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!