Days 37 - 41

We spent 3 days away last week manning a display table at a conference .  Because I made my diet change about 4 1/2 years ago, there was no real challenge to being away and staying on our raw foods diet.  I learned a long time ago that the simple solution is to be prepared to make at least 2 of your daily meals in your hotel room.  This not only ensures that you have healthy and fresh foods, but it also keeps food expenses to a minimum.  It means buying foods at the grocery store instead of the restaurant.  We would usually have only one meal a day at a restaurant.

The other thing that we have found is that we require so much less to eat when we are not as physically active as we would be at home.  So, for travelling in the car, I always prepare green smoothies and keep them cool in individual sized thermos bottles.  I also prepare fresh fruit.  These all go into an insulated bag along with a couple of small ice packs.  Then we can either eat while driving or just pull over at a scenic spot and have our fresh feast.

Sometime ago I purchased a travel blender.  This has made many a road trip, both in the car and on the motorcycle.  It's been to BC and back, been used at motorcycle rallies, and seen lots of motel and hotel rooms.

If possible we try to get a room with a mini fridge, but we also travel with a plug in cooler, one that works on 12 volt and has an adapter for 110.  That way I just stock up in the produce department of the grocery store as we travel along.  No need to buy large quantities as almost every community has groceries available.

Restaurant dining can sometimes be challenging, a little more so if eating 100 per cent raw.  Our smaller communities tend not to have eating establishments that cater to specialized diets.  But almost everyone has a fresh salad.  If we were not eating entirely raw, I would have a baked potato with that and be totally satisfied.  Some locations do offer meal sized salads that are very good, and they are usually willing to add or delete items to meet your preference - if they have them.

When not eating all raw, we might have Chinese food (all veggies of course) - ordering it without MSG, sugar or salt.  I always carry a little bottle of Herbamare in my purse so that we can add our own seasoning. Or we might have a vegetarian pasta or pizza (without the cheese), or maybe a lettuce and tomato sandwich or veggie sub.  Believe me, there is always something that we can eat!  Restaurants try to accommodate as best they can.

For longer trips, I try to plan ahead and have our own cookies - both baked and raw, as well as homemade fruit and nut bars, and other healthy foods to supplement what is available in the stores and eating establishments.  Many times we take our own breakfast cereals and sweeteners and non-dairy milk.  Bags of dried fruit (unsulphured) and raw nuts and seeds take up very little room.  Again, having all of this with us really cuts down on food expense.  It just takes a little planning and organization.  The first trip is always the most challenging.

Well, here we are at day 41.  Our 40 day raw has actually turned into 46, and we are still loving it.  More new recipes coming your way over the next few days.  Stay turned!

To you health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 36

What a disappointment to wake up to all of this snow this morning on the first day of spring.  And worse than that, the forecast is for a colder spring all across the country.  I so want to feel that warm sun on my bare skin!

I've mentioned before how much I like sprouts.  They are such little nutrition powerhouses.  If you want to see a difference in your health, just start growing some of these little guys.  They are really simple, inexpensive, and don't take up much room.  As well, many varieties are ready to eat in just 2 days.  If you're itching for fresh goodies from the garden months before they will be available, sprouts are the way to get that goodness.

These days I have graduated from the bottle method to an Easy Green automatic sprouted.

Right now I have alfalfa, kale, black lentil, and mung beans sprouting.  It takes the alfalfa and kale about 4 - 5 days to be ready to use, but only 2 days for the other 2.  The Easy Green allows me to simply fill the water reservoir every couple of days, and it automatically mists the sprouts every few hours.  This way I can have lots of sprouts available all of the time - and we use lots everyday.  Each of our 2 green smoothies every day has 2 kinds of sprouts.

Today's lunch included 2 of our favourite foods: kale chips and sprouts.

We have the sprouts as a "salad" - just pile them on your plate and add your fav salad dressing.  The kale chips were fresh out of the dehydrator - leftovers from last evening's Wilted Kale Salad.

We'll be away for the next 3 days, so when I get back I'll let you know how we made out with our raw diet while living in a hotel.  Hint - it's not difficult.

