Great Healthy Tomato Sauce to go with Kids' Favourite - Pasta!

Pasta is one of my two-year old daughter's favourite dinner dishes. She likes the wholemeal or spelt pasta variety as well as hemp pasta - you have to cook pasta of course so if you are looking to get a balance of raw and cooked into your family's diet, try this really delicious pasta sauce! I made it tonight when my poor, tired Tom came into the lounge and said 'I just don't know how to make the sauce tonight'! (He is usually a whizz at all things culinary in the kitchen!)

So, here's my quick and easy tomato sauce - and it really does taste divine!

In your blender put,

* 2 big fresh tomatoes

* three sundried tomatoes

* an inch of cucumber (or two)

* a pinch of seasoning (I used Herbamare) or a stick of celery

* ten cashew nuts

* 1/4 of a cup of apple juice

* Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

Whizz all of the above ingredients until nice and creamy and then pour over the pasta and in our case tonight, broccoli. As I write this, my daughter is tucking into hers - and is loving it!

This sauce, in my humble opinion, is so tasty, I would have it as a dip for crudites or breads or anything that requires a very yummy but very healthy tomato sauce!! Hope you enjoy it too xxx

The Video Series is Here!

After great anticipation, the Fresh and Live Mamas Easy-Make Kitchen series is here (well, on You Tube!)

The delights so far include:

Cashew Cream

Chocolate Almond Milk Smoothie

How to Make Almond Milk (need to watch that one first!)

And my latest offering, Banana Split!

I am mainly going for fresh, live, raw, superfoods ingredients but I want to let everyone know now... what I have posted so far is delicious food you can eat, but still in moderation, in my humble opinion! These shakes and creams are not the mainstay of my diet (well, only on some days!) My main diet at the moment consists of green smoothies, large salads, some sprouted and cooked grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds... some raw treats and most recently, dried mulberries - YUM!

And this is what I love about the Kitchen Series. It's for people who want to start making changes but don't want to be completely bombarded with too much info, too many new words and concepts. It's for people who want to be reminded that they can still have a choccie milkshake - one that tastes great but has no dairy in it! And the aim is for the series to go from strength-to-strength - finding out new tastes, ideas and ways of preparing foods for us and our families that bring about great health for all.

All mums (and anyone who wants to start making changes for their health) can tap into this series, watch it, play about with the recipes and then hopefully start to investigate what makes them (or you!) feel great!!

So what's coming up on the Fresh and Live Mamas Kitchen Series?

Chocolate Buttons, Breads, Shakes, Smoothies, Salads, Fudges and maybe, just maybe, a few celebrity appearances! Keep watching and do spread the word (and try out some of the recipes!)

Much love xxx

Coming to your Home Soon!

I have been  a bit quiet on the blogging front - but things should pick up again this week with the imminent arrival of the Fresh and Live Mama's Easy Make Kitchen Series! I am so excited about this! Every week I am going to share a video of a recipe that you can make (aiming it at the mamas but really these are for everyone)

I know a lot of my friends and family have struggled in the past to find easy yet innovative ways to feed them and their kids healthy, nutritious foods and as I love to experiment in the kitchen, I think it's time to start sharing, not just in books and on blogs and on my facebook updates but also via my video camera!

So look out for the new series and look forward to learning about...

nut milks and very yummy choccie milkshakes

choccie buttons

amazing energy-giving salads

smoothies, drink, fudges, biscuits and crackers

It is so satisfying to be in your own kitchen and make tasty creations! And I will be asking some other Fresh and Live Mamas the world over to share what they are making in their kitchens too!!!

xxx

Afternoon Tea

Still on the theme of Fresh and Live mama, I weighed myself this morning, 'just to see'! I have lost four pounds since Saturday - and I feel really, really good! My skin has already taken a turn for the better and a dry patch of skin that was developing on my left eye has now gone. (thought it was important for you to know that!)

It's all great news for me as even though I don't want to fall into the trap of a daily weigh-in, (weigh-ins can sometimes affect the tone for the whole day and as we all know, weight can fluctuate!) I can see results! And I can see them physically too, which shows that when you commit to eating really lovely fresh foods, you won't have to wait long to feel elated! Which then, of course, spurs you on to continue with your efforts!

I was thinking earlier on of what some people say when I eat like this (as in cutting out dairy, sugar, white carbs etc) and mainly eating raw, unprocessed foods. One person retorted that I shouldn't deprive myself of things otherwise I will stay in diet mentality.

I simply disagree. I find it interesting that anyone would think they are being deprived if they cut out low-nutrient and high processed foods from their diet. Sure, I am not having them, but doesn't deprivation mean that you are not getting things that you need? In that case, I would say that I have often (mainly in the far-away past) deprived myself of fresh high-nutrients, and low calorie foods. My body is certainly not deprived right at this very moment!.

Today, I have had a morning smoothie (we were out of most things green so we had a rather sweet and juicy orange, apple ginger and lemon smoothie with avocado, spirulina , hemp protein powder and mesquite), two raw flax omega bars (whilst we were on the go), more of the morning smoothie for a late lunch and I have have just had 'afternoon tea' which was simply delicious! Just strawberries and blueberries drizzled with the orange cashew cream I made yesterday. OH MY!!!

So, I feel good. I knew that I would!

I urge you (yes, urge!) to make this for your afternoon tea (or anytime snack) so you can see how amazing it tastes!!

x

Friends, Strawberries, Cashew Cream and Milestones!

