Tess loves food made from food

Attention all Bloggers!!!

2010-08-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are all healthy and happy! I'm in the process of building a new website, and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in contributing recipes!

I'm working with an individual who specializes in advertising and consultation. He's working on commission, so we're both hoping lots and lots of people see the site!

I love your recipes and creativity and would love to post some with links back to your blogs/websites and any other information on you that you'd like.

The site is geared toward people who are looking to begin incorporating health so vegan and raw recipes are more than welcome, but I'd prefer ones that don't need any fancy raw foodie equipment (juicers, dehydrators, spiralizer, vita mix, etc.).

I'm so excited about this project, I'll let you know as soon as the site launches :)

Please feel free to email me with recipes, or questions at writetess@gmail.com <3

Cultured & Well Read

2010-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I picked up several books this weekend and am pages away from finishing The Body Ecology Diet. I haven't been able to put it down! I feel like I've been looking for my next food challenge/growth period and this is it! It incorporates eastern medicine, and spirituality as well as food, diet, and cleansing.

It's focus is on yeast overgrowth in our bodies and eliminating the problem by starving the yeast and replacing it with friendly bacteria through probiotics, cultured vegetables, and kefir. I'm going to use up all the food in my refrigerator now and gradually transition onto the Body Ecology Diet. It's recommended that at first one should consume some animal protein; eggs, meat, or fish. I considered for a moment some organic cage free eggs... but I just can't see feeling good mentally or physically if I do that. So for me the diet will be mostly veggies, cultured veggies, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and sprouted almonds. This is going to force me to get creative which I'm also excited about!

I also purchased a used copy of The China Study which I've been wanting to read for some time now but haven't yet gotten around to it!

John Simmonds also lent me The Biology of Belief, Healing with Whole Foods, and Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation. I have quite the reading load, but am feeling so inspired and excited to continue my food education! I'll sit down with a big bowl of veggies, a blanket, and a book about food & healing :) Bliss.

Even before my reading adventures began, I felt a pull towards being more mindful of my diet. Jesse and I have been drawn to heartier meals with less sugars! I've made this dish twice now, it's a new favorite of Jesse's and so easy to whip up.

Crunchy Quinoa Salad

3 cups red quinoa, cooked (1 1/2 cups dry)

1/4-1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 tbsp brown spicy mustard

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic or apple cider vinegar

sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. You can mix the mustard, oil, and vinegar together in a separate container but I've just been dumping everything in and it's worked out fine! I also added tomatoes to mine, but I wouldn't recommend it, they don't go well with the nice crunch of the other veggies. Serve warm or at room temperature, as a side or a meal!

Even before purchasing The Body Ecology Diet, kefir was floating around in my consciousness. I bought a starter on Saturday and made some using vita coco coconut water. I let it sit out for three days and I think it worked! I can see the culture and the taste it tart but I feel like there's still too much sweetness. My kitchen has been cold the past few days and I'm wondering if I should have let it sit longer.

Last night I went to Whole Foods to buy some young Thai coconuts to make more kefir and kefir pudding! I had no idea Whole Foods sliced and re-packaged the coconuts so nicely! I become so thrilled by these things! I bought four, which ended up being plenty.

To make kefir, I emptied the water into a saucepan and gently heated it to about 92 degrees.

I used about 3/4 cup of my first kefir to start this batch and 1/4 cup to mix into the blended coconut meat to make coconut pudding. (It was so hard not to eat all of this immediately)

I also bought a vegetable culture starter and made my first batch of cultured vegetables! It's something I've always been interested in, but too frightened to do myself. I used cabbage and garlic for this batch. The Body Ecology Book recommends making the brine by blending some cabbage and water instead of squeezing it out of the cabbage. I was so grateful for that advice as the squeezing step seems so labor intensive!

Here it is, documentation of my first cultured veggie experience!

And here is the final result. I'm having some trouble getting the cabbage to stay beneath the brine. I may end up scooping of the top when all is said and done. These jars will be added to the others to ferment in my kitchen. Jesse keeps asking why we aren't making gin instead.

Here's a snapshot of my current arsenal of foods and supplements. Perfect health, here I come!

Sugar Adventures

2010-07-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'll start with exciting news: I made the Evolve Wellness Center newsletter!

This recipe was inspired by things that are good for your heart and my mom. Don't tell anyone, but I wrote it without ever actually making it! Shhhhhh... I'm confident that it's delicious. Thanks to John, Micah, and Ulrik for giving me this opportunity!

Also, I enrolled in a program to become a holistic health counselor! The program is through Integrative Nutrition, they've sent me a bunch of exciting goodies I'll post pics in my next post. Ultimately I would like to have a degree in nutrition or dietetics but this feels right for now and their philosophy on diet is almost entirely similar to mine. I need to thank my mom, my dad, Micah, and the world for making this possible for me!

On to food, I'll begin with sugar. I've mentioned countless times how much difficulty I have controlling my sugar intake and how dramatically it affects me. You think I'd have learned my lesson by now, huh? Alas, no. Here is a story about sweet treats and food adventures...

I went to the farmers market before work on Sunday. I haven't been eating enough vegetables, the summer selection felt strange and unfamiliar! I left with summer squash, cherry tomatoes, corn, lettuce, fresh figs, squash sprouts, an avocado, and a freak cucumber.

I made a delicious salad with spiralized squash and squash sprouts briefly sauteed in garlic and olive oil served over romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

And seemingly innocent fig tarts...

The dates in these were too much for me. I took most of them to work because there's no way I could eat more than one, but for those of you who can handle it, here's the recipe!

Raw Vegan Fig Tarts

Crust
1 cup walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts but would use pecans in the future)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 dates
1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling
2 cups cashews
1/2 cup filtered water
6 dates
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

Topped with thinly sliced ripe figs or fruit of your choice

Pulse the crust ingredients until nuts are grainy then spoon into tiny tins or muffin cups. Press down to coat the bottom. Blend filling until smooth then spoon onto the crust.

Top with fruit, chill, and serve!

This is the first raw vegan dessert I've made using only fruit and nuts. I didn't realize that dates have an almost caramelly custard flavor to them when blended with nuts. It's nice to know I have that flavor option even though I can't use many dates in my cooking or uncooking. I really need something low-glycemic. Even if agave is processed and dates are raw, agave is still a better choice for me.

Monday night, Jesse and I brought vegan veggie lasagna to a friends house. I also made some strawberry banana tofu pudding for dessert. 1 banana, 1 handful strawberries, 1 block organic silken tofu, blended.

My mom made this all the time when I was a kid. I try not to eat too much soy... but I really love it. This in particular seems relatively harmless, as there is no additional sweetener other than fruit but at this point in the week I've made dessert Sunday and Monday.

Tuesday Jesse and I weren't feeling particularly hungry. We had corn on the cob for dinner.

And delicious coconut pineapple rum slurpies.

Or pina coladas, Jesse pointed out after I'd given them a fancy name.

I usually prefer drinks to be at room temperature, but in lieu of summer heat I've been blending ice into my drinks and smoothies. The blendtec gets such a great consistency out of the ice!

Let's see... now we're at Wednesday. My lovely friend Chrissie's birthday! I decided to try my hand at a banana cream pie! Almost the same as the fig tart, only I used pecans and coconut sugar in the crust and layered banana slices under and on top of the pie. It was very rich but good!

I also had a grey hound cocktail made with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, heavenly!

Okay, so many delicious, exciting, wonderful, and seemingly healthy things. I woke up Thursday feeling HORRIBLE. Fatigued, dehydrated, discouraged, distant etc. etc.

Where did I go wrong?

Food Wise:
Too much sugar, too frequently
Alcohol combined with sugar
Too much coffee
Not enough water
Not enough vegetables
Not enough amino acids and b12

Life Wise:
Not enough down time
Carrying more than I need to: holding onto past, and potential future circumstances instead of taking things moment by moment

The solution: Start taking better care of myself food wise so I have the energy to take care of everything else! I had acupuncture treatment today with John Simmonds, he told me my blood was thin, also possible problems with my spleen and pancreas. (He can tell these things just from looking at my face, pretty amazing!) He recommended beets and kale for my blood. I'm sure he had many other insights I missed as I was so very very gone this afternoon. Scary gone when I think back on it. He also recommended cloves and cinnamon.

I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home to purchase kale and beets. I made this salad using kale, beets, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt. (Note the out of focus photo due to shaky hands!)

I washed it down with a green pumpkin pie spice smoothie.

I used a few spoonfuls of Whole Soy & Co's plain organic soy yogurt, a tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, a tbsp of Vitamineral Green Powder, and a bunch of ice.

I'm feeling mostly better, just tired. I haven't been sleeping well, so something else to work on. I've been having nightmares and anxiety dreams! This has been an intense couple of months, mostly in good ways but I can't help but feel a bit knocked over. I think I just have to let go and float for a bit. It's a good time to remember my innate harmony.

