Articles with the vegan Tag

Happy Monday, fantabulous foodies!!!

Hope your weekend was RAWsome! Here we are – another Meatless Monday.

Just for the record, I didn’t start participating in Meatless Monday because I eat meat six days a week. I eat a high-raw (mostly) vegan/vegetarian diet – except for occasional honey, Greek yogurt, eggs, or a teeny bit of fish.

I thought it would be nice to show those of you who DO eat quite a bit of meat – especially if you eat it daily – that you can absolutely dedicate one day each week to being meatless. And that it doesn’t have to be tasteless or boring or all about just lettuce.

And I hope those of you who eat like me already enjoy the posts and maybe even pick up some new ideas along the way.

Anyway…

It really blesses my soul that you’re loving my recipe creations!

Here’s some of the most recent ones, in case you’ve missed ‘em:

• Rainbow Grass
• Black Smoothie
• Raw Rainbow Wraps

Here’s a sneak peek of what today’s post is about….

But before I get in to that, let’s talk about my last post.

Wow. Y’all really loved my Spiralized Apple Pasta with Nutty Sauce. Thanks for all your lovely comments, and for letting me know whether or not you have a spiralizer, if you want one, and what you’ve spiralized. I enjoyed the conversation!

I made Ani Phyo’s Sun Burgers a while back. This was before I got her book. I found the recipe on her blog (here <—was going to link to it but now I can’t find it???) but if you decide to buy the book, it’s on pages 194 –195. And it’s become one of my favorite raw recipe books: Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes.

And since I found it on the web, I printed it out and clipped it up on the chain that goes to the light above the kitchen table, with clothes pins (hehe). Guess that’s the country in me.

Sunflower Seeds

Chopped Celery

Bell Pepper

Flax (I sell high-quality flax in my Raw Shop!)

Scored to make 4 patties (like Rachael Ray does it!)

I actually tasted the mixture before putting it in to the dehydrator and thought it needed to be kicked up a notch. So, I added some organic Mexican Seasoning I had on hand and that did the trick for me!

In the Dehydrator (Also in my Raw Shop!) 

After this, I decided to pop ‘em back in the dehydrator for a bit to get it a little more browned, ‘cause that’s how I like my veggie burgers. And I ate it without bread, with sliced tomato, ‘cause I’m like that.

And what’s the eco-friendly twist?

You can whip up some raw veggie burgers for yourself and use the super-cool Easy Lunch Box System for fun, easy – and green! – transporting. Take it to work, school, a picnic, or on a trip. I really love mine!

You can read my (in-depth) review HERE.

Have you ever made homemade veggie burgers? Did you dehydrate ‘em, fry ‘em, or bake ‘em? Do you have a dehydrator? What’s your favorite veggie(s) to add to veggie burgers? Do you stick with store-bought ones? Which do you prefer: store-bought  or homemade veggie burgers? Me: homemade all the way!

And…

Have you entered my Aurorae Yoga-sponsored giveaway?

Happy Monday, y’all!

Hope you had a fantabulous and blessed weekend!

I’m thrilled you’re so excited about my Black Grass Smoothie Concoction. Can’t wait to find out how you like it!

And now for the Meatless Monday theme…

Why Meatless Monday?

I’ve been mostly meatless for the past several years (everything from 100% raw and not eating meat at all, to high-raw and having a little salmon, tuna, or small amount of local bison), but I’ve never joined in on the “Meatless Monday” movement. No time like the present, eh?!

Besides, I’ve been really enjoying Recycle Your Day’s Meatless Monday posts for a while now. I’m going to do my best to participate each Monday!

At first, I thought I’d have to skip my first Monday because everything I thought of was either a) boring or b) something I’ve already posted about – such as:

• Tuna Fish-Less Salad
• Chicken-Less Salad
• Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti

I know a lot of you have heard read me singing the praises of my latest favorite drink (Rainbow Grass) a LOT lately, right? If not, you can check out my post about it (and nab the free recipe here).

Check out the benefits of chard!

“If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be one of the vegetable valedictorians. The vitamin and mineral profile of this leafy green vegetable contains enough "excellents" to ensure its place at the head of the vegetable Dean’s List. Our rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.” – WH Foods

So, I’ve been drinking the Rainbow Chard – but I haven’t been eating it. Of course, I’ve eaten it before (a lot) but I’ve been consuming it via jar – and my fave, eco-friendly, glass straws – so far this year. Best thing? It’s growing in my garden! Fresh, raw, heirloom, organic rainbow chard. YUM!

And as I pondered how I’d wow y’all with a fantabulous Meatless Monday recipe, it happened: I was struck with the inspiration for…

Raw Rainbow Wraps

Tuna Fish-Less Salad plopped in to a chard leaf

Rolled Up & Ready to Eat!

Wanna bite?

Raw Rainbow Wraps Recipe

Ingredients:

• Rainbow Chard leaves (freshly washed)
• Tuna Fish-Less Salad

Directions:

1. Fill rainbow chard leaves with Tuna Fish-Less Salad.
2. Wrap and roll like a tortilla.
3. Enjoy!

Note:

I added a tad bit more water to this batch of Tuna Fish-Less Salad than I did when I posted about it before. It would have been easy to fix that (just add a little more ground flax and/or sunflower seeds) but I decided I liked this consistency a lot and it was great for oozing in to the crevices of the chard leaves. Yum!

You could also fill these beauties with any of the following yumilicious creations…

Jalapeno Hummus

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Chicken-Less Salad

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Meatless Monday Questions:

1. For those of you who aren’t vegan or vegetarian: Do you like to sometimes have meatless meals – or even entire days?

2. And for those of you who ARE vegan or vegetarian: What’s your favorite meat(less) inspired meal?

3. Do you participate in Meatless Monday? Do you allow yourself to eat a little meat (if it’s clean/local/organic, etc.) or do you just eat meat like you always have and don’t really think about it?

4. Would you try any of these recipes? And what do you think about the Rainbow Chard Wraps? These are yummy, quick and easy to make, and fun to eat! Are you inspired to try them? Have you ever tasted rainbow chard? What do you think about the benefits of chard, listed above?

5. Have you ever eaten raw rainbow chard? Did you like it or hate it?

Chime in… I just love your juicy comments!

References:

WH Foods: Swiss Chard

Hi, y’all!

For those of you who celebrated, I hope you had a blessed Easter holiday – I most certainly did!

