Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: January 2014 - WE DID IT! Ending the challenge with raw ceviche + raw nanaimo bars!

It’s the last day of Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge! How exciting is that? We made it through 7 days of raw eating! Not so bad, ‘eh?

Today has been another busy day. The weekends actually are always busy for us. We go grocery shopping once a week because a) we buy everything fresh and so it only lasts for a week at the most and b) if I buy enough food for two weeks, believe me when I say, we will find a way to use it and eat it!! Do I starve my family? No! But they have appetites and can clear food quick. I would be lying if I didn’t say I would do the same. I would probably juice WAY more and eat more fruit as well. But until I figure out this whole buying on a budget thing, buying per week it with our budget will just have to do ;)

I also spent the day prepping for this week’s meals. Vegan, GF for my daughter’s dessert this week; raw Nanaimo bars for dessert for me; and much more!

I sort of had time to eat today. Here’s what I made for Day 7.

Breakfast:

After a warm apple cider vinegar tea, I made a yummy juice smoothie using leftover fruits I had in my pantry. Freshly juiced apple and oranges blended with spinach and frozen mango. Simple, sweet and super energizing! Just what I needed to get through my grocery shopping excursion. 

Lunch:

I didn’t get back til late so lunch was more of a snack than a lunch. While prepping I sipped on a raw Vanilla Choc-Kafe Kombucha by my favorite local ‘boocha makers, MTO! So yumm!

For lunch I made a tasty raw meant-to-be-made coconut ceviche. On Friday, I had finally opened up my young thai coconut that I had in the fridge for 2 weeks to find that, instead of going bad as I assumed, a thick, creamy meat had developed! Score! I worked the meat out of my coconut stuck in the fridge and thought, what to make? That evening I sat down to write my post and while doing so decided to turn on one of Jason Wrobel’s episodes from How to Live to 100 and guess what the episode was about? Coconuts!! He made some seriously mouth-watering dishes but the one that stuck out most was his Coconut Ceviche. I had the main ingredient! All I needed was the rest which I bought today on my grocery trip!

This coconut ceviche is a must try. It’s bursting with vibrant flavors and the coconut meat provides a unique meaty texture. The coconut meat also provides sustenance making it more of a full meal than an appetizer or snack. If you love salsa, you’re going to love this dish! I served it with crappy crafted jicama chips to dip. I was starving :P

Coconut Ceviche with Jicama Chips

By Jason Wrobel

• ½ meat of a young thai coconut, chopped into ½ inch squares or small strips
• ½ lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp orange juice
• 2-3 Tbsp of green pepper, diced
• Scant ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
• 2-3 Tbsp of cucumber, chopped
• 1 tsp of jalapeno, diced
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
• Drizzle of EVOO
• Sprinkle of cayenne
• ¼ avocado, diced
• Jicama chips

1. In a small bowl combine coconut meat, lime and OJ allow to sit.
2. Add the green peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeno, green onion, parsley, cilantro, EVOO, cayenne and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Fold in the diced avocado. Serve immediately with thinly sliced jicama as “chips”.

Dinner:

I wasn’t expecting to be hungry by dinner, but surprisingly I was! I was super busy in the kitchen that I honestly didn’t want to stop so I had to whip up something ASAP. I had just finished making roasted broccoli for my fams dinner and noticed some lonely broccoli stalks just waiting as I decided their fate: keep and eat or throw out. I decided to eat! I shaved most of the outer fibers off and ended up sweet yummy broccoli stalk chips. I needed something to dip it in so I whipped up a quick cheesy dip. Not fancy but overall satisfying!

Quick Cheesy Dip

By Beth Mickens

• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp of water (or less for a thicker dip)
• Garlic salt

1. Blend til smooth! Serve with your favorite veggies!

Dessert:

I found this recipe over a week ago and finally got a chance to make it tonight: Raw Nanaimo Bars. Now I have no idea what the original Nanaimo bar looks like nor tastes like but it must be great because every raw foodsie I know has tried to remake this delicious bar and I am so digging the raw remakes! A chocolate base, vanilla middle and chocolate candy top! Mmm mmmm!  If you love coconut you’re going to love this dessert. It’s pretty dense so all you need is one square to keep you satisfied and trust me that’s a lot coming from miss eat-more-than-one.

Raw Nanaimo Bars

By Simply Dish

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and you’re ready to go!

For the base…

• 1c of soaked dates
• 1/2c of cacao powder
• 1/2c of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2c of almonds

1. Process the above in your food processor until it all comes together…about thirty to forty five seconds.
2. Press the mixture into your lined loaf pan, flatten the top and set aside.

For the middle layer…

• 1c of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2c of coconut oil
• 1/4c of coconut nectar (or agave)
• a pinch of turmeric (optional)
• 2tbsp of coconut flour

1. Process the first four ingredients in your food processor until smooth, remove the blade and stir in your coconut flour.  Now you’re thinking…turmeric?  Yep.  A little goes a long way and it will help you achieve the yellowy look, similar to a ‘traditional’ nanaimo bar.  And I personally think it levels out the sweetness a bit.  Yay!

The mixture will seem a bit moist, that’s only because the coconut oil has melted from the heat of the food processor.  Don’t worry, it all works out.  Pour the mixture over your base and smooth out the top.

Place it all in the freezer for about thirty minutes.

For the top chocolate layer…

• 1/4c of cacao powder
• 2tbsp of coconut oil
• 1/4tsp of vanilla powder

1. Place the ingredients into a stainless steel bowl and rest the bowl over a pot of simmering water just long enough for the oil to melt.  Give it all a good stir and drizzle it over the top of the first two layers.  Because the first to layers have been in the freezer, you’ll want to spread the chocolate fairly quickly so that it doesn’t harden unevenly.

And that is it!! Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge for the new year is over! So who’s going to join me next month??? 

*Beth*

Participant Recipes

Banana Date Pudding

From Didi E Aldan

By Loving it Raw

Blend bananas, dates and celery til very smooth. Pour over chopped bananas, dates and top with a walnuts.

Raw Cookies

By Lorraine Medeiros

Mix together almond meal, raw honey, sea salt, chopped walnuts and cacao nibs. Dehydrate on 104 degrees for 6 hours. Enjoy!

Cashew-Cilantro Cheese for Raw Tacos

From  Lucia Morrison

By Sharon 123

 

Cashew-Cilantro Cheeze

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, about 2 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup filtered water

Ground Walnut Taco Meat

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid, aminos such as Bragg's Essential Amino Acids or 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 pinch sea salt, to taste
• 8 small-to-medium romaine leaves
• 1/2 cup natural low-sodium salsa, any flavor
• 1 Avocado, pitted and sliced

Directions:

1. To make cheeze:
2. Place garlic and salt in a food processor; process into small pieces. Add cashews and process into paste. Add lemon juice, cilantro, and water and process to mix well. Set aside.
3. Makes 1 cup.
4. To make meat:.
5. Place walnuts, cumin, coriander, liquid aminos, and salt in a food processor. Process into small pieces until the mixture looks like ground meat. Be careful not to overprocess, it will turn into butter.
6. Makes 1 cup.
7. Scoop 2 tablespoons cashew mixture down the inside spine of each romaine leaf. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons walnut mixture. Add salsa and avocado slices. Wrap and serve. Enjoy!

Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: January 2014 - Mmm Blueberry "Muffin" Chia Pudding!

It’s Day 4 and we have officially hit the half way mark! It’s amazing how fast 7 days can go by…especially when you’re having a blast in the kitchen! Brad’s raw challenge, or any challenge for that matter, doesn’t have to be hard. As long as you have the right tools, you will be successful!  The right tools include a stocked fridge, recipes, and most importantly, a wonderful supportive community which we definitely have. It’s very hard to “fail” when you have so many amazing people cheering you on. So if you ever decided to take on Brad’s raw challenge or any other challenge, know that we are here to provide support, recipes and to cheer you on to success!

