Dear Rain

Please help our gardens grow!

Cheers,

Jamie

Dog Walk in Texas

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My Morning Read

Who needs a newspaper when you have the back of your Food For Life brand sprouted grain cereal box. "Take also into thee Wheat and Barley and Beans and Lentils and Millet and Spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it..." Ezekiel 4:9. It's like breakfast and church all at the same time!   

Why I love Ezekiel products: They contain no refined sugar, no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors, no shortening and no cholesterol.    

When I read the ingredients I know and understand exactly what is inside of the box.  Golden Flax is my favorite. All of their cereals are made from freshly sprouted and certified organically grown whole live grains, legumes and seeds.  By sprouting the grains they are able to release all of the vital nutrients.  

"To unlock this dormant food energy, and maximize nutrition and flavor, we add just the right amount of water to healthy, whole, organically, grown grains which are already bursting with nutrients.  Beneficial enzymes are activated which cause the grains to sprout and become a living food."  ~the box 

Try it, Eat it, Do it!  

Good source of complex carbohydrates needed to maintain peek performance, no added fat, and this cereal is a good source of natural dietary fiber.  Hellooooo regular...you won't have time to take that newspaper to the bathroom anyway.  :) 

Note: This is not that bottom shelf cereal..you know in the commercials where someone squats like a duck and waddles down the aisle... then again I"m not a bottom shelf kind of gal. Like I say and will continue to say, eating healthy can be more expensive but when it comes to your own body...why would you want to be cheap.  

Info came straight from the box! So go grab yourself one, pour it in a bowl, top it with your favorite seasonal fruit, nut milk (pictured above with Brazil nut milk and strawberries) and enjoy. 

Devotion to good health in the morning is the foundation for your whole day!  

Cheers,

Jamie 

Sweet Sustainable Meals

During the holidays I downloaded an array of e-books with the thought of incorporating a few healthy dishes. Looking through the books last week I decided on a raw one to prepare. I had a couple of sweet potaoes that were just begging to be used. The sweetest part: The 2 sweet potatoes I used turned into 3 different dishes. Now try to tell me that isn't sustainable & creative eating :) 

Meal (or side dish) #1 *downloaded from an e-book I found here. 

Herb-Infused Sweet Mashed Potatoes  

2 cups raw sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed, soaked for 4 hours 

3 T fresh herbs (such as rosemary and/or thyme)  

2 T chives or green onions, finely diced  

2 T date paste  

2 T olive oil  

1 T lime juice  

1 clove garlic  

1 t onion powder  

1⁄2 t salt  

Food process sweet potatoes (I dumped the sweet potatoes along with the water into the food proceesor). Strain with nut milk bag or cheese cloth (and keep the juice).Blend all ingredients except chives in blender. Transfer to bowl and stir in chives or green onions. Dehydrate for 2-4 hours at 115 degrees. 

Meal #2 *made this one up & had it the next day for breakfast* 

 

Sweet Potato Smoothie 

Juice from sweet potatoes in Meal #1--about 2 cups 

1 banana 

2 cups spinach 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 T Chia Seeds 

Blend all ingreidents and enjoy. 

Meal #3 *also made this one up using the leftover mashed potatoes from Meal #1 

Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole 

In bottom of 8x8 pan layer leftovers from Herb-Infused Sweet Mashed Potatoes 

Mix 2 (grass fed) brown eggs and layer over top of potatoes 

Top with handful of spinach and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until eggs are set 

Halve grape tomatoes and place on top 

Serve and enjoy!  

I'm not exactly sure of the measurements on the ingredients other than the eggs :) but it turned out amazing. I love casseroles because you really can just through them together! Now enjoy your three sweet little meals and practice sustainable living :) 

Cheers, 

Jamie

Cashew Nut Milk

Nut milks. Who knew they exsisted? Honestly I didn't until 2009 when I decided to follow a "raw food lifestyle" and I cut dairy completely out of my diet. Now, I'm not gonna go all preachy on you telling you why you should or should not consume dairy I'll let Dr. Willett tell you about his studies. I simply prefer other options. Today, with the exceptional here and there latte with cows milk I prefer to drink almond, hemp and sometimes soy.  Yesterday I ran out of almonds but had cashews soaking for a nut cheeze.  What else is a girl to do when she needs milk except throw nuts in a blender and voila!  

