What I've Learened about what we call "Food"

Anyone reading this blog will know of my interest in healthy eating, and in particular Raw and Natural foods. Since March of 2009 I have been doing an "experiment" on myself, which has primarily focused on eating mostly (80-100%) Raw Foods only. I did this successfully until mid-August 2009, when I again started eating refined sugar in the form candy, namely, chocolate bars. I don't buy these things, but they were available in the candy dish at work for free. So I figured what the harm. Those candies lead to more candies, and other cooked and processed foods. Two weeks later I felt HORRIBLE. I had a migraine for a solid that I couldn't get red of felt like I was coming down with a cold. I gained weight and started retaining water and bloated out in every direction. I thought this was a really interesting to reaction, and I can only attribute it to the one thing that has changed....all that cooked, processed and refined foods. My body is acting like it has been poisoned, which, I guess it has. After living off of Raw and Natural food for so long...ingesting processed and refined "food" has really done a number on my body.

I have come to following conclusion: much of we eat in the SAD (Standard American Diet) is not actually food at all....just processed crap the we call food. Our bodies work harder to try and extract what little (if any) nutrients are in this "food" and this makes us tired and sick. Why would I do this to myself? Because it tastes good. That is not a good enough reason for me. I miss the days of feeling awesome and making it through the barometric pressure changes without any headaches. I have been poisoning my body for 3 weeks now, and it stops today.

My experiment has lead me back to where I started in March 2009...back to eating the Natural way. Heading into Fall and Winter in Colorado, I think it is unrealistic to expect to eat only Raw foods....it just gets too cold here. But...I think including some home-made soups and steamed foods as well as some cooked meats into my diet might be just the trick I need to make it through the cold winter. Instead of eating completely Raw (although I still plan to hover around 60-80% Raw), I plan on eating all Natural foods....the Natural Foods Diet - which is a good deal of Raw food. =) I can't wait to feel great again!!!! Veggies and Fruits...watch out, here I come!!! =D

Raw Fast Food!!

RAW FAST FOOD

Buttery Peas and Corn

1/2 cup corn (I use the frozen kind and warm them with warm water)

1/2 cup peas (same as corn)
3 teaspoons cold pressed organic olive oil
dashes of salt
1/8 teaspoon ceyenne powder
1/8 tsp basil (optional)

Mix it up...yeah! This recipe can be switched up by using different veggies. Get creative! Have fun with it!

Healthy Pizza (not Raw)

Healthy Pizza

While this is not a Raw recipe...it is very good and healthy. This is day two of the April Blizzard of 2009 and I cheated on my Raw diet with this wonderful pizza. I needed something hot and hearty to warm me from the insides. All of the commercials for Pizza on TV got me really craving it...so I made this healthy version. It is a modified version of the "Loaded and Oated Pizza" from the Hungry Girl Cookbook by Lisa Lillien. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4 cup regular oats (not instant)
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/3 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese (I used low fat rather than fat free)
1 tablespoon diced mushrooms
1 tablespoon diced green bell peppers
1 tablespoons onions (I did not use onions)
1/3 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Turkey Pepperoni slices to taste

Optional: salt, black pepper, oregano, additional garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, etc...

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place Oats and Fiber One in a blender or food processor and grind until a bread-crumb like consistency is reached. In a small bowl, combine the "breadcrumb" mixture, egg substitute, and garlic powder. Mix well. (*I added a little onion powder)

Over medium high heat, spoon mixture into a pan sprayed with nonstick spray and smooth into a circular shape. Allow to cook until the bottom is slightly browned (2 minutes) then gently flip. Once both sides are slightly browned, remove crust from the pan and place it on a plate to cool.

Remove pan from heat and respray. Cook diced veggies in teh pan over medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Season tomato sauce, to taste, with any of the optional ingredients and mix well. Pour sauce evenly onto oat/cereal crust.

Next evenly top crust - first with cheese and then with the veggies and Turkey Pepperoni's. Place pizza in on aluminum foil directly on the oven rack and cook for 10 minutes.