What a fabulous day! We all went to see good friends in Oxfordshire... Camille and her two children love eating lots of fresh and live yummies too so we were in for a treat for lunch! Salad, marinaded mushrooms, nori sushi rolls, and peppers! Camille and her daughter had made the most delicious apricot fudge - it was just like the real thing, only more real!!! They got the recipe out of one of our favourite books, Evie's Kitchen, by the gorgeous Shazzie.

I bought lots of fruit this morning for me being a Fresh and Live Mama! Watermelon, oranges and 2 big punnets of strawberries! I already have a plan for the strawberries (in addition to me eating them in the car on the way to Oxon.) Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I will be feasting on

Strawberries and Cream!!

The cream will consist of:

1 handful of cashews

juice of two oranges

pinch of salt

dash of agave

I have already tasted this cream and I have to say OOOOOhhhhhhhh! It's divine!!

Had wonderful chats all day about eating the kinds of foods that make us feel brill instead of ill (ooh, I should patent that!) It's so refreshing chatting to Camille - she is such a resevoir of energy, although I am not sure she knows! She fills me with light and power! She showed me some incredible pieces of jewelry - I can't wait to buy some!!

Seems like my decision to lose that weight and feel great coincides with a major milestone in my daughter's development too! She is out of nappies! I am actually immensely enjoying the whole process. We all feel calm and cool about it - it's just fabulous what these little ones have the potential to learn.

Well, got the rest of my evening smoothie to drink now so have a good night/day and see you tomorrow! xxx

I am Extremely Very Fresh and Live Indeed

That is how Lola (from Charlie and Lola) would say it! It is 'Day One' of the Fresh and Live Mama! And I have just had my last smoothie of the day, which I have to say was mightily delicious. Here is the recipe! 

Juice:

2 apples

1/2 a lemon

5 carrots

2 sticks celery

half a cucumber

big slice of pineapple

inch of ginger

then blend with:

1 whole avocado 

handful of ice (I actually used a whole tray!)

big handful of spinach

big handful of watercress, rocket (and spinach again!)

1 tsp spirulina

1 tsp mesquite

1 tsp hemp protein powder (www.detoxyourworld.com)

This made two big cupfuls - and now I feel pleasantly full (but not bursting at the seams and all bloated!)

I made a smoothie for lunch that was quite similar but included a handful of blueberries and a banana.

I relaxed between meals today and it was actually very refreshing not to pick at things. Usually, what I would do is eat a Bounce Ball, then maybe some dehydrated snacks, then something else, something else, then have lunch then also snack in the afternoon - all good snacks but if you want to lose weight, the extras still add up.

Tomorrow I will be juicing and salad-ing. (better tell my friends in advance that I am on  the salads tomorrow as we are going to visit them for the bank holiday monday!)

If I get hungry later on, I know that I could just drink some water but I will probably have a bowlful of blueberries and banana with strawberry cream drizzled on top. (well, I don't want to waste it!)

Quick recipe for THE MOST delish strawberry cream!

Wash and cut off the tops from a punnet of strawberries

Blend with a handful of cashews (soaked if poss - I didn't soak these ones)

Dash of agave

Pinch of salt

A little bit of cream goes a long way!

So all in all, a very splendid day. I have been fresh and live all day, the sun has been shining, me and Tom have done some much-needed sorting in our home, we played at the park and listened to live music and Maya has also had a fabulous day - half with us and half with my mum and dad! This is what I call living in a positively healthy world! xx

Fresh and Live Mummy

OK, here's the deal. I love, LOVE eating fresh and live foods (also known as RAW but I like to use words that describe how I feel when I eat these foods. I do feel fresh and alive and bursting with energy). 

But then, as I have written before, something sneaks into my diet. Then before I know it, I am still eating 'high raw' but also having a lot of junk OR eating a lot of fresh and live but still fatty foods, that enable me to feel pretty darn good but I am NOT LOSING ANY WEIGHT!!!

I just read one of my friend's old blog posts (www.discoverrawblog.com if you want to check out the gorgeous Jo Thomas) and I suddenly felt inspired to give my energy eating a bit of a theme and focus.

So here's the deal.

I am a mummy. I am a mummy who likes to eat lovely, yummy, fresh and raw and brimming with nutrients food. 

When I did my 30 Days in the Raw experiment last year, I felt amazing.

I am overweight. By at least a couple of stone. People don't believe me when I say that but I am.

So, my new project (as these things always seem to work better for me when I bring them into the format of a project!) is based around the fact I am an overweight mum, who needs to be very strict with herself and lose that weight. By being strict, I mean giving myself a list of foods I can eat, make sure all my nutritional needs are met but saying bye byes to everything that gets in the way. Even raw chocolate and my favourite - Bounce Balls! I don't believe in denial but this is why I want to create the most amazing salads, smoothies and flax crackers so that I can just not worry about the weight coming off, as it just will. Plus I will reap the other rewards that always come when eating this way - amazing skin, hair, nails and maybe the niggling pain in my knee will go away again. In fact, I already know it will.

I already know why I want to do this - I want to feel brilliant. I want my body to be in tip-top condition for my next pregnancy and just for general life! 

I really, really do want to fit into those trousers, dresses and wonderful clothes that are just waiting for me to shed just even a few pounds!! I have said this before, but something keeps getting in the way and I just don't have time to analyze anymore!! It's time for action! Sustained action.

So, I am now the Fresh and Live Mummy! I kind of want to go a bit American here and say I am the 'Fresh and Live Mommy' instead as the former makes me sounds a bit wrapped up in cotton! But saying 'Mommy' when I only spent three-months living in New Jersey will simply not do. Ok, so how about:  

The Fresh and Live Mama!

Yeah, I like that!

So I guess a lot of my posts now will be centered around what I will be eating, new recipes, how I feel and the weight I am losing. Even if you are a Dada or not a Mama, you could get on board with me and take what you want from my experiences (and share your own too.)

