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.

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.

Omega-3s

A hot topic these days, omega-3 fatty acids are indeed essential, and vegans need to get creative to ensure adequate intake! The one supplement I do take pretty regularly (memory-dependent) is my vegan DHA/EPA supplement. I've tried a few different brands over the years, and honestly, I just buy whichever ones are cheapest at the time. I usually buy six or so bottles at a time to save on shipping and to ensure that I have them on hand, all the more encouragement in actually taking them.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are two of the omega-3 essential fatty acids that make up much of the brain and help fight depression, Alzheimer's, and maybe even ADHD. Most readily available food sources are things like salmon. But for vegans and vegetarians, we need to think outside the fish.

Best vegan food sources of omega-3s include flaxseed, flax oil, chia seeds and walnuts. Many other grains and vegetables have omega-3s, but the aforementioned are real powerhouses. They are, however, alpha lenolenic acids (ALA). Basically, what this means is that in the carbon chain that makes up fatty acids, the hydrogen bonds are in different places, which create different kinks in the chain. As with proteins, different shapes equal different properties and attributes. With this in mind, ALA can be converted by the body into DHA. I learned in school that conversion was very poor - about 10%. However, recent studies have shown it might be higher, especially in a body system that is vegan or vegetarian. This reminds me of how folks with low iron can absorb more iron from their food than those with adequate stored iron.

So! Not only do I try to take my V-Pure DHA/EPA supplement,

but I've begun to pre-prepare ground flax and chia seeds for my breakfast. You can buy ground flax at the store, but I would advise against it. The fragile omega-3 fatty acids go rancid very quickly, and without knowing how long ago they were ground, I would recommend grinding them yourself. If you don't grid them, they will probably just pass right through you; your body cannot break down the small, hard seeds. What I've begun doing, is blending about a quarter cup of flax and a quarter cup of chia seeds in my blender.


It takes seriously about one minute! Then I put the ground seeds in a jar in the freezer to keep my omega-3s nice and fresh! I sprinkle them on top of my oats and yogurt in the morning with some honey, and it is delicious!

back!

So, I see it has been about 3 years since I last posted. I can't believe raw summer was that long ago.

Lately, I have been eating mostly bread and potatoes and feeling so bloated and bad that it was more my body telling me rather than me consciously deciding to go raw again. It seems easier this way, like my body is on my side. Like my body is leading the way. It wants to be clean and healthy.

The organic pink lady apple I ate today was so delicious. For lunch: shredded zucchini with avocado slices, grated ginger, raw sesame seeds, chia seeds, nutritional yeast and a homemade recipe from Elizabeth for tahini dressing.

Honestly, I feel better already.