Green Smoothie

My birthday blender has finally arrived! (Thanks Mom and Dad :D).

My first creation: a basic green smoothie. I've missed these so much! I had a small, personal blender back home in Canada, and I found it to be really restricting as to how much I could blend at once. I also had a juicer that I loved. I would juice beets, greens, you name it. So I was really hoping that this blender would be able to handle most of what I threw at it.

And here is the result! This smoothie is simply:

1 banana
1 orange
2 large handfuls of kale
water

Banana Breakfast

I was in the mood for something quick and a bit sweet this morning:

banana(s)
raisins (soaked overnight)
dried coconut
cinnamon (I used a bit too much. Just a (small) pinch next time)

Transition Foods

Halfway through my walk home from watching rugby with the gang at my bf's place (Wales lost, boo!), I started to feel really light headed and weak. Generally when this has happened before (usually when I hadn't eaten for a while and was starving), I would just eat a spoonful of peanut butter and I would feel better. Tonight I was also craving cooked foods a bit, like crisps or chips (chips and french fries for the non-Brits ;).

So when I got home I made myself a salad with lentils. A healthy transitional meal, yes? I have to say, I'm not feeling so hot right now. Not in that light-headed way, but in that too full, lethargic way. The last few nights I've been alternating between an all-raw meal (usually a large salad) and a raw one with cooked veggies meal (salad plus a sweet potato or maybe some peas, etc).

I think that tonight I've learned to lay off the lentils for a bit, and if I want something cooked, to give some root vegetables a go (I do love my sweet potatoes). Maybe I'm ready to go more raw than I thought. I think I will at least be listening more to what my body tells me.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics from some of my dinners the last few nights (I just love the colours!)

Romaine, beets, red peppers, organic mixed sprouts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice + balsamic vinegar

Sprouts from my first batch!

Romaine, carrots, beets, red pepper, organic alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, nut. yeast, lemon juice + bal. vinegar

PS It seems my allergies have started to kick in. They haven't been a problem for a while, but I think moving to a new place may have triggered them again. I don't particularly want to take allergy pills - anyone have a more natural method for a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes?

Choco-Pecan Date Balls

My first recipe post! I've been craving chocolate, but since I decided to go raw last week I've been staying away from the over-processed stuff (ie. the sugary consumer crap). Here's a simple, moist, chocolate treat:


Choco-Pecan Date Balls

1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dates (soaked for 5-6 hours)
2 Tbs cocoa + a bit for rolling in
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

1. Process pecans until broken up into small bits
2. Add dates, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth
4. Shape into balls
5. Roll in cocoa

Makes: 6 balls

Simple, quick, and it takes care of that chocolate craving.

A New Start

Hello folks, and welcome to my new blog. Why did I decide to make another blog about being raw, when there are already a million others out there? Mainly to help keep myself on track, and also to share with you how I'm managing raw on a bit of a budget.

Background info:
A year ago I was living in Toronto, doing a 9-5 for a television production company. I'd been vegetarian for over four years, but decided that it wasn't enough. I was going to become vegan. After a while on the forums I started to hear things about raw food. I didn't know what that meant, and the more I researched, the more I got excited. In the summer of 2009 I tried to go high raw - and it worked for a while - but then the evils of cooked food (mainly bread) lured me back to my old ways.

Fast forward to 2010. I'm in the middle of my MA at the University of Bristol in the UK, so once again I'm a poor student. After a few months on the course I started to notice some weight gain, tiredness, and a general overall lack of energy. I knew how good I felt when I was high raw, so I decided that I would give it another go. However, there seems to be a few obstacles on my road to raw: mainly my limited budget, having to find new suppliers for those things I loved back home, and being tempted while out with friends.

I don't have a dehydrator. I don't have a Vita-Mix. And I don't have an unlimited budget.

What I do have is the infinite resource that is the internet, the support network of blogs and forums, and a real enthusiasm to make this work. I've just ordered a blender (only 700W, but it will do for now), I have a small food processor, cutting board, knife, and a regular old peeler.

I'll be posting photos of what I've been making, problems that I'm encountering (like finding good raw food sources in Bristol!), and hopefully be a resource for those of you who find yourselves on a budget, whether student or otherwise.

Peace,
Kx