B7DRC February 2014 - Day 6: I'm only human. Bad decisions happen.

Day 6 was a complete fail. Contrary to what you may believe, my diet is not perfect. I fall victim to cravings from time to time, especially at my most vulnerable moments when I’m busy and starving. I know there’s no excuse, and trust me, I’m not making any. All I’m saying is that I’m human. Like most, I fall off the path from time to time and instead of accepting failure, I look at it as a simple mistake from which I grow from. I learn my lesson, take it with me and move on. 

This morning I started the day off as normal with a warm tea; a green one with raw honey. An hour later I made and sipped on a Tropical Citrus Smoothie as we contemplated what we do today. We had promised our daughter we’d go ice skating sometime soon so we decided today was the perfect day to do so. 

On our way to the rink, my family grabbed some snacks to hold them over until we were done with our skating adventure. I, being me, decided I wasn’t hungry at the moment and ate nothing, but threw a raw bar into my purse for later. Bad idea all around. We locked my purse into a one-time use only locker and the smoothie that had me full and satisfied prior, was burned through within minutes of skating. By the time we were done I was exhausted and famished. I had no energy left. As a result I made a very bad diet decision.

On our way out we spotted an old favorite: Einstein’s Bagels. They had shut down all locations in our hometown when we were younger so seeing one here brought back old memories. As the starving individuals that we were, we made the decision to visit this old favorite. I figured I was already going to fail the challenge when I joined tomorrow’s birthday dinner, so why not. Bad idea, round two. I haven’t had a bagel in years because I normally avoid any and all gluten whenever possible, let alone a processed bagel. Even though it was full of raw veggies, it didn’t change the way It affected my body. 

Minutes later I was feeling groggy and fuzzy and my stomach, empty. It was like I hadn’t eaten anything. We came home, took a nap and when I awoke I still had a headache. My stomach felt icky and my head was aching. I already knew what was causing it and I’ve been beating myself up all night for the decision I made. It wasn’t worth it at all. The bagel wasn’t even that good and the way I feel now is far worse than the hour I could have spent feeling starved waiting to get home to eat. Lesson learned. Of course. But I’m sure it won’t be the last.

For the rest of the evening I drank lots of water, nibbled on my last jicama burger and had a few dates and raw nut butter for a snack. 

Overall my day was great. I took my baby girl ice skating for the first time. I enjoyed a wonderful day with my family. I feel on my butt a few times. And best of all, I learned another valuable lesson: Don’t let your stomach rule your head or your heart. Being hangry is just not fun; and neither is a headache. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

*Beth*

Tropical Citrus Smoothie

By Beth Mickens

• 1 orange, peeled
• 2 kiwi, peeled
• ½ cup mango, frozen
• ½ cup pineapple, frozen
• ½ cup berries
• ½ cup coconut water
• ½ cup raw almond milk

CHALLENGER'S RECIPES

 Simple Taco Wraps

By Lucia Morrison

1.  1 large lettuce leaf filled with 1/2 sliced avocado, 1/2 diced tomato, 1/2 tbsp diced onion, 1/2 Tbsp cilantro, squeeze of lime jice and squeeze of lemon!

Strawberry Banana Sorbet

By Nick Lassonde 

1. In a high speed blender, blend frozen strawberries and frozen chopped bananas with stevia and vanilla.
2. Blend until smooth texture is achieved. 

Indian  Spiced Pulp Crackers

By Kristin Lassonde

•  3 cups juice pulp
• 3 heaping tsp unsweetened almond pulp
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tomato
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro
• 1 heaping tsp cumin powder
• 1 heaping tsp coriander powder
• 1 heaping tsp curry leaf powder
• 1 heaping tsp turmeric powder

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor. You may need a little water.
2. Spread onto a dehydrator sheet and score into desired size/shape
3. Dehydrate for 24 hours.

