Almond Truffles

These are my family's new favorite raw dessert! So good...

Dough:
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup raw honey (the thick kind in a jar)
1/4 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
Update: I just added 1 Tablespoon carob powder, and more almond butter & coconut since it tasted a little sweet to me... experiment with how you like them)

Add-ins:
Dried cranberries
Raw cacao nibs (or Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs)
Anything else you like to put into cookies

Rolled in:
Shredded unsweetened coconut
or
Wheat Germ (my little boy loves wheat germ)

Make the dough by combining the dough ingredients in a bowl.
Add whatever add-in's you want, as much as you like.
Roll into balls and roll in coconut or wheat germ.
Freeze until chilled and enjoy! (You can keep in the freezer, but if you don't want them to be rock hard, let thaw a bit before enjoying.)

Note: You might want to consider doubling the recipe since they are so good and will be gone in a day if you're like us. :)

The Garden Diet

Have you heard about The Garden Diet? It's a website (and program too), run by a man, Storm (early 60s) and his wife Jinjee (45), who are amazing examples of eating raw long-term and how it positively affects their bodies, especially in regards to aging (http://rawveganwarrior.com/?p=840) 

Jinjee has great articles especially about the emotional aspect of eating, such as "Seeking Good Feelings From Bad Food" ( http://jinjeetalifero.com/?p=2729)

Here's the website with a main overview of their family & what they are about:
http://thegardendiet.com/

Every day I am trying to figure out the best foods to eat for my body. I feel great eating lots of raw foods, and since I am also currently breast feeding, I have been taking a real-food supplement to make sure I am not deficient as I begin this journey (I have learned lately about the dangers of taking synthetic supplements which are in most every bottle at the vitamin store).

I am truly amazed at how much I love fresh, organic vegetables and fruits way more than cooked food now! I thought it would get boring, but instead the flavors are so amazing to me, way more than before. Here is an example...

Tonight I had a salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, avocado, lime juice, italian seasonings, and nutritional yeast. It tasted so good! I didn't want to put on dressing because then I wouldn't be able to taste the true natural flavors of the fresh vegetables. The lime juice and seasonings was very subtle and perfect. Didn't need the nutritional yeast, yet I wanted the additional nutrients. I ate delicious fresh organic strawberries for dessert.

My 3 year old (the one who has always been very picky, and used to only want to eat crackers and other packaged food for meals) very happily ate raw organic broccoli, a whole apple, fresh strawberries, a bowl of rice with Earth Balance "butter" and a dash of salt and turmeric, plain sunflower seed butter (in a cup with a spoon), and a homemade almond truffle.

My almost 9 month old baby had a homemade blend of (all organic) kale, broccoli, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and a little bit of applesauce. He loved it (he loves everything I give him- I think he must have gotten used to the tastes of fresh raw vegetables and fruits from my breast milk)!

My husband works during dinner time, but I just asked what he ate and he had trail mix, carrots, 3 oranges, a banana, and homemade pumpkin flax muffin.

I love seeing how consuming large quantities of raw fruits and vegetables is changing my taste buds and making me feel great! And not needing to wear deodorant anymore is another HUGE plus!