Chia and Fruit Pudding

I call it pudding, it's a pudding consistency, but nothing like JELLO pudding, made with milk! ;-)

I make up the chia and fruit pudding using different organic frozen fruits. This batch was made with peaches and mangoes, but the last one I used blueberries and mangoes. You can use whatever your child likes, but I've read that it is good to rotate it some, as you can develop allergies to foods that you eat too often. That is why I played around with this, because Josh was eating WAY too much applesauce and it was beginning to give him re-flux.

I get my chia seeds here: at Raw Food World. You can go there to read all of the nutritional benefits of chia also. For 10% off of your oder, you can use the promo code HONEYMOON. I buy it often and keep them in a jar, since we use it pretty often.

First you put the organic fruit in the blender or food processor with about a 1/4 cup of water, add a little more as needed.

I then add another 3/4- 1 cup cup(s) of water to it, and 2 tablespoons of Agave nectar.

Add only 3/4 cup first stir in the chia and see if you think it needs more water. You could even use a fruit juice if you like! Put it into a bowl, and add 4 tablespoons of chia seeds and stir!

Now, you cover it and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, so that the chia seeds have ample time to soak up water. This is a very hydrating treat! It turns very gelatinous! Joshua really enjoys this.

Joshua tends to choke after about 5 bites of food, so I use this as a palate cleanser in between bites, it really helps!!

Choco-Cherry Oats and Chia Breakfast Cereal

Made this recipe up this morning and it was a huge hit with the kids and myself. Joshua ate all of his, and then screamed for MINE! ;-)

I have finally figured out the right ratios of oats/seeds/water, so that I can post the recipe!

In a bowl combine:
1 cup of oats
5 tbsp of chia seeds
2 2/3 cup of water

Stir it once, and then again after about ten minutes. You are then going to let this sit overnight, in the fridge if you like, I just leave mine on the kitchen counter, covered, so that it's not so chilled when we eat it.

Topping:
20 cherries, pitted
2 tbsp of raw coconut butter (I use the Artisano brand and get it at Central Market)
2 tbsp of Nutiva chocolate hemp protein powder
handful of pecans (you can use any nut you like)
agave to taste preference

Put all of this in your food processor and blend it on the pulse mode, so the cherries are still a bit chunky.

Scoop oat/chia mixture into a bowl and add topping mix, and close your eyes and enjoy! It's heavenly!

Love one another!~Yvonne

Hot Raw Chef Contest

It's too late to vote for the Hot Raw Chef, but thought you may be interested in watching all the video entries still. Wow, there are so many delicious looking recipes that were entered. The winner will be announced on July 27th, only 2 days away. I wonder who will win?!?

The low-down on Chia Seeds, and my Chia crackers!

They definitely aren't just for growing Chia Pets!

Check out this article on Chia, on the Raw Food World website, where you can also purchase these lovely little seeds. Such great information! I had NO idea that the teeny tiny Chia seed was such a powerhouse of nutrients!!! VERY cool!

I have some raw chia crackers in the dehydrator right now!

Here is the mixture in the bowl:



I just grab some out of the bowl with my hand and smooth it out:



Here it is ready to go into the dehydrator:



In the dehydrator, ready for temp 105 degrees Fahrenheit:



Here is the brand dehydrator I have:



I'll be able to flip them over in a few hours, and then they will be ready tomorrow for some yummy guacamole and salsa!

Thought I would post a picture of the finished product! They are so good!




Love one another!~Yvonne

Ta da!

I wouldn't normally be showing off my tummy in a blog post, but I'm just so excited about this I couldn't help myself! Two weeks ago, I was shimmying into these jeans and then do all the crazy stretching poses to stretch them out after they were actually on! The raw food diet is amazing. I have had this extra weight that I have done everything to get rid of for years, but nothing has worked, and now voila'!



Exciting times!

Eating a raw vegan diet..

I am on a 30 day cleanse right now, which consists of eating a 100% pure raw vegan diet. Today is day 8 and I feel really wonderful!

I was actually only planning to do it for a week, but I feel so good, and it's so easy for me that I am going to go all the way to 30 days. I am sitting here right now, in heaven, eating organic medjool dates. Oh, they just like eating a wonderful sweet covered in brown sugar. Yummy. I close my eyes and chew and sigh contentedly. Ahhh...

As the week has gone on, and I have felt better and gotten past all of the detoxification symptoms, I have realized that I can easily eat this way for the long haul and be perfectly content. After the 30 days, I may start to add in some cooked grains like millet and quinoa, my two favorites.

I realized yesterday that if I wasn't already used to being on a gluten and dairy free diet, that this would be quite a bit more difficult to adjust to. I mean that in terms of "self denial". I am already used to going to events or people's houses that have nothing that I can eat, because they have foods with gluten or dairy in them. I have never even felt like I fit in with the gluten free/celiac crowd because of my dairy intolerance. In the beginning it was really difficult, because food is something that I have never deprived myself of, and honestly was quite the glutton for certain foods, like sweets. Realizing that I could not tolerate gluten, and the fact that it did make me learn "self denial" is probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I no longer have any longings for foods that I can't eat. I can go to any event where people are eating things that I can't tolerate, and it truly doesn't bother me in the least. That is such freeing feeling really! For me, anyhow.

I used to be ruled by my stomach. I couldn't pass Sonic without needing french fries or a small cheeseburger. Now, I pass every restaurant without even thinking of food. Like I said, it is liberating, to not be a slave to my stomach.

I have been reading raw "foodies" blogs, and message boards, websites, and books recently, just taking in all that I can. If you are interested I have a raw blog list in the sidebar, under the angel friends list.

Love one another!~Yvonne