A Very RAW Christmas

Much like myself, my sister has taken a liking to the raw side of things so I decided to give her a little nudge for Christmas and picked up a copy of Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox for her (there was also somewhat of a selfish motive there for me too :-). So far, she has really been enjoying the book and she read it almost cover to cover in one night.

The morning after she did that heavy reading, she went to the grocery store and stocked up on a whole bunch of raw food goodies...avocados, ginger, celery and mangoes just to name a few. For one of the detox programs in the book (#2 - which is the one my sister is doing), Natalia calls for the consumption of two Green Lemonades per day - one in the morning when you get hungry and another more towards mid-day. My sister made the two Green Lemonades in the morning and she let me have a taste of it. I was surprised by how good it was given the combination of foods it calls for. Following is the recipe for it. Give it a try if you have the chance...it's well worth it.

Makes 1 Serving

-1 head romaine lettuce or celery
-5 to 6 stalks kale (any type)
-1 to 2 apples (as needed for sweetness - I recommend Fuji)
-1 whole organic lemon (you don't have to peel it)
-1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

I copied this from the book verbatim, so the suggestions in parenthesis are Natalia's own words. I'll throw in my two cents and say that if you are going to take the plunge and decide to make this, go ahead and add in the ginger. It curbs the taste away from the heavy greenery that's in this juice.

As for the second book in the photo, Rawvolution by Matt Amsden, my oldest sister (different from the one I talked about above) purchased that for my mom. My sister had asked me a few days before Christmas for some raw food book titles because my mom expressed to her that she wanted a raw cookbook for Christmas. Rawvolution was the only one that I could remember off of the top of my head and apparently after I told her that, she wasted no time going out and buying it. My mom is extremely content with her gift and she already has plans to whip up some amazing raw meals in the next couple of weeks. Actually, when I got home this evening, there was a nice portion of a raw tabouli salad sitting on the kitchen counter.

If you can't afford raw food books, there is a tremendous amount of information on the internet as well. The books are definitely a great resource to have around, but I certainly understand not being able to just pick up a $32 copy of Rawvolution.

Supplement your raw education with the many resources that are out there. You'd be amazed by what you can find if you look hard enough.

Raw. Love. AND BOOKS!!!
-Natalie

O Holy Wheatgrass

I'll keep this short and sweet since I'm sure that most of you out there are familiar with the amazing powers of wheatgrass. I picked up this little info sheet from the juice bar located upstairs from my school's fitness room. I barely ever eat or drink there, but I bought something a couple weeks ago and came across this while I was there.

Wheatgrass juice...

-is immediately absorbed into the bloodstream and gives immediate energy.

-energizes and reduces fatigue.

-is an appetite suppressant.

-improves metablosm.

-improves digestion.

-enriches the blood, removes blood disorders, and lowers blood pressure.

-is antibacterial.

-helps cleanse the liver.

-prevents tooth decay.

-is good for skin problems; it improves complexion, treats acne, and removes acne scars.

-keeps hair from graying and removes dandruff.

-boosts the immune system.

-calms the nervous system.

-promotes regularity and fights constipation.

-washes drug deposit from the body, neutralizes toxins in the body, helps purify the liver, and prevents aging.

-stabilizes blood sugar levels.

I'll add in some commentary of my own an say that wheatgrass shots can be pretty expensive (depending on where you go) and taste pretty gross. The cost and the ill taste are probably more than worth it in the end though because I bet you are going to slash some future medical bills by supplementing your diet with healing foods like wheatgrass.

So don't hesitate to drink up!

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

It's Almond Butter Jelly Time, Almond Butter Jelly Time

(The extent of my fridge)

Back in September in one of my posts, I wrote about the outrageous amount of money that I paid for almond butter from Safeway ($10). I mean, maybe that's the going price for almond butter these days and perhaps my reality is just a bit skewed. In any case, I think I speak for many when I say college students don't have the luxury of buying something like almond butter for 10 bucks on a weekly basis. I will say though, that the same almond butter that I bought back in September is still sitting in my refrigerator. I maybe used it three or four times back in the beginning of the semester and then completely indulged in my 'eating out' compulsions. So, long story short, I've still got a lot of almond butter left.

