ONE WEEK RAW AND GLUTEN FREE DAY 2 Learn How To Make The Best Raw Gluten Free Dessert Ever!

Raw Chia Seed pudding with Cinnamon

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 DAY 2 OF "ONE WEEK RAW AND GLUTEN FREE"

I hope you enjoyed yesterdays menu but in case you missed it, check out DAY 1 OF ONE WEEK RAW AND GLUTEN FREE.

Before we get to todays menu, I want to make sure:

* youve finished dehydrating  the raw granola you started yesterday

* youve rinsing the lentil sprouts you started, twice a day
* youre drinking 8 cups of water each day
* youre taking B12, vitamin D and DHA omega 3 supplements

And, were going to make tomorrows dessert which is my absolute FAVORITE raw dessert - the amazing chia pudding! Most of the time I get lazy and make chia pudding with Vanilla Living Harvest Hemp milk which starts with a ready-made hemp milk that is also wonderful but not nearly as creamy. When you make it with raw cashews and cinnamon, it tastes like a creamy rice pudding with the consistency of tapioca. What could be better than that?

In addition, we will be preparing todays menu:

Breakfast: Anti-aging smoothie with frozen grapes and matcha green tea 

Snack: Leftover Waldorf salad (from yesterdays dinner)

Lunch: Raw split pea soup with shredded carrot and a big piece of watermelon or bowl of cherries leftover from yesterday
Dinner: Hearty taco salad

Dessert: A bowl of fresh blueberries

Lets get started!

Raw Chia seed pudding with Cinnamon (Old Favorite, modified)

Raw Vegan, Gluten Free

[makes 4 servings]
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 to 6 hours and rinsed
3 pitted, jumbo Medjool dates soaked for 4 to 6 hours in 2 cups of water (reserve soak water)

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon plus extra for topping

1 packet of stevia (optional for added sweetness)

1/4 cup chia seeds

Place cashews, dates, date soak water, vanilla, cinnamon and stevia in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

In a 1 quart bowl, combine cashew mixture with the chia seeds and stir vigorously with a fork for several minutes. 

Let mixture sit for 15 minutes and stir vigorously again until the chia seeds are well blended and no longer clump together. 

Once the mixture is well combined and no longer separating, place in the refrigerator for one day. 

Dust with more cinnamon and serve.

Per serving: 173.5 calories, 9.1 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 1.8 g omega 3 and 1.7 g omega 6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 4.1 g protein, 21.9 g carbohydrate and 5.8 g dietary fiber.

Chia seeds are a true longevity food.
They are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, fiber and protein!

Now for Todays Menu!

Breakfast - Anti-Aging Smoothie (Previously posted favorite)
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 2 servings]
2 cups red or purple grapes, frozen (with or without seeds*)
2 teaspoons powdered matcha green tea
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1 large or 2 small bananas
2 cups cold, filtered water
*  A high-speed blender, like a VitaMix, is needed if seeded grapes are used.

The night before, wash grapes and put in the freezer.
In the morning, combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.


 Per serving: 183 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0.8 g ALA omega 3 and 0.3 g omega 6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 43.5 g carbohydrates, and 4.0 g dietary fiber.

Matcha green tea will give you a little morning caffeine jolt.
Green tea has many benefits such as inhibiting cancer cells, stabilizing blood sugar, improving cholesterol profile, helping prevent heart disease, preventing tooth decay. Its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties help fight colds and flu. Its catechin polyphenol EGCG is a powerful antioxidant.

For a snack, eat the leftover Waldorf salad from last nights dinner.

Lunch - Split pea soup with shredded carrot (Previously posted, modified) 
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 2 servings]
2 cups fresh or frozen petite peas (if frozen, thaw before using)
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


Place peas, celery, onion, garlic, oil, lemon juice, cumin, water and salt in a VitaMix or high speed blender and process until smooth. 
Place half of the shredded carrot in each of two bowls leaving a few tablespoons for garnish. 
Pour half of the blended soup in each bowl. With a spoon, mix the blended soup with the carrot. Top each bowl with the extra carrot and serve.


Per serving: 185.5 calories, 7.0 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 6.5 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates and 7.5 g dietary fiber. 

