Articles in the recipes Category
Just stopping by? Have you entered my latest contest (over a $200 value)? It ends tonight! Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.
Two of my latest product arrivals for review are Coconut Peanut Butter and Raw Honey from Tropical Traditions. (Of course, I’ll be doing a thorough review of each product in upcoming posts, but I had to share this recipe with y’all!)
Oh, and for raw foodie purists, the ONLY thing I can find that doesn’t make this breakfast recipe 100% raw is the fact that the peanuts in the coconut peanut butter have been roasted. Well, and I used boxed almond milk (you could make your own, raw almond milk though).
Before I share the recipe, I have to tell you that these two products are soooooooooooooo yummy!!!
A sneak peek to my upcoming review:
“The coconut peanut butter is amazing! It literally tastes like 50% coconut and 50% peanut butter in each bite. Although the consistency is runny, it really fills my mouth with explosions of flavor and healthy goodness. I’m a thick consistency/crunchy kinda gal but I’m LOVING this stuff. Really. I could eat it every day! And the raw honey is solid and needs to be scraped out or sat near a low heat to be softened but it is really sweet and fantabulous!”
Coconut Peanut Butter Honey Overnight Oats
1/3 cup oats (heaping)
2/3 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon Tropical Traditions raw honey
1 (small, very ripe) banana
Coconut Peanut Butter is runny, but DELISH!
Dump your oats in the bowl.
Pour almond milk in.
Add coconut peanut butter.
Add raw honey.
Mash in 1 small (really ripe) banana.
Stir, and refrigerate.
Note: Averie saves half her banana for adding as a topping the next morning. I just mashed the whole banana in.
Looks like this going in…
This Morning
After Stirring
I’ll admit, I’ve seen various concoctions of overnight oats all across the blogosphere and although they all look delicious, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of eating cold oatmeal for breakfast. Just sounds a little gross, doesn’t it?
I am not new to the idea of soaking oats overnight – I’ve done it for years (with steel-cut) but I’d always cook ‘em on the stove top the next morning.
And… I’m now a new overnight oats convert. I’ll be eating this often. It’s DELISH! Oh my gosh. If you’ve been hesitant to try it, you have to make this – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Plus, this is the PERFECT (healthy) breakfast for anyone who has to be up early and works outside the home. You can make your oatmeal the night before, grab it out of the fridge in the morning and gobble it up. Who says you can’t have a healthy breakfast if you work long, crazy hours??!! Overnight oats is a fantabulous solution for you!! 
And have you entered my latest contest yet? Prizes are valued at over $200!! And the contest closes at 9 p.m. (Central Time) TONIGHT. A winner will be chosen via random.org. There are TWELVE ways to enter. Hurry and get your entries in!
Coming Soon
Interview with the owner of ShimmerOrganics, my review of her raw beauty mask (plus a surprise for y’all!!) and lots more reviews and contests.
Oh, and guess what??!! I made a new batch of raw flax seed crackers – and they turned out this time! The recipe made 100. Eeek! I’ve been gobbling ‘em up and love every single taste! I’ll be sharing photos and everything in an upcoming post. Yay for raw flax seed crackers!!!
Your Turn
Do you make raw recipes often, or do you read raw blogs for inspiration and learning? Have you ever made overnight oats? What’s your favorite overnight oats combo? What did you think of eating ‘em cold? Let’s talk about it!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Just stopping by? Have you entered my latest contest (over a $200 value)? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.
You might remember the Excalibur dehydrator I was sent to review. I’ve been experimenting with it – just hadn’t posted about my adventures. Why? I’ve had quite a few “Raw Flops" goin’ on around here. Yep.
Upon a reader’s request (thanks, Beth!) I’ll be sharing my (un)cooking disasters in the new category: Raw Flops. But don’t worry, I have some rawsome stuff comin’ up, too!
And… here’s a story written in third person. Why? I guess I just kinda felt like writing about myself that way as I reflected on this dehydrating disaster. 
Raw Juice Girl’s Flax Flop
Once upon a time, in a raw fantasy world, lived a gal who dreamt of creating the bestest raw flax seed crackers ever. She put her flax seeds to soakin’ while thinking about all those health benefits: omegas, manganese, fiber, folate, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and Vitamin B6.
Those beautiful little seeds gettin’ their soak on just screamed healthy heart, blood pressure, bones, hair, skin, nails, colon, and so much more—like fighting cancer, diabetes, dry eyes, and hot flashes.
Oh my!