And now sleep, at 9:15 on a Friday! Goodnight all <3

Celebrate Your Choices

2010-07-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I started a posting listing the reasons I choose not to eat meat and dairy, but it rapidly became depressing. So many disgusting and ethically questionable subjects arose: animal treatment, genetic engineering, antibiotics, hormones, toxins, environment stuff, the way meat packing employees are treated... It just felt overwhelming and a bit crushing. I decided that my blog isn't the place for negativity on this level, not that we should ignore it, but I don't have to integrate it into my personal life.

To be honest, my number one reasons were rather selfish. Eating mostly vegan, raw, and organic makes me feel good, physically, mentally and spiritually. I really don't want to minimize any of the issues with our food supply, particularly the health and environmental issues associated with animal foods BUT I think the most important thing we can do for ourselves and the world is do what makes us feel best as individuals.

Getting to the point that we can clearly make these choices is another story. Advertising, addictions, and self destructive defenses can muddle our ability to know and feel what is best for us. I do not mean for this to be a discouraging hurdle! Exploring the self is exciting and fun as long as we accept that it's all a continuing process and remain free from judgement. For me, food is a way of exploring my physical body by means of sense, feeling, and function. It also gives me a perspective on perspective! When I eat _____, my thoughts tend to focus more on _____ or I feel ______ when I'm eating _____ etc. etc, etc. I happen to be EXTREMELY sensitive to food and overly analytical so I don't expect most people to have this experience but I encourage everyone to explore their own experience however it may manifest.

Food should be celebrated, never guilt driven :)

And now, food!

Sprouted whole grain bread, raw almond butter, organic blueberry jam, bee pollen :)

Failed oatmeal pancakes made from ground oats, banana, baking soda, and water. They still take a nice picture!

Salad with organic romaine lettuce, carrots, scallions, balsamic braggs dressing, and brown rice pasta topped with avocado.

Organic popcorn with olive oil and sea salt, popped in a regular pot. I'm pleased to say that Jesse and I have decided to leave the microwave unplugged in the new apartment! We still have it available for occasional use but it's important to me that we use it as little as possible.

Vegetable soup with kidney beans, onion, carrots, celery, cabbage, and potatoes.

My new favorite summer treat, a Raw Vanilla Orange Frosty Smoothie!

Orange Frosty
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 large oranges divided into segments and frozen

Blend all ingredients minus the oranges until smooth. Add the oranges and blend until liquified. Add a few cubes of ice if it's too rich and blend until smooth.

Another raw vegan winner! In my experience thus far, nut milk + vanilla + frozen fruit = a guaranteed winner. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, mango, pineapple, banana... Yeah, there's no wrong answer. Remember, for easy nut milk just blend 3-6 tbsp raw almond butter with 1 cup filtered water!

And to finish, I'd like to show off my new succulents. I love having plants in my home but can't seem to keep them alive for long! Succulents are supposed to be drought resistant, so I have a good feeling about these guys :)

Have an amazing weekend everyone! <3

Healthy & Happy

2010-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

I was just looking over my past couple of posts, my goodness it's been a busy few months! I'm still busy, but it's amazing how my eating has naturally fallen back into place. High raw, no sugar, whole grains, lots of veggies and no anxiety over-eating (despite having my share of anxiety!)

I've been buying heirloom tomatoes lately and loving salads with lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt as dressing!

I've been using simple almond milk as the base for most of my smoothies, just blend 3 tbsp of almond butter with one cup of filtered water, and voila! Here are some spinach, banana, almond milk smoothies.

My boyfriend and I have been on a steady diet of brown rice and vegetables for dinner. Brown rice and stir fry style veggies, brown rice with black beans and spicy veggies, brown rice pasta with broccoli, spinach, and tomato sauce etc. etc. It never seems to get old!

This is a stir fry I made with broccoli, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, peppers, olive oil, braggs liquid aminos, ginger, a pinch of cayenne, and cashews. So very very good.

I wanted this to be banana ice cream, but it wanted to be a smoothie.

I wanted this to be a mixed berry peanut butter smoothie, but it wanted to be ice cream! Both were delicious either way!

A simple snack: Tomato Dulse Sandwich... mmmmmmmm...

Sprouted whole grain bread, heirloom tomatoes, dulse, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil to moisten the bread!

And lastly, congratulations to my brothers for graduating High School and Jr. High School!!!

Sweet Potatoes and Unpacking

2010-06-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

After a week of having officially moved in, I still have boxes to unpack! I'm so ready to be done. My food habits have improved signigicantly, but still aren't fantastic. It's slowly getting better and easier, I've been eating more salads, smoothies and plain raw veggies.

Here's another basil smoothie made from almond milk, basil, lemon juice, and agave nectar.

I've been loving basil lately, my favorite is spinach, basil, frozen strawberries and water blended up! Really tasty and simple.

I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli as a quick and easy meal. Here it is with cacao nibs, coconut, and almond milk.

I graduated from Meditation 2 class through the Psychic Institute of Southern California! Again, I highly recommend these classes if you ever have the opportunity to take one or more. I started Healing 1 today, I'm so excited!

For the last day of Meditation class, I brough a raw vegan chocolate pudding sprinkled with cacao nibs, bee pollen, and shredded coconut.

I started with about 2 cups almond milk, added 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, then mixed in 1/2 cup of chia seeds then let it sit over night until the chia seeds absorbed all the liquid, then I added about 1 tsp vanilla beans, 1/2 cup agave nectar (or more to taste) and another 1/2 cup cocoa powder and blended the whole thing up until smooth. I honestly kind of threw this together, and just kept adding cocoa and agave as needed. I was suprised at how delicious and rich it turned out, considering that it was mostly just water and seeds!

My good friends Kevin, Chrissie and I tried a new restaurant in Echo Park called Elf Cafe. They serve all vegetarian, all natural food with lots of decadent vegan options. I had an amazing cream of mushroom soup and we shared the vegan fondue (roasted veggies with a walnut romesco sauce!) and the stuffed meditarranean dolma. We also got a pot of chai tea with almond milk to share. Mmmmmm, so delicious.

Chrissie has a great sense of food, she uses all natural ingredients and always comes up with something flavorful and creative. She told me she'd made sweet potato enchaladas, served with a home made verde sauce and goat cheese. I'm sure it was out of this world. I made this dish inspired by hers.

I baked a sweet potato at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, it was still firm when I took it out of the oven. Then I cubed and sauteed it with 1/2 cup of chopped onions, scallions, and garlic. I added lime juice salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste. I made home made tortillas with masa flour, canned black beans with added onions, Trader Joes verde salsa, pico de gallo salsa and avocado. This dish had so many flavors and textures, sweet potatoes are extremely comforting in any form.

I reheated the rest of the sweet potato for lunch the next day and ate it on it's own, still amazing. For dinner I made a 'taco salad' with romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, brown rice, black beans, and salsa.

And now, the BEST recipe of the week: Coconut Sweet Potato Pudding! Shown here with raw vegan chocolate pudding and blueberries.

Almost Raw Coconut Sweet Potato Pudding

1 cup fresh coconut meat

1 lg sweet potato (baked)

3 tbsp honey (or to taste)

3 tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)

1 tsp vanilla bean

1 tbsp organic soy lecithin

4 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp agar agar (optional, makes the consistency very thick)

4 tbsp chia seeds in 3/4 cup water, soaked until liquid is completely absorbed

1 cup water (may need more depending on the softness of sweet potato and coconut)

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender until smooth. Place in the refridgerator for 2 hours to allow agar agar to set. Serve with raw chocolate syrup, berries, etc. This could easily be a pumpkin pie custard filling if you added 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. I layered this with chocolate pudding then topped it with coconut oil chocolate and shredded coconut. Yeah, really really good. Really good.

Have a great Sunday everyone :)

Destruction (me) Creation

2010-05-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

Really, destruction and creation are the same thing, no? At the moment I happen to be in that transitional period that separates the two. I mean this in the very best way possible. I started my new job two weeks ago and absolutely love it. I feel SO blessed. My boyfriend and I have also been looking for a new apartment, and signed a lease two days ago! Again, I feel SO excited and SO blessed.

However, in the midst of training and apartment hunting, I have for the most part let a lot of things fall by the wayside. Blogger, for one. I apologize bloggie friends! I miss you all and look forward to catching up on your blogs in my nice new space! Raw eating has also, for the most part, not been a priority. I've been eating a lot of brown rice and Indian, Chinese, and Mexican food. I've been craving spicy.

I have a few new raw vegan recipes. This is a new favorite, Raw Vegan Gingerbread Cookies!