Raw soups are quick and easy to make!
Eat with a big piece of watermelon or a bowl of cherries 

Dinner - Hearty Taco Salad (Modified to make it gluten free)

Raw Vegan, Gluten Free

[makes 2 servings]

For the dressing

1 teaspoon chia seeds

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper
For the taco meat
2/3 cup raw walnuts
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Bragg liquid aminos
For the salad
1 small head butter or red leaf lettuce, cleaned and torn into bite sized pieces
4 small tomatoes, cut into eighths

Kernels from 1 small ear of fresh corn

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 medium avocado, sliced

To make the dressing, combine chia seeds with water. Set aside until it forms a gel (about an hour). Once it gels, add cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the taco meat, put the walnuts, chili powder and liquid aminos in a food processor and briefly process until the mixture resembles taco meat. Do not over process. 

Prepare the salad by combining the lettuce, tomatoes, corn and green onion. Dress the salad with the lime chia seed dressing and place on two large plates. Top each salad with half of the avocado slices and half of the taco meat. 

Per serving: 474 calories, 39.2 g fat, 4.3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 12.6 g protein, 29.2 g carbohydrates, 11.3 g fiber, 4.1 g omega 3 and 16.7 g omega 6 fatty acid.

Walnuts prepared in this way look and taste just like taco meat!

And for Dessert!

Tonight were going to have a big bowl of fresh blueberries for dessert. These little guys are packed with anthocyanidins which are powerful antioxidants. In fact, blueberries are one of the highest rated foods in their ability to destroy free radicals.

1 cup of blueberries has only 84 calories and provides a whopping 4 grams of dietary fiber. They are a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They even contain omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids!

Why You Should Kick The Soda Habit Make Your Own Bubbly Water Instead!

Make bubbly water at home - skip the sugary additives.

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Soda - A Danger to your Health
There are many reasons to avoid drinking soda - where do I start?


Soda is Acidic
For those of you who are into raw food or who consume lots of fruits and veggies, you are eating a healthful, alkaline diet. (FYI, pH above 7 is alkaline and under 7 is acidic). Eating an alkaline diet supports our bloods normal pH level of 7.356. When we consume acidic food or drink, our body must work very hard to neutralize and detoxify the acids. This hard work of maintaining the proper pH leads to the depletion of our alkali mineral reserves. Over acidification can lead to acidosis, a major root of illnesses. 


Chronic acidosis can lead to joint pain, GI issues, muscle weakness and seizures, headache, confusion, heart disease, allergies, osteoporosis, accelerated aging, digestive problems, dental erosion and decay, risk of kidney stone formation, acne and many other issues. 


The pH of popular sodas are:
Mug Root Beer = 4.038
Diet 7 Up = 3.706
Diet Mountain Dew = 3.365
Sprite = 3.298
Diet Coke = 3.289
Mountain Dew = 3.229
7 Up = 3.202
Diet Dr. Pepper = 3.169
Slice Orange = 3.059
Diet Pepsi = 3.031
Lemon Nestea = 2.969
Dr. Pepper = 2.899
Pepsi = 2.530
Coke = 2.522
Cherry Coke = 2.522
RC Cola = 2.387
(Source - Jain, Nihill, Sobkowski, Agustin, General Dentistry, March/April 2007)


To give you a reference, TAP WATER has a pH around 7 and BATTERY ACID has a pH of 1. Drinking a Coke is a lot closer to drinking battery acid than water. 


Soda Weakens Bones
Drinking lots of soda can impair the calcification of growing bones in children. For adults, it can increase the risk of osteoporosis. When the body is busy robbing minerals like calcium to neutralize the acidic soda, it is taking those minerals from our bones. Phosphoric acid, also contained in soft drinks, is also associated with calcium loss. 


Drinking Soda Leads to Weight Gain, Obesity and Diabetes
A 12 ounce can of Coca Cola Classic has 140 calories. Drinking 2 a day would add over 100 thousand calories a year or the equivalent of 29.2 pounds! Drinking soda over the course of several years can lead to obesity, and it has. Two thirds of the people in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, largely because of soda consumption. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes so they go hand in hand. But lets look at the positive side. By only cutting out just the soda in someones diet, they could lose significant weight and lower their risk of diabetes. 


Beware the Wolf in Sheeps Clothing
I know that many people who drink diet soda feel that they are drinking something a tad more healthy than regular soda. Unfortunately, many artificial sweeteners are even more dangerous than sugar. Despite having the comfort of an FDA approval, aspartame is an extremely dangerous substance. After consumption, this artificial sweetener eventually turns into phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol -which ends up converting into the carcinogens formaldehyde and formic acid. Avoid aspartame at all costs.


Bubbly Water
I could rant on about soda but lets get to the fun stuff. My husband and I really enjoy drinking Pellegrino mineral water. Its alkaline with a pH of ~7.7 and has no calories. For Christmas, we got a really cool Sodastream bubbly water maker from my brother-in-law Don so that now we can make our own. I think its actually a soda maker but if you toss out all of the unhealthy little flavor packets that come with it, you can use it to make some really nice bubbly water. And its quite a bit of fun.

Remove back and insert CO2 cartridge.
Replace back.

Insert bottle that comes with soda stream.
Press top button 3 times to carbonate.

Drink as is or add your own healthy flavors.

Add lime, lemon, or a splash of juice.
Pictured is bubbly water with organic tart cherry juice.

So if you have a soda habit, try some bubbly water instead. It can make a drastic difference in your health and longevity. Salute!

Take A Fresh Look At Peas And Carrots Young English Peas Make All The Difference!

Fresh English peas and tender young carrots on quinoa.

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Its Time For English Peas
Fresh English peas are starting to appear in the markets here in Northern California. And if you planted your garden early enough, there may be some in your backyard. 

While shucking peas, I always ask myself if its worth the trouble or if I should bother my blog followers with such a time consuming task. But then I see that small but beautiful pile of bright green peas and I immediately have the answer.

Perfection inside a pea pod.

Peas and Carrots
I was looking for something to cook for dinner last night. All I had in the house was a pound of fresh English peas and some carrots. I thought to myself, hmmmm, peas and carrots. How simple, how cliché. But sometimes the simplest dishes can surprise and delight us. 

When you think of peas and carrots, a frozen box of vegetables comes to mind - not a pretty picture. But when you shuck a pound of fresh English peas and chop tender young carrots into pea-size pieces, it is a beautiful thing to behold!

Shucked English peas and small diced carrots.

So here is a very simple dish of fresh peas, chopped carrots and some seasoning and a squeeze of lemon that when put on a bed of fluffy cooked quinoa, will make a surprisingly tasty meal rich in protein and dietary fiber.

                       *                      *                       *

Fresh Peas and Carrots with Quinoa
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 vegan bouillon cube*
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup small diced onions
1 pound fresh English peas (about 1 to 1 1/3 cups)
1 full cup small diced carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* I use 1 serving (half a large cube) of Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with sea salt and herbs

Prepare the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse in cold water for several minutes. Place in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until all of the water is fully absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered.

Meanwhile, prepare the peas and carrots.
Make broth in a small cup by dissolving the bouillon cube in the boiling water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan that has a lid. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the peas, carrots, parsley and the broth. Bring to a boil. Lower  to a low boil, cover, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 or 6 minutes.

Cook fresh peas, carrots, onions and seasoning
in a small amount of broth

When tender, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the peas and carrots. Season with salt if needed (remember, the bouillon cube already has some salt) and freshly ground black pepper.

Fluff up the quinoa. Serve the peas and carrots over the quinoa.

Per serving: 162 calories, 4.5 g total fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 114 mg omega-3 and 1,126 mg omega-6, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber and 187 mg sodium (from bouillon cube only, no added salt). 

Dieting can make normal food seem disgusting

Bookshelves are now groaning under the weight of new diet books, as a raft of celebrities offer advice on how to minimise those curves and reach so-called physical perfection

Liz Earles telling us to juice, Davina McCalls banishing sugar, while TV presenter Anna Richardson uses psychology to help us master our muffin tops, all in new books.

Every year, we gorge on advice from the rich and famous, from Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz to Victoria Beckham and Miranda Kerr, as to how we can achieve their enviable physiques.

Serial dieter, New Yorker Rebecca Harrington has tried them all, from the weird concoctions Elizabeth Taylor would consume to retain her hourglass figure, to the sea vegetables Madonna existed on and the salt water flush she used to channel her inner Beyonce.

