DAY FOUR - Banana Ice Cream!

August 4, 2009 - Toronto, ON - One of the great blogs I have come across is called Choosing Raw which I recommend all of you take a look into. I also got inspired to freeze some bananas from this amazing SIMPLE recipe I found on the blog.

Check out the link to make your own Banana Soft Serve. Click HERE.

DAY FOUR - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 4, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Turns out the day wasn't so nice, unless you're a fan of hail and thunderstorms. Nevertheless, the food continues to be amazing. Here's what was for lunch and dinner for day FOUR of the raw food challenge:

Lunch: Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of carrot juice
• 3/4 cup chopped butternut squash
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 tsp of agave nectar
• generous sprinkle of cinnamon
• small sprinkle of nutmeg
• dash of salt

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. sooooooo GOOD!


Dinner: Spicy Corn Guacamole in lettuce wraps
Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• juice of half a lime
• 1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 1 chipotle pepper (or however spicy you like it)
• 1 clove of garlic
• dash of salt and pepper
• 1/2 corn from the cob
• large leafed lettuce (I used a unique head of lettuce I picked up at the market on the weekend)

Directions:
Scoop out the avocado meat and place in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, corn and minced garlic, salt and pepper. Add the chopped chipotle pepper slowly adjusting to the spicyness you want. mash all together with a fork until you get a smoother consistency. place a spoonful on the leaf of lettuce and roll up like a fajita to eat!
(One of my favourite meals!!!)

DAY FOUR - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 4, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Good Morning everyone! Looks like it's going to be a nice day out! If you haven't had any Ontario Peaches yet, I recommend you get out to your local Farmer's Market and pick some up, they're delicious right now!

What's in the bowl this morning for breakfast?

Vanilla Yogurt!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk


• 1 cup of Shredded Coconut


• 1/2 tsp of Natural Vanilla Extract


• any kind of fruit you want to add (I used Papaya this morning!)

Directions:

Blend Shredded Coconut and vanilla extract. Slowly add the milk until a Yogurt consistency is achieved. Add chopped fruit. That's it! Enjoy!

DAY THREE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 3, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So, for dinner tonight I was craving a good ol fashioned burger. So what I made, was just that... well not exactly. This is the Raw Foodist way of prepping a burger!

Raw Garden Burger
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of soaked nuts (use whichever you prefer. I did half almonds half walnuts)
• 1/2 cup of carrots
• 1/8 cup of chopped onion (I don't really measure this... I put in as much as I want... because I can!)
• 1/2 tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
• dash poultry seasoning
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
• small bunch of parsley
• small handful of Flax seeds
  

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together except parsley until it forms a sort of pate. add in parsley and blend quickly to make sure parsley is just chopped in mixture.

I took out some Manna Bread slices for my "bun" and top it off with the "burger" pate and put some organic whole grain mustard for a little kick to the burgers!

That's it! This is probably the only way I would have burgers, considering i'm no grill master and therefor I dont even own a BBQ!

Enjoy!

DAY THREE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 3, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Because of last night's festivities, I didn't have much time today to prepare my lunch at 8am this morning (as much sleep as I could get was in my books). I opted to bring some macadamia nuts and a banana to snack on.

At around 2pm I started getting hungry, so I decided to try my hand at ordering something. I ended up at Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches which is conveniently across the street from my office and went with the make your own salad for $8. Here's what was in this delicious bowl:

Reggie's Build Your Own Salad

• Spinach


• Chick Peas


• Cucumber


• Snow peas


• Sprouts


• Avocado


• Grapes


• Green Apple

* With a light mustard vinagrette (Not positive if everything was raw... probably not, but it was a pretty good effort all in all!)

DAY THREE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 3, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Not sure how Raw Vodka and Vino are, but I definitely have some floating around in my system from last night! ( I made sure to get some potassium & B12 Vitamin this morning to bring me back to life!)

This morning, I made sure to drink 1300ml of H2O to rehydrate my body. Once again, my fav breakfast that gets me going:

RAWdiculous Morning Breakfast -

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana


• 1 Peach


• Tbsp Raw Honey


• small handful of raw Almonds (Soaked overnight)


• small handful of shredded unsweetened coconut


• splash of Almond Milk

Directions:

Cut up fruit into small pieces and mix all ingredients in a bowl and Enjoy!

On this lovely Civic Holiday, check out one of the world's leading authorities on nutrition specializing in the Raw Movement, David Wolfe. Click HERE.

