Green Life Juice

 Ingredients:

• lemon, thick slice
• 1/3 fennel, cored
• 1/2 sour green apple
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2/3 cucumber
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 1" ginger
• 1/4 t vitamin C powder

The taste is amazing and I'm not just saying that! Try it for yourself!!

 such richness!

 Green Delight, super power juice! Oh you'll feel the difference!!!

 enzymes!

Do you have a favourite juice recipe to share with us?

A NEW BLOG - MY PREGNANCY

As some of you already heard, I've started a co-blog. I decided not to blog about my pregnancy on here, but to create it's very own one instead. Hope you enjoy it!

CLICK HERE

www.rawfoodspregnancy.blogspot.ca

Chocolate Chia and Flax Raw Cookies

Ingredients

16 medjool dates, pitted
1C raw almonds
1/2- 1C of ground chia seed and flax mix (pref.freshly grinded)
2/3 C small dark cocoa chips
hemp hearts for garnish

In a food processor, grind almonds and dates until they form a sticky paste, add in the chia and flax mixture, a tblsp at a time, until it forms into a firm ball. Hand mix in half the coco chips.

Roll into balls or spread onto a cookie sheet, half inch thick firm square. Garnish with left over chips and hemp hearts. Press them down well.

Chill for 1-2h before cutting into squares.

Oh delish!

Mango Paradise Raw Food Cookies

Ingredients

1C dried mango slices, soaked for 20minutes. (discard water afterwards)
1C raw almonds
1C millet puffs
shredded coconut for garnish

In a food processor with an S blade, chop up mango slices and almonds until they form a firm ball, still sticky. If you find your dough doesn't form into a ball, keep adding more almonds until it's just right.
Hand mix in the puffs.

Roll into balls and roll in a bowl of shredded coconut, or spread onto a cookie sheet, pressing down into a half inch square. Garnish and press down with shredded coconut.

Chill for 1-2h before cutting into pieces.

YUMMMMM!!!!!

Papaya-Pineapple Bliss Raw Cookies

Ingredients

2/3C of dried pineapple chunks, soaked for 20 minutes

2/3C of dried papaya chunk, soaked for 20minutes

(discard water from fruit!)

1/2C -1C of hemp hearts

1C raw almonds

almond flour to garnish

In a food processor, grind almonds and fruit until they form a sticky paste, add in the hemp heart mixture, 1T at a time, until it forms into a firm ball.

Roll into balls or spread onto a cookie sheet, half inch thick firm square. Garnish with almond flour or hemp hearts. Press them down well.

Chill for 1-2h before cutting into squares.

Oh yum!

Weight Loss #3 Part 9

I was 205 lbs

I am 172 lbs

I have lost -33 lbs !!

Before

After

I'm a loser!!!

See, I'm back on track!!!

I haven't stressed about it too much and the loss is slow-ish, but I'm still losing...

So what do I do? I don't use the WW method anymore, but rather eating more raw and natural.

• For example, I snack on apples, sugar free organic peanut butter and hemp hearts.
• I try having 50% of my plate raw, each meal.
• I put cucumber on everything.
• My bread is rye, usually rye crackers.
• I drink herbal tea.
• I have my coffee black.
• I eat frozen cherries when I crave for a late evening snack.
• I try to stay away from sugar and wheat, but don't beat myself up for having some.
• I've juiced: cleansed my system and "kick started" my liver and kidneys. 
• I've said "no" to treats. Not because I can't have them, but because I know I can, but I choose not to.
• I've weekly menu planned.
• I've eaten  sushi on a regular basis.
• I've enjoyed Korean Hot Pot, on a regular basis.

What are your favourite healthy snacks?

You can read more about my weight loss here.

You can read more about healthy recipes here.

Figs Figs Ev'rywhere!

I feel so blessed. Who would've known that the tree in our garden would produce so much fruit! Lip lickin', nectar drippin', super delicious figs! Didn't Jesus eat figs and dates? :)

Anyway, I feel so abundantly blessed. So I noticed we had some droopy looking figs on our branches, so after google'ing about them, I wasted no more time and picked as many as I could reach. My husband climbed the tree like a pro and picked the rest. The figs were oozing nectar and so sweet!

