B7DRC - November 2013: Day 4 and Day 5: When busy, eat simple.

It’s Thursday!! One more day til Friday! Tomorrow I head to the ‘burg to watch Catching Fire balcony style with my hubby, my sister and brother-in-law. I’ll also be challenging myself to eat raw while we dine at a favorite local pub…no pickles, no beer, just salad. Eek! I can do it though!  It IS after all called a challenge! 

On another note, I realized today that my body prefers the new diet changes I have been making the last few days. Today I skipped my juice due to chaos yesterday evening and lack of time this morning and ended up feeling grossly full after my lunch. The gradual increase in foods in the morning and decrease in the evening has my body feeling pretty good. I think I’ll stick to it. No excuses. 

Okay so here we go on Day 4.

Early Morning + 16 oz water

Warm soothing lemon honey tea.

Juice

:(

Breakfast + 16 oz water

Mmm finally tried Brad’s FAMOUS Green Smoothie from his upcoming book, Brad’s Raw Made Easy! It is super delish! My daughter and I had a smoothie morning and while she didn’t drink much of her smoothie, I’m glad to see the impact my healthy habits are having on her food choices. 

This green smoothie is probably the tastiest smoothie I have ever had that includes both apple and pears! Most smoothies I have with either an apple, or a pear, or both are gritty and unappetizing. This one however, was great! It had some chew to it but it was still smooth and easy to drink and the flavor combo rocks! And no I’m not being paid to praise Brad’s recipes or products…I truly do love it! 

Brad’s FAMOUS Green Smoothie

By Brad’s Raw Made Easy

Makes 16 ounces

My smoothie partner :)

• 1 cup kale
• 1 – ½ cups water
• ½ large apple
• ½ medium ripe pear
• 1 frozen banana

1. Simple! Blend and sip away! Whee!

Lunch +16 oz water

Again chaos last night meant little time to prep meals for us all so I went for a simple Mexican-inspired salad…we all know I have to have my Mexicano food at least once a week ;)

Simple and easy to prep: lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, some red bell peppers, cilantro, a giant dollop of guacamole, a sprinkle of spicy sprouted sunflower seeds and a lime on the side. Mmm!

Snack +16 oz water

Since I skipped juice I had a snack. Again, simple and easy. Almond butter stuffed dates aka nature’s candy. Filling and energizing!

Dinner and LOTS of water!

No dinner just a kombucha and some fruit including mango and a persimmon. Lots of snacking today!

Day 5

Since I’ll be out practically all day and all night tomorrow, I wanted to go ahead and post tomorrow’s eats…or at least what I PLAN on eating!

Early Morning + 16 oz water

Warm Lemon Tea!

Juice + 16 oz water

Yeah! Another recipe by Sunwarrior!! This is just as yummy as the other green juices! Refreshing!

Crazy for Kale

By Sunwarrior's Warrior Way in 30 Days

Makes 8 oz

• 2 leaves of kale
• Handful of parsley
• 2 stalks of celery
• ¼ lemon, peeled
• ¼ - ½ cup red grapes or ½ apple
• ½ cucumber, peeled
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger

1. Juice and enjoy!

Breakfast + 16 oz water

Sipping on another Sunwarrior Power Shake! See Recipe in Day 1’s post here!

Lunch + 16 oz water

I’ve been following Sunwarrior’s meal plans as part of the Warrior Way in 30 days challenge and I have been super satisfied so far with this challenge! Tomorrow’s dinner called for Pesto Pasta. Since I didn’t have any zucchini’s on hand I improvised and decided to make Pesto Cauli-CousCous. It’s just as tasty as the pasta version, just a different texture! I’m serving it on top of a bed of greens, surrounded by tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions and served with a lemon as an extra dressing if needed.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s lunch!