<insert dreamy (healthy) eyes here>
The Raw Food Revolution Diet
It felt like DAYS waiting the 8 hours for those seeds to soak. *looks around* Where’d Raw Juice Girl’s patience go? Someone stole it!
Cherie’s recipe called for 4 cups of chopped bell pepper (or tomato). Raw Juice Girl had neither so she used raw broccoli slaw instead. Oh, joy!
Next up, raw zucchini. Nope, none of that either! Enter: diced, raw apple.
Blend it all up, Cherie says.
Um, it looks like puke. That’s what she said.
Gotta have some seasoning! Yay for HimalaSalt samples (again, free – yummy – samples Raw Juice Girl was sent for review)…
Organic garlic salt
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Stir it all up!
Smear it on the dehydrator tray (with a liner).
Close-up
Score the mixture to make separated cracker lines.
The house smelled sooooooooooooooooo good while these crackers were (un)cooking!
105* for 12 hours, Cherie says
Raw Juice Girl leaped out of bed the next morning, with bright eyes and pep to her step. She ran into the kitchen like a child on Christmas morning expecting shiny, new flax seed crackers ready for flippin’.
Imagine her surprise when she opened the Dehydrator door and found this:
Flax Crackers Stuck to Wax Paper!!!
Raw Juice Girl wanted to just cry… 
And the saddest part? Raw Juice Girl managed to break off a teeny piece of cracker (without waxed paper attached!) and it tasted REALLY good.
*sigh*
The moral of this story, folks, is that Raw Juice Girl shoulda used parchment paper or waited ‘till she got some Excalibur non-stick, reusable sheets.
She was so blasted mad at that wax paper, she thought about eatin’ it but didn’t have an appetite after finding her ruined crackers! Humph!
See, Raw Juice Girl is real. She makes mistakes. She doesn’t have all the raw food stuff figured out. She’ll be your guinea pig, though. You can learn from her mistakes and get a few laughs along the way…
Stay tuned for more Raw Flops. This is a new category featuring Raw Juice Girl’s bloopers. You won’t want to miss a single post!
Resources:
WH Foods: Flax Seeds
Just tuning in? Be sure to get yourself entered in my latest contest (prizes are valued at over $200!!!). Also, check out Zeenat’s guest post about the healing benefits of onions. You might also enjoy my chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or my version of tuna fish-less salad.
Hi, y’all!
Today, I’m going to share with you my experience of making Averie’s Raw Vegan Chia Seed Pudding. You can find all sorts of variations she’s created by checking out her chia seed category over at Love Veggies & Yoga.
I was super excited the other day when I mentioned I received a package from NuNaturals.com.
Why, you ask? Well, of course, I’m excited to get creative with all their tasty products, but I was even MORE excited when I saw my RAWkin’ friend, Averie, included in the information packet.
You go, Averie!
And now it’s Raw Juice Girl’s turn to try her hand at Averie’s Raw Vegan Chia Seed Pudding.
I followed her recipe to a T. (View her chia seed variations here.)
2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
Almond Milk
Vanilla Stevia
Chia Gellin’
Gettin’ Thick!
All Thickened Up!
The amount of agave was too much for me – lots of sweetness! So, the next time I made myself some chia seed pudding, I used half the amount Averie does. She uses 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, and I cut it down to 1. Even that was too sweet for me, so now I just drizzle a little agave and it’s just right for me (kind of like the porridge from Goldilocks and the Three Bears!
But this is soooooooooooo delicious, y’all! If you’ve never made it – and you have the ingredients on hand – I urge you to stop what you’re doing and whip some up. Like, now! Seriously. It’s SO good!
Have you ever made raw, vegan chia seed pudding? Did you like it? Are you addicted to it yet? So far, I’ve enjoyed chia seed pudding as breakfast, and as a snack. YUM!
And guess what’s coming up? My chocolate version of chia seed pudding. It’s similar to Averie’s, but I put my own twist on this one. Can you guess what ingredient I used?
Stay tuned….
Before you scroll down to find out what takes the place of tuna in tuna (fish-less) salad, be sure to check out what I think about reversing diabetes in 30 days, plus my latest contest (over a $200 value!) and my chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls. You might also enjoy some naturopathic teaching in Zeenat’s guest post about the healing properties of onion.
Gone raw – or want to – but don’t want to give up your beloved tuna salad? No problem! Just check out my raw tuna fish-less salad below. YUM! Pretty close to the real thing, don’t ya think?
This is an especially nice meal or snack for someone who can’t stand the fish smell/taste. You get the benefits of tuna salad (protein, omegas,vitamins, minerals, etc.) but not the fishy aroma or flavor. And you’re even getting zinc from the sunflower seeds! (Oops! I spilled the beans!)