Remember a while back, when I shared the news with you about my new partnership with OpenSky? No? Okay, here’s an excerpt from that post:

Why I HEART OpenSky

I quickly fell in love with OpenSky and what they’re doing. What exactly are they doing, you ask?

OpenSky is bringing old-fashioned charm to Internet shopping. They are creating harmony for bloggers, readers, shoppers, and merchants. They are opening the door to a warm, inviting shopping experience; one that will be memorable, enjoyable — and so fun that you’ll want to do it again and again!

I am super excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with OpenSky to host a giveaway! Details are at the end of this post, but don’t skip the middle; there’s some good stuff – including a free recipe for my latest raw, vegan smoothie concoction: The Cabbage Patch! It’s smooth, clean, and delish. Perfect for a warm Spring day!

I will share the prize with you, though: a 12-speed Oster Blender! Eeeek! If you love smoothies, raw chocolate pudding, banana soft serve, raw crackers, raw nut milks, etc., you’ll love the Oster Blender. Why Oster? Well, my Oster Blender (which happens to be 10-speed) was a gift from one of my favorite people in the whole world – one of my aunts. She passed her (very) gently used blender on to me when she found out mine had burnt up. I was elated! Seriously, I was in smoothie withdrawal!

12-Speed Oster Blender

At first, I thought the Oster Blender might not be a very good one. Honestly, I had my doubts regarding its ability to whip up thick, creamy smoothies – or whatever else I concocted.

I was wrong to doubt!

My Oster Blender does a fantabulous job of chomping ice until it’s smooth and blending ingredients beautifully. I’ve yet to be disappointed – and I use it a lot.  It’s super easy to clean, fun to use, and I highly recommend it – especially if you love smoothies and raw creations as much as I do!

Some things I’ve made in my Oster include:

Raw Flax Crackers

Chocolate-Banana Avocado Pudding

Pearadise Smoothie 

Chocolate-Covered (Tart) Cherry Smoothie

Happy Hemp Smoothie

Raw Cashew Milk (!!!)

Voila: Raw Cashew Milk

What’d I do with my fresh cashew milk? Make a smoothie, of course!

Banana + cabbage, anyone?

Enter: The Cabbage Patch

See the hint of green color??

Cabbage Patch Smoothie

Cabbage Patch Smoothie Recipe

Serves one

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashew milk (1/2 cup cashews + 1 cup water, blended – and not strained)

1 cup cabbage, chopped

1 banana, frozen chunks

4 ice cubes

 

Directions:

Add ingredients to your blender and process until well blended. Enjoy!

 

Note:

My cashew milk was freshly made so it wasn’t cold enough for my preferences. Although the frozen banana did cool off the smoothie, I felt it needed to be colder, so I added the ice cubes.

 

OpenSky Oster Blender Giveaway Rules!!

This giveaway is different than any I’ve ever hosted – and I’m SO excited!!! You don’t have to leave a gazillion comments or flood social media to qualify for this contest (although I won’t complain if you do! )

There’s only one required entry. It’s super easy to enter and you’ll be on your way. When you enter, you’ll automatically receive a….

10% discount coupon code!!

The coupon code can be used for anything in my shop – but remember to use it quickly as it EXPIRES FRIDAY!!!

ONE winner will be selected randomly within 48 hours and notified (via email) immediately. You can enter for your 10% coupon code until Wednesday, April 14th.

CLICK HERE for a chance to win your own 12-Speed Oster Blender (valued at $35!!!) and get your 10% discount coupon. Have fun!

And look at the fancy schmancy page OpenSky created for us!!!

Don’t forget to have a look around my OpenSky shop once you’re entered. New products are in the works, so check back often to see if your favorite product has been added. If you don’t see it, let me know and I’ll work with OpenSky to try and get it for you!

And a HUGE thank you to OpenSky + Oster for this RAWsome opportunity!!!!

Do you have an Oster Blender? What do you use it most for? Smoothies? Banana soft serve? Chocolate-avocado pudding? Have you ever used cabbage in your smoothie? Did you like it? I love it myself. Of course, I love cabbage (raw or cooked) – and it’s so good for us! Now, go get yourself entered for that FREE Oster Blender!!!

Hi, y’all! Glad you enjoyed the looks of my overnight oats made with Nuttzo, which I lovingly named “NuttzOats” – they were even yummier than they look!

And if you caught it, you’ll remember I mentioned that I’d be sharing a fun (green!) recipe later today. Well, I didn’t forget… just got myself into a pickle and actually thought I might have to waste food. I’m NOT one to waste food so it took me a while to regroup and try to figure out how to save these ingredients, but I did it!

Originally, I planned on making a Saint Patrick’s Day version of the raw cheese I’ve seen around the web for a while now. I’ve noticed raw foodies using soaked cashews or macadamia nuts and mixing the nuts with either an orange or a red bell pepper and seasonings (and sometimes even more ingredients) to make a raw cheese sauce.

Well, I thought I’d had a “brainstorm” and would replace the red/orange bell pepper with a green one – for green cheese, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day!

Yeah, that didn’t work out so well.

I know it isn’t because of the green bell pepper. I tried to make this recipe in the food processor because I didn’t think the blender would do such a great job with the nuts. Maybe I should’ve tried because all I ended up with was a mixture of chunky bell pepper and cashews. I had added sea salt and a pinch of cayenne like a lot of recipes recommended. But it just wasn’t getting creamy like I’d seen across the blogosphere.

What to do?

I let the mixture sit in the food processor while I sorted it out in my head.

Hmmm… To waste, or not to waste. I almost tossed this in to that new “Raw Flops” category I created a while back. But at this point, I figured I’d just try to add a few things and see what happened.

Rewind.

Before I discovered my mixture wasn’t getting smooth (or maybe I didn’t wait long enough?) I started documenting my recipe.

Green Bell Pepper + Soaked Cashews

Chopped

In the Food Processor

After this, I started processing the ingredients and when I realized I wasn’t coming out with the smooth, green cheese I’d envisioned, I forgot to take a photo of the chunky mixture!

Okay, back to where I was with adding ingredients to try to save my concoction…

The full recipe is at the end of this post but basically, I threw in a splash of almond milk, added a little more salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and some minced garlic.

And with a little determination – and perhaps a little luck

this was born:

Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad!