I am rather excited about all of this. I already have a short-term plan, which will be reassesed in week 5! Do you want to hear the gist of the first few weeks?

Day One - (tomorrow!) All juice day! This is a day for my body to just breathe a sigh of relief. AHHHhhhhhh! Plenty of fresh and live green juices to make me feel brill. Spinach, watercress, apples, cucumber... yummmy!

Days Two - Day Six - 2 juices and a lovely large salad (daily!) 

For the next five weeks, I will have one 'juice day' a week and the rest of the week will be 2 juices and a salad (which will include flaxxie crackers!)

After six weeks I would like to have a three-day juice feast!

And then back to juice, juice, salad.

In the juice, juice, salad days, I can also have any raw fruit and veggies and if I want a veggie soup I will make one. If I feel like some steamed veggies one day I will simply have them. Nothing is the enemy... but I know (very much so) what will enable me to lose weight and what foods will enable me to stay where I am (not so pleasantly plump!) I will also be including small amounts of nuts and seeds (soaked where poss).

Anyway, now I am accountable to all 5000 of my blog readers (well, no harm in visualizing that amount of people!) I already feel raring to go!! I love food! I love being fresh and live! Let's do it!

Chocolate Competition!

Just a quickie to say... would you like four BIG bars of delicious raw chocolate from RAWR? Then enter the competition on www.littleguru.co.uk - it's fun and you will love it if you win!!

xxxxx

Chocolate Orange Cake - No Cook!

The other day I got really excited as a big glossy mag advertised on their cover about a 'no- cook cake'. Hooray! I thought. Another raw cake makes its way into the mainstream world.

However, it was just an everyday usual cake - that didn't need cooking but was still full of sugar, milk, golden syrup, alcohol, double cream, icing sugar... and ok, some raw raspberries! There is another way people! And I have the recipe!! It's more of a torte than a cake - and I think it happens to be delish!

Victoria Torte (see what I did there?!)

the base...

2 x cups of buckwheat flour * 

2 x cups almond flour (I ground up the almonds in my high speed blender)

4 x heaped tbsp lucuma powder (www.detoxyourworld.com)

3 x tbsp agave nectar

4 x tbsp apricot paste (this was made by whizzing up one cup of apricots with a little warm water from the kettle)

pinch of pink salt

4 tbsp melted coconut butter

4 tbsp water

Mix all together with your hands and then press the mixture into a torte/flan dish, taking care to press up the sides too.

Now it's time to make...

the filling...

juice of two small oranges

1 avocado

6 tbsp coconut oil

pinch of pink salt

4 tbsp agave or other sweetener

4 heaped tbsp chocolate powder (I used Green and Blacks for this recipe)

2 x tbsp lucuma powder

Blend all the ingredients until you get a thick creammmmmmmmmmmm x

*  I soaked my buckwheat first then dehydrated the groats, then ground them into a flour! If you are not able to do all of this, then you can just soak them and grind them in the food processor. In saying that, I don't know how that will turn out as I wanted the buckwheat to be totally smooth in my cake. You could also try ordering from www.rawliving.eu  - they sell 'Buckwheaties' which you could then grind into a flour. 

Now, I think this covers it all - if any ingredient has been left out, this will still make a tasty cake!! When I blended all the filling ingredients, I can't tell you how gorgeous it was to pour into the torte dish on top of the base.... such smooth, velvety, chocolate orangy sweet goodness!!

If you want an all-raw version, of course, just use raw choccie powder. I can't have much of the raw stuff as it brings me all out in eczema but that's another post!!

Enjoy making and eating the cake xx

Crafting Peace with the Community

In Northampton we have a fabulous venue called The Fishmarket. Yes, it used to sell fish (ands surprisingly, green lipsticks that turned pink when applied!) But now, instead of cod, salmon and sharkfins (and weird lippies), this bright and breezy venue is an Art Gallery and space for artists and musicians to use for creative projects. It is also a place for local craftspeople and businesses to work on and sell their wares. Plus, it has a cafe which sells very delectable cheesecakes and brownies amongst other goodies!

It is such a hub of inspiration and light so when my local faith community needed a place for people to take part in a unifying arts project, we thought we'd give this place a go. One of the goals for Baha'is everywhere is work with people from all background, cultures and faiths and to learn with them and build communities... we wanted to host a project where people could come and paint, draw, write and play music... together. Would this alone bring world peace? Of course not, but it got people from Northampton and further afield working, talking, eating and planning together. There were a group of youths outside playing and we invited them to come in and draw. Not only did they come in a work with us, we had some really good conversations and I think they felt respected and valued for being youth. 

One lad stuck around for three or four hours. I let him use my camera for about an hour - and this 13 year old went round taking the most fabulous pictures! So most of the pics you will see here are taken by him.

When I reflected on the day with my friends and family, I realized that this is what we need to be doing. Being with each other. Working together. Planning alongside one another. Creating as a team or at least if on our own, with the support and in the shadow of loving, caring people. There was such a positive vibe on the Saturday this took place  - we'll have to do it again!

What can you plan for your own area? You don't need to be in a faith community to get together and get something going. We arranged this day in two weeks, and the reason why it worked was because everyone pitched in, from gathering materials, to taking photos, from playing music for the artists to work and relax to, to cleaning up at the end. One of our friends wasn't able to come but she lovingly prepared two beautiful flower arrangements which were commented on and appreciated. (They continue to be appreciated as I am looking at them now!)

