Day 16

The beautiful sunrise this morning was the forerunner to what was to come later in the day.  Even though we have lots of wind, the freezing rain and rain were minimal.  But I fear that there is more to come tonight and tomorrow.

But the sunshine this morning was certainly conducive to getting the energy flowing.  I was anxious to get some new recipes under my belt, so I got some of my house chores done early so that I could spend time in the kitchen without feeling guilty.

One of the Facebook and web sites I like is "Raw on $10 a day (or less)" - www.rawon10.com .  For the most part their recipes are appealing to me.  Recipes are always for 2 people - perfect for me.  And they cost every ingredient out.  A really neat idea.

So today I decided to try their Stuffed Bell Peppers. They are really, really good.  Just take a little planning.

12 oz sliced Mushrooms

1 medium Onion, sliced

1 Carrot, grated

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

3 tablespoons Agave

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (or 1 1/5 cup cauliflower "rice")

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave

pinch Cayenne

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and agave.  Add the mushrooms, onion, and carrot and toss to coat.  Spread out on a lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 2 hours, or until softened and a bit darker in colour.

Mix the dehydrated mushroom mix with cooked wild rice or raw cauliflower rice. (Make cauliflower rice by processing cauliflower in a food processor fitted with an 'S" blade...process until the cauliflower is chopped into tiny, rice sized pieces.)  Then, add the olive oil, agave, and a pinch of cayenne, and stir to combine.

Cut the tops off the bell peppers, and clean out the inside.  Spoon in the rice and mushroom mix.  Serve as is, or dehydrate further until the pepper softens.  This can be done in an oven set on low with the door left ajar.

**  I used the cauliflower rice for an all raw meal.  Also, I used mini peppers, so I cut them length-wise and used both red and yellow.  I think I would even try this as filling for tomatoes.  It is exceptionally good.

If you haven't watched the documentary "Forks over Knives", you really need to.  We have a copy, but Noel watched it on one of the movie channels yesterday while he was on the treadmill.  So you may be able to catch it on tv.

Today's salad is taken from their cookbook -" Forks Over Knives - The Plant-based Way to Health". (Available in paperback and ebook)  It's super easy and delicious.

Incredible Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Serves 5

3 large Tomatoes

2 medium Cucumbers

3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

3 tablespoons Agave

3 tablespoons Mustard

Sea Salt to taste

Wash tomatoes and cukes.  Peel cukes if they are not organic.  Chop tomatoes and cucumbers into medium-small cubes.  Add the vinegar, agave, and mustard and toss.  Taste before salting in case you don't want salt.  Serve chilled.

**I add green onion or diced red onion and serve on a bed of lettuce.

Here's the complete meal as served.

It seems that I redeemed myself with Noel.  He really liked this and went back for seconds.  And he doesn't like peppers!  So both recipes are keepers.

I already have a recipe in mind for tomorrow....

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 15

Well, after yesterday's  - I was going to say "disaster" - experience, I knew that Noel would be a little gun shy today.  That called for going back to the familiar to get his confidence back.  So I made a couple of his favourites - Wilted Kale Salad (recipe in Day 2 post) and Walnut Pate (recipe in Day 9 post) with homemade flax crackers.  I can never go wrong with him with the Kale Salad, so I knew that he would be happy - and he was.  That means that I can try something new again tomorrow!

We are into our 3rd week of 100% raw already.  It is so hard to believe how fast the time is going.  I have so many recipes that I want to try, so stay tuned.

I'm really looking forward to the new growing season.  I subscribe to the SCA program at Wild Rose Farm in Gilbert's Cove.  This is an organic farm run by Gilberte Doelle - a real pioneer in this area.  Each week I receive a basket or bag of whatever fresh veggies or greens or herbs that she is harvesting that week.  It has forced me to try new foods and find new recipes.  The experience has been so wonderful that this will be my third year being involved in the program.  Come on spring!

And this year I will also have my own garden, and maybe greenhouse, growing.  So I'm looking forward to being able to do more totally raw days soon.  But, because we have so many four legged visitors, I am going to have to work on fencing very early on.  Here are 2 of the 4 visitors we had today.

