HEALTHY EATING ON A WEEKEND AWAY

This past weekend I went to Victoria, BC. I love spending time there. To me it is one of the nicest cities I have ever been to (and I have travelled a lot). The weather was fantastic! Especially for February in Canada. It was just amazing!

Below is a picture from a balcony outside our hotel room. It is a really old small hotel in the James Bay area of Victoria. Lots of older character homes. It is quiet there at night and a close walk to downtown. Look at the beautiful cherry blossoms on the tree outside. They were everywhere. Victoria has some amazing old HUGE trees throughout the city.

One thing about living on Vancouver Island is that there is a large community of health-minded poeple. That is one of the main reasons that I moved here from Alberta. Other reasons of course are the beauty of the island and the weather. Vancouver Island has the best weather in Canada.

I never have to worry about where I am going to get great healthy food when staying in Victoria. The city is loaded with fantastic options!

They have numerous vegetarian cafes and restaurants. One of my favourite restaurants is

The Rebar http://www.rebarmodernfood.com/

This weekend we tried the raw food restaurant

Cafe Bliss http://www.cafebliss.ca/index.htm

Check it out - very cool place!!

I have been eating about 80% raw (some days 100%) for a while now and I teach raw food prep classes so it is really nice to go and have someone else prepare food for me. I even convinced my boyfriend to have lunch there on Saturday. He has tried almonst all of the raw food I have prepared but still eats a diet of mainly cooked food.

Below is a picture of my boyfriend sitting in Bliss. I wanted to go there for lunch and he was going to go to another place (for cooked food) after.

I ordered and then saw these fantastic looking cookies in a jar and had to have one. So that is what I started with when waiting for my lunch. My boyfriend too 1 bite of the cookie and loved it!! I loved it also - it was THE BEST dehydrated cookie I have every had. Just look at it! What doesn't it have in it. I love crunchy, granola, seedy type cookies and have really missed them since going raw. Well - no more, this was exactly what I was craving and what I love!! Now to find a way to make it just like they did. I am experimenting.

I ordered their raw pizza with a salad and a shot of wheatgrass. Pizza is something I do not make at home, so it was a treat. Wow!!! the pizza was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I savoured and enjoyed every single bite - it was BLISS!! That is where they got their name from I am convinced!

Since I was enjoying it so much and it looked SO DELICIOUS my boyfriend just had to have a bite. Then another bite, then another. GUESS WHAT??? He ended up having lunch there also. Skipping his cooked food restaurant and eating along side me at Cafe Bliss. He ordered the pizza and enjoyed every single bite like I did.

NOW JUST LOOK AT THIS PIZZA!!! The sauce on top - OMG! It was sooo good!! The crust was amazing - better than any cooked food pizza crust I have EVER had. My boyfriend was very impressed and so was I. We met and spoke to the chef. He was very humble but we told him how much we enjoyed the lunch and that we would be back.

Here is my boyfriend with his piece of pizza. He is inspecting a sprout.

I bought another cookie to eat the next morning for breakfast.

At home I usually start my day with a green smoothie so the next morning we went back to Cafe Bliss for a juice. They have a wide variety of fantastic fresh juices. I chose one I usually don't make at home. I cannot remember exactly what was in it but it had beets, carrots and ginger. So Very Delicious! What a great way to start the day. They serve their juices in glass mason jars - glass is so much better than pastic!

I got the juice to-go and off we went shopping and looking around. The day was sunny and warm. What a weekend!

When it was time for lunch I was craving another great raw lunch so back we went to Cafe Bliss. My boyfriend also ate lunch there too. He was actually looking forward to it!! We even ran into another couple from our home city of Nanaimo.

The atmosphere in the cafe is very friendly and different than a regular restaurant. People talk to each other more and I think it is because eating raw is not the norm so when you are around other people who do it, you just start to talk to them. One thing I love about the raw lifestyle is that it is a real community. You feel a part of something. People are excited about it, sometimes passionate about it and people new to trying the food have only good things to say about it.

If you have a chance, please check out a raw food restaurant/cafe close to you and I promise - you will not regret it!!

I also tried a heart-shaped chocolate - YUM! That is all I can say about it. Just a big YUM!

Live Healthy & Happy!

RAW FOOD CLASSES IN NANAIMO

RAW DESSERTS

On Saturday, February 13th I held a Raw Healthy Dessert Class here in Nanaimo, BC. It was the first full hands-on class I have done. Usually I have things prepared before. Seven fabulous women attended and got down and dirty!

