My Potluck Recipe's

I wanted to share the recipes of the food I brought to the Potluck. After reading my Blog I imagine you get to the end and wonder, hmmm, what should I make? Try these.... My fav is the Taco's stuffed in a pepper with the Sour Cream on top. You will be amazed at what you can create with Raw fresh ingredients.....

Mango Avocado Salad

Via greenchefs.tv & raw chef, Vanessa Sherwood

Ingredients

• 2 Ripe Mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1 Large Avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juiced
• 2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Cilantro Leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Black Sesame Seeds

Instructions:
Hand mix all of the ingredients together and serve.

Raw Burger recipe. You could substitute flax seeds for the sesame seeds if you want.

Veggie Burgers
1 large red onion

1 large bell pepper

3 carrots

1 small head cauliflower

1 lg. stalk broccoli

1 C almonds, soaked 12-24 hours

1 C sunflower seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

1/4 C sesame seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

5 cloves garlic

2 T Braggs or to taste
1 t cumin

2 T dried Cilantro or 1-2 C fresh
(can add mushrooms too if you like)
Blend all of the above ingredients and seasonings in a champion juicer with solid plate, or a food processor. This blended food is your patty mixture. Form and put 1/2" thick patties on a teflex sheet and place trays in dehydrator. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8-12 hours or until desired texture is obtained. Flip your burgers after 4 hours and remove teflex sheets, continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours or until desired moisture is obtained.

Raw Cheese Sauce

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2 cups cashews
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt (or slightly less)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Optional: 2 to 3 more tablespoons water if needed to facilitate blending

Directions

1. Throw all ingredients in a high-speed blender.
2. Blend. This recipe can be a bit of a pain when blending, so if you're having trouble getting the mixture to mix properly, turn your high-speed blender off and insert a spatula down one side to let a pocket of air down near the blades. Then remove the spatula, put the lid back on and continue blending--going from slow all the way up to fast again. You can also add a bit more water (mentioned above) but I try not to add any more water than three additional tablespoons because I like to keep the texture more on the thick side.
3. Serve. I usually use right away, as a dip, on top of broccoli, on top of a raw veggie burger patty.
4. Refrigerate leftovers. Leftover raw cheese sauce will keep for up to four days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Raw Ketchup

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1 1/2 cups of diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons dates (do not soak)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (dry - do not soak)
Raw ketchup recipe inspired by Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Directions

1. Blend everything in the blender except the sun dried tomatatoes. Add the sun dried tomatoes in last and blend until you get a ketchupy consistency.
2. Ketchup is complete!
3. Serve on veggie burgers and don't forget your raw mayonnaise (yummy)!!Or serve this raw ketchup recipe on top of raw macaroni and cheese. :)

Once again, it's pretty easy and can be made instantly without any soaking or prepping. All you need is a blender.

 

Raw Taco Meat

1 cup walnuts
10 sundried tomatoes, soaked for at least one hour, preferably a few hours.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Chili powder (start with 1/4 tablespoon, then add more to taste)
Cayenne powder (start with 1/8 teaspoon or less!)  (This measurement has been revised and is better now!)

1/2-1 tsp sea salt

Raw Sour Cream recipe

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1 cup of cashews (soaked and rinsed)
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Directions

Directions to make this raw sour cream recipe:
1. If you are wise and patient, soak your cashews first and then rinse them before blending. If you are impatient and have a high-speed blender, just throw dry cashews in your blender.
2. Add all ingredients, including cashews, into your blender.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Transfer to a bowl and then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.

5. Enjoy on raw vegan tacos or as a dip!

Kale Chips

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1 large bunch kale
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons dried dill
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons raw soy sauce (nama shoyu or tamari)

1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Directions

1. Get one large bunch of kale.
This first photograph actually shows two bunches of kale, but I wanted to show you what the size is like, and I used my camera's lens cover to show you the scale.
So this photo shows 1 bunch of kale lying on the counter as an example, and it shows the other bunch of kale that has been ripped up and placed in a bowl -- to be made into kale chips.
2. Now we are creating "chips." Leave the kale quite big because they will shrink when dehydrated so try to leave each piece of kale quite big. Place smaller pieces of kale directly in the bowl. (If you have very large pieces of kale that have hard stems in the center cut the stems out. However, you don't have to cut the stem out of small pieces. The only purpose re: cutting the hard stems out is the big stems can be kind of dry and hard after being dehydrated.)
3. You should now have a great big bowl full of kale. There is a lot of airspace in the bowl because kale is kind of fluffy and sits on top of each other. Add all remaining ingredients into the bowl on top of the kale.