Makes 1 serving.

Since making the crust for this is really an ordeal...I usually make several pizzas at one time, wrap them in foil and then place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for cooking later....like for today. I just took it out of the fridge and cooked in in the oven for 30 minutes. Yum!! It hit the pizza-craving spot! =)

Pasta Marinara

I have been craving some Italian food lately and so I decided to try a raw recipe. Of course, I can never follow a recipe exactly....I always have to "tweak" it somehow. i ended up looking at several raw Marinara recipe's and then creating my own version.

Ingredients and Process:
This makes one serving

For the Pasta -
1 Zucchini, Shredded like noodles
1 Yellow Squash, Shredded like noodles
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peal the Zucchini and Yellow Squash, then either chop into extra fine "noodles," or grate them into "noodles." Place n a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the Marinara-
1/2 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
3-4 Sun-dried Tomatoes, and a little less than a teaspoon of the oil from the jar - just whatever was picked up by the spoon when I fished out the tomatoes. (I used the ones packed in oil. If you use the dried ones then you will need to soak them for about 30 minutes to an hour to soften them up a bit. You will also need to to add a teaspoon of Olive Oil)
1 teaspoon Italian Spices
Dash Garlic powder (you can use garlic cloves, but I thought a whole garlic clove for one serving might be a bit much)
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend everything in a blender until smooth (this also makes an awesome raw soup). Pour over "noodles."

For the Garnish-
1/2 Portobello Mushroom, sliced
1 Tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Amino's
Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinate the Mushrooms for about an hour in the Bragg's Liquid Amino's. Add Salt and Pepper. Place on dehydrator for about an hour or two. (Today I was really hungry, so I only dehydrated for 30 minutes). Add the mushrooms an viola! You have a yummy Italian Raw Meal!

Portobello Steaks

Tonight I had the most amazing dinner. I made some Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Gravy and put them over a bed of shredded cabbage and tomato slivers...YUM!!
I used Matthew Kenney's Portobello Steak recipe from his book Everyday Raw. The recipe (listed below) makes 4 servings. I cut the recipe down for just one serving.

4 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Black Pepper
Sea Salt

Gently toss Portobello mushrooms with ingredients. Spread on Teflex Dehydrator sheets and dehydrate 1-2 hour, until soft.

As you can see there were no "measurements" - so I just tried equal parts of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. I also sliced the portobellos into strips. The recipe doesn't tell you to marinated....but I thought it would add flavor. So, I marinated them for about 3 hours (in the fridge), and then dehydrated for a little over an hour. I added some Tahini (about a tablespoon) and warm water (to thin) to the left over marinade to create "gravy." I also cut up one of the strips into tiny pieces and added it to the gravy for texture. I can't believe how EASY this entire meal was, from start to finish! This was by far the best raw "meal" that I have made yet!! YUM!

Raw Hummus

I made the most amazing Raw Hummus this week. I have eaten it on everything from my favorite raw "bread" to using it as a pate inside a romaine lettuce leaf wrap. As usual, when I went to make the hummus, I didn't have all the necessary ingredients, and there was a blizzard going on outside - and I didn't want to venture out in it to go to the store...so I improvised. =) Below is the recipe as written in the book in which I found it, and under that I have the recipe as I made it.

Raw Hummus - from The Raw Food Gourmet by Gabrielle Chavez.

8 oz Sprouted Chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon tamari
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons water

Blend in bender until creamy.

Wendy's Substitutions:
1 16oz can of organically grown Chickpeas (I haven't ventured into the world of sprouting yet)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
garlic powder to taste
about 2 tablespoons water (didn't measure)
I also added a teaspoon of a green spice, although for the life of me I can't remember if it was oregano or basil or something else. Ooops!

*I was out of fresh or minced garlic and didn't have any tamari. I used a conventional blender, but ended up scooping the mixture out and using a hand blender to mix it thoroughly.

Yummy Green Lemonade!!!

