Fun and Mental Changes

You guys... THESE TURNED OUT AMAZING!!!!  Seriously, they are like little cheesecakes!  They're RAW, gluten free and vegan.  And with no baking, these babies were quick.  I found them HERE , gave them a go and they are PERFECTION!!!! So you'll want to start with the cream (I made a couple of small variations to Sunwarrior's recipe): CREAM 1 Cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup Pinch of Himalayan crystal salt 1 Heaping tsp. coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Juice of one small lemon Zest from one small lemon Combine all ingredients in a high power blender for 1 minute.  Place in fridge to cool/set up. CRUST 1 Cup almonds 4 Dates pitted Splash of Vanilla Extract Place almonds in food processor and grind into a chunky, meal consistency.  Add dates and blend until the mixture looks crumbly and forms a ball when pressed.  I store my dates in the fridge, if you do the same, be sure to pull them...

So... it has been a TERRIBLE month!!!  With the passing of our lab and now my husband having a stroke, I gotta say, I'm exhausted.  After all, this IS about ME, right?!?  HAHAHAHAHAHA!  I'm really only making a joke here because I'm on overload with every other emotion.  The reality is, my husband had a real scare and it left me with real feelings of guilt because I've allowed (and in most cases, led the coup) us to fall off our path of healthy living that we worked so hard on over the past two years.  We backslid into unhealthy eating and missing workouts.  Welp, we just had a wake-up call in one of the biggest ways imaginable.  There are only two things more important than our health, God and the health of our spouse.  And it's a funny thing that happens when we put our priorities in check, we actually DO take care of ourselves in the process.  Enter the 17 Day Diet.... and we are now on day 6. Health and diet books were at the ...

A few years back I decided to make a change in my diet to incorporate raw fruit and veggies. As with many who attempt the raw food lifestyle (I do still eat meat, just much less and I try never to cook my veggies), I over-complicated things. But I've discovered two key tips that EASILY incorporate raw food into my diet... mix of flavors and marinate, marinate, marinate! 1.) Green smoothies ROCK! Mixing 60% tropical fruits and 40% dark green leafy vegetables together makes for an AWESOME drink!!! What an exotic and fancy way to get 5 servings of fruit and vegetables into your diet without a lot of work! Today I mixed 2 cups of spinach with 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 banana and 1/2 of a large pineapple with a splash of water into my Vitamix blender (you REALLY need a high speed blender for these smoothies) and got a wonderful drink that started out my morning quite nicely. Tomorrow I'm mixing coconut water, 1/2 cup coconut meat, 1 mango, 1/2 of a large pineapple with 1 - 1.5 cups of d...

Ok.... Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko... High Five Victoria, High Five!!! I was SUPER excited to start this cleanse after reading the book and even convinced my husband to do this cleanse with me. I think he agreed to it since there isn't a "salt water flush" to do every morning and I can change up the smoothies every day. Not to mention that the smoothies are blended (more bulk) instead of juiced (more liquid), so I'm thinking that "full" feeling will help the cause. He agreed to 7 days with no meat, dairy or wheat, drinking only the green smoothies from this book for all his meals during the day. I told him that he can drink as much and as many smoothies as he wants. Today was the first day for both of us and I mixed a WONDERFUL concoction using fresh, organic, pineapple, peaches, dandelion greens and celery mixed with water. The pineapple and peaches made it REALLY sweet.... so I would have to say that the first day is a SUCCESS. Tomorrow...

Well... all is well! It has been a tough two weeks, but as always, when you make it through, things get significantly brighter. As is the case today. I'm on the Master Cleanse again (it's that time again folks... I'm twice a year now) and I'm doing very well. I'm going to cleanse for 40 days this time, so I'm in it for the long haul. I'm reaching for homeostasis, and only TIME cleansing can give you that. I will then be following that up with a much slower cleanse with raw food so hopefully by the end of the year I will look 10 years younger! HA! Don't judge! God uses vanity to motivate too! LOL! Seriously though, my goal is ALWAYS divine health!!! So if things weren't already wonderful today with the cleanse, I was also just asked to be a Copic Marker demonstrator for a scrapping event this weekend!!! What an amazing honor! And this will work out perfectly with this cleanse because it will occupy my hands and my mind and keep me from eating!!! LOVE ...