4. Wash your hands thoroughly and then mix all the ingredients together using your hands. Your hands will get coated in oil and spices, but trust me. You have to do it this way--it's the only way to get this raw kale chip flavouring mixture thoroughly mixed and on each leaf. Mix very very thoroughly by massaging the kale with your hands. You want to make sure the spices are quite evenly distributed. If you find the mixture is quite dry and sticking on your hands you have my permission to add one more tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to this kale chip recipe. However, do not add any more than that because you don't want them to be too oily because they won't dehydrate properly if they're totally soaked in oil.
5. Your raw dill pickle kale chips should now look like this. (These are actually a bit too chunky re: flavor distribution--see how you can see chunks of flavoring on the chips? Try to get them better distributed than I did. I didn't add quite enough oil, I only added 3 tablespoons in total, but I probably should have added 4 total.) Another way to think about this is that it should look like a nice kale salad with a reasonable amount of dressing coating each piece, similar to salad. (By the way - This won't taste very good right now, so don't eat it like salad!)
6. Place your chips in a single layer on dehydrator sheets. You don't need any teflex or parchment paper or anything--just lie them on dehydrator trays. You don't have to lie them out perfectly; just make sure you don't have pieces lying on top of one another.
7. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 120 degrees. Reduce heat to 105 and dehydrate for a couple more hours. Check on them quite soon, because small pieces will crisp up quickly and you can snack on them right away! Compared to most dehydrator recipes this raw dill pickle kale chip recipe actually is pretty quick to make, and you can be enjoying them within a few hours. Don't eat them when they're still a bit soggy, they taste gross that way. Wait until they're totally dry and crispy.

8. We usually tend to consume these raw dill pickle kale chips really quickly, but they do keep quite well stored in tupperware or ziploc bags (provided that you've totally dehydrated them so that there's no moisture left in your kale chips - Ie. dehydrate them for 24 hours or longer!). Beware - kale chips DO NOT travel well at all because they are really fragile. So eat up!

Corn Chip Recipe

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3 cups fresh raw corn kernels (cut 'em off the cob, of course!) (no canned corn please!)
1 1/2 cups yellow pepper
3/4 cup flax seed (finely ground, so use ground flax seed or grind some whole flax seeds yourself in a coffee grinder)
1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh) (you could probably use lemon if you have to)
1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Throw the corn and yellow pepper in the food processor. Process until almost smooth.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and process in your food processor until nicely blended for cracker/chip type texture. Don't over-process.
Note: Flax seeds act as the binding agent (keeps this recipe stuck together) so don't omit the ground flax for God's sake! This raw corn chip recipe needs flax!
3. Throw the mixture in your dehydrator.  As per the above photo, circles are the easiest to lay out in your dehydrator. But you can also do a whole sheet and then cut or snap them when they're partially dehydrated.
4. I usually dehydrate at 115 degrees for the first hour and then lower to 105 for the remaining time frame. Check them after four hours. If possible, flip them over and dehydrate for another four hours or so. Remember, dehydrating is an art and depends on lots of variables. So just check on 'em every once in a while.

Raw Flax Seed Crackers Recipe

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Dehydrated flax seed crackers are a healthy raw food snack. I dipped mine in raw hummus.

Raw flax seed crackers are a popular snack for those on raw food diet. Even if you're just looking to include more flax seed in your diet or more raw foods, try this dehydrated flaxseed cracker recipe for a satisfying crunch. Flaxseed crackers are great with raw salsa, raw guacamole or raw hummus (pictured). I like to add garlic salt to my flax crackers, but this may not be suitable for those on a 100% raw food diet.

Ingredients:

·                        2 cups whole flaxseeds

·                        approx 2 cups water

·                        1/4 cup tamari, Braggs Liquid Aminos or nama shoyu raw soy sauce

·                        sea salt to taste

·                        1 tbsp fresh minced herbs (optional)

Preparation:

In a medium sized bowl, cover the flax seed crackers with water and allow to soak for at least 1 1/2 hours. The water will turn to a gelatinous goo. Check the mixture, and add more water if needed. You want the mixture to be gooey, but not runny, and not too thick.

Stir in the tamari, Liquid Aminos or nama shoyu sauce, sea salt and fresh herbs. You can also get creative and add some extra flavors - a quirt of lime juice, minced ginger, chili powder or cayenne pepper - depending on your tastes.

Spread the mixture about 1/8 inch thick on your dehydrator's paraflexx or teflex sheets.

Set your dehydrator to about 110 degrees, and dehydrate for 4-6 hours. Turn the mixture over, and dehydrate another 3 - 4 hours. If you like a crispy and crunchy cracker, dehydrate a bit longer. I like my flaxseed crackers a bit chewier, so I dehydrate them a bit less. Break or slice your crackers into pieces when finished dehydrating.

Raw flaxseed crackers are an excellent snack on their own, or served with a raw salsa, guacamole, raw hummus or another raw food dip.

Enjoy and stay tuned for the date and location of the next Raw Food Potluck.

 

Raw Food Potluck

Hello!! The Raw Food Potluck was amazing! For those that were there, Thank You!! For those that couldn't make it, let me catch you up!

At about 5:45pm I was setting up and concerned that people may not show up. Then Jerry Aiello walked in the room and I immediately was ok if it was just us because our conversation was so very engaging. When Derrick Nichols entered the room I felt relief that more people were coming and slowly but surely the room filled. Not as many people showed up as I expected, as many more had committed than showed up, but it was perfect the way it was. Everyone there had a common connection and that was our desire to be healthy and connect with like minded people. There were no sour apples and we all had a great time. I learned a lot and was able to share what I have learned as well. The food was absolutely amazing and the company couldn't have been better. There was multiple requests to have this as an ongoing thing and how unique it is to be in Pasco as most similar potlucks are located down in Tampa or even further south. I requested assistance from the members to find a location we can use that won't cost us anything. A few have taken that on and can't wait to see what they find.

I was finally able to share my results and people were amazed and excited to share it themselves. I lost 15lbs and my Total Cholesterol went from 226 to 176. My Triglycerides went from 192 to 86 and my VLDL went from the 38 down to 17 and my LDL went from 148 to 120. These results were in a month, I was told that this wasn't even possible with medication. I would like to encourage people to look at their diet when having health issues or even for preventative care. We can heal ourselves through nutrition and avoid all the nasty prescriptions that typically fix one thing just to mess up another area. I'm sure I will update this blog on occasion but this will be my last post for a bit as this completes... Eat It Raw!!!

Still Eating a Plant Based Diet!!

Sunday was the last day of my Raw Food diet. Since then I've had bread twice and cheese once. I enjoy the way I feel enough to overcome the cravings I have for the stuff that was killing me.
After having cheese on Tuesday I noticed I have been craving cheese. I also was aware that I had no cravings like this at all during my Raw Food diet other than the first week. It shows me the addiction to cheese is more than a flavor craving and it is something that is stronger. This actually makes perfect sense to me with what I have been reading about insulin levels dropping and our body craving the things that are worst for us so that we can get a spike of insulin for a comfort food feeling high. For anyone trying to cut back on the junk I highly recommend the natural supplement 5-HTP. It assists the body in keeping the insulin levels even keel so that you don't experience the crash and cravings for junk. Ask away if you have questions about this stuff. My experience with it has been amazing. Thanks for tuning in. See ya Sunday!!

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30 days up on my Raw Food Challenge!!

Sunday night I finished my 30 days on the Raw Food Diet!!!

I am happy to report that I fit into a size 32 for the first time in a long time and my weight is down 15lbs according to the same scale I used to get my weight at the first doctor visit. Yup, that's right I also got my blood work done to share the results of the 30 days. I am going to hold off on sharing these until my potluck to keep the anticipation up!!

I have added exercise in the last week and look forward to working through the rest of my fat and building some muscles to replace the fat I've lost. I have been sharing the Potluck like crazy and looking forward to a large turnout. I spent some time at A to Zinc Nutirtion Shop in Hudson today for some items in preparation of the meals I have planned for Sunday. This stuff is gonna be delicious!!!

In case you didn't get the memo the Raw Food Potluck is on Sunday July 29th at 6pm at the Days Inn in Port Richey on US19.
Chow For Now!!

Come to the Potluck!!

I have been very busy trying to work out the last details of my Potluck I will be hosting at the end of the 30 days. I am working with multiple people to secure a location. The Potluck will have anywhere from the 20 people, already commited, to 45 people max, I would think. I will be sharing things I've learned about how much nutrition is tied to health as well as the evidence based on my pre-blood work and then post. I will share how much my high cholesterol has dropped and how much weight I have lost.

I am working with Grassroots, in Tampa to figure out a way to get some of their raw meals catered in. I gotta say if someone wants to take a look at this type of lifestyle change or for a 30 day diet this is a place that can definitely assist you. Shannon and I got the Buddy Plan last week for the first time and are continuing our orders this week because they were that good.


This was a great example of a meal that comes from Grassroots. The meal was awesome
and that pink, spicy, sweet and sour sauce was one of the best sauces I have ever tasted.



 

I am really looking forward to seeing the eyes of friends, family and even the people I haven't yet met light up when they see how delicious healthy food can be and why the bad stuff isn't good for them. For years I have heard I shouldn't eat this or I should eat that but until learning why and what these unhealthy meals are actually doing to me I haven't been inspired to change my diet. I find with knowledge comes power and I am committed to empowering the people at my event. I have 4 or 5 friends that have been inspired by this lifestyle change and have also taken it on and many more that are very inspired and curious about what this Ex-Meat and Potatoes guy has taken on. My meetup group link is below. Please go ahead and register if you can attend on July 29th. The location will be updated very shortly.

http://www.meetup.com/The-Tampa-Bay-Area-Raw-Food-Group

Have I lost any weight?

I've been talking to my buddy, who has taken on a raw diet of his own, and he is disappointed that he has some how gained weight after sticking to a raw diet for two weeks. We are both perplexed at how this is possible and I wasn't able to give him much tips other than to measure his waist line and keep track of that over the pounds lost. I am, however, continually furthering my education around nutrition and have learned it's physically impossible to burn more than 1 pound of fat a day and typically if you are losing more than that, like previous diets we've been on, it is mostly water weight and/or muscle. Muscle loss is very common with any kind of diet because when your body gets hungry it is easier to break down muscle than the fat. The secret is adding exercise to your diet so that your muscles are force to expand and feeding yourself whenever you are hungry. The more muscle you have the quicker and more efficient your metabolism is and if you let your self get to hungry your body goes into storage mode and everything you eat, including healthy stuff, is turned to fat for storage because your body doesn't know when it will be fed again.

Are you saying theoretically I could actually lose more fat by eating more? Yes, I am! The types of foods I am eating, vegetables especially, can be eaten as often as you would like and you will still feel better, look better and lose inches off your waist line. I have numerous compliments about my weight loss and how great my skin is looking. I've never really had problems with pimples but they do pop up on occasion and I have noticed that I haven't had one pimple since starting this diet. I also started to get sick one day with a sore throat and I was better the same day and felt normal. I feel amazing and don't get tired until the evening, I no longer have mid afternoon crashes after lunch. I also have noticed and increase in my sex drive.hehe These are just a few of the benefits of my raw food diet.

Shannon and I getting ready to enjoy our meal from Grassroots

I know the title of the post is "Have I lost any weight?" and the answer is yes, almost 10 pounds so far and I am approaching the last hole on my belt so my waist is definitely thinning out. I never thought I could get rid of these love handles without a ton of exercise but I have noticed they are almost a thing of the past as I looked in the mirror this morning. Over half way there and super stoked!! I will be having a Raw Food Potluck to share my results and the location is almost confirmed so look for that update and join me in enjoying the delicious raw meals we have planned for it!!

Raw Cashew Cheese!!! Success!!

I made a Raw Cashew Cheese today and it was a success. This morning before work I put a cup and a half of Cashews in water to soak during the day. I'm finding it takes some planning to execute this raw thing smoothly and without constant duplication. My next few posts will be adventurous!!

