Whole Wheat Pancakes (Vegan) with fruit

This is a healthy and very tasty pancake recipe you can make for your kids, without the bad ingredients in packaged mixes, and with the benefits of ground flax seed (fiber, protein, Omega 3s) and whole wheat flour (protein, fiber).

These are topped with lots of fresh fruit, instead of syrup, or you can make your own fruit syrup (put pears or peaches in the food processor, add a little honey or pure maple syrup).

I based this off of a recipe I got when I was a missionary in Brazil. The friend who gave it to me was American, so these are not Brazilian pancakes unfortunately. :) But these are way better than any packaged mix I've had.

Whole Wheat Pancakes (Vegan)

These are not raw, but with the loads of fruit piled on top, your meal can be mostly raw! (See below) 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (or Rice Milk) (add a little more for a thinner consistency)

1/2 banana, mashed (this is the egg substitute)

2 Tbsp raw honey

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients and cook on medium heat, flipping once until done. Enjoy!

Special thanks to my husband for making these delicious pancakes this morning and adding the banana instead of egg (because we were all out) to make them vegan. He always makes the pancakes at our house and they always turn out great- way better than I make them. Thanks babe!

Juicing video: How does it work?

Here is my son is giving a short demo of how to juice:

As you can see, it is not very difficult, and is a lot of fun for kids to do by themselves! (But it can take awhile, for the slow pokes, so I let him put some in first, then I do the rest so it doesn't take all morning....)

It is important to note that...

Juicing shouldn't replace anything, it should simply be an addition to your normal diet.

When we first started juicing, it was tempting to think "I just got all my fruits and vegetables for the day, so I don't need to eat anymore, or make our usual green smoothie." But I didn't start juicing to replace my smoothie, or my salads. I started juicing to ADD a glass of nutrition to my day. So even though we started drinking this juice in the morning, we STILL had our green smoothie for lunch (along with a sandwich), and STILL ate salad for dinner (along with whatever else we were having). It is important not to decrease the amount of fiber you normally eat.

That's just my two sense on the subject. :)

Dinosaur Juice

My 3 year old loves Dinosaur Juice. 

In the morning, I wash and cut up a bunch of fruits and vegetables and arrange them on our big cutting board (these include: apples (green and red), oranges, carrots, celery, cucumber, spinach, tomato, broccoli, small piece ginger root, etc). 

When he wakes up, he comes into the kitchen and starts making his juice. He picks what he wants, then puts it in the juicer, and watches the juice come out- it's really easy for him to do and is a lot of fun too. He always reaches for the carrots first, and usually asks if he can have one to munch on. :) 

Today I put some broccoli out and he added some of that to his juice, but then took the rest for himself to eat! (He didn't actually eat it all, but I was happy he even wanted it!). Today when I handed him his juice, I said "Here is your carrot juice!" (because it was mostly orange). Then he looked at it and started crying. "What's wrong?" I asked. "It's not green!" So I went over and put a handful of spinach through the juicer real fast and added it in. :) I didn't realize he liked it green so much! I guess calling it "Dinosaur Juice" the first time was a good idea! 
 

Tate's Special (aka Dinosaur Juice):

2 large carrots (tops cut off)

1 orange

1 small red apple

small handful spinach 

piece of ginger (size of a pinky nail)

(He also likes it when I add cucumber, tomato & a little celery.) 

Important note about juicing:

My son is used to drinking a daily smoothies with leafy greens such as spinach in them, but I still dilute his juice a little, and don't give him too much. I didn't give him a full glass of that juice pictured above, fyi (usually I give him about 1 cup). If someone is not used to eating lots of greens, or even if they are not used to lots of fruits and veggies, I would only give a little juice at first and gradually increase, since it is a lot of nutrition all at once and can have a detoxing affect on your body (detoxing can come with its own side effects such as more frequent bowel movements, headache, etc, since the body is cleansing itself of toxins). If you are going to start juicing, I recommend first increasing your fruits and vegetables and decreasing the toxins you are consuming (from animal products, processed food, etc). After your body has adjusted to that (and you might even experience some detox symptoms from that alone), then adding a juice to your day won't be such a shock to your system, and will be a welcome addition to your already healthy lifestyle. :)

Juicing and my new routine

Since December my life has been consumed with learning a new way to buy, prepare and eat food. Taking out meat, dairy, and adding lots of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and cooked grains, I have completely transformed my diet. 

Now, almost 3 months later, I have pretty much figured out how to make this work for my family, and I have developed a passion for food that I just didn't have before. Real food tastes better. The food I used to eat has lost its appeal. I feel energized, healthy, and excited about life and what the future holds.

