Breakfast!

This is the oatmeal concoction I eat for breakfast almost every day! Kath can surely show you how to spice up your oats!

Homemade Chunks of Energy

I must confess: I am an addict. To THIS:

You know what they say - everything tastes better with a little cat hair on it!

I think they should be called “chunks of heaven” instead of “chunks of energy”. Pictured above is my favorite of those offered at my local health food store: raw goji berry cacao. They are expensive little stinkers. So, in the spirit of diy, today was my first attempt at makin’ my own. I looked up a few recipes online, went to the store, and absolutely winged it. From the recipes I looked at, it didn’t matter what kinds of nuts, seeds, sweeteners, or sticky stuff you used, just that the right consistency and taste was achieved. Below you can see most of the ingredients I chose: raw slivered almonds (they’re cheaper by the pound than whole, and I was going to process them anyway), raw sunflower seeds, sunflower butter (another addiction), dates and vegan chocolate.

I used Endangered Species Chocolate Intense Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs. No, Endangered Species Chocolate did not send me a sample to blog about, but I would be more than willing to sell my blogging soul to endorse their product should they decide to send me some!

First, I soaked my dates in about a quarter cup of water while I tossed, not measuring at all, approximately 2 cups sunflower seeds, 1 cup slivered almonds, ¼ cup chia seeds,

about 3 Tablespoons fresh-ground flax meal (which I keep in the freezer), 2 Tablespoons honey, 4 Tablespoons sunflower butter, about half the bar of chocolate, then tossed in the soaked dates and water. Blend! I had to stir it around with a spatula a few times because it was very thick. Adjust with water or honey or sunflower butter for proper consistency as needed.

More processing...

Then I plopped it out of the food processor into an 8x8 pan,

squished it down, and because I also love cinnamon (and it is an anti-inflammatory), I sprinkled some on top. Then I just popped it in the fridge.

A few hours later, I sliced and popped them out of the pan. They turned out great! They were a little less dense than the commercial ones, but stuck together just fine. They tasted really good too, but next time I think I will add more chocolate!

Since I’m running the Monument Avenue 10K tomorrow, these will be a perfect post-run high-protein snack! I didn't do a cost analysis on this, but, as you can see, my recipe made a lot! I'm pretty sure I saved money.

Four Guilty Pleasures I Need to Quit

Since life is our ultimate learning experience, and there are always improvements to be made, I’ve decided to compile a list of habits and choices in my life that I would like to change – two short and two long term.

Short Term:

1. Stop thrifting.

One of the many piles of give-away stuff before my move.

“Stop thrifting!?” you say, “I thought thrifting was good.” Yes, generally going to your local thrift store for something you need is a great way to reduce waste, support the local economy, and save money. However, my guilty pleasure and the verb “thrifting”, is sort of a synonym to “shopping”. You know, the “I don’t have anything to do, so I’m going to go to the mall to distract myself and look at the pretty things and probably buy something I don’t need” thing. The mystery of the hunt while thrifting adds a bonus lure – finding the jewel in the ruff. That added excitement is quite addictive. I must admit, I’m pretty decent at walking out of the thrift store without buying anything should nothing call out to me; however, the principle I need to face is that I am still killing time (and cash) seeking things I don’t need. Every cute thing I bring home that I don’t really need is a backward step from the intentional, minimalist life I am trying to create. So, in the spirit of intentional living, no more going to the thrift store without a mission!

2. Chuck shampoo & soaps.

I picked up this tip from my favorite blogger, vegan chef, and ultimate lifestyle role model, Joy Tienzo. As someone with fine hair (I wouldn’t quite call it “thin”), and a definite T-zone of oily skin on my face, I am excited to see how the no-poo method works for me. Joy writes that she didn’t like the baking soda/apple cider vinegar method mentioned on a lot of sites, so I’m going to follow her advice to condition once weekly and scalp massage daily first.