I gave it this name because when I dared take a tiny taste (I was getting scared, y’all!) it tasted similar to chicken salad! Eeek! My raw flop isn’t a flop after all – it’s a happy accident; a blessing in disguise!

And the photo doesn’t show just how green it was. I love its color.

I had planned on serving the raw (green) cheese with broccoli, celery and cucumber sticks, but after all the hassle – and cleaning up my mess! – I just ate a small bowl of this and called it a night.

Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 cup (soaked) cashews
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• minced garlic to taste
• splash almond milk (just for smooth sailing in the food processor)

Directions:

1. Chop bell pepper (or celery).
2. Add (drained) soaked cashews.
3. Toss in cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic, and almond milk.
4. Blend until you get the consistency you enjoy.

Uses:

• Serve with veggies, as a dip.
• Spread on crackers.
• Smear on bread like a real chicken salad sandwich.
• Smear on a tortilla and make a yummy wrap.
• You might even sneak a spoonful straight from the bowl!

Note: Next time I make this, I’ll use celery instead of bell pepper and add onion.

Of course, if I would have intentionally set out to make raw chicken(less) salad, I’d have used celery – not bell pepper – and I’d have added onion (similar to my Raw Tuna Fish-Less Salad). Yum! You know what I’ll be making for quick meals from now on.

AND…

Just so I knew I wasn’t just tired and crazy (LOL!) I had a couple of family members taste my creation. I didn’t tell ‘em what it was. Wanna know their reaction? Of course you do!

I saw big eyes and shocked faces, and heard: “It tastes like chicken salad!”

Bingo! I had saved my ingredients. Phew!

Updated on 3/18/10 to add: I’m getting requests for more!

Have you ever started out making one recipe and ended up with something totally different? Was it edible? Have you had happy accidents in the kitchen? If so, don’t you love ‘em? And what about the raw cheese? Did I just not wait long enough? Does it only work in a Vita-Mix? Chime in, wise ones, chime in!

And I hope you had a fantabulous Saint Patrick’s Day!

Coming Next

• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More reviews and giveaways!

Contest Alerts

• Averie, over at Love Veggies & Yoga, is having a raw food book giveaway.
• I’m giving away a jar of Tropical Traditions raw honey.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this post are  my own, and are not meant to sway your decision of consuming agave. I am speaking from my “gut feeling” and the information I’ve personally come across – that is all.

So glad you’ve enjoyed my story about Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis + Fibromyalgia – your comments and emails have truly blessed my heart!!

And yay for Strawberry Serenity Kombucha. Thanks for your rave reviews of my review.

Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the post I published right before this one: Nuttzo + Apple Slices + Berry Blackstrap Smoothie = Delicious Lunch!

It truly was a fantabulous lunch. Yum!

Anyway, on to the topic at hand: agave and why it’s banned from my kitchen….

Finally!

Agave & Me

For years, I’ve listened to people “ooooohhh and aaaahhhhh” over Agave. Health food store employees have tried to sell me on it, too.

“You can sweeten tea or coffee with it!”

“It’s a delicious addition to recipes!”

“For vegans, it’s a wonderful replacement for honey!”

These are some of the sell points I’ve heard over the years. And while I absolutely agree with each statement (remember, I finally gave in and used it myself – and loved it!), I’ve come to the conclusion that I should have followed my initial gut instinct – and listened to my mother – and avoided agave all together.

Agave found its way in to my chocolate pudding and raw chocolate.

I realize that a TON of you use and enjoy agave and have made up your minds to continue using it, regardless – and we are all entitled to our opinions and food choices. But I’ve really searched my heart and soul on this one, and it felt right to not only quit using agave, but to share with you why.

Inflammation

As I recently mentioned in my post about living with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, I’ve battled inflammation for several years now. Most days, I win. Some days, I don’t. But I have to be very careful about what I eat – or drink – because if I’m not, the old symptoms come back full force.

And I don’t like going backward. I don’t enjoy feeling stiff and not being able to freely move my fingers across the keyboard or have increased back pain.

I don’t enjoy hurting so badly, I can’t practice yoga. And I really hate hurting so badly that I can’t sleep – Raw Juice Girl is a grouch without enough sleep!

What to do?

Adios, Agave

I decided to say adios to agave because I literally feel horrific when I consume it.

How do I know this? I started noticing I was hurting worse than I had in a LONG time. Aches and sharp, piercing pains were back. I didn’t like that. I couldn’t figure out what I’d done differently. I wasn’t eating more fruit than normal. I wasn’t eating white sugar or bread or pasta. I wasn’t eating 100% raw at this point, but my diet consisted of really, really clean food.

What could it be? I thought and thought and couldn’t figure it out. Then it dawned on me… Aha, the agave – it was the ONLY thing I’d done differently.

So I cut it out of my diet. Just as an experiment. What happened? Within days, the extra aches and pains and aggravated Arthritis and Fibromyalgia symptoms were gone. Gone.

Amazing, huh? I think so.

Confirmation

The following article just sealed the deal for me and I knew I’d had one too many “signs” and “gut feelings” to do anything other than cut agave from my diet. Period.

Agave Nectar: Worse Than We Thought

Here’s an Excerpt

The Big Dirty Secret About Agave

In spite of manufacturers’ claims, agave “nectar” is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from the starch of the giant pineapple-like, root bulb. The principal constituent of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules.Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, which does not taste sweet, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave.³⁴

The process by which agave glucose and inulin are converted into “nectar” is similar to the process by which corn starch is converted into HFCS.³⁵ The agave starch is subject to an enzymatic and chemical process that converts the starch into a fructose-rich syrup—anywhere from 70 percent fructose and higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites. ³⁶ (One agave manufacturer claims that his product is made with “natural” enzymes.) That’s right, the refined fructose in agave nectar is much more concentrated than the fructose in HFCS. For comparison, the high fructose corn syrup used in sodas is 55 percent refined fructose. (A natural agave product does exist in Mexico, a molasses type of syrup from concentrated plant nectar, but availability is limited and it is expensive to produce.)

According to Bianchi, agave “nectar” and HFCS “are indeed made the same way, using a highly chemical process with genetically modified enzymes. They are also using caustic acids, clarifiers, filtration chemicals and so forth in the conversion of agave starches.” The result is a high level of highly refined fructose in the remaining syrup, along with some remaining inulin.