Years ago, prior to the healthy lifestyle changes, or what I like to call "the change", I had basic dietary staples. Among those staples were bread (usually white), crackers (assorted types), peanut butter, canned veggies, canned soups, boxed EVERYTHING (from mac n' cheese to cake and pancake mixes) with the biggest staple being minute rice. Anything that takes a minute to cook IS ALTERED FOOD, but I won't go into detail with that tonight... only to ask if you've considered how healthy ALTERED FOOD really is? If something is SO PROCESSED that it takes moments to prepare... how nourishing is it to your body? How healthy and fit can it make you? Could our obesity epidemic in America be linked to the very fact that we are not nourishing our bodies therefore our bodies are hording fat thinking they are being starved??? Just a thought, but I digress. Over time I came to understand that anything refined was missing important nutrients that my body needed and on top of t...

What is it we all KNOW to do? ... Eat our veggies. Fitness professionals, Weight Watchers, nutritionists and the like will all tell you that you can almost eat as many vegetables as you want as often as you want and it will help you lose weight. Heck, an entire eating plan revolves around the concept... ever heard of a little thing called Volumetrics!?! But what if I told you that I had a proven method to not just eat your vegetables, but get more vitamins, minerals and enzymes from them and actually use them to substitute the things you already love? Wow... you'd say that I sounded like a pitch man from a sales infomercial! hahahaha! Well, I'm not selling anything, but I do want to share the proven method. When I say proven method, I mean that it has proven itself true to work for me. It may or may not work for you, but ask your doctor and see what they think about RAW FOOD! Actually it's just raw fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts. I still eat cooked meat (organic of cours...

Raw Cacao Chip Ice Cream 2 Cups raw organic cashews (soaked overnight) 1/2 Cup agave nectar 1 Cup coconut water 1/2 Cup coconut oil/butter 1 Tbsp cacao powder 1 tsp mesquite powder 1-2 Tbsp cacao nibs (real chocolate chips! Yay!) In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients (leaving out the cacao nibs... add nibs the last five minutes in the ice cream maker) until the mixture is smooth. Place mixture in the freezer to get nice and chilled through (about an hour) but not frozen. Remove from freezer and complete in an ice cream maker using manufacturer's instructions. This stuff is amazing because not only is it SOOO FREAKIN YUMMY, but it's also soooo much better for you! It's not super rich, and in my opinion, tastes better than anything you can buy in a store! :) Happy snacking on this one.

Tonight's raw dinner was stuffed bell peppers with "cheezy" chips The power flavors for the meal were parsnips, wild rice and nutritional yeast (or brewer's yeast). This recipe is a HOME RUN! Because I had meat eaters at the table tonight, myself included, I also added cooked organic apple chicken sausage to the raw stuffing recipe.... they are on the left in the pic. It was funny to see how the meat darkened the entire dish since the only thing cooked was the meat. Funny! This one is FANTASTIC with or without meat and is a FitterTwit original! Stuffed Bell Peppers 4 Bell peppers, tops and ribs removed 1 Cup organic wild rice soaked for three days (change water twice a day) 1 Cup grated cabbage 1/3 Cup diced parsnip (remove the brown outer skin so it will look like rice) 1/3 Cup chopped onion 1/3 Cup Chopped bell pepper 1/2 Cup chopped celery 2 cloves garlic pressed 2 Tbsp liquid aminos 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp raw organic apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp sto...

This recipe is WONDERFUL! $8 at a farmer's market, $6 at the local asian food store and 20 minutes gets you the best home made, healthy meal you've ever had. I left the farmer's market the other day with a LOAD of goodies that included cucumbers, green onions, celery, bean sprouts, zucchini, garlic and red peppers. They were beautiful but visibly ripe which meant that I needed to use them THAT DAY (but that also meant that I saved a ton of money and got some pretty good bang for my buck... some of this haul will be going in the freezer! Another excuse to use my favorite kitchen gadget... the food saver). No problem! I swung by my local asian food store and picked up some fresh Pad Tai noodles, some garlic/chili paste and some nama shoyu (raw, unprocessed soy sauce). I would have dinner on the table in 20 minutes! That's the beauty of vegetables... they are the best when eaten raw and can really make a meal in 20 minutes. Here's my pad tai creation ala farmer's m...

