DAY TWENTY-ONE - This month is going FAST!

Doing an entire month of raw immediately preceding my first raw food chef certification class, August 5-11, has been a blessing to me - I really needed this, even though it was not planned.  Your feedback has been inspiring and beneficial in so many ways.  How often we have no idea what to do next, which path to follow, when the Universe simply steps in to guide the way, beautiful!

Today's intention pretty much says exactly that, "Today I will trust that the events occurring in my life are not random.  My experiences are not mistakes and the Universe, my Higher Power and life are not picking on me.  I am going through exactly what I need to go through to learn something valuable - something that will prepare me for the joy and love I am seeking."

I don't know about you, friends, but I have gone through some pretty tough times, especially in the past ten years.  All of those experiences were not random, they all happened for a reason, something that has taken me years to understand and accept.  With that acceptance has come JOY, a joy for me that is supremely manifested in healthy, beautiful JOYFOOD creations I can pass on to you!

Please enjoy the following salad which brings great joy to me every time I prepare it and please help me name it!

Vegan, gluten and low fat, this light, energizing salad packs a powerhouse of nutrients and will have you bursting with energy. Nothing is wasted and EVERY ingredient is nutrient dense.  I also suggest finely processing kale stems in this, if you have them sitting in your fridge or freezer.  The sweetness of the raisins, along with the sweet tartness of the cherries, balances out the flavors and with the addition of the amazing dressing, healthy becomes heavenly!

Ingredients (10 cups, at least) 

2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), including stems

1 head cauliflower, including stems

1 bag broccoli slaw

1 cup shredded or julienned carrots

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup dried tart cherries

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup yellow raisins, soaked and drained

Instructions
1.  In a food processor, process broccoli until very fine.  Remove to a large bowl.
2.  Process the cauliflower until very fine and add to broccoli.
3.  Stir in the broccoli slaw, carrots, sunflower seeds, cherries, raisins, and parsley.
4.  Dress with Lemon Tahini Dressing or dressing of your choice. For a totally oil-free and soy-free dressing,  dress with the juice of two lemons/limes and drizzle a little maple syrup over the salad before eating. (I prefer to use the Lemon Tahini Dressing)
5.  Keeps for several days refrigerated.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup tahini

1 heaping tbsp miso (yellow)

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cayenne

3/4 tsp sea salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste

the juice of 3 lemons or to taste

3/4 cup Nutritional yeast or to taste

2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp flax oil

6 tbsp water or as needed to thin

Place all ingredients in VitaMix or whisk.  Blend until smooth.  Keeps for weeks refrigerated.

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN
CancerGuide 

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

DAY TWENTY - DOWN 10 POUNDS!

I will admit it, I am such a cheater!  Even when I know how much better I feel when I stick to raw, given the opportunity . . . given?  No, let me re-phrase that, I create opportunities to cheat!  A friend came to visit over the weekend and I grabbed her by the hand and whisked her away to one of my favorite little Middle Eastern restaurants in town.  Their fresh pita bread is out of this world and it begs for a side of babaganoush!  I ordered a salad, but it is the gluten that really bothers me and it is the gluten I crave.  Monday morning came and I was back on the straight and narrow!

Yesterday I forgot to weigh-in, so was pleasantly surprised when I balanced the scale this morning to see I am now down a full 10 pounds, despite my indiscretions! Much to do today for the upcoming raw food chef certification class in a week and a half, so I must get moving.

Today's intention - "Today I will let go of my need for approval and my need to be liked.  Instead, I will choose to like and approve of myself.  The people who count (including me) will respect me when I am true to who I really am!"  

Throw your arms around yourself and give yourself a BIG squeeze - choose to LOVE and accept the wonderful person you are!

To sweeten your day, you might give this a try . . . another version of chia pudding/pops!   If you don't want or like the texture of the chia seeds, blend them with the almond milk and cacao powder first, then add the remaining ingredients.