I want to encourage them to stay - but not at the expense of my fresh veggies!

Stay tuned for new recipes tomorrow.  For now...

To your health,

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 2

Transitioning to a raw foods diet.

I inadvertently deleted this post - so will repost it soon.  Sorry!

Wilted Kale Salad

Remove the hard ribs from 1 large bunch of Kale.  Shred finely.  You can also just tear into pieces.
Add:
1 Red Pepper, finely chopped

Mix together:
2 tablespoons Tamari
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Water
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Onion Powder

Add a generous amount of dressing.  Using your hands, massage salad for a minute or so or until it wilts down.  Service immediately.

If you want more of a creamy consistency, add 1 Avocado to the bowl with the Kale and work the avocado in as you massage the kale.  This is delicious!

Day 14

It's been a day of the good and not so good, of success and not so successful.

But before that, this is what I am watching outside of my office window right now.  This one and 3 others!

Sure makes it hard to work when there is such a wonderful scene unfolding within feet.  Guess I'll just have to suffer it out!

This morning I got up a few minutes earlier to make one of our favourite breakfast dishes.  I hope you enjoy it too because it is choke full of goodness.

Cranberry Orange Delight

This dish is so easy to make.

1 package of fresh Cranberries

1/2 cup Walnuts

4 Oranges, peeled

2 tablespoons Honey or to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until well chopped and combined.

I serve this over sliced bananas.

This was the success today.  The not quite so successful was our lunch meal.  I decided to try a new dish called "Unbaked Beans" using sprouted organic soy beans, that I sprouted myself over the last 2 days.  Neither Noel nor I liked it.  We won't be eating the leftovers as is.  Think I'll just rinse the sauce off the beans and freeze them to add to a soup sometime in the future.

It's not very often that I make something that neither of us likes, but I guess it is always good to experiment a little.  I won't give you the recipe for this - say "thank you".

Until tomorrow...To you health!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 13

On the road again!  That seems to be a recurring theme in my life.  Last evening we had to be just outside of Berwick in the Annapolis Valley, getting back home around 10 pm.  Then we left for the same area this morning at 8 am.  The drive time is about 1 1/2 hours each way.

So I've become the master of making "box lunches".  Not really box - more like "cooler bag" lunches.  When I make our morning smoothies, I just make double the amount and put the extra in 2 16 ounce thermos bottles that I keep in the freezer.  Then I pack the cooler bag with the thermoses, 2 small ice packs, lots of fruit, nuts, and raw cookies.  A lunch fit for a king and queen!

Three summers ago we traveled to Vancouver Island and back - 52 days - on our motorcycle.  I made our breakfast in the motel room every morning and also our lunch to eat on the road.  It made for great healthy meals and we saved loads of money on meals.    We even had green smoothies twice a day.  I had made cookies, fruit and nut bars, and other goodies to take along and these lasted us all the way out and back.  We felt great for eating such healthy meals and didn't gain a pound!

I try not to have the same supper meal 2 days in a row, but Noel really likes those BLT's like we had yesterday.  So I treated him with the same tonight.  And we had those Kale Chips fresh out of the dehydrator.  They are soooo good!

I'm going to try a new recipe for supper tomorrow.  You'll get the report, and recipe if it's good.  And I'll be making something different for breakfast - so stay tuned.

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 12

Ah, Sunday...a day of rest.  I so appreciate the fact that God knew we would need one day out of 7 to recharge our batteries.

I always try to have simple meals on Sunday.  So today I made a huge Wilted Kale Salad - so there would be plenty left over for the dehydrator - and BLT Sandwiches.  As it turned out, Noel ate way more of the salad than I had planned on, so very little made it into the dehydrator to make our favourite Kale Chips.  Now, before you get too excited, the "B" does stand for bacon, but it is Eggplant Bacon.  It really does give the flavor and sense of having real bacon.  Here's the recipe for you.

