Such Great Heights

I was feeling a bit weighed down by my mane (read: halfway down my back and getting caught on chairs/under my arms etc) so I went for a change and lost 6 inches?! I’m still a little shell shocked but one thing I know for sure is that I will love the lower maintenance when it comes to combing through my tresses! Also, the weather is warming up and I don’t want to be hiding behind layers of long hair!

I may or may not have cried after leaving the salon. Enter adorable husband to the rescue for bountiful hugs! Here are a few of my favorites for Friday!

1. Chocolate Avocado pudding (I freeze the avocado in chunks so I don’t have to throw a huge block into the vita-mix) simply add 1/2c milk of choice (I use almond) & a tbsp of cocoa, stevia to sweeten et voila! Healthy, sugar free dessert! The best part is the coconut oil ‘shell’ I drizzle on top. YUM!

2. Pencil skirts: Due to the fact that I work in a research lab and don’t get to wear any fun girly clothing, the weekend is my fashion oyster! This is my day outfit since I took a personal day to catch up on some things!

What are your thoughts about going ‘short’ for summer?

What are your Friday faves?

The Best Dessert I Ever Made

I have a lot to catch you people up on but in the meantime, enjoy this creation I accidently made this evening.

Vanilla Cardamom Coconut pudding/cream

35g young coconut meat

1/8 tsp stevia

1tsp xanthan gum

1tsp cinnamon (yeah i love it)

1/8 tsp cardamom (it’s strong so be careful!)

1/2c unsweetened almond milk

8-10 ice cubes

blend in your vita-mix and garnish with raw pumpkin seeds or pistachios. thank me later the texture is a cross between an ice cream and a pudding which in my opinion is PERFECT for springtime. be sure to enjoy the coconut water before you cut out the meat! if you’ve never opened a young coconut before watch this:
http://www.rawguru.com/html/openyoungcoconut.html

Let me know if you try this! sorry the photo is so ugly, i just really wanted to eat it!

Christmas in My Belly

This is probably going to strike many as freakish but too much sugar makes me sick…literally. You are not going to see me stuffing my face with treats for several reasons: 1. I treat myself all year round to quality chocolates 2. My stomach has been sensitive the last month so I’m taking extra caution and not abusing it with junk 3. I’m intolerant to gluten/dairy (most people bake with those ingredients making it impossible for me to eat). Do not feel sorry for me! I make my own gluten free/dairy free treats!  I’ve been packing foods to take over Christmas holiday to my parents home. The list may shock you but these are the foods that make me feel like a shining star and taste delicious! The Vita-Mix is coming along because I use it once if not twice daily! The fam doesn’t own a blender or a food processor! It’s hard to believe sometimes!

Making a list…checking it _____

-raw almonds, apple pie larabar, can of sardines, can of tuna, hemp protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, butternut squash soup, gluten free rolled oats, this dark chocolate bar, an avocado and these raw crackers I made from Gena’s recipe. My juice had kale, broccoli, celery & parsley and I added herbs/spices to suit my own tastes. I added turmeric for anti-inflammatory properties and a spicy curry for some kick! These are super simple and I am so glad I’m not wasting pulp! It also made a ton of crackers!

Look at how pretty they are pre-scored and ready to ‘uncook’

I had nearly 3 cups worth of pulp so I made a snack with half cup using apple cider vinegar, curry, lemon juice, salt, artichoke hearts, tomato & squash slices for dipping.  I also used this super mix for olive oil that we received as a Christmas gift. They bought it from Etsy! FABULOUS!!

This was really great and an amazing source of fiber! You may have noticed I’m hitting the veggies hard lately and that’s for good reason! I will be having meat dishes with my in laws and family. As much as I love a quality piece of well cooked protein, I do not feel the need to eat it every single day and nor does my stomach (it lets me know!).

1. Do you bring food with you when staying for more than a couple days?

2. What’s your favorite thing to eat this time of year?

The Morning After

Good morning lovers! Many of you have probably been awake for several hours already. I admire you for that but I confess that I’m anti-social and weary of crowds so I’m comfortably sitting on my couch with this tea in hand. My clicking finger is poised and ready to go as I browse through online sales. To be completely honest, I do most of my Christmas shopping online anyway so this whole black Friday business at 5am doesn’t entice me in the least!