The great things about days such as these is that you don't know what will be inspired by them. One thing my husband and I decided to do was host a monthly 'Spiritual Cafe' in our own home. Many people loved the beautiful quotes we had laid out on the tables and many people were engaged in spiritual conversations. So this is what we are doing! It was as simple as deciding it and then making a plan together. x

Buttons - not just for coats!

As I love noodles, I also love chocolate buttons and am constantly drawn towards eating the ones that are readily available (ie Cadbury's Buttons). I don't know what it is about eating chocolate that is in the form of a little button but it is so much more appealing to me than eating, say a bar of chocolate. Maybe with buttons, they bring out the child in me... or maybe, like the noodles, they have a way of 'being' on my tongue that I just enjoy when consuming.

However, I am striving for a healthy mind, body and spirit and the run-of-the-mill buttons don't assist me with that quest as they are full of vegetable fat, milk and sugar. And even though Cadburys have brought out GIANT buttons (argggghhhhhhhhhh!) I thought it was time to do some searching for ways to make my own or to actually buy some that me and my little sweetie Maya could eat together (as she is also a fan.)

Whilst scouring the internet for raw chocolate buttons, I came across a site that sell exactly what I was looking for! I put in a request to sample some and they arrived this morning. I received buttons of all shapes and sizes and had a taste. Mmm. Not quite like Cadburys, I frowned. But then as the button melted on my palate I thought, yes, there is definitely 'button credibility factor here' (BCF) and the chocolate hit is striking... now!

The thing is with products from the old world order is that they have the knack of keeping you hooked to their tastes, textures and sensations. But this is why I am committed to trying things beyond a first taste. The first time I tasted raw chocolate I did not like it one bit. Now, I am a big fan and would rather munch on a Shazzie Choc Bar over most mainstream ones (Green and Blacks still has a little hold on me though).

I got two packages in the post today - my choccie buttons from the lovely K Creations (hand-made raw chocolate from Hampshire - visit them! www.rawchocolateheaven.co.uk PLUS I also, strangely received chocolate button moulds from the USA which I put to the test immediately of course. I didn't haven't any cacao butter to hand but had some coconut butter, mesquite, maca, agave and pink salt.

The buttons turned out ok - Maya didn't like them but she loved the ones from K Creations! The only thing is, one of my button moulds from Bake It Pretty snapped - and I hardly put any pressure on at all. 

But now I know, I can have my buttons and eat them!!

Many thanks to K Creations for sending me through some very yummy samples indeed!! x

Glass of Sunshine Anyone

Juicy Juicy!! I just made a GORGEOUS tasting juice and I thought you should know the recipe!!!

A Glass of Sunshine!

Juice:

Big chunk of pineapple

half a lemon

big chunk of ginger

four carrots

Blend with:

quarter of an avocado

one large sweet satsuma/ clementine/ orange

lots of ice!

Pour into a glass then enjoy your real Sunny D!!!

I can't tell you how beautiful this tastes!! You will simply have to go and make it!!

My Dreamy, Creamy, Cacao-Date Smoothie

Ah... poor Innocent Smoothies! They are in for a rough ride due to them selling a 20% per share of their business to none other than Coca Cola. They maintain they will be the same company with the same ethics and that they hope to positively influence Coca Cola... but surely they are missing the point! Business ethics aside, the drink Coca Cola has never and will never serve humanity! It is a fizzy, sugary drink which is highly addictive! The defining moment for me was when I was walking through rural Swaziland and I saw a lonely vendor selling Coke. It was then I knew how much power sugary water had in the world. 

SO! If you want to carry on buying Innocent Smoothies, that is of course entirely up to you and I am not going to blog about the rights and wrongs of this - only that to make your own smoothie is a joyous activity, it won't even be 'slightly pasteurized' and you will know exactly, EXACTLY what is going in it!

Here is a delicious smoothie recipe from my book, 30 Days in the Raw (buy from my site www.littleguru.co.uk if you want 24 more recipes like this, from smoothies, to cakes, from fudges to crackers!

My Dreamy, Creamy, Cacao-Date Smoothie

Juice:

1 apple

a large slice pineapple

half a lemon

Pour into your blender and add:

half an avocado

a handful of chopped dates

2 tbsp cacao nibs or powder

2 bananas

1/2 tsp spirulina

Now whizz on high speed for a minute then pour into a lovely tall glass. Chill for 30 mins or sip straight away!

If you want to serve this a pudding, then serve in small ramekin dishes and garnish with mint leaves, cacao nibs or maybe even a slice of mango!

NB If you are new to raw cacao, I recommend having much less in this smoothie, more like one or two teaspoons instead of tablespoons! The first time I had this I was wired for hours! 

From Almond to Cookie

Oooooooooooh! I had such a lovely morning! It all started last night when I soaked three cups of almonds in water for 12 hours! (overnight)

When I came downstairs this morning they were all plump and juicy!

I drained the water from the almonds, saved one cup of them, then blended the rest with a litre of water, a tbsp agave nectar and a pinch pink salt.

Whizz, whizz, whizz!

Now I have delicious, creamy almond milk! 

BUT! I want to strain it first. I don't have a nut milk bag yet so I chose a fresh new dishcloth instead!! (wonderful!)

I poured the milk through and I was left with almond meal/pulp. Why throw it away when you can make delicious Delicate Lemony Almond Cookies!?

So, I put the lovely warm almond milk in the fridge to cool, then I put the almond meal in to a bowl and added the following ingredients:

3 tbsp xylitol

1 tbsp omega blend oil

2 tbsp olive oil

juice of one lemon

2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

1 tsp mixed spice (mine was a nutmeg/cinnamon blend)

3 tbsp flax meal

pinch of pink salt

then I 'chopped' the remaining cup of almonds from before by pulsing in the blender and added them into the mix too.

