Spring, Smoothies & Thai Cabbage Salad

Happy Spring!

 Spring is finally showing it's face here in Connecticut! It's been a long winter and I am ready to go outside and play! I am a summer girl, thriving on warmth and an abundance of sunshine. Today my windows are open to let the fresh air in and the birds are in the yard singing with joy :)
I am singing right along with them!!

 As I began to write this blog post I noticed that I started this blog four years ago today! Although my time is much more limited than when I first started writing, I still enjoy sharing recipes and little healthy tidbits whenever possible. Nothing has changed as far as my dedication to enjoying a diet rich in raw, living foods, green smoothies and fresh green juice. My husband, two sisters and many of my friends have also chosen to go the same route, all to varying degrees. Everyone agrees that the green smoothies are the foundation of this lifestyle and was what lead them down this healthier path, just as they did for me! I have become known as the green smoothie gal locally, and I love the sound of that :)  My passion for the healing power of greens is more alive than ever and I am dedicated to getting the word out anywhere and everywhere! This weekend I will be doing a smoothie demo and sharing my story at our local Earth Day Celebration. I'm so excited!! People are open and eager for information, now more than ever. Who doesn't want to feel younger, have more energy, feel vibrant, happy & healthy? It all starts with drinking a green smoothie daily then let the magic begin!

Ok, let's talk food!

I thought I would post my favorite Green Smoothie recipe that I will be sharing at the Earth Day Celebration, in case anyone is looking for it afterwards. I also want to share an awesome Thai Cabbage Salad recipe that I have been making quite a bit lately. The recipe is based on a video that Markus Rothkranz posted on Youtube. If you are not familiar with Markus, I recommend a look at his website and all that he shares. I have taken this recipe to several raw food potlucks and also my family's Easter dinner and it is definitely a winner! There are not really any measurements but I will give my best guesstimates on the few simple ingredients. Be creative, adjust it to your taste and most important, put a lot of love into your efforts and enjoy the outcome  :)

My Favorite Green Smoothie

1 handful baby spinach leaves

1 large leaf of kale

1 cucumber  

1 stalk celery

1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger 

1 apple

1/2 ripe pear

approx. 2 1/2 cups of water (depending on your blender)

do not peel anything, the skins are full of nutrition!

This yields one 64 oz blender full 

Begin with leafy greens and water & blend

add cut up cucumber & blend

add celery & blend

Continue until all ingredients are blended smoothly

top off with more water if needed to fill the blender to the top

Add LOVE & Enjoy!!

Spicy Thai Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

One red cabbage 

One bunch of scallions

1/2 cup of raisins

2 oranges segmented

1 cup raw cashews

Apple Cider Vinegar ( approx. 1/8 cup)

Sesame Seed Oil ( approx 1/4 cup) start with less!

Hot chili oil (couple shakes.... to taste)

If you are not concerned with keeping this recipe raw 

you can use toasted sesame oil which is very tasty too!

Chop red cabbage and put in a large bowl

Add sliced scallions to cabbage

Add apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and chili oil ~ stir 

Toss in raisins, oranges and cashews & toss lightly

Time for a taste test!!

If you prefer it spicier just add a little more hot chili oil

Too dry? Add more sesame oil

Add Lots of Love & Enjoy!!

Eat slowly ~ always enjoy your food ~ infuse it with Love!

*~* Hugs *~*

Kathy  :)

Glorious Raw Granola Bars!

  It's a rainy day here in Ct. and the temps are dropping little by little. Along with this chillier weather comes my need for heavier foods and more food altogether. In the summer I am apt to just grab a piece of fruit, cut open a watermelon or put together lots of pretty green salads. Of course, these are along with my morning green juice and daily green smoothies! During the warmer months I eat light and am happy and satisfied. But as the seasons change, so does my appetite. I like to just go with it, to follow my intuition where my body is concerned. I've learned that listening to my body will never steer me wrong, it always knows just what I need. In the past couple of years I have become so much more in tune with my body. It's a wonderful feeling compared to the way I ate most of my life. My food choices in the past were based on cravings that developed from all the sugars, both hidden and obvious, that I ate on a regular basis. Once I began adding green smoothies into my days, I lost my desire for the junk and processed foods and eliminated those unhealthy cravings once and for all... Effortlessly!

 I've always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen once the cooler weather arrives. I have more patience when I'm not feeling the need to be out playing in the sunshine.
I love food... Love creating in the kitchen... and of course I love eating  :)

Simple, Nutritious, Delicious Foods ~ One of life's Simple Pleasures!

Here's one of the recipes that I've dished up lately.

These granola bars are truly fabulous!!

I took a little of this and a little of that from several recipes I have read and came up with a winning combination

Glorious Raw Granola Bars

These granola bars do need a little planning ahead

but the steps are really easy and so worth it!