While my new way of eating has become almost second nature now,  I have been struggling in other areas. Since the beginning of this new year, I have been trying to figure out how I could get into a good routine of daily exercise, daily prayer and scripture study, keeping my house clean, and going on dates with my husband (on top of playing with and taking care of my children which has always been the first thing on my list). 

It's not that I never did any of these things. I actually accomplished most of them pretty regularly (besides going on dates- that has been hard to do with a newborn). 

 But the problem was that I didn't have a routine that worked and so I was constantly thinking of what needed to be done and then doing it, instead of being in the moment and just enjoying life. I felt I was swimming as hard as I could, but still just barely able to keep my head above water (and sinking periodically, despite my best efforts). I didn't feel organized and was constantly disappointed at my inability to keep everything together the way I would have liked. 

Now that my baby is 5 months old, and my older son is 3, I have been feeling that I could start to have some predictability in my life if I could only develop a routine that would work with the needs of my family. After talking to other moms, researching online, and personal pondering and praying, I got some great ideas and knew I was close to starting something that would change my life for the better. But something was still missing....

Then, I got a juicer on Valentine's Day. I was literally jumping up and down with excitement! I could not wait to start my day with a wonderful fresh glass of juice. Adding the nutrition of 3 carrots, 2 oranges, 1 apple, 1 cucumber, a handful of spinach, etc, to my body in a single glass of fresh juice...it seemed too good to be true! 

 After drinking my first glass of juice, I felt a surge of energy and clarity of mind. I realized that this morning juice would give me the energy needed to work out in the morning, and I began to see in my mind a routine coming together....

This is the routine that I put together and have been doing since Monday:

I get up at 7am and nurse my baby. Then I read the scriptures and pray. Next I wash my face and put on my work out clothes. :) After that, I start prepping the fruits and veggies for the juice. I wake up my 3 year old and he helps put in his choice of fruits or veggies. When his is done, I add more greens for my husband and I. Then the 3 of us enjoy our juice. :) I clean up (wash the juicer parts, cutting board, etc), then go downstairs to work out (eliptical, dance, kickboxing, run up and down the stairs, weight lifting, sit ups, etc). On my way downstairs I bring a bag of dirty laundry and put it in the washer. When I'm done working out, I check on the laundry (put in dryer if it's done), go upstairs and eat breakfast, shower and get ready. My husband is home in the mornings so it is nice to have him help with my boys while I work out. Then I take the kids on an outing (play group, play date, the park, the grocery store, etc) or do something as a family. When we get back we eat lunch (green smoothie & veggie or nut butter sandwich), clean up, then read scriptures as a family and say family prayer before my husband leaves for work. 

The afternoon consists of the going to the library, playing outside or inside, doing art projects, dancing or singing kids songs, errands, etc, and naptime (during which I make food such as hummus or granola, or prep for dinner).

After nap, I check on the laundry, get outside if its nice weather, and then make dinner. After dinner I spend 10 minutes to clean up, and then my son plays downstairs or occasionally watches a short show (such as Dinosaur Train). Before coming upstairs, we put toys away and straighten up downstairs. 

Then start the bedtime routine- bath (a couple nights a week), pj's, then snack and stories. Before leaving the upstairs living room, we straighten up. Then it's brush teeth and go potty time. After that, he gets in bed and we say prayers and sing a song, then lights out. 

You may be wondering where my baby comes in. Well, throughout the day, I nurse him every 2 hours, change diapers, and put him to sleep for naps. When he's awake I either carry him, or he sits in his high chair or on the floor playing with his teething toys. We all try to talk with him and play with him as much as possible. We try to include him in whatever we're doing, such as story time, or bath for example.

After they are both asleep (between 9 and 10pm- hopefully it will start to be closer to 9), I run the dishwasher, check on laundry, sweep if needed, do any food prep for the next day. Then I work on blogs or write in my journal. After that I wash my face, brush my teeth, and while I'm in the bathroom, I wipe down one area (sink, tub, toilet, mirror, floor...by the end of the week, the whole bathroom has been cleaned). Before I get into bed, I pray.

I began this new routine this Monday and it has worked out wonderfully so far! It feels great to start the day with juice and a work out- that alone gets me excited to wake up (and I'm not a morning person so that is huge for me). 