• I then shaped the mixture into little cookie patties.

• Now they are drying nicely on the dehydrator.

• I can't wait to eat them! The cookie mixture tasted delish!

• And what a way to make the most of your almonds!

The Score for Rawr is 44 (out of 44)

Ok here's another chocolate blog! Well, let's face it, no one's ever going to get tired of me talking about this topic, especially if I promise to share!

Last year I made it my mission to review all the raw choccie bars I could find (check out www.littleguru.co.uk for the reviews so far.) Quite a few companies have come into creation since then so I need to add to my list and one such company is RAWR! I received a parcel of their goodies this morning, and of course, I had to sample them all! These are delicious bars - sweeter than some other varieties I have sampled before, and like most of the raw choc bars, beautifully packaged. 

They are dairy-free, vegan, with no added sugar and are low GI, due to the sweeteners they use being agave and carob nectar. Their range includes orange, mint, fruit and nut, goji and vanilla and a very spicy cayenne pepper! A 35g bar cost £1.65 and the slightly larger 45g bar is £1.95.

Do pay the site a visit and as always, save the last bite for me! x

www.rawrchoc.com

When Chocolate is Heaven Sent...

I love chocolate. I really do. And since I discovered raw chocolate (well, stumbled across it - it had already been long discovered by a fair few folk), I have come to realize that it IS actually the cacao I love, not just the milk and sugar that forms the basis of many a mainstream 'chocolate' bar. This recipe I am about to share is something I made last night. I was inspired to layer it up by Matthew Kenney, author of a beautiful raw recipe book called Everyday Raw (check out his site, www.matthewkennycuisine.com.)  I warn you, this recipe is absolutely delicious and is slightly reminiscent of a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup  - but much more exquisite in taste and with far superior ingredients! No sugar, no dairy, no additives, no table salt, no nasties at all!  If you really want some, I might be persuaded to make you a batch - but I may have eaten it all before it gets round to being sent to you! Ok, why not have some fun with this! The person who writes the most witty poem about love and chocolate will be sent a beautifully wrapped LittleGuru Chocolate Bar! Or, you can make your own, you lazy thing!

This is a layered chocolate bar, so I prepared two bowls for each layer. The dark chocolate layer will form the base and the topping. This is exactly how I made it, so if you don't have the ingredients like agave nectar for example, try honey instead.

The Chocolate Casing

Melt 100g cacao butter gently in a pan (you don't want to cook it, just warm it until it melts)

and 2 tbsp coconut butter

Stir in:

4 tbsp chocolate powder (I used Green and Blacks cocoa powder for this batch)

4 tbsp agave nectar 

2 tbsp lucuma powder*

2 tbsp mesquite powder*

3 tbsp raw nut butter

pinch Himalayan pink salt

Now make the other mixture...

The Delicious Middle

Melt 100g cacao butter and 2 tbsp coconut oil

Stir in:

75g lucuma powder

1 tbsp maca powder*

4 tbsp agave

4 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

pinch of pink salt

Now you are ready to layer up the chocolate!

(I used a very thin, shallow tray and lined it with foil.)

• Pour half of the first chocolate mixture onto the foil and spread until even.

• Place in the freezer until nearly set.

• Now pour all of the second mixture on top, and again, spread evenly.

• Place back in the freezer until set.

• Now for the final layer! Spread the rest of the chocolate on top and then back in the freezer again.

• When the whole tray is set, you can choose how to break it up. I scored mine with a knife and broke off big chunks - very satisfying indeed to do this!

So there you have it! Now for a quick word about the ingredients that you may not have heard of.

Lucuma is sold in the UK in powder form and is a delicious Peruvian fruit that is used a lot in raw cuisine, especially sweeties and choccies!

Mesquite meal is a Native American food, and is the finely ground seed pods from the Mesquite tree. It is sweet and lovely!

Maca is a Peruvian root and is available in the UK in powder form.

I have the good fortune to live near a shop called Daily Bread (for anyone reading this in Northamptonshire!) which now sells lucuma, maca, hemp seeds, agave, mesquite and coconut oil. I also have the good fortune to live round the corner from a lovely lady called Debbie who sells cacao butter! But, it is SO easy to order all of these online and my favourite place to order from is www.detoxyourworld.com

Let me know how you get on with it - and yes, you can send me some! x

Me Grow Horns, You Drink Milk?

Milk. What is it? What is its purpose? Where does it come from? I can answer all these questions in one sentence. Milk is a living food that is produced by mammals for their young on planet earth, its main purpose being to feed and nourish and pass on natural immunity. Not including nut milks of course (but the idea of little hazelnuts and almonds having teats does make me smile!)

Ok, next question. Why is it culturally acceptable, endorsed, encouraged and even expected in some countries for mothers to feed and nourish their young as they please and for as many months or years as they like but in others (ahem) it is not only seen as taboo, there has been a call for the law to change so that mothers can continue to breast-feed in public after 6 months? Law? Milk? Or just the receptacle? It is now illegal for someone to ask a mother to stop feeding her baby but this law extends to six months only - (please correct me if I am wrong). So what happens when the baby is six months and two weeks? What about all the women who are feeding big babies who look like they are a one-year old but are in fact only five months? It all seems a bit ropey to me. How can this possibly be 'policed' and why should it be policed in the first place?