 OTHER

http://www.choosingraw.com/the-only-raw-vegan-granola-recipe-youll-ever-need/

B7DRC February 2014 - Day 5: A delicious raw burger that's easy to make with only 5 ingredients!? No way!

TGIF!!! It’s Day 5 of Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge and I am feeling well rested and full of energy! Let’s get right into today’s eats.

Early Morning

I started the morning off with a warm, apple cider vinegar with raw honey. It helped with the sore throat I’m still dealing with.

Juice

I’m low on produce so I had to be a bit creative. Grapefruit. Pineapple. Leftover coconut water. Sounds refreshing, sweet and juicy! Yumm!

Citrus Coconut Cooler

By Beth Mickens

• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 heaping cup of pineapple
• ¼ cup coconut water

1. Juice. Drink. Enjoy.

Lunch

I saw this burger recipe last night, recognized how easy it was to make, even better, realized I had all of the 5 ingredients needed and decided I was definitely going to make these. And this morning I did just that. All it took was a few pulses in the food processors, a little molding, a few hours in the dehydrator and by lunchtime I had the best tasting, raw burger salad I have ever tasted. Ever. Even better than the frozen, vegan burgers I used to whip up. Way better. 

These burgers are bursting with tons of spice and flavor. It’s amazing how just a few ingredients could make such an amazing meal. These burgers have the best texture; dry and crispy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside with a nice crunch to every bite. You can’t tell these are even raw! Yes, they are THAT good. All you need are a few ingredients so go get ‘em and make these..NOW!

Raw Jicama Burgers with Cumin, Coriander, Dill and Lemon

By Emily from This Rawesome Vegan Life

Makes 4 burgers

Burgers

• 1 cup jicama
• ¼ cup white onion
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans
• Fresh dill, cumin, coriander, chili, salt and pepper

Salad

• Mixed greens
• 1 green onion, sliced
• Lots of tomatoes
• ½ avocado
• Any other veggies you prefer
• Favorite dressing

1. In a food processor, process the jicama, onion, lemon juice and as spices to taste. Pour into a small bowl.
2. Add the walnuts into the food processor and process til a thick paste is created. Pour into the bowl with the veggie mix.
3. Mix together with your hands until well combined. Season to taste.
4. Using a large cookie mold or just your hands, mold into 4, ½ inch burgers.
5. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees for 3 hours or until the burgers are dry and crisp on the outside and hold together well.
6. Use as desired.

For the salad: On a plate add the mixed greens, onion, tomatoes, avocado and other preferred veggies. Top with 2 burgers and serve with favorite dressing.

Enjoy!

For the rest of the evening I nibbled on pineapple and more caramel chocolates!

End of Day 5! Happy Friday!!

*Beth*

CHALLENGER'S RECIPES

Raw Taco's

By Nick Lassonde

 

Taco Meat

• 2 cups sprouted quinoa
• 2 heaping tsp of walnuts
• Cumin Powder
• Coriander Powder
• Paprika 
• Turmeric

1. Process in a food processor until well combined

For the Tacos/Nachos

1. Spread onto romaine/raw chips with salsa and guacamole

Raw Brownies

By Deliciousyella.com and Lucia Morrison

•  2 cups medjool dates
• 1 cup pecans
• 2-3 Tbsp raw cacao
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

1. Process in a food processor till well combined.
2. Spread out onto a baking sheet
3. Refrigerate for 3 hours
4. Slice and enjoy!

Italian Seasoned Pulp Crackers

By Nick Lassonde

• 3 cups juice pulp
• 3 heaping tsp unsweetened almond pulp
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tomato
• 1 handful of fresh parsley
• 3 heaping tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 heaping tsp garlic powder
• 2 heaping tsp onion powder
• 1 heaping tsp dry oregano
• 1 heaping tsp dry basil

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor. You may need to add water while processing. 
2. Spread onto a dehydrator sheet and score to desired size/shape.
3. Dehydrate for 24 hours.

