SEAWEED SALAD RECIPE - That Tastes Good!

RAW SEAWEED (Wakame) SALAD

This raw seaweed salad not only looks good but it is good and it is also extremely good for you!

I made this with Wakame seaweed, which is inexpensive to buy and very easy to find at grocery stores and health food stores.

Wakame is a mild flavoured seaweed and not that salty. It blends with veggies really well. I love sea vegetables but some people have a problem with their slippery texture. It may be something to get used to but the benefits of including sea vegetables are numerous. (more below on their nutrition)

Salad Ingredients:
1/4 C Savoy Cabbage
1/4 - 1/3 C Red & Yellow bell pepper
1/4 C Cucumber
Pieces of slivered carrots
2 Green onions
1/4 C or less of Dried Wakame Seaweed (soak in filtered water for about 20 min then drain)
Sesame or hemp seeds to mix in after (optional)

Dressing Ingredients:
5 Tbsp Grape seed oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 Tbsp Braggs (can use nama shoyu or tamari)
1 tsp Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
(Taste dressing and adjust ingredients to your taste)

For Salad:
Put the dry wakame in a bowl. Add filtered water to cover it and more. It will swell a lot in the bowl. If needed, add more water as you see it needs it. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes until it is ready.

Cut veggies you are going to add to salad. I like cutting them in thin strips.

Once Wakame is soaked enough, pour the seaweed and the water into a colander and let it drain. I then take the wakame in my hands and squeeze the excess water out of it. You can also use paper towels to try and dry it a bit.

For Dressing:
Start with oil and then add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Mix well. Then add other ingredients and mix, taste and see if you need to add more lemon or other ingredients.

Put the wakame in a bowl and add cut veggies. Then mix in dressing a bit at a time. Taste as you mix it in and how much you add depends on your taste.

Why include seaweed (or sea vegetables) into your diet?

Because of the nutrients they contain.

Studies have found that a compound in wakame can help burn fatty tissue. It is also used in topical beauty treatments.

Wakame is rich in protein, calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron, lignans and folate.

In oriental medicine it is used for blood purification, intestinal strenth, skin, hair, reproductive organs and menstrual regularity.

If you are not sure if you would like this, start with less wakame and more vegetables. That is the best way to include something new into your diet, especially if you have never tried it before.

I hope you enjoy this recipe

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

RAW KELP NOODLE RECIPE

I JUST LOVE KELP NOODLES! Have you tried them?




If you have not yet tried Kelp Noodles then I suggest you give them a try real soon. Once you do and realize their versatility and goodness you will add them to your weekly meals.


All they require is rinsing and soaking in water for a bit and then mix them with your favourite ingredients. I love them with cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, cilantro and green onions. You can also add tomatoes, broccoli, daikon, etc. The possibilities are endless!!


The dressings and sauces you can add to them are also endless. You can make Pad Thai, you can make a delicious peanut sauce (with raw almond buter), for them which is really good!! You can simply add an oil with lemon juice and some himalyan salt. Flavour them as you wish.


They do not have any flavour themselves. They are a lot like rice noodles but do not require cooking so are very fast. I have not put them in a soup but I am sure you can.


In Nanaimo, BC I got the Kelp noodles at a place called Clinical Nutrition which is in the Cline Medical Clinic on Pirdeaux Street. She also has many other great raw food supplies as well as dehydrators and blenders.


If you live in a big city that has many sources to buy raw food then you probably won't have a problem find them.

It is always good to try something new. I know I get in the habit of preparing the same food over and over, even though I love it, I still need to grow and expand my recipe base. If you don't, you may get bored of eating this way and be tempted to grab an old favourite that may not be good for you. That may then lead to more old "favourites" or "junkie" food that is different and easy to grab. Old habits.......

Remember - keep it interesting - but keep it simple!!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

SIMPLE, TASTY RAW SNACKS

MY FAVOURITE RAW BREAKFAST

Each morning I have been eating this breakfast and I have been loving it.