So, what's the deal? Do we need to have the same laws when children start drinking the milk from other animals? Are we going to have to shield them behind draping scarves and make them nip off to the public toilets so that they can drink their cow/goat juice? Just because it's in a bottle, carton or cup doesn't mean it didn't originally form in the mammary glands of our bovine friends. OK so I am being slightly facetious - I do realize that some people get uncomfortable around boobies - but I don't think that is the problem. Every breast-feeding mother I have ever come across has always been so discreet. I don't think the boobies are the challenge. It's the thought that the baby has grown teeth, can string a sentence together and yet still has the occasional suckle. But one friend related to me once that she heard a young mother with a small babe retort that breast-feeding past three months was absolutely disgusting. Oh! 

And the notion, 'Would you suckle straight from the cow itself?' surely is a relevant question! If noses are upturned at babies drinking breast-milk (heaven forbid such a thing should happen - and of course there wouldn't be the expectation for adults to drink breast milk as with all mammals there is a natural weaning period) then why is it so acceptable to drink the milk from another mammal - a milk that was exquisitely designed only for the young of that species. Yes, we can drink it  - but do we need to? We are the only mammal on the planet that is weaned off our mother's milk only to have it replaced with another mammal's milk - or several.

But this is where, for humans in particular, there seems to be the biggest debating, consulting, arguing and pondering. When should a baby be weaned from its mother's milk? There are people I know who will have a definitive answer for this. 'One week', 'Twenty days', 'Six months', 'One year - definitely one year' and it continues.

One of my friends told me the other day that I really shouldn't be feeding my two-year old anymore. I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information. Especially as one of my friends breast-fed her child until age four, the World Health Organization recommends feeding up until at least age two and oh yes - there is no definitive answer!

For me, I know there will be a natural end to feeding my daughter. Of course, she is not exclusively breast-fed now and I am sure there are times when she doesn't really need 'boo-boo' but she has it all the same. Am I disgusting for carrying on feeding her? Am I breaking the law? Do I annoy people when they ask me when I stopped feeding my little girl and I say, 'Well....'?

My conclusion to this rather sketchy piece of writing here is that each mother must decide what is best for her child and best for her. We have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe and this doesn't surprise me as breastfeeding is not exactly actively encouraged in the UK. Despite our midwife's attempts in our antenatal course to promote 'breast is best', I was one of two mothers who continued feeding my daughter after 8 weeks.

I have seen plenty of adverts for various milky formulas but not one single advert shows a mother advertising that it's actually OK to feed your own baby - and of course there isn't! Breast milk is free and it doesn't need any equipment to heat it up (then cool it down) And you will never find shards of glass in breast milk. But I digress! 

I am not the type of mother to flounce around with her two-year old babe guzzling milk for all and sundry to see but I don't think there are any mothers out there who do that. Breast-feeding is as natural and lovely to me as being outside on a fresh, sunny blue-skied, breezy day. Breast-feeding is enjoyed immensely by my daughter and by me and it won't last forever but it is within my reality now and by golly, I think it's great!  And it's something that doesn't need replacing with the milk from another mammal - whether it be cow, hedgehog or goat. And here endeth my lecture! Thoughts? Moo x

"All mothers should have access to skilled support to initiate and sustain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and ensure the timely introduction of safe and complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond."

World Health Organisation

We are Noodle Folk

One of my favourite films is Kung Foo Panda and one of my favourite foods is the noodle! I don't care what kind of noodle it is, I just like to wind it round my fork and eat! I have always loved noodles, which is why when I started to eat 'maw along the path of raw' I wanted to find an alternative that still satisfied me on a taste AND a forking level.

Spiralizing courgettes is great but doesn't cut the mustard. Same with carrots and beetroot. I just know they are not noodles. They don't curl round the fork as you would expect a dish from, say, Noodle Nation to. And whilst they taste great, the sensation of 'noodle on tongue' only gets 2 out of 10. 

So thank heavens for the Sea Tangle Company in the USA for providing us with KELP NOODLES! Kelp is a type of seaweed but I assure you, these do not taste of the ocean! They are clear, glass-like noodles that wind delectably around the fork, as noodles should. You can make them taste of whatever you have stored in fridges and cupboards and the noodle satisfaction is actually 1o on 10!

So where can you get these from in the UK? None other than pioneering super/raw/lovely food company www.rawliving.eu! You can get a 340g bag for £6.90 - which I slightly blanched at when I first received the package through the post because two packs, with postage and packaging added nearly came to £20.

But then I prepared my first kelp noodle meal. And I discovered that they actually go a long way! They are surprisingly filling and when mixed with the curly courgette and carrot they all marry very well together indeed.

I have just started on my second packet and whilst I know they are not cheap, I know that four packets of these a month will stretch to several meals. And as I don't have any other real vices, let noodles be my vice instead!

Order yours from www.rawliving.eu - I have tried several times to get into contact with Sea Tangle themselves but to no avail! I would like to know how possible it is to get them delivered straight from the USA and if it would be cheaper - but for now, Raw Living is the way ahead. Beware though! You may end up ordering one of Kate's delicious cakes at the same time!

Here is how you can make your noodles taste delish!

Put one courgette through the spiralizer 

Get a handful of kelp noodles (rinse) and put both in a bowl

Shake over some shelled hemp seeds

Squeeze on half a lemon

Drizzle over one tbsp flax oil

Mash in half an avocado

Chop in some fresh tomatoes

Splash over some tamari soy sauce

Mix together

The noodles are quite rubbery when they come out of the packet but when mixed together in this delicious way, they settled down and behaved like proper noodles should. I can't quite believe how lucky I am!

Quality Time, Quality Life

One of my favourite things to do is to just hang out with my little daughter, Maya. She's my buddy and we go nearly everywhere together. We got in the car today, with the promise of getting some 'Shazzie choc choc' from a local cooperative shop called 'Daily Bread' and feeding the ducks in the park. It was a very chilled out adventure, with Maya helping me stock up the trolley with tasty treats and walking round the park, going 'high on the swings like Kipper the Dog' and climbing on the 'climbing tree'.  It was lovely taking time out from the usual activities of the week - we usually go to two music groups (and host our own one too!), make lots of visits to different friends, go swimming and occasionally pop into 'messy play'. 

