Fruity Veggy Smoothie!

I like taking other recipes and changing ingredients but this week I have been inventing my own. And I have now discovered the secret to enjoying green smoothies. Add More Water!

Makes more than one litre

Aran’s Apple Adventure

• 2 Mangoes
• 3 Apples
• 1 bag of spinach leaves or 4 cups of fresh from the garden.
• 1 cup Blackberries frozen or fresh
• 1 head of Celery (you have to like celery or substitute a favourite veggy)
• 8 large Tomatoes
• 1 pint of Blueberries (small box from grocery store)
• 2-3 bottles of Spring or Distilled water

Blend it all together starting with the softer ingredients, and drink!

*Will last me all day.

***Aran is a Blog Coordinator here at Green Smoothie Queen, and will  be featuring Smoothie recipes each week.  She is looking for more yummy Smoothie recipes to share on our Green Smoothie blog.  So, come on you Smoothie fans! Send in your original Smoothie recipes to contributors@therawdivas.com and you too could see your name in (Green) Lights!!!

A Meal Fit For a Man: Zucchini!

When I got home from work on Friday evening my husband Dan was working in the garage on his long term project of rebuilding two ATV’s at the same time.  Long term in this case can be defined in two ways: he has been at it off and on for a couple of months; and,  he was working on the ATV’s when I went to bed Thursday night, was still working on them when I left for work Friday morning and had continued all day long Friday.  When I walked into the garage to say hello Dan immediately expressed his desire for dinner as he had not eaten in 24 hours.  He said that he was not going to cook his own dinner, as he usually does since he eats meat and I don’t, but would gladly go to KFC – at which point I interrupted him (EEK! KFC! I thought.) to say that I would make dinner for him…manipulating or just starving, or both, he got me to fix him dinner.  He thanked me profusely and said repeatedly how delicious it was and that I should write about it this week.  Feeding a starving man can be great for your ego.

The focal point of Dan’s dinner was actually zucchini; amazing huh?  Every time I have made Dan a zucchini dish he lets me know that he enjoyed it, even though I have made it differently every time.  Actually every zucchini meal so far has been more of a winner than any other healthy dish I have made for him. As the raw vegan population is quite small, I am sure most of you know a meat-eater or even prepare meals for one. Maybe you can healthy up your meat-eater’s diet with some zucchini too.

Here is some of what makes zucchini healthy:

It is full of water, filtered perfectly by nature; great for hydration
It contains wonderful nutrients such as protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium
It contains fiber; great for digestion
It is low in calories, about 30 calories for a medium zucchini; great for weight management

Easy  Zucchini *Pasta*

• 1 zucchini, cut in ribbons with vegetable peeler

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in ribbons

• 1 tablespoon raw pine nuts

• Pinch sea salt

Toss all ingredients together.

Enjoy!

Have you made any zucchini *pasta* lately?  Dan says it is delicious (I think so too)!

Happy Eating!
Mary
Voice Of The Vegan

Disclaimer:  This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, prescribe or treat illness.  It is valuable to seek the guidance of an alternative health care professional before making any changes to one’s diet and lifestyle.

Power-Full…

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

I always find myself stuck in the middle of  letting go and hanging on – with my kid, with my husband, with my finances,  with my emotions… just to name a few. This sense of spiritual and emotional  vertigo, this pulling between disparate directions, is one I could do without.  Let me give you a recent example.

Mo had a few warts on her feet. I did some  research on the internet to see what my options were for homeopathic treatment.  I found that taking echinacea tincture internally in addition to applying tea  tree oil directly to the warts could be effective. Since it seemed the least  invasive, I told Mo about it and said, “So, we’ll start that tonight and see if  it works.” She said, casually, “Well, I’ll think about it.” I said, utterly  confused, “What? Why?” She said, “It’s my body and I’ll decide if I want to do  that or not.”

And what was Lisa Marie’s brilliant  response? I mumbled, “Well, we’ll see.” And I walked away, noticing that I was  feeling hurt. What was going on here?

Mo is 12. She is also homeschooled, quite  clear about her needs and… a raw foodist. All these can be a deadly  combination – especially for a parent that’s stuck in an old paradigm of the  parents making the health care decisions for their children. My husband and I  are raising her within an environment where questioning is encouraged and  expected, where power-over structures are broken down and analyzed, and where  self-empowerment is required. I hate this. This means that I have to let her make  her own choices! If I let her do that, how do I play the mom?!

OK. So, obviously, I need to step back  here. Why were my feelings hurt? Why am I hating this independence when I’ve  encouraged it for 12 years? And what does it really mean to be a mom if power-over  isn’t allowed?

Why were my feelings hurt?
My immediate response was defensiveness:  “Hel-LO! I’m the mom! Obviously, I know what’s best here! I’ve got 28 years on  you, kid! I just spent all that time researching warts and you’ll think about  it?!”

So, as I walked away, all these thoughts  were clamoring for attention, each one putting up a hell of a fight. I took a  few breaths, did some dishes, and thought, “OK. She’s not saying she doesn’t  appreciate you looking up an answer. She’s not saying she doesn’t respect your  opinion. She just wants to think about it.”

This hurting, I think, is because I’m  recognizing that our relationship has begun to change. A leveling of the  playing field is happening. All the tools that I’ve given her are starting to be  used. She is becoming more and more aware of how food and medicine and thoughts  can affect her and is exercising control over what she lets in. Oh, man. Am I  ready for this? Can I let go of the toddler mom and build a new mom that is  less about power-over and more about power-with?

Why am I hating this independence when I’ve  encouraged it for 12 years?
I hate it because it means I have to  change. It means I have to look inside and see which of my tools aren’t needed  anymore and replace them with new ones. And, most importantly, it means that I  have to do all of this with grace and honesty without getting sucked into  negative self-talk.