It was messy and a litle crazy but fun! I had good intentions of getting pictures but I was so busy helping to prepare the ingredients and my hands were a little messy so I wasn't able to use my camera. Too bad because there would have been some great pictures!

I had taken pictures of some of the food we prepared that day when I had prepared these before so I included them below:

Blueberry Cheesecake & Chocolate Pecan Pie

The idea behind this hands-on class was that anyone can prepare healthy, nutritious raw snacks. Raw desserts are creative and fun. They allow you to be inventive and challenge you to come up with your own recipes or variations of ones you find.

Blueberry Cheesecake:
Crust: Cashews, dates, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon
Filling: Cashews, honey, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla and himalyan salt.
Topping: Blueberries and soaked dates

Chocolate Pecan Pie:
Crust: Pecans, dates, cinnamon, coconut
Filling: Avocado, cacao powder, coconut oil, vanilla, himalyan salt

At this session we played with the following nutritous ingredients:
Nuts (various kinds), dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried apricots, raisins, dates, cranberries, cacao powder, cacao nibs, coconut, coconut oil, agave, honey, avocados, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and goji berries.

We also made various truffles, thumbprint cookies (pics below), coconut macaroons and brazil nut bars.

Brazil Nut Bars & Spicy Seedy Truffles & Thumbprint Cookies

Brazil Nut Bars
A chance to be creative! I gave everyone the basic mix of brazil nuts and dates (the dough) and they added their own ingredients out of the many I listed above. That way they could use what they like and they could be creative.

Spicy Seedy Truffles & Thumbprint Cookies
Included: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, various spices, raisins, dates, ginger and cranberries. We made these into truffles and thumbprint cookies - so good!! Nut free!

I had a lot of soaked nuts left over so I made a couple of really good snacks that I am eating right now as I write this blog. I will put those in my next post.

What I love about raw food is that you don't really need a recipe once you get the hang of preparing the food. The ingredients are quite basic and with practice and trial and error - you learn to put the basic ingredients together, with some flavours (spices and herbs, etc) to make some incredible tasty food and treats.

GOTTA LOVE IT!

STAY HEALTHY & HAPPY!

TRANSITIONING TO RAW LIVING FOOD

It is so interesting talking to people who have decided to really clean up their eating and incorporate more living foods into their diet. I just love it!

I was talking with someone recently who is beginning her journey into a more raw food lifestyle. She had considered doing this a while ago, but never really got right into it. After attending a session of mine on November 22, 2009, she has been adding live, healthy foods and eliminating some of the "bad" foods she used to eat. She was telling me how much better she feels.

I actually had 2 women who began inspired after attending the November 22nd session and have changed their way of eating for the better. One of them also assists in with my raw food classes here in Nanaimo. Which I am ever so greatful for!

I love to watch people become interested and motivated to make changes that will lead them on The Path To Wellness!

Here are some of her comments from this person on their path to wellness. I wanted to share them:

• Got rid of the fear of not having enough food
• Can resist food (and other things), she could not resist before
• Finds the clean up very fast and easy (better than washing pots and pans with greasy, cooked on foods)
• At first was buying too much food (fear of not having enough), but has now learned how much to buy
• Is fine with shopping more often for fresh veggies and fruit. Knows that fresh is better and her shopping trips are faster
• Finding that she actually wastes less food and uses all of the vegetables and fruits
• Feels that it will probably end up cheaper than the way she used to eat
• Realy enjoys trying different recipes and preparing meals is not a chore
• People are curious as to what she is eating and are asking her what she is eating and how to prepare it
• Likes sharing the recipes of her creations with others
• She feels "closer" and more "connected" to her food now. She had a hard time explaining what she meant, but I totally understood. That is what happens when you eat living food with life energy

I hope you feel inspired after reading this! I sure do and this is why I LOVE holding these sessions and promoting raw food and a healthy lifestyle.

RAW FOOD SESSIONS IN NANAIMO

February may be a short month but I have decided to load it up with some great raw food and health learning sessions.

The sessions coming up this February are:
1. Raw Food Healthy Snacks & Chocolate
2. Acid / Alkaline Balance in the Body and The Path to Wellness which is paired with
Pates, Dips and Wraps

The following is a summary of the sessions

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010
HEALTHY SNACKS & CHOCOLATE

These nutritous and yummy treats are gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. We make them with raw, organic ingredients.