Raw Juice Girl’s Tuna Fish-Less Himala Salad Recipe:
1 1/2 cups finely ground sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped (I used about 3/4 of that small onion)
17 (soaked) cashews, roughly chopped
small handful raw sunflower seeds (I didn’t take time to soak these)
avocado (half in the mix, half sliced for serving)
freshly ground Himala pink sea salt (to taste)
Himala organic garlic salt (to taste)
freshly ground Himala black peppercorns (to taste)
Just enough water to make the consistency of tuna salad
(I had a cereal-sized bowl of leftovers.)
Note for next time I make this: It needs more onion and some pickles. If you like pickles in your tuna salad and aren’t worried about being 100% raw, you could add canned pickles. If you are worried about staying purely raw, you could make some “fridge pickles” as my friend, Beth, pointed out.
Mix it Together
Serve with your favorite, sliced veggies – or dehydrated flax seed crackers (those are coming up soon!). Of course, you could also smear it on bread and have a sandwich but I try to avoid the bread-like stuff. If I don’t, I look like dough.
And there you have it. What do you think? Does it look like the real thing to you? Have you ever made mock tuna salad? Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or do you try to cut back on your meat intake (some people consider fish to be meat)? This is a great recipe for you, too – even if you aren’t a high-raw foodie.
The best thing about this tuna fish-less recipe is that it’s free of soy, gluten, dairy, and harsh chemicals/preservatives.
Himala Samples
And a ginormous thank you to Melissa Kushi from Himala Salt for sending me these beautiful, delicious samples! A full review of each product (and the extremely eco-friendly company is coming in the near future!)
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out my review of E3Live and also my thoughts on BrainOn. And a huge thank you to the folks at www.E3Live.com for sponsoring the first contest where one LUCKY reader will be receiving a prize valued at over $200!
Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Mission
This post is in honor of Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Charity Page View Drive: Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness
Katie is doing a fantabulous job of spreading kindness. Let’s help her out!!
In honor of the chocolate theme (and y’all know how much I love chocolate!) I thought I’d share a few recipes. Only one is mine, but I think you’ll like the others I mention, too!
Chocolate-Covered Recipes
Katie has a long list of chocolate-covered recipes on her blog. You’ll want to browse through ‘em all! Not only will you come across delicious treats you can whip up for yourself and your family and/or friends, but you’ll be helping Katie raise money for charity while you’re looking!
For starters, you might enjoy perusing her Fudge Babies. Oh, yeah! If that isn’t enough to drive you chocolate bonkers, feast your eyes on All Things Oatmeal, Pancake Pandemonium, The Pudding Files, or the Most Popular. Of course, there are tons more. Enjoy!
Oh, and you might want to grab a napkin before you dig through her recipe archives – you just might drool!
Averie’s Chocolate Fudge Balls
The amazing Averie is always, always whipping up the most RAWsome Vegan desserts over at Love Veggies & Yoga. She creates the most decadent, sinful looking (yet healthy!!!) treats over there. She’s an incredible inspiration, from her years of yoga practice, to her ability to juggle day-to-day chaos with a toddler, she manages to be wife, momma, blogger, reviewer, keeps a spotless home, and even hosts contests for her readers! But back to those delicious desserts… Her latest: 3-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls
I haven’t tried Averie’s chocolate ball recipes yet, but I will soon.
Jocelyn’s Brownie Batter Balls
Jocelyn blogs at Jocelyn Eats Fresh. I’m sooooooooooooo proud of her because although her blog posts are often upbeat and inspiring, she’s worked very, very hard at overcoming an eating disorder. She is finding a beautiful balance of healthy foods and also allows herself to splurge sometimes on the not-so-healthy stuff so she won’t find herself feeling the need to go back to those old, harmful habits. She has an “everything in moderation” mentality and it’s working wonders for her body, mind, and soul. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out, and is losing weight the slow, right way. You’re doing a great job, Jocelyn. Keep up the great work!!!
Anyway, I knew I had to try out Jocelyn’s cool creation when I happened upon her Raw Chocolate Brownie Batter Balls. I didn’t have the exact ingredients she used, so I switched it up a little. Or, well, a lot!
And Raw Juice Girl’s version…
Chocolate-Covered Raisin Hemp Balls
This recipe made 14 chocolate balls. It probably would have made 16 or 17. Um… Oops!! *giggles*
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
- 6 tablespoons Dark Chocolate Hemp Powder (www.manitobaharvest.com)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon agave (or so)
I had to add a dash more almond flour and a little water to try to get the right consistency. I should have used the food processor, I think. I used the blender instead. Hmmmm…. Or, I needed to start with more liquid.
