After Thanksgiving Project - To look Slimmer

Hello Every one,

Hope your holiday went well.

Kinda weird for a Raw person to talk about looking slimmer. Before I went on raw foods. I was like every one else feeling the ten pounds invading my middle area. I went raiding into my closet for garments to slenderize my weight gain. Purchasing a few long jackets and tunics that sat below (way, way low ) helped hide the hips. Belts were out of my closet for years.
For those of you who are beginning raw foods or experimenting with the possibility, I can share my tips I learned through the years.
1. Following the old standard rule of having V necks is a must. They will draw people's eyes from your full face and double chin. The shoulders will appear wider and the waists slimmer. A Wrapped dress or anything with a plunging neckline is a plus.
2. I keep boot cut pants as a staple in my closet. Cropped pants were a no, no to. The boot cut has a way of balancing the bottom of you. Make sure they are hemmed for the height of your heels.
3. I see this type of cut pants on women too much. THE LOW RISE. Honestly do you want to create that muffin top. I beg you please, please stop showing the overflowing flesh. There is nothing wrong with high waist pants or skirts.
4. I love stripes !! Pin stripes are sexy in a boot cut. Pinstripes and vertical lines add length.
5. Subtle patterns give you a soft look. Avoid that loud bold print. Trust me it will make you look larger. If you must wear a bold loud print seek a scarf or other accessories.
6. Black was always a great slimming color. You can go for darker colors as well. Try Navy, chocolate, dark wine and a few dark grays.
I hope this helps.

My Thanksgiving was very peaceful. There was
plenty of leftovers for me. I wrapped the mock turkey with a cabbage leaf. The cranberry sauce came out fine. This was my first time preparing cranberry sauce without sugar. At our dinner table, no sugar was served at all. Not one sugary dessert. We enjoyed the Banana/Papaya Pudding and the Straw Berry Pie. I was amazed that my Mom didn't ask for her piece of chocolate after wards. My determination is to get her off of all sugar completely. It is important to respect her life and not push my lifestyle on her. It's just that I know the damage sugar does to the body. I am thinking of finding a book for her about the dangers of sugar.


One sad little thing about my wardrobe that my not concern some of you , when you get to your proper weight you do loose favorite garments in your closet. I keep holding on to my faux suede white coat. Its huge on me now. The size is large and I'm a medium. The wind is getting into it and it is gaping like a triangle in the back, but it is hard to let go of a loyal garment. I will give it away with love to someone who can use it. This will make a nice Christmas gift for someone who needs a short coat.

Speaking of white , I'm inspired to make a Vanilla Bean Ice Cream . Yum , Yum !
I'm gonna use ...............
2 cups of soaked cashews
Meat from one young tender coconut
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
one vanilla bean
1/2 tablespoon of sea salt
water
I will put all of this in the Montel Blender and add the water to keep it from becoming too thick . I have a stainless steel bowl to place it in the freezer.
I will Enjoy !!

Thank you for Reading
peace and light to you.

Thankgiving Meal Plan

Hello Every one,

I got my Thanksgiving Meal Plan finalized. It was a toss up between Squash and Eggplant. I didn't want to spend too many hours preparing dishes either. This is my menu. Some of the dishes can be prepared the day before. From the Alissa Cohen "Living on Live Food".

1. Drinks - Mudslide

I like this drink. It is very filling and sweet at the same time.
Mudslide
1/2 cup almonds
1 1/2 cups of water
1 banana
3 dates

in blender or vita-mix. blend until smooth


2. Snacks - cucumber wheels, banana papaya pudding

Cucumber wheels
2 large cucumbers
1 recipe hummus

cut the cumbers very thin or 1/8 thick and place the hummus on top. The cucumbers take the place of wheat crackers.

Hummus
4 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup tahini
1 cup onion
1 cup olive oil
1 cup lemon, peeled
1/2 bunch parsley
1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Pudding
1 banana
1 papaya
put these two fruits in a blender with a little agave for taste.



3. Dinner - Apple sauce served with Butternut squash Patties, Mock Turkey with cranberry sauce, Fennel-quinoa-orange and basil salad, kale salad, Strawberry pie

Apple sauce served with Butternut Squash patties
4 apples
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

place the apples into large chunks. no need to peel them.
place in food processor with other ingredients and blend until smooth.

Butternut squash Patties
2 cups sunflower seed
1 cup walnuts
2 cups butternut squash
1 whole avocado
1 tomato
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked1/2 cup onion
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 stalk celery
2 tablespoons flax seed oil
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder

In a food processor, blend walnuts and sunflower seeds until fine.
Add in butternut squash and blend
Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Remove mixture from processor, and form into flat round patties about 1/2 inch thick
Place on a mesh dehydrator screen and dehydrate 8-12 hour at 105 degrees or until desired firmness is reached.

- Fennel -quinoa -orange- basil salad and the Mock Turkey Loaf was posted two days before.

Cranberry sauce
12 ounces cranberries
4 apples
8 ounce raisins, soaked

In a food processor, blend the cranberries with 2 of the apples
Remove from processor and fold in the remaining 2 apples and raisins.

Kale Salad
I just used a simple mixture to my taste of olive oil, sea salt, 1 cloves of garlic, fresh minced garlic, bragg aminos liquid and chili powder.

Strawberry Pie - I made this last holiday. This will be my new traditional holiday dessert.
crust
2cups of almonds
1 1/2 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1 cup strawberries, diced

In a food processor, blend almonds until fine.
add dates and blend until smooth.
Place in a bowl, and stir in the diced strawberries .
Mold into a pie plate.

filling
3 1/2 cups strawberries
3 very ripe bananas

Dice 1/2 cup of the strawberries. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend the remaining 2 cups of strawberries and the bananas until smooth.
Place in a bowl, and stir in the diced strawberries.
Pour into crust.
Enjoy!

vintage mink collar- handed down
vintage suede bag
coat sweater, denim skirt, belt- thrifted
hat- street vendor
boots - Born

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving. Keep developing your greater self. It is the greater self that can truly appreciate the connections with others and is concerned with their well-being. Our self improvement has an impact to the happiness of our families, friends, communities and society.

Thank you for reading
peace and light to you.

Saturday Side Dish

Hello Every one,

Mushrooms have been a funny vegetable for me to eat. In the past I was sooooo sensitive to them. To me it was a toxic fungus entering my body. I felt they should be utilize to decorate other vegetables and not to be eaten. I couldn't get how any one could love this tasteless fungus. However, I'm learning a new way to eat them.

For fashion sense, The portobella mushroom reminds me of the texture of my suede skirt. I looked up some history on the mushroom. You will love this.

The Pharaohs of Egypt monopolized mushrooms for their own use. They thought they were too delcate to be eaten by common people. Back then they did not discover the science of how the mushroom appeared over night. They viewed this as magical. By the first century , the mushroom had gained popularity in the Roman Empire. They called them "Food of the Gods" They believed it gave their warriors strength.
Mushrooms are among the few rich organic sources of germanium, which increases oxygen efficiency of the body. It counteracts the effects of pollutants, and increases resistance to disease.
They have a good source of vitamin B.
WHO KNEW

I've made this dish before as side dish. It is so simple and easy to prepare. From the "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen.

STUFFED PORTOBELLA MUSHROOM CAPS

1 large Portobella mushroom
1 whole avocado 1/4 cup onions, dices (optional)
1 tomato diced (optional)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Bragg Liquid Aminos

Wash and de-stem the mushroom. Place mushroom stem side up on a plate.
Mash the avocado, onions, tomatoes and sea salt and place in the mushroom cap.
Pour Bragg Liquid Aminos lightly over the top of the mushroom cap and on the plate to make sure the mushroom cap is marinated.
Eat as is or top with diced tomato, black olives and sprouts.

Here is another Side Dish you can serve with veggies and crackers, or stuff into tomato caps. I have used this in a collard green wrap or you can used this in arugula leaves.

WALNUT MUSHROOM LOAF
3 cups of portobella mushrooms
2 cups of walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon rosemary(optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Enjoy!

vintage Beret - hand down
Scarf - self made
Corduroy jacket- Goodwill's super store
vintage suede bag
Suede skirt- "No Relations Vintage" shop
over the knee sock- Sock Dreams
shoe booties- John Fleuvog

Thank you for reading
Peace and light to you.

Key Lime Pie

Hello Every one ,

My first Raw Food class given by the Alissa Cohen program, was an introduction to Raw desserts. The day before my class, I became bored from the thought of spending six hours learning about Salads and sprouts. " What kind of a lifestyle is this" I said to myself. To my surprise the first class was the most fun I ever had with food. "Desserts before Dinner " What an interesting way to start. I was amazed how simple these desserts dishes were and nutritious for you as well. Plus Soooooooooo tasty!!. A huge variety of dishes and possibilities opened up for me that day. I really got that variety is the key to maintaining a Raw and Living Food diet. Learning something new was hard for me in the beginning but now I decide how much time I want to spend on preparing food.



The following Recipes come from "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen.
This Key Lime Pie is very tart and yet creamy


KEY LIME PIE

Crust:
1 1/2 cups of macadamia nuts
1 cup soft dates, pitted and soaked
1 ripe banana

Filling:
3 whole large limes
2 cups dates, pitted and soaked
2 avocado



For Crust
In a food processor, blend the macadamia nuts until well ground.
Add in the banana and blend until smooth.
Add dates, blending until smooth.
Pat down mixture into a pie plate.





For Filling
In food processor, blend all filling ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Pour filling on top of pie crust.





I used a spring pan instead of a plate.
















I made Almond cream topping.














These two dishes are going to be on my Thanksgiving menu.

MOCK TURKEY LOAF

1 cup cashew
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup Brazil nuts
5 stalks of celery
1 scallion
1 teaspoon sage
1 cup cranberries
honey

In a food processor, grind the cashews, pumpkin seeds, and Brazil nuts until fine.
Add the celery, scallion, and sage and blend until smooth.
Remove from food processor and place on a large plate. Form into a loaf.
Blend the cranberries in blender. Ass the honey to taste. Blend until smooth.
Spreed cranberry sauce over the loaf.


FENNEL, QUINOA, ORANGE, AND BASIL SALAD

3 cups sprouted quinoa
1 cup chopped fennel bulb
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups orange section
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine quinoa, fennel and shallots in a large bowl.
Combine the next 8 ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.
Pour over quinoa mixture and toss.
Add in orange sections and mix gently.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of walnuts over each serving.

I'm still working on a Holiday juice punch with apples, pears, lemon , ginger, honey and cranberries. It's all about getting the right proportions.

Enjoy!

Acrylic hat- street vendor
scarf- Alexia Crawford
leather bag - Chelsea street market
silk vest/denim jacket- Goodwill's super store
green turtleneck - lands' end
faux suede skirt-" In your closet" store
boots - Born

Thank You for reading
Peace and light to you.

Popsicle - Banana Crunch

Hello Everyone,

Holiday's are coming and plenty of Raw Desserts to prepare. Just think of not having worries about how much desert you can eat!

Just because I'm eating Raw Foods my holiday cravings for the cake and pies have not gone away. I eat Raw foods regularity and I know intuitively what works for me. This holiday I won't be agonizing over what I'm eating. I can eat all I want without wanting to eat the food and not being able to stop. (Remember the phrase "You just can't eat one")
This Banana Crunch can help you replace that craving for ice cream. You can eat two servings without feeling guilty.

From the "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen
BANANA CRUNCH

5-10 Bananas
1 cup of almonds, crushed
1 cup walnuts, crushed
1 cup carob powder
1 cup dried coconut

Place all of the above ingredients on separate plates.
Roll one banana at a time into the almonds, then the walnuts, then the carob, then the coconut.
Place the "loaded" banana on top of a piece of wax paper and freeze.
Continue rolling each banana until they are all covered with a bit of each ingredient. Keep the entire batch frozen until you are ready to eat them.
Have Fun Enjoy!



Here are the steps .


Observe the bare Banana.
Rolling the nuts.
coating them (I used a little honey to make the nuts stick )
Then add the popsicle stick.


They are ready for the Freezer


Thank You for reading
Peace and light to you.

Hello Everyone,

Funny to have Veterans Day off then back to work on Friday.



Started the morning with two handful's of spinach , fresh orange juice and two bananas. I added a powerful nutritional super food supplement from Dr. Schulze's company. This green powder mix is one of the best products I have used. This has 40% of high protein which is natural and easy to assimilate. No fat in it and only 50 calories per serving. The serving includes vitamins and minerals The Dr. Schulzes booklet states - "Saturates your blood with many powerful nutritional complexes that are not in other vitamins and man-made nutritional formulae".
I feel more rejuvenated drinking this formula. Go to www.herbdoc.com to find out information and see the other amazing products the company has to offer.