Day Two - Diary of a Raw Foodist - Lunch

August 2, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Doing some research today, I stumbled across this great blog. Check it out HERE.

Here's whats in the bowl for lunch today:

KTB's Veggie Salad

Ingredients

For Dressing -

Raw Mayonnaise:

• 1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight)


• 1/4 cup of water


• 1/2 lemon juiced


• 1 small garlic clove


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 1/2 cup of olive oil

Raw Mustard:

• 1 cup brown soaked mustard seeds


• 3/4 cup lemon juice


• 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 juice of a Lime

For Salad:

(Adjust all ingredients to what you need to make your salad)

• Kale


• Spinach


• Romain Lettuce


• Orange Pepper Sliced thin


• Field Cucumber


• Broccoli


• onion sprouts


• bean sprouts


• sunflower seeds (soaked overnight)

Directions:

For Dressing -

Mayo - Blend everything except the Olive Oil until smooth. Add in a steady stream of the Olive oil until emulsified.

Mustard - Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Mix both equal parts of mayo and mustard and juice from half a lime. Mix well.

For Salad:

Tear with hands all greens, add in the Broccoli, Pepper and Cucumber. Top with sprouts and seeds.

*Top salad with Raw Mustard Mayo dressing and enjoy!

DAY TWO - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 2, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Well here we are. Day Two of our Raw food challenge. Wanting to have a delicious smoothie this morning, I turned to my 70 Green Smoothie Recipes and found one that suited what i had hanging around in my kitchen and also things that I love all blended into one yummy drink. Here's what was for Breakfast this morning!

Recipe #9 - Papaya & Banana with Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 Bananas


• 1 cup of fresh Papaya


• 4 handfuls of baby spinach


• 1 cup of water (or more, depending on the consistancy you want)

*I added flax seed and some Kale for some more nutrients

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

If this smoothie doesn't seem to be your thing, I'm sure you'll be able to find one that you'll love in these SEVENTY green smoothie Recipes. click HERE.

To read about adding greens to every meal and benefitting from them, click HERE.

DAY One - For the Sweet Tooth

August 1, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So after one day of completely Raw, I thought it would be wise to post a recipe for the sweet tooth to ease the transition. Here you'll find the raw recipe for Carrot Cake:

Dessert - Rawsome Apple Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrot
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded apple (I prefer Granny smith)
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 cup walnuts (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 1 cup raisins (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp grated orange peel

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in blender. I prefer to put the batter in muffin tins (for single servings!) and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Day One - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 1, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Here are the recipes of what I made for Lunch and Dinner today, all inspired from the websites, blogs, movies and books I've been following. Try them out yourself!


Lunch - Minty Fresh Smoothie ( I made this a couple days and froze half of it, and used it today)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium bananas
• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• 1 tbsp fresh mint
• 2 small peaches or 1 apple

Directions:
Put all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.


Dinner - Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chopped cauliflower
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 6 soaked sundried tomatoes
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1cm piece of ginger root
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup dried coconut
• 1 tbsp flaxseed
• 1 cup of water

Directions:
Blend all ingredients until well combined and finely chopped. Serve in a bowl with alfalfa sprouts. OR serve on top of cucumber rounds topped with sprouts.

Thanks to:
http://thekitchendispensary.wordpress.com

Bee Pollen - Nature's most complete food

August 1, 2009 - Toronto, ON - While researching for this Raw lifestyle, I came across a lot of postings about adding bee pollen to your diet. After doing some research, that I will be sharing with all of you in this post, I bought my first jar of bee pollen from the great Farmer's Market in the King West Neighbourhood!

Bee pollen actually contains all of the nutrients you need to live. There have been some studies on mice that have been only fed bee pollen and have shown no signs of malnourishment!

Bee pollen has high concentrations of B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D and E. It also acts as a very effective natural energizer for your body.

Scientists are hard at work to prove many more benefits of bee pollen. Some reports show bee pollen can:

• Slow the aging process


• Weight loss


• Improving metabolism


• Dissolving & Flushing fat cells from your body


• Helps reduce cravings


• Lowering Cholesterol levels


• Restoring reproductive system


• Relief of PMS


• Preventing Prostate problems


• Improve Immune system


• Detoxifies your body

So, what are you waiting for? Go out to your local market today and pick up your own today!