Pesto Cauli-CousCous Salad

By Beth Mickens

Pesto by Sunwarrior

Serves 1

Pesto

• 1 large handful of basil
• 1 small kale leaf
• Sprinkle of oregano
• 1 small clove of garlic, mashed
• 2-3 Tbsp of nuts (I used a combo of cashews and walnuts)
• 1/2 Tbsp of white miso
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 tsp of raw honey
• 2 Tbsp of cold pressed oil (olive oil preferably but hemp will work as well)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small personal blender, blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed.

Salad

• 2 cups of mixed greens or green leaf lettuce
• 2 cups of cauli rice (cauliflower simply processed til it resembles a course grain)
• 2 Tbsp of Manitoba’s hemp seeds
• ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 Tbsp of chopped red bell peppers
• 2 Tbsp of sliced green onions
• ¼ lemon slice, as garnish

1. In a small bowl toss together the cauli rice and pesto until the cauli is well coated. It may seem to stick together, that’s fine I promise.
2. Toss in the hemp seeds.
3. On a plate or in a large bowl, add the mixed greens or lettuce.
4. Add the pesto cauli-couscous.
5. Top with tomatoes, red bell, and green onions.
6. Garnish with a sprig of basil and lemon wedge.
7. Serve.

Snack (if I’m even hungry!) + 16 oz water

Plan on nibbling on some Pomegranate seeds if I get hungry before dinner!

Dinner + 16 oz water

So for dinner we have plans to go to  a British Pub, our favorite British Pub, in the 'burg. Only problem is there's very little raw food to eat. Thankfully I've been there enough to know just what to do! Salad it will be but it's going to be a GOOD salad!

I'll update this post when I return tomorrow night!

Have a great Friday and an even better weekend!

*Beth*

B7DRC - November 2013: Day 3: Raw Caprese Tapas

I think Christmas Fever officially hit me this morning. I pulled out the Christmas CDs and I have been belting out songs like no one’s listening...because no one is listening! Don’t want to damage any ears :) 

With the Christmas Fever comes the anxiety. What to buy, what to cook, which cookies to make out of the list of 1,000,000, and worse, what if I gain weight? This time of year can mean overindulgence but proper planning and a routine workout can save you from holiday bloat and the continuous need for a New Year resolution solely focused on weight loss. Keep up with your healthy habits and come January 1^st you’ll be glowing with pride knowing you made it past the holiday’s bloat free. As for your resolution, it can finally be one that doesn’t involve fasting or excessive exercise.

Need a healthy quick start? Participate in Brad’s Challenge in December and you’ll be all prepped for healthy eating greatness!

So who’s ready for Day 3? It’s gorgeous outside and I’m feeling energized!

Early Morning + 16 oz water

Yummy a warm lemon tea!!

Juice +16 oz water

Almost forgot to post my juice! Another wonderful recipe by Sunwarrior and another keeper!

Celery Citrus Cooler

by Sunwarrior

Makes 8 oz

•  2 stalks of celery
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 apple
• 1 large handful of parsley
• 1/2 lemon, peeled

Breakfast + 16 oz water

I saw this smoothie on Simple Green Smoothie’s site the other day and it immediately made my mouth water. The combination of beets, berries, fruits and almond milk made me think awesome pink milkshake that needed to be made asap. And so I did. I, of course, switched out the non-raw for raw ingredients and added 1 Tbsp of cacao since it tasted a tad too sweet for me. 

Overall delicious. The texture may throw some people off since it is a tad gritty and crunchy due to the pear, beets and berries seeds. I’m okay with texture as long as it tastes fabulous and this one definitely did!

Berry Beet Smoothie

Adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 handful of bok choy
• ½ cup raw almond milk
• ½ cup water
• ½ large ripe pear
• ½ banana
• ¼ cup frozen berries
• 1 heaping ¼ cup of raw shredded beets
• 1 Tbsp of raw almond butter
• 1 Tbsp of cacao (optional)

Blend, sip and enjoy!

Late Lunch + 16 oz water

This flavorful raw caprese tapas is inspired by Sunwarrior’s Warrior Way Challenge caprese salad as part of this week’s menu. The cheese is made from a blend of soaked sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice and salt. I thinly sliced a kohlrabi to serve as my “bread” and topped the cheese off with a simple salsa made with tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and tiny splash of balsamic. I topped each tapa with a sprinkle of green onions for a flavor boost.