In a confidential FDA letter, Dr. Martin Stutsman of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Labeling Enforcement, explains the FDA’s food labeling laws related to agave nectar: “Corn syrup treated with enzymes to enhance the fructose levels is to be labeled ‘High Fructose Corn Syrup.’” According to Mr. Stutsman, agave requires the label “hydrolyzed inulin syrup.”³⁷ Even though, like corn, agave is a starch and fiber food processed with enzymes, it does not require the label “High Fructose Agave Syrup.” Agave “nectar” is a misnomer; at the very least, it should be labeled “agave syrup.”

Agave syrup comes in two colors: clear or light, and amber. What is this difference? Mr. Bianchi explains: “Due to poor quality control in the agave processing plants in Mexico, sometimes the fructose gets burned after being heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, thus creating a darker, or amber color.” However, the labels create the impression of an artisan product—like light or amber beer. As consumers are learning about problems with agave syrup, the label “chicory syrup” is beginning to appear as a non-conforming word for the product. Consumer beware!

Like I said, this article sealed the deal for me. I knew in my heart agave wasn’t for me – it just resonated with me.

Closing Thoughts

I did enjoy agave’s taste; I don’t enjoy the side effects it has on my body.

Learning things like this, and following my gut instinct, is why I feel I will probably never be 100% vegan.

Here’s why…

I do eat mostly vegan foods – most of the time, for days or weeks – but there are times I use a little (raw) honey or want to eat an omelet (made with organic eggs from right here on my farm) or I give in to a craving for organic Oikos Greek yogurt. And I personally feel it’s better to eat a little honey (something my body doesn’t have trouble processing) than to eat agave and ignore that tugging feeling, and suffer the painful side effects it has on my body.

I know there’s a lot of controversy about agave and a LOT of people who are never going to give it up. This is just my opinion and decision. And I thought I’d share it with you.

And I also personally feel it’s in the best interest (for MY body and happiness and overall health) to stick to “real” foods and not consume a lot of processed vegan/vegetarian stuff. This is where the whole vegan/vegetarian thing can get “sticky” because while a lot of people may judge me for eating an egg or Greek yogurt once in a while, I am not chugging soy milk, highly processed “vegan” and “vegetarian” foods and eating what is really “fake” food, in my opinion. Ya know?

I am not judging you if you do eat those things – I actually feel it’s better to eat them than lots of meat and fast food. So, I feel there’s really not a black and white understanding – or rules even – when it comes to living a raw/vegan/vegetarian lifestyle.

In the end, we all have to make the best possible choice we can at the time and just go from there.

Updated 3/20/2010 to add another article about agave I just discovered. It’s by Dr. Mercola: Beware of the Agave Nectar Health Food Fraud

So now you know why agave is no longer in my life. Is it what you suspected? Do you agree? Disagree? Even care at all? Is agave something you use every single day, or just on occasion? Do you agree that it’s better to use the real thing in place of a fake alternative? Such as a real egg instead of fake egg substitutes? Or honey instead of agave? Or real butter instead of fake? Do you eat foods or drink beverages because they taste good – or because they’re good for you?

Coming Next

• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More reviews and giveaways!

Contest Alerts

• Averie, over at Love Veggies & Yoga, is having a raw food book giveaway.
• I’m giving away a jar of Tropical Traditions raw honey.

Note: For my raw purist readers, this soup isn’t raw. As I’ve mentioned before (numerous times), I’m currently very high raw, but am not 100% raw at this time.

I live for fresh, raw juices and smoothies and veggies and fruit, nuts and seeds – but sometimes a gal just needs a bowl of yummy, herbalicious, flavorful (hot) soup on a cold winter’s day.

Enter: Rainbow Chard + Butter Bean Soup

This recipe was inspired by “The Clean Eating Mama” blog, from her recent post: White Bean and Kale Soup (Thank you, Tasha!)

Rainbow Chard + Butter Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 2 cans butter beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• bunch of frozen Rainbow Chard (that was from my garden)
• about 1  -  2 cups of certified organic whole wheat couscous
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I used Tropical Traditions Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• sprinkle of paprika
• garlic salt to taste (I used Himala Salt Certified Organic brand.)
• freshly ground flax (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

1. Add the beans, tomatoes, rainbow chard, frozen peas, and cream of celery soup to your pot.
2. Pour in 6 cups water (or broth – I didn’t have any).
3. Add herbs, onion, garlic (or garlic salt like me).
4. Add the coconut oil.
5. Turn heat to medium.
6. Once the frozen veggies are tender and the soup has really heated up, add the couscous.
7. Cover with a lid.
8. Simmer for half an hour or so.
9. Sprinkle with freshly ground flax and enjoy!

Ooooooohhh, yeah!

Kale is one of my all-time favorite veggies, so I’m definitely going to make this soup again when I have the ingredients Tasha used in her version.

OpenSky Alert!

I love freshly ground flax SO much, I’m selling whole flax seeds so you can grind your own. That’s right: You can buy organic flax seed in my OpenSky shop – for only $7.49 per pound!!!

Shipping info:

“We will ship orders anywhere within the United States and Canada. At this time, we do not ship to other locations. When your order ships, you will receive a shipment notification via email that will include your tracking number.” – OpenSky

Contest Alert

HiHoRosie’s Place is giving away an ice cream maker.

And don’t forget to enter my latest contest for a $30 gift certificate from Glass Dharma!

Your Turn

What about you? Are you a “soup person” or do you detest soup? Do you love making a big pot of soup and savoring it day after day, or do you just get a craving for it once in a while and either buy soup from a restaurant so you won’t have leftovers, or eat it out of a can or at someone else’s house?

Raw foodie (purists): Do you splurge on hot soup once in a while during the colder months, or do you stick to raw soups only?

All of you, chime in – I adore reading your thoughts!!

And… I’m planning on posting about raw soup in an upcoming – so stay tuned! Plus, the delivery man has been kind to me and I’m going to give you a sneak peek at what he brought!

“Lose the labels. Lose the percentages. Who are you competing with? Seriously. Set your own bar. Neither a label nor a percentage ever made anyone healthy.” – Earth Mother

Wise words, Earth Mother, wise words…

Labels Schmabels

Why do we feel the need to label ourselves? Even the process of overeating is labeled as “emotional eating.” So, on top of all the other labels life sends our way, we’re now “emotional eaters” as well – me included.