To your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 35

I can already see that there are not enough days left to try all of the recipes that I had planned for this 40 day raw.  Guess that means that I'll just have to keep working them in after Easter.  I'm already working on a menu for Easter Sunday - think there will be a few surprises for Noel, and not just for dinner!

Today I decided to give those Fresh Garden Burgers another try, seeing as the recipe made 8.  I normally cut most recipes in half, especially when I make them for the first time, but I was so sure that we would really fall for these, that I made the full recipe.  So tonight, along with a large Wilted Kale Salad, we had the burgers for the second time.  I really did like them better than the first night and even Noel thinks they are okay for once in awhile.  So now I will share that recipe.

 

                 Day  32                                                                    Day 35

Live Garden Burgers

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw

by Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi, and Jennifer Murray

ISBN: 978-1-59257-771-2

2 cups zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 cup red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and chopped

1 cup carrots, grated

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

2 TB tamari

1 TB fresh oregano, minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced

2 TB fresh parsley, minced

1 cup sunflower seeds, ground

1/2 cup flax seeds, ground

1.  Place all ingredients except ground sunflower and flax seeds in food processor fitted with an S blade.  Process on high speed for 10 seconds.  You want small chunks, not paste.

2.  Transfer batter to a mixing bowl and add last 2 ingredients.  Stir well.

3.  Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop batter onto Teflex sheet or parchment paper lined dehydrator sheets.  Flatten them out a bit, leaving them about 3/4 inch thick.  Dehydrate at 110 F for about 15 hours.  Carefully flip over, removing the sheet or paper.  continue dehydrating for another 15 hours or so.

**  Sunflower seeds and flax seeds can be ground in a coffee grinder.

**  I use dried herbs when I don't have fresh - just adjust the amount.

**  These did not take the full 30 hours to dry - probably about 25 or so.

**They will be quite dry so you will want to top with your fav creamy dressing or hummus or something similar.  I used my new favourite dressing:  Creaming Honey Mustard - that I shared with you in a previous blog, Day 8, I think.

And now for the best fudge I have ever had!  I've been making this for a few years now.  It's a frozen fudge, so must be kept in the freezer and taken out just in time for dessert.  It will melt some on your fingers, but then you get to lick them off!

Frozen Fudge

from The Raw Truth

by Jeremy A. Safron

ISBN 1-58761-172-4

1 cup Dates, pitted

1 1/2 cups Water

1 1/2 cups Nut Butter (such as almond or hazelnut)

1 1/2 cups Carob Powder or Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup dried Shredded Coconut

Place the dates in a bowl, cover with the water, and soak for about 1 hour or until soft. (I usually soak them for several hours.)  Place dates and soak water in a blender, and blend until a creamy consistency.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the nut butter.  Stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, mix the carob or cocoa powder and coconut.  Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet date mixture.  Stir well.  Press evenly into a 10 by 18 inch brownie pan, 1 inch thick, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.  To serve, cut into 1 inch squares.

**This is difficult to cut once fully frozen, so you may want to take it out and cut it before it is really frozen hard.

**  I never cut them as small as 1 inch squares!

I hadn't made this for some time, so it was a real treat for us with our supper.

I guarantee that you will love this, so give it a try.

To your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 34

I decided to try one more recipe from the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw" before I put it on the shelf and work out of another book for awhile.  After making the Creamy Corn Soup the other day, I'm quite fascinated with the soup idea.  There are some good recipes for soups in this book, so I just might have to come back to it later to try some more.

Today I had some wonderful "fresh" broccoli that I had just bought this morning.  I say "fresh" because I really don't know how long ago it was harvested, considering that it is not local.  I can't wait until I can get my garden planted and start harvesting really fresh veggies!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

3 cups broccoli florets

1 cup broccoli stems, thick skin removed and roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups filtered water

2 TB lemon juice

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped medium

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried dill

1 TB tamari

2 TB nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender.

2.  Blend, gradually going from low to high speed, for 40 to 50 seconds.

3.  If necessary, vary the amount of water to reach desired consistency.

4.  Serve immediately or, if refrigerated, warm to room temperature before serving.

**If you have a high speed blender, you can actually warm the soup by running it a little longer.

I can't believe how easy these soups are to make, and they are so delicious and nutritious   The cleanup is quick which is always a bonus.  Add a salad and you have a"full meal deal".

