EASY Raw Seed Cookies

Raw Seed Cookies Ingredients:

10 medjool or honey dates pits removed

¼ cup of almonds or pecans ( I prefer pecans)

3 tbsp flax seeds

3 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp sunflower seeds

3 tbsp poppy seeds

Small handful of dried cranberries (if you like :)

Small handful of organic raw dark chocolate chips or my personal fave ... add 3 tbsp of grated coco butter ( SO YUMMY !!!)

dash of cinnamon

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Now if you don't have any of the above ings. (EXCEPT THE DATES) don't worry .... be creative ! any seed will do the trick .... more of one ... less of another whatever you are in the mood for ! even a little coconut would be great !

So throw all this yummy live food in your food processor with the S blade and pulse till a dough like mixture is formed. ( you can add a little honey or agave or a few more dates if you find your mixture won't stay formed )

Next just take little teaspoons full of dough and form into a ball ... flatten slightly in your hand and place on a plate ( or whatever you like) then place them in the fridge for an hour or so.

Next .... enjoy.

Easy and the kids love them !!

Happy snacking !

Water ....

Just a quick tip for further water enjoyment ...

Spice it up a little !

In this water I had lime ( that I spiral sliced for beauty ;) and some lightly crushed mint leaves.

Some other suggestions are :

any citrus fruit , lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges etc.

cucumber sliced long like ribbons, and some frozen honey dew melon balls

lightly crushed basil leaves, with frozen strawberries ( whole)

fresh lavender, again crushed a little in your hand, and lemon slices

the list goes on and on ....

The idea is to drink as much water as you can .... and not hate every sip ! Switch it up a little !

Happy refreshment !

Green smoothie tip ....

OK so do I bore you yet with all my green smoothie talk ?? Well too bad ! Green smoothies ROCK and we don't get enough raw green in us every day ( well perhaps the kids at my daycare .... but the rest of the world .. hehe)

Today just a few tips !

So tip #1) Switch up your greens !! People love spinach in smoothies .... but too much of a good thing is not good for you ! You need to rotate your greens.

So : spinach, kale (spines removed), collard greens (spines removed), swiss chard (spines removed) , beet greens, any lettuce mix at all, cabbage, parsley, mint, basil, on and on and on !! Mix it up people !! If it is green you can blend it up !! Remember if you don't have a Vitamix chop your green stuff so ya don't blow your motor ;)

tip #2) DON"T THROW OUT YOUR OLD FRUIT, OR YOUR FRUIT REMAINS !!

What I mean by that is this .... if you have some fruit that is not getting eaten and it is a bit to ripe for enjoying .... cut into squares and freeze on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and throw it in your next smoothie. Pears and bananas often don't get eaten in time and they are smoothie fare for sure. Also I peel apples for the kids ( I find they eat them better peeled ) then I put the peels in a bowl in the freezer for smoothies ! They are so flavourful and colorful just hard to chew up .... so blend em !! I do the same with strawberry tops .... eat the red part .... freeze the green part for smoothie :)

top # 3) the last one for now .... when your tummy is full ... but there is still smoothie in the blender ... put it in ice pop molds for tomorrow. A frozen treat to enjoy and no wasted green goodness !

That's all for now .....

Happy Blending !!

PS I added a pic of what one of our smoothies looks like pre blending !! Pretty beautiful eh ??

:)

Easy Raw Creamy Zuchini Sauce (or dip if ya like)

So this sauce is something I would have on a zucchini cut into pasta ( I have a spiral cutter but you can use the grater on your food processor to make shorter ones too .... still YUMMY) or I would have it over warmed broccoli. Ideally you would very lightly steam or blanch your broccoli or even better throw them in the dehydrator for an hour or two. Personally I drizzle my broccoli in olive oil and place it in the dehydrator, and it had a gorgeous bright lightly steamed consistency. If you do steam ( do it for only 2 mins and them rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process) and if you blanch ( immerse in boiling water for 30 seconds and again rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.)

Not everyone has a dehydrator but it is a small investment for a cheap one ( I bought one at Canadian Tire for 50 $ !!) Im in the market for a really good one, but I am using mine almost every day. A dehydrator allows you to create warm yummy food that is not cooked. Because you are not raising the temp past a certain point ( the point where enzymes begin to die )

So back to yummy goodness :

All you do is this ....

Combine 1 cup zucchini, 1/2 a red pepper, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, 1.5 tbls of Tamari soy sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp Flax or olive oil, 1.5 tbls Chia seeds, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tsp of turmeric all in your Vita mix or food processor and push go !! Blend for a while till everything is all creamy and enjoy !!

Like I said over broccoli or zucchini is my fave but the kids eat it as a dip as well. This is also one of the few nut free creamy sauces I make so kids can enjoy it in there school lunches as well.

Healthy raw and DELICIOUS.

I encourage my family to try new and healthy things all the time, and I don't try to pass any of it off for a substitution .... just a new yummy food. I would not tell the kids it was cheese sauce ..... just a yummy creamy sauce.

I find this to taste like a roasted red pepper cream sauce ( delish !)

Happy eating !

Eating Raw.

Well I am learning about a new way to think about food. I know raw is good for you .... but why is it so much better for you ? Well it is all in the enzymes baby. I am going to be sharing some interesting ( AND DELICIOUS ) new recipes for you to try at home... and they are all raw !!
I have some raw banana, coconut, walnut cookies in my dehydrator right now !
I want to leave you with this thought .... you take a raw organic sunflower seed and you take it and plant it in the ground, and you grow a beautiful sunflower !! That energy and potential for life is there because the enzymes are alive ..... the sunflower seed is alive !!
Now do something that many of us do .... take that sunflower seed and roast it with a little sea salt to make a healthy and yummy snack, and what have you done to it ??? If you put it in the ground now what will it do ? Not grow that's for sure ! It will simply rot. Because it is in fact dead. THe potential for life is gone when it is heated past a certain point :( So in thinking that many of the "healthy foods" we consume are dead the question in what are we depriving our bodies of ?? Where are the living enzymes we were supposed to be eating ?

So to follow my rant I will put up some easy and yummy healthy raw snacks and meals to try at home ! Raw does not have to mean a bowl of naked salad ... lol !!

Info to follow

B.

Saving money on fruit !!

Well we all know that fruit is so important to us, and to our children ... well how do we buy fresh and beautiful fruit for our children, and ourselves, (and our daycares) and get the most for our money ??

Well I don't have all the answers ..... but I do have a few good tips !

#1) Buy local when things are in season. No brainer right ?? Well I am always amazed to see children munching on apples that have been shipped to Canada in the fall !! Seriously it happens. Why eat something that was ripened on a truck back, when you can but local fresh picked apples right in our own back yards ?

Did you know that because apples (and other things) cold store so well I have seen Ontario apples for sale in stores in the middle of the winter !!

So try to stock up on local produce, and make that the focus of your children's snacks. I bake apple, or carrot, or pumpkin goodies in the fall ... all local and organic :)

In the spring rhubarb muffins it is .... and on and on.

** and it is no secret how I feel about picking your own. Children respect food so much more if they understand it comes from the earth, and from the farmer's hard work ... not just the store ... lol !!

Tip #2) Buy stuff that you can freeze when it is on sale ! I will use for example ... grapes.

Grapes are either really cheap ... or like 8$ a bag !! So when they are on sale I but a BUNCH and clean up some to go in a bowl to munch on as is ... and the rest I cut in half and freeze on cookie sheets and put in Zip lock bags (or vacuum sealer bags if you have a sealer).

Grapes are like candy when frozen .... and are wonderful in smoothies ;)

And last tip) When you bring strawberries home .... take them out of the container and hull them right away. Kids waste SO much if you let them eat around the greens ..... then save the green part for a smoothie !! NOTHING WSTED. Just freeze on a cookie sheet and put in a bag to throw in your next smoothie !!!

Well those were the major tips I had been wanting to share ... if you have any for me lemme know in the comments box !!

Happy munching ;)

B.

Yummy breakfast smoothie (for grown ups ;)

I know grapefruit is one of the best fruits to eat for beauty. Clear skin, cellulite reduction, shot of vitamin C ... well you get the picture. I love to eat them for breakfast .... but I am trying to have a smoothie every day for breakfast instead of cut up fruit.

It is easier for your body to absorb the nutrients from blended fruit. Also I find if I make a large smoothie I will sip it through the morning and it is satisfying right till lunch time !!

Ingredients are :

2 large grapefruit (any kind will do .... but I like pink )

2 oranges

1 cup frozen grapes (these little gems add some pretty colour and sweetness without using any sugar !)

and water to get your machine going.

So .... blend ... pour .... and enjoy !!

Now you could add a little Romaine or spinach to this, and the flavours would remain the same (pretty much) but I really like the look of a breakfast smoothie without it. Lunch + spinach for me. But I am having smoothies 2x per day. If this would be your only smoothie of the day I would throw in a handful of your favourite greens for sure !!

Let me know if you try this yummy wake you up smoothie !!

Happy blending !!

B.