Raw Energy Bars

Raw Melissa has several recipes that you can get for free on her website. I love her cookbook too, but I also love the freebies she has posted. I have had the opportunity to go to her raw cooking class and have had the privilege to be served a four course dinner that she creates. She is a beautiful, talented and inspired women who makes wonderfully tasting food that is healthy, beautiful and much of it is raw.

The link to her granola bar recipe is HERE. She also has an an awesome chocolate banana smoothie recipe on there too!

Here is what you do:

First, add 7 cups of the following (combine however you would like:rolled oats, raisins, pumpkin seeds, pecans, shredded coconut, chopped almonds, chopped dried fruit, rolled quinoa, hulled buckwheat, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds....)

(I did 4 Cups oats, 1/2 C. sunflower seeds, 1/2 C. pumpkin seeds, 1 C. shredded coconut, 1/2 C. diced dried cherries, 1/2 C. grain sweetened chocolate chips).

1 C. coconut oil

3 C. dates (soaked in water for 20 minutes)

1 t. sea salt

Directions:

1. Drain the dates and set the date water aside

2. Pulse in a food processor until the dates turn into a paste

3. If they seem to dry, add a little of the date water until you reach a smooth consistency like a nut butter

4.Add the rest of your ingredients and mix well together

5. Pat in a a 13x9 pan that is lined with parchment paper

6. I put mine in my oven on the lowest setting for a few hours and then let cool. I cut them in little pieces and wrapped in foil. I keep them in my freezer like in the picture below. They are great to have before or after a run.

Jocleyn's Green Smoothie

Jocelyn is my middle child and loves healthy things the most out of all my kids. She begs me for a salad to take to school and loves smoothies. She helped me make the one in the picture and she drank the whole thing in a few minutes. It gave her energy to do her theory that she LOVES....ya right!

In your blender, add:

1/2 C. unsweetened almond milk

1/2 C. cold filtered water (add more if it gets too thick)

1 handful spinach

6-8 frozen banana chunks*

1/2 orange, peeled

8 frozen strawberries

*Frozen bananas always taste better in smoothies because the thicken it up and help to make it creamy. At one time, I cut several bunches of bananas in 1-2 inch chunks, lay on cookie sheets, freeze and then store in large zip lock bags. That way, they are always ready.

The Road Ahead Looks Bright!

It has been a few REALLY LONG MONTHS for our family.

End of December-January: I was in a ton of pain from my endometriosis and really couldn't do much!

February: On February 7, I had surgery to remove the new endometriosis growth (last surgery was 10 years ago).

Middle of February: David hurt his back even worse and was in so much pain, he couldn't sleep, stand, sit, or do anything to find comfort.

March: On March 7, David had back surgery (by the grace of God and the quick response from the top surgeon in Utah County to see David and fit him in on his surgery schedule).

Today, March 23: We are all feeling awesome! We have all had our highs and lows (including the kids). David is gaining strength every day and can stand and walk for more than 5 minutes without shooting pain down his legs. I can run again and no longer have endo pain!!!!!

Between the two of us we have lost about 20 pounds!

Enduring the struggles and almost unbearable challenges in our life is really hard and often painful, but when we allow those things to humble us and bring us closer to God, we can rise above it, and truly feel grateful for days like today...when everything...finally....after a long time....seems wonderful and bright!

In honor of that, I thought I would share my most favorite OH SHE GLOWS recipe! (You can see the original recipe HERE along with a much better picture) I can't believe I haven't posted it before. I call it:

ALMOND BUTTER FROM HEAVEN

In your blender, add:

3/4 C. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

3/4 C. almond butter

(I used the freshly ground from the health food store)

1 T. pure maple syrup

(I used 1 t. maple syrup and 5 drops vanilla flavored stevia)

1/4 t. cinnamon

(I used almost 1/2 t.)

Blend until smooth and creamy. It is thin at first. It thickens in the fridge

You are basically cutting the calories and fat from plain almond butter in half!

I love it with bananas, apples and strawberries.

Celebrate something wonderful about your day with this awesome goodness!

Remember the old saying:

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!

After what we've been through these last three months, I can safely say:

Pain and Sickness may ache my bones, but Trials will never hurt me!

Hot Asian slaw and cold marinated cucumbers!

I really suck at making anything Asian.....sorry for the language...but it's TRUE! I really don't know the ingredients and spices to use to make something that has a true Asian taste and is enjoyable to eat! On Allrecipes.com I read a little bit on their page about stir frying and used one of their recipes as a base for the dish below. It was yummy. We served it with Marinated Cucumbers (also posted below) and a small amount of grilled organic, free-range chicken. My kids had theirs over brown rice. Hope you enjoy it!

