Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: January 2014 - EAT. Even when you're not hungry!

Well, I finally took my “flu shot” last night and sure enough, my throat feels better. Go figure. I’m not exactly sure WHY I decided to wait THREE days to finally take one knowing that it would help. I guess that’s the stubborn person in me. I plan on whipping up one more shot before bed to ensure that the sore throat is completely gone. Lesson learned.

The rest of the day was busy and to be honest a bit crappy. I woke up this morning with terrible pains from the start of my, ahem, “monthly” (sorry boys).  I am blessed to say that throughout the years as I changed my diet and ditched the BC, mother nature’s visit has become quite regular and the pains only exist for the first day. After that, it’s a breeze. But like I said, the first day sucks!

Along with the pain also comes a low appetite…or none at all. This morning I woke up, had a warm lemon teas, and got right to cleaning the house as I attempted to keep my mind off the cramps. Food did not sound appealing at all. It wasn’t until way after lunch that I finally munched on a handful of these addictive Zesty Onion Rawmonds. They are definitely zesty, cheesy and loaded with yummy onion flavor. Graw Foods also sells a BBQ flavor that is even more mouthwatering! It took all my will power to put the bag down so we could finally grab a real lunch. I clearly needed fuel.

It’s Saturday which means we have little to no food in the house. So I took my husband and daughter out to our favorite diner. After all those almonds I wasn’t in the mood to eat but I knew I needed to eat a real meal. I ordered a summer citrus salad with spinach, mango, strawberries and pecans. When eating raw, ask to toss your salad in EVOO and ACV as opposed to the dressing. The salad was light but filling. I got muh greens in and my fruit in and that’s all that mattered. I did feel a bit better afterwards. It made me realize how important is to eat even when I don't feel like it. 

Nutrition is so important during this time of the month for women. Our body needs all the nutrition and energy it can get to work through the process. Plus, we need to replenish our bodies with the water and nutrients we are losing. Spinach = iron! Check! While we may feel crappy and crave only salt and sugar, it's important that we continue our healthy eating routine throughout this time, consuming as much as the body needs to make it through the week. So don't be like me. If you wake up feeling crappy and bleh, drink a juice with some turmeric to reduce inflammation and ginger to help ease some of the pain. It'll help. Now if I'd only listen to my own advice. :P

Since it was so late in the afternoon before we got to eat “lunch” I wasn’t really hungry afterwards. I tried to drink as much water as possible to stay hydrated and beat the bloat and nibbled on some sweet dates as a treat. 

I know it’s not the most exciting food day but tomorrow should be better now that day 1 has passed :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Any raw food restaurants near ya?

*Beth*

Participants Recipes

Avocado Snack

By Julie Peters

Mix together cubed avocado, halved cherry tomatoes and chopped leek or scallions. Tastes great alone or on top of a bed of kale.

Banana Chocolate Nut Smoothie

By Lucia Morrison

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp raw almond butter
• 2 tsp of raw cacao
• 1 tsp raw agave
• 8 ounces of almond milk

1. Blend and enjoy! 

 

Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: January 2014 - A Better-Than-Coffee Raw Coffee Alternative. Be energized.

I’m so happy it’s FRIDAY!!! This has been one long week! My daughter as been out of school all week and both she and I are going stir crazy. I’m looking forward to a weekend where I can enjoy time with her and not her and work and everything else the weekday life always has to offer. I may however, spend some time whipping up a recipe to two to enjoy since I have more time. Flax crackers? Raw bread? Raw cake? Hmmm we’ll just have to see!

Before you get your weekend started, check out Day 5’s recipes!

Early Morning:

My throat is getting worse! Eh! Eight hours of doing nothing but breathing in and out cold, dry air does no good for a sore itchy throat. I woke up this morning wanting one thing: tea. I made a warm lemon tea with raw honey and sure enough, it did the trick. :)

Coffee:

Yes, I said coffee! A raw creamy chocolaty coffee that will wake you up and boost your energy levels. This recipe comes from the super talented Kristina from FullyRaw to help her current 21-day raw, vegan challengers overcome their urge to grab coffee as an energy booster. Instead, Kristina made this delicious caffeine free alternative to naturally awaken the body. It’s rich, sweet, earthy, slightly bitter and ridiculously addictive. After one cup I was ready to move! If you’re looking for a raw, coffee alternative, then do give this a try!

Raw  Coffee

By FullyRaw Kristina (video in link)

Makes 1-2 cups

• 1-2 cups of fresh coconut water (depending on how thin or thick you like it)
• 5-10 pitted dates, soaked if needed overnight
• ¼ cup raw carob powder (or cacao if you don’t mind the caffeine and bitterness
• A few fresh peppermint leaves
• 1 little vanilla bean or extract
• A dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
• Fresh almond milk, if you want a creamer

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour into a coffee mug and serve with a dash of extra cinnamon

Brunch:

Today’s dessert smoothie by Simple Green Smoothies is a non-pink Pink Flamingo. It would have been pink if we didn’t add the greens but then it wouldn’t have been a green smoothie now would it? This smoothie is simple, sweet, and for those who care, banana free. Instead it’s sweetened with mango and balanced with juicy strawberries. Add some almond milk and your tropical sorbet turns into a tropical milkshake! Mmmm!