I am quite apprehensive about making jam (making it unhealthy) out of any vitamin and antioxidant rich fruits and berries, so I chose to dehydrate and freeze them. I even made fruit leather! If my mom was here, I would ask her to make me a small batch of jam to go with my cheese addiction!

and by dehydrating them, I save room... tadaa! Flat as a pancake.

When needed, I'll soak them for about 15minutes before using them in my Super Bar recipe. Which I'll post soon.

Here is a fantastic recipe for you guys to try out! You won't want to miss this opportunity to taste heaven!!

FIG-Banana Ice cream. 

((You don't need an ice cream machine to make this!))

If you don't have access to figs, then double the amount of bananas, it's just as good!

Ingredients:

• 1 tin/can of coconut cream/milk, chilled prior (6h in fridge)
• 2 frozen bananas (peel and chop before freezing them)
• 2-4 frozen figs (dice them into fours before freezing them)
• dash of salt
• honey

In a blender, blend all, but honey, into a smooth ice cream like texture and (place into the fridge for 15minutes if it is too runny) drizzle with honey. Oh heavenly YUMMYness!

Check out my recipes HERE!

Don't forget - enter to win a FREE BOOK, HERE!

Tell me, how do you like your figs?

Gardening 2013 Part 4

My very own raspberries. It seems that we pick a handful daily. Perfect! I freeze them for my smoothies...mmmm....

Luscious berries. What can I say... I'm so very pleased.

Zucchini. From MY garden. Ah what bliss. So, I read that courgettes (zucchini) should be picked when the size of your finger, any finger really. They say, that when they are self grown they are the sweetest and, if left to grow larger, they become tasteless and dry. I slice up one every morning into my 1 egg and 3 egg white omelet.

The sweetest carrots I've ever tasted.

My radish, all shapes and sizes. Funny thing is, I can't remember what I did with them? Maybe added them into a coleslaw...

Raw Almond Butter

I made raw almond butter. There is no way I would roast almonds. By doing so, you kill the enzymes and kill most, if not all, of the goodness in them. I put them in a food processor and kept scooping the sides clean once in a while; however, the seeds' and nuts' own oil will "activate" and therefore no need to add any oil. If you want to add oil, then I recommend taste-free coconut oil or almond oil.

After I covered and chilled the butter, I found it easier to cut slices off, rather than buttering it on the apples. I prefer it this way, especially with tiny little hands with tiny little sticky fingers, a.k.a my kids.

Gardening 2013 Part 3

In this post you'll read about the new scary addition to our vegetable patch and about how we made a SAFE fungicide and pesticide.

Well, we have had a few set backs. Sigh! One, is the thieving crows and two, is the mildew growing on my zucchini plants.

Set backs, set back, but very educating ones. Firstly, I've needed to expand the little knowledge that I have on gardening, and secondly we get to build our very own custom made scare crow!

The weather has not been the best, little sun and lots of rain. It looks like my garden has taken a long pause and my pea plants have not grown a millimeter since I transplanted them. BIG sigh.

There is not much I can do, but to wait. Wait for the sun, hope the crows stay away and hope I can save my plants from mildew.

Two ways to fight fungus (mildew) on your plants. One is to mix 50:50 ratio water and milk into a spray bottle and spray generously over the leaves. Second is to puree an onion, a head of garlic and 4T cayenne pepper with 4L of water, let it sit for a hour and strain the water into a bucket and then some into a spray bottle. This can be used as both, pesticide and fungicide. Don't spray too wildly with the garlic concoction, it kills the good bugs too. 

Oh, I have a ton of reading to do tonight! I think I just might make it, just maybe. I am slightly hesitant about dreaming of canning our own produce.

Until next time!

Gardening 2013 Part 2

My Garden "Highs and Lows". 

Some of my seedlings didn't survive the transplanting, even though I had hardened them prior. So, I lost some plants, some altogether, but some are thriving, thankfully!

