About a month ago, on a visit to my massage therapist and friend, I brought along one of my raw cacao drinks.  She had always shown interest in my lifestyle and wondered if she could actually do the “raw thing” and still make it through her busy day without being hungry.  I explained what was in it and how I made it.  She was open to trying it and I didn’t hear from her for a few days.  When I did hear from her, it was all good.  She couldn’t believe she wasn’t hungry at the end of the day and that she actually made it through her day!  She said, “I’m going to buy some staples for this lifestyle and I’m going to buy a Vitamix.  What do you suggest”?  Well……I’m more than happy with my Vitamix.  The warranty alone is reason enough to purchase this product.  But you have to buy the one with the dial.  And here’s the deal……always shut it off the opposite way you turned it on.  Or else, suffer the consequences of having to clean your ceiling, counter and floor.  Inevitably, you will turn on the machine with the lid off and the power on high.  And you will say….”Donna tried to tell me this.”

So we talked about which machine I like and it turned out her husband was a definite fan of the dial too and that is what they purchased.  The Vitamix can be used for almost everything under the sun.  Drinks, nut butters, nut milk, smoothies, bread, soup, milkshakes and ice cream.  Everyone in the family can find something that will make them happy and they can prepare their own.  My friend’s 4 year old is making her own smoothie every morning.  So easy to use and so easy to clean.  Fill the carafe with water and dish soap and put it back on the base and send it through another cycle and it’s clean.  It comes with a plunger and an unbreakable container.  Now I’ve never dropped the container myself… .  Just kidding.  Of course I’ve dropped it.  It’s even light enough to travel with.  I’ve taken it on trips to visit the family.  This way I can blend up something for them to try too.

The Vitamix can double as a food processor.  It will chop, grate and dice your veggies. Throw in veggies and water and make hot soup.  Let the blender run for about 4 minutes and the ingredients will actually heat up.  Make ice cream with frozen fruit and less time in the blender.  Smoothies in under one minute.  Your kids will love to make their own ice cream and fruit smoothies! You say you can’t afford expensive healthy baby food?  Throw in any cooked veggie or fresh fruit and make homemade apple sauce and vegetables that your baby will really love.  You can also grind your own flours and make fresh bread dough or fresh hot cereal.  So many recipes.  Try it for yourself.  I’d love to hear about some of your favorite things to make in your Vitamix.  Share…it’s nice to share.

Just last week I brought in a raw treat to my massage therapist.  She loved that too.  And her next client was someone that has enjoyed hearing about the living food lifestyle.  Now she could taste too.  Pass it on folks.  It’s how we all learn. 

This week I am sending you tastes of spring.  Fresh fruit juice (yesterday I made strawberry juice in my Vitamix), and ice cream.  Keep experimenting and share what you learn with anyone who will listen.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

Staple, a basic dietary item.  In my life, it’s not flour, rice or corn, it’s almonds, dates, a sprout bag (ok, that’s not food) and some sort of frozen fruit.  As long as I have these few items, I can eat for a day or more.   Of course, I have more than that in my kitchen, but I always have these items on hand and here are some great recipes for you to make with these items. 

Nut Milk

–Two cups water in your blender—-I use the Vitamix.  The BlendTec works well also.   I like my pulp as smooth as I can get it.

–One cup Raw almonds–they say raw almonds are getting hard to find.  I still can find them in my local health food store.  I actually just found them in a big box store, though they were not organic.

Put ingredients in your blender and blend until milky white and the almonds are well ground.  Squeeze through a nut milk/sprouting bag into a container.  The pulp can be stored in a separate container for up to a week in your fridge.  I will use the milk the same day or one day later.  Since this is fresh nut milk, it won’t last long in your fridge.  But this is easy enough to make every day.  You can add more nuts and water or less nuts and water, depending on how much you want that day. 

Here’s what you can do with the milk and pulp.

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Idea number 1:   Cereal–2 tablespoons nut pulp.  That’s all I can have since too many nuts tend to upset my stomach.  Add cut up banana, cinnamon, agave or honey, soaked raisins(these are quick, one hour or more), and any other fruit you have on hand or that you would like.  I let the mixture set for a bit.  This lets the honey absorb and makes it the consistency of oatmeal.  Enjoy for any meal.  Serve room temperature.

Idea number 2:  All of the above plus add some cold nut milk.

