Juicing Up a Storm and Kids in the Kitchen

My Breakfast

My breakfast today was inspired by the book Raw Energy. I just love reading through my raw and living food recipe books, it is one of my favorite things to do when I have time to myself.

A Great Book

I had two hours to myself yesterday as I waited for our daughter to complete her Drama Class. I sat out in the fresh air and flipped through two of my raw recipe books daydreaming about all of the meals and snacks I wanted to create.

Since I decided to add even more fresh juices into my diet this year I just had to try one this morning from the book mentioned above. It was inspired by Stephanie's "Post-Workout Replenisher" recipe on pg. 131. Her recipe calls for apples, carrots and celery. I chose to throw in a large handful of organic flat leaf parsley. It doesn't make a pretty juice but boy is it delicious.

Would You Drink This?

The orange of the carrots and the green from the parsley created an ugly brown color. Drink this one slowly, it has quite a bit of parsley and I have read that too much parsley too fast can make some people lightheaded. I actually guzzled it right down, it was so good, and I felt great. I wanted to add the parsley to benefit from its large amount of chlorophyll which aids in the cellular uptake of oxygen. In her book, Stephanie warns against consuming more than 4 to 6 ounces a day of pure parsley juice. Parsley has natural kidney-cleansing properties and can be a potent diuretic. I only use the amount seen in the pic above when I juice with parsley. I have more of a problem when I add too much beet juice to my fresh juices. I have to be very careful with beets, using only a very small slice.

When dinner time rolled around, two of the kids wanted to help Mommy make the salad. I kept it basic so they could get right in and help. We made a fresh salad with organic romaine, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, and Mom's fresh broccoli sprouts. Here are my little raw chefs in action:

In Go the Broccoli Srouts

Ta-Dahhhhh

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for little helping hands in the kitchen! I love you guys. XOXOXO

Super Simple Raw Portobello Recipe

              RAW Portobello Salad
I found two different sources of information on portobello mushrooms and have shared the info here:

About Portobello Mushrooms
Source: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/portobello.aspx



"Portobello, pronounced [por-toh-BEHL-loh]The portobello also called portabella is really simply a brown crimini mushroom in disguise. Evidently the usage of the two words "portobello vs. portabella" is simply an issue of a marketing brand. Once the little brown crimini grows up to be about 4" - 6" in diameter he is deemed to be a portobello.


And How It Got Its Name


A brown crimini mushroom is a juvenile portobello. There as many theories on the heritage of the name as there were for why is a Flatiron steak called a Flatiron steak! We referred to Elizabeth Schneider's vegetable bible "Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini" for some truth and learned that the only information available is theory. It seems that there are as many "origins" as there are experts to quote them. Here are some of the main ones:


Named after Portobello Road in London which has many high end antique shops and other fashionable establishments.


Named after a T.V. show called Portobello


The portobello in Northern Italy is called "cappellone" which means "big hat".

The most important thing to know is that it is a big brown mushroom. Its little brother (crimini) is a little brown mushroom.


Buy And Store


Select plump firm and solid mushrooms. Avoid the limp or dried looking ones. They should not be shriveled or slippery (which indicates decomposition). The mushroom should have a nice earthy smell.
Remove the mushrooms from any wrapping and spread on a tray and cover with paper toweling. Don't moisten the toweling or the mushrooms and place them in the refrigerator in an area that allows the air to circulate. Avoid placing any other items on top of them. The mushrooms should keep about 5 - 6 days. "

portobello photo by: gourmetsleuth.com

Portobello Mushrooms Nutritional Info.

(source: http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/1889001.html)
Nutrition Highlights
Portobello mushroom (raw), 100g
Calories: 26
Protein: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 5.1g
Total Fat: 0.2g
Fiber: 1.5g
*Excellent source of: Niacin (4.5mg)
*Good source of: Potassium (484mg), and Selenium (11mcg)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

When I desire a "meaty" meal I reach for a thick portobello mushroom. Today I wanted a super simple and quick dinner that I could get on the table in less than 5 minutes! Here it is in all its simplicity:

Raw Portobello Salad
1 large portobello, cleaned and sliced
organic baby spinach
1/2 of a sweet onion thinly sliced
3-4 sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
red radish sprouts
Assembly:
Place the spinach onto a dinner plate, top with the onion, sundried tomatoes, sliced portobello and lastly the radish sprouts. Top with a drizzle of this dressing I found posted on The Sunny Raw Kitchen:
Tomato Dressing

Posted by Ingrid on Natural Living Cuisine
PREP: 5 Minutes TOTAL: 5 Minutes
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon celtic salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked mixed pepper
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Put all ingredients into the blender, except olive oil, and blend until mixed. While blender is still running slowly pour in olive oil, blend until mixture is creamy. Store in salad dressing bottle and refrigerate. Keeps about 5 days. Shake well before serving.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Enjoy!

+JMJ+Today I am grateful for learning about a quick and effective exercise routine I can do this new year as I continue on my path to health and strength; 4 min cardio--awesome! I can handle that.