I made a wonderful fudge today...but I'm going to hold off until tomorrow to give you the recipe, after I cut it and get some pictures.  So stay tuned for a treat!

To your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Days 31 - 33

The days are flying by and I am so enjoying how quick easy it is to prepare all raw meals.  A little bit of planning before grocery shopping really simplifies it.  Having a variety of veggies and greens on hand allows me to vary the menu each day.  I don't like driving into town more than once a week to go shopping, so I just flip through the books to find recipes that use the ingredients I have in the fridge.

On Friday it was our monthly ministerial luncheon meeting on beautiful Brier Island.  It is always potluck style and I always take a salad of some type with homemade dressing.

This is the same coleslaw I made on Day 1.  There wasn't much left to bring home!

Remember on Day 30 I had Veggie Burgers in the dehydrator?  They were finished on Day 31, so I popped them into the fridge for supper the following day.  Here they are:

I'm really undecided on these, so think I'll hold off on giving the recipe until we try them again.  They smell good and look good, but...

Until tomorrow...to your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 30

I love to eat as much as the next person, the only difference is that I have learned that food is fuel for my body.  Just as I wouldn't put a combination of regular, high test and diesel fuels in my VW with a diesel engine or it won't run too well, if at all, I've learned that in order for my body to run efficiently and well, I need to put the proper fuel in.  If you have been following these postings for 30 days, you know we certainly have a varied diet that is not bland or humdrum.  I feel the effects of the good food everyday.  If you haven't read my introduction to all of this, you may want to check my first posting.

I'm a recipe and recipe book collector.  One thing I find with raw food books is that there is a lot of information, not just recipes.  So not only to I get good recipes, I also have a lot of great reading with every book. One book I picked up a while back is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw" by Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi, and Jennifer Murray. (ISBN 978-1-59257-771-771-2).  I really do dislike the title because none of us are idiots; however there is a lot of great information in this book, including a 4 week Raw Success Program to help a newbie get started on raw.  The recipes are generally pretty easy with ingredients that are readily available.  If you are considering adding more raw to your diet or are just looking for more info, you might consider looking this book up at the library or bookstore.

Today I decided to try a recipe from that book.  Actually, I had the book open to make another recipe, when Noel started thumbing through and spotted this recipe for Corn Chowder that he wanted to try. (I should have had him make it - it's that easy.)  It is very light and delicious, served with a salad it makes a great meal.  This is my variation on their recipe.

Creamy Corn Chowder

Prep time: 25 minutes (or less)
Yield: 6 cups
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

2 1/2 cups water
3 cups corn, off the cob or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup avocado, mashed
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped medium
1 tablespoon tamari
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and diced

1.  Place all ingredients except red pepper in a blender, and blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth.
2.  Pour into bowls, and top with red pepper.  Serve immediately or chill in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Soup should keep for 2 or 3 days.  It's best fresh though.

**Remember, corn should be organic because most corn grown now is genetically modified.
**I only had ginger powder and garlic powder, so used a little bit of each.

I would serve this chowder to anyone with confidence that they would love it!

I have some fresh veggie burgers in the dehydrator right now.  They smell sooo good.  Can't wait to try them on Saturday.  I'll keep you posted.

To your health...
Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Days 28 & 29

As we continue on this journey of eating raw foods for 40 days, I am constantly looking for easy, yet tasty, recipes.  My folder of saved recipes just keeps getting thicker - so few days and so many recipes to try.  That is not really the case as I know that we will continue to have many days where we will continue to eat 100 per cent raw.  It is not hardship at all and the gains in regards to energy and feeling well make the little extra effort worth while.  And there are not many foods that I miss - baked potatoes in any form would be one of the exceptions.

One of the dishes that I know that Noel really likes is a bean salad.  This is not raw, but I decided to treat him today.

This is a super easy recipe that is great for family gatherings or potluck suppers.  The bowl is always empty at the end of the meal.