This is a hands-on session where you can be creative and are guided through the process of making raw snacks and home-made chocolate. Learn to go beyond a recipe and combine your favourite ingredients to create treats that you can enjoy and share with others.

This is what I love about raw food - the fact that there is so much creativity involved in the preparing of it. The dishes are beautiful and so fun to make!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2010
Part 1. ACID/ALKALINE BALANCE IN YOUR BODY
Discover the Pathway to Wellness

This session is crucial to becoming healthy and staying healthy.
This could change the way you eat forever!
Are you ready to learn how a more acidic body leads to illness and disease?
About how you can eat to tip the scales so that your body is more alkaline

The benefits:
Strengthen your immune system, improve the functioning of your body systems, get rid of aches and pains, look younger, have clear skin, reduce wrinkles and the signs of aging and greatly improve energy.

Learn the pathway to wellness and start your journey this month!

Part 2. PATES, DIPS and WRAPS

Learn to prepare healthy, tasty, gluten and dairy free pates & dips and various wrap. Make raw sushi rolls, lettuce and collard wraps, stuff a tomato or bell pepper.

These pates and dips are filling and satisfying, even men think so. They are great for families and guests.

For those interested in transitioning to a more raw food diet the pates and dips are filling and delicious and you can do so many things with them!

A great way to add healthy ingredients to lunches, dinners and/or snacks.

Contact Diana at rawgoodsdiana@yahoo.com if you are interested in attending 1 or both of these sessions.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE TREATS!

It is hard to believe it is already February!

I live on the west coast on Vancouver Island and we have been blessed this winter with some fantastic weather!

I am declaring February to be CHOCOLATE FOR THE HEART MONTH!
Of course we always associate February with the heart and chocolate – because of Valentine’s Day.

Besides Christmas – this is a time of year when chocolate is bought and consumed in very large quantities. For us chocolate lovers it is heaven!

Since I have gone raw I am very happy that I have found some “healthy” chocolate to consume. I have always like “good” chocolate and not the cheap stuff but now I can make my own chocolate that is not only great tasting but good for you. This is a dream!

Raw Cacao is from the cacao bean which is where all chocolate comes from.

The bag that is showing above is the cacao powder – like cocoa powder. Except cocoa powder is roasted, the cacao powder is not roasted.

Cacao contains antioxidant flavanoids. David Wolfe (raw food expert) claims that raw cacao has a higher antioxidant value than red wine, green tea and blueberries! That is pretty powerful.

Cacao is also full of essential minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, copper, sulphur, potassium, magnesium and contains protein, beta-carotene, linoleic acid, lipase and lysine.

Raw cacao contains very small amounts of caffeine and theobromine. When cacao is roasted these amounts increase so raw cacao has less than the roasted cocoa.

I make my healthy chocolate treats with raw cacao, nuts, dates, vanilla and I often add in a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg (because I love those spices).

As you can see these are gluten, dairy and sugar free. I love sweetening these treats with dates, they are what makes everything stick together and they have a wonderful flavour.

I soak my nuts first because nuts contain enzyme inhibitors that make them hard to digest. Soaking them, releases the beneficial enzymes and they become easier to digest.

When making any recipes with nuts and/or seeds you should always use the raw, unsalted ones.

Using nuts in these truffles is much healthier than using any kind of processed or refined flours that really contain NO nutrients at all. Nuts are full of nutrients. Check these ingredients out:

Walnuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid and omega 3 fatty acids. Studies show eating walnuts can reduce LDL cholesterol and help with diabetes.

Almonds are high in protein, zinc and calcium. Great source of vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. Helps reduce bad cholesterol.

Brazil Nuts are high in selenium, which is a powerful antioxidant. Also high in zinc, copper, iron and magnesium.

Cashews are a good source of protein an fiber. Good source of potassium, B vitamins, foliate, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and copper.

Pecans are a source of zinc, vitamin E, vitamin A and have been proven to increase the results of a diet designed to lower cholesterol.

Hazel Nuts again are good for lowering cholesterol. They contain protein, fiber, iron, vitamin C and B vitamins.

The above nuts are ones I tend to use in my chocolate truffles. I don't use all at once, usually combine 2 types of nuts. They are fine just using 1 type also.

Dates: Contain fiber, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, mangnesium as well as vitamins. Give extra energy after consuming and are good for eye health.
So as you can see, these chocolate treats are definitely healthier than eating some of the cheap chocolate you buy that contains tons of sugar, milk products, various waxes and of course preservatives.