One of the ingredients are sprouted buckwheat groats

so you want to soak, sprout and dehydrate your groats ahead of time.

What exactly are buckwheat groats? I wondered the same thing and have pretty much avoided them for the past few years. Simply because I didn't know anything about them! Silly me. I've had a bag in my cabinet for awhile so I finally decided to get to know them a little better. To my surprise they are not a grain, which they do look like.They are actually a nutritious fruit seed of  the buckwheat plant. High in minerals such as magnesium and potassium, phosphorous, zinc and copper, these little guys are really quite nutritious!

                

                                            Soaking Buckwheat Groats

Fill mason jar 2 thirds of the way with the groats.  (I used Bob's Red Mill)

Fit with a sprouting lid or a piece of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band.

Fill with water and let soak for 30 minutes.

Rinse well ! 

Sit sideways on your counter in a bowl or in dish drain for about 36 hours. Rinse twice a day.

You are watching for the little tails to appear... When they do, they are alive and sprouting!!

Rinse once more extremely well and dehydrate for about 8 hours at 105 degrees and they are ready 

to use. You will have plenty of extra groats to use for whatever your heart desires! Sprinkle them on top of yogurt, frozen banana ice kreme, make a cereal with them along with your favorite fruits, nuts and seeds or top your chia pudding with them.

There are so many different ways to enjoy sprouted buckwheat groats. Be creative!! 

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw almonds 

1 cup pitted dates 

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup goji berries 

   1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3 heaping Tbsp sesame seeds

3 Tbsp hemp seeds

1 Tsp vanilla powder

2 Tsp cinnamon 

2 Tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional but yummy!)

3 tbsp water 

******************************

Directions

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until coarse

Add all other ingredients except the buckwheat groats

blend until it binds together nicely

about a minute or two

add sprouted groats and blend just enough to mix them in

Voila!

scoop out  in spoonfuls and form into bars or balls

whichever you prefer

Refrigerate and Enjoy!!

*** I just want to say that I am not really a "recipe" kind of gal. When I make something I really enjoy it's usually based on things that I've read that appeal to me. When a creative moment hits, I am rarely using measuring cups and never paying enough attention to exactly how I made what I did. Then of course if I love it, I want to share it here! I do my very best to recreate the recipe a second time before I post it here with measurements. The second batch, made as posted here, came out great, so I think you'll enjoy them! But the size of dates can vary, so if you feel it needs a few more to hold it all together once it's mixed, go for it! Or if it feels a little too moist, just blend a few more of your favorite dry ingredient in!  Have fun with it  :)

*~* Enjoy *~*

Let me know if you make them and how you liked them ~ I love feedback!!

Simple ~ Nutritious ~ Delicious

My kind of food!

Favorite Chia cereal (updated)

My favorite Chia cereal


2 tbsp of chia seeds  
1 cup of water 
handful of walnuts
sliced banana
handful of raisins
diced granny smith apple
couple dashes of cinnamon


directions 
pour everything into a bowl
                                                                                     let sit for 5 minutes
                                                                                 stir & enjoy  ~ how easy is that?

Time to make a green smoothie!

Anyone can do it . It's easy ~ have FUN with it. ~ you can be creative ~ The main thing is to enjoy your green smoothie & get those greens in!!

There are so many different recipes for green smoothies out there ~ so many lovely choices of fruits and greens to pick from. Let's start with the one I began with and is still one of my favorites today. It's really simple to whip up. 

It's rich in nutrients ~ low in calories ~ extremely filling and really delicious!

You are going to need a blender.

 I use a Vitamix , which is a high speed blender, but I didn't start with one in the beginning. It's not necessary to have the Vitamix! Your smoothie will just have a creamier consistency and you don't have to chop up your fruit. Using a regular kitchen blender is fine. You should chop up any firm fruits in smaller  pieces if you are using your kitchen blender.

I'm going to use a regular kitchen blender for this since that's what most people have...

Ingredients:

  1 apple

 2 bananas      ( to sweeten it more add another banana ) 

  2 carrots 

 1 celery stalk

 1 peeled cucumber

 2 handfuls of spinach 

1 1/2  cup of water

Wash everything really well  ~  slice your apple and carrots to blend easily 

Directions ~ it's important not to add all ingred. at once ~ they won't blend properly

blend approx. 30 seconds each time

add 1 cup of water

all spinach .... Blend for abt 30 seconds 

add carrots & blend 

add rest of water & blend

add apple slices & blend

add celery & blend    

add cucumber slices & blend

add bananas & blend until creamy   

ENJOY!!

Feel free to add more fruit ~ any fruits if you prefer it sweeter to start ~ your tastebuds will ask for less and less fruit as you continue drinking them ~ I PROMISE!!!

I would love some feedback.... Feel free to ask any questions, share your thoughts or share your own green smoothie recipes ~ let's have some fun with this  :)