Carob Pudding With Sprinkles!

I adapted this recipe for raw pudding from one I found on Ani Phyo's site. My daughter said it wasn't sweet enough, so after a little tweaking, I created a pudding to suit her little pallet. This pudding can be made with carob chips, carob powder, or raw cocoa powder. The cashews are a great source of fiber, protein, and other nutritents, such as copper and magnesium.

My little one likes it topped with colorful sprinkles. We choose Let's Do... Sprinkelz. They are gluten free, contain no artificial ingredients, and are colored naturally with extracts of seeds, vegetables, or fruits. They are delicious. Who doesn't love sprinkles?!

I top mine with finely shredded organic coconut and carob chips. The consistency of this pudding reminds me of frosting. This would be a great and healthy alternative for those with lactose intolerance, dairy allergy, or a vegan lifestyle. I bet it would be great on vanilla cupcakes. I'll have to try it out and let you know!

Carob Pudding

1 cup raw organic cashews

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup pitted semi soft dates

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs carob chips, carob powder, or raw cocoa powder

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

That's it. Easy, yummy, healthy. The trickiest part is getting every last bit out of your blender. For this part,use a rubber spatula or spoon. Serve chilled with your favorite toppings.

~Turn this recipe into a carob-coconut pudding by simply adding a little more coconut oil to enhance the coconut flavor~

*High speed blender recommended. For best results, try the Vita Mix.

Here's to sweet...and healthy treats!

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first Menu Plan Monday and I am so excited because this was just the push I needed to do something I have intended to do...and have made loose attempts at doing, for years now. When I go food shopping, I always have a general list in my head. There are our usual staples, which I am always restocking, but I almost never have an actual menu in mind. I may have a couple cravings that dictate what I am thinking I'd like to make, but it is definitely more of a spontaneous shopping experience. And though I would like to say that I am a very organized person (I am striving...I will be there some day), I am, well, much more organized than I used to be AND super proud of that little achievement. When you have a toddler, you are forced to fine tune this characteristic...whether you like it or not. So here I go, procrastination of the menu planning has come to a halt!

Breakfast Options: Our usuals-oatmeal with chia seeds and agave nectar, toasted Ezekiel English muffins with almond butter and topped with a bit of our homemade trail mix of the week, fresh berries for me (my daughter is currently in a frozen blueberry phase), smoothies, Barbara's Organic Breakfast O's, some version of eggs.

Lunch Options: Turkey or PBJ (actually ABJ-almond butter) sandwiches on sprouted whole grain bread, veggies with hummus, mixed salads, flax crackers with our favorite raw "three layer dip" by Licious Dishes here in Hawaii, grilled "cheese" (almond cheese) and tomato soup, "squiggly noodle salad" with brown rice noodles, finely chopped veggies and olives, sliced avocados to add to any one of these.

Dinner:
Sunday-Off to one of our favorite Thai places right next to our church.

Monday-leftovers from one of our favorite Thai places!

Tuesday-Veggie Italian Omelet/Fritata-ish/Scramblie Egg Thingie...hope to post this recipe soon.

Wednesday-Applegate Farms' grass-fed beef, nitrate-free, organic hotdogs on sprouted-grain bread and plenty of mustard and ketchup! Served with steamed cauliflower and baby carrots.

Thursday-Raw Lasagna.

Friday-Gotta finish off the lasagna.

Saturday-Grass-fed beef burgers with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and kale.

Desserts will be spontaneous, but will likely include Coconut Bliss ice cream.

Phew...I did it! I really did it!

*This is a healthy-living blog, so go ahead and insert the word "organic" in front of just about everything. Here's to getting organized with Menu Plan Monday, and here's to your health!

Raw, Raw, Raw!

I made the raw lasagna again...and this time I remembered to take a picture. If you are thinking that you would love to try some raw food dishes, but don't want to make them yourself, there are some great companies that make prepared raw foods and distribute them to local health food stores. One such company here in Hawaii is Licious Dishes. I recently tried several of their items and they are, well...licious! I am totally addicted to their three-layer dip. I also like their lasagna, the variety of tasty dips that accompany their crispy flax crackers, and their haupia...yummy. You can stop by their kitchen and pick up single items in their fridge or place an order on Monday to be picked up on Friday, for either a 3-meal or a 5-meal plan for the week! Now that is easy meal planning. Some of their items can also be found at a local favorite, Vim & Vigor.

