Food Combining Challenge

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and the beautiful local weather. We took a brief little trip to Half Moon Bay to visit my brother...what a beautiful place. On our way back home on Sunday, we all went to Harley Farms in Pescadero. It is a little goat farm that is a great place to go with kids. Sofia especially loved it. I posted some pics on FB if you haven't had a chance to look at them yet.

So, I am back to give you Part II of Food Combining. In my last post, I informed you of the detriment to your body and its digestion when you combine the wrong foods.

Here are the basics of food combinging that I have gathered from all my reading:
*Animal (or fish) protein should only be consumed with raw/cooked non-starchy veggies
*Starchy veggies (ie...sweet potatoes) and grains should only be consumed with raw/cooked veggies as well as avocados
*Nuts/seeds should only be consumed with raw/cooked veggies and NEVER with avocado
*Fruit should be eaten by itself 20 mins before consuming anything else (except for bananas, which should be consumed 45 mins before anything else).

So, I challenge you to try eating well-combined foods for a week and see how you feel. If you have any questions, Facebook me or leave a comment. I know it is a lot to pay attention to, but it will be well worth the effort. I would LOVE to hear how it works for you and if you noticed any changes!!

What The Heck is Food Combining??

I decided today would be the day to talk a little bit about food combining. I had a visit with my chiropractor earlier in the week. I was filling her in about my blog because I hadn't seen her since starting it. I told her about my recent post about nuts and how you shouldn't eat them with animal protein or avocado. She then told me that the other day she had a salmon salad (sounds good so far, right?), with nuts (uh oh) and avocado (double uh oh) on it. She did not feel really great after eating that. As I stated in my last post, nuts should not be eaten with avocado or animal protein (or in this case, fish protein).

When I first picked up K.S.'s book "The Beauty Detox Solution", I was very interested in reading about food combining. When I finished reading about it, it made TOTAL sense. Since then, I have read a couple of other books that state the same food combining principles that I first learned about from K.S.

Here is why food combining is important:
In order to have the best digestion possible, your meals should move through your digestive track AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. You do not want your food to sit in your gut for many hours or days. The longer it sits in your body (at 98.6 degrees), the slower it will move through your digestive track and the more it putrifies (gross, right??!!). Different types of foods take different digestive enzymes to break them down. When you start consuming all different types of foods, your digestive system asks you, "What the @*!% are you doing to me??!!"

For example, animal proteins require an acidic environment in order to digest efficienly. Starches require an alkaline environment in order to digest efficiently. So, when you put together an alkaline and acid, they neutralize each other. This causes your body to secrete more digestive enzymes which in turn continue to neutralize each other trying to digest your improperly combined meal.  Does that make sense? So, what should only take a couple of hours is taking even longer which means that all our energy is going towards digesting "miscombined" meals. Ever feel tired after these meals? Gassy, bloated, or have heartburn? Well, now you know why.

In my next post I will briefly list the rules of properly combining foods and ask you to take the Food Combining Challenge. Have a great weekend!

Delicious Cucumber Rolls

Tonight I made cucumber rolls for dinner. I took the basic recipe from K.S. and made it my own. They are really easy to make. You can save yourself some time by making the almond butter paste ahead of time. I made mine yesterday.  

In a food processor (I have a mini one that is a 2 cup capacity), combine:
1/3 c. almond butter
1/2 TBLS grated ginger (fresh ginger REALLY makes a difference here)
2 TBLS lemon juice
2-3 TBLS water
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBLS agave (K.S. doesn't use agave but I like it)

Cut the ends of the cucumber and take a "Y" vegetable peeler and run it across the cucumber lengthwise to make thin strips. You can also use a mandolin if you have one.  

Take 2 cucumber strips and lay them on top of each other (I like a double layer of cucumber). Then, spread the almond butter paste on the cucumber slices leaving about an inch without the spread.

 

 

Put whatever veggies you want on top of the almond butter paste. I used the spiralized carrots from the other night and added spring mix.

 

 

 

Then, roll them from bottom to top. The idea of leaving a space at the top is because your filling will be pushed upwards as you roll.

 

Here is the finished product:

 

 



This is one of my favorite raw food recipes so far. I know you are probably thinking, "What??? Cucumber with almond butter??". You have to trust me that it is really yummy. You could even add thin strips of red bell pepper.