Eggplant Bacon

Adapted from How We All Went Raw

by Charles Nungesser & Stephen Malachi

ISBN 0-9740378-5-0

1 large Eggplant, thinly sliced lengthwise

3/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Honey

4 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

Marinate eggplant slices for 2 hours.  Place on parchment paper and dehydrate at 105 F for 9 hours.  Turn over and dehydrate for another 9 hours.  Lightly salt the bacon before removing from dehydrator.

Use in sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and guacamole.

**I use a mandolin slicer to make very thin slices.  After it is finished I place in a glass container with close fitting top and place in the fridge.  It will keep almost indefinitely.

Enjoy!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 11

It was such a gorgeous day today that we felt it would be a shame to stay at home.  Also, we had some errands to run including a visit to our "local" health food store.  I put quotations around "local" because it is about an hour's drive from us, but the closest one.  Supernutrition is located in Church Point on Nova Scotia's French Shore very close to Universite Sainte-Anne, Nova Scotia's only French university.  The drive along St. Mary's Bay was really beautiful with all of the lobster boats out checking traps on the calm water.  We haven't had a lot of calm days this month.

We arrived back home about mid-afternoon.  I really didn't feel like spending time in the kitchen today - which is very unusual for me.  So, I turned to a cook book that calls its recipes "simple and machine free".  The book is Raw Foods for Busy People by Jordan Maerin.  ISBN-13:  978-0-9774858-6-4 

 I haven't spent a lot of time with this book but I did remember a recipe using lentil sprouts.  I had some 2 day sprouts ready in the sprouter, so this seemed like the time to use them.

Sprouted Lentil Salad

1 1/2 cups sprouted Lentils

1 1/2 cups chopped ripe Tomatoes

1/2 cup each chopped Onion and Bell Pepper

2 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice or Cider Vinegar

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Honey or Maple Syrup

Sea Salt to taste

Toss sprouted lentils with the rest of the ingredients and all to marinate at least one hour.

I served this over the left over Tossed Salad from yesterday noon.  We also had mashed Avocado on Ryveta Crackers (not raw).  To finish it off, we sampled the Raw Chocolate Cookies that came out of the dehydrator this morning.  A meal fit for royalty!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 10

It is so hard to believe that 10 delicious days have flown by already.  And we've only just begun.  I have so many new recipes that I want to try.  Could this go on longer than 40 days?  I don't think that Noel would complain.  He keeps saying, at the end of a meal,  "you could make that everyday!".  That gives me a lot of confidence to keep going.  And...his blood sugars are already dropping.  Last time we did this (for 30 days) he went from 4 pills a day to just 1.

We were scheduled to attend a lunch meeting today.  I always choose to take a salad when asked what I would like to take.  So today I made a huge Tossed Salad with 2 homemade dressings for everyone to share - they were all eating lobster chowder.  And for Noel and I - Veggie Pate.  This is a simple recipe.  It just takes a little planning to put the seeds on to soak the night before.  I don't always sprout them before making this.  Sprouting adds to the nutritional value, though.

Veggie Pate

3 cups Sunflower Seeds, soaked 8-12 hours & sprouted 2-4 hours

3/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Tamari

Put above ingredients into your food processor fitted with the S blade.  process until all seeds are ground well.  This is a basic pate, which can be eaten as is, or add fresh veggies to make a veggie pate.

3 stalks Celery, minced

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, minced

1/2 small Yellow Onion, minced

1 cup fresh Alfalfa Sprouts

1 can sliced Black Olives

Mix veggies with basic pate.

**This makes a large recipe.  I usually make just half of it for the 2 of us.  Adding the Alfalfa Sprouts makes the texture similar to tuna salad.  You can leave them out.  Add any veggies you like.

This was on the counter next to the salad and everyone had a spoonful or more.  I took home an empty dish!

Most often when I make dishes for Noel and I for functions like this everyone wants to try them.  I've never had anyone say they didn't like them.  Most times they go back for seconds - I always take that as a compliment!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 9

Got up this morning to the most delicious smells coming from the kitchen.  The Raw Oatmeal Cookies were finished.  Now the house just smells like chocolate - says one who once was addicted to chocolate.  And those cookies won't be ready until tomorrow.  Oh the agony of waiting!