I am currently using the "Eyebright"
Formula as an eyewash. I suffered with eye allergies and received allergies shots in my teenage years. Allergy shots contain steroids that remained in the system for a long time. Severe eye Dryness as an adult was a result of that. The "Eyebright" formula is supporting the blood circulation in my eyes. My eyes are feeling less dry and more hydrated. The formula is good for Eye irritation and harmful contaminates are removed. (Not a clear picture, wanted to show the size).

Didn't have the regular time to prepare for dinner, so I made a Sweet Apple Nori Rolls, a quick cucumber garlic salad and soup I prepared days before. (I found a better way to store my raw soups - I place the vegetables/spices in a glass storage jar without the liquid. Then When I'm ready to eat, all I have to do is add warm water to it. Just like the concentrated commercial can soups you add water to). The Nori Rolls is from the "Living on Live Food"


SWEET APPLE NORI ROLLS

4 nori sheets
1avocado, sliced
1 apple, sliced
honey to taste
lettuce







Here are a few more from Alissa Cohen.

MOCK PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH

2 large plain flax crackers
1/4 cup raspberries
2-3 tablespoons almond butter

spread almond butter on one side of a cracker and top with berries.
Eat as an open face sandwich or top with another cracker.
(For my taste, I take strawberries and place them in the blender with agave )


TOMATO,ONION AND AVOCADO SANDWICH

1/2 tomato
2 slices onion
1/2 avocado
2 large crackers
sea salt (optional)

Place slices of avocado on one of the crackers.
Top the avocado with tomato and onion.
Eat as an open face sandwich or top with another cracker.

Enjoy!






I thought a warm happy color would set the mood for the weekend.

Wool dress/beret - vintage

Raincoat- Anne Klein
scarf - self made
leather bag - hand down
MJ shoes- John Fluevog

Thank you for reading
Peace and light to you.

What's been on my mind.

Hello Every one,

I want to share what's been on my mind.

Some one ask me a while back to give a Raw Food class to help people in the community eat healthier. Here was the main problem. How can you teach or help people to eat healthier if food prices or so high. How do you educate a Mother of two who has a few dollars to stretch for the rest of the week? When it comes to feeding her kids, She is going to go for the dollar menu deals or go to the 99 cents store to get frozen food. The price of Broccoli when not on sale is between $2.50 to 2.99. Organic can go above $3.00. (Let us not forget the paper towels and toilet tissue she needs) A Raw Food life style is not cheap for a person living on the poverty level. If you are a single parent with two kids eating raw foods and living from paycheck to paycheck or on Food stamps, let me know how you are managing it, please. It may offer help to others.

Last week People on food stamps were getting attention because the tax payers do not want to pay taxes for Soda. I'm not sure if any of you are aware that Mayor Bloomberg of New York is asking the Obama administration for permission to exclude sugary soft drinks from the food stamp program. Ten years ago when concerned individuals were asking about the amount of sugary products that were being included on the items of food stamp spending..........Did the powers to be care then? Now as a result we have obesity among children. By the time they are teenagers half of them will have diabetes. It is bad enough already that seniors and People in general can't afford healthier foods. I have to constantly find ways to spend less and eat healthier which is not a huge problem because I don't have children to feed.
For me this is hypocrisy when it comes to the soda thing. If I were Bloomberg, I would have asked the Obama Administration to lower food prices.
That is my voice for today.


From August of 2009 to June of 2010, I was on top of the world eating Raw Foods. During the month of July 2010 my life Style turned into a constant battle between eating healthy foods and avoiding bad foods. I wasn't sure if I make the one year. I felt victorious winning over my weakness at first, but after a while, I became tired and frustrated from being on the battlefield. My Raw Food lifestyle was turning into an epic series between good and evil. Episode one : Should I use my will power to stand up against the sugar cravings? Episode two: Where is that determination? Episode three : Master the discipline grasshopper. Thoughts were whirling like a tornado in my head. Do I have enough will power to continue eating Raw Foods or do I need more determination? What is going to happen to me is I don't master discipline ? After one month of constant frustration, I started this blog. Joy came back into my life but only lasted for a few weeks. Then that annoying question came up again. How are you going to maintain this life style for the rest of your life ? I couldn't stuff this question back down. I had to face it. The answer was revealed to me in the middle of October. The truth is .........It will not take either will power or determination or discipline to live this lifestyle. It is going to take work to clean out any remaining negative thinking I was taught to believe. The same steps to rid the body of physical toxins, must be applied to rid my mind of mental and emotional toxins. I still hold on to doubts about myself. By December 21 2010 I will have written down "creating the life I truly desire for the next 5o years".