When I got home from work I drained the nuts and put them into the food processor and chopped them into smaller pieces. Next I added a 1/4 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, two diced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt with a dash of pepper. Okay and before processing all that you need to also add two tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast(I don't care if you never heard of it. You need this!!) Now Puree!!! You can taste it at this point and add anything you feel is missing, mine was perfect and I left it alone. For the next 24 hours let it rest somewhere cool in a covered bowl. Now it should be placed in the fridge and it will be ready to serve upon it getting cool. It will keep for 5 days.
Bammmm Delicious Cheese for the whole family!! You're welcome. :)

Another thing I can't wait to share is Grassroots. It's a Raw and Living delivery service that specializes in taste good meals with health and well being as it's focus. I am finding it to be a very caring company. Spencer, an owner of Grassroots, was very quick to reach by email and very helpful in pinpointing what will work best for Shannon and I for a week of their Raw Living Meal Plan. I surprised Shannon with this at dinner last night and we enjoyed the first meal tonight. I will tell you it was a treat. I will tell you more about our first meal and the second that we get tomorrow on the next post. Tonight I really wanted to focus on the Cheese recipe because I know it will give my friends a healthy alternative to cheese.

Vegan Pizza Birthday!!

Yesterday was Shannon's Birthday. With all the support she has given me over the last two weeks, also taking on the diet, I wanted to take her out to dinner at a restaurant I found online, Ozona Pizza of Palm Harbor. I initially was going to take her to a raw restaurant but when I stumbled upon this place I had to take her here. They have a very unique pizza that is Vegan and 100% gluten free(Yes, it is cooked). We had it with tomatoes, black olives, onions and eggplant. It was out of this world delicious!! I never thought I could have a pizza that was actually good for me and I would actually like it just as much. After we finished dinner we were introduced to an Ice Cream that is soy based and it rocked! I made friends with the owner. Thank you again Amanda for what you do and the amazing experience we had!!!!

Update: I wanted to share Ozona Pizza's website address. ozonapizza.com

Carrots with Peanut Butter?

Hey All, It's been almost a week since my last update. To say I have been busy would be an understatement between making 1,000 insurance packets for work next week and a lot of other commitments I have been working on. I am going to catch everyone up on what I have been eating on my raw diet.

I have never been big on Breakfast and usually skip it but I find in the world of health and nutrition it is not good for my body as it creates a starving mode every morning and my body begins to store everything as fat when I do eat even if it is healthy food. I usually start the day off with a piece of fruit or a carrot dipped in peanut butter. Yes, I will repeat carrot dipped in peanut butter. :) I make my own peanut butter with my juicer using raw peanuts and a few drops of peanut oil to make sure I can control what is going into my body, you can also purchase it this way, and then I put it in a container that I can use to dip from for a few days. I got tired of the celery and peanut butter after a couple of days and started dipping other vegetable in the peanut butter to see what I can come up with and holy cow I have discovered a new healthy snack. If you are taken back by this I encourage you to try it. I've mentioned Shannon, my girlfriend, doing this challenge with me and I gotta tell you she has requested carrots and peanut butter more than once and she is someone who would never pick up a carrot and eat it. Delicious!!!

For Lunch I usually have a Smoothy or my famous Hummus Wraps I've mentioned in other posts. The Smoothies are awesome and can also replace the dessert cravings for those who are accustomed to a daily dessert at the end of the day, like Shannon and her Milkshakes. For one serving combine a handful of frozen Strawberry's, a Banana, a heaping spoon full of Peanut Butter and half a cup of Almond milk. I also add a tiny tiny bit of raw Honey for flavor and it's amazing health benefits. Once this combination runs through your blender you will never stop making them. I enjoy it just as much as a normal ice cream Milkshake and will probably never make a Milkshake again having this available. The best part is this a complete meal with plenty of healthy protein and a ton of fresh nutrients for your body. Awesome!!!

My Hummus wraps are a staple for me on my Raw Food Challenge. What do you need and what is Hummus? Hummus is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips with lots of good protein and nutritinal value. It has fat but it is the good fat that your body needs. Hummus can be used to dip raw vegetables and/or as a base for my Wraps. Prior to this Raw Challenge I would use a Pita bread and found my first day on the Challenge that I can substitute the Pita with a Romaine lettuce leaf. First, I put the leaf down and use Hummus to butter the inside. Next I add tomatoes, onions and some spinach. I then top it off with some oil and vinegar although this doesn't have to be used and often isn't.

This will give you an idea of what I have been eating. Next post I will be sharing my raw bread that can be used as a Pita with my Wraps. Stay tuned and thank for reading!!

Edit 7/7/12: Try Avocado slices spread on the Hummus wraps. Adds an additional flavor and provides a huge amount of nutritional value.