Going on this 40 day raw has given me the chance to go back to some old recipes that I haven't made for awhile.  Lunch today was Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce and Not Meat Balls, and the leftovers from yesterday's Kale and Cabbage Salad.  Oh so good and filling.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite "uncook" books - in fact, the first once I purchased and the one I continually go back to.  It is Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet.  ISBN-13  978-1-57067-175-3.  I believe there is a new edition out now.  The recipes are easy and so good.  I haven't had one from it that I didn't like.

I also got a shipment of sprouting seeds today.  I was running low on some varieties and we do eat a lot of sprouts.  They are so full of nutrition and taste so good added to salads or smoothies, or just as a "sprout salad" on their own with a little dressing.  Time to load up the sprouter.  They are also very easy to sprout on the counter in a mason jar.  Let me know if you want to know more.  Here's what came today:

And now for some recipes:

Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce

1 Zucchini

2 tablespoons Marinara Sauce

Cut the zucchini into thin noodles using a vegetable spiral slicer or use a vegetable peeler to create long ribbons, or "fettuccine", by drawing the peeler down all sides of the zucchini until you reach the core.  Place in medium bowl and toss with the sauce.  Serve immediately.

**What the heck is a "vegetable spiral slicer" you ask.  This is what it looks like.

Marinara Sauce 

1 ripe Tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, soaked or oil-packed

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh Basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic (1 clove)

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Dash Cayenne

Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth.  Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Not Meat Balls

Walnut Pate

1 cup soaked Raw Walnuts

1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Tamari

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Dash Sea Salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh Parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon minced Onion

Place all but the last 2 ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process into a paste.  Scrape down occasionally.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in the last 2 ingredients.

To make the Not Meat Balls, roll balls of the Walnut Pate in Marinara Sauce and service with the Zucchini pasta.  This is so good.

**The Walnut Pate is also good on crackers or with raw veggies.

To your health!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 8

Heavenly sunshine, Heavenly sunshine!  That's what I was singing all day yesterday.  It was so good to see some sun after so many grey days.  The deer were on the lawn and the feeders full of birds.  Even the squirrels are venturing out.  Spring is in the air!

As I have said before, the most challenging thing about a raw food diet is the planning.  Having said that though, it is also simple for fix a delicious nutritious meal with just a few ingredients.  I have a friend who are a pound of grapes for lunch one day - and was perfectly satisfied.  Can't say I've done that myself but the opportunity may arise - especially if I haven't gotten groceries.

Today's lunch included a wonderful Kale and Red Cabbage Salad, and leftover Mock Potato Salad.  Quick, simple and delicious.  It uses the same dressing as the Cabbage and Carrot Slaw from Day 1.

Both recipes can be found at this link.  This dressing is becoming my second favourite.

http://preventdisease.com/news/13/021013_Kale-and-Red-Cabbage-Salad.shtml 

In the afternoon I was making raw cookies to put in the dehydrator.  Noel came to the kitchen and asked what I was up to.  So, like a good wife :), I told him that I was making cookies for him  His reply: "You don't have to make cookies for me" - with a huge smile on his face.

My kitchen smelled so good last night as these cookies were drying!

Raw Ginger Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

I've forgotten what site on the internet I got this recipe from - but it is really yummy.  Not too sweet.

2 cups raw Flakes Oats (I use old fashioned oat rolled oats)
1 cup Oat Flour (you can make this from flaked oats or oat groats in a blender or food processor)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ginger (powdered)
1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 teaspoon Ginger - fresh, grated
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 Apples, cored, sliced and pureed in food processor (leave skin on)
1 cup dried Cranberries
zest from one Orange
1/4 cup Agave or liquid sweetener of choice
In a large bowl, mix together raw oats, raw oat flour, cinnamon and powdered ginger.
In second bowl, mix together the remaining wet ingredients.  Stir the wet into the dry.
On non-stick dehydrator sheets or parchment paper, drop dough in cookie-size mounds, flatten slightly.
Dehydrate at 145 for 45 minutes then reduce heat to 115 and dehydrate 4 - 6 hours, removing the sheets or paper half-way through.