Raw Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, ground to meal

1 cup almonds (I used Italian), ground to meal

1/2 cup shredded coconut, ground to meal

1 tbsp spirulina (optional)

1 tsp maca powder (optional)

t tsp vanilla bean or extract

4-5 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1/2-3/4 cup molasses (start with 1/2 cup then add slowly until dough is soft enough to roll out)

1 pinch sea salt

pinch of cinnamon plus more for rolling out the dough

Mix together all ingredients, the dough should be tough but stick together, similar to regular gingerbread cookie dough. Formed into several balls, then sprinkled cinnamon all over a sheet of parchment paper and roll the balls out under another piece of parchment paper (this dough is sticky!) until it's about 1/4'' thick. Use small cookie cutters to cut out little shapes then put them directly on a dehydrator sheet. Dehydrated for 9 hours at 95 degrees.

I think this is by far my most successful dehydrator endeavor. These cookies are delicious, ginger and molasses taste so fresh when they're not baked! Frosting could easily be made using soaked cashews, vanilla, and agave nectar but I didn't feel it was necessary. I will absolutely make these again, they're sturdy but soft and stayed fresh for two weeks. They'd make a great personal gift.

Inspired by Giada's Sweet Basil Smoothie, I decided to make a raw version of my own.

Raw Sweet Basil Smoothie

3/4 cup cashew milk or any mylk of your choice

1/2 cup fresh organic basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup ice

1 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp lemon juice

agave to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Be careful how much agave you use, esp. if you use pre-sweetened mylk. I think the basil enhances sweetness, and mind ended up being a bit much!

Basil is super rich in nutrients, and drinking it like this gave me a pretty serious boost of energy. I think I giggled for 5 minutes after finishing the last sip, maybe I had some sort of crazy vitamin k high! The flavor wasn't a favorite of mine, but I was almost literally bouncing off the walls after I drank this. It would make an excellent substitution for an energy drink and could even help with inflammation.

Another unsuccessful soup attempt. I had to post it because it looks so pretty.

It's made from raw black beans, raw cashew nut milk, red onion (why it turned out purple!), lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili powder. I make a similar soup using cooked black beans that's out of this world, but this one really falls short. Or I just don't like raw soups period.

My lovely friend Anna went to visit family in Oregon earlier this month and brought me back some Jerusalem Artichoke Syrup. It's low glycemic and helps out the friendly flora that live in our gastro intestinal tract. It reminds me a bit of molasses but less sweet and with almost a smokey flavor. I can't wait to make something with it, thanks Anna! <3

I might not get a chance to post again for a few weeks. I hope you are all happy, and healthy! I look forward to being more present with you once things have calmed a bit <3

I Heart Fruits & Veggies

2010-05-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a long couple of weeks! I catered a small shoot last weekend for a pre-pilot. I was on set for 13 hours on Saturday & Sunday plus another 15 or so hours during the week spent shopping and baking-on top of my real job! It was a lot, but a really good overall experience.

Here I am with the spread on day one.

Close-up on salad fix-ins

I'll only show the vegan selections! Salad and veggies.

Chips, salsa, & hummus

The glamour of Hollywood!

Like I said, great experience, but so exhausting. It really stayed with me for the next five days, I just ate whatever we had (still vegan, not raw).

I did make mostly raw vegan peanut butter balls for my yoga instructor's birthday.

The were sooooo good. I don't know why I haven't made these before. Peanut butter, coconut, raw cacao nibs, maple syrup, vanilla, and brewers yeast. I threw them together really quickly and I don't remember the exact measurements, but I'm pretty confident there's no way to mess these up! So good.

On my non raw kick I tried Gardein for the first time. I've never been very interested in fake meat, just because I'm not crazy about the taste of real meat, but Gardein's Crispy Tenders have a really delicious meat like flavor (better than meat in my opinion).

They were on sale at the regular grocery store, and I went a little overboard.

It's not something I think I should eat a lot of, but man. It is really good if that's what you're in the mood for!

My first step back on track was a trip to Whole Foods.

Avocados, sprouted beans, oranges, escarole lettuce, coconut juice, coconut milk, raw nori, raw cashews, raw Italian almonds-they taste like amaretto!

My second step, a trip to Rainbow Acres! I bought my mom some chia seeds, two coconuts, some Jason lotions, and a nut milk bag which I'm absolutely in love with. I don't know how I lived without one!

Another reason to love Rainbow Acres: I bought two coconuts, and they put the water in a cup for me, and removed all the meat! Check it out!

This saved me so much time and effort! Using my nut milk bag and blender, I whipped up some fresh raw coconut milk using 1 cup coconut to 3 cups water.

Coconut milk is my favorite liquid in chia seed pudding. Today I mixed one cup coconut milk, two tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp agave nectar, and 2 tbsp chia seeds and had the most wonderful chocolate pudding for breakfast, yum!

My third step to getting back on track was a trip to the glorious farmer's market!

Wonderful. I feel so good buying fresh produce, washing it, preparing it, and eating it. I had forgotten how very important to my sense of well being cutting up veggies is! It feels calming and therapeutic :)

I made a raw bean salad using the sprouted beans I purchased at Whole Foods. I sometimes feel guilty buying sprouts when it's so much cheaper to grow them, and relatively simple, but for $2, these were well worth it!

Raw Bean Salad

1 ear corn, kernels cut off
2 slices of a large red onion, chopped
1 roma tomato, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 oz sprouted beans
1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tbsp olive or hemp oil, preferably cold pressed

Mix all ingredients, add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if necessary!

Make sure the corn you use is sweet, mine was pretty starchy which I found to be rather disappointing. The corn I used in my Raw Corn & Avocado Salad was so sweet and juicy! I was hoping for a similar flavor, but alas! Maybe next time!

I also made some Raw Ginger Bread Cookies, I'm still working on the frosting, but I'll post the recipe soon! Hope your weeks are going absolutely swimmingly and I'll talk to you soon!

Sea Vegetables

2010-04-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

This week continues to knock me out. I finally got so frustrated with trying to feed myself, I just went to Trader Joe's to get some ready made items.

If I'm not eating raw, I'm eating whole grains! I'm still eating vegetables and am trying to drink a lot of water. I just have no energy, from physical, mental, and emotional strain. It's 9:10 pm, I seriously considered ditching this post and going to bed. I'm going to end up working about 50 hours this week, then catering a small shoot this weekend (Starting at 5:30 am Saturday & Sunday) then jumping back into a regular week. Plus I'm putting in my two weeks notice on Friday, so that Monday may be painfully awkward!!! I had a horrible dream about the confrontation this morning. It's really stressing me out!

I'm feeling a little guilty about not taking the best care of myself because of all this... but then I have to remind myself that I'm feeling guilty for buying Trader Joe's vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies that are made entirely of fruit and grains then eating them with raw almond butter. So... I'm just not going to worry about it and know that I'm going to get back on the raw next week. Maybe even this weekend actually, I'll be making some big salads for the shoot, and plan on bringing hemp protein smoothies to keep me going. I actually can't wait to eat raw again... it sounds so refreshing!

Because of stress and less than optimal eating habits, my skin hasn't been great lately. I saw a segment on Martha Stewart the benefits eating seaweed has for your skin. I munched on some organic untoasted nori all day today, one of my favorite snacks! I also tried a spirulina, chlorella mask. Just a little spirulina, chlorella, and filtered water mixed to form a thin paste.

Easy being green!

I liked it because I didn't worry about putting it close to my eyes and on my lips (it's just food). I didn't feel any strong affect, but I feel confident that my skin absorbed some of that goodness :)

Our skin is super absorbent, which is why it's best to use chemical free cosmetics, soaps, and lotions. I've also heard that putting sugar on your skin can speed up the forming of wrinkles, keep in out of your homemade scrubs and masks!

One of my favorite natural brands, I just happened to buy the kelp shampoo this month!

Oh! Something raw! Sunday I felt really sick, it may well have been allergies, but it was intense and I wasn't sure. If it was a bug, it was going down! I had a bunch of tea, oranges, vitamin c supplements, and this:

Raw Spicy Garlic Ginger Miso Soup

2 cups filtered water (1 1/2 cups boiled)
2 large cloves garlic
4 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp miso paste
1/2 tsp chili infused sesame oil
1/2 tsp liquid aminos

Blend 1/2 cup water with all other ingredients then add hot water at the end.

This is pretty intense, it was very strong, but exactly what I needed. I felt fine on Monday!

I'm not sure when I'll blog again, I'll let you know how the catering goes! Have a great weekend!!!

New Job, New Apartment, New Health Goals

2010-04-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

So much transition! Lots of good stuff, but it's keeping me VERY busy. I'm trying my best to stay on top of everything and not succumb to anxiety. It's all good, just a lot all at once! I found a new job working as a receptionist at an acupuncture clinic! I'll get free acupuncture once a week plus health benefits. I'm so excited to work somewhere with people who share my interests. It's a beautiful calming, healing and peaceful space-exactly what I was hoping for. I don't start for three weeks and to be honest, it's going to be a rough three weeks at my current job! I'm going to make the best of it, it's just become absurdly exhausting. What I'm expected to accomplish in a day is just... comical. In the way that it's really not funny at all. But only three more weeks!!! Jesse's last final of the semester is the same day I start my new job, he has three papers to write and lots of studying. We're both busy and stressed. Almost immediately after I start, we're going to begin looking for a new apartment. We're both excited, but it's one more big thing on the table.

