Produce Picks Salad

I love salad! and I can't tell ya how many times I've heard people say they are "sick of salad" or they "can only eat so much lettuce" or they "don't like rabbit food," etc. The real problem? Their definition of salad is so very limited...yes I agree, wilted lettuce from the back of the fridge covered in rancid, sodium-bomb Kraft dressing is not appetizing, filling or healthful.

My favorite way to keep it fresh with salads is by creating a meal while walking through the produce department, choosing a whatever fruits and vegetables that look good and/or on sale.

Check out this deliciousness!

Ingredients
1 red pepper, chopped (on sale @ $3.69/lb--> $1.75)
1 tomato, chopped ($1.99/lb--> $.40)
bulk spinach, chopped ($6.69/lb --> around $1.00)
slice red onion, chopped fine
1/2 avocado, diced (on sale @ $.89 ea--> $.45)

and for the dressing... blend up
1 mango, peeled and chopped ($2.29)
1 lime, juiced ($.50)
1 handful cilantro (about $.25)
dash sea salt & apple cider vinegar

Using 100% organic co-op produce and leaving enough dressing for another meal or two, the total cost of this meal was around $4.75 for a huge portion. Creating raw meals that feature produce specials is a great way to keep things affordable.

I encourage you to give this method of salad-making-madness a try. Not only is it fun, it is economical and will increase the variety of produce you consume. In closing, I must insert a little plug for shopping at your local co-op, 'cause when you've got amazing, flavorful produce to work with, you cannot "mess up" in the kitchen.

Go have some fun with the salad friends!

<3

Deep Blue Secret

Hi Friends!

Today I have another yummalicious smoothie recipe for you. Although it appears to be deep blue in color, this smoothie actually contains not one but TWO green things. Blueberries are so high in antioxidants that their pigment will mask the green color of your drink, which is perfect for folks new to green smoothies, kids, or anyone else that might be put-off by green liquid. :-)


Deep Blue Secret Smoothie

1 navel orange
1 banana (frozen if you want a colder smoothie)
1 cup blueberries (again I like frozen, in this case because you can save money by stocking up on frozen berries when they are on sale)
1 large handful spinach
1 tsp SPIRULINA (let's talk spirulina tomorrow!)
1 cup coconut water
1 cup almond milk

Blend it all up and YUM!

I hope you all enJOY this recipe...off to work, powered by fruit & greens!

C

Chlorophyll 1

Raw greens and sprouts bring light into our bodies. The photon energy from sunlight gets trapped and condensed by the leaves of plants, therefore green plants are high in photon energy and electrons. Electrons are needed to power our body’s cellular energy metabolism. By eating greens we are powering our body’s production of energy! Greens are ENERGIZING foods!



Put down the Redbull and raise up your green drink. Cheers!

MUCH <3

Banana CocoNut Mylk

This morning when I walked to work it was a few degrees below zero, in other words, cold as F*&%! (You know it's REALLY cold when you can no longer breathe through your nose and your teeth hurt down to the roots when you breathe through your mouth :)

And after a day's work in the coolers and freezer, I am still cold. So, instead of a Green Drink I just blended up an AMAZING nut mylk creation which I warmed up a little bit on the stove top. As long as the heat is on low and you remove the mylk when it's warm to the touch, it will still be raw, never having exceeded 100 or so degrees.

If you don't have a nut mylk bag, I suggest purchasing one off of Elaina Love's Pure Joy Planet web store. Google it since I can't get the link function to work :)

The recipe is as follows...

Banana CocoNut Mylk
4 cups fresh almond mylk
2 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon coconut butter
smidgen coconut extract (optional)

To make the almond milk, simply soak 1 cup of raw almonds in purified water for 4 hours or longer, then drain & rinse. Next, put them in the Vitamix (or other blender) along with 4 cups of purified water and blend for about 1 minute. Strain the liquid through the nut mylk bag, removing the pulp.

Transfer your nut mylk back into the blender, add the bananas, coconut butter and coconut extract and blend briefly until smooth.



If you want to heat the mylk up a bit, as described above, go for it...it's most certainly delicious on a cold, cold day!!

Peace yall~

Puggy want a green drink?

A favorite...



Coconut water, chard & spinach, bananas, tahini, flax & ice.

If you haven't experienced tahini my goodness you must! Tahini (sesame seed butter) is delicious in both savory and sweet combos. Most people go the savory route ala hummus, but you should totally give sweet a try. Slather some tahini on a banana, make this smoothie, or better yet use it to make the best raw halva EVER. Tahini is a good source of calcium, iron and protein which all of which are "nutrients of concern" in a vegan diet.

So eat up...Puggy says so.

Dream Green

Hello Friends~

On my raw food journey I have fallen in love many times over. It gets my heart a-racing just envisioning last August's tomatoes. Then it was figs and juicy pears, followed by fresh Wisconsin chestnuts, late-season spinach and kale, and now... I dream of mangoes. How wonderful is raw food! So much goodness exists in fruits and vegetables.

But as these foods come and go with the seasons, there has remained one steady source of raw dietary joy-- my daily green drink. The contents of my green drink are ever-changing, the only constant being leafy greens. Usually they are sweet and fruity, but sometimes they're more like a savory green soup.

Green drinks are FUN! They are also energizing, alkalizing, hydrating and health-building. I have so much to share about green drinks and would love to pass on the knowledge, recipes and abundant energy.

So, I have decided get back into the swing of posting on the regular by sharing my love for green drinks. Starting today.



Coconut water, chard, spinach, parsley, banana, pineapple and hemp seeds. love.

Dream Green~

C

Raw Vegan Peach Mango Ice Creme

Summertime, the season of abundant sun, heat, and life force energy. For me, summer is a celebration I try to savor each day.

So when I found myself in the frozen isle at the co op, staring longingly at the the ice cream, I knew a celebration was in order. Summer and ice cream are made for each other. Fortunately for us vegans, so are coconut mylk and ice cream, which can conveniently be found in the form of Coconut Bliss.

But to be honest, you can do sooo much better than Coconut Bliss! All you need are four simple ingredients, a blender, and some freezer time. This RAW vegan Peach Mango Ice Creme is more delicious than any frozen dessert of your past...possibly even the Dairy Queen sundae you enjoyed as a little kid many moons ago.

enJOY!

Raw Peach Mango Ice Creme

1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked for at least an hour
1/2 cup water
2 cups peaches, frozen
1 cup mango, frozen
sweetener to taste (approx 2 T agave or a pinch of stevia)

Drain the macadamia nuts and toss them in a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup of filtered water. Blend until completely smooth and fluffy. Next add 1 cup of peaches and keep on blending. You may need to use the tamper (or wooden spoon:)to get things moving. Once the first batch of fruit is incorporated, add the remainder in small increments and blend until the mixture is chunk-free. If you have trouble blending, add a bit more water. Remember to add extra sweetener of desired. Spoon the ice creme into a mason jar and place it in the freezer for a few hours to firm up. If the ice creme is rock hard when you take it out to serve, let it sit at room temp for a few minutes and all is well.