Just a Quick Hi

I am up way too late tonight but I just wanted to drop in and say hi. I had a full day today. I watched my son's baseball game (what else is new right?). It was so sad I just wanted to cry. They were playing their big rival and they were up by 2. My son got his chance to pitch and he did so awesome for the first 5the and 6th innings. He was on fire. Then in the 7th inning they started hitting off of him and his team made some errors and the next thing you know the game was over and the other team ran out onto the field to cheer. It was crushing and I looked out and saw him hanging his head. I had to choke back my tears.

Afterwards we headed home and my mom came home with us. I whipped up some nori rolls for her for dinner. She said she liked them. She said they tasted fresh. That is so true of raw food. There is this vibrant and alive taste to the food.

Then we all played a game of spoons. My little guys just love this game. I love watching them shuffle the cards. They take the top half of the deck and put it on the bottom. They do this over and over again as if it was actually making a difference. They don't want any help however and then they are so focused on dealing the cards that I can't get enough of watching the concentration on their little faces. So cute.

My oldest is contemplating moving in with his dad at the end of the school year. I am pretty sure he has made up his mind to go but is still saying he isn't sure yet to appease me. It is so difficult to think that he may be moving out of my home after 15 1/2 years. I just can't quite come to grips with it. I think that I won't be able to until the day it happens. I guess I am still holding out hope that it won't.

As you can see it has been a day of ups and downs for me. It's strange because despite it all I have this feeling of strength that everything is OK. I can't really explain it. Maybe I'm just tired. ;o)

Love to all.
PS Day two of tamales was BAD. They tasted delicious but made me so sick. I don't know why but I felt as if I was in a coma. I couldn't stay awake and I slept on the couch for about an hour as I fought of waves of nausea. Blech. I don't think I will be making those again any time soon.

Red Hot Raw Mexican!

I was never a big Mexican food fan which is funny since my hubby LOVES it. I liked a good burrito, salsa, guacamole, and when I tasted a real, authentic tamale for the first time I was in love! Now that I am eating raw I seem to be turning more to Mexican food to feed me.

Yesterday I made the fajita veggies again and today I put them on a salad with some tomato, avocado, and pumpkin seeds. I sprinkled some lime juice on and the liquid from the veggies and it was yummy!


Then I made some tamales from my new Raw Food Real World cookbook. I've been wanting to try them and I know the recipe is online but I just never got the chance to make them. Well, I dug in today and knocked them out. A little raw food therapy.

It really wasn't that hard. It was just a lot of different steps. I certainly wouldn't make something this time consuming on a regular basis but they looked fantastic and they tasted really nice.

I changed things up a bit because I didn't have the amount of time required to dehydrate the mushrooms and I also didn't have green tomatoes so I used this recipe for the salsa verde. It tasted great. It was a bit watery so I put it in a fine mesh strainer to drain the extra liquid and...yummy. I think I will make this again for eating with Mexican flax crackers. It's a nice switch from normal pico de gallo that I make. I read somewhere that tomatillos are from the nightshade family though so if you are trying to stay away from them, you might want to steer clear of this salsa.

I posted my 101 list today. It is on the right side of the blog, way down at the bottom. I've started a few of them so I feel like I am off to a good start.

I know I just posted today about staying off the computer. It just so happens that there is no one home right now so I thought I would shoot off a quick post before they got home so I could share my fun in the kitchen with you all today. Gotta run!

Ooopsies in the kitchen

So today was an interesting day in the kitchen for me. It started off good with my morning smoothie and then I moved onto my lunch which was wonderful. I made a corn salsa and put it on top of my mixed greens. The salsa was rather sweet and eating it on its own was a bit much but mixed with the bitter greens it was a nice balance.