 

For dinner tonight I had a few of these rolls and a big green salad with roasted beets that I made a few days ago. The rest of the family ate broiled salmon, pasta, salad, and veggies. I really wanted to add salmon to my meal, but after eating all this, I didn't have room for anything else. Maybe I'll have a couple bites of the leftover salmon before bed! :-)

 

 

**As a side note, do not attempt to make any more rolls then you are planning to eat that meal. They do not keep well. They are quick to assemble and if you strip the entire cucumber, you can wrap them in a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture and put them in a plastic container for easy access the next day. The almond butter will keep in the fridge until the next use. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

 

 

Cheating and Nuts

Good evening everyone! Today was just one of those days. You know what I'm talking about. By 9:00am, I just wanted to climb back in bed, throw the covers over my head, and go back to sleep. As a mother, it just wasn't an option (but it's nice to dream, isn't it??). So, when Xander and I left Parent's Place after our afternoon of fun and play, I stopped off at CVCRC there on Lighthouse in P.G. for an iced Mocha. I only have them put half the amount of chocolate they normally put in it so it isn't so sweet. It tasted so good and I do not regret drinking it. We all need a cheat day...at least once a week. That is how we stay sane in this insane world.

 I have tried a few different diets over the years and while they worked well for the short term (quick weight loss), they ended up leaving me wondering "is that it?" As I got older, weight loss wasn't the only thing I cared about anymore. I wanted more youthful looking skin (without having to spend hundreds of dollars a month on beauty products), healthier and shinier hair, and just more energy. That is where eating more raw foods comes into play and including nuts in my diet.

So, I'm sure you have all heard how nuts are full of good fats. I used to only eat them on rare occasions for fear that they would contribute to weight gain. For the past 2 months, I have eaten them almost every day but I am always paying attention to the amount I am eating; about an ounce a day. I could probably sit down and eat a whole package of walnuts if I wanted to...that is where discipline comes in. :-)

 K.S. includes MANY raw nut dishes in her books. She does talk about soaking them first to make them easier to digest. Soaking times depend on the size of the nut. However, you can only soak raw nuts, not the roasted, salted variety. If you don't soak them, they become more acid-forming in the body and you want your body to stay as alkaline as possible. Since nuts are a dense food, you should also always eat nuts with water-containing raw veggies or a salad and never with animal protein or avocados. Eating them with animal protein or avocados will make everything harder to digest which means all that food will be sitting in your gut at 98.6 degrees for hours. I don't think I need to tell you how that is NOT good for your body! :-)

On the other hand, in Choi and Rose's book, "The Fresh Energy Cookbook", they do not recommend making nuts the focal point of your meals often because they ARE calorie dense foods and they believe in consuming mostly low-density foods. In fact, you will only find just a few nut recipes in their book.

I have found that a lot of "raw food" websites/blogs rely heavily on nuts in their meals. Regarding eating habits, I think moderation is the key to long-term success. You have to do what works for your body. Believe me, your body will let you know if it doesn't agree with something you just ate.

On a side note, I just ask you to remember some things before you sit down to your next meal. What is this food going to do for my body? Is my body going to thank me or slap me in the face?! Is it going to give me a "high five" or is it going to give me two thumbs down? Am I going to feel refreshed and energized after I eat, or am I going to feel like I just ate a bowling ball? I think you get the picture.

Spiralized Asian Veggie Salad

Tonight I made Kimberly Snyder’s (I’m going to start referring to her as K.S. since I will be referencing her a lot) Spiralized Asian Veggie Salad. It was DELICIOUS!! The ingredient list includes: zucchini, carrots, mixed greens, walnuts, cilantro, and a homeade Asian Dressing. I decided to add chopped scallions to mine though and wanted to add some diced red bell pepper for a pop of color but found not a one in the fridge :-(. Here is a picture of the finished product:

 

I used a spiral slicer that I purchased on line at: www.rawglow.com. If you don’t want to buy the slicer or don’t have time to spiralize your veggies, you can always buy shredded carrots and zucchini or julienne them with a julienne slicer. This website is actually a really great source to help familiarize you with the raw food diet. I love Cecila’s videos and tutorials because who the heck knows how to sprout garbanzo beans??!! J

Here is what the slicer looks like:

 

Here is the zucchini after going through the slicer. The zucchini is easy to spiralize because they are softer than the carrots. You’ll get a great arm workout spiralizing the carrots though.

 

Here are the veggies after they have been spiralized (this picture includes 2 large carrot and 3 large zucchini):

 

Just a little hint: I decided to place the zucchini in a colander in the sink and added about a tsp of salt. I did this because the salt helps draw out the moisture of the zucchini and “cooks” it. I then rinse the zucchini really well and squeeze out the extra moisture with a few paper towels. You don’t have to salt them, but I decided to do that.

I served my Veggie Salad with teriyaki chicken thighs. I made jasmine rice and sautéed veggies for my hubby Tyler and daughter Sofia. While Tyler had no interest in trying my dish, Sofia was all over it!

 

Tomorrow will be leftover night for me. I have some leftover Gorilla Wraps and one more serving of the Asian Veggie Salad. However, I would like to talk about my thoughts on the consumption of nuts. While K.S. makes a lot of nut dishes, I have read a book called “The Fresh Energy Cookbook” by authors Natalia Rose and Doris Choi who state otherwise. I cannot wait to share some of their fresh recipes also!