Cashew Nut Milk 

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight or 6 hours)
3 cups filtered water
3 medjool dates or sweetner of your choice (raw honey, stevia work best)
splash of vanilla, optional
dash of cinnamon (mainly because I add a dash of cinnamon to everything after I read about its natural aphrodisiac powers ;) ) 

*Blend all together and drain through nut milk bag or cheesecloth!  

I find this lasts about 3 days in the fridge which is why I make small batches at a time. 

Benefits: 

Cashews are a good source of Vitamin B the group of vitamins that are involved in making red blood cells and are essential in the body's metabolic activity. They are a good source of copper and magnesium and are considered heart healthy having an overall lower fat content than most nuts.  

Don't have time to make it yourself? They do sell nut milks at the grocery store but that's a topic of discussion for another time.  For those of you in the Los Angeles area this Mylkman has a new spin on the old school milk delivery. 

The best part about making the "mylk" from scratch...after draining the cashews I was still able to make my cheese spread with the pulp...pooof...no waste!!! (I bet your curious how I made that...let's just say it was as easy as dill). Also replace said cashews with almonds and taaa daaah Almond milk :)

Cheers, 

Jamie

Sugar & Spicy Brownies are Nice-y

Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin', ringting tinglin...Frosty the snowman...Baby it's cold outside...God rest ye merry....ahhhh will someone please delete my Pandora Christmas station because I can't seem to get enough of the holiday music or of the holiday goodies. It's been almost two weeks since Christmas has come and gone and since I first thought about making Rawmazing's Raw Chipotle Cacao Brownies. Friday was my breaking point....as soon as I walked through my apartment door after work I went straight to the food processor without even taking off my coat and made the dessert in under 30 minutes. My roomate thought I was crazy (what's new?!). I just couldn't take it anymore (currently deleting pandora Christmas:)). 

So obvioiusly I'll include a link so you can try these babies out yourself...these days I have very little time to make things up on my own but I have no problem sharing amazing ideas or sharing the entire batch of brownies with my co-workers. Natural Sugar & Spicy and everything nice-y sums up these healthy treats..which have the texture of those pre-packaged Little Debbie brownies that I loaded up on when I was 12. :)This dessert is raw, vegan and gluten free!!!! I've concluded that they are more like fudge bites but still amazing. The chipotle gives it a nice little kick that I truly enjoyed. The only problem I had is with the coconut oil...I feel like it overpowered the ganache and while it helps the ganache set I don't think I would use it again for this recipe. I will pretty much eat anything but I don't want chocolate, chipotle and coconut in my mouth at the same time....or do I? hehe. Ok- enough have I confused myself yet?!

These brownies are chock-full of health. Walnuts are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, have been proven to lower LDL cholesterol and the C-Reactive Protein (CPR). Raw cacao is a natural stimulant and high in antioxidants. Figs are great for promoting a healthy bowel and preventing constipation and dates have more potassium than a banana.So what about that SPICE.... 

Chipotle benefits:

• Chipotle may help prevent blood clots from occurring, thus enhancing protection from heart attack, strokes and other cardiovascular ailments.
• Chipotle may help stave off certain cancers, such as those affecting the prostate.
• Chipotle may help clear congestion and mucus blockages in the respiratory tract. It may thus prove useful during bouts with colds and cough.
• Chipotle may help lower the risk of type-2 diabetes.
• Chipotle may help fight inflammation.

You can find the recipe here and more health benefits on Chipotle here. 

Cheers, 

Jamie

Welcome 2012

Welcome 2012: My arms are wide open, my head is clear. 

My resolution is simple: Push Harder, Do More!  

Last year I found my passion for living a healthy way of life. This year I plan on perfecting the art of living Socially Healthy! I hope you join me and find your own path to a meaningful, healthy and happy New Year! 

Cheers,
Jamie