** The first time I made them I didn't have fresh ginger, so just left it out and they were find.
**When buying dried fruit, make sure that it is sulphite free and no hydrogenated oil.
*****

I also made a batch of Raw Vegan Chocolate Cashew Cookies.  The recipe is from Healthy Blender Recipes.com

Raw Vegan Chocolate Cashew Cookies

2 cups Raw Cashews
1/2 cup Cacao Powder ( unsweetened coco powder)
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil/Butter
1/2 cup Agave or Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Place the cashews in the food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely ground.
Now add in the cacao powder and pulse a few times until the consistency of bread crumbs.
Add in all of the other ingredients and pulse until well combines.  The mixture should form a ball.
Take this ball and roll it out to about a 1/4 inch on parchment paper.  Now cut out even small circles.  I used the top of a shot glass.
Place these circles on dehydrator sheets and slowly warm at 115 degrees for 48 hours.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

**They don't last 3 weeks in my house!
**Mine never get to the "form a ball" stage.  So I just press it out to 1/4 inch on parchment and dehydrate for a few hours until I can cut the shapes.

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!
To your health,
Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 7

What a beautiful day in this part of Nova Scotia today.  Warm and sunny - almost enough to make you forget the last 3 storms and the one on the way tomorrow.  A day with a hint of spring.  Oh, how I look forward to spring!

Well, we're one week in now and back on track!  Noel is feeling better but still asking for extra smoothies.  I think he's addicted to them.  I do know that when we miss out on having one sometimes, we really do miss it.

Today I decided to make one of the dishes that we both really like.  It doesn't take a lot of effort and tastes so good.  I made it for our supper because on Tuesday mornings I am out until lunch time.  So lunch on Tuesdays is always a Green Smoothie and fruit.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Mock Potato Salad

1 large head cauliflower

celery, chopped

green onions, chopped

radishes, thinly sliced

1 can artichoke hearts (not raw), chopped

1 avocado, chopped into small pieces

whole celery seed to taste

Pulse chop the cauliflower in food processor into small pieces, or use a knife and cut into very small pieces.

Add in all other ingredients.

Mix in the following dressing.

Serve chilled.

*If you don't have some of the ingredients, just substitute what you have.  For today I used red pepper instead of radish and it was great.

Potato Salad  Dressing

1 1/4 cup Water

1 1/2 cup Raw Cashews

Juice of 1 Lemon (3 - 4 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Tumeric

dash Cayenne

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Honey

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Stir into "Mock Potato Salad".

*I have also used this dressing in regular potato salad with great results.

I plan to make a couple of batches of raw cookies tomorrow.  Stay tuned for the recipes.

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 6

This is what we woke up to this morning - or should I say stayed awake for all night.  The wind was so loud that neither of us got much sleep.  Needless to say, it was a draggy kind of day.

Noel started with a cold on Tuesday, the day before we started this adventure, and yesterday and today it has really taken hold.  So, I took pity on him today and we had good homemade Barley and Veg soup with our huge tossed salad at lunch time.  I knew he was going out to move snow and he really wanted something hot.  But breakfast and supper were raw as usual.  Tomorrow is coming...

Several people have asked for my Green Smoothie recipe, so you will find that below the picture.  In my mind, the reason to have a Green Smoothie is to get as many greens into your system as possible.  That's why I don't add fruit to my Green Smoothies, just to my Fruit Smoothies - to which I also add greens.  Greens are so lacking in most people's diets.  This is a wonderful tasty way to incorporate them.

Green Smoothie

1 cup pineapple juice (preferably not from concentrate – I use PC brand, in the carton)

1 small handful of alfalfa sprouts

1 good sized handful of baby spinach

2 – 3 romaine lettuce leaves

1 Tablespoon ground flax seed

Put these in your blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  If it is too thick, cut back on the amount of greens a little.

This is 1 - 16 ounce serving.