MY BLENDER BROKE! Patience Like a Farmer and a Green Smoothie

MY BLENDER BROKE!
I had said before that once my blender breaks I will invest in a Vitamix or Blendtec--guess I need to start saving my pennies.My blender broke on New Year's Day. Did I scream? No. Did I get upset? Yes. Should I have been calm? Yes. Over reacting is something that can get the best of me. It is an evil that I struggle with everyday. But it is something that I will conquer! All of this brings me to this, something that has been on my mind. And then I will get to the green smoothie! :) PATIENCE, keeps repeating in my mind. STOP JUDGING, keeps repeating in my mind. How quickly I fall. I have been trying to work on having patience and being non judgemental all last year and it looks like this new year I will still be working them.


A few weeks ago I was strongly pierced by these words, a reminder of the things I need to work on this year. Here they are so that I can reflect and ponder them:
James 5:7-10
"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord."
HAVE PATIENCE, STOP JUDGING, STOP COMPLAINING, LOOK FOR THE LORD and LEARN FROM THOSE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE US.
These are the messages that I am hearing and I will try my hardest to follow these words and live them each day. It is going to be difficult, as I fall easily, but it is something very important that I must work on and I am confident that God will give me all the graces and blessings I need; all we need to do is ask for them!

So what do you do when your big blender breaks?? You pull out the small blender!
 

It takes time and patience. First I add the frozen fruit and then top it with some nut mylk. Put a few banana slices on top and wait! Wait for the frozen fruit to soften so I can begin blending it with this junky blender, I mean with this wonderful little blender that I am grateful to have because I can still make my green smoothies!! See, I am doing better already. Patience, it's a virtue.
Next go in the greens, organic spinach today and some hemp protein powder.

And lastly, add a drop of almond extract. Man was this delicious! I am very calm and happy now.

        ENJOY!

Cherry Green Smoothie
1/2 C frozen pitted dark cherries
1/2 C nut mylk of choice
1 small fresh banana
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 T hemp protein powder
large handful of organic spinach
1 drop of almond extract
Blend till creamy in the blender, any blender that you are blessed enough to have!!
+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for my personal size blender. Need I say more?

Christus Mansionem Benedicat

May Christ Bless this Home! Today we celebrate the Epiphany (January 6, traditional). There are many customs that surround Epiphany, but in our home we stick to a very simple and beautiful one, one that I look forward to each new year. This is the day that we, as Catholic Christians, do our annual blessing of our home. We only need holy water, some chalk, and the lyrics to "We Three Kings". My family won't let me sing because I sound like a wounded animal, so we skip the song and sing it at Mass with the entire church instead; then my horrible voice is not heard.
We gather at the front door and with the chalk, mark over the front door:
20 + C + M + B + 11
representing the year, and the blessing Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house). The crosses represent each season of the year.The letters represent the traditional names of the Wise Men--Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.

These Have Been Passed Down in My Family

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for our home and the shelter that it provides. May God bless it with peace and safety. Bless this house through all the days to come!

JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH, PRAY FOR US.

Some December Posts and Toasting in the New Year

I still have some December posts that I don't want to neglect, but as it happens time flies by and here we are in the New Year; Happy New Year!
We have already planned and gone on some spectacular field trips with our home school group and I wanted to post about our Hydroponic and Heirloom Garden trip we went on the first week in December to Rabbit Run Farm. We had a great time learning about this wonderful farming technique and of course I just had to buy some food!! Here are some pics of her amazing produce.

Vegetables and Fruits as Far as the Eye Can See

The Best Strawberry Any of Us Has Had
These are the strawberies Norman Love uses in his chocolates!!

Purple Broccoli

She Shared a Watermelon Radish with Us

My Cutie Pie

I bought some greens and 4 pounds of strawberries. Her produce was the best that I have eaten. I will be making trips up to her farm often I think. I put together a salad with this head of butter lettuce and named it RABBIT RUN FARM SALAD.

Rabbit Run Farm Salad
Organic butter lettuce, cut up
1 Pummelo, peeled and diced
1 Ruby Red grapefruit, peeled and diced
1/2 of an organic cucumber, sliced
Radish sprouts
Whisk together a dressing of:
EVOO first cold pressed
raw honey
red pepper flakes
basil
cumin
pinch of sea salt

December was also filled with dairy free/gluten free and raw treats for the children.

Here are our gluten free/dairy free Christmas cookies this year. We had Wedding Cookies and Double Chocolate Thumbprints. They were amazing!! So delicious the kids and Daddy thought. I even tasted them! I will be making a raw cookie this month because several months ago I was fortunate enough to get a copy of "everyday raw desserts" by Matthew Kenney, to review!! I am looking forward to doing that book review and making several of his recipes. I will feature one of his cookie recipes soon.
Here is our raw Chocolate Raspberry Pie. It is Lisa's recipe from Raw on $10 a day (Or less!). This year was about simplicity. I only wanted to make a few desserts and make them well. We were really able to enjoy them better because we weren't overwhelmed by endless choices. Less is more in my book.