Nothing is written in stone when it comes to chia pudding or any other raw food recipe, for that matter.  Taste it first, then if you want to "fix" it, fix away!  My goal always is to keep the recipe nutrient dense, low fat, low calorie and, of course, gluten-free.  Just because it's "raw", does NOT mean it is necessarily healthy.  Read a recipe, evaluate those points, then decide if there are ways you can improve one or all without compormising flavor.

This is a tweaked recipe that was sent to me by my FB friend, Deniece Young. I cut the coconut butter, maca and cacao nibs from the recipe and added goji berries.  If you want this thicker, add another T of chia, but for frozen bars, this works beautifully!

2 c unsweetened almond milk

1 t pure vanilla extract

1 T cacao powder, unsweetened (I do not use raw, but Valrhona...the #1 best in the world!)

5-6 T chia seeds

2/3 c organic unsweetened coconut flakes

2/3 c goji berries

3 T PURE maple syrup

Whisk the almond milk, cacao powder, and chia seeds together in a large bowl, until the chocolate is incorporated into the mixture.  Give it a stir every 30 minutes or so, until the chia have expanded and the mixture is thickened.  Add the rest of the ingredients and thoroughly mix.  Let it soak in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours or overnight until all ingredients are plumped with the almond milk.

Pour into popsicle molds or return to the fridge to eat as pudding.   Serve with fresh fruit and chopped walnuts . . . or with anything you like.  SUPER healthy and very simple to make!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2011/10/11/the-next-superfood-chia-seeds/

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/content/en/dave_foreman/chia.jsp

http://www.gaiahealthblog.com/2012/02/18/goji-berries1/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=115

http://www.livestrong.com/article/30473-health-benefits-coconut-flakes/

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN
CancerGuide 

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

DAY EIGHTEEN - Back to the Program!

I had food orders, as well as company over the weekend, so very little computer time, now to get back in the groove. As I always say, there are NO raw food police around here, just try to add as many raw fruits and veggies to your diet as possible, aim for 64 ounces of fluid daily and MOVE! Recording your food choices, fluid intake AND weight daily will also improve your results, if you are trying to lose weight.  Additionally, I find it helpful to start the day with an intention and to end it by recording your thoughts in a journal at the end of every day.

It is always helpful to make up a few recipes the beginning of each week, so you will have food you can grab quickly when you need to.  I made a BIG batch of salsa last night, something I will keep in my fridge as long as tomatoes remain in season - I LOVE that stuff!

For a little sweet treat, I thought I would share with you today one of my favorites, Chocolate Cherry Truffles.  You will need a food processor, a sharp knife and that's it!

2 c walnuts
½ c pitted dates, packed (I use only medjool)
6 T carob or cocoa powder (I use Valrhona cocoa)
1 t cherry extract (use pure extract from Whole Foods)
¼ c walnuts, finely chopped
¼ c dried pitted cherries, chopped
3 T water

Process 2 c walnuts fitted with “S” blade until the consistency of meal.

Loosely separate dates, add them to food processor.  Process until well combined.  Add cocoa powder, cherry extract – process to mix.  Transfer to a large missing bowl.

Add the remaining walnuts (if the walnuts are not chopped finely, your truffles will fall apart) and cherries to brownie mixture.  Sprinkle with water and mix well with your hands.  Chill at least one hour.

Form into little truffle-size balls and lightly sprinkle with cocoa before serving.

Or . . . you can press the mixture into a 9X9 pan. Cut and serve as is.  Personally, I like to cut and then press a half walnut into each piece and neatly round the corners of each piece around the walnut which actually takes longer than preparing and mixing the entire recipe!

This is NOT an exact science, if you don't have cherries, try substituting raisins or even finely chopped dried, unsulphured apricots.  Use your imagination and see what you come up with!

Today's intention - "Today I will search for my own truth and I will allow others to do the same.  I will value the worth of my own vision and the vision of others. We are all on our own paths, making the decisions that are right for us today."