Idea number 3:  Nut pulp, finely diced apple, soaked raisins, cinnamon and honey/agave to taste.  This is a great treat for the kids too!   I just made this! 

Idea number 4:  Raw Chocolate Milkshake–2 cups nut milk. 1 Tablespoon raw cacao.  1 half frozen banana.  4 soaked dates(dates you can soak for a couple of hours or overnight).  1 Tablespoon agave or honey(optional).  Place all ingredients in your Vitamix or blender of choice.  Blend until smooth.  Alternative ingredients to add into your shake: Soaked walnuts, blueberries, strawberries, coconut.  Won’t the kids love a chocolate milkshake that’s HEALTHY!

What great ideas.  Easy is my middle name.  If I had a bigger kitchen with more counter space, I’d definitely purchase a dehydrater.  But as you can see, with many staple ingredients that last on the shelf or in the fridge/freezer forever, you can make raw, healthy meals and treats in no time at all.  And the best part?  I made up these dishes.  I didn’t follow any specific recipe.  It’s what I’ve come to enjoy and when I figured out the tastes I liked and what my stomach could handle, the rest was cake!  I mean, easy!  Yes, I still love cake.  I cannot deny that fact.  Is it anyones birthday this week? 

Have a great time experimenting with your food.  I wish you this week…ease of preparing your meals and snacks and healthy digesting.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

 

What happens when you “go raw“?  Below are some great answers to that question.  These come from Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me sharing.  Because it’s nice to share.

1. You Wake UP!

2. You become more sensitive (things feel much better or worse depending on what they are)

3. You get to hear your own voice more clearly

4. You start to be kinder to yourself and the world around you

5. You start to believe in a more “magical” way of living and being (because you can feel it running through your veins)

6.  You feel more pain when things aren’t a good fit for you (and don’t use food to block that fact out)

7.  You have more energy to take action

8. You are generally more positive and upbeat; you begin to believe (and witness) that anything is possible

9. You start to meet others like you and learn through what they have to say and what they have done that there is another way

10. You begin to feel brave enough and vital enough to take the action required to make some big changes, if required, in order to be true to you

Ok, you are asking yourself, what does this have to do with coffee?  Because this next raw green smoothie recipe tastes just like coffee!!!!  I discovered this by accident.  Most of my raw treats are by accident or found by adding or subtracting something from a recipe.  You just have to let go of that fear of being wrong or not being worthy of feeling good.  So, here’s that recipe:

Uncoffee Smoothie

Handful of collard greens

Handful of spinach

One frozen banana

1 1/2 cup water

One shot of flax oil

3 frozen strawberries

Throw it all in your Vitamix or BlendTec and enjoy

Here’s another one that tastes like those Orange frozen drinks you find at fairs.

Raw Orange Smoothie

1 1/2 cup almond milk….here’s what I do for this.  Take about a cup of raw almonds and about 1and 1/2 cups of water and put in your blender.  Blend until it breaks down the almonds(it will become white, like milk).  Drain the milk through your mesh bag.  Save the nut pulp for a great substitute for morning cereal, and put the nut milk back in the blender.

The juice of two oranges (or if you are using a Vitamix or BlendTec….THE WHOLE ORANGE)

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

That’s it.  How simple, right?  All for you to get started on a living food journey that’s all your own.  It’s really about your journey.   What’s your journey look like?  I am not, by any means, 100% raw.  There are days when all I do eat is raw.  I always manage to get in some sort of smoothie in the morning.  If there’s enough, I’ll drink through the day.  That fills me up.  Then I have something cooked for dinner.  It’s a small portion of cooked food.  The more cooked I eat, the worse I feel.  That’s where I am at this moment.  I’m working on number 6 from the list above right now.  We’re really not that different.  Me and you.  The journey up the mountain is different for everyone.  The view from the top is the same!  I take a lot of small steps. Sometimes I’m pushed to make a large step forward, but that’s only with a lot of prior warning.

To end my entry today, here’s that recipe I promised for Halva:

1 1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup raw tahini (I just grind sesame seeds)

3 Tablespoons honey

1 Teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon carob powder

Place almonds in your food processor until ground.  Add tahini, honey and vanilla and process thoroughly.  Put 1/2 of the mixture in a bowl and set aside.  Add carob to remainder and process.  From here, either roll both parts together into a ball, form to a pie plate or eat right out of the food processor.  Now that’s what I love about my raw food!

Be happy and healthy.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle