Raw Food - Juggling Real Food and Real Life

I've always loved cookbooks.  They are like the ancestors of Pinterest.  I can spend hours and hours looking through them and planning perfect meals.  Instead of pinning, I use scraps of paper to mark my favorite recipes.  My favorite cookbooks have lots and lots of pictures.  I've noticed that I rarely make a recipe if there isn't a picture.  How the heck do I know if I got it right if there isn't a picture?

I received three new cookbooks for Christmas as gifts.  Each book is beautiful and full of

lots of information.  Many cookbooks have sections in them that are much like mini cooking lessons.  They have tips and techniques that are really helping me to continue to get Real Food to the table each night.  I also learn quite a bit about new foods and even nutrition from reading cookbooks.  Raw Food for Everyone by  Alissa Cohen is a fantastic read.  I haven't decided to switch to a completely Raw diet, but the health benefits are fascinating.   I do like to eat the most nutrient dense food that I can find so I've decided to incorporate many of Alissa's recipes into my family's meals.  Shhh..........don't tell my family they are good for them.

So what is Raw Food?

Seems like a simple answer right?  It is food that is not cooked, but like everything in the food world, nothing is ever that simple.  For the sake of this post, I am going to keep it real simple and then expand on it in future posts.  Alissa says that "Raw and living foods are alkaline-rich foods that contain enzymes.  Heating food over 112* F destroys those enzymes."  She says that Raw and living foods have significantly more nutrition than cooked food.  "They are filled with living energy, raw vitality, and unlimited health benefits."  Nuts, seeds, and grains are considered raw and have enzymes that are dormant.  Once they are soaked in water they sprout which makes these enzymes active.  Staples of raw food include fruits, vegetables, and sprouts.

A few keys to incorporating more Raw and living foods into your diet...............

1.  Be prepared to shop differently.  You will need to buy a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.  

Don't think about buying a small bunch of bananas.  Think about buying several bunches or even whole cases.

2.  Prepare foods in advance to make things easier when you are hungry.  Clean your lettuce greens, chop veggies, make salad dressing...........maybe even make a fruit salad.

3.  Be prepared to eat more.  When you grow up thinking of fruits and vegetables as side dishes, you may be hesitant to eat them in entree portions.  If you were to cook down lettuce greans (not that you would do that eating Raw) you would have a small amount of food.  Think about large salads and not little side salads.

4.  Don't be afraid of the healthy fats.  They are full of nutrition including antioxidants and oils that help the joints, nerves, and bones.  I've never known anyone to get fat eating avocados and nuts.

5.  Don't worry about protein.  Alissa says that amino acids create protein in your body.  

The best sources of amino acids are leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, and chard.

Alissa warns that once you start a Raw Food diet your body will go through a detoxification process.  I felt the same symptoms of detoxification when I switched to a Real Food diet.  I remember thinking........"What the heck?!"  If this healthy food is supposed to make you feel so good, why am I feeling so bad?  The symptoms never got too bad for me (especially since I started out feeling so bad), but they did come and go for several weeks.  Headaches, acne, rashes, colds, and fever are all common.  Don't freak out.  It is the body's way of getting rid of all those horrible things in your body.  It means that your body is cleansing and healing itself.

Don't be afraid of the detoxification process.  The end result is that you will feel younger and more vibrant than ever before.  Raw Food can also be simple and quick prep which is perfect when you are Juggling Real Food and Real Life.  A handful of nuts make for a quick on-the-go breakfast.  A salad with lots of vegetables and fruits is a quick lunch.  A couple of my favorite Raw recipes are Easy Homemade Hummus and Banana Soft serve.  They are so good that you forget they are good for you.

Have you ever heard of the Raw and living food diet before?  Do you have a favorite Raw Food diet?  I would love to hear about your Raw Food experiences.  I would love to include your recipes in a future post and my family's meals.

Thank you for all of the love and support.   Don't forget you can join us on Facebook for more fun and support along the way.  You can also follow us on Twitter @Jugglngrealfood if you are interested in learning more about the Real Food Movement.  You can also follow our boards on Pinterest.  If at any time, you want to join the Juggling Weekly Challenges, you can do so by leaving me a comment below indicating your interest.  I would love to know how many adults and how many kids are participating.  

How To Cook Asparagus - Juggling Real Food and Real Life

Last Saturday I went to my local Farmers Market.  It was pretty cold and lightly raining.  I was thinking that there were plenty of places I would rather be than out in this cold and rain.  Very quickly, I was reminded that Spring may not always have the best weather here in Ohio, but there are still

lots of wonderful foods that can be found during this season.  I try to eat seasonally for a lot of reasons.  I talk about some of those reasons in this earlier post.  Just about everywhere I looked, I saw beautiful, green asparagus.  It really stood out against the grey back drop of the day. 

My family isn't really known for being asparagus eaters.  It's not that we don't like it, we just never really ate it much.  Let's just say.........they don't have it at any of our former favorite fast food establishments.  I decided to take my own advice and try a new food.  I have eaten asparagus before, but I've never cooked it.  My kids have never eaten it, unless someone snuck it to them.............ahhh.............that probably never happened.

Asparagus is attractive to me because of its nutritional benefits.  It  is a very low calorie food.  It actually takes more calories to eat asparagus than it has in it.  It is one of those zero calorie or negative calorie foods.  I love foods in this category because I can eat as much as I want and not worry about it.  My Spring schedule has me running more than ever so I've been really hungry lately.  According to the article "Asparagus Nutrition Facts" on the website nutrition-and-you.com asparagus is a good source of antioxidants which protect the body from possible cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, and viral infections.  It is also rich in folates which are important for women to consume pre-conception and during early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects in newborn babies.  Asparagus is also rich in vitamins C, A, E, K, and lots of minerals as well. 