*I also add bee pollen (1/2 tsp) and sometimes change flax oil for ground flax seed.  I change up the greens when I can and often add several different kinds of sprouts.  I sprout my own, so I have a variety to choose from.

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Days 4 and 5

No matter what your choice is regarding your diet, always be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and never be hard too on yourself if you "fall off the wagon".  Tomorrow is another day.  Just resolve to do better.

That's exactly how my weekend went.  Day 4 was Saturday and the second day of helping friends move.  It was also the day of a fundraising supper at our local fire hall.  Lunch was at a local pub - so what do you eat there?  Make the best choices possible.  My choice - a garden salad and split pea soup.  Not 100% raw, but not a bad choice.  Supper was at the fire hall.  We had our green smoothie before we left home (the fire hall is only three doors up) and walked into the building smelling the most mouthwatering aroma of home cooked foods.  So we enjoyed baked beans, potato scallop, and brown bread.  We left the ham for others to enjoy.  The lesson from this - begin again tomorrow.

And tomorrow was Day 5 - Sunday.  I always try to have simple meals that don't require a lot of preparation on Sunday, especially if we have a second or third event, after our morning church service.

So lunch was a Wilted Kale Salad and left over Carrot Pate - quick, healthy and filling.  And back on the program!

Melon Kabobs

Day 3

It's amazing how it's just 3 days on a total raw diet and I have more energy.  Don't forget our normal diet is 80% raw anyway.  It takes so much less energy for the body to digest raw food - so that leaves more energy for my everyday tasks.  And all of the nutrients are still in that food, including live enzymes.  I love it.

You'll notice that I haven't been posting every breakfast and supper.  That's because they are generally pretty much the same - Green Smoothies, Fruit, a few Nuts, and for breakfast something else grain based.  When I try something different, I'll post the recipes for you to try.

Because we were helping friends move today, I switched our lunch and supper meals.  Lunch was on the road, so it was the usual Green Smoothie, etc.  And supper was super easy with 2 of our favourite dishes:  Broccoli Salad and Carrot Pate

Broccoli Salad

So Easy!

Broccoli florets

Red onion - diced

Sunflower seeds

Creamy Tahini Dressing

Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is my all time favourite dressing

1 1/4 cup Water

1 cup Raw Cashews

1/2 cup Lemon juice

1 tablespoon Honey

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup Flax Seed oil

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

2 tablespoons Tamari

1/4 cup (heaping) Sesame Tahini

Blend well in blender until smooth and creamy.  To make a thicker dressing use boiling water.

Carrot Pate

Adapted from Fresh - The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook

by Sergei and Valya Boutenko

ISBN 978-1-55643-708-3

1 cup Raw Cashews

2 Carrots, coarsely chopped

1/2 medium Red Onion, coarsely chopped

3 Dates

1 teaspoon Honey

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon dried Dill

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.  Can be used on crackers, as a sandwich filling, or to fill mushroom caps.

This was really a delicious and filling supper, and quick to make.  We ate all of the salad, but I have some of the pate left for lunch tomorrow - bonus!

Day 1 of our 40 Day Raw Diet

Even though we have been eating a mainly raw diet for over 4 years, it is still a challenge for me get my mind working on this new concept.  Up until now our diet has been 80 per cent raw and 20 per cent cooked.  The cooked foods include grains and legumes (dried beans, lentils, etc).  So for the next 40 days those food groups will be eaten sprouted.  I'll give more info on that in later posts.

The biggest obstacle, for some, with a raw food diet is to be organized and think ahead.  Especially when you live as far from a grocery store as we do, it is so important to take a little time to plan some meals ahead so that ingredients do not become a problem.  That can be very frustrating and lead to failure.  As well, many recipes require soaking nuts or seeds overnight.  So read the recipes for tomorrow today.