The kohlrabi and salsa is both fresh and crisp while the cheese is fragrant, robust and creamy. A wonderful light dinner! Not sure if this can count as a “pauper” dinner do you? I mean light yes, but the dish is rich in flavor!

Raw Caprese Tapas

Adapted from Sunwarrior

Makes 1-2 servings

Raw Sunflower Cheese

• 1 cup sunflower seeds soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1 garlic clove, mashed
• ½ lemon juiced (about 1-2 Tbsp)
• 1-2 Tbsp of cold-pressed olive oil
• ½ Tbsp raw honey or agave
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Blend in a high-speed blender til creamy and smooth.

Tomato Basil Salsa

• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (preferably cherry or grape)
• 2-3 leaves of basil, sliced
• 1 tsp of cold-pressed olive oil
• Splash of balsamic
• Salt and pepper

1. Toss all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

To assemble:

• 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, sliced

1. Spread about 1-2 tsp of cheese onto one slice of kohlrabi.
2. Top with 1 tbsp of salsa.
3. Sprinkle with green onions
4. Serve immediately.

Dessert +16 oz water

I have been waiting 3 days to cut into this dessert! I finally made Healthy. Happy. Life. Blogger Kathy’s Raw Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Pie and am I GLAD I did! As you may know, I’m a nut butter addict. Add chocolate and I am in trouble. BIG trouble. Like a whole jar of Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter in 3 days trouble. So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. I knew it would be perfection on a platter and mmmm is it! Chocolaty nutty buttery goodness with a blend of sweet and salty that will make any woman swoon. One bite and I literally leaped. It was foodgasmic. 

Here is the recipe. I quartered the recipe to fit into my mini pie pan which also required a few adjustments in order to get the consistency and flavor down for the chocolate layer. I have no doubt that if the recipe is used as is that it will be perfect. I always have to be difficult J Maybe that’s because I know if I make an entire pie of this I would eat the entire pie which is no good for my figure haha!

Now time to go meditate that pie off :)

*Beth*

Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: Day 3 - New Recipe! Mango-Almond Stir-Fry.

It’s Day 3 of our challenge and day 1 of my new and hopefully improved diet routine. No need for chit chat today. Let’s get rawkin’!

Early Morning Routine:

Once again, I’m starting my mornings off with a nice glass of lemon water. It’s a great way to hydrate the body, flush toxins out and get your metabolism jump started. 

I also did a few stretches. I’m hoping to add a small 10 minute yoga routine in the morning to get my body rolling.

Breakfast:

No smoothies. Yep. I decided I will keep that for post workout. I’m hoping my change from NOT eating anything to eating a smoothie loaded with carbs, protein and fats after my workouts will help with recovery time. The change is also to help with the discomfort I have been getting lately with drinking smoothies at 6am in the morning. Instead of gradually increasing my meals from light to heavy, I’ve been starting off with heavy and ending with little to nothing. So far the change has made a significant difference. My stomach is emptying faster and my digestive system seems to be more relaxed and not so overworked.  

Today for breakfast I switched my daily morning smoothie for a mono meal. If you have never heard of a mono meal, it is simply a meal consisting of only one type of food. Eating a mono meal, specifically in the morning time, allows your body to slowly break the overnight fast of detoxing and cleansing so that it can start focusing on digesting the foods you have eaten to help fuel you throughout the day.  If you throw a smoothie loaded with 10-12 ingredients into your body first thing when you wake up, your body automatically goes into overdrive as it works to break down and separate the nutrients from each food type to be further digested and absorbed. With a mono meal, your body only needs to focus on digesting one type of food. It’s quicker and gentler on your system. 

Think about it. You don’t like to be aggressively woken up do you? Don’t you prefer a gentle shake until you are able to slowly and gradually wake up? Well, you’re body and digestive system prefers the same. 