There are also some wonderful full-service restaurants dishing up raw cuisine. Be adventurous-google "raw food restaurant" and see what pops up in your area. If ever in Chicago, try Charlie Trotter's, where they feature a raw-tasting menu. Famous chef, Charlie Trotter is world renowned for both cooked and raw cuisine at it's finest.

If you want to pick up a few raw food snacks for on the go, check out some tasty snacks by Go Raw at Whole Foods and other health food stores, or Amazon. I love the sprouted pumpkin seeds and the spicy flax chips. So, am I a total raw foodie convert? Um...no. I still love fish and devour a good burger at least once a week or so. I think it's great for each of us to embrace the healthiest lifestyle we can while enjoying foods we love. I am thrilled with my newfound love for raw dishes and plan to continue to experiment as often as I can. I feel great...and my jeans are fitting quite nicely too! Here's to raw food and here's to your health!

Super Kid Food

Who says you shouldn't play with your food?
My daughter and I had fun with her breakfast this morning. What is it? Half an Ezekiel hamburger bun, toasted and topped with almond butter, Salba (chia seeds), Goji Berry eyes, nose and mouth, and blueberry hair. We topped it all off with a swirl of agave nectar.

Together these foods pack lots of nutrients, super-duper antioxidants, protein, and fiber to start your little one's day off right. Super food. Super fun. Here's to your health!

More In The Raw

You may not be aware of the "raw food lifestyle". There are a vast number of people who only eat raw. What is raw food? Basically, meals made with fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that have not been heated above 104 degrees. With the raw food movement some amazing chefs have emerged, combining ingredients you might never think of to create delicious AND highly nutritious meals. For years I have wanted to experiment with raw recipes, but for some reason the idea of using a food processor really intimidated me...maybe it was just one more gadget I didn't want to fuss with. Now I love mine! Anyway, I was flipping through a magazine last week and came across some raw food recipes that didn't seem quite as complicated as I thought they ought to be. I mean, there was quite a bit of preparation, but no cooking involved. And with the lovely heat and humidity here on Oahu this last week, I thought it was just the right time to ditch the stove for a night.

Tuesday night my Bible study group had a potluck and the theme was Italian. I grabbed that magazine again...Raw Lasagna. Perfect. Just the right time for me to be adventurous and attempt something I have never made...and then test it out on a group of hungry ladies. Sure, why not?...No pressure.

I must admit I had second thoughts half-way into the preparation. I could just pick something up along the way if it didn't turn out the way I had hoped, right? And then I tasted the tomato sauce...yum. I was going to be just fine. To my pleasant surprise, after sitting down at the potluck to enjoy all of the wonderful selections, ladies began telling me how great the lasagna tasted, and asking for details of how it all came together. I promised that I would post the recipe, so here it is.

This recipe by Ani Phyo came straight from Delicious Living

Cherry Tomato Marinara
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried roseary
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients is a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. (Makes 3 cups) *I used a blender but would opt for a food processor next time for a thicker consistency.

Cilantro-Cashew Cheeze
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw cashews
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup filtered water

Place garlic and salt in a food processor; process into small pieces. Add cashews and process into a paste. Add lemon juice, cilantro, and water; process to mix well.

Raw Lasagna-Serves 6
1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin coins
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup Cashew-Cilantro Cheese
1 cup Cherry Tomato Marinara

In a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, layer half of the zucchini slices. Cover with half of the tomato slices and top with spinach. Spread cheeze over spinach. Top with marinara. Finish by layering remaining zucchini and tomato slices.

Okay, sorry about the length of this recipe, but I promise it is well worth the effort. And unlike traditional lasagna, there is no baking involved. I changed up the recipe just a bit by adding a handful of sun dried tomatoes to the marinara sauce recipe and I also peeled the zucchini, cut it in half, and sliced it into long, thin "noodles". I chopped the spinach and added some freshly chopped basil. In addition, I took the liberty to layer it differently, with two layers of each ingredient-ending up with the "cheeze" on top!