This is a FitterTwit original folks! I literally was playing in the laboratory, uh, I mean kitchen, attempting to recreate one of my favorite Asian foods.... lettuce wraps. You will see in the pic that I used swiss chard for the lettuce. I DO NOT recommend using anything but iceberg lettuce. I really missed the cold crunch! But other than that, they turned out FANTASTIC!!! Lettuce Wraps 4 whole pieces iceberg lettuce leaves (NOT swiss chard unless you are ok with a much less crispy and tasty wrap) 1 Cup Raw Almonds that were soaked for four hours 1 Tbsp Miso 1 Tbsp Nama Shoyu 1 Tbsp Asian Chili Garlic Sauce/Paste (VERY spicy, please adjust to taste) 1/4 Cup Flax meal 1 clove garlic minced 4 green onions 1 zucchini 2 stalks celery Set the lettuce leaves in the fridge to get nice and cold. In a food processor add almonds, miso, nama shoyu, chili sauce, garlic, and flax and process until large pieces are processed and the mixture has the consistency of the chicken filling for lettuce wra...

Here is my fabulous magic bullet concoction! Done in minutes and tastes wonderful! Lemon Cilantro Dressing 3/4 Cup celery juice 1/3 Cup fresh cilantro 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 3 Tbsp. raw tahini 1 Tbsp. flax oil (optional) 1 clove garlic In Magic Bullet, juice celery (using the bonus juicer attachment). Pour juice into bowl. Remove juicer attachment and celery pulp. Replace juice into blender attachment adding remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth (about a minute). This recipe is so simple, so quick and so yummy. This would also make a great sauce for grilled chicken or salmon! ***This is a modified recipe from Living In The Raw .

Here is another amazing raw recipe that takes minutes to prepare but tastes incredible. The sweet of the balsamic vinegar with the tang of the apple cider vinegar... it just works! Here's the recipe. Click on pic to enlarge. Salad 1 medium head of cauliflower diced or processed in food processor (remove anything that isn't white) 3/4 Cup chopped yellow bell pepper 1/2 Cup finely chopped parsley 1/2 Cup finely chopped cilantro 3 sprigs of diced mint leaves (remove leaves from stems, discard stems) 1/2 Cup sliced Kalamata olives 4 chopped green onions (include the green tops) Combine above ingredients. Set aside. Dressing 3 tsp. apple cider vinegar 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar 2 tsp. sea salt 2 tsp. black pepper 2 tsp. dill Taste dressing before combining with the salad to be sure it has the sweet/sour to your liking. I found that because my cauliflower head was a little on the big side, I needed to add a little more apple cider vinegar to make i...

What a wonderful raw recipe! Please know that this recipe requires a dehydrator. The one that I use (and the one shown in the bottom pic) is an Excalibur dehydrator. It is quickly becoming my favorite kitchen gadget because the trays are square and flat and because the unit doesn't take up a lot of space. And when I say that it doesn't take up space, I'm talkin counter space AND vertical space. The dehydrator fits very nicely on my kitchen counter with plenty of space between it and the upper cupboards. That being said, ON WITH THE YUMMIES! Don't forget clicking on the pic opens it up bigger (to see all that herb action)! Sundried Tomato and Herb Crackers 2 cups Flax seeds 2 1/2 cups filtered water 1/2 Cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked in 1 cup water for 30 minutes 1 1/4 cups sunflower seeds soaked (be sure that water covers the seeds) for 1 hour then drained 1 Tbsp nama shoyu (unpasteurized or raw soy sauce) 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp. freshly g...

"Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."~ Hippocrates Because what we eat is broken down and absorbed by our cells, the phrase "you are what you eat" rings true. But just as there are natural forces that are within us to heal, there can also be natural forces within us to harm as well... depending on what we eat. So if you're eating sugar and fat and salt, what are THOSE natural forces doing to your body? I recently read and re-read an AMAZING book by David Wolfe called Superfoods, The Food and Medicine of the Future. It really hit home how the natural powers in the food we eat really do make us sick or make us well. Mr. Wolfe really touched on those foods that REALLY promote wellness in some pretty incredible ways. He calls them Superfoods. “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”~ Hippocrates Here are MY favorites: Raw Cacao - come on folks... CHOCOLATE!!! Definitely at the top of the list! And when sweetened with natura...