Wanna see how easy it is to eat 100% raw? Here’s day 4!!

Early Morning:

I woke up his morning with a super dry, sore throat. Nothing sounded better than a warm lemon tea with raw honey. It was soothing and just what I needed.

Breakfast:

I decided to change up the diet routine, skip the juice and go straight for the smoothie. Today’s smoothie was of course, another rich creamy dessert smoothie by Simple Green Smoothies. This one is full of Vitamin C (just what I need to fight this icky sore throat) and iron. The smoothie? The Orange Dreamsicle. Yes another dreamsicle! This smoothie was delectable! You must try it!

Orange Dreamsicle

By Simple Green Smoothies

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ cup water or coconut water
• 1 juice orange, peeled
• 1 large banana, frozen
• ½ tsp vanilla

1. Blend and enjoy!

Lunch:

Last weekend I had tried the chickpea “tuna” salad from one of my favorite places to dine and was quite disappointed by the lack of flavor it had. The texture was great but it was missing something. I was quite disappointed and it was unsatisfying. So my craving for a chicken/tuna salad continued. That was at least until I made Brad’s Deli Salad from his new book, Brad’s Raw Made Easy.

Before I go on I just want to say I know I sound like a "walking" advertisement for Brad’s, but I do not promote products or anything for that matter, unless I truly love it. Seriously. And no I am not getting paid in kale chips for my opinion. :) Moving on…

Brad’s deli salad was everything the restaurant’s tuna salad was not: meaty, creamy, crunchy and bursting with flavors. The salad contains nuts, seeds, celery, onions, apples and dill mixed with Brad’s recipe for a tangy mayo dressing. I placed it on top of a salad of red lettuce, apple slices, tomatoes, leftover radish and sliced scallions. The deli salad was so creamy and flavorful, I didn’t even need a dressing!  I did make a few changes to the recipe, adding more veggies to balance out the large amount of nuts and seeds and adding extra sweetener to balance out the tartness of the mayo. If you’re looking for a raw version of chicken/tuna salad, this is a great recipe to try. 

Late Snack/Dinner:

Co-challenger Ang has been posting some droolworthy pics of her chia puddings. I finally caved and decided to make one of my own! With the large box of blueberries in my fridge, I decided a blueberry pie/muffin pudding was the perfect way to re-introduce myself to chia pudding. It’s been a long while...

After three attempts, I finally got the recipe right. The results? A creamy, sweet vanilla pudding topped with juicy blueberries and nutty coconut. A pinch of cinnamon and mmm you have a guilt-free treat ready to be happily consumed. 

Blueberry “Muffin” Chia Pudding

By Beth Mickens

1 small serving

• 2 to 2.5 Tbsp of chia seeds
• 6 ounces of almond milk
• ¼ tsp of vanilla
• ¼ cup blueberries
• 1 Tbsp raw unsweetened shredded coconut
• Raw honey or maple syrup to taste

1. In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds and almond milk together. Allow to sit for a couple of hours to overnight. I like overnight best.
2. Prior to eating, mix in the vanilla and enough sweetener to taste into the chia pudding.
3. Top with blueberries and coconut.
4. Chopped almonds would be a great addition to!

Enjoy!

For the rest of the evening I nibbled on raw almond butter and raw coconut chips while watching an episode of Jason Wrobel’s How to Live to 100 TV show featuring coconuts!!

 See now wasn’t that easy!?

What would you eat on an all raw day?

*Beth*

Participant Recipes

Spanish Breakfast Scramble

By Ang Roberts

Adapted from Ani Phyo

• 1 cup dry almonds 
• 1/2 cup dry sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 1 Tbsp scallions
• 1/2 cup spinach leaves
• Salt and pepper

For an instruction video, click on "Ani Phyo".

