Walnut Coconut Power Balls

June 12, 2015Leave a comment

If you like these as much as we do, you may want to plan a heavy workout before you make them! Since they are sweetened using dates, each ball has approximately 6g of sugar, making them perfect post-soccer snacks, but not something you would want to take to the couch as you pound back a 6-pack!

Speaking of sugar, I don’t know about you, but I would rather eat my treats any day than drink them. One can of soda has approximately 33g of sugar! I can’t even fathom how I used to drink that stuff regularly. It makes me cringe now. The next time you feel the need for a soda, try adding the juice of half a lemon and a tbsp of apple cider vinegar to a glass of Perrier. It’s the best invention ever. I’m pretty sure I learned about that drink from Food Matters, so props to them for that one!

Walnut Coconut Power Balls

2 cups walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates (about 12, pitted)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
Shredded coconut for covering.

Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse until fine.

Add the dates, almond flour, shredded coconut, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and sea salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined.

Roll into golf ball sized balls and roll in shredded coconut.

Store in the fridge.

Chickpea “Tuna” Salad

September 9, 2014December 12, 2014Leave a comment

This mock tuna salad recipe always makes me feel so good because I get to pretend I’m eating a lot of mayonnaise without all the guilt. Use it to top a salad, use it as a dip, or do what our 21 month old did and eat it with a spoon. Either way, it’s something that you can feel good about eating! Chickpea “Tuna” Salad

1 can chick peas, rinsed
1 rib celery, minced
1/4 red onion, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/3 cup cashew mayo
1 tsp celery salt

Pulse chickpeas in a food processor until broken up but not fine. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients.

Strawberry Chia Pudding

September 4, 2014September 5, 2014Leave a comment

This pudding immediately became the household go-to breakfast meal. It’s more filling than your basic almond milk and chia variety and it’s way more delicious. It tastes like strawberry shortcake, if strawberry shortcake was healthy and even more tasty. I currently have 3L of this in the fridge because it gets eaten so fast. Of course there is a chocolate version coming to the blog in the very near future. The recipe has finally been perfected and you’re going to LOVE it!

Strawberry Chia Pudding

1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients except the chia seeds in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into any container that closes liquid tight, add chia seeds, screw lid on tightly and vigorously shake until mixed. Alternatively, but less fun is to just stir the chia seeds in with a spoon…

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, shaking occasionally initially so the seeds don’t clump together. Best results if refrigerated overnight.

Raw Key Lime Pie

August 26, 2014August 26, 20144 Comments

We were in Montreal this week for a family wedding, and after it was all over it felt like we had pretty much eaten non-stop for 36 hours. Feeling that we needed to get back on track instantly, we went for a grueling morning run to Mont Royal and then up and down, up, down, up, and down the staircase of death that is the Mont Royal Staircase.

Starving and barely able to walk, we were so excited to try out Montreal’s raw food restaurant: Crudessence. Once there, we were bitten by the raw food bug once again. When we got home I dug out my dusty raw food word docs and pulled out this gem! Here is a recipe that I initially wrote 8 YEARS ago, back when I discovered raw food, David Wolfe, and was attending the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition!

Raw Key Lime Pie

Crust:

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place walnuts and pecans in food processor and pulse until nuts start to stick together. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until well combined. Press into the bottom of a tart pan and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling:

2 cups cashews
1 cup coconut cream (the solid mass in one can of coconut milk)
2/3 cup fresh key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
1/3 cup local honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into your tart shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse

July 12, 2014June 1, 2015Leave a comment

This was inspired by the not-so healthy chocolate mousse debauchery that went on at the cottage this summer. In an attempt to lessen withdrawal symptoms, this healthy version was born. I’ve always loved avocado in chocolate mousse form, but it’s not for everyone so I toned it down in hopes of appeasing you avocado/chocolate haters (namely the hubby). The results were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

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Healthy Chocolate Mousse

1 cup coconut milk (canned)(coconut water works well too!)
1 avocado
1/4 cup peanut butter (or more…delicious)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 medjool dates, pitted (or 1/4 cup honey)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend well, using the tamper as needed to move the ingredients around. Eat immediately (and why wouldn’t you?) or refrigerate for later! Just be sure to place cling wrap right on top of the pudding to avoid as much oxidation as possible due to the avocado content.

