NOURISHMENT
These are a few dishes I made over this week. Some of these were eaten over several days. I continued to drink the Sassafras Tea (yeah...those couple of spoonfuls did make a lot), drank more of my lemon and orange peel water, and finished the raw "Laughing Giraffe' Coconut/Banana Macaroons. I also ate the other dry farmed Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melons I got last week at the Farmer's Market. I did not go there this week. Too much food I need to use up first!
Was I 'raw' the whole time? No. I did go out to eat at Robin's and had some cooked food. BUT, I did pick as much raw food as possible and what wasn't still was 'vegan'....even the 'ice cream.' I also had a few bites here and there of the vegan cooked food that mom did not want to finish.
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| Chinese Nut & Nori Salad |
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| Raw Watermelon Rind & Flax Crackers with toppings |
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| Salad with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers |
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| Mixed Salad with Raw Hummus dressing |
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| Portobella Mushroom Sandwich with Walnut and Flax Patty |
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| ...with Tomato and Lettuce toppings |
Yesterday my husband, in trying to find new 'raw' ways to treat me with something to eat (instead of bringing home things like french fries, and such)...decided to find a raw recipe on-line and fix it for me. We have some Pineapple that needed to be used up. So, with my help, we did an on-line search for raw recipes with Pineapple. He settled on this one. I think he was a bit surprised that I had all the ingredients readily handy, and that have been 'under his nose' all this time.
* We made the following changes to the recipe and it still was very yummy.
- We used the whole inside, minus the seeds, of half a lemon instead of lime.
- We added a little extra water and additional crushed ice to the recipe, because I tend to like my smoothies more ''fluidly" and frigid tasting.
This Flat Belly Detox Smoothie will help you to fight fatigue, boost
your immune system and get fit. The base is pineapple, an excellent
fruit to hydrate your body and improve your absorption of essential
minerals such as iron. The smoothie also contains fresh lime (packed
with vitamin C) and three powerful superfoods: maca powder, spirulina
and turmeric. These make an excellent addition to any smoothie!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of ripe pineapple, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 medium size ripe bananas, fresh or frozen and roughly chopped
- ½ cup of water
- ½ small lime, peeled
- 1 teaspoon of maca powder
- ½ teaspoon of spirulina powder
- 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder (a little goes a long way!)
- 2 large handfuls of greens of your
choice: spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, curly endive, bok choy,
dandelion greens, Romaine lettuce… (I used spinach and kale)
Instructions
- Combine pineapple, banana, water, lime, maca powder, spirulina powder and turmeric in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add your leafy greens and blend again.
Notes
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
• I topped this smoothie with some chia
seeds and hemp seeds for extra protein, and a little spirulina +
turmeric powder for color.
• Don’t have time to prepare yourself a fresh smoothie in the morning?
Blend it the night before, store it in an airtight container in the
refrigerator and you’ve got a super quick and nutritious breakfast
waiting for you in the morning!
• Turmeric is often called ‘the queen of all spices’. It can protect
your heart, enhance your digestion, improve your liver function and much
more. I love adding it to vegetable stews, sauces and smoothies like
this one. You can substitute the powder for fresh turmeric too!
• Maca powder is extremely rich in minerals, vitamins and protein. It
will boost your energy levels, help to balance your hormones and reduce
your stress levels.
• Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae. It is packed with protein,
B-vitamins and antioxidants that will help to reduce inflammation and
protect you against free radicals. Great news for your skin, hair, nails
and overall health!
MOVEMENT
I have been making a point nearly every day to walk on the beach and let the tide do its wonders to my lymphatic system. The swelling, burning and itching (though not entirely gone) is doing a whole lot better than it was this time last month. Sometimes my husband will go with me, and sometimes I go alone. These are just a few of my favorite shots I took this past week while walking. If I posted them all, then this would just be a board of ocean shots. :)
REFLECTIONS
I tried the little envelope to write down anytime I ate cooked food. In the end, I found it to be, for me, a pointless and irritating exercise. Keeping track of everything I eat as well has always been to restrictive for me as well. I find it seems to focus on limitations rather than focusing of new horizons to look to.