And what does it really mean to be a mom if  power-over isn’t allowed?
I don’t know yet. I get glimmers every now  and then of authenticity and lightness and being the best of friends with my  kid. Maybe that’s what it means. Or it could mean just living by example and  letting her go… and knowing that my love for her is enough.

It’s scary to be somewhere unknown. All you  can do is pull from your own toolbox and trust that you have everything you  need. And if you don’t, maybe you can ask your kid.

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods  chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company, which offers workshops on intentional and joyful  eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast –  called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.

Berry, Berry, Green Smoothie

I am a ‘by gosh or by golly’ type of cook. . . .   Entirely intuitive, no recipes allowed. . . lol   Which means I take a little of this and a pinch of that in all my recipes, raw or otherwise. I hope you will enjoy this recipe and change it as much as you like.

Berry, Berry,  Smoothie. . . .

(Makes 1 litre or more of smoothie)

• 3 Bananas
• 2 Ripe Peaches
• A couple of handfuls of Frozen Blueberries
• Sugar snap peas (lovely fresh flavour)
• Frozen Blackberries and Raspberries (handful each)
• 2-3 Cabbage leaves from the Garden
• 1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
• Fresh herbs from the garden (Thyme, Cilantro, Parsley)
• 1 or 2 bottles of Spring or Distilled water depending how dilute you want it.

Blend everything together beginning with the softest ingredients. Add the   water to make the smoothie to your preference.  (My personal preference is for a thin, ‘dilute’ smoothie)

***Aran is our Blog Coordinator here at Green Smoothie Queen, and will  be featuring Smoothie recipes each week.  She is looking for more yummy Smoothie recipes to share on our Green Smoothie blog.  So, come on you Smoothie fans! Send in your original Smoothie recipes to contributors@therawdivas.com and you too could see your name in (Green) Lights!!!

10 Easy Tips to Stay Raw.

by Linda Douglas, Ph.D., R.D.

Are you a transitioning raw food enthusiast or high raw eater? Do you ever find your best intentions of eating mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds going down the tubes because you crave more savory food?  Have your raw resolutions sometimes burst into flame-broiled madness? If this sounds familiar, you may be interested in a few easy strategies to keep your actions and intentions grooving together.

We all know that we should keep fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds stocked at all times.  However, just filling the fridge won’t get the food on the table or in the lunchbox.  Try this easy approach to move your raw dreams into reality.  The plan involves making yummy, mostly savory foods in advance of when you need them, keeping things simple and fresh, and having food with you at all times.

1. When you first get your food home from the farmstand, co-op, or grocery store, wash and pre-prep your produce.  This sets you up for quick, fresh meals at a moment’s notice.
2. Over the weekend or when you have free time, make a nut or seed-based pate or two that you really love.  This alone will keep you in yummy dips, salads, wraps, and sandwiches for the week.  A great pate can even be thinned and blended as a soup base.
3. Use collards, kale, and lettuce for those wraps and sandwiches. Dehydrating raw breads and crackers can be great.  But fresh leafy greens are better nutrition-wise, especially if the filling is nut or avocado-based, and are important time savers.  If you need something more substantial, go ahead and use a sprouted whole grain tortilla and wrap away!
4. Likewise, use cucumbers, celery, carrots, and squash, etc. for dippers.  Kids and adults are much more open to eating vegetables when they are fresh, crisp, and dipped.  A whole grain cracker is also good option that will keep you high-raw.
5. Discover raw soup.  I have to say that raw soups have been the most delightful surprise and I have introduced raw food to several people through a delicious, nutritious soup!  Soups can be nearly instant, keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge, can be varied endlessly by chopped garnishes, and are very satisfying.
6. Make enough of a tasty salad dressing to last for the week.  Unless you are a black-belt raw foodist, dressing can make the difference between a gratifying salad meal and feeling deprived.
7. In general, put a little more effort into the savory side of fresh, raw foods.  Raw desserts tend to be easy.  Fruit is delightful without any work at all, and smoothies are a cinch.  But, a lot of the satisfaction in any cuisine, as a whole, comes from the main dishes.
8. Use spices to jazz up your burgers, pates, soups, and salad dressings.  A few dashes of curry or chili powder or other seasonings can completely transform a meal and keep you on the raw path.  If you are into savory, this tip alone can keep you going.
9. Dehydrated foods are the bells and whistles of a raw food diet, in my opinion.  For the most part, stick to water-rich veggies, fruits, and non-dried pates and burgers.  These options are fast, simple, and satisfying. If you want to use a dehydrator, plan to make those recipes when you have a lot of time and plenty of other food around.  It’s no fun being hungry and smelling a dehydrating goodie that still has a few hours to go before you can eat it.
10. Finally, pack all these good foods for your lunch and snacks!  Fresh raw recipes are very portable and will last for about 4 hours without refrigeration.  Add an ice pack or refrigerate and you can have food for a day with no worries.  Never go anywhere without a good raw food option.  Even if you grab a cucumber and some celery or an avocado while running out the door, don’t be unprepared, especially if you are transitioning.

Setting yourself up for success with a couple of easy recipes and a little pre-preparation will go a long way toward helping you live a raw or high-raw, healthy lifestyle.  Just look for the simple options and get in the habit of having a little food with you at all times and flame-broiled madness will be a thing of the past.

Linda Douglas, Ph.D., R.D. is a food scientist and registered dietitian and has an extensive professional background in prebiotics, functional foods, and alternative nutrition. After finding raw foods in 2003, Linda began transitioning herself to a high raw, natural living lifestyle and introducing as much raw food as possible into her family’s meals.