Crazy, Sexy Diet

A few weeks ago I picked up a book called "Crazy, Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr. This books takes all the techniques and choices we've made for our health and gives them purpose. "We aren't crazy! Someone else has made the same choices we have!"
Crazy Sexy Diet is a guide to transitioning to a vegetarian, mostly raw diet that is low-fat, alkaline, low-glycemic, and healthly. The book makes scientifically based arguments for adopting this lifestyle, backed up by essays written by experts in the fields of medicine and nutrition. You'll also learn about the benefits of cleansing, juicing, meditation, yoga, and more, to put you on the path to physical, mental, and spiritual health. The book concludes with a complete plan for a 21-day cleanse to get you started, with recipes and a resources section.
Yesterday, we started the 21-day detox and I can already tell it's working. I woke up happy today. My husband, Travis, even took notice. After my morning shower, I came out to make sure the kids have had breakfast. He looked up and said, "Wow, you look really good today!"
So, if you are looking for a good guide book on your journey to eat RAW. Or looking for some information to give to those that are concerned about your new, crazy eating habits. I recommend this book.

Yummy Chocolate Pudding

Nothing better then Chocolate!
My wonderful husband found coconuts at our local Whole Foods. They already had the husks (?) cut off, so it was just the inner shell. Making it much easier to get into.
So I dug around in my raw "cook" books for a recipe to use these in. I found RAW Chocolate Pudding.
Let me tell you... This is sooo yummy! You would think it was the real thing!

Enjoy...

2 cups coconut meat (from 2 young coconuts - make sure you buy the ‘young’ Thai ones their meat is soft)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup agave nectar (I used 1/4 cup honey instead)
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup coconut water
1 tsp vanilla (not raw, but I don't have freshly ground vanilla beans)
1/4 tsp sea salt

To open the coconut cleave with a big knife, pour the water out. With the back of the spoon scrape of the coconut meat and place it in a high speed blender. Add coconut water, and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. If it needs to be thinned add a bit more coconut water and blend.

Try this with raspberries or chopped nuts.

Green Juice

Now, I know what you are thinking: Green Veggie juice in the morning. Yuck! But hey, it's better for you then coffee, which to me is Yuck!
About two weeks ago we decided to start drinking Green Juice for our morning pick-me-up after reading "Crazy, Sexy, Diet" by Kris Carr. We were just going to give it a try and see how it goes.
Wowie Kazoie! I feel so alert and energetic first thing in the morning. This must be why everyone is addicted to coffee.
We are incorporating this juice into our morning routine. The kids even drink it. Blake (7) even notices a difference when he drinks it.

Give it a try and see what you think.

Green Juice
This recipe makes almost 32 oz.
-2 large cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
-Big fist full of kale or romaine
-Big fist full of sweet pea sprouts (we use mung bean sprouts)
-4-5 stalks celery
-1-2 big broccoli stems
-1-2 pears or green apples (optional, but oh, so helpful in sweetening it up)
*Other optional greens we love: spinach, parsley

Our Dehydrator

Dehydrating foods provides us with a connection between the worlds of cooked and raw foods. It is a method of preservation that helps retain food enzymes and nutrients. You can cook your food and keep it below 118degrees in a dehydrator.
Personally, we use the Excalibur dehydrator. I love it! It is quiet and takes less time to dehydrate. The fan is in the back of the unit rather then the bottom, like conventional dehydrators, so there is no need to rotate the food. Easier is always welcome!
We have dehydrated many different foods. We've made kale chips, tortillas, cookies, almond flour, pizza crust, and breads. There are sooo many more recipes for RAW foods you can dehydrate.
If you look at the side of this blog, I have listed some of my favorite, go-to websites for recipes.
I also use recipes from the following books:
*Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow by Kenney and Melngailis
*Raw Food: A Complete Guide for Every Meal of the Day by Irmela Lilja
*Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Vegan Dehydrating
*Kristen's Raw: The Easy Way to Get Started & Succeed at the Raw Food Vegan Diet & Lifestyle - this book was more of a jump starter for me then a "cookbook"

Here are two of the recipes I use most:

Corn Tortillas
3 Cups Fresh Corn Kernels
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Yellow Bell Pepper
3/4 Cup Golden Flaxseed, Finely Ground
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1 In a food processor, chop the corn and bell pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and process until almost smooth.
2 Divide the dough onto two Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and spread to the edges using an offset spatula. Dehydrate at 115 F for 3 to 4 hours. Flip the Teflex sheets over onto the tray and carefully peel away the Teflex. Place back in the dehydrator for about 2 hours.
3 When the tortilla is completely dry on both sides but still pliable, remove it from the dehydrator and place on a flat surface. Use a round cutter or small plate about 4 inches in diameter and trace around it with a knife to cut round tortillas. Keep the scraps to add to a salad or just eat them plain as a snack.

Apple Raisin Cookies
2 C hazelnuts, soaked 6 - 8 hours and rinsed
2 Fuji apples
2 large bananas
1/2 C honey dates
1 t honey
1 t cinnamon
1 C raisins

Process hazelnuts, apples, bananas, and dates through a Champion Juicer using the solid plate. (If you don't have a juicer you can use your VitaMix, but make sure to have the apples mixed throughout the container so that the hazelnuts don't overwork the engine)
In a large bowl, mix dough with honey, cinnamon, and raisins
Spoon dough on a dehydrator tray with a teflex sheet, and form into small, round cookies.
Dehydrate at 105° for 4 - 6 hours, turn cookies over and remove teflex sheet.
Continue dehydrating for 4 - 6 hours, or until desired moisture is obtained.
- The bonus to this cookie recipe: the kids can eat as many as they want. They are actually good for them! What a treat!!!

75% RAW

We have been keeping up our RAW foods diet really well. We've decided to have RAW food for breakfast and lunch. The typical: a smoothie in the morning and then a salad in the afternoon. I'm still losing weight and feeling good.
Then for dinner we eat a vegan meal. Lots and lots of veggies and grains. We are 100% dairy free and about 80% gluten free as well.
So our diet is now about 75% RAW!
We snack on nuts and fruit throughout the day and continue to drink a ton of water!
I am very proud of the commitment we have had with our new way of life.
Yoga and Reiki (a hands-on energy healing)have also been incorporated into our lives.
Life is good!

Part II : Day 14

Last night was the end of our two week 100% RAW excursion. I lost 7lbs! I feel great. And we owe our ability to avoiding the latest illness spreading through our friends to our healthy diet.
We began eating cooked food again tonight for dinner. However we plan to continue having RAW for breakfast and lunch.
Why stop all together if the benefits are so great?
I love the direction our life is going!
Onward.....

Part II : Day 13

Last night I made vegan mini-chocolate chip cookies. Not completely raw. The mini-chocolate chips are vegan, but everything else is raw.
I used almond flour that I made with the almond pulp when I made milk.


2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 applesauce (we make homemade-use right away or it will spoil)
1 tbsp raw vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1 cup vegan chocolate chips 73% cacao

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Form 1" balls and press onto a telflex sheet
Dehydrate 8 to 10 hours or until desired consistency.
Best straight from dehydrator, still warm.

1 day to go!!!