For my skin, the supply and demand explanation of bodily oils definitely makes sense. The more you soap up your face, the more oil your skin produces. We need to reach a natural balance instead of a roller coaster. I have experienced mild to moderate acne and oily skin since puberty, and I’m hoping the oil cleansing method will finally (I’ll be 25 next week for goddess’ sake!) help my skin find the balance I’ve been screwing up the past decade or more with various soaps, astringents, topical medications, and antibiotics. Since I eat a fairly healthy diet, I think for me acne is mostly hereditary – which is the most frustrating part. However, I refuse to believe the only way to cure my acne is through medications. I am determined to find out what will make my skin naturally clear, whether it be through eliminating an irritating food (wheat? dairy? peanut butter?), or discontinuing stripping the natural oils from my skin which have been causing it to overproduce oils for years. I plan to make an antimicrobial oil concoction with coconut oil as the base and a few drops of tea tree and lavender essential oils to use for a nightly cleanser. To be honest, adding moisture to my skin resonates with me much more than soaping. More and more lately, I’ve been feeling like I am doing my skin a disservice by going to bed with it squeaky clean and dry. I imagine my new regimen will not only lead to less maintenance but probably discourage wrinkles as I get older, unlike constant drying of the skin. I believe in the infinite wisdom of my body and its ability to heal itself, so I feel like any treatment I impose on myself that goes against my body’s natural processes is counterproductive. I think that’s why no-poo makes sense to me.

I laugh at myself for this new adventure because I recently bought two “natural” products on impulse. They were shampoo and facial wash.

I’m not saying anything bad about these companies and they are certainly better than the average chemical stuff, but I believe we need to be aware of greenwashing these days during which “green” is hip and trendy. Don’t think that advertisers and big companies aren’t going to capitalize on this trend in order to make money, usually selling us stuff we do not need. While I have been very happy with these products for what their jobs are, and at the time of purchase I didn’t yet know about the no-poo and oil-wash methods, I was definitely a victim of impulse buying with the facial wash and shampoo.

So, I’m going to give no-poo and oil wash a whirl and report back with my results to see if my impulse buys truly were unneeded.

Long term:

1. Driving a car.

I recently paid off my car loan after two and a half years. Woo! I officially don’t owe anyone anything! Except my parents I guess since they birthed me and let me live in their house rent-free for 18 years. However sweet it is to not have a car payment every month anymore, there is still a little voice in my head saying I shouldn’t own a car at all. Insurance payments, gas, pollution, military-industrial complex, carcinogens in car materials… yeah. My current travel plans for wwoofing SE USA include traveling by car; however, I see myself possibly doing some wwoofing in South America next year. This may require selling the car. My dream is to one day live in a great cooperative community where there would be a shared car. My primary mode of transportation would be feet and bike, and folks in the community could reserve the car for special occasions or large hauls. And it would be a veggie mobile. *Sigh*

2. Disposables and recyclables.

Since I am going to be a farming intern for the rest of this year, I hope I don't have to wait too long to fulfill this goal because luckily, homegrown food has no packaging! In the previously described dream community I plan to find or create in the future, all our food will be homegrown = goodbye need to dispose or recycle! Love the correction: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse… then Recycle.

In the mean time, I try to reduce the packaging I consume by supporting the local farmers’ markets which are just popping up for the spring season here in Richmond – lovely, buying in bulk, and choosing less-packaged products. By buying more produce instead of processed semi-foods, you can cut your disposable packaging by a LOT!

Off I go to do my scalp massage!

Sprouts!

Cultivating sprouts is one of my favorite quick ways to add greens to my diet. Quick, in the sense that you don't have to go to the store once you get the seeds in your home; however, sprouting does take some diligence as far as remembering to water. Simply soak the seeds overnight in water, then rinse about every eight hours for a few days.

Once you see little leaves, they're officially sprouts and you can store them in the fridge. Here I did a mix of sesame, flax, broccoli, alfalfa, and radish seeds. I wouldn't recommend the flax though because if you've ever made a flax egg, you know they become quite gelatinous when wet.


They're delicious and fresh alone or as a topping to a sandwich. I made a sprout salad with homemade kraut-chi, nutritional yeast and a homemade Fresh Herb Vinaigrette dressing.

Sprouts are packed with nutrition, have a well-rounded carb-fat-protein ratio; they are a very good source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, several B Vitamins, iron, and trace minerals, and they are a good source of protein, Vitamin A, Niacin and calcium. Here's to nutrient density!!


Here is an idea for sprouted mustard mung beans (sauteed) over mixed greens:

Urban Chickweed

I wanted to share something that brings me a smile every day. As my co-worker facetiously said, "If you want grass to grow in your yard, put down concrete." This little patch of thriving chickweed grows at the entrance to my apartment building.


I wish I could pick some for chickweed pesto or to use in a salad, but I've learned not to wildcraft near roads because of exhaust and toxic runoff. It still makes me happy to see it doing so well, growing out of a crack in the pavement.