I am also catering a small film shoot for a pre-pilot this weekend. I'm so excited to have the opportunity, but again, added to the pile!

Due to the transitions, planning, and stress my good eating habits have gone out the window. Still a lot of raw food, but not enough greens. It started when I felt so sick for so long, I just couldn't stomach raw veggies and I've had difficulty getting back on track. I know I will, just not right now. I can feel the difference and look forward to re-embracing a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables.

Also... I ate some yogurt. Animal yogurt. My stomach problems lasted for almost two weeks. I'd been eating soy yogurt, but it didn't really help. I couldn't stop thinking about yogurt yogurt. I wasn't craving it exactly, it doesn't sound appealing to me at all but I couldn't get it out of my head. I believe in intuitive eating, and knew that my body probably needed something I wasn't getting. I made about three trips to the grocery store, stared at it, and left empty handed-I just couldn't bring myself to buying it.

Then finally, late Friday night, Jesse and I ran to Whole Foods. The time was right.

It was hard to eat, I ate it with sliced banana and raw coconut oil chocolate. The taste wasn't bad, not great either but while I was eating it, everything came into focus and I felt very clear, like I do when I down a green smoothie. I knew it was right.

So, what does this mean? I don't know. I may start incorporating some yogurt and maybe some raw goat cheese (if I can find a source that's completely humane). I have a raw, unpasteurized milk source from a single cow who gets lots of love. I'm thinking of making my own yogurt, I think that's the only way I could be really comfortable eating it. One happy cow, no packaging, raw. But, maybe not. I'm just going to try to pay extra close attention to my body, how it feels and what it needs. I'm happy to share this experience with Katie from Don't Worry, Be Happy, Be Vegan :). Her last blog post Changes describes a similar transition.

Right now my current health goals are as follows:

-Yoga semi-regularly, I took my first yoga class in two years! I can't wait to go again :)
-Exercise regularly
-Eat 70-100% raw most days
-Eat five servings of raw vegetables daily, three of them begin green
-Eat no refined sugar, and cut down on sugar substitutes and sweet fruit
-When eating cooked food, it should be home prepared, mostly whole grains
-Incorporate some organic yogurt and organic raw goat cheese if necessary and no other animal products
-Continue to get most vitamins and nutrients from natural plant sources

Will I still go to Green Leaves and get their Rock N' Roll Noodles on occasion? Yes. But I like setting a bar for myself to aspire to without being too crazy about it. Moderation is key in all things!

And now, finally, food.

Jesse and I have been loving our Vanilla Almond Butter Banana smoothies. Here are his and hers.

And here is a solo.

It's just a banana, 3-4 tbsp almond butter or to taste, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1-1.5 cups water. Blend and enjoy! Sometimes I add some organic soy lecithin, but it's not necessary.

I always keep a bunch of frozen bananas in the freezer for smoothies and ice cream. Here's the banana carnage left after I prepared another batch to be frozen!

I've been a peanut butter fiend this week. I made a chocolate smoothie (with some greens mixed in) then topped it with peanut butter. Yummmmmmmy.

I finished a meditation class through by The Psychic Institute of Southern California (which I highly recommend if anyone gets the chance!) We all brought food for a mini party on the last day. I decided to bring some interesting chocolates. Almond butter turned into Reeses-like filling by adding nutritional yeast, vanilla, and agave (Averie style) sandwiched between slices of banana and strawberry...

...Then dipped in raw coconut oil chocolate.

They were goooood. Next time I'm making each with more almond butter, thinner slices of fruit.

I hope everyone's doing swimmingly! Let me know your thoughts on yogurt/goat cheese, I'd love to get suggestions and feedback. Peace and Love <3 <3 <3

Tess

Comfort Food

2010-04-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I've had a really rough week. Every few menstrual cycles, I have one that really kicks my butt! Mine started with a major abdominal contraction that left my stomach sore for days. Combined with cramps, nausea, and bowel irritability (sorry everyone, I know this is fun subject matter!), I've had a lot of trouble eating, and have not had the energy to prepare foods. I stayed raw for the first few days, but was barely eating anything save a smoothie, some soup, a fruit, and if I could, a raw vegetable. I submitted to a dark chocolate craving (probably craving iron) on the third day and incorporated some cooked foods. The past few days I've been doing cooked foods and raw smoothies. I'm still not eating much, not even avocados sound appealing! I bought some Whole Soy & Co's plain soy yogurt to aid in digesting what little I've been eating. I'm at the point that I'm really ready to go back to more raw vegetables, but don't have the energy to buy and prepare them. I'm hoping I'll be feeling better tomorrow, I'm really ready to get back to my life!!!

When I first started feeling crummy, I made the first raw soup that I really liked! I'm still excited about it :) It's a creamy tomato soup, topped off with avocado and Trader Joe's lemon pepper, mmmmmmmmm...

Raw Creamy Tomato Soup

2 medium tomatoes
1 stalk celery
1/4 cup cashew nut milk (or any unsweetened mylk of your choice)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp liquid aminos
salt and pepper to taste

Blend until creamy and smooth, gently heat if desired. Makes one serving.

I also made some cashew milk using 1 cup of cashews and 3 cups of water. I love making nut milk, it always comes out so creamy, frothy, and delightful looking.

I liked the tomato soup so much, I attempted to make another creamy soup, but it was a bit of a failure. I wanted to make a creamy miso soup so I used cashew nut milk as the base then added miso paste, garlic, chili powder, and liquid aminos. That was good, I should have stopped there. Instead I blended in 1/2 an avocado and added wakame seaweed.

No good. It was too creamy and the wakame didn't pair well with it at all. Ah well, better luck next time!

Fortunately I had one more success. I bought some large purple grapes at an Asian market that immediately began to get mushy. I froze whatever I couldn't finish and made a PB&J Smoothie!

PB&J Smoothie
1 cup frozen grapes
3-4 tbsp peanut or almond butter
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
1-2 dates if necessary

Blend until smooth!

This was tasty indeed, I'm excited to have another batch of dates left in the freezer! Hopefully I'll have more goodies to share next week! Have a lovely Monday <3

Easter

2010-04-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

Before I talk about Easter, I'm going to play some bloggie catch up. Last weekend my brother Kelly came up to visit me! We went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and shared lots of raw goodies!

I made him banana honey ice cream.

Using just frozen bananas, a little water, and a spoonful of this awesome honey I found at the farmer's market.

Here's Kelly enjoying the ice cream.

And Jesse, also enjoying the ice cream :)

Kelly was brave enough to chug a green smoothie with me. These are cucumber, celery, kale, and spinach. Bottoms up!

I also made him some of my Ginger Almond Sauce over Cabbage 'Noodles'. I've made this recipe probably four times in the past two weeks and enjoyed leftovers for the few days after. It's so tasty, flavorful, and satisfying. I'll post the recipe near a bit later...

Kelly got to enjoy two ice cream treats while he was here. Jesse bought some plums that were really tart. I halved, pitted, and froze them. The next day I blended them up with some honey and water to make this yummy plum sorbet.

It was such a nice visit, we're hoping to go camping together and brings lots of raw meals, sound perfect in the hot dessert.

I reached my goal of eating more greens, mostly in salads like this one with heavenly heirloom tomatoes.

I made a cleansing cucumber grapefruit smoothie.

Close up, it looks like the surface of the moon.

I made this really fantastic chocolate pudding smoothie.

I really should not have finished this whole thing, it was VERY rich... but so delicious. It's made from banana, avocado, cocoa powder, organic soy lecithin, a little honey, and a little almond butter topped with bee pollen, shredded coconut, and raw cacao nibs. Yeah, it was pretty good.

I also made a simple, satisfying, and irresistible smoothie. I was craving almond butter on banana the morning I picked my brother up for the train station but didn't have time to eat and prepare it, so I put it in the blender! It was even better than I could imagine, it tasted a lot like Trader Joe's Banilla protein shakes (which are really good, but loaded with soy). I made another as a treat for Jesse one night, he was excited too! It's roughly 1 banana, 2 tbsp almond butter, and 1/3 cup water (more or less depending on desired thickness).

And now, on to Easter! My mom hosted this year, everything was beautiful inside and out.

Did you know artichokes grow this way? I didn't!

Chocolate eggs for the normies.

Strawberries for me and the normies :)

I ate some of my mom's yummy green salad with strawberry ginger dressing, raw vegetables, fresh fruit, and my Ginger Almond Sauce over cabbage 'noodles' and vegetables.

Here is the salad sans the sauce.

If you decide to make this recipe, I encourage you to add more or less spices depending on your personal taste, I always end up adding more in the end.