*insert deep sigh*

For the past few years (as I’ve mentioned numerous times before, all across the Web, and on this blog), I’ve eaten at least 75% raw. I didn’t think about labeling myself at that time (although I did eventually start calling myself a vegetarian). I was just  trying to improve my health and just considered it as eating more whole foods so I’d have a healthier diet/lifestyle, overall.

I didn’t have a blog at that time so I wasn’t as aware of all the various labels raw foodies (and people in general) put on themselves, and others.

I didn’t consider myself “not a raw purist” – I was just a gal who was eating high raw (sometimes 100% raw for months at a time) with an ultimate goal of losing weight, improving my health and  lifestyle habits, and basically finding a way that resulted in eating to live. – I just wanted to live and be healthier and happier.

And I was!

When I felt my best…

I was eating the following:

• a lot of raw veggies
• minimum fruit (mostly berries)
• some nuts
• some seeds
• salads topped with fish
• eggs
• Greek yogurt
• a little honey

Yeah, fish and eggs. I was looking and feeling sooooooooo much better when I (without guilt) included these foods in my diet.

So, what changed?

First, I labeled myself “low carb” and then I was “vegetarian” and then “mostly vegan” and then “high raw” and then “raw foodist” and then “vegan” and somewhere in the midst of all the transition, I lost the part of myself where I was eating better, feeling better, looking better, and was actually happy.

Sheesh.

How’d that happen, eh?

I’m not sure how I lost my (true) happiness along the way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not seriously depressed or anything – I’ve just noticed a difference in how I view food and how I feel when I eat it. If I’m starving for an omelet, I usually feel guilty if I decide to eat it.

In the past, that guilt wasn’t there. Yes, I’d feel guilty about eating cake or something because I was so overweight, but I didn’t feel guilty about eating an egg or a little honey – so, imagine how crazy it is to feel guilty over eating an egg or a small portion of salmon now that I’ve lost 100+ pounds! Gasp!

Craziness.

What’s a gal to do? Hmmm….

Positive Solution

I’ve decided that even though I do live mostly a vegan/vegetarian-ish lifestyle (and have for several years), I’m going to do my very best to remove myself from the labels I’ve limited myself to.

Does this mean I’m going to run out and eat meat? No. It just means that I want to simplify my life. I want to enjoy the food I eat – even if it happens to include an omelet (made from farm fresh, organic-omega eggs) or a little honey drizzled over a treat, or some fish on top of my ginormous, raw salad.

It means that by removing the labels I’ve placed on my life, I’ll be stepping into a confident, beautiful, peaceful existence.

Aaaaahhhh, now that sounds awesome!

What will I be eating?

• whole foods
• raw foods
• nuts
• seeds
• fruit
• veggies
• grains
• Greek yogurt
• and sometimes this will include eggs, maybe fish (???) and honey

I may even throw an occasional splurge in there for good measure.

Seriously, raw foods have been such a huge part of my healing journey and weight loss – I’ll never give ‘em up!

There is one label I don’t mind: Healthatarian

A while back, I was chatting with my friend, Beth, about how I was getting stressed from labeling my eating habits. So, she said something like:

Michele, just quit calling yourself a vegan or vegetarian and consider yourself a “healthatarian” – genius, that girl is!

(Thanks, Beth!)

By trying to adhere to a “healthy” lifestyle, we’re merely choosing to strive to do our best. That takes a lot of the pressure off. If you miss a day of exercise or enjoy that cupcake at the office, it isn’t the end of the world. We aren’t perfect – none of us. We all have something we don’t want to give up. We all dream of chocolate or caramel or whatever. We’re human.

And I’d never tried to deceive anyone…

• I blogged about falling off the 100% raw food wagon (because of several family deaths – that emotional eating label again).
• I blogged about the side effects of falling off the 100% raw food wagon.
• I blogged about having an omelet and cake and ice cream – and even a Zero candy bar on my last birthday.

So, you can guarantee that I’m not in the deceiving business and I’ll always be upfront.

It is – and always has been – my desire to share my heart with you.

And I want you to know I’m not perfect, and that we’re on this health journey together. I may slip up and call myself a raw foodie or high-raw vegetarian from time to time but I’m going to work on just living as a healthatarian.

So… here’s my advice for food choices:

“Make the best choice most of the time, the better choice as often as possible, and enjoy the splurges when they come.” – Raw Juice Girl

I feel much better now that I’ve shared this with you. It’s over. It’s out. What a relief!

And, I’m NOT saying that you’re a bad person or anything if YOU call yourself a vegan/vegetarian/whatever – I’m just sharing that it stresses ME out to limit myself with labels.

Your Turn

Do you worry about what people think of your food choices? Have you recently limited your eating habits by labeling yourself? Do you wish you could rewind and remove that label? 

Do you consider yourself to be a hardcore vegan, vegetarian, or whatever else? Do you label yourself? Tall, skinny, short, fat, etc.? Do you even think about how often you label yourself? Do you feel like it’s a bad thing? Good thing? Does labeling yourself help you live a more peace-filled, harmonious lifestyle, or (like me), do you find yourself stressed over trying to live up to certain labels or expectations?

And would you be upset to see photos of salad, topped with fish or boiled eggs on this blog?

Let’s glean from each other. Do share!!

Contest Alert

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter contest – this stuff is delicious, no matter what your food choices are!

Note: I updated that contest post to include an amended rule (the one about tweets). Thanks for understanding!

References/Credits:

Wordle (by me)

Quote (Earth Mother, In the Raw)

Just stopping by? Have you tried my coconut peanut butter honey overnight oats yet? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my  chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.  And you simply HAVE to try my latest, simple creation: Coconut Peanut Butter Cream. YUM!

Hope you had a fantabulous holiday! I sure did.

I know a lot of you are curious about what I ate for Thanksgiving. A part of me feels proud of my choices because I didn’t eat meat and I didn’t eat dressing (aka stuffing).

No animals were harmed for my dinner.

But…

A part of me is disappointed with myself (make sense?) because my Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t 100% raw AND vegan.

Night Before Turkey Day

On Thanksgiving Eve, my mom had leftover batter from the pineapple upside down cake (she makes hers in a cast iron skillet) and so she made cupcakes.

I wasn’t going to eat one, then I just did – it was the smallest one, though!

That was the first time I’d had any (real) cake since my birthday (in mid-August).