Rawvulation?

I think raw week might have affected my fertility. I have been tracking my fertility using fertility awareness for the past eight months. This month, according to my daily basal temperatures, it looks like I did not ovulate.

Usually, you will see a nice change temperature like so:

Not so this month. Perhaps it was the change in my diet? Perhaps I wasn’t eating enough calories? I believe I was because I made sure to include lots of healthy fats like those in avocado, Brazil nuts, pepitas, cold-pressed virgin olive oil, sesame oil and veggies (even though vegetables have small amounts). I ate to satiety and never felt overly hungry or hypoglycemic, albeit deprived a few times. Very interesting. I have to say, sometimes even when I'm eating normally, I don't get an obvious temp shift.

I’ll fill you in on how raw week ended. I decided to end raw week one meal early of the official full week. So, I went from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon. Ending it early was a thought-out, purposeful choice, and I was ok with this compromise. The reason I did it was to share a meal with a friend. I felt it was meaningful to do so as the opportunities for spending time with my Richmond friends are growing fewer and fewer. More on that later!

I also would like to confess that since returning to a “normal” diet, I feel like I am overcompensating for my “deprivation” during raw week. I mean… Hello baked goods! I have definitely been overindulging in the breads, sugars, and baked goods this week. And… I’ve been feeling it. In the first few days since I went back to normal, I think I developed a minor yeast infection. I also didn’t feel as fresh, light, and guilt-free, positive and healthy. I definitely experienced a mental shift in clarity and consciousness while eating raw. Surely there is a happy medium between the ascetic 100% raw diet and that which involves white flour and sugar. It just seems to be a hard balancing act for me. While I’ve been taught to preach that there shouldn’t be any “off-limits” foods, I can’t help but feel guilty after eating something I know is negative nutrition (sugar). It is always easier for me to have strict lines; it requires less will power to say “No” to tempting foods when I have diet rules in place.

I have been toying with the idea of doing a week on, then week off raw foods diet. That way, I won’t need to feel the need to overcompensate on the off weeks, but won’t be intimidated by a commitment to an all-the-time raw foods diet. I tend to think of raw foods as “cleansing foods” and nutritious cooked foods as “building foods”. Do you think that alternating would work? I realize I will have fewer choices about what is on my place once I become a farming intern this May/June; however, perhaps in the three or so months until then, I could practice this alternating eating plan. Perhaps it would be a good way for me to transition to a mostly raw foods diet – a more permanent change. At least it would force me to try and learn new raw food recipes and staples. The fact is, and there is no denying it, raw foods make me feel lighter, freer, healthier, less guilty, more vibrant and alive!

On Simplicity

I was reading through some of my first posts from the original Raw Summer back in 2007, and was reminded about how I’d dedicated my cleanse to not only my body, but to my surroundings as well. I’d proclaimed to get rid of excess stuff and simplify my belongings and life. How fitting to revisit now, as I transition to life on the road.

As mentioned briefly before, I am planning to be a farming intern this summer through WWOOF. Therefore, I am currently working on giving away, selling, and donating most of my “stuff”*. I am trying to pare down to the essentials. I feel like minimizing is a constant process in my life, evident by the fact that I write about it often and it always seems to be needing done again and again. I don’t consider myself a hoarder by any means, but tend to like pretty (though usually cheap or free) things like thrifty home decor. Nevertheless, it is stuff I will need to purge in order to travel as freely and easily as I desire. My friend gave me a great compliment by saying, “You are already pretty minimalist,” in response to my proclamation that I wanted to be. However, the more I learn, the more I develop the idea, the more I garner inspiration from others, the more I up the anti on my own simplicity goals.

So, once again, I find myself wanting to shed unnecessary “stuff” from my life as well as nourish my body more fully through raw foods and the avoidance of negative nutrition. And it is spring. Here in Richmond the wind is blowing and the flowers and trees are in full bloom. Nature seems to be damp and fuzzy. Soon, summer will begin my adventure of living off the land, learning to be more self-sufficient, experiencing real food production first hand, and listening to the stories from those who know it best.

I’ll finish this post by sharing some very inspiring quotations I came across today on simple and non-conformist living:

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin, Tribes

“Life is indeed bloody short and no one is going to give you a gold star for playing it safe.” - Almost Fearless

* By “stuff” I mean clutter, excess, non-essentials, anything that makes me feel bad or obligated, or doesn’t serve me as a useful and productive item, anything I haven’t used in a long time, anything I’m keeping out of “sentimentality” but serves no purpose. “Stuff” is weight, baggage, guilt, and blockades to Freedom.