For the slaw, I used what is pictures above:
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 small red pepper very thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 green onions chopped

Sauce (from allrecipes):
1/4 C. chicken or veggie broth
1/4 C. soy or tamari sauce

2 t. sesame oil
2 t. rice wine vinegar
dash red pepper flakes
1 t. sugar (i used a dash of stevia)
(mixed together ready to go)

glaze to add at the end:
2 T. chicken or veggie broth
2 t. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
(mixed together, ready to go)

Directions:
*In a wok or great saute pan, add 1-2 T. coconut oil (high heat oil)
* Once hot, add in 1 t. crushed garlic (I use a refrigerated one because it's faster)
*Add celery for a minute then all other veggies. Saute for a few minutes
* Add broth/soy sauce mixture and stir until veggies are soft
* Right before taking off the stove, add the glaze and let bubble. Once it thickens, you are done!

I topped ours with chopped raw cashews and raw sesame seeds
Different and Yummy!

Finished Hot Asian Slaw

(The broccoli is almost noodle like)


Cold Marinated Cucumbers
David and ALL my kids LOVE these! We eat them a lot at our house and they are super easy and a great way for your kids to get their veggies.
In a bowl, I add:
4 C. sliced cucumbers (not to thick or too thin)
1/2 C. seasoned rice wine vinegar (we like the one with the red lid)
1/2 T. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together and let chill in the fridge. Stir a few times while chilling before serving!

Go Raw Granola Review

I first bought this "Go Raw" granola last year when my friend Cody told me about it. We actually ate some before my half iron-man last year... It is awesome. It is live nutrition that your body will know how to use.
I have only tried the chocolate flavor, but they also sell plain and apple cinnamon. You can click HERE to go to their website. They also make bars, raw chips and cookies (think I will order the ginger snaps), flax snacks, sprouts and chocolate (which contain three ingredients: raw cacao, agave, and oil).

Here is the ingredient list of the Chocolate Raw Granola:
*sprouted organic buckwheat groats *sprouted organic sunflower seeds, *organic dates *sprouted organic sesame seeds *organic coconut *organic hemp seeds *organic cacao *organic vanilla extract *celtic sea salt!

This product is:
*GLUTEN FREE *WHEAT FREE *NUT FREE *AGAVE FREE.
All live (dried under 105 degrees, all sprouted seeds, no GMO's, no trans fat, no cholesterol, all hand made, all raw kitchen, all family owned!

I LOVE IT!!!! You can buy it from their website by clicking above or heading to: www.goraw.com. You can also buy it from Amazon and save a few bucks and get free shipping. I suggest going to your health food store and trying it before you buy it. My store occasionally has it on sale. I keep it in my fridge and think this makes a great snack in between breakfast and lunch, especially after a hard work out.

Here is the nutritional breakdown for the chocolate granola:
Calories: 240
Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: O
Sodium: 10 mg
Potassium: 280 mg
Total Carbs: 36 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 18 g (all from dates)
Protein: 5 g

Something I read on the back of the package "The seeds are optically sorted, soaked in filtered water, rinsed, then sprouted to perfection. The finest organic ingredients are mixed in, then hand spread on trays. The mix is loaded into custom-built dehydrators and slow dried at an average 98 degrees to maximize enzymatic and nutritional integrity and flavor!"
.......ummmmm......Yes, Please?

Chia Pudding

If you haven't yet experimented with chia seeds, they are AWESOME!

HERE are the top ten reasons online why chia seeds are great. I love the fact that they expand in water, so when you put some in liquid, they totally absorb. When you ingest these, you will actually feel full longer because of this absorbency factor. These little seeds are also a complete protein.

I survived my half iron-man last June because of my chia waffles. Recipe from HERE.

Recently, I have increased my exercise and have been feeling really hungry. I needed something to help me before or after a run and just to get through the afternoon when I am tired and trying to run the kids around and get dinner done and help with homework.

This is something I have just mixed up:

In a glass, add 1/2 C. unsweetened almond milk, 1 heaping T. chia seeds and let sit overnight, or for at least a few hours. When ready to eat, and 1/2 C. fresh berries (i like strawberries) and a few drops of vanilla stevia if you need it sweeter. You can double this is you want.

It's not fancy, but I really like it. The texture reminds me of tapioca pudding....which I LOVE!

If you don't care for this texture and want something smoother, you can whip everything in your blender.

(picture from the website, for the recipe, listed below)

HERE is a great recipe for some chia pudding that's a little fancier and would be a perfect snack or dessert for a warm spring day (which hopefully is upon us!)