My husband found a wonderful dairy free hot chocolate mix for the children and we made it with almond milk. The mini marshmallows are the healthiest type you can buy ready made, they are from Whole Foods. No food dye or nasty chemicals, but they are still sugar, oh well, it is only a once a year treat. They really enjoyed it. The older two kids wouldn't pose like the three little ones here. But they loved the hot chocolate too!

 We also enjoyed a few Christmas parties, opening gifts and taking many pictures just to get that perfect one of all the children for our Christmas cards this year. Here we are right before going out the door to an annual Christmas party held at the home of my husband's employer.

Here is the pic I would have loved to put on our Christmas card. Look at the baby sticking out his tongue...too funny!! Little stinker, he was being a pistol that night.

 But we did end up getting a great shot. This is the one we put on the cards.

Here are the two youngest enjoying their new scooters in the house. Our 6 year old also got one but his is a Hot Wheels scooter with two wheels instead of three. They are loving their new scooters, that's for sure.

Now on to toasting in the New Year!! This year for me will be filled with even more green juices and even a few fruit juices when I feel like it. I also really want to achieve my goal of learning how to grow and juice wheatgrass. I have been continuing to study all I can about it and my husband is going to help me make a growing rack out of PVC pipes. I think I will buy a hand crank juicer, but I haven't really decided yet. All of my plans are still in the works.
Here is a wonderful juice I found a recipe for on healthyeasygreen.com.

CHEERS!

Healthy Green Juice

1 very large cucumber

3 stalks of organic celery

3 romaine leaves (recipe called for 1 kale leaf)

large handful of parsley

large handful of organic spinach

2 tsp ginger

small clove garlic

1 wedge of lime

1 C red clover sprouts (I added to recipe!)

Run everything through a juicer and enjoy the green goodness!

This juice is not for someone new to juicing. It is quite strong and probably wouldn't be the best recipe for one's first juicing experience, but for me it is just how I like a green juice to be.

Have a very Happy New Year filled with RAW goodness and Joy!

PAX ET CRUDUS SANITAS

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for my family, plain and simple!! I love each and everyone of you so much! XOXOXO
January 1- Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Let us follow her example when she so bravely said "yes" to God. We can make Christ present to the world by rededicating ourselves to the "yes" we've said to God.

Yummy Recipes from Raw on $10 a Day or Less

One of my favorite blogs is Lisa's Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!) I made three of her amazing recipes she posted on December 19th.
Her "Nut Nog" is so delicious and I enjoyed every last drop.

I read the ingredients in her recipe, knew they would make a killer nog, threw everything in the blender and chugged it down in about 4 seconds flat! It was absolutely delicious. See her recipe here.

Nut Nog

The second recipe of hers that I just had to make was Marinated Broccoli and Mushrooms. I made a version of Marinated Broccoli and Tomato. I didn't have mushrooms so I improvised and came up with this. You can see Lisa's recipe for Marinated Broccoli and Mushrooms here. I used sun dried tomatoes that I had just purchased and they were begging me to eat them. Here is my variation to her recipe:

Marinated Broccoli and Tomatoes

10 organic sun dried tomatoes, preservative free, soaked and sliced
1 bunch of organic broccoli, chopped and stems peeled and diced
2 T Pine nuts
3 T EVOO
2 T raw honey or raw agave
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T dried onion flakes
Place broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the oil, honey, garlic, paprika, S and P, red pepper flakes and dried onion. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and toss well. Allow to marinate 24 hours. Serve cold.

My husband really enjoyed this salad. He was pleasantly surprised by the heat that the red pepper flakes added. I actually prefer Lisa's original recipe for the marinated broccoli and mushrooms, it is actually my favorite vegetable recipe of hers.
The next delightful recipe I made was her Chocolate Raspberry Tart. I brought it over to my parent's house for a family gathering. My sister-in-law also eats raw and I wanted to bring a special dessert. Well, let me tell you this is a SPECIAL dessert. In my case it actually made a very special breakfast the next morning too. Not only is it delicious it is beautiful and looks so impressive but you won't believe how easy it is to make. 

The only things I changed in the recipe was the addition of carob powder and I used hazel nut flour in the crust. I like to mix carob and cacao. I would have made it with 100% carob but then our oldest son wouldn't have eaten it; he refuses to eat carob. I really wanted him to be able to enjoy a healthy dessert with us so I mixed in only about 1/4 of a cup of carob powder to the cacao; he never detected it. Next time I am going to try and use sunflower seeds in the crust. I had read that you should not eat nuts with avocado. None of us had any tummy troubles but next time I may try a seed and raisin crust versus a nut and raisin crust. My husband didn't get to taste it so I will be making another one this week!
+JMJ+Today I am grateful for the short time I had to spend with my brother and his family. They live in Ohio and we don't see each other very often, so when we are together we cherish each and every minute. We always spend a great deal of the time laughing..to the point of tears! Makes it fun that's for sure. Love you guys!! Save travels home. Peace!