 My mono breakfast was a beautiful bowl of farm fresh strawberries; some tart, some sweet, some firm, some soft, all juicy and bright! It was the perfect start to my morning. Not too heavy just purely satisfying.

Mid-Morning:

I enjoyed a lukewarm mug of green tea with raw honey to sweeten. I love cool green tea. It’s a really refreshing drink that way.

Lunch

Oooh am I excited about this one!  My cravings for stir-fry combined with a taste for a mango dressing recipe I ran across led to this crazy concoction: Cauliflower “Stir-Fried” Rice with Mango-Almond Stir-Fry Sauce. Sweet, fruity, savory, salty, tangy and a pinch spicy…it had to work! And it did! 

The mango sauce is mildly sweet and tangy with a slight hint of spicy umami savoriness. The almond butter rounds out the sauce giving it body and a smooth mouthfeel. The sauce perfectly complements the mild, fresh, crunchy veggies in this dish giving you a feeling of complete satisfaction, even if you were craving the cooked version. Trust me. With this dish, you won’t miss it.

Raw Cauliflower Stir Fry with Mango-Almond Stir Fry Sauce

Recipe by Beth Mickens

Serves 1 bowl

Mango-Almond Stir-Fry Sauce

• 1/3 cup ripe, sweet mango (Haitian or Champagne mangoes works perfectly!)
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp nama shoyu or tamari
• 1 ½ tsp of lime juice
• 1 heaping tsp of raw almond butter
• 2 Tbsp of water
• Pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne
• Pinch of salt

1. Place all the ingredients into a small blender, aka bullet, or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency. You’re looking for a thick, but pourable sauce that will well coat the veggies.
3. Set aside

Vegetable Stir-Fried Cauliflower Rice

• 1 ½ cups of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp of each:
• Mushrooms
• Red bell pepper
• Carrots
• Sugar snap peas
• Zucchini
• Any other veggies you can think of or prefer
• 1 green onion, sliced
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 avocado, sliced, for garnish
• 1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. In a small food processor, blend the cauliflower florets until finely chopped and it resembles a coarse grain similar to rice. You should yield about 1 cup.
2. Pour the cauli rice into a medium bowl and add the remaining veggies. Toss to combine.
3. Season lightly with salt.
4. Pour the veggie stir-fry into serving bowl.
5. Drizzle with the mango-almond stir fry sauce.
6. Top with slices of avocado and garnish with cilantro.
7. Serve.

It tastes just as great next day, room temp or cold.

NOTE: You can also toss the veggies in the sauce before serving. It was prettier poured :)

Enjoy! 

If you make this dish PLEASE send me your feedback! This “chef” thrives off of constructive criticism. I request it.

Snacks: 

The new change in my eating routine left my belly craving for more, lighter foods. So I enjoyed this perfectly sweet, savory and crunchy raw Cherry Walnut Crunch bar by Thunderbird Energetica and a banana before working out!

Dinner:

Another fabulous smoothie by Kobi Kenzo, revised to my needs of course. 

Ch-Chi-Chia

Adopted from Kobi Kenzo

Makes 16 oz 

• 2 handfuls of spinach or preferred greens
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp of raw almond butter
• 1 small or ½ large frozen banana
• 1 cup raw almond milk
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp of hemp seeds
• 1 Tbsp of Sunwarrior’s Vanilla protein powder
• Turmeric, aloe vera (optional)

Blend away!

This was shockingly tasty despite my bias expectations. Anything with JUST banana is always icky to me but this…this was good. Really good!

I have to say, I feel tons better this go around. I think this new eating routine is going to be a positive one.  I can’t wait to see the results. In the meantime, I’ll continue to listen to my body..and you should too.

Good Night Rawkstars!

For my friends in Australia who love to cook; want to learn and be an expert!? The Melbourne cooking classes are available in sit-down and hands-on formats with intimate classes being the norm. Click Here for more info!!

Thank you, Trupp Cooking, for contacting me and providing me more info on your classes! Wish I lived in Australia!

* Beth *