Today, Harrington (29) is the same size she has been for a while - she wont reveal her weight, or herdress size - but she stresses that with every celebrity diet shes tried, she put any weight she lost back on again immediately afterwards.

Now, she has rustled up Ill Have What Shes Having, a witty, tongue-in-cheek book which charts her experiences of the weird and wonderful celebrity diets she has followed and the effects they had on her - a mix of fainting spells, spots and potential salmonella.

"When you Google celebrities, you get celebrity diets at the top of the page. Almost everyone famous provides an eating plan, so it was an easy one to follow," says the journalist and author.

"I think that Gwyneth Paltrows diet is a really good one, if youre a millionaire, because all the ingredients cost so much, but a lot of the older celebrities followed regimes that were really gross. In many cases, dieting is just making normal food disgusting."

She cites the late Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor, who would take a potentially delicious fillet steak and place it on a piece of bread slathered with peanut butter. Harrington tried it but couldnt eat the concoction, despite being starving hungry.

"The steaks juices mix with the peanut butter in an unappealing, oily way. I have three bites then throw the rest out," she recalls. Legendary Thirties actress Greta Garbo dieted throughout her life, loved fad diets and was a great follower of self-styled doctor of natural science Gayelord Hauser, nutritionist to the stars.

Harrington found her regime strange, to say the least.

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"Some publications even speculated that the two were having an affair based around their shared love of disgusting food," Harrington observes.

She tried to follow Hausers principals - he believed that if you fuel your body with wonder foods, such as brewers yeast, wheat germ and molasses, you would live to be 100.

But finding edible yeast in the shops was difficult, although she found some in a health food store which she could sprinkle on cereal.

"Dinner was terrible, based on Hausers meal for Garbo the first night he met her - a veggie burger consisting of wild rice and chopped hazelnuts, mixed with an egg and fried in soybean oil, plus a dessert of broiled grapefruit with molasses in the centre." Harrington recalls that the veggie burger tasted predominantly of eggs, the hazelnuts were an unpleasant surprise and the grapefruit dessert tasted medicinal.

She says she gained wait on Cameron Diazs diet, because it was more about bodybuilding than shedding pounds, but that on Beyonces diet, she lost about 10lbs in 10 days.

"The problem is, you have to exercise for two hours a day, and I just couldnt fit that in and sustain it," she recalls.

She followed Beyonces Master Cleanse, which involved consuming only lemonade made out of cayenne pepper, lemons and grade-B maple syrup nine times a day. No food allowed.

"You also have to consume something called the salt water flush (salt water that you drink while looking at yourself in the mirror), which is supposed to help your digestive tract."

Among the worst of the diets was that adopted by Marilyn Monroe, Harrington reflects.

"That diet made you feel so bad because it was almost all cream. She was clearly a drug addict. She ate raw eggs for breakfast every day. I thought I might get salmonella. Then, after a meal shed have hot fudge sundaes."

In contrast, Victoria Beckhams Five Hands diet - where you eat only five handfuls of food a day and then declare yourself full - was a lesson in abstinence.

She started the first day with two eggs - small ones, as they had to fit into her palm.

"I realise how little a palm actually holds," she notes. "I do not have the self-control of Victoria. I didnt have a fruit plate instead of a cake for my birthday, like she did in 2012."

Learning from one of Beckhams autobiographies that she wears fake nails, Harrington considered following suit.

"In my most desperate moment on the Five Hands diet, I considered getting very long fake nails like Howard Hughes, just so my hand would be slightly longer and therefore able to accommodate more food. And then I remembered that this is really the palm diet. Nails dont matter. And I sobbed on the street."

In fact, she admits: "I wanted to die by the end of that diet. I felt constantly hungry."

So what is her overall verdict? Are celebrity diets best avoided all together?

"In some ways, the best thing you can do is to approach these diets moderately - take a hybrid approach to them," she says.

"I definitely pay more attention to what I put in my mouth, but dieting is so regimented, its sad. Yet theres this odd hopefulness to it," she adds.

She says that on most of the diets, she did lose weight, but gained it back almost immediately after eating a slice of pizza.

"I think the main thing I realised is how terribly hard it is to be an ideal woman at any time in history."

Ill Have What Shes Having by Rebecca Harrington, Virago, £8.99 - Buy it HERE

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/dieting-can-make-normal-food-seem-disgusting-30932556.html