What's Cooking or Not!

Today in the Kitchen 1/27/09

2009-01-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

A simple day..
Morning coffee
Banana with raw almond butter..
3 mile hike..
tortilla chips with homemade guacamole
32 ounces water with lemon..
Another 3 mile hike
32 ounces of smoothie similar to what I made yesterday..
more water with lemon...
if I get snacky tonight I will have another banana..

Eating mostly raw is very easy.. It doesn't have to be so hard like those raw food gourmet cooks make it.. fruit, veggies, nuts.. simple.

Today in the kitchen.. 1/26/09

2009-01-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

Now I know it isn't good for me.. but I am just not ready to give it up.. Coffee with my fat free vanilla creamer.. It is non dairy but it is highly processed crud.. but this is my one vise.. That said....
Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee with fat free vanilla creamer
1 banana with raw unsalted almond butter spread on top before walk (this is my favorite snack!)
After walk: Smoothie..
Today's smoothie contained 5 bananas, 1 heart of romaine, 1/2 cup chopped cucumber, 2 large ribs of celery, 2 tbsp flax seed and 2 tbsp raw sesame seeds (did you know that Sesame seeds have more calcium than milk!?), enough water to blend up. Add 1 cup of frozen strawberries..

This was so good. I sent hubby off to work with 1 qt of smoothie, gave the littles each 4-8 ounces and I had 1 qt as well.

Lunch: 1 whole romaine heart chopped, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chopped cucumber, 1 celery rib chopped, topped with 2 big scoops of guacamole, cold pressed olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also had a scoop of guacamole with a handful of tortilla chips (cause it sounded good and it was!). This salad was great! The guacamole was even better!

My recipe for guacamole:
I make a huge batch to be used in salads, toppers for chips of portabello mushrooms (that I marinate in olive oil and put in the dehydrator until it is soft and warm)..

I think I used 10 avocados
1/2 red onion chopped fine
5 cloves of garlic chopped fine
2 bunches of cilantro chopped fine
2 seranno peppers chopped fine.
Mash together and add salt and lime juice to taste..

Tonight:
I am making portobellos for hubby. Last night I put 2 portobello caps into ziplock bag with lots of chopped garlic, some cold pressed olive oil and salt/pepper. Let marinate. Then I put in dehydrator several hours before the meal they are intended for. Half way through they start to dry out so I brush on more olive oil. When done top with guacamole.
I am having fruit probably. I have had enough guacamole for one day. So I will have bananas, an apple and probably some raw almond butter.

To drink.. I love ice water with a lemon wedge.. It is cleansing and refreshing. So I sip on this all day.

The kids had cheese quesadilla's for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, and will have veggie refried beans and tortilla chips for dinner. They are snacking on celery, cucumbers and carrot sticks.

As Paula Dean would say "From my kitchen to yours, I wish you best dishes!"

Introductions...

2009-01-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

I love to cook! I love to create in the kitchen.. I love to get my kids to eat super healthy with great tasting food.. About 10 years ago I learned how to grind my own wheat berries to make my own whole wheat bread.. yum.. This started my journey to healthier eating.
I am a big girl with a lot of weight to lose.. Eating healthy isn't my problem.. Eating out is.. I love fast food, stress eating.. But I have eliminated fast food from my diet and reaping the benefits.. I am losing weight. I am full of energy.. I now can hike 5 or more miles a day.. As for stress eating.. I am doing better. I just reach for a piece of fruit instead..
A few years ago we started learning about the benefits of eat a mostly raw food diet. We have done this off and on over the years and found that they were right- you feel great! But I would go back to fast food.. We would slide back into our old habits..
Today my family still eat meat and dairy products. I don't. They eat very healthy even though the are not vegan.. They eat a lot of what I make for myself. They eat whole wheat vegan pancakes. They eat a lot of meatless meals. And sugary treats are not in the house.. Except for hubby's ice cream..
Someday soon they will transition over to a more vegan diet.. More raw foods- as I have more produce at my disposal.. Over the summer is the perfect time to incorporate raw foods. They love corn on the cob raw! It is a joy to see the little ones running around with a raw corn on the cob in their hands. Watermelons, mangos, grapes, and other melons.. We eat a lot of this..
I am eating a high raw diet. I eat mostly raw and when my body craves something cooked I eat it. But I am eating vegan cooked food. I am expecting a child this summer. So I do not deny myself what my body is asking for.
I started this blog to share with my friends and family some of the great recipes I am creating.. Some will be raw, some may not be.. But all will be healthy and great tasting..