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving celebration? I hope you all were able to enjoy good company, reuniting with family or friends and of course a tasty meal! I’m eager to see photos of the festivities! I was a little nervous but everything went off without a hitch! I admit to being the last one sitting at the table and being a little sweaty by the time I got all the food coordinated and settled by hey, all part of being the host right? The entire meal was paleo (no grains or dairy) and also gluten free! I didn’t tell anyone this and the food was a major hit! Seconds and thirds were had by all Here are some highlights from my feast! Sorry for the ugly flash on some of these but our weather was dark, gloomy and rainy yesterday!

Pre-feast nibbles (medjool dates, raw nuts, pickles and kalamatas!)

Some prep stuff before saute…

Anticipating a food baby…(yes I am wearing a thick, cable sweater as a dress so I didn’t have to wear pants. Enter thick, comfy brown cable knit sweater tights from GAP. This is one advantage of being 5’4 & 1/2)

The stuff that makes your pee STANK. It’s so good though I can overlook this awkward food fact!

Perfection. Bird’s the word yo

My plate x2

The raw pom-cranberry relish from this post was such a hit that only Nate had the canned, jellied stuff. We bought 2 cans of it thinking people would want it for nostalgic reasons and now I have 1.75 cans of it leftover haha. Maybe I’ll donate the extra can? My father-in-law was very thoughtful and made some gluten-free cranberry scones since I could not enjoy the pumpkin cheesecake or chocolate-pumpkin bread Nate’s sibs had baked. Also, check out this beautiful decoration for Christmas made entirely of herbs from my mother-in-law! She has a true gift in natural arrangements! I love it!

I’m getting things cleaned up around here and mentally gearing up for Christmas! I’m listening to my favorite Christmas music by Sufjan Stevens. Get merry people! x

Raw Pomegranate-Cranberry Relish

No added sugar, lower carb, no fake stuff. This recipe is simple & flavorful to enjoy tomorrow, Christmas or any time

What you need:

-1 bag cranberries

-arils from 1/2 of one pomegranate (between 1/3 and a 1/2cup worth)

-1/4 cup raw nuts (I used walnut, cashew & pecan)

-7 medjool dates (you can add more if you don’t like a tart relish)

-zest of one orange and a few tablespoons of fresh juice

-1-2tsp of fresh lemon juice

-1tsp cinnamon

-1/2tsp ground cloves

Optional: if you find this is too tart, you can add 1-2tsp of your sweetener of choice (raw maple syrup, agave, honey, sugar etc.) Adjust to your own taste!

Method: Simply toss all ingredients into a food processor and give it a whirl on pulse mode. Scrape down the sides and continue. This can be as chunky or smooth as you want it to become! Tip* If you find that the dates are too hard and/or sticky, let them soak in a bowl of tepid water for an hour before you are ready to use them. I like a bit of texture so I usually save some pomegranate arils to sprinkle in and mix at the end. Top off with some grated orange zest and enjoy!

I love this because it’s super refreshing and energizing. Nothing comes from a can and highly customizable to suit your individual tastes. Don’t like cinnamon? Simply omit it! I could envision fresh ginger root in this for a spicy kick as well…really the options are endless on this one! Happy Holidays everyone!

Rustic Luxury

Before we get all crazy for Christmas, let’s not forget our harvest holiday rapidly approaching! In my ideal world, I would utilize the rustic features of fall pairing wood, stone & metal with luxurious tones of cornflower, mustard & merlot. Planning a thanksgiving meal this year? Here are some table top ideas I love!

We are hosting this year so here’s what I have in store so far. These are ideas that may be switched in a moments notice but I try to create a different “feel” while retaining the essence of Turkey Day each year.

Starter: Curried Carrot-Parsnip Soup

Wine: I really love a sparkling white like prosecco at Thanksgiving. I’m all over Cabs at Christmastime since I prefer a beef or pork roast under my tree trimmings

Nibbles: Medjool stuffed dates, fresh figs, olives, pickles, DIY trail mix

Main:

Mesclun salad with walnuts, pear & roasted beets (goat cheese on the side for those who like dairy)

Blanched asparagus with lemon or Dilled carrots

Sauteed kale/bacon/mushrooms & shallots in a white wine jus

Cauliflower mash with roasted garlic & parsley

Dry Brined Turkey in herbs de provence

Dessert: Not up to me but if I were doing it, I’d make Averie’s raw pumpkin pie and buy some coconut (Dairy free) ice cream! I may have to make a little something for myself so I don’t have to miss out.