You can also add a tsp of maca if you love it. It will make your pudding taste like maca, but it’s a nice change if you’re a maca lover!

Green Juice Feast Day

August 15, 2010August 25, 20141 Comment

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Well I certainly didn’t plan on a juice feasting day, but that is what seems to be what’s happened. It’s time to kick this fight against my sinus infection into high gear anyway. Bring on the greens!

This morning, Yuri made over 2 L of green juice to take to U of T Soccer Training Camp. However, the green juice didn’t make it to training camp. I ended up drinking at least 1 L and it was so good that I just made another Liter! It is just amazing how much nutrition you can pack into your day when you include green juices.

To top off my efforts to kill this sinus infection, I finally bought some apple cider vinegar (organic, unpasteurized, with the Mother). If you’ve got sinus issues, get some apple cider vinegar and add 2 TBSP to a glass of water, several times a day. You will instantly enjoy some nasal draining! I am contemplating adding some ACV to water and throwing the mixture into my Neti pot, but I’m still working up some bravery to run vinegar through my nose! I made the mistake of trying hydrogen peroxide in the neti pot…DON”T DO THAT IT BURNS and apparently can do some damage! Rookie move on my part.

Today alone, I have personally consumed the juice of:

1 bunch of dill

1 bunch of parsley

1 1/2 apples

5 carrots

1 1/2 bunches of swiss chard

2 heads of celery

1 lemon

2 inches of ginger root

1/2 a cucumber

Shocking, isn’t it? I bet I have eaten more vegetables today than most North Americans get in a week or even a month! I am officially back on the green juice train. This baby is going to come out green!

Here is the recipe for my new favourite juice. Let’s call it the…

Dill-Inspired Green Juice

1 bunch dill

3 carrots

1 apple

1 bunch swiss chard

1 head of celery

2 inches of ginger root

Juice all ingredients and enjoy approx. 1L of amazing green goodness!

GO RAW NOW

January 29, 2009August 25, 20141 Comment

Sick, tired, overweight, obese, taking aspirin, taking medication, unhappy, lethargic?

You have limitless potential.

Raw foods give the gift of life. If you plant a fruit, nut, or seed in the ground, you will grow a tree or plant. If you plant a burger and fries or a slice of bread, you will get mold.

On our coaching call for the Total Wellness Cleanse the other night, we talked exclusively about allergies and how they come about. After the call, I was thinking – no wonder people develop allergies to even raw foods – in my case it’s pineapple and eggplant that give me extreme problems. Over years of abuse from cooked and processed foods, not to mention loads of sugar to feed the eager beaver yeastie eaters (Candidiasis), my digestive system was in such turmoil that my immune system responded unfavourably toward undigested raw foods as well.

Once the intestines have been irritated so much, undigested food particles obtain access to the blood stream, and the body launches all out war against the alien particles. Antibiotics, sugar, wheat, processed foods, etc. open the door for disbiosis, altered balance of the gut microflora, and consequently a yeast problem in the gut. Once this happens, allergies present themselves. And I’m not talking about just the life or death allergies, but food intolerances that make you feel slow, tired, brain foggy, and simply tired all over. And you may not even know about them!

All you can do at this point is continue to feel lethargic, or you can turn your life around and GO RAW NOW!

Everyone agrees that we should eat more fruits and vegetables. But they think I’m some weird granola child when I tell them that I don’t cook my food! What gives? Maybe they are jealous. Maybe they think they could never live this life. Maybe they are too bogged down by cooked, processed food to open up their minds to the idea. Or maybe, just maybe, they are sick and tired enough to see the light. You can feel healthy and vibrant. If you think you can’t, you can’t. If you think you can, you can. Every single person has it in them to feel their best ever. And the best thing is – it’s your choice. You can change your life right this second. What’s it going to be?

Raw Enchiladas!

August 8, 2008August 25, 20141 Comment

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Last night we had the best dinner, and in spite of what you may think it was incredibly easy to put together – but, a dehydrator is a necessity. So if you don’t have one…it’s time to invest in one! Honestly though, if you don’t have a dehydrator you could just throw the ingredients (plus some fresh corn kernels) in a bowl and have an enchilada salad!