The plants that I will start growing again and more of, are watermelon, giant pumpkins, grass pampas', cabbage, cilantro etc.

The plants which are thriving are, methi (fenugreek), dill, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries, courgettes, cucumbers, radish, spinach, tomatoes, basil, lettuce, carrots etc. Also, all of my herbs and chili peppers are doing well.

I have neglected the weeding and pruning for a few weeks now and, I can really see consequences in doing so. After the rain stops, I will start my weeding-blast and hopefully, I will stay on top of it. It needs prioritizing in my weekly tasks. I'm still learning!

I collect eggshells throughout the weeks and grind them small enough for plant protection (against slugs) and, also I use them as good fertilizer.

I'm waiting for my plants to really blossom lusciously, so I can take a whole garden shot and post it here. I'm thinking mid July, IF our summer is anything like last year's. Hot and sunny, perfect for my vegg!

You may want to read more about us growing our own food this year and the year before. Click on the link! http://holytempleunderrenovation.blogspot.ca/search/label/Growing%20vegetables%20and%20herbs

What are you growing this year? How is your crop coming along?

Weight Loss #3 Part 4

Weekly weigh in

Was 205 lbs...  and am now 191,5 lbs....

-13,5 lbs!!!

I looked like

I look like

I am feeling impatient. People around me can see my weight loss, but I feel like I can't. I know it's happening, I just wish it would happen faster. I am losing weight the healthy way, but as silly humans that we are, that I am, I am tired of carrying this weight around and I want it gone. Gone, gone, gone.

It just doesn't and shouldn't come off that way. I know, I know! Besides, I am still nursing my 10 month old and I am not in a hurry to quit. So, radical, hardcore diets wouldn't be the answer for me right now, or actually, ever.

My advice for you this week would be, to keep on top of planning, prepping and meditating. I can definitely see how important it is to plan, prep and meditate during weight loss. It's so easy to get side tracked by minor things, which are followed by heart ache. Keep strong, keep going, the weight is coming off.

The recipes for this week are 1 and 2 point power smoothies! These smoothies keep me full when I feel like "munching" and I am happy that I could incorporate the seeds and nuts - which I so missed - into my diet somehow.

1 point Smoothie

Ingredients

• a handful of baby spinach
• 1 banana, either fresh or frozen
• 1C of frozen berries
• 1-2t of soaked chia seeds
• 1t of ground flax seeds
• 2 chewable vitamin C tablets (500mg-1000mg)
• water as needed for consistancy  

Blend well, enjoy!

2 point Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1C almond milk, unsweetened
• 1T peanut butter, sugar free
• handful of spinach
• 1C frozen strawberries
• half a banana

Blend well, enjoy!

A Yummy Light Lunch Raw or Cooked!

Hello Darlings! Here is a yummy light recipe for you guys! x

 

Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis/courgettes halved

2 tsp pesto

4-6 cherry tomatoes halved

10-20 pearl mozzarella balls

basil for ganish

Brush the pesto onto the zucchini halves. Garnish with tomato, mozzarella and basil. Season. Grill under the broil (HI) untill cheese has melted and looks cooked. Approx. 10-15 minutes. For raw foodists, don't cook and omit the cheese!

YUMMY!

Gardening 2013 Part 1

It's here, finally! Growing vegetables and herbs of my own, organic, with love! Below are a few pictures of what's going on and ideas and advice to share with you guys.

 Our little strawberry patch. We used lime to keep the slugs out and also sprinkled eggshells around the plants.

 Little ones. Hope they produce lots! 

 Crushed bay leaves repel ants...

 My oregano. How beautiful, even if I say so myself...

 Chives. They always remind me of my Mummo (Gramma)... Miss you so much! 

 Hubby toiling the soil. He does the hard labour and I do the detailing of the garden... Thank God! 

It's hard work! Catching his breath! And burning...

Getting ready for zucchini and cucumber plants.

I want to share with you a few ideas which we've applied into our growing vegetables and herbs this year.