Human Heat

Cuddle

Fresh

More like Spinach Nevada...


Today I made a fresh raw tabbouleh:


I didn't have any tomato (not in season), so I shredded some carrot for color:




I didn't miss the Bulgar wheat at all!

And finally, Raw Cauliflower Soup from the uncookbook Rawsome! by Brigitte Mars:


The tahini, avocado, spices sauce on top of chopped cauliflower. Sorry the lighting is kind of funny in the photos; it was very good!

The Allstar of Raw Food - Green Smoothie!

I have been making green smoothies for breakfast every day this week. I guess I'm just not a savory breakfast type of person. I chose to embellish my traditional green smoothie, and wow! was it worth the experimentation!


My usual recipe is one frozen banana, a few large handfuls of spinach, some soy milk, and about one tablespoon chia seeds and one tablespoon flax seeds. This week, I subtracted the soy milk, and added a little water, coconut oil, cinnamon, and three dates. It is amazing! You can really taste the coconut and the cinnamon is a yummy subtle nuance. The dates make it a little sweeter. I think I might have a new regular recipe for green smoothie!


Chia seeds are a remarkable little things. To me, they look like tiny dinosaur eggs.


They are a very good source of fiber and are a complete protein, meaning they have all of the essential amino acids in almost equal amounts. They, like flax seeds, are rich in ALA omega-3 fatty acids.

The coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a natural anti-fungal, and don't worry about the saturated fats in coconut oil. They are medium-chain fatty acids, so they are absorbed straight into the blood in the intestines and used for energy!

I probably don't need to mention the nutritional benefits of green foods; I'll just paraphrase Michael Pollan by saying, the seed parts of food is where you get your omega-6, the leafy parts is where you get your omega-3.

I know many people say, "Whaa?" when they see green smoothies. I think their color is beautiful, and they are so delicious; not to mention, you can't get much more for your nutritional buck.

Juice & Roll

My friend Christy is doing raw week with me, so I suggested we do dinner together last night - especially since she was borrowing a friend's juicer!


I do have mixed feelings about juicing. I have heard it described as wasteful and privileged, and I cannot deny the authenticity of those statements. Christy and I kept saying, "if only we had a garden" juicing would be more practical because we could grow lots of veggies and compost the excess. Luckily, I do have worms in my kitchen to whom I fed most of the pulp. I don't think, though, that I would invest in a juicer for my kitchen. In my house it would be just a seldom-used appliance taking up space. However, last night's opportunity to use the juicer turned out a delicious treat!


We ended up juicing a lot more veggies and fruits than seen above, and it served four of us, including Christy's 9-year-old. The finished product:


Christy also made these yummy kale wraps containing celery, carrot, avocado and lemon juice:


What a great idea! The juice was very satisfying in a way I never would have guessed.

Raw Week!

I can't believe I have waited so long to make this post, because I am doing a 100% raw week!!

I attended a Perinatal Obesity Conference for work last week, and it was indeed a wake up call. While health and nutrition are always on my radar, sometimes I encounter books, inspirational folks, or... conferences which help me to raise my standards of good health. The many wonderful speakers at the conference and the sunny spring weather we've been having in Richmond, have made me feel like a bodily spring cleaning! What better way than a week of enzyme-rich living food?

Now, just to update you, I am already on DAY 4! Began spring cleaning on St. Patrick's Day, which is appropriate because I have been eating so many green things - spinach, Romaine, wakame, avocado, pepitas, cucumber, spirulina and on! I made this the other day: massaged beet greens and wakame sesame salad:


I really wanted to put tahini in this salad, but I have roasted tahini right now, and I'm really trying to do a 100% raw commitment for this one week. I added sea salt, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, pepitas, and olive and sesame oils. It turned out pretty dang good; however, if I were to make it again I would do less wakame. I loved the perfect crispness of the beet greens after some massaging!


With extra pepitas!

I will continue posting about raw week and what I've been eating! For any full-time raw readers, I need some tips for breakfasts! I've been doing green smoothies for breakfast, but need some variety. I think I might sprout some buckwheaties, but that will take a few days. Help!

Bring a Lunch!

