Taking the Weight Off

Golly- it's not a new thing! 

I’ve always tried to keep the weight discussion away from raw food because I really don’t like anyone to think of this lifestyle as a ‘diet’. However, I’ve had a number of people come through classes in the last couple of years talking about weight issues and hoping that THIS would be the magic bullet.

Wow. Imagine if there was a magic bullet?

For starters, there would be no billion dollar diet industry, (yes people, there is a BILLION dollar industry created to feed your dissatisfaction with your body- WTF! Time to give them the bird!) There would be millions of people, mainly women, around the world able to go about their daily lives actually living and not deciding how the day would be based on what the scales told them. People the world over being happy with their bodies and worrying about far more important things (like, I don’t know, people in the world who have no actual food?!) How amazing would that be?

Clearly it’s pie in the sky stuff right?

Not really.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: When your body is getting what it actually needs, it doesn’t crave: it thrives!

As a society, we eat for many reasons, some involve actual hunger, but many are reactive, because food is available, it’s social, the kind of food we’re eating doesn’t fill us up (and ironically leaves us malnourished which feeds our cravings…) or we succumb to advertising and an inaccurate message is sent to our brain. Sometimes it’s emotional- because food sates a deep need within us.

At some point, we become disconnected with our bodies. We start to see them as an entity that we need to control, and one that is always letting us down. We stand in front of the mirror imagining how much better life will be when we fix this or that, we curse our genes or our lack of progress with the new PT.  We feel on top of the world when we stick to our latest diet for 2 days straight.

Really. Is that what you want your life to be about? Will you, starving yourself and then ‘letting yourself down’ time and time again help anyone in the long run? What will you be remembered for – your commitment to trying all the latest diets? Go you!       

What about, just for a change, we took the time to celebrate all that our body has done for us! The myriad of functions it undertakes daily that we have no idea about, the 75 trillion cells constantly renewing, the heart that beats on and on without reminding. Perhaps your body has experienced the miracle of birth, or you’ve achieved a physical goal you should be proud of. What an incredible machine!

Once you acknowledge that, then you must surely think this unstoppable machine deserves the best fuel you can give it? Why on earth would you ever give it anything but the best, if you expect it to keep on doing all these important jobs?

Body, Mind and Spirit are all so very very interconnected, yet we waste so much time focusing on how we look and whether we measure up! How does this impact us subconsciously? How can we ever achieve spiritual contentment when we are always beating up on ourselves!

In my personal experience, I can tell you, when that switch flicks and you suddenly know the path you need to follow, the weight literally lifts. All of a sudden, the body you’ve been beating up on becomes your most precious possession.

When you follow a plant based, mainly raw diet, food becomes intrinsically connected to the body, mind and spirit. Food is such an integral part of life, it’s critical that we have a good relationship with it! Fuelling the body with live, beautiful, clean, healthy food nourishes the mind and spirit as well. Feeding your self the best food you can find shows your self that you deserve this love, that you respect your beautiful body and that you are, simply, enough.

So I’m inviting you to take the weight off your shoulders. Stop the negative self-talk. Stop the if only's and the unrealistic goals. Try eating in a way where every single mouthful is full of the nutrients your body needs.  Your energy, self esteem and spirit will soar higher than you ever imagined and you’ll never look back.

And you’ll never look at the scales again.

(*You won’t even have scales. They’ll be out in the next inorganic rubbish collection)

Recipe: Rawsome Sunshine Pate

This is a crowd pleaser and will be a hit on your Christmas Crudites platter! It's chock full of protein and so DAMN tasty! 

Sunshine Pâté

1½ Cups of sprouted* Sunflower Seeds (about 1 cup dry)

½ Cup of soaked Pumpkin Seeds (overnight)

½ Cup Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Tahini

2 Tablespoons Nut Butter

2 Spring Onions

2 Tablespoons Tamari or Shoyu

½ Cup Coriander

2 Cloves Garlic

¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

½ teaspoon Cumin

about a Tablespoon Fresh Ginger

Blend everything in a food processor; you can make this smooth or a little chunky depending on your preference.

Spread this on Raw Bread, Crackers or your toast of choice, great with a little avocado and lettuce in a sandwich, or try it in a home made sushi roll!

*Sprouting

There are lots of great reasons to sprout! When soaked, seeds begin the sprouting process which increases their nutrient profile considerably. Sprouting also increases enzyme activity, allowing greater absorption of nutrients by the body and increased digestibility.

Sprouting is dead live easy! Grab a large jar, put your seeds in and soak them overnight. In the morning, pour off the water and give them a good rinse. If you don’t have a sprouting jar with a mesh lid, just cut a piece of chux cloth or a juice bag and grab a rubber band to secure it over the mouth of the jar.

A couple of times a day, rinse and drain. After about 2-3 days, little tails will appear on the Sunflower Seeds, they are now ready to use.

Recipe: Rawsome Spicy Carrot Cakes!

Who doesn’t love a delicious moist carrot cake! Well here’s a raw version that maximises the goodness!

Cake Ingredients:

2 medium sized carrots

2 cups walnuts

½ cup raisins

½ cup dates

½ cup shredded coconut

2 teaspoons psyllium husk

2 teaspoons chia seed powder

2 tablespoons coconut nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

Zest of ½ and orange

Pinch of salt

a splash of water as you mix.

Method: mix everything in a food processor keeping in mind that you want it a little chunky.

Place mixture into mini muffin moulds (silicone is best) and place in dehydrator for about 5 hours. Remove from moulds and dehydrate a further 2 hours.

These are delicious eaten straight from the dehydrator, slightly warm, you can also freeze them and warm them up as needed.

Icing Ingredients:

1 cup cashews

2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice

2 tablespoons coconut nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

A splash of water as you mix

Method: place everything in a blender and blend till smooth.

Place in the fridge for about an hour.

Assembly:

Remove your warmed cakes from the dehydrator.

Put the cream into a piping bag and put a small dollop on each cake. Top with a candied walnut * and a little orange or lemon zest.

Candied Walnuts

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons coconut nectar

4 medjool dates

pinch of salt

Method:

Soak Walnuts overnight

Soak dates for 30 minutes to soften.

Place everything but the walnuts in a food processor and blend so you have a smooth-ish paste. Add the walnuts and pulse briefly to break them just a little.

Spread out on dehydrator trays and dehydrate for about 48 hours. These will keep beautifully in a jar and are great for adding a little something to any desert and also a nice addition to salads!

Recipe: Rawsome Berry Cheesecake - the CORRECTED version!

PLEASE NOTE:  an earlier blog post which we're not able to access, has incorrect information relating to the rolling and swirl- this is the correct recipe!! 

This one ROCKS!!

For The Crust:

1½ Cups Macadamias

½ Cup Pecans

¼ tsp Vanilla Sea Salt (or plain salt if preferred)

¼ Teaspoon of Vanilla Bean Powder

1 cup Dried Coconut

2 Teaspoons Cacao Powder (optional)

¾ -1 Cup of Medjool Dates- with stones removed

1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil (does not need to be melted)

Filling:

2.5 Cups soaked Cashews

Flesh from one young coconut – you don’t need to use fresh coconut, but it does add a creamier texture, if you don’t have one handy, use another half cup of cashews) 

1 Cup Coconut Water or Almond Milk (you can vary this depending on consistency) 

¾ Cup Lemon Juice

¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Powder

¾ Cup Coconut Nectar

1 Tablespoon Lecithin (melt this in with the coconut oil) 

¾ Cup Coconut Oil- melted

Swirl:

½ Cup defrosted Blueberries 

1 Tablespoon Coconut Nectar

1Tablespoon Water

Method:

Crust:

1) take a 10 inch spring form cake tin and grease the bottom slightly with coconut oil or line it with baking paper (just be careful that there are no creases if you take this option) you can also use plastic wrap.

2) blend the nuts first, then add the other dry ingredients. With the food processor going, slowly add the dates through the feeder tube until the crust starts to rise up the sides of the bowl, stop and scrape this down, and continue, add the coconut oil in here as well. 

3) gently press the base into place, it should be a little sticky but pliable. Once you have covered the base of the pan evenly, pop it in the freezer while you make the topping.

Filling:

Add all the ingredients to a blender (not food processor!) Except for the blueberries, coconut oil and lecithin. Blend till smooth and creamy, slowly add the coconut oil and lecithin. 

Now take your pan from the freezer and pour in your mixture.

Swirl:

Take the blueberries and add them to the blender, with about 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of coconut nectar .

Pour the mixture into the pan moving the jug around so as to distribute it evenly. You should feel that the majority of the berry mixture has gone deep into the original layer,then take a chopstick and quickly swirl it around to create a nice effect. If you prefer to have it near the top- I suggest holding back about a cup of the filling and mixing that with the berries so you get more of a layer effect.

Return it to the freezer for 1-2 hours to set, then pop it in the fridge for an hour or so before serving. Top with fresh blueberries, and/or grated chocolate. Thereafter it can stay in the fridge for up to a week (if you can handle the temptation!) 

Notes:

• Because the liquid portion can vary in flavour consistency (almond/coconut) check your filling for flavour, very often, the best thing to add is in fact salt, not sugar, so try a pinch first to see if that works.

• Of course you can get creative, use different fruits and berries, passionfruit is delicious especially if you make a little coulis on top!

 • You can experiment with any nuts you like for the crust!