Green Lemonade
(official recipe from The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose)


Makes 1 Serving


1 head romaine lettuce or celery
5 - 6 stalks kale (any type)
1 -2 apples (as needed for sweetness - I recommend fuji)
1 whole organic lemon
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

Process the vegetables through the juicer by admitting one vegetable at a time...Notice how the lemon really cuts out the "green" taste that most people try to avoid.

I didn't have any romaine lettuce, celery or kale, so I used a whole bunch of collard greens instead. I still used 2 apples (fuji) and lemon. I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand...so I used organic ground ginger instead. It was soooo yummy!!! I will be making and drinking TONS of this stuff! It tastes like a glass of spring!!! YUM!!!

Detox Symptoms - Or Not?

Well...this is my 4th day on a completely (between 85-100%) raw diet. I woke up with a tummy-ache this morning...like the start of nausea. I ended up drinking ginger tea and made some oatmeal by soaking the oats in warm water and then adding some maple syrup and raisins. I felt mild nausea off and on all morning and didn't feel like eating much else until the late afternoon. I laid around and watched movies. In the late afternoon I started to feel hungry, that is when I started craving Pizza, of all things...and saltine crackers...what was that about? I don't know if this is detox or not (doesn't seem severe enough -from what I have read), but it was unusual. I never did throw-up, but I craved the strangest cooked foods...saltine crackers, of all the things in the world to crave....why those?! Anyway...I was much more hungry in the afternoon and ate some raw food, mostly cabbage, raisins and a marinated portobello mushroom...oh yes, and a banana with almond butter wrapped in a romaine leaf. My stomach is still acidy, off and on, but no nausea at the moment. I will be heading to bed soon...so we shall see how I feel in the morning. =)

Chocolate Oat Milk

I had a craving for something "chocolate" to drink...so I did some searching and found the following recipe on a raw website:

Servings:

Serves 2-3

A nut-free option for a chocolate "milk." This a really easy, super filling and very satisfying recipe. A good breakfast or dessert when you’re craving something sweet. If you don’t eat seeds, I assume this would be fine without the hemp. Also, if you don’t want to indulge in your cacao craving, enjoy it without.

Ingredients:

1¼ cup Water
2 Icecubes
¼ cup Raw Oats
¼ cup Hemp Seeds
½ Banana
2 tablespoon Cacao Powder
2 teaspoon Agave Nectar

Preparation:

Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend for a long time until smooth. Yum!

**I made this without the Hemp Seeds, so I added a tad more Oats. Mine blended well...but was a little "grainy." I am sure that it would have been more smooth if I had used a VitaMix, but...alas...I do not have one, just a regular blender. Also...soaking the Oats first might soften them up a bit, and make them more blend more easily...and create a smoother texture. I will have to try that next time. =)

Black Sesame Sunflower Bread with No-Bean Hummus

Pictured to the left - 2 Slices of Black Sesame-Sunflower Bread and 2 tablespoons No-Bean Hummus. I meant for this to be a "snack" at around 4:30ish today...but I got very full from it fast. I was only able to eat one "slice." It is almost 7:00 and I am STILL full. Looks like that was my dinner...I will probably snack on a piece of fruit or some veggies if I get hungry later.


Black Sesame Sunflower Bread

1 cup ground flax seeds (You can grind them yourself or buy them already ground)
1/3 cup whole flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use Celtic Sea Salt)
1 minced garlic clove (I use less)
2 table spoon yellow onion (I have onion "issues" so I use a couple dashes of organic onion powder)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (I do 1/4 c. sunflower and 1/4 raw pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup black sesame seeds (I didn't have black, so I just used the blonde ones)
1 1/3 cups water

Mix ground and whole flax seeds, salt, garlic, onion, and water. Add sunflower and sesame seeds and mix well.

Use back of a spoon to spread batter evenly on one dehydrator sheet on tray - dry at 104 degrees F for 4 hours...flip and score the bread into nine slices to make it easy to break in straight lines. (My dehydrator doesn't have a temp control...so I dehydrate for 3-4 hours and then flip it for 2-3 more hours). Dehydrate another hour before serving....serve warm. Make sure to spread it THINK. Remember that when you dehydrate something...it will shrink down 50%. Normally I take it out when it is still chewy, but this time I left it in too long and it was harder, more like a thick cracker...it was good. I like it both ways - adds variety.