Vegan Three Bean Salad

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can navy or other beans, drained and rinsed

2 green onions, chopped

¼ cup red onion, chopped fine

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup apple cider vinegar (or ¼ cup lemon juice & ¼ cup water)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon ground dry mustard

1 large clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper or to taste

¼ tsp sea salt or to taste

In a bowl, gently mix the beans, green onions, red onions and celery.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper.  Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.  Cover, refrigerate at least 2 hours but longer is better, and gently toss before serving.

Options:  Onions can be whatever is your favourite.  Green pepper can be substituted for celery or use both.  Add red pepper.

Along with this I served a new to us salad recipe.  The salad itself was really good, but I wasn't crazy about the dressing.  So next time I will use my own vinaigrette recipe.

This recipe comes from Catherine at Almost Raw Vegan.com.  They have lots of great recipes.  You may want to check it out. 

Broccoli & Tomato Salad

Yields: 4-6 servings

2 heads Broccoli & stalk, sliced and chopped

1 box Cherry Tomatoes, whole or slice in 2

1 Yellow Pepper, chopped (I used orange pepper)

3 cloves Garlic, sliced and crushed

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cup raw Pumpkin Seeds

4 - 6 big handfuls Spinach

Mix all ingredients (except spinach) in large salad bow.  Toss and let sit as long as possible so that flavours can meld together and marinate.  Add spinach, toss and serve.

When I find a recipe I like, before putting it in my recipe binder, I add any changes that I would make next time - just in case I forget!  Then I won't be disappointed the next time.

To your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 27

We watched a bobcat catch and eat a bird on Saturday morning and the deer have been more than frequent visitors.  Now if we could just find out how the squirrels are getting into the garage, all would be as it should be.

I have my strength back after a few days fighting a bug.  I do believe that all of the green smoothies and other fresh fruits and veggies allowed me to get back on my feet so much sooner.  So many people are still struggling after 2 and 3 weeks.  I so believe in the benefits of a good healthy diet.

I had totally forgotten about this salad that Noel likes so much - so made it in just a few minutes today.

Corn Cabbage Salad

3 cups fresh or frozen Corn Kernels

3 cups Red Cabbage, diced to size of corn kernels

2 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Tamari

Combine corn and cabbage in a mixing bowl.  Place liquid ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake well.  Pour over salad and mix in.  Allow salad to marinate for a least 1 hour and then toss again just before serving.

**Corn is one of the foods most likely to be genetically modified.  Please purchase high-quality, non-GMO, organic corn when you can.  Food isn't required to be labeled GMO; if you purchase organic, it will not be genetically modified.  I purchase frozen organic corn at Superstore.

This afternoon I made another of Noel's favourites, Shelley's Energy Bites.  These are not strictly raw but are full of goodness and a nice treat when you want something sweet.

Shelley's Energy Bites

These are great healthy snacks for growing kids of any age.

1 cup Oatmeal
1/2 cup Peanut Butter or other nut butter
1/3 cup Honey
1/2 cup ground Flax Seed
1 cup Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup Carob or mini chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix all together and form into balls.  Keep in fridge so they will remain firm.

We have just shy of 3 weeks left in our 40 day raw - it will actually be about 47 days by Easter Saturday.  I've still got lots of recipes in the file to try, so stay tuned.

Until tomorrow...to your health!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Days 20 - 26

Well, this past week was so super busy to start out and then "super" slow to finish.  The later part of the week I was fighting a cold-flu type bug and spent several days sleeping.  I probably needed the extra sleep but sure hated to get so behind.  But even with all of that we were able to keep focused on our raw diet.  It wasn't terribly varied, but it certainly was healthy with lots of Green Smoothies and fruit.

On the weekend I had taken a bag of what I thought was cranberries out of the freezer to make Cranberry Orange Delight, but didn't look too closely and had picked up blueberries instead.  By the time I realized the error, the blueberries had thawed too much to put back in the freezer.  So for the next couple of days, I added them to our evening Green Smoothie.  Guess that made it a Blue Green Smoothie.  It turned out to be delicious.

                                                                     

Now once a day I add frozen blueberries to our smoothie instead of ice cubes.  We both like the smoothies somewhat cold.

I need to say that I have not reduced the amount of greens in the smoothies, only added the blueberries.  The reason to drink a "Green" smoothie is to get more greens into your diet.  That's why I generally don't add fruit to my Green Smoothies.