 

 

Side note about the Gorilla Wraps

I forgot to address a question about the "taco meat" in the Gorilla Wraps. The "taco meat" consists of chopped raw walnuts, tamari, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano. Hope this helps!

My Green Breakfast Smoothie

Every morning I start out with my green breakfast smoothie. I started drinking this smoothie a couple years before I found out I was pregnant with my son, Alexander. This is when I first discovered Kimberly Snyder's book. She had a great recipe for her smoothie but over the course of time, I decided to tailor it a little more to my liking. I have had several friends ask me what is in my smoothie. Here are the ingredients:

1 apple
1 banana
1 orange
1-2 large handfuls of spinach
5-6 leaves of kale
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1/3 bunch parsley
8-12 oz coconut water or water (depends how thick you want your smoothie)
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
Ice

I didn't want to just tell you what goes in my green smoothie, I wanted to show you. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was out of parsley this morning so that is why you don't see it in the picture. I am constantly in awe at how much fruit and veggies goes in my smoothie every morning. I don't believe most people eat this much fruit and vegetables in a day. That is the beauty of doing a smoothie. I drink this throughout the morning as it makes about 50-60 oz. If I have to leave the house in the morning for errands or an appointment, I take it with me in a little cooler bag so I have no excuse to not finish it.

 

 

The end product:



This is the only thing I consume in the morning. It gets my morning going and doesn't slow me down.

 

 

Why Would You Listen To Me?

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I realized that there might be some of you out there that may wonder why you would read anything I have to say. I think that is a fair question to ask yourself. Why would you want to read any part of my blog?

Well, to start off, I AM NOT a certified nutritionist although one day when I have some extra time on my hands (not sure if that will EVER happen), I would love to pursue it. I am not an experienced and die-hard raw foodist. I do have a B.S. degree in Kinesiology which is the study of the human body, so I like to think I have some knowledge of how our bodies work. I did realize and confide in you that what was working for my body before, was not working for me anymore. Sometimes it is difficult to really listen to what our bodies are telling us after we consume certain foods. It tastes so good as were eating those foods, that we kind of ignore the effect it has on our body...admit it!!! :-)

As I stated in my earlier posts, I am sharing with you how my raw food journey (albeit short, so far) has improved my quality of life over the last 2 months and continues to do so. I hope that I can inspire you, as I have been inspired, to make some small changes in the way you eat. Happy Eating!!!

Raw Gorilla Wraps

Tonight, I decided to make Kimberly Snyder's Raw Gorilla Wraps for the 3rd time. I changed up her recipe from The Beauty Detox Foods a little. I followed her recipe but added garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and a few dashes of Tapatio for an extra kick. I added pictures to show you the process. The "taco meat" came out perfectly, however I decided to use 2 collard leaves instead of 1 (the recipe uses 1). I also blanced each leaf for about 5 seconds to make them more pliable. They looked beautiful but by using 2 leaves instead of 1 (the recipe calls for 1 leaf), it made the wraps a tad bitter. So, next time I will only use 1 leaf! I had a wrap for dinner along with a big green salad with tons of veggies and some beets that I roasted yesterday. Yummy!

Step 1: Cut out most of the stem before blanching them.

Step 2: Layer them on top of each other.

Step 3: Add "taco meat" and salsa.

Step 4: Roll into a burrito.

 

Step 5: Slice in half on the diagonal and serve.

 

I will be eating these for lunch tomorrow and making Kimberly Snyder's Spiralized Asian Veggie Salad and my own terriyaki chicken thighs for dinner so stay tuned!

From the beginning

As I turned 40 last year, my body decided to change on me. While I never have been one to eat horribly, gone are the days of careless eating. I remember my 20's & 30's fondly; being able to eat and drink pretty much anything and then burning those calories by working out. Coming to the realization that that was not working for me anymore, I picked up a book by Certified Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder called The Beauty Detox Solution. The book gave me inspiration to change my diet. Not only did I want to improve my body on the outside, but I wanted to improve my body on the inside, especially my digestion. I wanted my body to run like a well-oiled machine. The goal is to eat the proper foods that optimizes your digestion. Your food should go through your digestive tract as quickly as possible; not sit there for hours/days.

Since buying her first book, I have bought a couple other cookbooks from vaious authors. I always like a place to start in the kitchen (that is why I like cookbooks) but always end up adding my own little signature to the recipes. 

By no means is this a blog about eating only raw. I do enjoy my animal protein and the occasional piece/pieces of cheese and glass of wine or dirty martini. So, if you're looking for a "raw food only" blog, this blog is not for you. My personal goal is to incorporate MORE raw foods in my diet while also keeping some of the same food habits as before. We'll see just how raw I plan to go.

As a side note, my hubby really has no interest in joining me on this journey as he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. However, he has begun drinking a glass of my green smoothie in the morning and eating a bigger salad before dinner. We gotta start somewhere!! :-) I hope you enjoy my blog.