Thursday, March 25, 2010

Healthy and Raw Recipes I've Enjoyed Recently



Several of you have asked for some of the recipes I've been mentioning on Facebook, so here are a few. Enjoy!



Shivie’s Marinated Stuffed Mushrooms

20 Crimini mushrooms, stems removed and saved for filling
Marinade:
2 tsp tamari
2 tsp lemon juice
Clean mushrooms and add them to marinade in a bowl with a cover. Marinate for 20 mins
Pate:
1 cup mushroom stems
1 ½ cups soaked sunflower seeds
½ cup soaked walnuts
1 clove garlic
2 tsp tamari
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Add all ingredients to a food processor with s blade. Blend until filling is combined well and has a smooth consistency. Stuff mushroom caps with this mixture.
Brazil Nut Parmesan:
1 cup brazil nuts
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
Place all ingredients in food processor and process until fluffy, then sprinkle on top.
Raw Food Recipe for Mango Pie
Mango Pie Crust
3 Cups Almonds
1 1/2 Cup Dates
In food processor, grind almonds until they’re finely ground. Put in separate bowl. Process dates into a paste. Add to almonds and massage into crust. Put crust into pie dish. Make filling and then pour into dish.
Mango Pie Filling
2 Cups Dried Mango
2 Cups Water
1 Scoop Kev’s Super-Delicious Smoothie Powder
Soak mangoes in the water and blend. Add as pie filling- chill & serve!
** Note- I just used 3 fresh mangos and used the green smoothie powder I had on hand*

Elaina Love’s Raw Food Recipe for Peach Cobbler
Pie Crust
2 Cups Walnuts
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Dates
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon
Put in Food Processor and pulse until crumbly. Take out 1/2 and put to the side for topping.
Process the rest until gummy.
Lay down on the bottom of a pie or glass pan.
Topping
6-7 Peaches sliced
1/2 Cup Dates
Tablespoon Psylium Husk
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Lemon Zest
Pinch Cinnamon
Put 1/2 of sliced peaches in the food processor with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Take blended mix and add back to sliced peaches.
Pour on top of crust and add crumble on top.
Here’s where you can check out more of Elaina Love’s raw food recipes: www.PureJoyLivingFoods.com
Also, to see about more events in the Pacific Northwest, please visit www.RawVeganSource.com


For the Immune-Boosting Chai tea
go to herb mentor

Here is a REALLY EASY raw recipe that my son enjoys(and I do too!):
Mix raw oats, raw nut butter, and raw honey together (just enough of the moister ingredients to make the mixture clump)- ratios to taste. It's a lot like a no-bake oatmeal cookie.
To win a Gluten-Free cookbook as well as GF oats and oat flour, go to Bob's Red Mill.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Blog to Follow

My husband Paul has started his own blog about health and fitness, and he is actually multi-degreed in the topic and has decades of experience in the area, so I am hoping to learn and grow from reading what he has to say. He and his business partner are hoping to take what I'm doing (trial runs of various popular diet & exercise programs) and utilize the feedback about the pros & cons of each one to create something that is even better than all these plans I've been testing! I am excited to see the results! Pop on over and give him some feedback about what YOU'D like to see and what your favorite and least favorite aspects are of the exercise & diet plans that are currently out there. The website is called Vigorous Vocals.
By the way, I am 1.5 weeks into P90x and am HATING the creator of the program right now. I think I injured my shoulder and was hobbling around like a 90-year old for several days because of my screaming calves. I will blog about what I am seeing so far and the pros and cons as I see them in the early part of April. Since it's a 3-month program, I plan to blog at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months. Stay tuned!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Coming Attractions: P90x

Well next week begins the most dreaded, yet most exciting plan yet: P90x. Dreaded, because it looks and is rumored to be a real butt-kicker, and exciting because I need my butt kicked. Classy words from a classy Southern gal, eh?

In looking it over, I see that I have 3 workout options, and I will probably choose the "Classic" version, because as much as I'd like to go for the "Doubles" version- otherwise known(by me, anyway) as "P90x on crack"- I do not have 2 1/2 hours per day to dedicate to a booty-kicking workout. 1 to 1 1/2 will have to do.

Here are my thoughts at this point, having only a cursory knowledge of what I am about to put myself through:
-I only watched brief snippets of each workout, and may I just say that I am concerned? The guy leading the workouts is totally ripped and as I watched and zipped through some of the chapters it appeared that he is out of breath and straining. A lot. Maybe he's just acting, to make the rest of us feel better. Man.
-I ordered the workout bands and a chin-up bar from Ebay. I tried to pull myself up for a chin-up. That was a no-go. Here's hoping that changes by the end of the program:) Remember, I want to get all "Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies". If I can't do a few chin-ups, it's not gonna happen.
-I am kicking myself because this would have been the perfect winter workout! You work out along with the DVDs, so by necessity it is all indoors. What was I thinking?? It's just starting to get nice outside! Also you are supposed to go for a full 90 days, but I'll only be about halfway through before my Austin trip dates are here. Hmmmmm, maybe I SHOULD do the "on crack" version after all...LOL
-In the Craigslist copies I bought I got only the briefest explanation of the nutritional guidelines, yet I'd heard from those who have actually done the program that the diet is critical. So I looked up the guides and they are long & complicated. I have my weekend prep work cut out for me. I preferred the short & sweet version. It basically just involved eating several small meals- portion control and calorie counting. Hope the expanded version is not as annoying as it looks at first blush.
-I sent copies to my friend Carrie F. so that we can do the workouts together...2300 miles apart.
Carrie Ann, I am totally going to take you in an arm-wrestling contest on May 1st.

I plan to start early next week- by March 10, for sure. Will post again in early April to let you know how things are going...if I'm still alive.