B7DRC - November 2013: Day 1 and Day: New Challenges and a reason to Celebrate!

Wow. I just realized that October marked one year of participating in Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge! I’ve been doing this for a year! How awesome is that? I have to say I’m quite proud of the progress I have made on my journey to ultimate health and wellness through a raw food diet, exercise, and meditation and I definitely couldn’t have made it without these raw challenges to set me back on the right track. So THANK YOU Brad’s for helping me on my journey to a raw foods diet and I look forward to participating in many more challenges!! 

So who’s ready to rawk November’s challenge? This week I’m not only participating in Brad’s Raw Food Challenge but I also started Sunwarrior’s Warrior Way in 30 Days challenge. It includes healthy eating, exercise and meditation. Can you tell now that I am addicted to challenges? I love them!! Free recipes, free information, free guidance…what’s NOT to love!? It’s the easiest and most fun way to get on the right track to living healthy.

Alrighty enough chit chat. Here’s Day 1 and Day 2’s eats.

Day 1

Early Morning

You know it :) Warm lemon honey tea! Alkalizing, hydrating and detoxifying. After my tea I downed a 16 ounces bottle of cold water! Re-hydrating every morning feels amazing!

Juice + 16 oz water

Part of Warrior Way’s Challenge menu includes a yummy green juice every morning which is something I really need to start incorporating more into my diet. Hopefully this will help me get into the habit!

This first juice was refreshing and super delish. I loved the combination and can’t wait to make it again!

Cucumber Aqua Fresca

By Sunwarrior 

Makes 8 Ounces

• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup spinach
• ½ apple

Breakfast + 16 oz water

Next on the list? A delicious fruit bowl. While their menu called for a berry bowl I went for an apple banana bowl instead. Topped with raw almonds and cinnamon and drowned in raw almond milk, nothing could be this simple AND this tasty.

Lunch + 16 oz water

Smoothie time!! This powerhouse smoothie contains everything you need to keep you fueled, energized, satisfied and most importantly, NOURISHED. This is a Sunwarrior recipe so of course it contains a butt load of Sunwarrior’s products which are no doubt my personal favorite, but feel free to use your favorite brand.

Sunwarrior’s Power Shake Smoothie

By Sunwarrior 

Makes 16 ounces 

• 1 cap of Sunwarrior’s Liquid Light
• 5 tablets of chlorella or Spirulina
• 1 scoop of Sunwarrior’s Vanilla Protein, Classic Blend
• 1 tsp of Sunwarrior’s Ormus Supergreens
• 1 tsp of coconut oil
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup fresh apple juice (about 1 large apple)
• 1 heaping Tbsp of chia seeds (added in last, blended just to stir)

Dinner + 16 oz water

I got a little too busy for dinner and ended up sipping on a kombucha, eating leftover raw kimchi and leftover chocolate from my raw almond butter cup pie. I know. What a fabulous dinner. They say, eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper…I’m pretty positive I have that down. I stuff my face in the morning, eat a decent lunch and barely have dinner. Yep, I got it :)

Day 2

Early morning

Warm lemon tea and water!

Juice + 16 ounces of water

This recipe is adapted from a Turmeric Juice recipe I found online. It’s sweet, rich, loaded with carotenes and anti-inflammatory properties and best of all? It tastes amazing!

Orange Turmeric Juice

Adapted from Q by Equinox

• 1 orange
• ½ lemon
• 2 carrots
• ½ apple (optional depending on sweetness of orange)
• 1 1-inch knob of ginger
• 4 2-inch knobs of fresh turmeric, peeled

1. Juice and serve!

Breakfast + 16 oz water

I opted for a smoothie for breakfast, but little did I know that I would create one of the worse smoothie I have ever had. Yes. The worse. I used a recipe I had, added some protein powder and ½ a banana  for flavor and at first, it was fine. But when I finally got to drink it at work, it was gritty, stringy, chewy…ugh! 

Not sure if it was the orange I used or what but it was definitely not an easy sipper. Unfortunately it was all I brought so I had no choice but to down it. It did keep me full though! 

Lunch + 16 oz water

After breakfast I was looking forward to lunch. I made an amazing Maple Curry “CousCous” which I adapted from, you guessed it, Sunwarrior. I rawified the original recipe by subbing in a few ingredients and yumm, the yummiest raw curry bowl was created!

Maple Curry Cauli "CousCous"

Adapted from Sunwarrior
Serves 1

 

Bowl

• 1 cup mixed greens or green leaf lettuce
• 1 cup cauliflower rice (which is simply raw cauli processed in a food processor to resemble a course grain)
• 4-6 dates, diced
• Handful (about 2-3 Tbsp) of raw almonds or cashews
• ½ cup diced celery
• 2-3 Tbsp of sliced green onions
• 1 carrot, shredded

Dressing

• 2 Tbsp of Manitoba hemp seeds
• 1 tsp of green onions, white only
• 1 Tbsp of maple syrup
• ½ - 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• ½ Tbsp of curry powder
• Pinch of raw mashed garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp of water (as needed to blend)

1. In a small personal blender, blend the dressing ingredients until well blended and smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired thickness and consistency.
2. In a small bowl, toss together the cauli rice, dates, almonds, celery and green onions.  Set aside.
3. To assemble, line a bowl with a handful of mixed greens. Top the greens with the “couscous” mixture then top that with the shredded carrots.
4. Serve with dressing and maybe even a sprinkle of cilantro.

After Lunch Treat

WHAT!? Yes I have an after lunch treat. It’s usually a small piece of chocolate or a small treat I whipped up at home like brownie balls or cookie dough balls, something just to end the meal on a good note. Today I finally got a chance to try one of the raw chocolate bars from a new, fairly local company called Santosha Chocolates.

Made in Asheville, NC, Santosha’s chocolates are completely raw, stone ground, for 48 hours to be exact, only slightly sweetened and unique in its own sense. This chocolate is definitely NOT for the faint at heart. Only for those who know how appreciate real chocolate in its purest form.

The texture of these chocolates are very similar to that of common stone ground chocolates minus the grittiness you may get with the added sugars. Santosha’s chocolates are a tad gritty at first, but quickly melt in your mouth, giving your tastebuds time to explore the properties of real cacao: a tiny bit astringent, slightly bitter, rich and somewhat robust. The bar I tried today also contained Goji Berries, Ginger and Ashwagandha Root giving the chocolate a fruity smoky taste as well.

The best part are the health benefits! The cacao alone is rich in antioxidants, but the goji berries are also full of antioxidants and trace minerals, the ginger promotes digestive wellness and the Ashwagandha Root to increaste the body’s resistance to stress, to regulate thyroid function and metabolism, balance hormone levels and improve immunity. Umm WIN!

I’ll be sharing more on these chocolates later but I highly recommend them checking Santosha out. Their chocolates are different from other raw chocolates I have tried. All you need is a small bite to satisfy your tastebuds. And for me, we all know that’s a first!

Dinner + 16 oz water

Tonight was a mixture of events and my appetite was non-existent. So instead of prepping a dinner I knew I wouldn’t even care for, I grabbed a Blueberry Kombucha from MTO and did my thing. 

To end, since it is the month of thankfulness, I want to just say that I am truly thankful to all of you, our fans, for your support. You guys seriously rawk and we look forward to many more fun blogging years with you!

Hello and Goodbye to Day 1 and Day 2.

Haha sounds like a Dr. Seuss book!

*Beth*