 

B7DRC February 2014 - Day 4: Quick, raw eats for when life happens.

We’re halfway through Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge and I’m feeling great so far sans the mild, sore throat. I can’t determine if it’s the dry air in our home, the cold weather (right after warm weather) or if I got a small bit of my daughter’s head cold. Either way, I’m working on, once again, healing it with warm tea and “flu shots”. I’ve noticed that for the past few challenges I have had to deal with a sore throat. I wonder if maybe it’s a detox symptom? Hmm… 

As you read through today’s eats you may notice that my menu seems abnormal. No juice. No smoothie. Two salads. I know. It’s weird for me too, but sometimes life just gets in the way of your plans and instead of stopping everything you’re doing to scream, cry and mope, just ride along. You never know what you may discover or learn! Life is, after all, a journey.

So here is Day 4’s eats.

Breakfast

I was in a rush this morning to get out of the house so all my planned juices and smoothies were out the door. Instead I grabbed a classic fave: banana with raw (cashew, almond and walnut) nut butter, raw honey, cacao nibs, and coconut. The perfect breakfast: carbs, protein, quick, easy and fulfilling.

Lunch

Once I finally got home I was getting quite hungry, but was once again, in a rush to make my food so I could get to work. I grabbed some greens, added some cukes, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and sunflower seeds and whipped up a quick salad which I drizzled with some cold pressed grapeseed oil with garlic, lemon, salt and pepper for a quick dressing. Yumm!

Dinner

Another quick one! I made a quick massaged kale salad which I massaged with grapeseed oil, raw garlic, lemon and salt! I mixed in some shredded carrots and green onions for added goodness.

Dessert

I have been craving for something caramely and wanted my next treat to include raw caramel. Sounds yummy doesn’t it!? I saw a recipe for chocolate caramel cookies and was all prepped to make them…until I found these. Raw caramel chocolates. 

Yes they are just as amazing as they look and sound. What makes these different from any other raw chocolate is the texture of the chocolate itself. Instead of being that hard chocolate that cracks when you bite it and melts instantly the moment it hits your lips, this chocolate is fudgy and chewy. Whether or not Emily, the author of this recipe, intended for the chocolate to be chewy is beyond my knowing. I may have easily messed up the recipe somewhere along the way and created a whole new chocolate. Either way, I love it!! The results are a chewy tootsie-like chocolate with a creamy caramel center. The pecan adds a little nuttiness and crunch which complements the chocolate and caramel very well. The only issue I have is this: I. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. THEM. AAAH!

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cups with Pecans

By Emily from This Rawesome Vegan Life

Makes 12 Mini Cups

 

 Prepare mini-muffin cups by lining them mini cupcake liners.

Melted Chocolate

• 1/3 cup coconut oil or cacao butter, melted (I used a mix of both)
• ½ cup coconut nectar or date paste (I used raw honey and maple syrup)
• ¾ cup cacao powder

1. In a double boiler, melt coconut oil and/or cacao butter.
2. Remove from the double boiler and add sweetener; mix til well combined.
3. Sift in the cacao powder and mix well.
4. Add 1 ½ heaping tsp to the bottom of the liners and push some of the chocolate halfway up the liners in order to coat.
5. Set in the freezer to set.

Salted Date Caramel

• ¼ cup dates
• 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil
• ¼ - ½ cup of warm water
• Pinch of sea salt

1. In a small blender, blend the ingredients together until a thick creamy caramel has been created. I only used ¼ cup of water for a thick caramel but use as much as you need to achieve the consistency you want.
2. Remove the pan out of the freezer.
3. Add about 1 tbsp of caramel. Smooth out with your finger.
4. Top the caramel with another heaping teaspoon or so of chocolate to cover the caramel.
5. Place back in the freezer to set. 
6. Keep in the freezer until ready to devour!