Quaker Steak and Lube

Last night I met my mom for dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube in Clearwater. I checked the menu ahead of time to make sure I could find something to eat raw. I was able to eat their 'Biker Chick' salad and it was delicious!! I asked them to hold the chicken and don't tell anyone it's a dude ordering the Biker Chick salad. Eating raw is easy as long as you plan what you are going to eat ahead of time. It doesn't work to get stuck in a situation with nothing raw to eat and a very hungry body. Plan your meal and then work your plan.

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Flood and Food

Hi All!! I'm back to Florida and settling back into my routine. I found smoothies at the concert, made with real fruit and ice, and pretty much lived on that during the River's Edge Music Festival as well as a delicious Spinach Fruit salad for Breakfast every morning and was able to honor my commitment to being raw for the most part other than a few beers and an order of fries we split during a crash we were experiencing during the late afternoon on Sunday. I can share that fruit alone is definitely not enough to get you through the day. Everyone asks me where I get protein from without animal's? Well, here's the secret the protein from the dark green leafy vegetables, nuts & seeds, (wheat) grasses, sprouts, grains is plenty and all the body needs. We can also digest this quickly and more efficeintly without any of the negatives of animal meat or milks. Did you know it takes days to digest meat and while it rots inside of you your body starts absorbing toxins and fat from this breakdown?

When I returned home I came home to what looked like a disaster area. My house ended up being ok but my Girlfriend, Shannon, has a house off the Cotee River and so does her grandmother who lives next door to that house. As you can see from the picture the river had taken on a life of it's own and is flowing through and under the houses. Shannon and I made a rescue mission yesterday to evacuate her 82 year old grandmother and her partner Bill. We brought our canoe, loaded them up with some belongings and Shannon and I fought the current to get them out of there. I say all that to share even with all the things coming up, Shannon also is taking on the 30 day challenge, we have managed to stay raw in the face of all these, what appear to be, obstacles. Anyone can take on this lifestyle it is just a matter of making a committment, understanding the health benefits, feeling the difference and really sticking to it.

Stay tuned in for a recipe for some delicious Hummus wraps I have been making. Tons of protein and all the good stuff. I love this stuff and so does everyone else that has tried them!!!

Not Easy at a Music Festival

I'm at a musical festival this weekend in Minnesota and having a blast!! As you can see in the picture, however, this concert doesn't allow outside food. As I read this I came to the realization that this isn't going to be easy and I will need to work with whatever they have available. I am a big believer in honoring my body when it comes to honoring my commitments and although I've been eating healthy I haven't been able to go completely raw. I am ok with this and recommitting to starting strong again on Monday and not beat myself up.

I thought long and hard about weather to admit I am out of integrity with my commitment knowing people are following my blog but I am human and will honor my body at the all day festivals and feel it is also important to share my break downs. You can count on me being straight about my experiences on this blog.

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First Day Raw

I've officially started my 30 day raw food diet. I started the day off a little unprepared with a Banana and literally a handful of Spinach and Swiss Chard for some protein. It wasn't the greatest breakfast but definitely got me fueled for the day. At lunch I found a salad buffet out in Zephyrhills and was able to put together a nice salad with a side of beans and beets. For dinner I went a little out of my way to a food court that serves a sweet Broccoli salad that consists of young coconut milk, raw broccoli, carrots, nuts and raisins. It was delicious!! The first day was a success but a little intimidated by my long weekend out of town at the Rivers Edge Music Festival. Wish me luck and I will update throughout the weekend.

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Doctor Day

I sat in the corner of the patients room and could see a piece of paper on the table which I assumed were my lab results. I patiently waited for the Doctor's grand entrance with the incredible news about how great my health is, after all I cut meat out of my diet 6 months ago so of course my health is going to be better than average. I then waited maybe a minute more and had to jump up to start reviewing my results. The first page looked great as everything was well in the normal range. With a confident grin I flipped to the second page and was shocked to see my Cholesterol was through the roof and significantly out of range. As I tried to make since of what I was reading the doctor entered the room.

Dr Kromolicki fliped through the chart with a moan or two as if to fully digest what it was he was reviewing. "For your age" he began, "this does not look good." With a confused look he continued, "I thought you stopped eating meat, are you sure you aren't eating chicken? Chicken is actually higher in Cholesterol than red meat and..." I interrupted with "Jeff, I have only had meat twice since January. It's probably all the cheese I eat. I have recently noticed I have replaced the meats in my diet with cheese." He agreed heavily with my conclusion.