Ginger Almond Sauce

1 cup raw almond butter
4 tbsp raw tahini
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos
1-2 large cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
approx 4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chili powder, made from hot red chilis
1/2 cup water (or more depending on desired thickness)
salt and pepper to taste (you may need more after you mix in the veggies, I always under salt)

Blend or mix all ingredients. This makes enough to cover one head of shredded cabbage, one head of chopped broccoli, a few shredded kale leaves, three diced carrots, and 1/2 red onion.

This is my favorite way to eat it, covered in avocado!

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday, and survived your Mondays!

Buckwheat and Dehydrating Failure

2010-03-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. I had good luck with buck wheat when I made the buck wheat granola, so I decided to try to sprout a bunch. This is one of two large bowls.

I soaked the groats overnight, then rinsed them and put them in a 'cheesecloth hammock' secured by a rubber band, creating a colander effect. Then I covered both bowls with dish towels and put them in a cupboard overnight, the next day...

It worked!

To activate the chlorophyl I rinsed the buckwheat again then put it into mason jars covered with cheesecloth and let them sit upside down on my dish rack all day.

I love sprouting, it's the closest thing I have to a garden right now!

I made a yummy buckwheat cereal by blending a banana and a few tablespoons of almond butter then mixed in about 3/4 cup buckwheat sprouts. SO good. Reminiscent of oatmeal, I liked this even better than my Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cereal.

I also tried to make zucchini muffins. Key word, tried. I've made very few things in the dehydrator that have worked for me, I'm not used to the way flavors become more intense. Also, the consistency is never quite what I had hoped.

I did eat a bowl of batter, and it was goooood, 2 cups buckwheat sprouts, 2 medium zucchini, 1/4 cup maple syrup blended until smooth. Serpico liked it too!

I also made another buckwheat granola using only banana and cinnamon with the buckwheat. It was okay, not great. Another dehydrating disappointment.

On a happier note, my copy of Raw Food Real World arrived thanks to Averie's awesome giveaway! Thanks Averie!!! I love it, so many new ideas and ways of thinking about a raw lifestyle. I've been reading it cover to cover.

The only thing I've made so far is the almond milk, and it was delicious.

It also inspired me to get a nut milk bag because it took forever to strain through cheesecloth. (Still worth it though!)

My favorite meal this week was this Raw Corn & Avocado Salad.

Raw Corn & Avocado Salad

1 corn cob, kernels cut off
1 avocado, cubed
1 medium tomato, chopped
2-3 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste

Makes only one serving.

This is a great way to cure a Mexican food craving, like eating salsa, guacamole, and corn chips all at once!

I haven't eaten enough greens this week, and I can feel it. Goals for the week: eat lots of greens, eat all raw, find a wonderful job :)

Anyone else have goals for the week?

More Raw Food

2010-03-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Quick raw snack to go: Artisana Cacao Bliss, raw almond butter, bee pollen, mulberries, and Mealsicle cube.

Trader Joe's run, oranges, tomatoes, avocados, basil, mushrooms, cucumber, strawberries, zucchini, and peanut butter for Jesse :)

I love heirloom tomatoes, I wish they weren't so expensive!

I made my first raw lasagna, another meal I expected to be difficult and complicated that was actually quite simple!

I've seen a few recipes, and they've all been complex and intimidating, I made mine very simply with tomato sauce (turned out green!)

Super basic nut cheese

Mushroom, spinach, garlic filling

And zucchini noodles

Raw Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Tomato Sauce

1 medium tomato

5 large basil leaves

2 sun dried tomatoes

Blend until smooth

Cheese

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup water (add a little more if it's too thick to blend)

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Blend until smooth

Mushroom Spinach Filling

3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup baby spinach

approx. 1/6 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pulse in food processor until mushrooms are cut into approx. the size of peas

1 zucchini sliced thin with a mandolin

1 tomato sliced thin

I layered the zucchini, the tomato sauce and cheese, zucchini, spinach mushroom filling, zucchini, and repeated until I was out of ingredients. I finished with a topping of fresh tomato slices.

I ate it immediately after prep, and it was good, but it was even better the next day after the flavors mingled.

I also made a make shift sprouting bowl with cheese cloth and a large rubber band to sprout buckwheat.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Raw Works

2010-03-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ahh! I've been so busy the past few weeks, doing wonderful things fortunately but I miss my bloggies! Even though I've been so busy, I've still been able to maintain a high raw diet :)

Before shifting into high raw, I did a lot of raw trials that led me to believe that Raw Living would never work for me. I guess I had similar feelings about switching over to vegan, but one day it just clicked and the same happened with raw food. Before I shifted, I did a lot of experimentation with raw eating to find out what’s practical, affordable, and satisfying to me. This is what I’ve found:

Raw Works When
-I drink one or more green smoothies every day
-I eat mostly fresh watery fruits and vegetables
-I eat a lot of protein, especially in the morning
-I eat a lot of good fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil, hemp oil, etc)
-Incorporating cacao nibs or cacao powder into my diet early in the day reduces later carb and sugar craving
-Eating a cooked item or meal occasionally, esp. in social settings.
-Establishing my raw rules. Do I consider something to be raw if it’s made with expeller pressed oil? Or nutritional yeast? Or agave? I think this is important, because I was so focused in on making sure my raw experimenting days were all raw, there was no way I would have stuck with it. Plus it seems like everyone has varying degrees of raw living that work for them.
-I plan ahead!

Raw Doesn’t Work When
-I eat too much dried fruit
-I eat too much fruit, esp. sugary fruit
-I only eat salads, I get bored!
-I eat too much dehydrated/dense food
-I don’t eat a variety of different things
-I get stuck away from home without a snack
-I'm too strict about what I'll include in a raw meal (oils, maple syrup, condiments, etc.)

So, I'm still eating a cooked item or snack from time to time (last night I made some brown rice with raw cabbage), but mostly-I just don't feel like it. I'm big on listening to my body, and right now mostly raw seems to be the way to go!

And so there have been lots of yummy raw creations! Like this Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

Yes, it's as good as it looks. I was eating this stuff by the spoonful. It didn't last very long!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

1/2 cup raw cacao beans or cacao powder

3/4 cup raw hazelnuts

2 tbsp coconut oil

4 tbsp agave nectar or to taste

Grind cacao and hazelnuts in a coffee grinder until mealy, then add agave and coconut oil and grind until smooth and spreadable. The grinding process took a long time because I didn't want it to get too hot and ruin it's raw integrity! After it began to warm, I would grind for 30-60 seconds then stop and give it a few minutes to cool. I cleaned the kitchen and prepared a meal while doing this, it took about 30 minutes total.

Delicious with fruit!

My new favorite way to eat veggies is when they're covered in a spicy almond butter sauce. I wrote down the recipe, and can't find it! Until I do, enjoy the photo :)

My new favorite way to eat greens, is in my Green Mealsicles.

Green Mealsicles

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups pineapple (in chunks)

2 cups baby spinach, packed

4 oz alfalfa sprouts

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tbsp spirullina

2 tbsp chlorella

1 tsp maca powder

1 tbsp cacao powder

4 tbsp hemp protein powder (or hemp seeds)

1/4 cup maple syrup

Mix the chia seeds into the water and let sit for 20 minutes, add all other ingredients to a Vita Mix or Blendtec while you wait! Once the chia seeds are nice and goopy, pour them into the blender. Make sure they flow down to the blade, you may have to move some stuff around to allow this. Blend until everything is completely pulverized, I put my Blendtec through the whole juice cycle, then the smoothie cycle twice. Pour the mixture into popsicle moulds or ice cube trays. It makes about 6 cups, I had enough for 3 ice cube trays and a few popsicles. Freeze until solid.

I came up with these when we had guests sleeping in our living room almost every day last week and I felt bad turning on the blender so early in the morning, but really need my green smoothie to get me through the day! I've been filling a glass bottle with the cubes and drinking them later shaken with water or with chia pudding or added into other smoothies (like the chocolate banana peanut butter frosty I'm drinking now :)). It's great because they'll store forever, and you always have a back up if you're rushing out of the house.

Great breakfast, or greatest breakfast?

Strawberries, banana, chunks of Green Mealsicle, almond butter, chia seeds, and Chocolate Hazelnut Spread! ! !

I hope you're all doing well, and your week has been more relaxing than mine :)

Chocolate & Other Ways To Raise Your Vibrational Frequency

2010-03-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

My shift into a high/totally raw diet contributed to a recent shift in my vibrational frequency along with meditation, work with teachers, and probably many things that I'm completely unaware of consciously. Whatever happened, I feel great. Some days I can't even drive to work without tearing up over how beautiful everything is. I'm not saying that I'm not going to be down, depressed, angry, or fearful ever again, but I feel so much closer to our birth right, Innate Harmony.