OK...........so we know it's good for us, but how do we cook it?  I found cooking asparagus to be quite simple.  The danger is overcooking it.  Even overcooking it by a few minutes, can make it a mushy mess. 

There are lots of ways to cook asparagus, so I'm going to focus on one simple recipe that is pretty much full-proof, tastes delicious, and quick.  That's what Juggling Real Food and Real Life is all about.  This recipe was prepared at my house after my son's first baseball game of the season.  Everyone at the fields were talking about where they were stopping to grab dinner and I refused to cave.  I could make something just as quick and far more delicious and nutritious. 
Roasted Aparagus with Lemon and Herbs

Ingredients:

• Asparagus
• Olive Oil
• Dried or Fresh Herbs (I used Thyme and Rosemary)
• Lemon Juice
• Salt and Pepper

Directions: 

1.  Prepare your asparagus.  This is done by washing.  Gently rub the stalks while running under water.  Thin spears are more tender, simply trim the cut ends.  The thicker spears (these are the ones I like) need to have the ends broken off.  Grab the spear in two hands near the bottom and bend until it snaps.  This removes the tough end.  There is no need to peel the asparagus.

2.  Place in bowl and drizzle olive oil over the asparagus spears. 

3.  Add herbs seasoning to taste.

4.  Drizzle lemon juice over the asparagus spears.  Again this is to taste.  I like a couple of tablespoons. 

5.  Place asparagus spears on cookie sheet or other baking pan.

6.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper

7.  Bake in 450 degree F oven uncovered for about 15 minutes. 

8.  Enjoy!

Now it's your turn...........Let me know all about your asparagus experiences.  Do you like it?  Never tried it?  Thinking you might try it?  I would also love to hear how you enjoy this recipe and other asparagus recipes you have tried. 

Thank you for all of the love and support.   Don't forget you can join us on Facebook for more fun and support along the way.  You can also follow us on Twitter @Jugglngrealfood if you are interested in learning more about the Real Food Movement.  You can also follow our boards on Pinterest.  If at any time, you want to join the Juggling Weekly Challenges, you can do so by leaving me a comment below indicating your interest.  I would love to know how many adults and how many kids are participating.  

Make Your Own Hummus - Juggling Real Food and Real Life

I just finished reading an article  about all kinds of food that we should be making ourselves because they are easy to make and far more nutritious than the store-bought versions.  One of the foods they wrote about was hummus.  A quick look at a store label listed artificial colors, MSG, and various other artificial ingredients and preservatives. This is a food product that I regularly use that I really needed to clean up.  

For those of you not familiar with Hummus..........don't be shy, you can admit it..........Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern spread made primarily from chick peas.  Chick peas are a great source of fiber and  protein which is what got me into checking out hummus.  I've come to discover that my stomach prefers a diet light in meat.  I am not a vegetarian, but for the most part, you will only see meat on my plate for one meal per day at the most.  My body just seems to perform at its best when it doesn't have to digest meat all day.  I also have noticed that my brain doesn't seem to work very well without protein, especially since I've kicked caffeine out of my life.  You've got your coffee............I've got my protein.  Hummus really fills my need for protein a lot of days.  It is perfect as an ingredient in a wrap or as a dip with veggies or pita chips.  

I hope you enjoy this super easy recipe.  I really don't know what took me so long to try to make my own hummus.  It is so easy and more delicious than anything I've ever bought at the store.  I used a recipe I found at About.com .  I have seen lots of other hummus recipes, but what I love about this one is its simplicity.  After all, that's what Juggling Real Food and Real Life is all about.

Special note.........when making this, don't forget to put the tahini in and then complain about it being too runny.  Tahini is a thickener.  It looks a lot like peanut butter.  And yes......I've forgotten it more times than I can count.  It usually takes me a day to figure out that I forgot the tahini.........again.  When I do forget the tahini and it is kind of on the runny side, it is best to use as dip.  Hey! Real Food can be expensive if you make mistakes and throw it out.  Don't toss it, it still tastes good. But, to keep your outfit nice and pretty it may not be a good idea to eat in a wrap.  Wow!  What a mess that makes.  Again.......not that I would know. 

Ingredients: 


1 15 0Z can of garbanzo beans or chick peas

1/3 cup liquid from can or water
5 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (tahini can be found in your regular grocery store.  It comes in a tall jar.  It is ground sesame seeds so it similar in consistency to natural peanut butter).
2 cloves of garlic crushed (adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1.  Drain beans and set aside liquid to use later.  (if you drain into the sink and don't save the liquid as I did the first time, simply substitute water).
2.  Combine beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt and olive oil in a food processor. (a blender can also be used). 
3.  Blend until smooth
4.  Add additional liquid and mix for about a minute or so.

For serving......put hummus in pretty dish and using a spoon put a well into the middle.  Pour an additional tablespoon of olive oil into the well.  Garnish with fresh herbs.

Now it's your turn.  Tell me your hummus stories.  Do you like hummus?  Is it new to you?  Do you have a favorite way to flavor hummus?  Do your kids eat hummus? How about your husband, will he eat it?

Thank you for all of the love and support.   Don't forget you can join us on Facebook for more fun and support along the way.  You can also follow us on Twitter @Jugglngrealfood if you are interested in learning more about the Real Food Movement.  You can also follow our boards on Pinterest.  If at any time, you want to join the Juggling Weekly Challenges, you can do so by leaving me a comment below indicating your interest.  I would love to know how many adults and how many kids are participating.