I just made my first batch of raw , vegan ice cream and I have a very big smile on my face. It was easy to make and the result was a cool, sweet, rich, very vanilla confection that could rival the best dairy based ice creams. And, guess what? It's good for you! My ice cream was based on young coconut, raw agave syrup, sea salt and cold pressed coconut oil with all of those wonderful enzymes still intact. Couldn't be simpler.
For a great raw, vegan ice cream recipe as well as a lot of other really great recipes, check out Raw Food real world by Sarma Melngailis and Matthew Kinney.
-Nasirah
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Where's the juice?
So, as everyone well, knows, I am addicted to juicing. I don't, or should I say, won't start my day without a tall glass of beautiful, fresh, green juice. First of all , I love the flavor and even more satisfying is the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing that I have just consumed the nutritious goodness of close to a pound of live, organic love (in the humble form of kale, lettuce, celery, apples and lemons) brimming over with enzymes...need I say more? So, pretty much whatever I eat for the rest of the day I know I've already done alot of good for my body.
Okay, so back to the point, I love fresh juice- which is surprisingly hard to come by these days. I recently spent time in California and Chicago and much to my surprise, I could not hunt down anything more than fresh squeezed OJ, wheatgrass shots and the occasional glass of carrot juice.
Who could believe that in California, mecca to the health conscious and land of the beautiful people, that finding a glass of fresh green juice, or even apple juice would be so hard. In Santa Cruz, we were sent to Whole Foods, then to New Leaf, Trader Joe's and a couple of other establishments whose names I can't recall and still no fresh juice. Jamba Juice scored points for serving up freshly squeezed orange juice, (hey, something is better than nothing.) It wasn't until the last day of my trip, while in San Francisco that I found freshly pressed apple juice at the pier.
A couple of weeks later I headed off to Chicago. Juice, no problem - I could always count on the juice bar at the Whole Foods that I always go to when I'm in Chicago. But, guess what? Yeah, no juice. The polite man behind the counter asked me when I had been in the store last because the juice bar had been closed for a while. Admittedly, it has been some time, but some things should never change.
-Nasirah
Okay, so back to the point, I love fresh juice- which is surprisingly hard to come by these days. I recently spent time in California and Chicago and much to my surprise, I could not hunt down anything more than fresh squeezed OJ, wheatgrass shots and the occasional glass of carrot juice.
Who could believe that in California, mecca to the health conscious and land of the beautiful people, that finding a glass of fresh green juice, or even apple juice would be so hard. In Santa Cruz, we were sent to Whole Foods, then to New Leaf, Trader Joe's and a couple of other establishments whose names I can't recall and still no fresh juice. Jamba Juice scored points for serving up freshly squeezed orange juice, (hey, something is better than nothing.) It wasn't until the last day of my trip, while in San Francisco that I found freshly pressed apple juice at the pier.
A couple of weeks later I headed off to Chicago. Juice, no problem - I could always count on the juice bar at the Whole Foods that I always go to when I'm in Chicago. But, guess what? Yeah, no juice. The polite man behind the counter asked me when I had been in the store last because the juice bar had been closed for a while. Admittedly, it has been some time, but some things should never change.
-Nasirah
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What's for Dinner?
Some of our 30 Days to a More Beautiful You Project participants have expressed a desire to improve their eating habits. With all the literature and "studies" out there it can be really hard to weed out fiction from the facts. One week blue peanuts from red trees in some far off, exotic locale are touted as the newest wonder food, then a week later more "studies" show that these rare blue nuts are not, indeed, as healthy as they were once thought to be...
Who knows what to eat anymore? It can drive you crazy if you let it. But, as far as I am concerned, the most simple answer is probably the best, most "true" answer. If you look around and consider what seems to be the most natural situation for mankind and most other omnivores, the simple answer is eat mostly fruits and vegetables. Our diets should be comprised mostly of real, fresh fruit and real, fresh vegetables. Things like meats, seeds, nuts and grains, or more dense foods should be the garnish or the side dish. But, all too often, it is the case that we simply decorate our meat, pasta or rice dish with vegetables or fruit.
It is important to stay balanced when it comes to diet, so don't stress out, but try to do the most natural thing for your lifestyle. I love the light to heavy concept; eat lightest earliest in the day and heavier towards evening so your body can digest overnight. I know, I know, this is contrary to most of what we have learned, but, I can testify that it works. Aside from amazing weight loss/weight stabilization this method keeps me energized during the day. One day during the weekend, I eat whatever I want. I usually stay within certain parameters (like no white sugar, flour, etc.) but, if I want something, I know the option is available to me, so I never feel deprived. This makes my lifestyle completely livable and realistic.
What this all boils down to is that you have to do what works for you and maintain balance with simple, natural rules. Eat simple, clean, foods from the fruit and vegetable groups that have been processed as little as possible most of the time and you will probably be okay. So relax and have dinner. Manja!
-Nasirah
Who knows what to eat anymore? It can drive you crazy if you let it. But, as far as I am concerned, the most simple answer is probably the best, most "true" answer. If you look around and consider what seems to be the most natural situation for mankind and most other omnivores, the simple answer is eat mostly fruits and vegetables. Our diets should be comprised mostly of real, fresh fruit and real, fresh vegetables. Things like meats, seeds, nuts and grains, or more dense foods should be the garnish or the side dish. But, all too often, it is the case that we simply decorate our meat, pasta or rice dish with vegetables or fruit.
It is important to stay balanced when it comes to diet, so don't stress out, but try to do the most natural thing for your lifestyle. I love the light to heavy concept; eat lightest earliest in the day and heavier towards evening so your body can digest overnight. I know, I know, this is contrary to most of what we have learned, but, I can testify that it works. Aside from amazing weight loss/weight stabilization this method keeps me energized during the day. One day during the weekend, I eat whatever I want. I usually stay within certain parameters (like no white sugar, flour, etc.) but, if I want something, I know the option is available to me, so I never feel deprived. This makes my lifestyle completely livable and realistic.
What this all boils down to is that you have to do what works for you and maintain balance with simple, natural rules. Eat simple, clean, foods from the fruit and vegetable groups that have been processed as little as possible most of the time and you will probably be okay. So relax and have dinner. Manja!
-Nasirah
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