No worries… they turned out YUMMY!!!
Manitoba Harvest Chocolate Hemp
Oh my goodness y’all… The dark chocolate hemp powder from www.manitobaharvest.com is DIVINE!!! So far, I’ve enjoyed it in a smoothie and these chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls. It’s fantabulous to get your hemp protein in via chocolate. YUM-O!!!!!
You can expect a full review on the product itself in an upcoming post.
Roll the dough into balls
Then wash your hands!
And enjoy! Yum!!!
Good, and Good For You!
And that’s it! If you love chocolate-covered raisins, you’ll LOVE these chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls. You’re getting a chocolate (and a snack) fix!
AND hemp is full of whole food nutrition:
“ALL Essential Amino Acids (Protein), Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), and both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre.”– www.manitobaharvest.com
You’ll also be gobbling up antioxidants, boron, calcium, vitamin C, iron… (from the raisins). And the almonds are giving you manganese, vitamin E, magnesium, tryptophan, copper, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), phosphorus…
My goodness, that little chocolate-covered raisin hemp ball packs a powerful punch. I could take a beating (or two!) from these yummy treats. Yep, I could!!!
Don’t forget about Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Charity Page View Drive: Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness
Contest Alert!!!!
Katie (as in, Chocolate-Covered Katie I mentioned above) is having a Your-Choice Giveaway
Leslie (from Leslie Loves Veggies) is also having a contest: KALLARI Chocolate {Giveaway} 3 Winners
Win a mixed case of Chobani Greek yogurt over at The Actor’s Diet Blog.
And… don’t forget about the awesome giveaway I’m hosting. Prizes are valued at OVER $200!!!!
Latest Package for Review!
I have lots of awesome posts planned for these yummy products!!!
Visit www.NuNaturals.com to learn more about their line of sweeteners, extracts, and other health supplements.
Thank you, NuNaturals!!!
Resources:
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to enter Healing With (Raw) Juices’ latest contest for TWO containers of Amazing Grass – one is CHOCOLATE! (Thursday, October 22 is the last day to enter.) You can also use the code hwj (small J as in JUICE) for a 15% discount on your order, if you can’t wait. And a BIG thank you to Amazing Grass for sponsoring!
Fun Treats for Fall
Nathalie, at Raw Foods Witch, recently shared a new raw recipe video: How to Make a Festive Raw Pumpkin Pie Recipe. I love Nathalie. She’s fun, creative, informative, and I just adore her enthusiasm for raw living!
Cindy, from A Sparkle A Day, made us readers drool with her version of a healthy pancake. If you aren’t 100% raw/vegan, I’d definitely recommend you give this a try. I haven’t yet, but I will!
Love Veggies & Yoga? Averie sure does! This gal is RAWkin the blogosphere with her creative raw recipes. She has a passion for raw, vegan living and shares all sorts of recipes and tips–with pizzazz! One of her creations I’m lookin’ forward to making myself: Raw, Vegan Apple Crumble! Of course, Averie’s recipe archive is exploding over there, so dig through and find yourself some stuff to eat!
Mysti, of Life’s Approbations, shared her original recipe: Fall Perfection Pumpkin Muffins. This one isn’t raw or vegan, but is made with healthy ingredients! If you’re looking for a raw recipe from this gal, she offers that too at her new site, Dining Family: Sweet, Smooth and Cold! (And you’ll find a real little pumpkin at the end of that recipe!) UPDATED TO ADD: “Egg can be substituted out with 1/4 c applesauce and 1/8 tsp baking soda,” says Mysti. She wanted to share that for vegan readers. Thank you, Mysti!!!
I love pumpkin seeds, so Katy Joy’s recipe (from Raw People), sounds like a delicious treat. I’d like to make it sometime. Have you ever had Pumpkin Spice Milk?
And, here’s one of my recipes–that I haven’t enjoyed in quite a while!
Pumpkin Pie Yogurt
Ingredients:
- a container of organic, Greek yogurt (I love Oikos, but you could use raw, nut based yogurt)
- about 1/4 to 1/2 can of organic pumpkin (or raw)
- pumpkin pie spice
Stir pumpkin into your yogurt and sprinkle on as much pumpkin pie spice as you’d like.