It's ALL about CHOICES, friends - make the one that's right for you today.  You CAN do it!

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN
CancerGuide 

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

DAY FIFTEEN - Half-way there!

So sorry I missed yesterday, very exhausted from my IRS "experience" which is now re-scheduled for a later date, but ALL is good!

I can't believe we are already through half of this challenge and I have learned, even more this time than when I was doing it here at my home with Rosemary, this cannot simply be a 30-day challenge; at least for me, it MUST be a life-long challenge.  Weighing myself daily, seeing the fluctuation in what one muffin or one "thin" slice of pizza can do to my progress, is so eye-opening. For sure, I am NOT 30 years old, I don't have years to correct bad habits.  Time is fleeting and my health and mobility with it, unless I do something about it NOW, not later!

The past two days I have had fun creating frozen bars.  I looked online for silicone molds and found a wonderful, easy-to-use commercial one called, ColdMolds.  It was so simple to create eye-appealing and delicious frozen bars by simply tweaking some of my tried and true dessert recipes.  All this tweaking and sampling and still down a pound and a half....gotta love that!

My Bars . . .

Pina Colada

The Crazy Monkey

The Chi-Chialicious!

Thus far, "The Crazy Monkey", with its coconut/cashew base, packed with unsweetened coconut flakes, fresh pineapple and bananas is my personal favorite. This morning I am making "Jumpin' JOY Juice" bars from one of my green smoothie recipes . . . all of this is simply TOO much fun, no suffering here!

For anyone wanting recipes, please email me at raw.reboot@gmail.com and I will be happy to share with you.

Before I get busy with food orders and bars, the intention for the day - "Today I will be open to the process of change.  I will trust my Higher Power and believe that the place where I will be dropped off is better than the place where I was picked up.  I know that change is necessary to take me wherever I need to go."  Indeed, indeed.

Have good one, friends!

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN
CancerGuide 

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

 

DAY THIRTEEN - Keep movin' the weight to left!

Oh yeah, the little weight on my scale - pushing it off to the left, away from me, means I have lost a little more weight, YAY!  Those half pounds, like this morning, all add up.

This was the first thing I saw when I opened Facebook this morning from Hanna in Finland - 

"I am dieting - not dying! Healthy diet is painless, fun, tasty and good for me. I do count the calories - because I love myself. I am not denying anything from myself, I eat what ever I want, and exactly what I want."  

How could it be said any better....BRAVO, Hanna!

 

 And from an old classmate yesterday - 

"Today is Day 10 for me and this morning I recorded 10.6 pounds lost! This means I'm lower than I've been in years and I have hope to finally go much lower. Thank you, Sue! Am also getting more adventurous and trying new things. Made the chips and salsa last night. Even survived well a dinner out with an old sister-in-law I hadn't seen in 10 years on Saturday. Another "noticing" is that the arthritis in my finger joints seems much less touchy."

Keep up the GREAT work, everyone!  Yesterday I decided to blend my salsa recipe, DIVINE!  My favorite savory drink thus far!  I have about a pint left which is going to be breakfast.

If you want a quick, simple taste treat, how about spreading a little almond butter on a collard leaf, then plop down half a banana and roll it up, YUM! Okay, fine, drizzle a TINY bit of honey on it first, then enjoy every bite . . . no moaning! 

Big IRS day tomorrow, then I can breathe! 

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN

CancerGuide

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

 

DAY TWELVE - A JOYFUL 6.5 Pounds Down, YAY!

Still busy with figures, but just wanted to send an intention for the day, along with well wishes for your happy, healthy journey toward better health . . . it is ALL about the choices we make along the way.  Hopefully, the suggestions you find here will aid in making those more diverse.

Today's intention - "Today I will practice healthy giving, understanding that caretaking and compulsive giving don't work. I choose what I want to give, to whom, when, and how much.  It takes time to lean how to give in healthy ways.  It also takes time to learn to receive.  Balance will come."

