest and I created a simple summer salad I am quite proud of. It’s sweet,
creamy, savory and oh so refreshingly, crunchy. I love every bite of
satisfaction. It’s filling and loaded with hemp protein, healthy omegas and
greens!
Summer Kale Slaw
By Beth Mickens
Serves 1
Salad
- 1 heaping cup of shredded kale
- Kernels from 1 small cob of corn
- 1 small carrot, julienned (3 Tbsp)
- 3 Tbsp cup of jicama, julienned
- 3 Tbsp of red bell pepper, julienned
- 6 small cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp of hemp seeds
- Dill, dried or fresh (optional) or favorite herb/s
Simple Dressing
- 2 Tbsp of cashews
- 1 tbsp of hemp seeds
- 1-2 Tbsp of water
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice or ACV or combo of both
- ½ - 1 tsp of raw honey (depends on how sweet your corn is. If it’s super sweet then reduce the amount of sweetener)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper
- Toss all the salad ingredients, except for the herbs, together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bullet style blender, add cashews and hemp seeds. Grind into a fine powder.
- Add remaining ingredients (only 1 Tbsp of water to start) and blend until thick and smooth adding water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Add dressing to salad and lightly toss until every bit of the salad is equally dressed. Add dried dill or preferred herbs and toss gently one more time to combine.
- Serve with an extra sprinkle of hemp seeds to garnish.
Snack:
You know I have to have my smoothies :)
Today’s green smoothie is called the Chocolate Berry Crunch.
Not sure why it didn’t turn out as chocolaty as I expected but I could probably
blame my crappy taste buds for that one. This cold has killed my taste buds and
it’s depressing. Even though it didn’t taste exactly as I wanted, this smoothie
was still yummy and fulfilling.
Chocolate Berry Crunch
Recipe adapted from Reboot with Joe
Makes 16 ounces
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup blueberries, frozen
- ¼ cup mixed berries, frozen
- ¼ cup cherries, frozen
- ¼ cup strawberries, frozen
- ½ banana
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1-2 tbsp of raw cacao powder or cacao nibs
- 1 scoop of raw protein powder (I used hemp)
- 1 Tbsp of chia seeds
- Blend and enjoy!
Dinner:
For some reason I wasn’t hungry…maybe because my stomach is
still trying to get back to normal. This cold killed my appetite for the last
few days so I can imagine how my tummy feels having to get back into digesting
all this food. I did enjoy more watermelon and some of Hail Merry’s raw
chocolate mint tart..which sadly tasted like nothing. Oh well. I’m just happy
that my body is recovering well… I will continue to listen to it, treating it
right so that in return it will provide me with a happy, long, healthy life and
right now it’s saying..GO TO BED! So until tomorrow…
Oh before I go to bed, I’ll be taking another homemade flu
shot. I have taken two so far since my cold started on Friday and the day after I took my shot, the worse symptoms were over.
The first time I took it I was suffering from a sharp, painful sore throat that
made it hard to breath and swallow. The day after, I kid you not, it was gone!
My throat felt almost back to normal!
The second time I took it my body was
aching and my head was congested and felt like it was ready to just explode. I
could feel the inflammation in my sinuses and ears. So I took another one and
the next morning it was gone! My husband, also the individual who kindly shared
his germs with me, took a flu shot when he felt the sore throat symptoms gradually getting worse and immediately felt better the next morning. He’s a believer of
natural remedies and was the one who had to force me to suck down this potent
yet healing concoction. Thank goodness he did.
So if you’re ever in need of a quick remedy, take one of
these and feel the inviting burn of natural healing.
Homemade Flu Shot
(for sore throats and inflammation due to
a cold)
In a small bowl add:
- 1 large lemon juiced
- ½ - 1 tsp of raw honey
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ tsp of grated ginger
- Shake of turmeric
- Shake of cayenne
- Whisk together til well combined. Pour or strain into a shot glass and drink. Do NOT chase with water. Wait a bit before drinking any liquids to allow it to coat your throat and really work its way into your system.
- Bottoms up!
*Beth*
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