Cinnamon Apple Chia Chunks

• 1 Apple (my fav is delicious apples) Cut into small chunks (better for chewing and digestion)
• 3-4 tsp chia gel (or more)
• 1 tsp ground flax, or more (optional)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more I love it!)

I put this in a glass storage container and bring it to work. I add a bit of water to it and let it sit and then eat it when i am ready. It is filling, contains protein, omega oils, vitamins, minerals - great way to start the day!

The next snack recipe I have for you is a great cookie that is made with pecans, coconut, cacao and dates - people LOVE this one and so do I! I really like the taste of dates, pecans and coconut combined. You don't even need the cacao on this one.

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE RAW TREATS

Chocolate Pecan Coconut Cookies

• 1 C pecans (soaked)
• 1/2 C coconut
• 2 heaping Tbsp Cacao
• 4 dates + 1/2 tsp agave (depends on how sweet you want it)
• 2 Tbsp cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/2 C combined dried cherries & cranberries, soaked (or just one of them)
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• Dash of salt
• A bit of soak water from cherries/cranberries (soaked them for maybe 20 min, you don't have to)

Grind pecans up in food processor, add dates and process some more. When sticky and you can pinch into ball, add other ingredients and process until mixture starts to form a ball. May need to stir a couple of times, adding a bit of soak water if needed. You can also add some melted coconut butter for creamy texture and flavour.

Form into whatever shape you want. Last night I formed into balls, then flattened them and then put 1/2 pecan on top. Enjoy!!

MY FAVOURITE AFTERNOON SNACK

This is an afternoon snack idea that I just love.

Quick Avocado Tomato Guacamole

• 1/2 avocado
• 7 or so grape tomatoes
• 1 tsp or more of braggs or nama shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce that is not that salty)
• bit of lemon juice (optional)

Cut the avocado into small chunks, cut grape or cherry tomatoes in half or smaller, add the braggs, tamari or nama shoyu and mix! That is it

You can also put this in a lettuce leaf and eat - so good!
Spread it on a flax cracker
Add on top of a bed of lettuce or sprouts
Add into a salad and mix so it becomes the salad dressing

Try some of these and let me know how you like them.

I would love to hear your favourite snack idea - keep it simple!!

LIVE HEALTH & HAPPY!

Raw Food Snacks

It has been too long since I have written in here and I must make it more often.

What I want to cover today is raw food snack recipes and ideas. Basically I don't follow too many recipes. I look at a recipe and then adjust it to my taste and also get ideas from other recipes for combining ingredients, etc.

I love browsing blogs and looking at the pictures and the recipes, I can do that for hours, but then, I don't get my own blog written.

I have always been a snacker, probably snack more than most people. Although I snack often, I usually always snack on healthy food. I have always been that way. Sure the occassionaly snack that is too sweet or too full of fat but since I do not eat any preservatives to most, my snacks are healthy.

I used to have an addiction to peanut butter but that is gone - thank goodness! But I truly LOVE tahini and have even gotten to love raw tahini. I can put that on basically anything.

Tahini on celery sticks, tahini with carrots (very good), tahini in a lettuce wrap, on a cracker, etc. I also use it in salad dressings. I will mix tahini, braggs, a bit of oil and some lemon juice - maybe a bit of sweetener.

One of my favourite snacks are lettuce wraps. I always have some washed lettuce in my fridge and it is so easy to do:

• Take a piece of lettuce
• On it put some cut bell peppers
• Add some avocado, tomato, cucumber, etc
• Roll it up or fold it over and eat

You can basically add anything in the middle - tahini with some veggies, just plain almond butter is great also. Sprouts and cucumber with some pate.

I take some of the wrap recipes and use the pate that you would fill a wrap with and put that in lettuce instead of a dehydrated wrap.

You can make raw chili and put in a lettuce wrap. You can use collard greens instead of lettuce. Or what about swiss chard.