My routine has given me the peace of mind that I can fit everything in, so when I am juicing I don't have to be stressing out about the laundry not being done, or when I am feeding my baby I don't have to feel helpless that I can't be cleaning up the living room as I see my 3 year old make a mess of it. There is a time for everything and as long as I do the little things in my routine throughout the day, everything will get done. 

(And by the way, we just went on a date as part of a trade with another couple- we watched their kids one night and then they watched our kids. You can't beat free babysitting! Looking forward to doing more of that!)

I have to thank my husband for buying me this juicer. The presence of that awesome machine has motivated me to get up early and make a highly nutritious beverage out of pure raw fruits and vegetables. That delicious concoction gives me energy and I feel happy knowing that I'm doing something great for my body and my health. I also love that my family also gets to experience the health benefits of this as well (which totally eases my fears that my son is going to be malnourished due to his extreme picky-ness).

I also have to thank God, who knows the desires of my heart and has blessed me with the ability to see more clearly a way to accomplish what I need to every day. This new routine has helped me relax and more fully enjoy the beauty of my life and the people in it. As I consistently make time to talk to my Heavenly Father and learn more about Him from the scriptures, I feel  blessings pour out of heaven into my life. I know that He knows me personally and loves me and I am extremely grateful for all the little (and big) things that He gives me to help me be happier every day.

I feel that as I listen to my body and follow more closely the Word of Wisdom (which states that we should eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and grains, and only eat meat during times of famine and sparingly in the winter), I am blessed with not only physical health, but spiritual blessings (such as a greater understanding of God and His plan for me). 

I just can't believe I am only now realizing how important vegetables & fruits are and how amazing it can be to drink fresh juice and work out in the morning! And this is only day 3! Can't wait to see how I feel after a month of doing this!

Valentine's Dinner: Pomegranate Salad, Beet Soup, Tomato Pizza, and Brownies

I decided to make a 4 course meal for dinner this Valentine's Day. My husband would normally make me dinner on this holiday, or we would go out, but due to his work schedule, and my desire to try out some new dishes, I decided to do it. So I chose a theme...Red (I know, very original), and from there, came up with these fun dishes, most of which are raw too!

Pomegranate Salad

3 cups fresh spinach

Seeds from 1 Pomegranate

1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw cashews

1-2 tsp lemon juice

1-2 tsp pomegranate juice

Makes 2 big servings.

Divide spinach and place on each plate. Sprinkle on pomegranate seeds. Top with cashews. Splash with lemon and pomegranate juices and enjoy!

I loved the sweetness of the pomegranates and the creaminess of the cashews. The dressing was light and sweet. A perfect start to the meal. :) 

Beet Soup

(This is from my book "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcrantz)

2 beets, chopped

1 apple, chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 avocado

First peel and chop up the beets and add to the blender. Since I don't have a high speed blender, I put them in the food processor first, then once they were pretty well processed, put them in the blender and added the apple and lemon juice and a little water. Last I added the avocado. You just add water until you have a consistency you are happy with. I recommend eating this right away. I made it the day before and it tasted great, but when I pulled it out of the fridge the next day, it was not as good (probably because of the avocado- they are always best when eaten immediately after peeled).

I would probably not try this for someone who is not used to raw foods, and isn't used to the earthy, root flavor of the raw beets. This was not my husband's favorite. However, he didn't taste it right after I made it; he might have liked it better if he had.

Veggie Pizza

You can see my veggie pizza post here. I made it with marinated mushroom, a little marinated zucchini, and with lots of tomatoes and basil, since I was trying to keep with the Valentine's Day theme of RED. :)


Last but not least...

Raw Brownies!

(I based this off of a recipe in Judita Wignall's book "Going Raw," but made some changes.) 

I admit I was skeptical at first, looking at the ingredients. How good can these be with just raisins, dates, almonds, and unsweetened chocolate powder? Let me tell you...they are amazing! My husband and son both loved them (for those who know them both, you know this is HUGE!). My husband said they were more like fudge than brownies. I made half the brownie recipe and the full frosting recipe, and the frosting did taste like fudge, so that is probably why. Try them and see for yourself how good a raw brownie can be!

Brownie ingredients:
4 cups raw almonds, soaked 8 hours and dehydrated (the original recipe calls for walnuts, which I couldn't use since my son is allergic, but I'm sure they would be great as well.)
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup dates
2/3 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa if you don't have raw cacao)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla (alcohol free- such as from Trader Joe's)
pinch sea salt
2 Tbsp water 

Frosting ingredients: 
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
2/3 cup cacao powder

Blend nuts (in food processor or high speed blender) into a fine meal. Add raisins and dates and blend until well combined. Add cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and blend until mixed. Transfer to a bowl and add the water (you might need to add a little more if needed). Mix with your hands until you have a nice big ball that resembles dough (be careful not to put too much water in though- it should not be sticky, just nicely moistened). Press the dough firmly into a glass square baking pan. Spread the frosting on top and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.