Day 4 done. Of course, as you may have realized, it’s day 5 because last night I crashed before I even had a chance to write my post for the day. Lesson learned: I need my fruit for lasting energy!

*Beth*

CHALLENGER'S RECIPES

Massaged Kale Salad

By Kristin Lassonde

•  Chopped Kale
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Tomatoes
• Onions

1. Massage kale with apple cider vinegar til soft and wilted. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix til combined.
3. Enjoy!

 
Green Juice

By Lucia Morrison

 

 

• 3 large handfuls of kale
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 inch cut cored pineapple
• 8 raspberries
• 1 clementine
• 28 blueberries

Banana Nut Butter

By Nick Lassonde

 

 

1.  Blend 1 tsp nut butter per 1 medium banana
2. Mix in cinnamon, cocoa, carob or stevia depending on flavor preference. 

OTHERS

• http://www.choosingraw.com/chocolate-avocado-sauce-and-chocolate-avocado-breakfast-salad/

 

B7DRC February 2014 - Day 2: Bring on the Rawcho Cheese + a frosty Macaccino that will knock your socks off!

Day 2 is here and kickin’…and so is this weather! The forecasted flurries have turned into this heavy snowfall which is quite beautiful view, but is also a sad indicator that my dreams of sugar snap peas and juicy berries is still very, very far away from becoming a reality. Oh spring where art thou? *Silence* *Sigh* Oh well. Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience”…and so I shall.

Now that I’m more at peace with Mother Nature, who’s ready to see what goodies I made using the best food ONLY Mother Nature can offer!?

Upon Wakening

This morning I had a warm, raw apple cider vinegar tea with a drizzle of raw lemon. Apple Cider Vinegar has an array of health benefits. It aids in weight loss, helps the body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level, it aids in detox, and much much more! I can really tell how much my body LOVES this tea when I drink it right when I wake up and right before I go to bed. I always feel so amazing afterwards!

2 tsps or 2 capfuls to 1 8 ounce cup of warm water with as much honey as you need to lightly sweeten is all you need!

“Juice”

I am officially ADDICTED to this frosty, Macaccino recipe courtesy of The Grounded Nutrition. It’s sweet, chocolaty, earthy and super frosty! To boot it’s loaded with minerals, antioxidants and natural energy boosters! It’s soooooo good and one of my fave drinks to have in the morning time! I usually have 2 or 3 of these a week. I like adding Garden of Life’s Marley Coffee or Yerba Mate raw protein powders in the mix for a little flavor and protein boost. This drink is a must try! If you get addicted though, don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Macaccino

Adapted from The Grounded Nutrition
Makes 16 ounces 

• ¼ heaping cup of dates, soaked overnight
• 1-2 Tbsp of cacao powder (based on flavor preference)
• 1-3 tsp of maca powder (based on flavor preference)
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup nut or seed mylk
• 1 cup ice

1. In a high speed blender, add the dates, cacao, maca, water and nut milk and blend on high til smooth.
2. Add in the ice and blend on high until the ice has broken down and you have a nice frosty drink.
3. Pour and serve immediately!

Hmm this baby needs a raw, coconut whipped topping….

Smoothie

Today I decided I would try a smoothie that was low in sugar in order to control my love for all things sweet…while it was okay, it was definitely clear that I have a major sweet tooth problem! I love sweet, juicy fruit and can eat/drink a lot of it if my heart (and pockets) so desired! While it’s actually not a bad thing that I love my sugar in the form of raw fruits and treats, it’s good every now and then to break the habit and give my body a new challenge. So cheers to low sugar smoothies!

Strawberry Creamsicle

By Young and Raw

Makes 16 ounces

• 1-2 stalks of celery (mine was really strong in flavor so I used one)
• ½ cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 juicy orange, peeled
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• 1 cup nut mylk
• 1 Tbsp chia or hemp seeds

1. Blend and enjoy!

Lunch

I don’t know why, but yesterday evening I had MAJOR “cheese” sauce cravings. Major. I recalled Brad’s Raw Made Easy had a recipe for Raw Nacho Cheese aka Rawcho and decided heck, it would be perfect as a taco salad dressing! Boy was I right! It was the perfect compliment to my veggie loaded salad! I even added a little dill in there for fun.

What I love about Brad’s Rawcho cheese is that it uses the yumminess of raw fermented miso in place of nutritional yeast to give it that savory, cheese-like flavor. I was actually quite surprised by how much the flavor resembled that of nacho cheese! Great recipe Brad!

Taco Salad with Rawcho Cheese

Salad by Beth Mickens
Rawcho by Brad from Brad’s Raw Made Easy (Need to buy the book to get the recipe ;))

For the Salad:

• 2-3 cups of leafy greens such as red leaf lettuce or romaine
• 12-15 grape tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced and diced
• 3 Tbsp to ¼ cup corn
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp diced red bell pepper

1. Arrange leafy greens on a plate. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss well to combine.
3. Pour over leafy greens.
4. Drizzle with rawcho sauce and a sprinkle of cilantro, if you desire, before serving.

Enjoy!

Dessert

I was all ready to make these delicious raw, chocolate caramel cookies until I realized…they need to be dehydrated (BOO!) which I can’t do until Thursday and Friday when I’m home. So in the meantime as I wait PATIENTLY, I decided to whip up these yummy German Chocolate Brownie Balls by Chocolate Covered Katie.

These sweet balls of yumminess are nutty, chocolaty, chewy with that brownie like texture we sometime crave when eating 100% raw. The little twist is the delicious coconut inside that gives it that German Chocolate Cake feel. Simple, easy to make and of course, satisfying and delicious! Thankfully I can make those cookies in one more day because these babies aren’t gonna last long!

German Chocolate Brownie Balls

By Chocolate Covered Katie
Makes 9-12 balls 

• ¾ cup dates
• ½ cup pecans
• 2-3 Tbsp of cacao powder (I used 3)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp shredded coconut
• Pinch of salt

1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are broken down and well combined.
2. Pour into a bowl and squish the brownie crumble together with your hands until a dough forms.
3. Using a Tbsp measure, measure and roll into 1 Tbsp balls until all the dough has been used.
4. Eat whatever crumbs are left!
5. Refrigerate til ready to eat!

Dinner/Late Night Snack

Nibbled on a large juicy apple as a light late night snack! Love apples!

Day 2 is done and the snow, gone! Seriously the snow accumulated then melted in less than 8 hours. Patience pays :)

See ya tomorrow!

*Beth* 

CHALLENGERS RECIPES

Energy Balls

By Ang Roberts

•  1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup raw almond butter 
• 1/2 cup flaxseed
• 1/2 cup honey or preferred liquid sweetner
• 1 tsp vanilla

1.  Process in a food processor till well combined.

Curried Chickpea Salad

By Ang Roberts

• Chickpeas, soaked and/or sprouted
• Red Onion
• Red Pepper
• Raisins
• Curry Powder
• Olive Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Lime
• Sea Salt

 Afternoon Pick Me Up Juice

By Lucia Morrison 

• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Clementine
• 6 Strawberries

Curry Avocado Soup

By Nick Lassonde

• 2 avocados
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 turmeric root
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 handful of cilantro
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp curry leaf powder
• 2 cups of water

1. Blend in a high speed blender.
2. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.  

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

By Kristin Lassonde

•  2 apples
• 1 banana
• 6 dates
• 1/2 cup almond pulp
• stevia to taste
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 cup RAW rolled oats

1. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.
2. Fold in another 1 cup of RAW rolled oats and 1 cup of raisins.
3. Spread mixture thinly on dehydrator sheet and score in desired shape.
4. Dehydrate for several hours at 115 degrees until gooey then flip and dehydrate a bit longer til desired texture is achieved.
5. DEVOUR!