You can add fruit such as mango - mango and avocado, or mango and cucumber, etc.

Even a date in the middle of a piece of kale is good.

Another one of my favourite snacks is avocado, tomatoes and braggs. I love those flavor combinations!! So easy, so fast and ingredients you probably always have. Of course with this you can add bell peppers, celery, etc and it can become really chunky and almost like a chutney or salad.

Raw food is geat because there is so much variety. You don't have to be exact with the ingredients and you don't have to cook it!! You can bring ingredients to work such as:

Cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, sprouts, avocado, tahini, hemp seeds, etc. And during the day you can add ingredients together and make something.

I do this often, I just bring the raw ingredients, in a bag, in a container, etc and then snack on them, make them into a salad, etc. I always have some oil, apple cider vinegar, braggs (or nama shoyu), tahini, almond butter and lemon at work to make a dressing or add to a snack or meal.

I have put oil, apple cider vinegar, tahini and almond butter in small glass storage containers with lids and they are in the fridge at work so I don't have to bring them every day.

Another great snack I was doing for a while was a pudding. Fruit and avocado and sometimes I would add chia gel to it.


The above picture is a pudding made with mango, avocado and blueberries.
One of my favourites was mango peach with a bit of chia gel. I just use my food processor and frozen fruit. It only takes a few minutes and it is fantastic!!

• Frozen Mango
• Frozen Peaches
• 1/4 - 1/2 avocado
• 1 tsp chia gel

First mix mango and peaches until blended. Then add avocado and chia gel and mix until creamy. Good to eat then or you can put in freezer or fridge. I even would make a larger batch and then store in small glass containers with lids in freezer and then when I wanted some I just took it out of freezer and thawed for a bit and then I could eat it. I had a few of these at work also.

I eat a very high raw diet but I actually don't consume a lot of nuts. When I do, they are in truffles and cookies. These I always have in the freezer and they can last for a very long time.


Fast and easy!!

Truffles can be made with any nut really. The kind of nut changes the texture and taste of the truffle. I love coconut so usually add coconut or roll them in coconut.

The basic ingredients I use are:
Nut of choice or combination - almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans
(you can also use seeds in these)

• Cacao powder
• Cacao nibs (sometimes)
• Dried cherries (sometimes and very good)
• Coconut
• Dates
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (just a little melted, makes them creamy)
• Vanilla Powder
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg and other spices sometimes
• Possibly other dried fruit

I always use raw organic nuts and seeds and I soak them before I use them but if you are in a hurry you don't really have to. Better for digestion if you do.

There are hundreds of varieties and ways of mixing and making truffles so it is fun to experiment. I added some mint essence in a truffle the last time I made them and it is sooo good! I love chocolate mint flavoring (if it is done right).

As for other snacks, I do usually have 1-2 larger salads that I have made and I will snack on some of that. It doesn't have to be something separate and different than what you had for lunch, or breakfast.

Fruit is great, a fruit salad, grapefruit and chia gel is wonderful! Grapefruit and oranges cut in a bowl is so good.

Celery sticks, carrot sticks and some small grape tomatoes are some of the things I love to munch on while on computer or when I feel I want a crunch.

I would love to hear your snack ideas. Please leave a comment below

Here is to HEALTHY SNACKING!!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

6 WEEK RAW FOOD COACHING GROUP

I have been coaching 8 wonderful women for the last 5 weeks and have really enjoyed it!!

It is a 6 week coaching program - A Pathway to Wellness - or a journey to eating healthy. Whatever we call it, I have learned so much from them and am so happy to hear about their successes.

I will have some comments from them on my blog next week, once the program is finished. I also hope to put up video real soon - but I will be changing and moving my blog.

The 8 women are all different and all starting from a different stage of healthy eating. That is what makes it so interesting and I am sure they have enjoyed learning and sharing with each other.

We just had our 5th week meeting last night (we meet 1 x a week for 2 hours on a Thursday night), and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I will miss them when the 6 weeks are over but hopefully we can continue on in some way.

