Happy Foods in Different Dishes :-)

"Almost Raw" Vegan Asian Type Meal

Made this meal with the following:

RAW ITEMS:

Spinach chopped about 3 to 4 big handfuls

Broccoli chopped about one small stalk

Red Peppers chopped - one pepper

Spiralized Noodles of Zucchini or Yellow Squash (Use a spiralizer to make) - about 4

Sprouted Lentils - 3 - 4 big handfuls of

Cucumbers chopped - 3/4 of one

Carrot ribbons (just keep peeling a carrot into ribbon shapes) - Two carrots

Cold pressed olive oil 3 - 4 T, apple cider vinegar - 2 T, 

Shake in some Asian spice blend, lemon pepper and some coconut sugar to taste

NOT RAW ITEMS

Roasted Sunflower Seeds to taste

Soy Sauce to taste

Mix all the above in the quantities you like and serve. Delicious!

 

Raw Foodist’s – Raw Food Vegan Lifestyle – My Story

Raw Foodist’s – Raw Food Vegan Lifestyle – My Story

I have now been a raw foodist for almost 6 months. Where did I get my inspiration from? Other raw foodist’s! Just type in raw foodist’s at Youtube.com and you will find many of them with inspiring words, recipes and smiles.

Go to the library and check out books on the subject. You will learn all kinds of good information on why this lifestyle is a healthy one. There are many recipe books on the subject as well as lots of websites online about the raw food vegan lifestyle.

I like to call this a “lifestyle” instead of a “diet” as it really is more than a diet. It seems the more attention I have paid to eating healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, the more I have wanted to take care of other areas of my life. Room messy? Clean it up! Errand left undone? Get out and do it. It is like I now have more of an “action” mentality than I did before.

Choosing to live this raw vegan lifestyle requires good planning to work successfully. It also requires lots of time and effort into getting the best fruits and veggies you can, but it is worth it. It is something you are doing for yourself to be healthier. You feel healthier and you also get to a good weight, too.  

Since I am now putting healthy things into my body instead of junky type foods, I also just gravitated to putting healthy things into my mind, too. Negative people, places and things just are no longer for me and I have to let go of any negativity daily. I desire to be around positive people, places and things now. That is a huge bonus.

It is funny how me just researching online “how to lower cholesterol without medicine” helped me to find this wonderful new way of life. I have not only lowered my cholesterol and don’t need the medicine, but I have found so much more. Inspiring raw foodist’s online who are so encouraging with all they share and do so absolutely free. My mom used to say “For nothing you get nothing in this world” but I have found that for nothing I have gained so much. I now feel better about myself and in feeling better about me, I now enjoy my life so much more and am looking forward to many more benefits as I move forward daily discovering and enjoying more positives in life.

There was a time in my life when I was pretty angry and I wound up hanging out with angry people. There was a time in my life when I was pretty sad and wound up hanging out with sad people. There was a time in my life when I was really negative and hung out with negative people. But now this is a time in my life when I am actually way more positive than in the past and guess what? I seem to be hanging out with lots more positive people! I am happy to be able to not only change my body, but my mind and spirit, too. Looking at two deer in a meadow today and seeing how free they were with no cares in the world, just enjoying the sunshine and flowers together, helped me to see that that is what I am striving for daily. To be carefree and just enjoy the day. I have had depression on and off for years. I also have a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have tried many things for those issues, but I haven’t found a “cure”. I am not sure if the raw food lifestyle will be a “cure”, but for now, I am feeling so much better than in the past and that is a good thing and a happy thing for me.

Becoming a raw foodist at age 56 is a really interesting experience. My kids are grown so it is just me doing my own thing here. I am not sure if I will meet in person that many other people who are doing this lifestyle, but for now, it is working for me, I got at a good weight for my height and I am feeling like there is hope for more progress in me healing more and more with each new day, by choosing the positive things in life and I am so happy for that!

- By Connie Webb 5/29/14

Also, Posted at namesconnie.wordpress.com

Peeled Zucchini Noodles and Oyster Mushrooms

I took about 5 oyster mushrooms and added some cold pressed olive oil and some seasonings of garlic powder, salt-free seasoning and some soy sauce. Mixed it all up in a bowl.

Then I peeled a couple zucchinis with the peeler in another bowl to make thin fettuccine type noodles.

I then took the bowl of mushrooms and added them to the zucchini noodles and stirred it up.

Then I took some mix I had of garlic, cliantro, parsley and other seasonings and added 1 tsp of that to the zucchini noodles.
I also added a tsp of another mix of red pepper and other spices to the noodles. Squeezed some fresh lemon over it and mixed it all up and it was very tasty and spicy.

You can use your imagination to make a wide variety of toppings to the zucchini noodles. :-)

Link to Nutritional info. on Oyster Mushrooms:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3050/2

Link to Nutritional info. on Zucchini:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2639/2

Almond Pesto served on Sliced Cucumbers

1 small bunch of basil
Ground almonds about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup
1 clove garlic chopped
1 to 2 T of lemon
Approx. 2 to 4 T of cold pressed olive oil
Salt free herbal seasoning and pepper and some sea salt

Place all the above items in a food processor/chopper and mix until well blended. You may have to stir it a few times to make sure it gets nice and blended. Enjoy on sliced cucumbers.

That Number on the Scale

Started out on Dec. 3, 2013 at 172 pounds. Today is May 17, 2014 and I weighed 135 this morning! I have to keep doing double takes on the scale number. That number on the scale had not moved in  ages. Yet when I adopted this raw vegan lifestyle, that number keeps getting lower and lower. I am now at my normal weight for my height of 5'6 " tall and age 56. It is nice to be in the normal range and not always feel so guilty for being at a so called "not normal" weight.

I like this lifestyle as it is all about abundance - seriously! One day I really thought I was overeating and was scared to weigh myself the next day and long behold I did not gain, but lost some more weight. I think the eating too little thing always tended to keep weight on me. But I guess my body now is happy it is eating more fresh fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds and is just really adjusting very well to this way of life.

There are many books out there on this lifestyle that will explain all the benefits of this way of life. I am not so good at explaining this way, but I will say this: I feel much better than I have in a long time with this healthy way of eating. And I am so happy that number on the scale no longer upsets me!

Today's Big Tasty Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1 head red leaf lettuce - chopped
1/2 cup of sprouted lentils
1 big beef steak tomato - chopped
1 avocado - chopped
1 small handful of cilantro chopped fine
1/4 tomatillo chopped small
3 T ground almonds

Mix that all together in a big bowl. Then add this Homemade Dressing:
1 T cold pressed olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T lemon juice
Add to taste any of the following or all: salt free seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, turmeric, mustard powder, paprika and 2 T nutritional yeast

Mix it all up and it is delicious! I added all the seasonings. (I also added to the mix about 3 T of leftover raw dressing from yesterday that was made with some yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato, basil, garlic and spices.)

A big salad like the above is very tasty and filling, yet you don't feel you need to fall asleep afterward. :-)