Then I decided to make some pesto. I bought 2 bunches of basil because I wanted to freeze some. So I turned on a taped episode of Oprah and started throwing things in my food processor. I whipped it up and took a taste and blech! It was weird and yucky. I couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong. I've made pesto before so what the heck. I looked down and saw my garlic cloves lying there on the counter. Duh, I pressed them and mixed them and gave it another taste and blech! I thought back to what I had done and it dawned on me that I put, are you ready for this? A half cup of lemon juice in it! I know, how does someone hand squeeze 2 lemons and add them to a recipe that doesn't call for them without realizing it? Good question. I blame it on Oprah! :o) Oh well, it started to grow on my so I stuffed some mushrooms anyway and froze it so we'll see.

So then I decided to quickly whip up some sunflower pate before I had to run out the door for 2 baseball games. I would have just made some nori rolls with avocado but I didn't have any. I threw everything in my mini food processor and then it dawned on me that because I hadn't soaked the seeds I should have ground them up in the coffee grinder like I do every other time I've made this. Duh again. My food processor sucks the big one so the consistency was crappy. I didn't have time to care so I made up some rolls, threw them in a to-go container and ran out the door.

So there you go. Superstar in the kitch yesterday and super stupid today! hee hee.

OK, I think I am over nori rolls. I have officially burned out on them. I didn't even really enjoy them that much. It's good because I just ran out of the wrappers. I went through 4 packages. Can you believe it? Well I guess my body has had enough of them. Now I have no idea what I am going to eat tomorrow and I have a game to go to at 10:00am. I am not prepared. I was out until 9:00PM and had to come home to my kitchen that looked like a tornado went through it and then I watched Independence Day on TV and now it is midnight and I am just going to go to bed and let the chips fall where they may tomorrow.

Nighty night.

PS I meant to tell you guys what happened yesterday at my son's baseball game. Remember when I told you that I worked that garage sale for a fundraiser and I brought my lunch with me and everyone was looking at it and smelling it (that's putting it lightly, I stunk up the whole garage and had to sit outside to eat it. It was broccoli rabe). Anyway, one of the moms who was there came up to me and asked me if I would give her the recipe. I was shocked. She said she had never heard of it but it smelled good. I don't know, raw rapini might be a bit much to start her out on >;o)

Now I am going to BED!

Ramblings

Every night my husband and I start the routine of preparation for the next day. We get the kids' lunches ready and we prepare all the ingredients for the morning smoothies. My husband likes to make his smoothie at night, put it in a mason jar and put it in the freezer. I don't think you're supposed to freeze them and I told him but he says it works so what the heck.


For a long time I wasn't preparing mine at night and then one day I realized it was crazy to do the work twice and now when I go to have my smoothie each morning I just throw all the cut up stuff in the blender and flip it on. So easy!

I've also been making an extra glass of smoothie each morning and leaving it in the fridge for an afternoon snack. I like to have it ready to go without any preparation. It's like a bonus!


More, More, More

I was so excited when my grocery store had kale in stock again. It's been 2 weeks with nothing. Boo hoo. I decided to make James Russell's Wilted Kale with Chipotle Dressing because I've been waiting...well, 2 weeks to try it.


The recipe calls for 4 heads of kale. I don't care how much it wilts, I can't eat that by myself so I decided not to halve it, but to quarter it. One bunch of kale. I also didn't have any hemp seeds so I used sesame seeds. I took a series of pictures to document the process.


I titled this More, More, More because I felt like every step of the way that is what this dish needed, more. In defense of the recipe, I think if I followed the recipe as written it probably would have tasted better.


Here are my mores:

1. Massaging. I think I should have massaged the kale longer and maybe even let it sit out and marinate for a while like I do with my broccoli rabe. I didn't like the raw taste I would get from time to time while eating it. Blech. I've marinated kale before but I've never had it taste like this before. Massage your kale a long time people. And when you think you're done, massage it some more.


2. Tomatoes - I would have like a bunch more tomatoes in my salad. Maybe if the kale tasted better I wouldn't have wanted more tomatoes but as it was I threw some more in after I started eating it.