Strapped for cash, I've had to resort to some real penny pinching lately. As you can see in my fridge photo, I'm down to the bare minimum as far as groceries go too. After I finished classes yesterday, I was thirsting for a meal but I told myself that I had to gain some control over eating out. I headed to the store and bought two pieces of toasted wheat bread, which ran me $.80. I took the bread back to my room and spread my almond butter and (organic) jelly on it. I had a few containers of applesauce left in my fridge too so now I had something to accompany my sandwich.

I ended up eating in my friends room because we were discussing our anticipated Chemistry grades. As soon as I walked into her room she said 'peanut butter and jelly? What are you, in fourth grade?' I didn't take the comment to offense...maybe that was compliment regarding my youthfulness :-)

The sandwich was good, the applesauce was good, the company I ate with was good, and most importantly, I successfully satisfied my hunger. Reverting back to basics isn't as tough as it seems. Whether I like it or not, it looks like I'll have to start again at square one next semester because food money management didn't go so well this time around...

Raw. Love. and Almonds.
-Nat

Mango-Avo Goodness

(It doesn't get much better than this)

As expected, I headed home over Thanksgiving break and had the opportunity to enjoy the raw pleasures of being in New York once again. Having a blender and juicer at my disposal is priceless, really. I'm thinking about purchasing a magic bullet (which I talked about in a post from the spring) but hopefully, someone in my family will take a hint and put one under the tree on Christmas...I won't get my hopes up though. The magic bullet is small enough (and I think quiet enough) to store in my dorm room and I don't think cleanup would be too bad. Having smoothies every morning would be ideal and with a mini blender, I have no doubt that I can make that happen.

On to my food adventures while on break...I took full advantage of my blender especially while I was home. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend an awful lot of time at my own house but when I was out and about, I made sure to hit up my usual smoothie bars or vegan spots. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I took my dad to this vegan restaurant located on 135th street and 7th avenue. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who lives or is visiting New York - the name of the place is Cafe Veg. I also went up to Raw Soul (145th between St. Nicholas and Edgecomb) a couple of times but I feel like each time I go there, I become more and more disappointed with their menu. Hopefully, I'll do a formal review of one or two of their dishes when I get back home. My mom is cool with the owner of Raw Soul and I think that they have a great mission, so I try to support them as much as possible by eating there whenever I go home. They're staff is really nice and I recently had a conversation with one of the waitresses who was very kind. Check it out if you're ever in NY - I recommend the Barbecue Burger, the Wrap, and the Soup of the Day (the corn soup is the best).

So when I wasn't eating out, I was trying to prepare healthy meals for myself at home. I was most excited about making my favorite pudding; Mango Avocado. Sounds like and odd mix, but it brings together a great combination of flavors that work well together. You'd really be surprised by how amazing this pudding tastes. When I used to make it for myself over the summer, it had the consistency of a smoothie but now, I prefer to have it in more of a pudding form. The recipe is basically:

1 Mango
1 Avocado
Water
Sprinkle of Cinnamon to Taste




And that's it...simple as that. The amount of water that you add is all dependent on whether you like your pudding/smoothie thick or not. I prefer a little bit of thickness, so I put in just enough water so that the blender is able puree the mango and avocado. Let me tell you, I had one of these the day before Thanksgiving at around 10 a.m. and didn't get hungry again until around 5 or 6...and I wasn't laying around the house all day either, I was out and about. Now, this was a rare and extreme case for me, given that I have a large appetite, but nonetheless, I was able to go that long.

Give the pudding a try. What have you got to lose? Make it unique and add some variety to the basic recipe I posted above. The possibilities are endless with raw food.

Raw. Love...and Mangoes
-Natalie