Roots of Healthy Living

To kick off the summer, I thought we would talk about fruit.

Being from the northwest, berries are BIG in my family. U-pick farms dot the country side with strawberries, bluberries, and raspberries. Blackberries literally cover the hills and roadsides. Berries are one of the highest antioxidant foods out there, especially blueberries.

Stone fruits, like apricots and cherries are not far behind and equally delicious. Late summer and early fall will bring the arrival of melons, peaches, pears, grapes, and apples.

Thanks to modern transportation it is possible to have fresh fruit year round. Bananas, mangos, pineapples, kiwis, and papayas, (and more) grace the local produce section of the markets.

Freezing fruit is easy and preserves much of the nutritional content. During the winter a huge portion of our grocery bill goes to frozen fruit because no matter how much I freeze during the summer, we run out before October. We go through a LOT!

Smoothies, popcicles, and frozen fruit sorbets are where most of it goes. My kids come home from school every day and out come the blender, Magic Bullet, popcicle molds, juicer, and even just bowls and spoons (The popcorn popper usually comes out too, but that's a different article).






This is my daughter Hannah, with Katie making a smoothie and freezing the leftovers into popcicle molds.

Right now we are on a strawberry kick so these are fresh squeezed pineapple juice, bananas and frozen strawberries. If you like it a little sweeter, just add a little agave syrup or honey to the blender.

We have a Champion Juicer which will "juice" frozen fruits that come out like sorbet. My kids call it "that special fruit ice cream" you make. I'll include a picture the next time I make it.


Also, you have not lived until you drink a glass of fresh juice. Be warned though, it will ruin you to the store bought juices. It's a little thicker and tastes like nectar. The best part is the real energy burst you get because you are taking in the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes of several oranges in one glass.

Eating bowls of frozen cherries or blueberries, or fresh fruit salads, with sliced almonds and coconut are desserts within themselves.

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A couple of notes about fruit:

Many people say that they can't eat a lot of fruit because it causes serious intestional consequences. Fruit actually works as a wonderful cleanse for the body. If it is causing problems for you, it might signify a toxic condition. If you rarely eat fruit, when you do eat it the body cleanses as much toxicity out of the body as quickly as it can. Eating more fruits and vegetables and less cooked food will naturally help bring the body into a better balance.

Another thing that is misunderstood is fruit and diabetes. My mom is diabetic and was concerned about a three day juice cleanse that I put her on last summer. Make sure the juice you are drinking is real juice (blood from the fruit) and not reconstituted juice. She did great and her numbers were actually better on the cleanse.

This is absolutely positively the best tasting chocolate shake I have ever had. It's easy to make and if you do it right you will get an authentic energy surge. You can get a pretty good taste by doing it the easy way but won't get as many benefits. I will give you two ways to make it.

First, you need to invest in a really good blender. They can cost alot but are totally worth it if you are serious about changing your lifestyle. Most people own a Vitamix or Blend-tec, mine is a Kitchen-Aid and I love it!

Ok...now for the recipe:

The totally raw way:

1 cup raw almond milk (easy to make yourself)
1 TB of raw honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar
1 TB raw cacao powder (cocoa powder that has not been heated)
2 frozen bananans

Directions: Blend the first three ingredients. Add frozen bananas and blend until creamy. If too thick eat it with a spoon like icecream or add a little more milk and share it. Make sure to double it because everyone will want some!

The easier, still tastes good, but not totally raw way:

1 cup almond, rice, or soy milk
1 Tb honey, maple syrup or agave nectar
1 TB cocoa powder or carob powder
2 frozen bananas

Variations:

Have fun substituting some of the banana for frozen cherries or strawberries, or you could add a little mint flavoring...YUM!!!!

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FAQ's:

Why not milk?
In my health revolution I have found dairy products to be one of the most unhealthy foods we can eat. If you are serious about regaining health my challenge is to eliminate all dairy products for six weeks and see if many ailments start to disappear and you don't start to feel a LOT better. I will do a dairy article soon.

How do you make Raw Almond Milk?
The easiest way I know of is to soak almonds overnight.
Blend 1/2 cup almonds to 2 cups distilled water
Add 1 TB sweetener (raw honey, maple syrup or agave nectar)
Strain through cheese cloth or coffee filter and WA LA!!!

**note:
- we keep a jar of soaked almonds in our fridge so they are always on hand.
If you are really lazy (like me) just make the milk...don't strain, add the rest of shake ingredients (doubling everything) and your done.

Where do you find raw honey, raw cacao powder and what is the difference?
I will do a complete article of raw foods in the future but here is the Reader's Digest version: Raw is food that has not been heated and pasteurized killing a lot of the health benefits of that particular food. You can find raw honey and raw cacao powder in most health food stores.

How do you blend up frozen bananas?
I always buy extra bananas and let them ripen well, peel and cut them in half, flash freeze and bag in large gallon bags. If you have a great blender it is not problem to blend them up. You could try smaller pieces the first time if you are worried. You can not freeze enough bananas though. It's what gives your shakes and smoothies that creamy consistency.

If you're going to be successful at changing your lifestyle, you have to have chocolate to fall back on...right? But, it needs to be delicious and good for you, right? This one keeps my hand out of the cookie jar! I discovered a variation of this recipe at a recent class I was taking. It has been a "staple" ever since! The combinations are as endless as your personal creativity. Here are the basic guidelines:

Place wet ingredients in a bowl, add your dry ingredients and other extras and stir in until a dough like consistency. Roll into balls and roll in extras or dip in chocolate. These will keep in the fridge for quite awhile (although I've never had to test this).

Nut Butters:
Tahini (Raw or Roasted)
Peanut Butter
Cashew Butter, Almond Butter...you get the idea

Sweeteners:
Molasses (great source of vitamins and minerals)
Raw Honey
Real Maple Syrup

Dry Ingredients
Ground Flaxseed
Ground Sesame Seeds
Raw Cacao or Raw Carob Powder
(Whatever else you come up with...)

Extras:
Add: raisins, dried fruit, chopped nuts, cinnamon, etc.
Roll in coconut, chopped nuts, dip in chocolate, etc.