A pre-review of *What I am Currently Reading*…and why you should read it too!

The holidays are here and before you know it, so will 2014, which means only one thing: New Year Resolutions. We all know “going to the gym” is on the list of resolutions as we pray and hope we can sweat off the holiday sugar cookies and champagne, but in all reality, there’s more to going to the gym. 

80% DIET, 20% EXERCISE

While this saying tends to have several different meanings, it stands true to the fact that a lean body requires one to focus more on clean eating than on exercise.  Now don’t get me wrong, daily exercise is extremely important, but you can’t outrun a bad diet. You just can’t. So if you’re looking for a new resolution this year, ditch the gym and start eating clean! And I know just the book that can help you get started: Brad’s Raw Made Easy by Brad Gruno (aka the maker of the best frickin’ kale chips EVER!)

For the last month, during rare moments of spare time, I have been diving into Brad’s new book, Brad’s Raw Made Easy. The title fits the book every well as it is easy to read, easy to understand and the recipes in the back are quick and easy to make. As someone who has been a raw foodie aka a rawsie for quite a while now, I find this book something I wish I would have had when I first started my journey to a raw food lifestyle. The information Brad supplies would have been extremely helpful. 

Throughout the book Brad provides some basic science behind the raw food diet as well as a chapter on the benefits it can provide the body. Think detoxification, energy and of course, weight loss. The FAQ section is extremely helpful as many new to this diet tend to ask many questions. Can I drink tea? Do I HAVE to have special equipment? What’s considered raw? And so on and so on. After all the basic questions have been answered, Brad offers his readers the opportunity to start their journey following his 60-day plan, complete with details on what to focus on each week and meal plans to keep you on track with your transition. He even provides a list of must have ingredients and several recipes to try out to make sure you’re meals are never boring, only fun and delicious. One of my favorites, the Mayan Chocolate Truffles! Oh, and let’s not forget the food diary to help you track your progress.

This book is a must have for those looking to start eating clean this upcoming New Year. It gives you everything you need to get started on your journey to healthier, new you. And the best part is Brad follows the 80/20 rule: 80% raw, 20% cooked. That’s right! You get to cook on this plan!  No deprivation! It’s not about restrictions but about learning to eat clean. So if you’re looking for a different kind of resolution that still focuses on your same goals, then I recommend grabbing a copy of Brad’s Raw Made Easy. You’ll feel  amazing once you start feeding your body with living foods!

Need someone to get started with? Starting January 6^th, a co-challenger of Brad’s 7 Day Raw Food Challenge and I plan on starting Brad’s 60-day plan. We both like a good challenge and figured, what better way to start the New Year and get our eating back on track then with a raw-food challenge.  It’ll be fun and nothing is better than having a support system to keep you motivated. If you’re ready for a new you, grab Brad’s book, and let us know you’re in! (PS: They're offering some pretty awesome perks when you order the book!)

To celebrate the holidays as well as the upcoming release of Brad’s Raw Made Easy, I’d love to share with you the recipe for my current favorite go-to treat: Mayan Chocolate Truffles. These are sweet, chocolaty, and creamy and that hint of spiciness totally kicks it up a notch!

Mayan Chocolate Truffles

By Brad Gruno from Brad’s Raw Made Easy

Makes several 1 inch truffles

• 1 cup cashew butter ("raw", freshly ground is best!)
• 1 cup raw honey (I actually used a bit less to adjust to my preferred sweetness)
• ¾ cup raw cacao or carob powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground cayenne
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp maca powder

1. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well incorporated.
2. Place 1-2 Tbsp of additional cacao powder onto a plate.
3. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (I used a Tbsp measuring spoon) and then roll them into the cacao powder.
4. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
5. These are best cold!

So do you plan on joining us for the 60-day journey to clean eating?

Keep an eye out for a follow review on Brad's Raw Made Easy. As soon as I get my life back from this holiday, year end chaos! I may have some more recipes to share too!