Choices, Choices

Aren’t we are own worst critics? Are you hard on yourself, too? Sometimes I think I’m too hard on myself. Most ALL of the time, other people think I’m too hard on myself.

I’ve been really torn about the direction my eating habits have been going and in an upcoming post, I’m going to share my feelings and plans for 2010. Since I lost my cousins (at such young ages) this year, I’ve really battled emotional eating. I’m going to address emotional eating and my food choices soon…

My Thanksgiving Dinner

I filled my plate with mostly salad: baby spinach leaves, kale, broccoli, carrots, avocado, pink sea salt, drizzle of olive oil, pecans.

Then I decided to have a couple spoonfuls of my mom’s sweet potato casserole, real mashed potatoes, baked pasta, and green bean casserole. And the cranberry sauce isn’t raw either – it’s fresh from the can.

Sounds like a lot – but it really wasn’t that much. I suppose some would say I went overboard; others would say I didn’t eat enough. I am proud that my plate is filled with mostly raw veggies. I ended up not have a vegan Thanksgiving because there’s butter in the mashed potatoes and cheese (+ butter)  in the pasta. I don’t think I did that badly, though: I didn’t eat turkey, dressing, or the other stuff available.

Iced tea with stevia

Most importantly on Thanksgiving, though, I enjoyed the company. Good family and friends are hard to come by!

How did your Thanksgiving turn out? Did you get to see family and friends and have a good time? Did you eat all raw or high raw vegetarian/vegan? Did you worry about it? Did you splurge and have cooked foods and maybe even turkey? Did you go all out and work hard on mock raw or vegan options? Tell me all about it!

Just stopping by? Have you tried my coconut peanut butter honey overnight oats yet? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my  chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.  And you simply HAVE to try my latest, simple creation: Coconut Peanut Butter Cream. YUM!

Hello! How’s your day going? Mine is fantabulous so far. Mr. Sunshine is visiting today. How very kind of him – yay!

Anyway, a while back, Danica from www.DanicasDaily.com hosted The Great Pumpkin Giveaway. I entered. There were THREE winners – and I was one of ‘em! 

My Package from Danica

I love that she sent her (nicely typed) recipe and a beautiful, kind letter. Thank you, Danica! I love my prize – and all the thought you put into it!

The pumpkin butter was put to good use right away. The family had it smeared on pancakes. I’m trying to avoid those, so I swiped a spoonful straight from the jar. *giggles*

I have to say this, though: Trader Joe’s has nothing on my mom’s homemade pumpkin butter! (But, I could be a tad bit bias.)

Turkey Day

A lot of you are wondering if I’ll eat turkey on Thanksgiving. I’ve received emails and messages and questions on social media sites.

The answer is no.

There have been times over the past few years that I’ve allowed a little fish or turkey into my diet. I’ve been at minimum 75% raw and the majority of the time, I’m 90-100% raw most every day.

But after studying meat and fish for articles I’ve written (and for personal curiosity) and coming across such heartfelt, informative articles (such as Gena’s Reconsidering Veganism at ThanksLIVING at Choosing Raw) I’ve found it very easy to reevaluate my level of Raw Foodism and have really thrown myself into focusing on raw food, my health, and am working very, very hard to learn to be at peace with others’ perception of the way I choose to eat. Gena’s article really resonated deeply within my soul and I thank her (from the bottom of my heart) for sharing that beautifully written post – and for all the effort she pours into her entire site. (Thank you, Gena!!)

Here a Turkey, There a Turkey

I thought I’d start by showing you my pet turkeys: Gobbles and Goblet.

How could I eat Gobbles or Goblet? Nope. Not happening!

What Will this Raw Vegan Eat?

Honestly? I don’t know yet! I’ve searched my heart (and raw, Vegan recipes!) and have decided that I’m simply not going to worry about it. The holidays are a time to come together with precious friends and family and laugh, talk, catch up, and just be. It’s a time to reflect on grandparents, parents, siblings, or other relatives and friends who are no longer with us – an opportunity to cherish all those memories that we hold deep in our hearts.

Thanksgiving is about forgetting about material possessions and being thankful for all those things that have nothing to do with food, things that money can’t buy – like hugs, kisses, laughter, joy, and sparkles in the eyes of those you love.

Sure, I’m thinking of making a raw pecan dessert. And maybe a raw coconut cream pie dessert. I’ll probably just have a ginormous salad with a few nuts and other yummy toppings. I might nab a bite of momma’s sweet potato casserole….

But overall, I’m pleased to just be entering this Thanksgiving with a purpose: to enjoy my family and friends and just be in the moment.

I will try to take photos and document what I eat, though – I’ll blog about it later.

If you’re super interested in a true raw, Vegan Thanksgiving menu, check out Gena’s. It RAWks! Averie’s raw, Vegan ideas are RAWkin’ too!

I’m Thankful For

1. my faith
2. my heritage
3. two living parents who’ve been together for close to 40 years*
4. a warm, cozy home
5. family and friends
6. the best brother in the world
7. that I’ve maintained a 100+ weight loss for a few years now
8. that I survived domestic violence and can be an inspiration to others, that they can too
9. for blog readers who are so encouraging, inspiring, sweet, and loyal
10. for another Thanksgiving to reflect on memories and cherish the new ones
11. and soooooooooooooo much more!!!!

What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Will you be traveling? Or, is family and friends traveling to your house? Will you be preparing a turkey? Even if you aren’t going to eat it? Are you stressing over food, or like me, are you just feeling blessed to have special people to spend the day with?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Stay safe, laugh often, and enjoy the moment!!!!

*I meant to write living, not loving – although they are!

Just stopping by? Have you tried my coconut peanut butter honey overnight oats yet? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my  chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.  And you simply HAVE to try my latest, simple creation: Coconut Peanut Butter Cream. YUM!

A Day of Eats + Treats

This post is a record of my raw, Vegan eats and treats from the other day. I started the morning off in a fun, protein-filled way by making myself some of Averie’s Raw Vegan (Vanilla) Chia Seed Pudding. It’s filling, delicious, and held me over nicely until lunch. Lotsa protein, flavor, texture, plus that fantabulous superfood: chia — YAY and YUM!

Oh, and Averie even told her readers all about me making her recipe. She shared lots of readers’ photos and links to their blogs in her tribute post to readers who’ve made her RAWsome concoctions!