Optional Toppings:
- trail mix
- granola
- raisins
- cranberries
- cookies
- raw pumpkin seeds (or nuts)
Do you have any favorite Fall recipes? Do you stay 100% raw in the Fall and Winter seasons, regardless, or do you stray and enjoy some warm (or other non-raw) comfort foods? Have you ever had the recipes I mentioned today? Do you plan on trying any of them? Hope you enjoy your weekend! Can you believe we’re half-way through October??!!
Want to REALLY enhance your recipes?? Enter the contest for NuttZo over at An Apple A Day blog! Hurry, contest ends soon!
Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ve also been working on a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out Healing With (Raw) Juices’ latest contest for an 8 ounce bag of Raw Chia Seeds–thanks toNavitasNaturals.com for sponsoring!
Navitas Natural Delivery!
I was super excited when I received this package from NavitasNaturals.com . Today I’m focusing on the Organic Superfood Chocolate Kit–but take a look at that eco-friendly canteen!!! Eeeeek!!!
Craving Chocolate
Ever had a craving for chocolate but didn’t want to spend a lot of time–and make a big mess–in order to enjoy some? Okay, it’s true, you can just make a quick visit to the store and pick up whatever chocolate you want. And, with the Web’s convenience, you can shop ’till your heart’s content and order anything that appeals to your eyes–and tummy!
But if you’re wanting the fun (and healthy!) experience of whipping up some organic, raw, delicious chocolate candy in just a few minutes, without wrecking your whole kitchen, then Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Kit is for you!
Organic Superfood Chocolate Kit
This is a super fun kit. It comes with 3 ingredients! Who can’t whip up 3 ingredients, eh? And, besides, the directions are easy and precise–you get to take a class right off the box: Chocolate School 101. Does that mean I have a degree in Chocolate now? Oh, how very RAWsome!
Chocolate School 101
First, they told me to sit a smaller bowl into a larger bowl that had hot water (for melting the cacao butter via the raw method). You can also nuke it or use a double boiler but you’ll be zapping the nutrient value.
Melting Cacao Butter
Cacao Butter All Melted
It doesn’t take long and it’s all melted!
Add Organic Chocolate Powder
Then you add the organic chocolate powder and stir, stir, stir!
Stir
Stir
Stir Some More
All Stirred Up
Just take a look at that raw chocolate. Eeeek!
At this point, you can drizzle in a tablespoon of agave syrup or some other sweetener. I didn’t. So the chocolate had more of a dark chocolate taste in the end. I’m more of a milk chocolate gal so I think I’d add sweetener next time but I still really enjoyed the taste of this chocolate–which surprised me, considering I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate.
In to the Ice Tray
Close-Up
Pour your melted chocolate into an ice tray (Raw Juice Chocolate Girl got a little messy–I never said I wouldn’t!)
No More Chocolate!
Raw Juice Girl also CHEATED and licked some chocolate right off that spoon! YUM-O! It’d be good drizzled over Gena’s banana soft serve.
Frozen, Raw Chocolate
After I popped that ice tray in the freezer, I almost forgot about it (ahem, I was busy uploading photos and working on reviews and contests like a good blogger)!
Chocolate Ice Cube!
See the Goji Berries?!
Nutritional Info
From the site:
Healthy Homemade Chocolates
Navitas Naturals Chocolate Kits contain everything you need for an authentic chocolate alchemy experience – including 100% Navitas Naturals superfood ingredients. Enjoy this chocolatey blend with goji berries: a synergistic combination of exciting power ingredients that’s packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, essential minerals, and is sugar and dairy free. Each synergistic combination of exciting power ingredients is packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, essential minerals, and is sugar and dairy free.
Source and Processing
We carefully source each ingredient from indigenous regions around the world, honoring the traditions of the ancient cultures, and using minimal processing techniques to ensure maximum nutritional benefits. Our products are of the highest quality, sourced directly from farmers, cultivated sustainably and in accordance with fair trade standards. Navitas Naturals Chocolate Kits are 100% organic, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, and raw.
Verdict/Grade?
This kit is simple, precise, and so fun to make. I felt like a kid again! The ingredients are organic, and you’re loading up on antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients–all the good stuff! Another bonus is that the only dishes you dirty up are 2 bowls, 1 spoon, and an ice tray and you end up with 12 pieces of quality chocolate. And I had leftover goji berries that I can add to steel-cut oatmeal or a smoothie! So, this baby gets TWO thumbs up from Raw Juice Girl. That’s an A+ in my (RAW) book!
Oh, and it retails for $9.99 (USD) per kit. So you’re essentially paying $10 for 12 pieces of quality, organic, raw, superfood candy!