Here's a little something special that I whipped up this week for my in-laws. I am on the master cleanse right now, so you can appreciate the ENORMOUS discipline and focus to get these made because they looked (and smelled) so freakin good!!! I got the recipe inspiration from my absolute favorite raw food recipe book: Raw Food Real World. If you start these in the morning, they can be done start to finish in about 12 hours (total dehydration time). My advice is to prepare the corn tortilla batter and the "bean/meat" batter one right after the other in the food processor and then dehydrate both at the same time. That shrinks the actual preparation time so that your time in the kitchen is only about 45 minutes. To start: Defrost 3 cups of frozen organic corn (you can also cut the kernels off of 3 ears of corn), soak 1 1/2 Cups of sunflower seeds in natural spring water for 2 hours and soak 1 Cup of sundried tomatoes in natural spring water for about one hour. Then take a br...

Well, I am on day 8 of the master cleanse and reading more and more information about the health benefits of a prolonged fast . A prolonged fast seemed impossible to me just a few short years ago when I first did The Master Cleanse. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it the first day. But here I am doing it again, and I feel fantastic. I have energy and an amazing realization that I am a recovering food addict. But I also realize, biochemically, I wasn't the only one. Because the processed foods that we eat CREATE food addicts. Unbalanced sugars (man made) wreak havoc on our systems, causing deficits that lead to cravings that lead to eating more unbalanced sugars. It really IS a vicious cycle. But balanced sugars are complete and whole and don't break down our bodily systems, instead, they build them up. The sugars I'm talking about are the sugars we get from fresh fruit and vegetables. You don't hear about people being addicted to either (although I swear I am ...

Balance is a word that I removed from my vocabulary some time ago when I attended a Quantum Physics seminar. Due to the state of "non-movement" when something is "balanced", I happily opt for... harmony (and come on! Musically/poetically speaking, harmony sounds better anyway) because I'm not in any rush to be in a state of non-movement. For me, the project started with my diet. I have honestly found that harmony is easier to find when I've completed the Master Cleanse . I read Stanley Burroughs' book, The Master Cleanser, paying attention to his thoughts on what he believes the human diet should be for optimum health. Could there REALLY be a correlation between the food we eat and our mental health? Absolutely!!! Feeling tired and dragged down effects everything in your life. If you too want harmony in your life you might want to give a little internal "house cleaning" a try and see how you feel. Certainly, clear it with your doctor first, but...

Ok, for those who may ask... here is my recipe for my gelato. As soon as I make another batch, I will post a pic. I just froze some organic peaches, so that's going to be the featured flavor... see how that works!?! hahaha! Gelato 2 Cups of Almond Milk 3/4 Cup of Coconut Oil 1/2 Cup Agave Nectar 1 tsp. Pure Organic Vanilla extract 2 Cups of your favorite organic fruit. Mix all ingredients in high speed blender and chill until very cold. Prepare in ice cream maker per manufacturer's instructions. If preparing in a Vitamix, you do not need an ice cream maker. Just increase fruit to 3 Cups and make sure fruit is frozen prior to blending. Be sure to use tamper while blending for a creamy consistency.

So I have an indulgence that has kept me going on my lifestyle change to eat healthier. In fact, I credit this for piquing my interest in raw food... almond milk!!! I have NEVER liked milk . I did not drink it growing up and in fact, watching others drink milk makes me gag. I just never got it! For me, cow's milk had a very 'off' consistency (somewhere between liquid and solid, GROSS) and an even more 'off' flavor. Enter almond milk. Almond milk was the very first raw food recipe that I attempted. I was quite successful, if I do say so myself.... and I do! I made the almond milk as a base for a gelato recipe I was also trying for the first time. I have an equal and opposite reaction to almond milk from cow's milk, but had no way of knowing, so imagine my surprise when I finished making the almond milk and poured myself a "test glass". With pursed face and squinty eyes, I plugged my nose and took a sip. "Holy Machunka! This stuff is good." Th...