Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Strawberry Cake
This recipe was taken from Raw Freedom Community from J.O.Y.C.E with a little variation..its amazingly delicious!
Crust and Topping:
One cup nuts, one cup dates, with a handful or two of coconut
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup of unsoaked cashew pieces
2 and 1/2 cups of strawberries
1/2 cup of thick coconut milk
6 good sized dates
pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons of psyllium husk powder ... to thicken it of course
1 half a cup of maple syrup
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
1 cup of strawberries, chopped into small pieces (to mix in after)
Blend crust ingredients, and shape into a crust in a pan...place the rest of the crust ingredients aside and put on top of the cake later.....Blend the rest of the ingredients, except for the 1 cup of chopped strawberries. When blended, add the chopped strawberries and mix in with a spoon, do not blend! Then, pile the mixture on top of the crust, and decorate with chopped strawberries and the extra crust crumble! :) ta dum!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
We are equal, without measurements.
Don’t compare, or judge.
Don’t call names, or make comparisons to any woman or man.Step back, and realize we are the same but unique to each other.
Every time you go to compare yourself to another, or judge another or call someone a name, become aware of this.
Every time you see a model, or a woman dressed in rags, do not label them. See them as a human, and equal to yourself.
Be open to this,
and
Practice this everyday. <3
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Kale Salad
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ice Cream Cake (My version of dairy queens lol)
My boyfriend Sandro ate the first half of the cake within ten minutes..so, if theres boys in the house, make a couple, or hide it. :) It is delicious.
Ingredients:
4 avacados
2 tbsp honey or agave
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup vanilla vegan protien...or if you want to do it completely raw use 1/3 cup raw cacao powder
Crust Ingredients:
1 cup nuts
1 cup dates
a handful or so of coconut
Chocolate Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 cup agave
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
Friday, November 13, 2009
Say NO to GMOs
The World Health Organisation describes a genetically modified organism as an organism in which the DNA has been altered in a way that would not have occurred naturally, and also the cross transfer of genes from one species to another, whether or not they are related (WHO). Genetically modified organisms also go by an assortment of different names such as “modern biotechnology”, “gene technology”, “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. Any of these names can be used interchangeably, as they each have the same definitions, and the same outcomes.
The following list comes from a bunch of different research papers out there, that conducted studies on rats, mice, pigs, etc....each of the studies lasted anywhere from a week to 90 days:
Health Issues
-they found changes in their intestinal system, abnormalities in the liver and kidneys, an increase in bacteria,
-an immune system response that was noted was the increase of three types of blood cells, basophils, lymphocytes and total white blood cell count, and additionally more sluggish immune systems and also inflammatory responses were recorded,
-rats gave birth to a large quantity of stunted babies, and nearly half the litter was dead by three weeks,
-Bovine Growth Hormone was given to cows every two weeks (which about 17 percent of milk cows in the US are inserted with), and found that they had around 10 times the amount of insulin growth factor, known to give humans breast, colon and prostate cancer,
-rats actually had smaller brains, smaller livers and smaller and discoloured testicles.
Environmental issues
-GMOs try to protect themselves by killing off targeted weeds, therefore creating super weeds which find their way to adapt to the herbicides,
-The same thing has been documented with pests, where they actually become super pests, who become resistant overtime as they try to adapt to the pesticides,
-Another large issue is the loss of biodiversity. What scares many environmentalists is that because GMs are becoming so abundant, they may outgrow the native crops. This is how loss of biodiversity happens; larger companies monopolize crops, gain rights to them, and consequently take out the smaller farmers, and all of the organic nutrition that goes along with them,
-Terminator seeds. These are sterile seeds that are produced by large companies, so that every year instead of the farmer saving his seeds like he normally would, he has to keep buying the terminator seeds from the large companies because they rot in the ground every year.
So when our governments say that there are no problems with GMOs in the human body, think twice. These are only short term studies that have been documented...and GMOs have only been in existance for about 14 years or so...think about what happens in the long term to your body. The government will continue to deny, because well...theyre in it for the money. So ask yourself...where do all these new diseases come from, how come we have such a great risk of developing disease? Think. Ask questions. Don't just buy because its cheaper, because its not in the long run. Dont eat things that are so unnatural, your body wont recognize it. Eat fresh, each local, eat organic, eat conciously...meet your farmer. ASK QUESTIONS.
SAY NO TO GMOs!!
i do not claim any of the above information to be mine, so feel free to ask for references <3
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Movie Review
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
1 tsp temon juice...again this is optional if you like lemon..most of my fam likes it without the lemon
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Pizza
Crust Ingredients:
1 cup ground flaxseed
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup black sesame seeds or white sesame seeds
½ cup or so of water
Mix ingredients all together, adding water in last. Spread onto dehydrator Teflon sheet, spreading evenly and thinly to create an oval shape. Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 4 hours, flip over then dehydrate another hour.