To make frosting:
Add maple syrup (must be room temperature or warm) to the blender or food processor. Then add liquid coconut oil and blend. Finally add cacao powder. You will end up with a very rich dark chocolate frosting (this would probably be great for cupcakes or other desserts as well- no hydrogenated oil or refined sugar!).

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I had a great Valentine's Day. For the first time I realized that I don't need candy or sugary baked goods to celebrate this holiday. We gave each other valentine's cards and presents, I got a great work out, went to the park with my boys, and ate highly energizing REAL food that tasted great, but most importantly, made me feel great. :)

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day as well and hope you enjoy these recipes!

Raw Zucchini Hummus

This is a pretty standard hummus recipe, except it uses zucchini in place of half the garbanzo beans (aka chick peas).

Raw Zucchini Hummus

Note: Every ingredient in this recipe should be raw (so don't use cooked beans!)

1 cup peeled and chopped zucchini

1 cup RAW garbanzo beans (soak your dry beans for 24 hours, changing the water half way through, then drain. 1 cup dry beans = 1.5 cup beans after they have been soaked)

1 cup raw tahini (to make tahini: grind 1 cup raw sesame seeds in high speed blender, then add 1/2 cup olive oil until it forms a paste)

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

pinch cayenne

Add everything to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

If you want to go further and sprout your garbanzo beans to add even more nutrition, here is a simple way to do that:
http://www.thedailyrawcafe.com/2007/10/how-to-sprout-garbanzo-beans-chickpeas.html

You can also make this with just zucchini. I chose to do half garbanzo beans and half zucchini to see what it would taste like and it was simply mouth watering. :)

This hummus is packed with protein and is a great dip for veggies, great in veggie sandwiches (instead of mayo) or pitas,  good as a thick "dressing" in salads, and much more. My latest favorite is "hummus pizza":

Spread hummus on whole wheat flatbread, add your favorite raw veggies, and enjoy!

Veggie Pizza

For those of us who still need to make dinner for our families, here is an idea.

Buy or make your pizza crust. (Here's a good looking one with lots of pictures:  http://inspiredrd.com/2010/09/cooking-with-kids-pizza-night.html). I got this one at Trader Joe's to make it easy on myself.

Spread bread/crust with tomato sauce. Add your toppings. Eat without cooking if you don't want to cook the nutrition out of your veggies. Or place in oven on 425 for 8-10 minutes.

Some of my favorite toppings:
Mushrooms (marinated in Tamari & olive oil for 15 minutes)
Zucchini (marinated in Tamari & olive oil for 15 minutes)
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Seasonings (I like lots of basil)

Hawaiian:
Pineapple tidbits
Tomato
Basil

Add cheese for those in the family who can't live without it. Encourage everyone to try it uncooked (except the crust will be cooked, although you could make a raw crust which I will post about once I have tried it). But it's not the end of the world to cook your veggies. Especially if you eat lots of raw fruits and veggies normally. :)

And another thing: cheese-less pizza isn't as bad as I always imagined. If you can forget about the fact that you're missing the cheese, and instead think of it as a new type of dish (veggies with marinara sauce and bread) it will be so yummy!

Make sure to have a big plate of leafy greens (spinach, etc) first before you fill up on the pizza!

Broccoli, mushrooms & rice

Broccoli and zucchini are hard for me to eat raw and I usually don't like mushrooms at all. But I absolutely love this dish!

Broccoli, mushrooms & rice

Ready for the secret? 

Marinate the veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, and I really like adding zucchini although not necessary)! Slice them and stick in a plastic zip lock bag with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and organic gluten-free Tamari (a natural soy sauce used for flavor in lots of raw foods). You only need to marinate for 15 minutes to taste a huge difference. (Make sure to rub the marinade around into the veggies after closing the zip lock bag, so it gets into all parts of the broccoli especially.)

Then mix with cooked brown rice and enjoy! 

(Note: The rice should be warm, while the veggies will be cool. Sounds weird, since you are probably used to a warm meal, but the amazing nutrients you will be getting from the raw foods cancels out any weirdness and makes it tastes great!)

How to feed your non-raw/non-vegan family

I know a lot of people are in this position, so I thought it was worth writing a post about it. 