Because I want to keep everything raw, and cooked beans are not raw, I made a No-Bean Hummus to have with our Veggie Platter on Friday night.  This is super easy and delic!

No-Bean Hummus

2 Zucchini, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup Tahini

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1/2 tablespoon Ground Cumin

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and smooth.

Delicious eaten as is, or enjoy as a dip with fresh veggies, or use as a spread in sandwiches or on salad.

**If you are not familiar with Tahini, it is simply ground Sesame Seeds.  Sesame Seeds are little powerhouses of goodness for your body.  Here are just a few facts taken from "Natural Remedies from God's Pharmacy" by Rudy Davis N.D. and Jeanie Davis N.D.-

Sesame Seeds:

• Helpful in relieving local swellings or tumors.
• High vitamin E content strengthens the nerves and heart.
• In test animals, the phytonutrient sesamin has been shown to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol from the diet, increasing the rate of fecal excretion, and inhibiting the manufacture of cholesterol in the liver.
• Contain laxative properties.

So good and so good for you!

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Days 18 and 19

It was wonderful having friends visit for a few days.  It seems like it's been a long winter at home.  It was so good to laugh and reminisce - to talk of motorcycle trips past and plan those to come.  We were even discussing plans for 2 years from now - and the guys were talking about what to do when they get too old or feeble to ride their Goldwings any more.  Go figure - I do all this work to keep us healthy so we can ride for a long time yet and there they are planning for when they can't!

I wanted to be sure that I planned meals keeping to our raw foods diet but not doing anything too weird for our guests.  As they have visited with us before, I had an idea of the things that I had tried with them, so I pretty well stuck to that.  The Carrot Pate from Day 3 always goes over well - so I served that as a sandwich filling on spelt rolls.  Add in the raw cookies from Day 8 (they keep really well in the fridge) and that was lunch on Saturday.  That evening we visited with friends.  They were all having lobster, so I just packed supper for Noel and I with green smoothies, fruit, nuts and cookies.  We didn't feel deprived at all!  Early on in this journey to health, I learned that if I pack our own food we get what is good for us and it takes the pressure off of our hostess so she doesn't feel she has to come up with something special for us to eat.

On Sunday morning I made the Cranberry Orange Delight from Day 14.  This time I didn't have any fresh cranberries so I tried frozen, well actually thawed. ( I had picked these myself in the fall on Brier Island.  My first time cranberrying.  It was a wonderful experience.)  The result was just as good as with fresh.  So glad I discovered that because now I can make it year round. 

The Guacamole had gone over so well on Day 17 in the Santa Fe Salad, that I made it again on Sunday for lunch, with BLT's ( remember the "B" is made from Eggplant - see Day 12) and Kale Chips.  No one went away from the table hungry.

I didn't hear a complaint all weekend about what I made.  It is a wonderful feeling to have served such healthy food to my friends!

I've got a busy week coming up but I do want to try some new recipes - so stay tuned.

To your health...

Beverly Facey, Certified Health Coach

Day 17

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning - but it's almost spring!  Perhaps this will be the last kick of Old Man Winter, or, at least, I can dream of that.

We are expecting friends from Dartmouth to visit with us for the weekend, so I'll need to pick some meals that won't scare them off.  A Raw Food Diet is not something that people want forced upon them.  Although our friends have sampled many foods here, I still need to tread lightly, I think.

So here's my creation for supper.  It is similar to Boston Pizza's Santa Fe Salad.

I don't think it looks too scary.  Here's what's in it:

Black Beans (not raw)

Frozen organic Corn 

Cut up Tomato

Cut up Peppers

Cut up Green Onion

Shredded Romaine Lettuce tossed with Vinaigrette

Guacamole

Vinaigrette

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Maple Syrup

Tamari

Herbamare

Guacamole

2 Avocados

Juice of 1 Lime

Dash of Garlic Powder

Sea Salt

Dash of Cayenne

You can serve this with Organic Corn Chips.

I have to say that this salad went over very well.  People were looking for seconds and there was not a scrap left - just a tablespoon of beans.  Do you suppose that they were afraid of the after effects?  This recipe is a keeper.