1. Egg shells. We collect, crush and sprinkle them on the soil beds and garden for "slow release fertilizer" (brings flavour and sweetness to your berries, especially!) and to keep away slugs. Apparently, they repel slugs!
2. Basil and Tomatoes are buddies! Planting them side by side enhance the flavours of your toms, yum yum!
3. Plant Tarragon and Marigolds freely around your vegetables. Smart and pretty pest control.
4. Strawberries like "sandy" soil. This I have witnessed with my own eyes. They went from floppy-droopy to "OH HELLO!" in 10minutes after transplanting them.
5. Create a ring around your garden with lime (alkaline) to keep slugs and snails away, completely.
6. Make a wasp trap out of water, sugar and rice wine vinegar. For how to, click (HERE)

That's all for Gardening 2013 Part 1

Things That Help Me Through a Cold

I want to share with you the things that help me ride out the colds I get.

If I have not been smart enough to take the time and repell them, then this is what I come to. You can read my post on (here) about how to repel the bug!

Let me list them. (For a minor cold)

1. (I swear by this) Neti Pot. I use this 2-3x a day to rinse out my sinuses, and find extreme relief from it. Once you get the hang of it, you won't feel any discomfort whatsoever. I would use this on my kids too, that's how safe it is! More on Neti Pots (here). However, I prefer the Finnish Design best, called the "Sarvikuono" (Rhino).
2. Vitamin- C. I pretty much "O.D" on this. I dissolve the tablets or empty the capsules into my drinking water. I use about 4000-7000 mg a day, untill the cold has passed and then I go down to 1000-2000 a day.
3. Water. Drink a ton of it. 2-4 liters a day. I flush out the toxins and help my cells to work better. Keeping hydrated is important for fighting the bug and keeping the cold short.
4. Peppermint Oil. I usually get "head colds". They affect my top sinuses and give me headaches. I don't like taking Tylenol unless I "have to". I find that peppermint oil rubbed on aching areas help 100%!
5. Hydro-Therapy. Take a hot bath or shower untill you feel sweat pearls on your forhead. While you are in the shower/bath, have cotton socks soaking in COLD water. Come out of the bath, drain the socks and put them on. (Yes, feels awful but bare with me). Put wool socks over your feet. Get dressed into "heavy clothes" such as a sweater, and comfortable trousers. Get into bed, cover your self with warm blankets and go to sleep. You have now kick started your kidneys and liver into super mode and will sweat loads during the night. Your body produces heat to dry the cold wet socks. Do not remove your blanket even if you feel uncomfortable with the heat. You'll feel a hundred times better in the morning.
6. A balloon. Apparently playing with a balloon makes you forget you have a cold, according to my 9month old daughter.

 For a heavy cold, add these as well as the ones above:

1. Ginger. Juice fresh ginger and gurgle with honey and swallow. Ginger is potent, and can  will cause a burning sensation. It is very good for soar throats as it works well for mucus membranes. It is antiviral, antibacterial and anti-imflammatory. One piece of ginger root juiced is enough for a day or two. It's that potent!
2. Garlic. Cut cloves into swallowable pieces. Throughout the day swallow 4-6 cloves of garlic (cut!) with water. Garlic cleans out your blood and has all the above properties as ginger does.
3. Tea. Keep sipping tea! Boil water, add sage, let it simmer and drink it throughout the day. You can add raw unpasteurized honey only after it cools down a bit, else it doesn't add positively to your healing.
4. Become vegetarian and don't eat much cooked food. Putting cooked food down your throat gives your body extra work, especially if it's meat. Your poor body has to give up it's disease fighting enzymes to chop down food that it doesn't need at that time. All the energy goes into healing your body. Pretty smart body you got! Fresh veggies and fruit have their own enzymes and don't take much if any energy away from the healing process.
5. Echinacea and other medicinal herbs. Go to your local health food shop and buy them all! You WILL find great relief from them and add to your health for the future. My personal favourites are

• Oregano Oil
• Grapeseed Extract
• Echinacea
• Bronchosan
• Esberitox  click for info

Last but NOT least: PRAYER and SLEEEEEEEEEEP! Go to your Creator and ask Him to give you the strength to persevere and quick healing. Sweet dreams!

Hope this helps!