Pink Flamingo

By Simple Green Smoothies

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup mango
• ½ cup strawberries
• 1 cup almond milk

1. Blend and enjoy!

Early Dinner:

As I was browsing through Brad’s book for a new recipe, I tried to find something that included mayo to use up the extra mayo I had from making my raw deli salad. What I found was an Asian Coleslaw salad topped with a rich, savory creamy asian inspired dressing which just so happened to yes, include mayo. 

I didn’t have any cabbage on hand so I subbed leftover red leaf lettuce and shredded kale. I topped my greens with bell pepper, carrots, scallions, cilantro and a few slices of broccoli stalks. I drizzled it with a heavy dose of dressing before devouring every single morsel. It was sweet, salty, savory and so flippin’ good! Just what I was craving :)

Snacks:

In the evening I snacked on a few raw macaroons, bowl of blueberries and an apple with hemp seeds and lucuma. For some reason I had major muchies :P

Goodbye Day 5 and HELLLLLO to the weekend!!! With a wind chill in the single digits, I think Ima stay in…maybe.

Have a great weekend!!!

*Beth*

Participant Recipes

Raw Fudgsicles

By Lucia Morrison

From Brad’s Raw Made Easy

Gotta get the book for this recipe ;)

Raw Sushi Rice

By Chelsea Connelly

• ½ head of cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp raw tahini
• 1/2” knob of ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon of EVOO
• 1 teaspoon apple cider
• A few drops of honey

1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until is resembles a course rice.
2. Use it to make raw sushi!

Strawberry Chia Pudding

By Ang Roberts

• 1 Tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup strawberries

1. The night before, soak the chia seeds in the almond milk and leave in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, blend the chia seeds with the remaining ingredients in a blender until thick, creamy and smooth.
3. Top with fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Raw Cheesy Tomato Salad

By Lorraine Medeiros

Marinated tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers covered in raw cheese and topped with raw cashews. Does this not sound flippin’ delish!?

Chop up your favorite veggies and marinate in fresh lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, pepper, terrain fermented oregano (you can use Bragg's apple cider vinegar) and turmeric. Toss in raw cheese or grezzo "mock" cheese and top with raw cashews. Fresh, yummy and quite filling!

Fresh Tomato Dressing

By Lucia Morrison

• 1 medium tomato
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 2 Basil leaves

1. Blend in a blender til smooth.
2. Pour on top of a salad and enjoy!

Green Smoothie

By Ang Roberts

• 2 cups kale
•  1 cup almond milk
• 1 small apple
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 Tbsp cacao powder

1. Blend and 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".

B7DRC - October Edition: Leftover Friiiiiidaaayy!

It’s FRIIIIDDDAY! Yes I am in a super pumped mood and I don’t think anything can put me down…except for maybe forgetting my after-lunch treat at home!  Yep. My goo goo cluster is at home in the freezer at this moment and I’m sad to have to finish my lunch without a sweet treat. Yes, I have a sweet tooth and I am quite OK with that. :) Didn’t ruin my day but I am pretty bummed at the moment…but…the day will go on! 

Since it is Friday that also means it’s leftover Friday! Every Friday I go through my fridge and eat whatever is leftover or needs to go before the weekend. This gives me an idea of what I need to purchase at the farmer’s market and store for the weekend. Plus it makes eating fun and easy!

So wanna know what I made? 

Early Morning:

Super sour lemon tea! Pucker up!

Breakfast:

As I glanced at the fruit in my fridge, I spotted an orange and immediately remembered of a Chocolate Orange Beet Smoothie that Lisa from Raw at $10 a Day posted not too long ago. The smoothie sounded and looked absolutely delicious so I figured, yep making that.

I had to modify the recipe according to what I had, but the final product was no doubt equally as tasty. Creamy, chocolaty, sweet and still nutritious! Now, the original recipe is intended for dessert but hey it’s Friday and I’m living life so today it’s dessert first!

Here is the original recipe and below, my modified version.

Chocolate Orange Smoothie

Adapted from Lisa Viger, Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!)

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup greens (I used romaine)
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 1 cup raw almond milk
• 1 ½ large bananas (or 2 mall ones), frozen
• 2 Tbsp cacao powder
• 1 scoop of raw protein powder
• 2 Tbsp of hemp seeds
• Pinch of salt

1. Place all in a blender and blend away until smooth and creamy!
2. Sip and enjoy!

Lunch:

Lunch is leftovers with an oddly tasty dressing I randomly whipped up.

Leftover Friday Salad with a Tangy Mystery Dressing

By Beth Mickens

• Romaine
• Mixed Greens
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Green Peppers
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Green Onions
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ Tbsp hemp oil
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp Honey, to sweeten

1. For the dressing, add to a personal blender lemon juice, hemp oil, nutritional years, salt, pepper and a ½ of the honey to start. Blend on high til well blended. Season and sweeten to taste.
2. Add all your leftover veggies into a bowl or onto a plate and top with dressing!

Super easy!!

Snack:

I had prepped and planned to enjoy a delicious banana vanilla chia pudding except when I got home it was warm from sitting in my bag and well, it was just no longer appetizing. Scanning my fridge I noticed leftover granola all alone waiting to be eaten. Cereal did sound kind of good and I WAS hungry. So into a bowl it went along with a splash of raw almond milk. Mmm. Yep, that was satisfying and I have the food baby to prove it.

Dinner:

No dinner tonight. Instead lots of cold water and one too many goo goo clusters. I think I'm in need of a sugar cleanse...

Happy Friday peeps!!! Enjoy your ***CHILLY*** weekend!

*Beth*