I keep mine in a plastic bag in the fridge...keeps well for up to a week.
Delicious bread...I use this recipe all the time now.


Today I ate the bread with:
No-Bean Hummus from the book RAWvolution by Matt Amsden.

Serves 3-4
A think, bean-less raw hummus made with zucchini and raw sesame tahini.
2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup raw tahini
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until thick and smooth.

*This was my first time making this hummus, so I halved the recipe. I found it a little bit heavy on the garlic...so I might use less next time around.

Raw No Bake Cookies

I begin Phase Two and transitioning into Phase Three over the next two weeks. Monday I will be doing an entire day of green smoothie fast.

I discovered a wonderful trick (from another Raw-Foodest) that will take care of those nagging chocolate cravings. I found a recipe for those wonderful "no bake" chocolate drop cookies that we all love. You know the ones with the oatmeal that we always pray don't quite "set up" all the way because they are better gooey. Well this recipe won't set up...because it is all raw, and it really helps with those cravings for chocolate in a raw and healthy way.

Raw No Bake Cookies
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw maple syrup or date (date blended with water)
1/2 cup raw nut butter (almond)
1/4 cup raw cocoa or carob powder

Mix it up and your done. I drop them onto wax paper and keep them in the fridge...they harden a bit more, but are still gooey. =) Enjoy!

Well...this is my very first official blog ever...woo-hoo!!! I am hoping to post updates on my art career and other interest on this site. I am hoping to finish a landscape for a friends long-overdue housewarming gift during the upcoming spring break. I also am starting a visual "diary." Hopefully I will be able to post some of those interests on this blog as well.

In non-artistic Wendy-world:

For Lent I am reading through the Gospels...I am a few chapters behind...so I really need to catch up this weekend. I am also trying to figure out what I am supposed to to do with the rest of my life. Now that I am settled in the great state of Colorado...I starting to feel "restless" again. I am not sure if that is God telling me to "be still" or edge me on to something more. I am trying to use this time to rediscover who I am, why I am here, what my purpose is....and where I am supposed to go from there. As Easter approaches, I plan on having a Silent Retreat for a day...in which I will BE STILL and QUIET and focus on God. I have never done this kind of thing before...so I am sure (especially for me) that this will prove to be a difficult task.

I am currently "transitioning" into a Raw Food lifestyle. Since August of 2008, I have been questioning what is considered "food." I am talking about all of that pre-packaged, filled with preservatives, fake stuff that we call food (i.e. junk food, processed items, basically CRAP). During November at work a parent brought a fruit tray for breakfast for all of the teachers. I chose to abandon my usual breakfast (home-made oatmeal with raisins), and opted for fresh fruit instead. Consequently, I felt AMAZING all morning...until I ate cooked food at lunch, which consisted of long grain brown rice, boiled chicken and an apple. I had heard about the whole Raw Food thing...and decided to begin researching it. I checked out as many books as I could from the library and did a good bit of Internet research as well. It turns out that Raw Foods are supposed to be amazing for your body. My New Years Resolution was to give this whole Raw Food thing a real try. During this time I discovered a wonderful book about the benefit of introducing more greens into our diets. "Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko. While continuing to research, I formulated my Plan to Go Raw....which is broken down into "Phases."

• Pre-Transition Phase - Research and info. gathering
• Phase One - Green smoothies for breakfast.
• Phase Two - Green smoothies for breakfast, Green morning snack and Raw Lunch.
• Phase Three - Raw all day 4 out of 7 days a week (cooked protein as needed to control insulin issues).
• Phase Four - 100% Raw.
  

I am currently approaching the end of Phase One. Phase Two will begin this weekend as I do a green smoothie and water only fast this weekend. Then I plan on continuing on to Phase Two starting on Monday. I will continue to post my progress.