Lunch was…

leftover Tuna Fish-Less Salad

on top of raw veggie salad, with a few cranks of pink sea salt

and black peppercorns

And the Treats?

How about two simple ingredients and flavor that’ll rawk your world??!!

Enter:

A Date with Almond Butter

I had two more of these later that evening. SO good!!

Wow. Such a simple dessert – and it’s raw AND delicious! Woo hoo!!

For dinner

I had more raw veggie salad topped with the last of my Raw Tuna Fish-Less Salad.

This is what a day is like for me when I’m truly sticking to 100% raw/Vegan foods. Of course, there are times I’ll use something that isn’t 100% raw but I try to stay as raw as possible. I just feel better physically and mentally that way.

So what’s a day of your eats and treats like? Have you ever enjoyed a date filled with almond butter? If not, are you going to try it?

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!

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!)
  

Chocolate Business

I mentioned the other day that the fantabulous people at www.manitobaharvest.com sent me samples of their Hemp Bliss milk to review. I LOVE that they sent one of each flavor: chocolate, vanilla, original (unsweetened), and original (sweetened)–and they’re Certified Organic. Yay!

Also, I wanted to mention that my contact at Manitoba Harvest reassured me that Hemp Pro 70 dissolves nicely in liquids and that I didn’t have to only consume it in steel-cut oats (see that review here). I took his word for it, and decided to combine Hemp Bliss with Hemp Pro 70 powder. Know what happened? Keep reading!

Hemp Bliss Samples

(All in a row…)

But first, let’s take a peek at the nutritional value of these flavored hemp milks…

Chocolate Hemp Bliss

From the site:

Size: 32 Fl oz / 946 mlDescription:
A blissful way to start your day! Hemp Bliss is more delicious and nutritious than other non-dairy beverages.

Chocolate Hemp Bliss is made from organic hemp seeds and organic cocoa powder. We cold filter Hemp Bliss for a great taste. This blissful beverage is rich and creamy with a chocolaty nutty flavor.

Enjoy Chocolate Hemp Bliss served chilled by the glass or “hot chocolate” style. Try adding it to cereal, coffee, tea and other recipes that call for milk. Chocolate Hemp Bliss provides a protein and Omega 6 & 3 EFA boost in your smoothies and shakes.

Suggested Use: Serve chilled, shake well and drink often. Refrigerate after opening.

Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Hemp Seeds, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Cocoa Powder, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum. Contains No Preservatives. Lactose Free. Soy Free. Gluten Free. Cholesterol Free. Nut Free.

Certified Organic by: OC/PRO

Vanilla Hemp Bliss

From the site:

Size: 32 Fl oz / 946 mlDescription:
A blissful way to start your day! Hemp Bliss is more delicious and nutritious than other non-dairy beverages.

Vanilla Hemp Bliss is made from organic hemp seeds and organic vanilla. We cold filter Hemp Bliss for a great taste. This blissful beverage is rich and creamy with a nutty vanilla flavor.

Enjoy Vanilla Hemp Bliss served chilled by the glass. Try adding it to cereal, coffee, tea and other recipes that call for milk. Vanilla Hemp Bliss provides a protein and Omega 6 & 3 EFA boost in your smoothies and shakes.

Suggested Use: Serve chilled, shake well and drink often. Refrigerate after opening.

Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Hemp Seeds, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum. Contains No Preservatives. Lactose Free. Soy Free. Gluten Free. Cholesterol Free. Nut Free.

Certified Organic by: OC/PRO

Non-Dairy Milk Comparisons

Hemp Bliss + Hemp Pro 70

Hemp Pro 70 Powder

All Shook Up

a serving of Hemp Pro 70 powder (4 tablespoons)

50% Chocolate Hemp Bliss

50% Vanilla Hemp Bliss

a couple of ice cubes

Poured into my Amazing Grass shaker cup

Note: My shaker cup holds 12 ounces or so. I’d say it was filled up but I took a gulp before taking these photos.

Chocolate Bubbles = YUM!

Verdict/Grade?

I give Chocolate and Vanilla Hemp Bliss a big, fat, delicious A+! Seriously. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this shake tasted. I shook it up a lot, so there wasn’t any random, floating hemp powder. I also tasted both the Chocolate and Vanilla Hemp Bliss separately before I added them together with the Hemp Pro 70–they are delicious!!! The Chocolate Hemp Bliss really tastes like chocolate. It’s sweet, chocolaty, and divine. The vanilla is super vanilla-like and sweet, too. No complaints here at all–although some of you hemp haters may taste the hemp, I only tasted a very, very slight hempness about it. Honest. Of course, I always like to mention that I am used to taking strong, herbal tonics and drinking fresh, raw green juices, etc., so I may not notice some tastes as strongly as some of you who have never included a lot of earthy, herbal-type foods/drinks in your diet.

These hemp milks are $4.99 USD per 32 ounce box. With their nutritional value + yummy taste, I think it’s totally worth the price! Visit www.manitobaharvest.com to order your own hemp milk, or check out their other healthy products.

You may have to start calling me the “Happy Hemp Girl”. LOL 

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 love to thank Manitoba Harvest (www.manitobaharvest.com) for so graciously sending a generous (16 ounce!) container of their latest  hemp product for me to review: Hemp Pro 70 protein powder. Thank you!

I was really excited when I received this great big tub of hemp protein powder. I was dreaming up smoothie concoctions like crazy–then I realized my blender had broken and I wouldn’t be getting a new one anytime soon, so I had to put my thinking cap on and get creative with how to use this nutritious green goodness!

No worries, Raw Juice Girl is quite the creative chick-a-dee so it wasn’t long until I knew exactly how to consume it.

But first, let’s take a peek at how healthy that green powdery substance is for us!

From the site:

Description:
Manitoba Harvest HEMP PRO 70 is the world’s first WATER SOLUBLE HEMP PROTEIN CONCENTRATE. HEMP PRO 70 is rich in Essential Amino Acids (Protein) and Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). This rich and creamy protein concentrate touts a 70% protein concentration providing 21g of Protein and 800 mg of Omega-3 per serving. With your health in mind, this product has been without the use of Hexane, a petro chemical commonly used to make soy and other protein isolates.

Suggested Use: Mix one serving (30g) into water, juice, or other beverage and enjoy! Refrigerate after opening.

Ingredients: Hemp protein concentrate(70% protein by weight), natural plant extracts. Gluten Free. Soy Free. Nut Free.