Here are some tips if the people you live with and prepare meals for are NOT willing to give up meat, cheese, and cooked food, even though you are trying to eat more raw and vegan meals yourself.

Salads
As often as you can, have big main course salads for dinner, and set them up salad bar style. Include dark leafy greens (organic Spring Mix is great because it has a variety of greens, spinach is also always a winner) and lots of different colored vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers (orange, red and yellow add sweetness), grated beets (raw). Include some high protein and more filling items, such as beans, hemp seed, avocados, sprouts, nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews...), and other seeds (sunflower, pumpkin...). 
This way they can pick what they want, so they won't feel like you are forcing them to eat "healthy."

(Of course for those family members who can't imagine not having any meat or dairy, you could put a small side of hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, chicken, etc, but hopefully there will be more of the veggies so they will have to fill up on the good stuff, with only a small amount of animal products.)

At first everyone will want their favorite dressing (which is hopefully organic, since you can find most for the same price as regular these days, and you don't want the bad ingredients that regular dressings have, such as MSG in Ranch). But I would highly encourage them to just squeeze some lemon juice on top instead of dressing. I have been doing that (no oil is necessary) and it tastes great! It also helps you to taste the natural flavor of the vegetables so your taste buds start to crave that natural, fresh taste. 

The prep is simply washing and chopping vegetables. Get the whole family involved and do it while you talk about how your day went.

See, this is a way for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores to all eat the same meal. :)
(Note: This is also a great idea for having guests over. I recently went over to a friend's house and they did a salad bar dinner with a lot of people and it worked great! Everyone brought a salad topping so there was really something for everyone's taste.)

Smoothies
Make smoothies for everyone daily. If someone isn't around, save theirs in the fridge so they can have it when they get home. Smoothies make great snacks, or I like to have mine with lunch. Put in dark leafy greens, carrots, and then banana for sweetener, along with other frozen fruits like strawberries, mangoes, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, etc. Add in a splash of lemon (natural antibacterial- great for your body), some flax seed oil (for Omega 3s), hemp seeds for protein (they completely blend in by the way), and if needed, a scoop of frozen 100% juice (like Dole Orange Peach  Mango) and water. You can always add other things too, such as the superfoods Spirulina, goji berries, etc. You can play around with different veggies to see how they affect the taste, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage (I have tried them all and my son actually really liked the broccoli/cabbage smoothies we used to do!). Most people (and kids) love these smoothies because they taste just like fruit! (Blueberries hide the green color, if that's an issue.)

I suggest getting BPA free plastic 16 oz cups with lids and straws to make it fun and less messy if your kids will be drinking them.

Other dinners ideas
Make dishes that they can add meat or dairy to if needed, such as:

Enchiladas- just make them with rice, beans, bell pepper, etc, and if they really want, they can add cheese on top to their own individual enchilada and melt in the microwave (or you could put cheese on some of the enchiladas...but then that doesn't give them the opportunity to try it the way you made it, which they might actually like.

Veggie Pizza- you can add cheese to half of the pizza, and eat yours without cheese. However, I suggest that before cooking the pizza, you cut your part out to eat raw and put your own raw "cheese" on (consisting of: cashews, nutritional yeast, water, lemon juice, salt). I just did this and it was amazing. I will post about it soon.

Really, they can add dairy or meat to pretty much anything you make. So, I suggest making it your way, then if they want to add something to it, they can. Or they can just eat it the way you made it.  Don't judge or make them feel bad if they want to add some cheese or meat to the food you made. You don't want tension while trying to enjoy a wonderful fresh salad. Negative emotions affect our health anyway, so try to be positive and happy in the kitchen and around the dinner table. :)

Here are some tips on breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast- If everyone normally eats cereal, see if they are willing to try almond, coconut, rice, or hemp milk in place of cows milk. Also always offer lots of fruit for breakfast (and if possible, have them eat it first, or they might get filled up on cereal before a piece of fruit even enters their thoughts). Also make sure the cereals they are eating are free of preservatives, artificial ingredients, GMOs, etc. which means it should probably be organic. I try to look for low sugar (under 4g per serving) and high protein & fiber.

Lunch- veggie sandwiches (there is protein in the bread, you don't need meat or cheese- make sure it is whole grain bread, sprouted is best). Mash an avocado (add salt, pepper, garlic, etc) and spread generously on each slice (in place of mayo), then put in sprouts, tomato, cucumbers, spinach, etc.

Other ideas: raw almond butter and sugar free (Polaner's) jam sandwich, veggies and hummus, leftover dinner, etc.

Hope this helps!