And isn't that why we all (us food bloggers and readers) choose to eat what we eat? We feel good physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Whether we're vegan, raw, high raw, or even simply prepare most meals at home and are conscious of the food we eat, it all contributes to our happiness and well being. In the spirit of feeling amazing, I've made a list of things that raise our vibrational frequency, causing us to feel whole and at peace :)

-Eat fresh whole foods, the more fresh vegetables, the better!
-Prepare food at home for yourself or loved ones, LOVE is an important ingredient!
-Pray in thanks
-Write a heartfelt list of things you're grateful for
-Listen to music that makes you feel happy
-Meditate
-Think positive thoughts
-Send silent good wishes to people around you, strangers, acquaintances, and loved ones alike
-Play with animals
-Play with babies and/or children
-Do grounding meditations/visualizations regularly to stay centered and present
-Breathe deeply
-Stretch and/or exercise
-Tend to a garden or arrange flowers
-Stand in the sun
-Take a walk and recognize all the people and things around you as yourself
-Look at beautiful photos and paintings
-Touch any part of your body and thank it for all the things it does for you that you aren't even conscious of most of the time
-Give loving hugs and kisses to family, friends, animals, etc.
-Take note of any birds you come across. Birds are my favorite messengers.
-Say 'I love you' to yourself
-Imagine all your cells bathed in light
-Give a small gift however small to yourself or another
-Spend time with people you make you feel loved
-Open your hands and put your palms forward or up when you feel love/good vibes flowing around you
-Imagine your body as a ball of light expanding and contracting, becoming larger with each expansion
-Take a hot bath or if you don't have a tub, like me, soak your feet in warm water with essential oils
-Light candles
-Dance
-Laugh
-State aloud your intent to be loving, kind, and to serve the greater good.

And, of course, chocolate. In large quantities I might argue that it would lower your vibrational frequency as it may make your body feel slow and sick, but as a special treat it can make you feel oh so good :)

I've been meaning to make Averie's Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups for some time, and I finally got around to it!

I did make a few changes, I haven't eaten any refined sugar for over a week, I'm trying to stick to agave, maple syrup, molasses, and fruit to get my sweet fix so regular chocolate chips were out! I used Carmi's Dark Chocolate recipe from Sweetly Raw, substituting agave for maple syrup, and instead of peanut butter I used raw almond butter with a pinch of brewers yeast, a pinch of salt, and a dash of agave for the filling.

These are totally addictive, it's been very difficult to eat just one at a time. Using the muffin cups makes it so simple, and the yeast gave the filling such a heightened flavor, thanks Averie!!!

Don't forget to enter Averie's Raw Cookbook Giveaway and have a beautiful Thursday everyone!

Long week, but totally Raw!

2010-03-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so tired lately, my work schedule has been tough. If I didn't eat the way I do, I'm sure I'd be totally caffeine dependent because... it's tough! But, I've been eating 80-100% raw! Whoo hoo! Yeah! Go me!

I'm a little excited. It was a goal of mine for a while that I'd almost dismissed as something that just wasn't for me, but something shifted and now all I really want is raw food. Most days I'll eat one cooked meal, or one cooked meal item with raw foods but I've also done a few all raw days with ease! I've just been photographing everything I've eaten. I was in the middle of a project so my kitchen and dining areas were a mess most of the week. There are a lot of close ups as a result.

Green salad with guacamole, flax seed crackers, and raw soup from Lifefood Organic in Hollywood.

Banana blueberry ice cream made from 3 frozen bananas and 1 cup frozen blueberries with fresh strawberries and agave.

I found blueberries at Whole Foods for $2.50! I ate these for breakfast two days in a row.

Work is stressing me out, trying to remember my heart center and eat lots of green. I treated myself to a Multigreen Kombucha after a particularly bad day.

A dinner of sliced bananas and strawberries with almond butter and chia seeds, yum!

My ginger snap smoothie with spirulina, chlorella, and hemp protein added with a quickly fading molasses heart on top.

A simple salad with green lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber, and avocado, dressed with a few dashes of chili sesame oil and liquid aminos.

I found strawberries at the farmers market, three containers for six dollars. They made an excellent addition to meals as well as a great snack.

Wonderful wonderful chia pudding made with cashew milk and topped with my superfood trail mix.

Cashew Milk

1/4 cup cashews soaked overnight

4 cups of water (I like mine thin, add less water for a thicker milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp agave nectar or to taste

Blend until nuts are liquified, strain if necessary.

My friend Fletcher enjoying some chia pudding! I'm converting all my friends :)

I also made my first buckwheat cereal! Here it is first mixed.

Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cereal

1 1/2 cups soaked buckwheat groats

3 tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp maca powder

1 banana, mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla

5 tbsp shredded coconut

1/4 cup soaked cashews, chopped

3 tbsp cacao nibs

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated then spread a thin layer on parchment paper or a tephlon sheet and dehydrate for 8 hours or until crunchy.

I also finally made hummus again. I keep neglecting my chick pea sprouts so I bought some at the farmers market.

I've tried several hummus recipes, and I always end up adding more or less of every ingredient until it reaches a flavor I like, and I encourage you to do the same!

Hummus

2 cups sprouted chick peas

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Blend until very smooth.

I hope everyone's been well, I'm hoping to have more opportunities to update next week!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-03-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

And the winner of my first giveaway for Jason Powersmile All Natural Whitening Toothpaste is...

Averie!!! From Love Veggies and Yoga! Congratulations, whooo hooo! Thanks to everyone who entered, I'll be hosting another giveaway next month :)

Raw Adventures

2010-03-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Raw seems to have finally taken over my diet! Well, almost. I've been eating raw all day and cooked food for dinner, yesterday I was all raw, and today I had a vegan burger at the Blu Jam Cafe for lunch, but will stay raw for the rest of the day. I'm not pushing it too hard, it's all flowing very naturally.

My friend Fletcher and I shared a cooked dinner, raw spinach, leftover quinoa sauteed with chick peas, baked sweet potato, and whole wheat flat bread topped with olive oil, garlic, red onions, and olive spread.

My mom came up to visit me yesterday. She's been all raw for three days now and just called me to tell me how great she feels!

Before we left I made a green smoothie, spinach, strawberries, banana, hemp seeds, spirulina, and chlorella.

I also made a simple chia seed pudding. As liquid, I made a superfood milk using a handful of the trail mix I made last week. It was perfect, not to sweet and very flavorful.

Here's the trail mix again, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, mulberries, goji berries, cacao nibs, and raisins.

My mom and I went to Bergamot Station to look at the exhibits. On the way, we made a wrong turn and stumbled upon a Psychic Fair hosted by the Southern California Psychic Institute. We each received aura healings and I'm planning on attending a meditation class next Saturday.

After browsing through various installations, my mom and I went to eat at Planet Raw in Santa Monica.

I left my camera in the car! But, everything was so good, I much preferred eating to photographing. We shared the Chicken Wings which were endive leaves filled with two delicious sauces that really tasted like chicken wings! Then we had the Mushroom Stew, the Caesar Salad and the Macho Nachos. The mushroom stew was creamy and spicy, with big pieces of marinated mushrooms, yum! The nachos were out of this world. Flax seed crackers/chips and endive leaves served with red sauce, white sauce, guacamole, nut cheese, and fresh cilantro. YUM.

On our way back, we stopped by Rainbow Acres per Alysha's suggestion on her blog, www.rawfoodnerd.blogspot.com. They really do have the best priced chia seeds, a little bit cheaper than my online order. I insisted that my mom get some for herself, and I bought more too!

I also purchased some coconut water, tamari, cacao powder, maca powder, shampoo and conditioner (on sale for $3.77 each!), cheese cloth, and some hemp protein powder.

I bought Nutiva's Hemp Protein + Fiber because it was on sale for $10. Hemp seeds are the only listed ingredient, but I hope it's not more processed than regular hemp protein. But then, a little extra fiber probably won't kill me!

My mom bought Raweos. They are amazing, I want to try to make my own version with a frosting that's slightly more distinct.

It's been raining again, here I am last night getting ready to go out. You can't tell, but I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and a thick sweater under my coat. I'm impressed with all you folks who live places that are REALLY cold!

For breakfast this morning I ate an orange from my mom's tree. I kind of like it when the pieces don't separate neatly and I just have to tear it apart. It reminds me of eating like a monkey :)

Jesse's parents also gave us a bunch of oranges we need to finish! I made orange smoothies with orange, ice, vanilla, and agave nectar.

And I'm so excited because Sundays just got even better! Sunday has become Amoeba Records and Farmer's Market day, they're both on the same street. I love the farmers market and Jesse loves Amoeba and now, right in between the two is a new raw restaurant!

I picked up some soup that I'll eat for dinner :D I'm SO excited.

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, there's still a few hours! I'll announce the winner tomorrow! Have a great week everyone :)

I love getting mail.