My husband tried to remind me to take a picture before I ran out the door but I forgot and well, here is what the dish looked like at the end of the night. Do you think they liked it?

The Raw Deal

I am totally into raw food lately. Raw fruits and vegetables are so essential to our overall health, but have you ever gone an entire day without touching even one? I know I have. Life is demanding and we are all so busy. We often get into the habit of grabbing whatever we can without putting much thought into the value of food as nourishment for our bodies. I have been making an effort to be very deliberate with incorporating raw foods into my meal planning. And it has been surprisingly simple!

For breakfast we have been starting with some berries or other fruit and then the other elements of the meal. Fruit is best digested in the morning, so try to limit your intake throughout the rest of the day. Another way to add raw to breakfast is to spread raw almond butter on toast. Grind it fresh when you can, or choose Maranatha Organic. Almond butter is lower in saturated fat than peanut butter (and a little less sticky!). I like to mix the raw almond butter with the roasted kind. You can grind it fresh yourself at Whole Foods and other health food stores. Sprinkle some nuts, seeds and a little sweet agave nectar right on top of the toast for a high fiber, high protein start to the day.

For snacks, lunch, and dinner, we have sliced or chopped veggies ready to go for dipping or tossing in a salad. If you eat raw foods first, you will digest the entire meal more efficiently, eat smaller portions, and be satisfied longer. Raw foods provide us with essential enzymes needed to break down foods. They are rich in water, which helps keep us hydrated, and also in fiber, which binds food together in the digestive tract and helps eliminate waste. This combination of high water, high fiber ultimately leaves us satisfied for longer duration, filling us up so we eat less...anyone out there trying to lose a few pounds?

At last, we may even choose some chopped Macadamia nuts and fresh berries as a topper to our favorite frozen treat-Coconut Bliss! Once again I find myself looking to nature and the wonderful foods that are all around us, ripe and ready to enjoy. Take this simple challenge-see if you can eat just one raw thing with every meal for the next seven days. Here's to your health!

Back to Basics

Alright, I got a little excited in my last post. I try not to take myself too seriously but I am known to be a little passionate from time to time. I am not a health-food Nazi, and I certainly did not just wake up one morning and decide to choose a healthy lifestyle. It was a gradual thing. I have taken information I've learned over several years and slowly weaved it into my daily life. Do I eat out? Yes. Do I overindulge at holiday parties and church potlucks ? Absolutely. I do my best...and I pray about the rest.

What I know is that there are better choices out there for me and my family, for all of us. If we make an effort to eat the simple foods that God created for us, it isn't all that complicated. There are abundant choices of organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds to choose from and a variety of ways to incorporate them into every snack and meal. Here are a few of my favorite ways to do it:

1. Trail Mix-so simple. Grab your favorite variety of raw nuts and seeds, add dried fruit, dates, or grain-sweetened chocolate chips/carob chips and you have a classic on-the-go snack. This is a fun thing for kids to help with in the kitchen and they are more likely to partake since they helped make it.

2. Smoothies-With a high power blender, you can get several servings of fruit and even veggies (great way to sneak them into kids) all at once. Bananas help glue it all together, just keep in mind that they are high in sugar so use small quantities. Choose lots of berries, which are high in antioxidants, and use very little juice or opt for water instead. Sneak in a little cabbage and carrots and mask their stronger flavor with a little frozen grape juice. (Hint: a Vita-Mix is a great investment.)

3. Soup-a great way to throw just about any and all veggies in your fridge into one yummy meal. The possibilities are almost endless.

4. Salad-My husband, along with a few of our close friends, call me the "salad queen". I am a fan of the elaborate salad. We eat salad several times a week. I put a variety of chopped veggies, nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit (like cranberries), etc into most of our salads. You can top with gourmet cheese, or add chicken, shrimp,or other meat.

5. Sliced raw veggies and dip-While ranch dressing is a favorite for many, most brands have sugar and other unwanted ingredients. Instead, pair your fresh veggies with hummus. Not only does it offer great nutritional value, it satisfies that need to dunk.

(Hint: chop extra veggies and have enough ready for several days in a row to cut down on meal preparation time.)

Here's to your health!