So, what do you think? Is this something you’d like to try? Have you already used this neat little chocolate kit? What did you think? What’s your favorite chocolate, and your favorite way to eat it? Do tell, I’m craving your answer!
Latest Navitas Natural Arrival–Reviews Coming Up!
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out Healing With (Raw) Juices’ latest contest for an 8 ounce bag of Raw Chia Seeds–thanks to NavitasNaturals.com for sponsoring!
Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!
Pancake, that is!
Yep, a real, genuine, prepared-in-a-skillet-with-sizzling-olive oil-plus-real-butter pancake!
I woke up this morning with a crazy craving for pancakes. I haven’t eaten pancakes in forever. I try to stay away from things like that not only because of the carbs but because it’s like bread and my body doesn’t do well eating much bread–even if it’s a healthier version. But today I thought “why not splurge and live a little?” So, today I made myself a pancake!
There was a box of fiber pancake mix in the pantry. It called for 1 cup of the dry mix to 2/3 cup water. That’s it. Here’s how I made it even healthier: I filled up the measuring cup a little more than the 3/4 mark and then poured in ground flax until it reached the 1 cup mark. Then I mixed that together really well so the flax would be throughout the pancake mix. Then I added the water.
I added a little olive oil and a dab of real butter to the heated skillet and once it was sizzling, I poured in my pancake batter. This made 4 good-sized pancakes (not really huge). I only ate one, though! The rest went to family.
The Toppings
I gently placed that beautiful, fluffy pancake into a plate and decided on the toppings: a dab of real butter, a blob of almond butter, and drizzles of agave syrup. Oh my, so DELISH!
See for yourself…
YUM!
The Healthy Part
Flax seeds are small but are bursting at the seams with goodies our bodies are crying out for. They’re anti-inflammatory, help us have strong bones, and are good little soldiers for fighting cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. They also promote a healthy bowel and help reduce hot flashes in menopausal women by a whopping 60%!!! Does blood pressure problems run in your family or do you already have trouble with yours? Add flax seeds to your diet to help prevent and/or control your blood pressure levels. The omega-3 fatty acid in flax seeds helps dry eyes, too!
Besides the omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds contain:
- manganese
- fiber
- magnesium
- folate
- copper
- phosphorus
- vitamin B6
Awesome!
So, yeah, my pancake may not have been raw but I’m not 100% raw right now. I’m trying to live just a little without being too harsh on myself. I think this breakfast was A-OK!
UPDATED TO ADD:
Some of you were interested in carb count and other nutritional information. I double checked and what I used was the Fiber One brand. The more I read the box, the more I realized it’s more processed than what I like; however, if I had read it beforehand, I wouldn’t have enjoyed my Sunday pancake so I guess I’ll forgive and move on.
Here’s the nutritional information you all asked for. (I about passed out when I noticed the sodium. Ack!)
And for those of you who try to keep it low carb, you probably won’t be happy with the 36 grams of carbs this has. There are 5 grams of fiber so that cancels out some of the carbs and leaves you with 31–still quite a large number for a low-carber. But there are other flours and probably mixes, too. Since I stay away from foods like this, I’m really not up-to-date with all the latest and/or healthiest versions of processed mixes out there. Anyone want to chime in?
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to catch up and check out the first guest post to ever appear on Healing With (Raw) Juices—Dehydrator Recipes: Healthy Kids’ Snacks, written by Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger. Thank you for sharing your creations with us, Mysti!
I have LOTS of reviews and contests coming up, so you’ll definitely want to subscribe if you haven’t already!
Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!
Resource:
WH Foods – Flax Seeds
Note from Raw Juice Girl: In case you’re just tuning in, I wanted to bring you up-to-date by sharing (as I did in my last post) that I’m now the proud, new owner of a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator. I’m beyond ecstatic; I’m overwhelmed with joy, gratitude, and so much more! So, I asked around to see if anyone had any favorite dehydrator recipes to share with me and I started getting emails. Then I started thinking: guest posts! The following guest post is one of those emails and I asked the author of that email, Mysti, if she’d be okay with sharing with you all what she shared with me. She said yes! Now, instead of keeping her awesome recipes to myself–you get to enjoy them, too! And, how very special that she’s the author of the first guest post to ever appear here on Healing with (Raw) Juices! (And for those of you who are 100% raw and/or Vegan, honey is listed as one ingredient on the granola bars. You could use agave or raw honey there. While Mysti isn’t a raw foodist or even a vegetarian, I commend her for eating a high amount of veggies and fruit and always finding creative ways to bring healthy sustenance to her family’s table.)