This morning's breakfast:  16 ounce Green Smoothie

                                        Fresh Fruit

                                        Raw Oatmeal Porridge (recipe at the end of this post)

Today's Lunch (almost always our larger meal):

                                        Cabbage & Carrot Slaw with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing (recipe to follow)

                                         Sunflower Sundried Tomato Pate

                                         Flax Crackers

                                         Nuts

After lunch, Noel asked if we were going to have this everyday.  I'm not sure if that means he liked it or is just afraid that that will be the case!

Supper:  Even though we will be out at a church pot-luck, I'll take our meal -

                                         16 oz Green Smoothie

                                          Fruit

                                          Nuts

                                          Dehydrated Banana-Peanut Butter Treats

Here are a couple of recipes from today's menu:

Raw Oatmeal Porridge

(adapted from the Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon)

(ISBN 0-920470-48-3)

1 cup raw oat groats or steel cut oats

1/4 cup almonds - soaked

6 dates - soaked

1 - 2 bananas

Soak oats, dates, and nuts overnight - separately.

Next morning, drain water off and place in food processor with S blade.  Add bananas and process until porridge consistency.  Serve with fresh fruit of choice or nut milk.  This is a delicious, hearty breakfast!

*Note:  oat groats are the actual raw grain which can be purchased from most health food stores.  They are not rolled oats.  Steel cut oats are the grains actually cut in little rounds.  This can be purchased in the grocery store health food section.

Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing

This is actually the recipe that goes along with a salad that we will have later.  But the dressing is so good that I decided to have it with the slaw - and it was really a good match.  Here is the link for the recipe:

http://preventdisease.com/news/13/021013_Kale-and-Red-Cabbage-Salad.shtml

Sunflower Sun-dried Tomato Pate

from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet

ISBN-10  1-57067-175-3

1 cup soaked raw sunflower seeds

1/3 cup soaked or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic (1 clove)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon minced red or green onion

2 teaspoons minced fresh dill weed, basil, or parsley

Place sunflower seeds, tomato, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cayenne in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process into a paste.  Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Transfer to a small mixing bowl.  Stir in the onion and herb and mix well.  Store in the fridge for 5 days.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food" - so said Hippocrates long before I was born.

And a special friend of mine always says "in order to have the results you have never had, you must do the things you have never done".

And having started with those 2 thoughts, my husband, Noel, and I are embarking on a 40 day adventure of eating a raw food diet for the next 40 days - beginning on February 13, 2013.

I'll give you a little background:

About 6 years ago, at the age of 50, I was noticing that I was having difficulties with very simple things like reading a book, concentrating on conversations, listening to television or music, remembering directions to drive to familiar places.  This continued to get worse - to the point where it was time to visit my doctor.  She agreed that there was a problem and sent me for various tests, as well as an appointment with a neurologist.  The tests turned out to be negative but the neurologist agreed that there was something wrong - but couldn't figure it out.  So more testing and an additional neurologist.

By now I was barely able to drive a few kilometers from home, spent my evenings sleeping on the couch, had trouble playing instruments, and the above-mentioned problems worsened.  There seemed to be no answers and the symptoms were accelerating at an alarming rate.

Because Noel is diabetic, we followed a healthy low glycemic index diet.

In December 2008, an acquaintance invited me to attend a natural health clinic in New Brunswick while she tried to health a life threatening disease.  This was a food based all natural 10-day cleanse at Bayside Natural Health Centre in Baie Ste Anne, run by Drs. Rudy and Jeanie Davis.  By day 5 I knew that I was getting better, and by day 10 I was completely healed.  My body had been give the right tools to repair itself - and that is exactly what it was doing.  I was on the road to recovery in a way that no medical doctor could prescribe.  And I have never looked back.

On my return home, I applied the things that I had learned to help Noel with arthritis, thyroid problems, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes.  Today he is medication free except for his diabetes.  For that he presently takes 4 pills a day.

I have continued to study and research on my own, and in 2011 graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a Certified Health Coach.  This has given me the credibility I felt I needed in order to offer to help others become healthier and have a better quality of life.

So...with all of that out of the said, I'll post on our journey over the next 40 days.  Perhaps you will decide to join us, or maybe you'll just want to pick out a few things to help you with your own journey to health.

Until tomorrow...God bless!