3. Just more - I think I would have liked a bit more taste. The chipotle taste was good but I would have liked more. I think it would have benefitted from some garlic or pepper or something. I was thinking about adding more stuff to it as I was making it but as I said before I like the idea of trying things the way they are intended so I know where to go from there.


I usually rate all the things I make with stars. I would rate this one about 2 1/2 out of 4 but with some tweaking I know it would be just what I like. I will also make notes on recipes so that the next time I make it I know what to do differently. It has come in handy many times.

On the Go
I am the queen of eating on the go. I used to be so good at GO-ing to the drive thru or GO-ing to get pizza. Now I am the queen of raw food on the go! I only had a few minutes to prepare before I ran out the door for my son's baseball game today. I mean seriously, it was probably about 10 minutes. In that time I managed to make zucchini noodles, slice up and massage some mushrooms and spinach, and sprinkle on some pine nuts.

I packed it in a container (plastic- bad- I know) and grabbed a container of marinara I had ready and bam! I was out the door.

Now, that probably doesn't seem so fantastic BUT I also managed to get 4 bags of snacks made for my little guys, get the dogs put away, corral the kids to go to the bathroom, get their sweatshirts, coats, baseball mitts, shoes on and loaded in the car. I also got my husband's extra clothes ready, grabbed my coat, packed waters, and got everything in the car and ready to go. Whew! I amaze myself sometimes.


I guess what I am trying to say is that eating a raw and living foods diet doesn't have to be hard. It can be simple and it can be easy. It can be great. If I can do it, anyone can.

Confessions of a Messy Un-cook

Well, I took this picture yesterday and it took me until today to be able to post it. I'm not sure I will actually go through with it even now but we'll see. You see, I am a messy cook and now that I am eating raw I am a messing un-cook. I don't know why and I can't control it. I just always seem to create a kitchen that looks like a tornado went through.

I have a neighbor that is so neat and tidy and we used to spend a lot of time together. She actually helped me with some of my mosaics a few summers ago. One night we were out in my screen room grouting this 6 foot panther I had to finish with black grout. Now if any of you have ever grouted before you know it is a messy endeavor. When we finished up I was covered in black grout. I had it on my face, arms, clothes and probably my hair, who knows, I was a disaster. Jamie on the other hands had one little drop of grout on her forearm! I couldn't believe it!

So one day I decided that I was going to try to be like her in the kitchen. I started out slowly. I got out all the ingredients I needed ahead of time (I usually fly by the seat of my pants and run around my kitchen grabbing this and that), I was talking to myself in my head, "Open the spice jar, measure it out, pour it into the bowl, put the cap back on, now put it away. This went on for a while and then all of the sudden it was like I went blank and then I woke up and the dish was done and my kitchen was a mess.

Oh well, what are you going to do? I am who I am. At least I clean it up when I'm done...eventually ;o)


Here is what I ate for dinner tonight. I took the leftover fajita veggies from last night and put them in romaine leaves with avocado and tomato. I made a salad with a bit of lime and the juice from the fajita veggies. It was delish!



I had nori rolls for lunch and then I finally ate my falafel that I made. I made a small amount of cucumber sauce and put it in a romaine leaf. It was really good. Surprisingly good. I look forward to having this again. It might not look too good in the picture I took but it tasted good.

I have been eating 4 times a day instead of the usual 3. I just can't make it long enough between meals so I have added one in. It's usually pretty light but it keeps me going so I think it is good. It's funny because I couldn't ever seem to get 4 quarts of juice in when I was on my juice feast but now I am eating 4 meals a day. Hee hee.

It seems my mom has found her way to my blog. Hi Mom! I don't know how she managed it but she is here. She called me today and we had a good talk about my future. She really helped me focus my poor, whirling brain in regard to getting my act together and starting a career. She even gave me homework! Can you imagine? Well, I think it was helpful and I am grateful. Besides, you can never get enough positive spin from your mom right?