Guest Post By Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger
I jumped last year to buy a dehydrator. I absolutely love it! I don’t think I could imagine my life without it, truthfully.
I have one of the pickiest eaters in the world. It’s not his fault, but the foods that once brought terror into our lives with allergic reactions limited his diet early on and now that he has outgrown those allergies, we struggle to incorporate anything outside of his toddler years “norm.” Having struggled so much, I looked high and low to find ways to bring more healthy foods into our oldest son’s diet and the dehydrator I bought last year has been vital in that process.
Fruit Roll Ups purchased from the store are filled with sugars and preservatives. Making your own roll ups takes a bit of practice, but once mastered adds a new way to enjoy the goodness of fresh fruits (and vegetables!) in a not-so-healthy way.
My favorite recipes are:
Tropical Rolls
- 4 C Bananas
- 1 Orange, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 C Pineapple chunks
- Fruit Roll Sheets or Parchment/Wax paper
- Oil
Puree fruits together in a blender until smooth, but thick. Take the fruit roll sheets or wax paper and lightly dust with oil for ease of removing once dry. Spread the fruit puree about 1/4 inch thick on the sheets and dry at 120-135 degrees F for 4-8 hours, until moisture is removed.
Apple Strawberry Rolls
- 2 C Strawberries
- 2 C Applesauce
- Fruit Roll Sheets or Parchment/Wax paper
- Oil
Puree fruits together in a blender until smooth, but thick. Take the fruit roll sheets or wax paper and lightly dust with oil for ease of removing once dry. Spread the fruit puree about 1/4 inch thick on the sheets and dry at 120-135 degrees F for 4-8 hours, until moisture is removed.
We love granola and granola bars in our house. You can get quite creative with combinations of items that you have on hand or readily available. The basics are covered below.
Granola/Granola bars
- 5 C Rolled oats
- 2 C dried fruit (apples, raisins, dates, bananas, etc)
- 1 C crushed nuts
- 1/2 C wheat germ
- 1/2 C flax or sesame seeds
- 3/4 C brown sugar
- 3/4 C butter (melted)
- 1/2 C honey or agave
- 1/4-1/3 C Olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Solid dehydrator sheets or wax paper
Combine all the ingredients, mixing well. Spread onto dehydrator sheets and dry at 130-150 degrees F for 3-5 hours, until crunchy.
If you would prefer granola bars, form into shape before placing in dehydrator.
As with everything that you dehydrate, you must remember to store in air-tight containers. We prefer to use vacuum sealed bags personally. Anything kept at room temperature will keep for two-four weeks. If frozen, it will keep for up to six months.
Playing with your dehydrator is fun, exciting and an amazing experiment!! You will find combinations of foods that serve yourself and your family better than others. It’s all about preference!
Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger is a wife, mother, and amazingly creative (and healthy!) chef for her family and friends. She’s also a freelance writer with an edge on parenting, health and inspiration. You can find her on the web at www.lifesapprobation.com or email her at mysti2009 at gmail dot com.
Thank you, Mysti, for sharing your dehydrated creations with us! I recommend you visit Mysti’s blog there. I’m a HUGE fan. Mysti shares her life so openly and honestly. And sometimes she shares recipes with special stories about why they’re a part of her family’s meal time. I personally compare her site to Chicken Soup for the Soul stories–it’s aweosme!
Do you have favorite dehydrator recipes you’d like to share? They don’t have to be 100% raw to qualify for a guest post, but I’d like to focus on creations using veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, superfoods, etc. Contact me for guest posts similar to this one. Unless I’m totally bombarded, I’ll try to respond soon and let you know if your post qualifies. If approved, I’ll contact you requesting a short bio, a bio photo, and link to your blog/website if you have one.
Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!
First, I’d like to remind you about TWO contests I currently have running:
- Food Matters DVD Review + Contest. (Contest ends Thursday, August 27th. There are SIX ways to win!!)
- Detox 4 Women (by Natalia Rose) Review + Contest (Contest ends Friday, August 28th. There are SIX ways to win!)
Let’s Talk Chocolate!
You may remember the other day when I posted my chocolate avocado pudding experiment (it turned out delish!) or yesterday when I posted my Chocolate-Vanilla Hemp Bliss Shake recipe.
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
I’ve always had a great love for chocolate. Growing up, I’d always lean toward the German Chocolate cake, Snickers candy bar, or even an Almond Joy. Now, after losing over 100 pounds and focusing on a high-raw, whole foods diet, I tend to hold those forms of chocolate a distant memory–other than a rare, rare occasion when I go bonkers and splurge (like on my birthday).