Easy Raw Corn Tortillas

3 cups of fresh corn kernels
1 cup milled flax seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Then mix until smooth.

Spread thin on a dehydrator sheet in whatever shape you desire and dehydrate at 110 F for 4-5 hours or until no longer doughy on top. Flip and dehydrate another 3-4 hours.

Guacamole

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 small red onion, minced
juice of 1 lime
3 avocados, mashed with a fork
1/2 tsp sea salt
optional: 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Mash avocados with a fork and then add the rest of the ingredients. If it doesn’t taste amazing, then there are 2 things you have to play with: the amount of sea salt and the amount of lime juice. Play with these until this is the best guacamole you’ve ever tasted.

Easy Raw Tomato Sauce

1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 red pepper
dash cayenne

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Raw Cashew Cheese Sauce – Seriously the best ever!

1 cup cashews
1/2 yellow pepper
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined, slowly adding water until the consistency you desire is reached, keeping in mind that it will get thicker as it sits and the cashews have a chance to absorb the water. Alternatively you can also blend in a high speed blender to get a velvet smooth consistency.

To assemble the enchilada I just chopped up some lettuce and tossed it on the corn tortilla, layered it with guacamole and rolled it up. We splashed on the tomato and cheese sauces and quickly took a picture (which is obviously not too artistic) just before our ravenous stomachs got a hold of it!

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk and a Creamy Strawberry Shake

July 28, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk

2 cups filtered water
1 cup cashews
2 tbsp coconut butter
4 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/4 of a vanilla bean, seeds only)

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a high speed blender like the vitamix, you can place all ingredients in a blender and let them sit for a couple of hours until the cashews and dates soften.

I HIGHLY recommend investing in a vita-mix. It’s so powerful that it can turn an ipod into dust – I’m sure you can find some interesting videos on youtube. I use my vita-mix at least 4 times a day. You can make nut milks without having to use a strainer, and make the smoothest raw cheesecake you’ve ever tasted.

And since I happened to have fresh strawberries in the fridge – voila! Instant strawberry shake.

Creamy Strawberry Shake

1 batch Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk
1 cup fresh strawberries

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.

The funny thing about strawberries is that when you pick them yourself, their size range from that of a raspberry to…a slightly larger raspberry! They taste so sweet and just downright incredible. When you buy them imported from who knows where, they’re the size of peaches and they taste sour and just gross! If you missed them this time around, don’t miss out on picking your own (or buying, although picking your own can be fun) local berries next season!

So Happy.

July 25, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

yammy1 I am literally smiling all the time. My skin looks better every day. Tell me again why I went off raw?

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours cleaning the kitchen. Now it’s so bright and inviting! Today I cleaned out the pantry and I threw out so much crap – including some white flour we haven’t used in more than 2 years!!! Gross. I also managed to spill the flour all over the floor, and the dog didn’t even move, and if the dog won’t eat it – you know it can’t be categorized as food!

I just got in from a run and whipped up some nori wraps, but this time I made a raw almond dipping sauce that was out of this world!!! I was so eager to eat that I didn’t take any pictures of it. The dipping sauce kicks my lame almond paste’s butt!

Raw Almond Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp raw almond butter
2 tbsp water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp tamari or Braggs
1 tbsp lime juice

I also picked up some E3Live at the health food store since we’re in-between wheat grass harvesting “seasons” (which last 10 days). E3Live is a highly concentrated shot of greens. It’s even darker than wheatgrass juice – and more bitter. When you take greens as green and as bitter as E3Live (or spirulina, kale, collards, etc.) it means your liver is getting detoxified hard-core. This also explains why I have had a pretty intense breakout of eczema on my right middle finger. It’s so swollen that I can barely bend it! I really hope the swelling goes down through the night because it is so uncomfortable.

If you’re going raw for the first time or starting to take concentrated greens like this, keep in mind that you could go into a healing crisis and feel a lot worse before you feel better. This is because the liver has the tools it needs to release toxins into the bloodstream for elimination…and this can be extremely intense if you are higly toxic. I have done my fair share of cleanses, and usually the nausea/sickness goes away 4-5 days after starting/modifying a cleansing program -for me, but all experiences are unique. So hang in there if you find yourself in a healing crisis!