Day ONE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 1, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So, this is day one of recording my progress in the transformation of a raw lifestyle. Yesterday, I found a great deal for a Juicer ($5!) which was a great addition to my equipment I was hoping to accumulate.

This morning I made one of my favourite Breakfasts and here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1/2 cup (give or take) blueberries or any berries you like

1/2 cup of mango (give or take)

handful of soaked Almonds (Soak them overnight in about an inch of water in a glass bowl at room temp)

a splash of unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 Tbsp of Raw Honey

handful of unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

Slice banana, mango and add to bowl. Add in the berries. Top with Almonds, add honey, milk and coconut. Mix together and ENJOY!

For more information on soaking seeds and nuts, click HERE.

RAW LIFESTYLE 30 DAY CHALLENGE

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - I have been on the raw diet lifestyle for almost a week now, but starting tomorrow, I will be documenting on this blog a sort of Raw Diary. This will include whats on the plate for each meal of the day, temptations, experiences, and more knowledge I learn along the way.


I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to take the challenge and post comments or even your raw food diary here to help others and encourage others to take it on!

Generally a raw food diet takes approximately 2 weeks to kick into your system fully to get all the benefits of it and get the toxins out of your body. (Of course this all depends on how your lifestyle is now, everyone is different). So, by taking a 30 day challenge, hopefully you will noticeably see and feel the difference!

So to get you fully started, i am sharing some of my favourite links for recipe ideas to get you started planning your meals!

The Raw Chef - Russell James (At the right top hand corner, there is a FREE PDF of his Ebook)
We Like it Raw - Raw Food Goodness - Recipes
From Sad to Raw - Recipes
Gone Raw - Sharing raw recipes and advice
Living & Raw Foods - A little confusing at first, but very informative and lotsa recipes too!
Wellsphere - Health Knowledge made personal
Raw Epicurean - It's a Lifestyle


Hopefully this gets you a good start! Good Luck!

Staples in your Fridge, Counter & Pantry you need

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So you've started doing your research, and you want to get started right now. Below you will find a list of things you will need in order to start a proper healthy raw diet:



Equipment:

* Glass Bowls (for germinating & sprouting)
* Blender (This is your new best friend)
* Juicer (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes)
* Dehydrator (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes) Don't buy any of them unless it's the Excalibur
* Spiralizer (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes) ... it's also a lot of fun!
* Sharp knives
* Cutting Board

GROCERY LIST:

Dried Fruit, Legumes and Nuts:
* Raw Cashews
* Raw Almonds
* Raw Sunflower Seeds
* Raw Macadamia Nuts
* Raw Pine Nuts
* Raw Flax Seeds
* Dates
* Raisins
* Dried Lentils
* Dried Chickpeas

Miscellaneous:
* COLD PRESSED Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
* Raw Agave Nectar
* Raw Coconut Oil & Shredded unsweetened coconut
* Raw Cocoa
* Raw Almond Butter

Spices & Condiments:
* Raw Honey
* Himalayan Salt
* Sun Dried Tomatoes
* Cayenne Pepper
* Cinnamon
* Ground Cumin

Frozen Section:
* Frozen Organic Fruit
* Manna Bread (YES YOU CAN HAVE "Bread"!)

Fish/Meat Section:
* Proscuitto (Cured Pork)

Fresh Produce: (if it's organic, even better!)
* Avocados
* Bananas
* Kale
* Bell Peppers
* Onions
* Garlic
* Tomatoes
* Lettuce & Spring Mix
* Spinach
* Lemons & Limes
* Oranges
* Apples
* Berries
* Mangos
* Zucchini
* Celery
* Fresh herbs such as: Parsley, Basil, Cilantro
* Jalapeno Peppers
* Ginger root


This should be a good start! good luck and keep checking back for more info and recipes to come!

Interesting facts of a Raw & Healthy Lifestyle

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - I know most of us these days don't have time to read tons of books to gain knowledge. We now rely on Google, Wiki, Blogs and Television to educate us, or simply by learning from others.


I have seen two documentaries lately about a Raw & Healthy lifestyle that have given me a lot of insight on the whole concept. From being able to reverse effects of Diabetes, Cancer and other illnesses that usually we rely on drugs to cure or to regulate. Both of the documentaries show alternative ways that WORK.

Please take some of this with a grain of salt, because obviously, being a documentary it can become Bias at times. Here are the two links if you are interested in learning more:

FOOD MATTERS

SIMPLY RAW: REVERSING DIABETES IN 30 DAYS