Healthy Sundae

I have enjoyed a sundae variation every day for the last 2 weeks! It has been incredibly hot here and all I’ve wanted was some ice cream but not all the GI distress from dairy OR the calories! I set out to make the perfect sundae and the possibilities were endless! You can eat this for breakfast, lunch or after dinner! The post was inspired by the lovely Katie and her post on the Breakfast Sundae. Here is my most recent creation…

Choco-Mole Sundae with Banana-Almond Soft Serve (serves 1 very hungry person)

To make the ice cream:

In a blender combine:

1c unsweetened almond milk

1/2 frozen banana

7-10 ice cubes

1tsp xanthan gum

For the toppings, I chopped up one of my homemade Cocoa Mole Larabars using this recipe as a base for the proportions of ingredients and customized it by adding cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne & chili powder. OLE! Next, I sprinkled on some raw pepitas and drizzled chocolate-coconut butter to satisfy my inner Choco-monster.  Head over here for a 2 ingredient recipe for the Chocolate butter. It’s decadent AND healthy.

Optional add ins to your banana-almond soft serve base:

1. swirl in pumpkin and cinnamon for pumpkin pie sundaes

2. cashew cookie sundaes with chopped medjool dates and raw cashews

3. use instant coffee to the base to make a mocha java sundae (chocolate covered espresso beans would make a great sprinkle topping!)

4. berry sundaes using seasonal fruits

5. tropical sundae with chopped dates, dried pineapple & shredded coconut

6. fresh fig & balsamic sundae

ZOMG. what are you ideas for a perfect sundae?

Artisana Raw Coconut Butter

Nut butters seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I can’t help but be curious about something so tasty AND good for you at the same time! I’ve been seeing this raw coconut butter popping up on many health blogs so I bit the bullet and ordered Artisana Raw Coconut Butter from amazon.com. I received my package through an amazon seller called Raw Reform: Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes. Click here to go directly to the store:
http://store.rawreform.com/
OR 
http://www.therawfoodworld.com
. WOW I was so surprised to see the note inside & the free samples. These people truly care about what it means to live a healthy life and nourish your body. It was inspiring!

Also very curious to try Nutmeric Almond Tumeric spread. I saw a random tweet from Kevin Rose (yeah the Digg guy) about this. It’s well known that tumeric has anti inflammatory properties & since I’m a scientist too I can’t help but be a little partial to this duos approach to foodie heaven
http://spreadhealthfoods.foodzie.com/nutmeric-almond-turmeric-spread.html

1. What do I do with the Chia seeds? Do you like them?

2. What exactly is Chlorella and how do I use it? Does it really strip the body of  heavy metals?

P.S. raw coconut butter is delish! it’s a mix of coco oil/meat of the coconut…almost like healthy icing!

DIY Mozzarella & Ricotta from Raw Milk

Oh food science you never cease to awake and rouse my inner geek. We love to make things! You can make 13oz of rustic mozzarella and 5-6oz of ricotta with 1 gallon of raw milk. We have a small grocer nearby that sells local meats & raw dairy so we were good to go! You will need: 1 gallon of raw milk (don’t fear, the Amish drink this all the time and they are fine!), citric acid, table salt (not Kosher) & rennet. Rennet is available in veggie capsules as well but we used the animal tabs since we are not vegetarian. Not gonna lie, the process is fairly involved but the end results are delicious and very cost effective! You know how expensive mozzarella is at the market! You WILL need a thermometer to check the temperature. This is not a guessing game & unless you are from the ‘old country’ and have grown up doing this without a measurement of temperature, you will screw it up I promise! Think of this as a laboratory experiment Be precise, go slowly and pay attention to the details! You can do it!

MOZZARELLA BALL! all 13 ounces of it yum!

This is the detailed instruction we used from Instructables. Click on “instructables” for the full detailed schpeal to make your own fresh cheese! We made ricotta to use up some of the whey but we still have some leftover! I know you can freeze whey for storage to make more ricotta and/or use it as a substitute for the water in bread.

1. Do you have any ideas for using leftover whey? Proper storage should be in the refrigerator.

2. Have you ever made your own cheese?

3. Do you drink raw milk?