2010-03-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

My diet has been less than ideal for about a week, still vegan but full of sugars and not enough greens! Last night I was feeling so fatigued that I forced myself to get back on track, and I already feel better :) Here's what I've eaten in the last 24 hours:

Dinner last night consisted of a salad made from romaine lettuce, baby spinach, purple cabbage, and alfalfa sprouts, sliced veggies- tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, & red onions and Pure2Raw's Mac-n-Cheese with shredded chard served in half a bell pepper. To me the perfect meal is three quarters vegetables and at least sixty percent raw.

Sliced veggie plate

I started today with half a grapefruit (I always try to eat a piece of fruit at least half an hour before I eat anything else).

Great smoothie, or the greatest smoothie? Seriously, I'm in love with this.

Green Ginger Snap Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana

1 large handful baby spinach

1/4 avocado

1-2 tbsp fresh ginger

2 tbsp molasses

3/4 cup water

3-4 ice cubes

pinch of sea salt

Blend until smooth!

Jesse asked for a healthy treat to have during the day so I made some superfood trail mix that I've been snacking on all day. It's raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds, raw cacao nibs, raisins, golden raisins, goji berries, and mulberries. So delicious and so nutritious! Jesse and I are hooked.

For lunch I had leftover salad from last night with sesame oil and lemon pepper. I also made a sweet potato soup with Indian spices. It was good, but I'm yet to find a raw blended soup that I'm really in love with.

Another Green Ginger Snap Smoothie as an afternoon snack.

Leftover quinoa Mac-n-Cheese as... another afternoon snack.

A slice of Jesse's orange as a getting close to dinner snack.

The rest of the salad and more quinoa Mac-n-Cheese sauteed with olive oil and mustard.

Chia seed pudding made with coconut milk, agave nectar, and topped with more trail mix. I couldn't finish this, it was so rich!

I'm actually kind of embarrassed to post all this, I feel like I eat so much in a day! I think part of it is that I have trouble eating large meals, so I tend to eat lots (and lots) of small ones.

Also, I was sent a free sample of Xagave!

They also sent me this book, which is pretty cool. I've learned a lot about agave that I didn't know previously.

And this pin which I adore. I plan on wearing it and hope I get asked about it!

I was excited to receive the sample but really didn't expect anything different from the agaves I've tried, but it really does have a better flavor! Apparently they use a blend of white and blue to enhance the flavor and so you get the nutritional benefits of both. The flavor is fruity, I've never eaten agave on it's own, but this I could see topping pancakes with.

I also like this table listed on the bottle, it makes substituting the nectar for sugar really easy!

My chia seeds came in the mail also! Yay!!! I was getting nervous, they've become such a staple of mine. (Don't forget about Bitt's Chia Seed Giveaway!)

Here I am, holding my precious chia.

I ordered them from Amazon, but they come from this site www.therawfoodworld.com.

They also sent me free samples! Chia seeds, hemp protein powder, and an anti-stress drink.

They also sent me a card with the bios of the owners of the company and a letter thanking me for the purchase. Here they are on the card, they seem nice and I'm all for what they're about :)

Btw-If you haven't entered my Giveaway, it ends on Sunday! And I'll leave you with a question, what does your ideal healthy meal consist of?

Oh my goodness, Giveaways!!!

2010-03-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

In my last post I started my first giveaway, and since I've found other awesome giveaways on other blogs!

The Ordinary Vegetarian is giving away Primal Strips

Bitt at Bitt of Raw is hosting a Chiaseed giveaway on Bitt of Raw to win 2 lbs. of chia seeds!!!

I actually have chia seeds coming in the mail from amazon, I can't wait for them to get here. I go through them like crazy, it's like eating delicious little balls of light :). These are the cheapest ones I've found so far until I'm ready to buy them in bulk, which will come soon. I love these guys!

I also wanted to add that last night as per Kristen from Kristen's Raw's suggestion, I watched Food Matters with my boyfriend and room mate. My boyfriend got really interested in green smoothies, raw foods, spirulina, vitamins, etc. right after watching it! I'm so excited to make him even healthier foods :)

I'm back with my first giveaway!!!

2010-03-01T23:24:00.000-08:00

This past week has been really nuts for me, I haven't had a great deal of time to cook... or sleep. So, this post is more of a photo journal :)

My mom told me it's easy to sprout my own alfalfa sprouts, so I bought a bag of seeds.

Here my seeds are on day one.

Here they are on day three, I'm so excited!

I've been eating a lot of chia seed puddings this past week, this one is made from almond milk, spirulina, and maple syrup.

This one is made from water, lemon juice, ginger, and maple syrup.

My boyfriend's been making Dr. Prager's burgers sandwiches.

Our favorite way to eat them, with avocado, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, and spicy mustard.

I visited family in Carlsbad last weekend and I was able to go back to The Greenery RawFood Cafe in Encinitas with my mom.

We shared the pizza,

The zucchini rolls,

The cream cheese sandwich,

Cheesy kale chips,

And a sweet potato cake, mmmmm! I love this restaurant!

My mom and I visited her banner.

Then went back to her house. Here's her garden, I'm so jealous!

This is my brother and his room mate's garden.

Kane.

Stone :)

The view from my brother's back yard.

So yes, it's been busy but nice :) And I've decided to host my first giveaway! Whooo hooo! Okay, so I'm giving away a tube of Jason PowerSmile All Natural Whitening Toothpaste in Peppermint with two travel sized toothpastes in Cinnamon Mint and Vanilla Mint.

I love this toothpaste, I much prefer it over Tom's and I love that it's a natural whitening toothpaste.

To enter, follow this blog if you're not already a follower AND answer the following question in the comments section of this post before Sunday, March 7 (Sorry, U.S. residents only!):

What is your favorite feeling food? It could be something that makes you feel healthy, energized, clear, nostalgic, or a sweet treat that makes you feel decadent etc, etc. I look forward to your responses!!!

Easy being green.

2010-02-18T21:31:00.000-08:00

This week I've made a huge shift in what my body craves. I was hoping this would happen naturally over time, and it did, but in a big way! I've been CRAVING greens like crazy. Tuesday night I came home from work and had a big salad with romaine lettuce, kale, scallions, beets, carrots, mushrooms, & avocado along with a big green smoothie. The smoothie is a bit mossy in color as I used beet stems and leaves along with cucumber, kale, celery, parsley, and half an apple.

The next morning I woke up craving protein. I made my first chia seed pudding, wow have I ever been missing out!

Vanilla Coconut Chia Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/8 tsp ground vanilla beans

Mix ingredients together and wait at least 15 minutes before eating. I topped mine with banana slices, cinnamon, and leftover Raw Chocolate from my chocolate covered banana hearts. Holy freaking yum.

Last night I made apple cinnamon chia pudding to eat for breakfast this morning. It was about 1/8 cup chia seeds, 3/4 cup apple sauce, and 1 tsp cinnamon. I put it in an old almond butter jar and let it sit over night. It was the perfect boost to get me through work!

Yesterday I also made One Pot Gluten Free Vegan Mac -n-Cheese from the Pure2Raw Twins guest post on Averie's blog www.LoveVeggiesandYoga.com. Wow. That's all I have to say. This is such a delicious treat, and so healthy! This is by far the best quinoa I have ever eaten, and now one of my favorite all time dishes.

I liked it so much that I went out to buy more quinoa so I could make it again for dinner. This time I added some shredded collard green at the very end of the cooking process.

I even made my own tahini to make this dish possible! It's 5 parts sesame seeds to 1 part olive oil.

I paired the Mac-N-Cheese with a simple green salad, just romaine lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes.

And Raw Tomato Beet Soup. I wasn't crazy about the soup, but my friend Chrissie really liked it. I'm kind of particular about beets, but maybe if I were a beet person, I'd love this soup!

Raw Tomato Beet Soup

4 tomatoes

1 small beet

1/4 red onion

1 clove garlic

4 tbsp parsley, minced

1 diced tomato (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients except the parsley, and the diced tomato, add them in while gently heating.

For dinner tonight I sauteed some leftover quinoa with a dressing I'd made for the salad. It was one part yellow mustard, one part red wine vinegar, two parts olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. It was so yummy and was a nice change of pace as I ate the quinoa for lunch and dinner two days straight. I also wanted some red wine, I usually won't open a bottle by myself and it wasn't like I was craving the taste or the feeling, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. So, in the spirit of listening to my body, I also had a small glass of red wine. I didn't even finish the glass, but it did help me feel grounded and centered.

I bought four grains from the bulk bin and stupidly, did not label any of them.

There's wheat, barley, spelt, and oats. Can you tell the difference? I had to taste a few to make sure I got them all right.

I bought them because I've been wanting to try to make real Ezekial bread based on the passage listed on their breads. Ezekiel 4:9 "Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself." So, I did just that.

This was mostly experimental, I used 2 cups of the flour which I ground up in my blender, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp yeast, and 2 tbsp turbinado sugar. I'm not sure this is what Ezekiel would have made, I actually imagine his as more of a porridge. But here's mine!