Cheeze Ingredients:
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 tsp lemon
1 clove of garlic
¼ of a pepper
Handful of spinach
¼ of a carrot
¼ cup of water
You can start this at the same time as your prepping your crust. Put all ingredients into the vita-mix and blend until creamy. Ta-dum, finished. Add a little more salt or pepper to taste if you find it needs more flavour.
Pizza Ingredients:
Add whatever you want on top, I used sundried tomatoes, spinach, olives.
When the bread is done, load on the cheeze and spread out evenly, then add the pizza ingredients. Cut it like a pizza, and enjoy!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Chunky Chocolate
Ingredients:
3 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp agave
2 tbsp cacao
http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/cgsb/on_the_net/organic/index-e.html
This is the website the CFIA sends you to to find the organic information, yet it leads you to a dead end. How are we letting them get away with this in Canada.
Can anyone help me out here?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Raw Pudding
1 avocado
1 banana
½ vanilla bean
You can leave it there or....you can change it up!
For chocolate pudding: ½ tbsp cacao
For blueberry pudding: ½ cup of fresh blueberries
For strawberry pudding: ½ cup of chopped up strawberries
Be creative! Add in things like chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut or whatever else you can think of :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Some Yummy Breads :)
Apple Cinnamon Flatbread
Ingredients:
2 cups group flax seeds (ground it first then measure it)
2/3 cup whole flax seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
2/3 cup black sesame seeds
1 apple very finely chopped into tiny pieces
Instructions:
After 4 hours flip and cut the bread into as big or as little of pieces that you'd like. Then dehydrate another hour and EAT! Yummm.
Raw - Vegan
Banana Pumpkin Flaxbread
Ingredients:
2 cups group flax seeds (ground it first then measure it)
2/3 cup whole flax seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water
2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2/3 cup hemp seeds
1/2 a banana finely chopped into thin thin slices
Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a large bowl, and put water in last to blend together (other recipes I've seen always use a lot more water, but I find it dehydrates a lot better if you use about a cup for this mixture, you can add a little more if you find it does not spread well). Next your going to spread it on your dehydrator teflon sheets, you'll probably need two trays. Turn your dehydrator onto about 110 degrees.
After 4 hours flip and cut the bread into as big or as little of pieces that you'd like. Then dehydrate another hour! FINI!
Raw - Vegan
Onion Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups group flax seeds (ground it first then measure it)
2/3 cup whole flax seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water
4 tablespoons of onion, i personally like the spanish onion and you can cut them as big or small as you'd like them, I like the look of when they are longer slices.
1 garlic clove minced
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup black or yellow sesame seeds
Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a large bowl, and put water in last to blend together (other recipes I've seen always use a lot more water, but I find it dehydrates a lot better if you use about a cup for this mixture, you can add a little more if you find it does not spread well). Next your going to spread it on your dehydrator teflon sheets, you'll probably need two trays. Turn your dehydrator onto about 110 degrees.
After 4 hours flip and cut the bread into as big or as little of pieces that you'd like. Then dehydrate another hour!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Apple Pie Recipe:
Derived from Ani Phyo’s recipe
Crust:
2 cups finely chopped almonds
2 cups pitted dates
1 teaspoon sea salt
Syrup:
½ cup pitted dates
1 peeled orange
¼ cup water
Filling:
6 apples peeled and very thinly sliced (I used 3 granny smith and 3 red apples)
1 cup mixed dried cranberries and walnuts
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions:
Again, I started this pie a day in advance. I started with the crust, blending the dates, almonds and sea salt together with my hands (or you could use a food processor). Before I put the mixture into the pie plate I spread out some very finely chopped almonds so that the dates wouldn’t get stuck to the bottom of the plate. Then I flattened the mixture into the shape of the plate before I placed it into the plate so that I wouldn’t mess up the almonds. Then I pinched all around the edge of the pie crust just to make it look nice!
The syrup is very easy, I put the peeled orange into the vita-mix with the dates on top and then the water. I found that I didn’t used all of the syrup on my pie though, there was a lot left over. Don’t add this mixture till last!
The filling, I put the apples into a dish filled with water and lemon juice and let it sit for a few hours to soften them a little. Drain the apples, then mix some of the syrup mixture with the apples cranberries and cinnamon.
Finally, pile the apple mixture into the pie crust, and arrange them nicely.
Enjoy :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin Pie
Crust:
2 cups shredded coconut
½ cup mixed nuts... (I used raw pumpkin seeds and walnuts mixed to make a half a cup)
¼ cup agave
A handful or two of sunflower seeds (added after the mixture is blended together)
Filling:
2 cups pie pumpkin peeled and chopped
1 avocado
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ cup pitted dates
2 tablespoons pumpkin spice
1 table spoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons agave
½ cups almonds
Topping (optional):
A handful of almonds chopped
A handful of coconut
A pinch of cinnamon
Instructions:
I personally started a day before I wanted this pie to be made. I started with the crust, putting the coconut, mixed nuts, and agave into the blender. Blend until smooth, then put into a 9 inch pie pan and spread out evenly into the shape of a crust. At first it will be a little soft, but that’s why I make it a day ahead of time so that I can put it in the fridge overnight to harden it up.