I am celebrating the fact that my Little Liam is heading back to school tomorrow. His fever is officially gone and he just went outside to play a little football with his brothers. I know, he should probably rest but he was so bored that I just couldn't say no. He was so cute today. He called me on the phone's intercom today and said, "Hello, this is Snicky-Doo (the name we call our dog Snickers). Liam asked me to call you and ask you to watch a movie with him." Ha ha, how cute.

OK, I have to go clean my kitchen before the hubby gets home ;o)

Summer on a Plate

Today's salad was marvelous as I knew it would be! I just can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. It wasn't the most food combining friendly recipe but it was so good that I just didn't care. As I sat out in my screen room eating it I felt like I was eating summer on my plate, hence the name. Loved, loved, loved it. It was so simple too!

I made a vinaigrette with my pomegranate vinegar, olive oil, lemon zest, and Dijon mustard. I mixed some baby greens with an orange, some strawberries, avocado, marinated onions, and pecans. Wow! Delish!

For dinner I made fajitas again for my hubby. He was so excited when he came home and saw them sitting on the counter marinating. Instead of using the chili powder this time I used a Mexican seasoning that I made up a while ago. It was good. I took a picture but for some reason Blogger won't let me put any more pictures up tonight so I posted it to twit pics.

I also made some tortillas to wrap them in this time. They were really good. I think they were a bit sweet for my taste though. I enjoyed them but every once in a while it just felt a bit too sweet. I almost think I like them better in a lettuce wrap of some sort. Just goes to show you how much your tastes change when you do a juice feast.

I also posted a picture of my backyard view on twit pics today. I was sitting out there all day enjoying the glorious weather. I just love that my screen room is actually a 3 season room so I can shut the windows if it is too windy or cool. We have sat out there many nights during rain storms watching the lightening too. I love my screen room. I can't wait until I have a bit of $ to make it look pretty too.

Mexican Fiesta

Dinner tonight was delicious. I was so thrilled with it as usual lately. I decided to make this because yesterday my husband was telling me how much he is enjoying eating healthy but that he comes home and ends up eating poorly because it is easier. He said that often he doesn't even feel that good after eating dinner but it's just too hard to make something different.

The problem is that we have such different tastes in food. He wouldn't be caught dead eating nori rolls or much of what I love. He tasted my pate and he didn't like it. I tend to be able to eat what he likes but not the other way around. He loves, loves, loves Mexican food so I know I can make him happy if I serve him up something spicy.

So tonight I made fajita vegetables from The Complete Book of Raw Food . The flavor was really nice, spicy and flavorful and the vegetables were soft but still had a nice bite. I also made a Spanish "Rice" from Gone Raw. This was a little bland but still good.

I ended up putting it into a collard wrap with sliced avocado for a taco. It was messy but good. In end I just ate it by itself. I should have made some tortilla wraps but I didn't think about it until it was too late and I didn't have 6 hours to dehydrate them. Next time.

My husband ended up not liking the "rice". He doesn't like cauliflower so I knew it was a stretch but her put the avocado and vegetables in flour tortillas and he really liked it. He ate it all up. Success! The good thing is that the vegetables are pretty easy to make so I can whip that up easily for him to keep him happy. I will probably make a double batch next time.

Fajita Vegetables
By Chad Sarno

1 1/2 cups thin strips of red bell pepper
1 cup thin strips yellow bell pepper
1 cup thin strips of zucchini
1 TB minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 TB minced oregano
3 TB lemon juice
3 TB olive oil
1 1/2 TB chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Marinate for up to 1 hour or dehydrate for 2 hours to soften and warm.

I used Spanish onion instead of yellow bell pepper and I didn't have any fresh oregano so I used dried. The recipe says it serves 6. My husband and I ate the whole thing. Oops!

Spanish Rice
Makes a large bowl. Can easily be halved. Keeps well for a few days.
This recipe is taken from How We All Went Raw by Charles Nungesser and Stephen Malachi

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, grated in a food processor
4 green onions, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup cilantro, diced
1 avocado, mashed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ tablespoon sea salt
¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Mix together well and serve.