I bring my lunch to work nearly every day - I'd say about 95% of the time. (And when I don't there is a lovely older woman who sells homemade Indian food from her food cart right down the street from where I work for only $5!) I usually will bring leftovers of stew, pasta, tofu stir fries... or whatever I've made that week at home; I bring salads and fresh fruit like apples or oranges or sliced grapefruit. And I usually always cook a little extra oatmeal in the morning to have a second breakfast at work.

Needless to say, I bring a lot of food to work with me; this way I stay satisfied and am not tempted by the Indian food cart or any one of the many delicious, but sometimes not nutritious, food options available in exchange for cash near my workplace.

I wanted to share one of the dishes I bring to work regularly. This is adapted from a recipe my college roommate, who was Japanese, taught me to make: tahini soba noodles! This dish is quick and very nutritious!

I mix tahini, water, ground ginger, Bragg's aminos, lots of nutritional yeast and a pinch of sugar into my cooked soba noodles, and I add re-hydrated wakame and shiitake mushrooms - quick greens and fungi. You can also add cooked sliced carrots, as my roomie did.

Served here with hibiscus tea. Yum!

Stew!

I came across a recipe for Moroccan stew a few years ago in a friend's cookbook, and I've been making different versions of it since. Always hearty and spicy, sometimes it has lentils, raisins, squashes, peppers, eggplant; the more, the better! This time I even had purple potatoes, served over brown rice.


YUM! I received compliments on the delicious scent when I brought it into work the next day for lunch.


Annnnd... I survived another work week. Being silly in my natural environment.


No, that was not a woman joke.

Coffee Time!

I believe I'm developing a love/hate relationship with coffee. Shall I start at the beginning?

[Photo credit: SodaHead.com]

I started drinking coffee in college. I wouldn't even drink it regularly, just in circumstances of late night studying or research paper writing. I did begin drinking it regularly when I began my first 8 to 5. I found it lifted my spirits, cleared my grumpiness, and boosted my energy. It wasn't that I relied on it for waking up; it was that I looked forward to it. Which reminds me of what I've heard smokers say about cigarettes. It's not only the nicotine, it's the fact that it's a treat to look forward to and covet... even a astucious ritual.

Then I moved to Richmond and started my dietetic internship. I drank coffee occasionally at first, if my roommates made some and offered it to me. Then, thankfully, I landed a job at the coffee shop one block from my house. This was quite apropos since the money I'd saved to live on ahead of time was dwindling. Not to mention, this coffeehouse was just my pace - quirky and colorful with a laid-back hippy vibe. I feel like my time here has brought so much appreciation of food culture to my life. Within its walls, I've begun to develop my palate for many of life's finest flavors: that of beer, wine,olives, tea, and, you guessed it, coffee.

Not only did I learn to brew drip coffee on a large scale, but I was trained by three experts at various times, not to mention given various tips, on our Italian espresso machine. Now, at least in this coffeehouse, there is a bit of anthropomorphism placed on the espresso machine. People are protective. So, it is always fun and gratifying to be the barista for the day!

By working at the coffeehouse, I started appreciating and drinking coffee much more. At first, I wanted to try all the types and figure out what I liked. I've found I like the "earthy" qualities of Ethiopian harrar and Sumatran blends. Some say they taste like dirt. I love them.

As for the health effects of caffeine consumption, there is a bit of difference of opinion. The stance I learned in college was that coffee and caffeine themselves are not unhealthful, even boasting cancer-fighting antioxidants; it is the sugar and cream that taint the health quality of the drink. However, in my more recent self-study of holistic nutrition, I've found many believe that caffeine depletes the adrenals and can lead to adrenal fatigue. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be salt and sugar cravings, lethargy, or trouble falling asleep or getting going in the morning. This is due to the decreased production of the hormone cortisol. I've also read that caffeine can be detrimental to blood sugar regulation. That lift that caffeine gives you causes excess sugars to be released into the blood stream, potentially leading to insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and yeast overgrowth.

With this in mind, I've chosen, as the Buddhists say, the middle path. I don't want to rely on coffee to get me going in the morning or over do it, possibly contributing to the conditions listed above. Actually, I have noticed that when I abstain, I have more even energy throughout the day. But I do enjoy, and, let's be honest, sometimes desperately need coffee. I choose healthier alternatives to sugar and cream such as stevia and vanilla soy milk; although, I'm not opposed to drinking it black either. (And some would argue that cream is healthier than soy milk anyway.) Nowadays, I would say I drink coffee a few times a week. And this seems to be a good balance for me.