"Healthy giving" . . . yes, I am very often an overgiver, always striving to help, to please, in way too many ways.  Yes, yes, I am a woman who will strive for healthy giving!

Have a great day, friends!

Food for Thought

JOY ASKEW

Time marches on.
Too often, joy marches with it.
Dreams vanish. Joy disappears.
DECIDE to dream again!
Be outrageous. Be courageous.
Do the deed, plant the seed and
Let the JOY begin.

~ Sue Ansari, 3/2012

Santé, To Your Health!

Sue Ansari, RN

CancerGuide

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor
www.santetoyourhealth.org

www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MICancerCoach 

Cuisinart PowerBlend Duet Blender and Food ProcessorCuisinart Smart Stick Hand BlenderVitamixPro 500 Series Blender

DAY ELEVEN - GUEST BLOGGER!

Guest Blogger on 07/16/12 (Sue's focus was on the IRS today, so I offered to blog)

As a sister on this raw FEST journey, I am learning so much. Basically, I classified myself as a flexitarian. For me, that meant mostly vegetarian and meat when I had to have it (e.g., at someone's house). My body paid for eating the meat in unpleasant ways.

Much of what I ate was raw, because I didn't take the time to think ahead to prepare a meal; plus, I live alone and don't have to consider anyone else's palate. My "cooked" meals generally consisted of roasted veggies .... especially sweet potato fries. I could devour several potatoes' worth of those roasted delicacies (EVOO, sea salt, and ground black pepper). I'd eat left-overs cold (too "busy" to even use the microwave) for breakfast, snacks, bed-time snacks, any time!

Taking the leap to full, hard-on, raw (sorry, I do not intend to offend anyone by using that word/phrase, but EVERYthing seems sexual to me, at this stage of my life..... celibate for 6+ yrs and something woke up in me a few months ago and it is RAW!!) food sounded exciting and it gave me a way to channel this new energy that I won't waste Plus, I know Sue, trust her, have witnessed changes in her physical appearance (and life), and love her. Surely, she would never encourage me to do anything that would hurt me.

It is possible that I may be a pound or two underweight (many contributing factors) so I am intentional in managing my weight so that I remain healthy. Consequently, during the past few days, I have nibbled on dark chocolate; savored, almost sucked every flavor out of salmon this past weekend; eaten a few, okay, half box of "healthy" crackers with almond butter in one sitting; eaten almond butter out of the jar - remember, I live alone and eat many nuts (darn, there's a word that can mean many things), etc.

Tonight, I made the Kick Ass Kale Salad and I may end up eating the entire concoction before I make it to bed. It is amazingly delicious in every sense (helps satisfy a deep, inner craving!)!

Reading everyone's comments encourages me and gives me tremendous ideas, which I forget, but hopefully, will recall at some point and write down, and then forget where I placed the written idea..... Oh well, life is! For several years, I've been very curious about green smoothies. The combination of ingredients sounded totally disgusting to me. When I read that a green smoothie was to be made and consumed on a daily basis, I trusted Sue. She doesn't look like green smoothies have harmed her! Now, I LOVE GREEN SMOOTHIES - cannot imagine starting a day without one. In fact, each night before I go to bed, I made sure my blender (which works really well - don't have a VitaMix) is cleaned, assembled, and ingredients are set aside thereby eliminating the opportunity to make an excuse of not having time in the morning.

I am eager to find a dehydrator I want to afford!! I can almost taste the satisfaction (smiley face) of those nachos/crackers & curried cauliflower. Well, I will stop here and go to ebay and Amazon to see what is offered tonight. I am grateful for each of you; you hold me accountable!

Angeeeeeela, in her element!

 Blessings Abound!!

 Angela (my name is pronounced: Ann-GEE-la) <- that is important! 

Thanks so much for helping me out, Angela!