So the next day, start off by peeling the pumpkin. When I first heard this it confused me, but you literally peel a pie pumpkin like you would an apple. Pie pumpkins you can find at a local farm..usually around thanksgiving (they’re supposed to be a little bit more sweet). So, in this order, put the ingredients into the vita-mix (I would have put the pumpkin in a food processor first but I don’t have one): coconut milk, pumpkin, avocado, almonds, dates, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, honey, and agave. The blender will get stuck a few times so as you go you might want to throw in a little less than 1/3 more of coconut milk and use the tamper to mix it together. After its all blended, put the mixture right into the pie crust. Then you can decorate it, like I did mine!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Chocolate Milk Shake Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almonds (preferably soaked first)
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 vanilla bean
1 heaping tbsp cacao powder
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup water
Instructions:
Put all ingredients into the vita-mix (putting the dates in last so they do not stick to the blades), and blend for about a minute. If you blend it too long it will not be as thick, and will be more watery....and that is not my aim!!
It looks, tastes, and is thick as a real milkshake...except theres no milk :) mmmmm...so good.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
As for hair products, I used to use the normal salon products, until one day it hit me...there are probably a lot of chemicals in these products. And to no surprise, after researching, I found that there were so many irritants and multiple disease causing chemicals added to SO many of my products that I had at home. This feeling is a scary one, especially knowing that I had been using these products all of my life....so I was on a new mission, to become au naturel with my hair.
Sandro and I first started off going with organic hair products, thinking that it was probably a lot better for us than the regular shampoo and conditioner that I already had. But as time past, our hair was still feeling dry, my hair was still breaking we were getting minor irritations on our skin, and it didn't feel like this shampoo and conditioning idea was going well at all. So I started to research....and I found that although these "organic" shampoos and conditioners were labeled "organic"..they were not necessarily any better for you than our old routine.
This left me researching the "No-Poo" option....that is NO SHAMPOO; we decided to leave the chemicals behind. And of course this makes sense...why would we spend all that money on these products, that were just leaking into our skelp, and our skin and into our bodies? And now you may ask how do you not shampoo your hair without it becoming an oily mess?
First off you must know, that like many things, our body over creates the things that we strip away from it. This includes the oil in our hair. The more that we strip away, the more that it will create to try and compensate for this. So, by starting the NO-POO routine, you may find your hair trying to adjust for the first little bit, but no fear...it will soon adjust. And you will have a well balanced natural head of hair, chemical free.
Step ONE: GET RID OF ALL SHAMPOO....and CONDITIONER. easy.
Step TWO: At this point I believe there are two options...go into your kitchen and get some baking soda..which many people are saying works wonders...or get a castile soap like Dr. Bronners.
OPTION ONE. BAKING SODA SHAMPOO
1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup of warm water.
Work this into your wet hair, and simply rinse.
OR
OPTION TWO. MSM SHAMPOO1 tbsp of MSM, 250 ml of Dr Bronners Castile soap and mix that with about a quarter cup of water.Work this into your wet hair, and rinse.
Or you can do what we do, which is get a brand like Dr. Bronners, and make your own shampoo. The great thing that I've learned about Dr. Bronners is that his castile soaps are all natural and made out of pure oils. It is a natural way to cleanse, that does not leave your hair oily. Here are his ingredients in his Lavendar Classic Liquid Soap: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut Oil*, Saponified Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Glycerin, Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Organic Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavandin) Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vit. E), (* Certified Fair Trade by IMO).
And you might ask why I put MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) into my shampoo..? In the past I have heard that sulfur is the beauty mineral...it helps to form collagen and connective tissues...apparently is plays a big role in our skin, hair and nails. And so I add it because MSM is an organic source of the compound, therefore it is supposed to help repair hair, promote silkiness, and a manageability and a healthy scalp.
STEP THREE: Do an apple cider vinegar rinse. This step is just to add a little shine, and remove any residue buildup.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE
1 part ACV, 1 part water.
Use as little or as much as you want...
Pour over your wet just "No-pooed" hair and rinse out with water. Try not to get your roots, as I heard this may make it a little more oily. although my scalp doesn't mind it.
Now, I recommended washing your hair every couple of days...I like to try every third day. And I do not find my hair getting greasy, and I actually find I have more curls. On top of all of this, I like to add a little bit of coconut oil to coat my hair at night time for a deep conditioning treatment. You can wash it out in the morning, and you will not find any oily residue.
Enjoy :)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day One <3
Anyways, I think that this journey I've been on is all a part of being human, its a learning process, two steps forward one step back. I guess you can say that I'm aspiring to become as healthy, natural, happy and intelligent as I can be in this lifetime, and this is where I feel I can take my first steps.
And so here is where you will find
recipes of my creations (of meals, desserts, products and remedies),
my motivations (quotes, books),
my thoughts (sometimes pointless yet surely entertaining),
& my knowledge.
Starting today,
Live - Love - Raw