I often receive emails from you all asking for products and/or ideas for foods and drinks that are  soy, nut, gluten free due to your or your family members’ allergies and special diets. So, this is something any of you with soy or nut allergies or who are gluten free can enjoy!

Also, I get asked a LOT about how Vegans, Vegetarians, and Raw Foodists get enough protein in their diets. Well, 21 grams of protein per serving is provided in Hemp Pro 70 so that’s a fantabulous source of non-animal protein!

Hemp Heaven

This tall container of hemp powder is truly “Hemp Heaven”!

The recommended serving size is 4 tablespoons. Hmmm…. The more I thought about it, the less desirable it sounded to add it to juice or water. Even I didn’t want to guzzle 4 tablespoons of hemp in my drink. A smoothie would be ideal, but with that broken blender I was out of luck!

I kept thinking. Hey, how about putting it in steel-cut oats, I thought! Then I realized…. FOUR TABLESPOONS in my oats? I hesitated. What to do?! So, I added one tablespoon at a time. I’m an earthy/green lovin’ kinda gal. I mean, I take herbal tonics straight up like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t mind how ANYTHING healthy tastes, so long as it’s going to improve my health and keep me alive and full of energy, ya know? But FOUR TABLESPOONS of hemp earthiness? I wasn’t so sure on that one. Keep reading. It’s going to surprise you!

Hemp Pro 70 + Plain Steel-Cut Oats

With 1 Tablespoon

(Stir, stir, stir..)

With 2 Tablespoons

(More stirring)

3rd + 4th Tablespoons

(I had done a taste test after the 1st and 2nd tablespoons were stirred in and it actually tasted quite delicious! So, after the 2nd tablespoon, I just dumped the 3rd and 4th in at once and stirred ‘em all in.)

The Verdict?

I was actually surprised at how totally YUMMY these green hemp oats were! I mean, the Hemp Pro 70 powder gave the steel-cut oats a nutty, delicious flavor that was really enjoyable. I loved how they tasted SO MUCH, I had ‘em again the next morning! It’d TOTALLY recommend Hemp Pro 70 in your oats!

Hemp Pro 70 dumped in

(The next morning, I just dumped all 4 tablespoons into my steel-cut oats and stirred it all up. DELISH!)

Up Close

YUM!

About the Company

Manitoba Harvest is running on superb business practices! Not only are they extremely caring of their customers’ health, they’re mindful of preserving our gorgeous environment.

Check out the information I found on their site:

“Established in 1998, Manitoba Harvest is a farmer owned company. We operate a 20,000 Sq. Ft. state-of-the-art, 100% wind-powered, organic and kosher certified facility where we make hemp foods fresh daily and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). We have and will continue to guarantee you the freshest and highest quality hemp food products on the market.”

Now, that’s a company I can whole-heartedly support–and so can you! Give them a visit: www.manitobaharvest.com.

Overall Grade

Hemp Pro 70 gets an A+ for nutritional value and, I’d say, also an A+ on taste. I KNOW I’ve been giving a lot of reviews an A+ lately, but I found out I didn’t need to “disguise” the taste like I thought I would. This hemp powder really added a nice nutty flavor the oats wouldn’t have otherwise had–not to mention the extra protein boost! Way to go, Manitoba Harvest!

Next on My Agenda

Raw banana ice cream + Hemp Pro 70!!! (Yep, I’ll be posting photos!)

Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies

• 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
• Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
• 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.

No yoga for me today. I listened to my body and I knew I should take a rest day, so I did. I can’t wait for my date with Polly in the morning, though! I wasn’t hungry when I first woke up. I didn’t feel like my usual warm lemon water, so I skipped that. I had a tall glass of plain water instead. After that, I had some herbal tea. When I finally got hungry, I didn’t know what I wanted! And guess what? I went crazy and had an organic Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries on top. Yeah, it isn’t raw but this is what I’m talking about when I say I sometimes craves a non-raw food, yet what I’m craving isn’t really junk food just because it isn’t raw. I’m still really close to 100% raw, really, but once in a while (once a day, once a week, once a month–whenever the urge hits), I have decided to treat myself to a non-raw (yet still healthy) food.

Oikos (Organic) Greek Yogurt

After my yummy-to-the-tummy Oikos Greek yogurt, I had my daily shot of E3 Live.

Snack/Lunch

Since I had a late breakfast (around 11 a.m., or so) I didn’t eat lunch at noon. Instead, I ended up having a snack around maybe 1 p.m.? I was a little hungry but not much, so I had a big banana with a spoon of raw honey. Yum! (No pic, sorry!)

Mid-Afternoon Snack

By this afternoon, I still wasn’t really craving anything–except chocolate! I realized I’d been craving chocolate all day, so I had me some! LOL Double the chocolate, double the fun, eh? I started with the totally delicious Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood bar. Yum-O! It has a thin layer of chocolate coating on the outside and nutty, green, chewy goodness on the inside. It’s healthy, tasty, and chocolate. What’s not to like? Seriously, I could eat one of these every single day! And they’re very dense and filling–AMAZING!

Amazing Grass Chocolate Bar

I decided to double up on my chocolate fix and had my other sample packet of Amazing Grass chocolate superfood powder, mixed with almond milk. Yum!

Amazing Chocolate Shake

(Just click on the photo below to read all about this yummy chocolate superfood powder! )

Dinner

It was most definitely time for some raw veggies, so I fixed myself a salad. And here’s the sad news: all of my camera batteries are dead and I’m having to charge them–so no salad pics tonight! Sorry! Use your imagination, though, and picture this:

a base of baby spinach leaves

with chopped Napa cabbage

chopped heirloom organic banana peppers (from my garden)

diced heirloom organic bell peppers (from my garden)

sliced heirloom organic beets (from my garden)

Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds

scattered fresh blueberries

Yummy to the tummy!

Contest!!

Want to win a giant 2 pound container of healthy deliciousness? Special K wants to know what nourishes me. So, here it is: raw juices, smoothies, raw foods, and healthy thoughts nourish me. What nourishes you? Head on over there and tell her so you can be entered to win!

Coming next: various foods I’ve eaten when breaking other juice fasts I’ve been on, and also why I don’t incorporate vegetable broth into my juice fasting regimen like some juice fasters do. <—– I am working on this post!!

You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!

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