Surprisingly enough-it tastes pretty good. The only issue is that it's kind of dry and dense, but I plan on trying this again because it has a rich hearty flavor and it's a complete protein.

Now I'm in the mood to make bread! Any suggestions?

Valentine's Day & the Importance of the Heart

2010-02-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not super crazy about Valentine's Day. I think the whole thing is kind of tacky and commercial plus I enjoy celebrating the people I love regardless of the day, BUT it did give me the perfect opportunity to use all the heart shaped cooking tools I've been collecting.

I convinced Jesse to eat an all raw breakfast with me. I got up early so we could eat together in bed. We watched The Marvelous Misadventure's of Flapjack and snuggled with our dog while enjoying this nutritious meal.

It consisted of whole orange juice, grated cucumber 'hash browns' dusted with lemon pepper, avocado and tomato 'eggs' (inspired by Rawon10's Breakfast in Bed), a side of nacho cheeze, fruit salad with strawberries, tangerines & banana hearts, and banana cashew mousse with chocolate syrup, yum!

My favorite part of the meal was by far the banana cashew mousse. It started out as ice cream, but by the time we ate it, it had thawed to frosty mousse consistency, so yummy!!!

Banana Cashew Mousse or Ice Cream

2 large frozen bananas

1/4 tsp ground vanilla beans or vanilla extract

1/4 cup cashews

approx. 1/8 cup filtered water

Raw Chocolate Syrup

1 tbsp raw agave nectar

1 tsp raw cacao powder

Prepare the syrup first by thoroughly mixing the agave and cacao until completely incorporated. Add more or less agave depending on your preferred sweetness.

To make the 'ice cream' put the cashews in the blender (Vita Mix or Blendtec), then add just enough water to cover them, blend into milk. Then add the bananas and vanilla and puree until the mixture is creamy and lump free. Pour into a bowl, drizzle with chocolate syrup and enjoy!

For dinner, Jesse and I went to our friends' house to be with them, a few friends who live nearby, and a few close friends visiting from out of town. I brought a few raw goodies to share, the first was my Heart Cheesecake which I had waiting for me in the freezer.

I made raw chocolate dipped banana hearts, and oh man, were they good. Way better than I could have anticipated.

I sliced a banana lengthwise in three, then used a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart pieces (I froze all the discarded banana to make 'ice cream' later). Then I stuck a toothpick into each, dipped them in Raw Chocolate, put them on wax paper then put them into the freezer. I put them in the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving, so the banana would thaw but the chocolate would stay solid.

Raw Chocolate

1/4 1 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup raw cacao

5 tbsp raw agave nectar or to taste

1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans or vanilla extract

Gently warm the coconut oil until melted then mix in the rest of the ingredients until smooth. I used my blender, but it can be done with a good old fashioned bowl and spoon :). You can pour it into moulds, or dip fruit/nuts in it. Let it set in the refrigerator or freezer.

I also made zucchini rolls with beet hearts.

I used my mandolin to slice the zucchini and the beets and used the same heart cookie cutter to punch out beet hearts. I filled each roll with a piece of tomato, a piece of avocado, some nacho cheeze, and some alfalfa sprouts. They were beautiful, fresh, and tasty!

I feel like Valentine's Day, although mostly commercial, is a wonderful opportunity to think about the Heart in all of it's forms, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Brugh Joy, an amazing teacher with whom I was so privileged to work, died in December. I feel that there's no way I can adequately describe Brugh. He was/is so much more than what he did, truly a unique and wonderful person, so open, present, and impactful. He was an energy healer, author, doctor, and a teacher of spiritual enlightenment and Heart Center Transformation. The impact he has on me carries far beyond the personal experience I had with him as he was Dr. Nicki Monti's teacher for over twenty years, another remarkable individual to whom I feel I owe in many ways my life (the life I have) and personal freedom. I learned Heart Centering Meditation from Dr. Nicki Monti, a practice that has greatly helped me ground & open myself, and has deepened my love for myself, others, and the world.

I was shocked when I found out Brugh had died, and disappointed that I wouldn't again have the opportunity to work with him in his physical form, but I didn't anticipate the level of grief I was to experience in the coming weeks. I've felt deep sadness, fear, anger, loss, and a general depression. After attending a memorial hosted by Dr. Nicki Monti, the sadness didn't cease, but many of my thoughts and feelings around Brugh became clearer and more focused.

I began thinking about the emphasis Brugh placed on 'touching the body with reverence' and experiencing the world with 'bodyfulness'. He embraced his humanity and taught me to embrace mine. He taught me to love, respect, and fully experience the body. I worked with Brugh nearly two years ago and my goals and values have significantly shifted since. My passion for cooking, healthy eating, and green living began to develop and continue to grow. I know that my lifestyle is strongly influenced by what I gathered from him, consciously and subconsciously.

In honor of Brugh, I'd like to spend a few moments talking about the Heart, in all of it's forms, because they are all connected as one and the same. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.A. Heart dis ease. Are we literally dying of broken hearts? Both of my grandfather's died of heart attacks, and as Dr. Nicki says, "We die the same way we live." I completely believe that we live our lives in so many ways we are not conscious of and emotional suppression can lead to many types of illness. In my family, cutting oneself off from the heart is a common problem, and I'm sure the same can be said for many different types of people. It takes a lot of bravery to open and fully access one's heart. We must allow ourselves to be emotionally vulnerable, ready to experience deep pain as well as deep love and happiness. What you find, however, is that one of the attributes of the heart is innate harmony, calm in the midst of chaos. The heart understands, the heart does not fear, the heart can feel heavy, but is never weighed down.

To keep our hearts healthy, it is important to pay attention to both the physical and emotional aspects of the Heart. Listen to it, and speak it's words. Don't be afraid to open up and explore what's there. Practice love for yourself and for others. Meditate. Maintain a healthy diet full of greens (the color of the heart chakra is green), whole grains, and good fats. And if it feels right to you, explore heart centering meditation.

Namaste

Zucchini Bread and Raw Valentine Treats

2010-02-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

I plan on spending Valentine's Day with some of my best friends and I've decided to make some delicious and loving raw desserts and snacks. I made raspberry heart cheesecake in advance.

To be honest, I liked Averie's Raw Vegan Cheesecake better! I should have looked at her recipe before making it, I think it really could have used more lemon juice, but the result was still creamy and delicious!

Raspberry Heart Cheesecake

Crust (The same as my Raw Hamentashen dough)

3/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup cashew meal

1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans

1/2 tsp lemon zest

4 dates

1 tbsp coconut oil

Filling

4 cups raw cashews

1 cup filtered water

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

1 tsp vanilla beans or vanilla extract

juice from 2 lemons (about 8 tbsp)

Topping

3-4 tbsp filling (whatever you can't scrape out of your blender)

5 oz frozen strawberries

The crust ingredients need to be blended until smooth and pliable, I pressed a thin layer down in each of my heart shaped muffin cups. The filling also, blend until very very smooth, you may need a few tablespoons extra water. For the topping, that's right! Blend until smooth. Fill each muffin cup that has the crust inside with filling then carefully smooth a few tablespoons of the topping over each. Freeze until completely solid (otherwise getting the cake out of the muffin cups with be impossible!) Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Makes approx. 12 cakes.

I've been eating pretty high raw these days, with the exception of whole grains which I've been craving like crazy! Maybe it has something to do with Jenna's post on the importance of carbs. Whatever it is, I've been making sure to have something healthy and whole grain to turn to so I don't find myself eating a bag of pita chips. I also have found that in order to eat enough veggies, it really helps to have some prepared and easy to use. On Monday I made a raw veggie salad to eat during the week, in wraps, over salad, and on it's own!

Raw Basil and Veggie Salad

4 oz fresh basil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp lemon pepper

1/4 red onion, chopped

4 small carrots, diced

2 scallions, sliced

1/2 sweet potato, diced

handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 large kale leaves, shredded

1 small zucchini, diced

Mix all ingredients together, use any veggies you have on hand-this is a great way to use the veggies that need to be used asap!

I had the salad inside of lettuce wraps with avocado slices for lunch yesterday, yummy!

As I mentioned before, I'm trying to make sure I have lots of healthy carbs on hand for when a craving hits! I've stocked up on Ezekial tortillas and Trader Joe's High Fiber Os. I also made myself some zucchini bread as a healthy treat. Here it is smeared with almond butter (drool).

Healthy Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional... recommended, but optional!)

olive oil to grease the pan

Mix the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and in a separate bowl mix the apple sauce, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Combine the two mixtures and add chocolate chips. Grease a loaf pan with olive oil (or use muffin cups!) and pour in the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. It's done when a toothpick or knife comes out clean!

This is so satisfying, and even though it's a baked treat, it still feels so much better in my body than any other muffin or bread. I'm a fan of the turbinado sugar, I can feel the difference :)