But there’s bound to be a way for a girl to enjoy her chocolate in a healthy way, right? A way other than a tiny square of dark chocolate (which I really don’t like all that much, by the way). I’ve always been more of a milk chocolate gal myself. (See my dilemma here?)
Enter: Heather’s Gluten-Free Blog
I’ve been a fan of Heather Strang’s blog for a while now. Although I didn’t really intend on being gluten-free, I suppose I am–other than an occasional splurge. My diet basically consists of a foundation of TONS of raw veggies, a little fruit (mostly berries), nuts, seeds, nut butters, organic Oikos Greek yogurt, and sometimes organic farm fresh eggs (from either my farm, or my neighbor’s).
Back to Heather’s blog…
I’m subscribed to Heather’s blog via email and saw this recipe a while back: Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free RAW Chocolate recipe.
I was really excited when I saw it because it looked delicious, seemed totally simple to whip up, and it was HEALTHY! Things got busy, though, and I either had other stuff to do or didn’t have one or other of the ingredients.
The other day I finally ended up with some free time and realized I had ALL the ingredients Heather used for this recipe. Yay!
Note: I made my recipe a little differently than Heather’s.
Getting Things Ready
Ready to Mix
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Heather’s recipe called for a blender or food processor. I don’t have a blender anymore (mine died )so I just whipped it up the old-fashioned way. Hey, it works! 
Stirred + Poured
With Chopped Pecans on Top
(I just sprinkled enough to cover the top–I didn’t measure ‘em.)
Heather didn’t add nuts to her chocolate recipe but chocolate isn’t chocolate without nuts, in my opinion.
In the Freezer
(…)
Waiting
(…)
1 1/2 hours later….
Out of the Freezer
Cut in to Pieces
Hands-On Chocolate
We Hated It!
(Like you believe that?!)
Verdict?
Um, I’ll be making this recipe until I’m 100 and can find the ingredients–and hopefully know what they’re for!
Seriously, though, this was delish! It was kind of like fudge, I think. It was soft, but had a firm texture (it doesn’t fall apart!). I can totally see this as something you could make for a Christmas party or some other party or event. In my opinion, it definitely rocks!
And… the reason it left so fast is because I shared it with some folks. I’d say they liked it too, wouldn’t you?
I, of course, tasted the chocolate in its liquid form before it went into the freezer. I’m thinking it would be YUM just like that, drizzled over Gena’s banana soft serve.
Off to freeze me some nanners!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing
by Dr. Bruce Fife
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
First, I’d like to remind you about the current contest I have running: The Bolder Mat Company Yoga Mat + Stacy McCarthy’s Yoga DVD. (Contest ends Wednesday, August 19th. There are SEVEN ways to win!!)
For the longest, I’ve been meaning to make Angela’s raw chocolate pudding (which is RAW and VEGAN) but have never got around to it until today. Gosh, have I EVER been missing out! Seriously. This chocolate pudding is the best stuff–and it’s WAY healthier than the chocolate I ate on my birthday!
Note: Since I added the organic Oikos Greek yogurt, my recipe isn’t raw or vegan like Angela’s. If you’d prefer it to be, head on over to her site (linked above) and use her recipe. If you don’t mind the yogurt, feel free to make mine! (I am going to try it without the yogurt next time. I think I added too much cocoa powder this time, or maybe it was an after taste from the agave nectar. Ya think? Should I try a different Agave? Any suggestions on that?)
Organic Blue Agave
Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Extract, Agave
Into the Food Processor
4 avocados (forgot to photo them separately, sorry!)
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder (I used the Certified Organic NOW brand)
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of water
All Combined
It tasted TOO chocolate-y. Does that make sense? So I added a 5.3 ounce container of organic Vanilla Oikos Greek yogurt to try to mellow it out some….
After the Oikos
Scraped Clean
Into a Container
(Notice the recipe on the fridge in the background for lots of future use!)
Creamy Chocolate Heaven
Half a Banana, Sliced
With Chocolate Pudding On Top!
Yum-O!!
(This chocolate lovin’ girl is H-A-P-P-Y!!!)
How’d your Sunday go? After I made this awesome chocolate pudding, I cleaned out the fridge and between fridge veggies and stuff from the garden, I juiced up a few containers of raw juice. I’ll post about it next. I thought you’d love taking a peek at my avocado chocolate pudding adventure! Hope you did!
Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life PLUS get to enter all sorts of awesome contests! 