But as none of these activities are on for the next two weeks due to Easter hols, we get to change our routine which is good for both of us. Sometimes I feel like I can't change the routine and need to go with the flow, but the week so far has reminded me that I can do what I want! I can change direction, I can steer into a different lane, choose the left fork in the road for once instead of the right and even go backwards if I want!

Is there anything you want to do differently? Go on, give it a whirl! x

Sipping my Alfonzo Mango and Mint Smoothie on a Sunny Day

So today is my first day back after a wheat, dairy, sugar, asthma-fest! I have given myself a few rules  - as I respond well to rules! NO wheat. NO dairy. NO sugar. First week all fresh and live. From then onwards, high percentage fresh and live, tiny percentage leeway food items such as baked sweet potato, steamed veggies and some fish. Make sure omega oils are incorporated such as flaxseed oil and whole grains such as buckwheat (which I soak, then dehydrate then eat!)

I have many goals, some of them superficial, some of them a little profound! Here is my list (in no particular order or importance!):

1. To be able to wear the beautiful dress that is hanging in my wardrobe - plus other very lovely clothing items.

2. To be able to be my natural weight.

3. To prepare my body for pregnancy number two (December onwards!)

4. To not have to use my inhaler.

5. To feel alive and free!

I have done this before - I promise you it feels great! Day one for me is always quite exciting as I stock up on foods that are soooo delicious and I really do feel quite privileged to be eating them. My shopping list of an hour ago looked something like this:

Grapes, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, mango, cucumber, walnuts, courgettes, apples, carrots, celery, avocado, ginger and spinach. I already had some items at home like lemons, buckwheat, olives and sundried tomatoes. And I have some kelp noodles coming in the post tomorrow - never tried those before so will let you know how that all works out.

This morning I had a delicious smoothie for breakfast, a raw Organic Omega 3 foodbar (which has dates, almond butter, flax seeds, quinoa sprouts, raisins and sesame seeds in - really tasty!) and now for lunch I am sipping my alfonzo mango and mint smoothie. Do you want the recipe? It's simply heaven!

Put in the blender:

the flesh of one alfonzo mango

a big handful of spinach

half an avocado

one tsp camu camu (optional - will post about this soon!)

a few fresh mint leaves

a handful of ice

Juice the following fruits:

2 apples

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

quarter of a cucumber

Blend it all up until smooth and sip whilst the sun shines serenely!

I am also nibbling on grapes and this evening I am going to have a very delicious curry - which I will also share the recipe for as I think you might like it!

Spring Curry

1/2 cup walnuts (soak for four hours before using - this makes them more digestible)

4 sundried tomatoes (I am using ones in oil today but you will need to soak them if they are completely dry)

4 fresh tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup of hot water from the kettle

pinch of salt (I use Himalayan Pink Salt - Jamie Oliver has a good version of this in a handy grinder - about £2.50 a pot)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp mild chili powder

1 tbsp olive oil (you could use coconut oil too)

Whizz all the above ingredients in your blender and serve over:

a plate of carrot and courgette noodles (I have a spiral slicer for this - if you don't, then use your vegetable peeler to get lovely long thin strips.)

finely chopped cauliflower and broccoli (I will be having these raw  - you could lightly steam them or soak in hot water for five minutes)

Optional extras for your curry:

finely chopped mushroom

sweetcorn or baby corn

avocado

shelled hemp seeds

red pepper

Anything that takes your fancy!

I have to say, before I sign off, that I am having a new website designed today, we have a new tree planted in our garden, the sun is shining and I feel very positive about becoming a healthy human! As you can see, everything I am eating is delicious and full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. All ready to give me a new lease of life - a new beginning! Care to join me?

xxx

 

Getting my health back - yet again!

It's funny, don't you think, how when you know something to be a truth, you can still wind up denying it even to yourself. Take me and food for instance. I know (like I know, like I know, like I know!) that when I eat fresh, live, unprocessed foods, I feel amazing. Bursting with energy. Alive and kicking. So I'll have a few weeks experimenting, like I did last summer (and write an ebook and concoct lots of yummy recipes) and then little-by-little, little things will sneak-a-peek into my diet. Like a croissant, then some milky, sugary chocolate - then a big mother pizza with all the trimmings! I don't know how and why I do it, but I did think last December that enough was enough. I had a bit of an asthma scare and to cut a long and dramatic story short, my breathing worsened over six hours then finally, when I thought I might possibly die, the ambulance came and put me on a nebulizer. 

There are certain triggers that set my asthma off - like cats, rabbits, animals in general, dust, extremely stressful or worrying situations and smoke of any kind (incense burners, wood burners, cigarette smoke etc). But when my diet is spick and span, my body is able to process just a little better. So the question I need to ask myself is, why do I keep on returning to unhelpful eating habits. I decided that through the month of January, I would eat no dairy, wheat or sugar - in fact I had a near 100 per cent raw month. AND I made sure that my diet was FULL to the brim of greens. So fresh spinach blended in my smoothies every day, sprouted broccoli powder, spirulina and wheat grass all featured in my diet.