It is so exciting for me to hear how they have changed their eating and lifestyle for the better and how much have learned about themselves and their body in such a short period of time.

5 weeks may sound like a long time but with regards to our eating habits and patterns that took us years and years to develop - 5 weeks is a very short time.

Awareness, knowledge and understanding in why it is important to eat healthy and when you do how you become more aware of how your body feels when you don't. That is huge and I remember when I began to notice the subtle changes in my body and when my body awareness changed. What a difference that makes!

We talked about how with other diets you end up taking a lot away - things you used to eat and enjoy. The "good-tasting foods" but didn't have anything "good" to replace them with.

With what we have done during this journey - is to learn what great tasting and healthy foods you put into your diet. You are adding very nutrient dense foods that taste as good as they are for you. This helps tremendously! If we just focus on what we "cannot have" then we will always feel there is a lack of something. That we are "missing" something. When we focus on what we "can" have and enjoy the process of learning to prepare the good, wholesome and great tasting live foods then there is no feeling of lack.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to have worked with them and assisted them on this journey into wellness and I look forward to a new group of people anxious and willing to learn about the health benefits of incorporating whole, live foods into their diet.

I love showing them how and what they can prepare and providing recipes that they take on and make their own.

I hope to start a new 6 week coaching program in June. If anyonen is interested my contact information is on the side of this blog or send a comment and I will get that.

I am doing a FREE Introduction to Raw Food session tonight in Parksville at the Hot N Cool Yoga Club (a beautiful yoga studio). I love what I do because I get to share health with people and it is my passion.

It is not about "eating ALL raw" it is about finding what works for you and learning why it is so important to eat healthy because how you eat now and how you treat yourself and your body will directly affect what your future looks like.

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR FUTURE TO LOOK LIKE?

I would love to hear your comments!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

McHappy Day - Not a Happy Day

It is McHappy Day here (maybe other places in North Americal also, I am not sure).

I think this is really crazy! I mean selling "junk" and as I believe "poisonous food" to raise money for children's hospital and or Ronald McDonald House!! Absolutely crazy! I strongly support and believe in the children's hospital and the fantastic facility of Ronald McDonald House but bringing kids to McDonalds and having them eat that junky, fatty, unhealthy food is really the wrong way to do it.

I don't know if that bothers anyone else but it really bothers me. Getting more people to eat Big Macs will only contribute to the disease and obesity that is already growing in North America.

I agree with raising money for charity, well actually I believe more in raising awareness as to what people can and need to do to prevent disesase, illness and obsesity.

It is like fighting and protesting against war but not promoting peace.

Promoting the very high fat and unhealthy food, chemicals, preservatives just so $1.00 of each sale can go to cancer research or Ronald McDonald house, etc is so wrong to me.

We need a place where people can go, buy healthy, nutritious food and then $1.00 of that be donated. At least we would be spreading health! What example is being shown by encouraging kids, teenagers, parents to come in and buy food that lead to disease.

I JUST DON'T GET IT!!!

I know there are fantastic movements out there promoting healthy, nutritious foods - real foods - and that is great. We need to step it up! We need to reach the masses and let them know that the way to STOP illness, obesity, and all forms of cancer is to PREVENT it it!!!

Obviously all the money that has poured into cancer research in the last 10-20 years has not stopped it - it is bigger than ever! There are more people than EVER being diagnosed with some form of cancer and what will our future hold!!

People MUST realize that WHAT YOU EAT DOES determine your health.

Sorry for this post that seems a little angry but I just came back from lunch and the radio station I love was promoting McHappy Day (and has been big time all day) and encouraging people to go to McDonalds and "buy a Big Mac" - I say buy one then throw it out!!!

Better yet - DONATE MONEY TO THE CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE - whatever it is!

Now I take a deep slow breath and relax myself. I do feel good that I am holding classes and coaching sessions promoting healthy eating because I believe in my heart that nutrition is the answer.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!!