Here are some two simple soup to make on your own. From the " Living on Raw Foods " by Alissa Cohen.

THAI COCONUT SOUP
4 young bay white coconuts
1/2 cup pineapple
1 teaspoon cumin

Remove the milk from 4 coconuts and place in a blender or vita-mix.
Take the meat from 1 of the coconuts and place in blender along with the coconut milk.
Add the pineapple and cumin and blend well until smooth and creamy.

RED PEPPER SOUP
4 1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon miso
1/2 cup chopped apple
1 cup cilantro

Blend all except 1/2 cup red bell pepper in blender or vita-mix until creamy.
Pour into a bowl.
Dice the remaining 1/2 cup red bell pepper and mix into bowl with the soup.

Enjoy!

Note: I pick these two simple soups to encourage my friend who hates being in the kitchen cooking over the flame. Eating healthy doesn't have to be laborious work. You are not going to break a into a sweat preparing these soups.

raincoat - Anne klein - burlington coat factory
scarf /plaid skirt - Rags A GO GO
beret - vintage
bag- thirfted
tights- 99 cents NYC
M.J. shoe - John Fluevog

Thank you for reading

peace and light to you

Salute to the Runners !

Hello Every one

A bit chilly today but great weather for the New York City Marathon. I am always inspired by the sea of humanity as they run through the five boroughs of New York. It was a lovely day to stand on the sides and cheer. I was out there until 5pm watching the last of the runners. I did spot one Raw Foodist eating a bag of chopped carrots for fuel.
Enjoy the pictures!



He was going so fast I only caught the wheels of this handicap runner.


Runners from all around the globe; England, Denmark, France, Canada, South Africa and Jamaica.



A few developed cramps.


There was live entertainment. Two singers and a Gospel Choir.


A few in Costume.

Moms , Dads , Grand Parents, Fire fighters, Police officers were running today.


and a young spectator enjoying the whole event.


Thank you for reading
peace and light to you.

Let There Be Chili

Hello Everybody,

Yesterday the lentils sprouts weren't long enough. This morning like magic the sprouts were one inch long. Tonight was a big bowl of chili for dinner. I've prepared chili from Alissa Cohen's "Living on Line Foods" many times. Now, I'm comfortable adding my own creation of ingredients and spices. My version of chili has two types of sprouted grains, lentils, my favorite veggies and spices . Here is the chili recipe to prepare from Alissa Cohen.

CHILI
4 cups of sprouted barley
1/2 teaspoon curry
2 tablesppons Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/4 cup small red onion, diced
1 ear of corn, shaved from Cobb
1/2 cup chill powder
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup of honey
1 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 oranges, juiced
10 medium to large tomatoes, diced small
1 small onion
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked

In a very large bowl mix together the barley, curry and Bragg liquid Aminos, green bell pepper, red onion and corn.
To the above mixture add in the chili powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne, garlic, honey, water, olive oil, oranges and tomatoes.
In a food processor, blend the dates, onion and sun-dried tomatoes into a thick paste.
Remove from the food processor. Add this paste to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir until well mixed.
Enjoy!

Some one made a remark " I hope you are not lying to yourself". No offense was taken. Raw Foods is still viewed as radical and you stand out like a sore thumb. People look at me as is if I had two heads. Believe me, I would need a hospital if I sat down and ate a large plate of cooked food. A year ago I experimented with a large plate of rice and beans. I wanted to see what would happen to me. WHOA , I was in a fetus position most of the night with painful cramps. The next morning I was constipated . I felt like I had rock at the bottom of my abdomen. Never, never again.




I found these vintage wool knickers over the summer at Rags-A-Go Go. Great for the fall. I know it is hard to see the button at the knee where it fastens.


Thank you for reading
peace and light to you.