Then the incredible happened (as I knew it would!) From taking my inhaler four times a day (I know, not good!), it went down to once a day  - then I had a clear run for TEN DAYS without taking my inhaler at all! This was amazing for me - and every time I charged my body up with power greens, I literally felt like my blood was cleaning up and that blessed oxygen was reaching every cell in my body. I don't know the real science behind all this (I took rural science at school so I know more about messing around whilst growing carrots and turnips)

So, I have all this brilliant information. And yet every time I get on my fresh, live and unprocessed horse, I feel SO good then let the old ways creep in. Then my body yells, 'NOOOO VICTORIA! Stop it! You can't write books and essays and articles about health and not treat me right!"

I think however I have figured out the simple connection. The thing that gets me every time is... social occasions. I am very bad at saying no to people (am improving but not quite there.) If someone offers me an item of food that I know is not good for me, I would rather not offend them than say no. I DO say no quite a few times but I am so often in a social situation with my daughter, my faith,  my life in general (hark at me, social butterfly!) that there is all this wheat and sugar and dairy all flying around and not even tempting me but slapping me in the face!

This is where I believe that things happen for a reason. I have never had the ambulance called out to me on account of my breathing. I now feel quite within rights to say no thanks to a list of foods, on account of me really seeking the best route to health. Sure, I want to lose some weight (I still have a couple of stone to release  - this is a different post though!) but to not have to rely on my inhaler and live in fear of not being able to breathe would be the greatest gift. 

I have said several prayers about this - and there are two answers that keep coming into my mind. 1. Eat a plant-based diet - fresh, live and unprocessed, as much as possible. 2. Consume chlorophyll-rich foods daily. 'Make my life green' is what I keep thinking. And if my 'Green January' experiment was anything to go by, I can swear by it!

My conclusion for me, and perhaps this will serve as some kind of inspiration to you, is that it's a lovely quality to not want to offend people. But to turn down offers of food that are going to essentially make you sick - it's ok! In fact, if the person who is offering becomes offended or makes comments, all that is needed is detachment from this. I know I can't control anyone else but myself and the decisions I make may offend or annoy people sometimes. But I have me and a daughter to think of and I feel good about my choices in life as I know they serve me  - and then I am enabled to serve others!

Thanks for listening   - I needed to get that one off my chest! xx

Gossiping Geese

Ok, so the title was just to get your attention - I didn't stumble across a news feature about geese that like to gossip. Humans on the other hand  - oh my life! In the days of yore, when I was at school, I read a magazine article that said 'Gossiping is good for you'. I remember thinking, 'Wahey! I can talk about people and not only will I feel good, but I will be slim and healthy too and maybe pick up a boyfriend and grow longer legs.' 

I also remember, whilst talking about the flaws and foes of my friends, experiencing a little prickly feeling - it was uncomfortable and like a nagging headache that kept coming back except it was anchored in my heart and my stomach. I finally realized that the feeling was my conscience - my higher self  - and whilst the glossy magazine told me one thing, I knew the opposite was true. I became a Baha'i (look to this website if you want to find out the wheres, whys and whos about this faith  - www.bahai.org) at the tender age of 16 and I looked to the writings to see if there was any thing on backbiting. There was and it made my head spin! Backbiting was likened to murder. 

The 'me' that was aged 16 didn't understand how that could be. But over the years that followed, I was to see how through the mere act of talking about another person, with or without malicious intent, could make a community turn against each other, could enable people to live in fear and distrust,  could bring one single person crumbling to their knees, desperate for a new life to be built around them because the one life they new and lived for had been stripped away through just plain old speech. 

Simple fact that I have learned - lives can be ruined by backbiting. If we take this to the extreme - where celebrities are talked about incessantly in the tabloids - lots of things true, many things fabricated and completely false - the furore has in some cases been too much and the person has taken their life or numbed themselves with drugs and alcohol.

I used to have various Saturday jobs and in one particular clothing store, everyone would sit in the staff-room at lunchtime -  topic of conversation being the only person who wasn't in the room. I would sit there listening to how such and such was a terrible person because they did this, that and the other, then someone else would leave the room. Then the attention would be focused towards them instead. Every time someone got up to leave, the rest of the group would talk about them. No one was safe. I remember thinking, 'I am never going to leave this room!' I also wanted the conversations to stop - but I didn't know how to say the right words, or even know how to remove myself from the situation. I was almost frozen with what might happen if I joined in - what might happen if I walked away. I was only new - how could I stand up for these people? If what was being said was even true, was it just and reasonable to talk about their faults? Did everyone have the right to do this? Is gossiping good for you?

I have since read various articles which continually strive to prove that talking about others is ok. But is it ever ok? When should you draw the line? Is it ok to even say good things behind people's backs? For example, someone is pregnant, but they specifically didn't want anyone to know. But you share the good news with several people anyway - and then the person finds out. How do they react? Do they have the right to react that way - it was only good news after all?

What I have found as each year goes by, as I relax into me being me, I see people talking about each other as a way to fill time, or as a means to make them feel, look or just act greater than others. It's an empty form of conversation for me, to talk idly about others - but I can see how it's so very easy to do and slip into this way of being. BUT! Does backbiting bring good health? Does it bring happiness? Is there anything positive about talking about others? Are we damaging our own selves, our souls, if we speak foul of people instead of letting our lips drip with honey, diamonds and jewels?

What do you think of the quote below? Have a read and do post your thoughts, views and experiences on the subject.

If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as everyone of you knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others. (Baha'u'llah)

I as an individual can only strive to be a better person each day - but to also question what we have in front of us. Will it do? Can we change it?

Welcome to my world!

This is my first blog - how exciting! And I have to say, this particular blogware was very easy to use - unlike others that I started then had to abandon as I just couldn't figure out what to do next!

Hoooray! So come and join me in my positively healthy world - a place where I like to find out about things that will help us all cheer up, be happy and full of joyous health! Keep posted xx