It reminded of me of why I am taking this on in the first place. With all the research I've done that has led me down this path I have learned that it is the animal protein in our diets that contributes to, if not, causes Heart Disease and Cancers. So in other words, it is great that I am a vegetarian for the animals I'm not eating and the fact that I am not contributing, as much, to the largest pollutant in the world, the livestock industry, but unless I am willing to make some more cuts it isn't going to do me much good in the world of my health. If anything this insight on my health has given me new power in completing my commitment, Eat It Raw!!

Waffles and Ice Cream

As I reach into the freezer this morning to grab the last waffle before my 30 day Raw Challenge, starting Thursday, I see the Ice Cream. I can give up the waffles easy but one of the toughest things to give up is going to be Ice Cream. I then remembered seeing a recipe for Raw Ice Cream a while back. I found a recipe on Blue Lotus Living and will post how it turns out but for now it looks like Blue Bell Ice Cream for breakfast.

Raw Ice Cream – Living Food Basic Recipe

In: Raw Food Recipes|The Raw Food Diet

9 Apr 2009

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream (Raw Ice Cream)

There are several options in preparing raw ice cream.  I’m going to list 2.  They are simple.  But the option really depends on the type of texture you want from your ice cream.  You do not necessarily need an ice cream maker or vitamix, but you can create awesome creations with either one.  You may choose to freeze your creation and then just scoop it out later.  Or if you have a champion juicer, you may freeze the ice cream in ice cube trays, and later run it through the juicer.  Whatever you decide you will never go awry with this fun treat.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight (the main ingredient)

1 cup almond milk (make it real thick & creamy)

1 cup young coconut meat

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or you may use raw vanilla bean)

¼ cup (nut) butter, optional

1 cup agave nectar  

Option 1: In a high speed blender or food processor, process all ingredients until a smooth fluid consistency.  Add more almond milk or coconut water, if needed.  Pour in containers and freeze.  Stir every 30 minutes.  After ice cream sets, serve.

For option 1:  If you do have access to an ice cream maker, follow manufacture’s directions.   Only allow ice cream to chill, typically up to an 1 hr., then process through ice cream maker

Option 2:  Slice and Freeze 3 bananas overnight.  In a food processor or high speed blender, process frozen bananas with vanilla extract and agave nectar.  Serve.  This option will give you more of a soft serve yogurt texture.

As with all raw food creations, feel free to add carob, cacaco, spices, superfoods, and fruit to create a variety of ice creams.

My Story and What Eat it Raw is All About...

Hello!! Welcome to my Eat it Raw Blog. Eat it Raw... Hmm, What's that? Let me start from what I would say is the beginning of this adventure. It all started from a documentary I watched, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". The movie was about Joe Cross, an average man, who had enough of a lifestyle that was slowly killing him. He took on a Juicing fast for 30 days and traveled America sharing the benefits and how he felt. He lost a ton of weight but what inspired me the most was the way it healed him from his ailments and how he shared it with others.

As I took on the 30 day Juicing Fast I started to discover a new level of energy and felt amazing. I never realized it was possible to feel this good until experiencing it first hand. This intrigued me so I began to search further into what appeared to me as a little known secret. In my search I found much evidence that not only could a raw plant based diet prevent and possibly cure cancer but it could also allow the body to heal from other ailments. My father died from a heart attack at age 56 and so this new found information really hit home. Apparently, heart disease is non-existent in cultures where very little to no animal protein is consumed. In fact, these cultures have an average life span in the 90's. So ... what I said to myself is if I cut the meat out of my diet I could possibly double my life span...

After getting off my juicing diet and losing 23 pounds I splurged for a week and then remembered what I had learned and could feel my body getting more sluggish like it was prior to the diet. BAM... I chose right then and there that I would cut meat out of my diet completely and other than one cheeseburger and a pulled pork sandwich I haven't eaten meat since January of this year.

In the recent weeks I've noticed I have replaced my meats with cheeses and artificially created foods. Although I still feel pretty good compared to how I once did and I have kept most of that weight off I know that I can feel better so I am taking on a Raw Food lifestyle for 30 days. I will document my adventure throughout my progress on this blog and share the results of my health improvement or lack there of throughout. I will be getting blood work before and after and hosting a Raw Food Potluck where I will share with anyone and everyone interested. Thanks for reading, please share my Blog and come back often...

Travis