EASY JUICE-BASED MEALS

  This week I took lunch with me to work instead of eating out (in which cases I mostly eat plain salad with soy sauce and bread). I came up with a simple plan how to fix both breakfast and lunch simultaneously in two steps.

Cucumber-avocado soup with wholemeal spelt flatbread.

Step 1: The previous evening make two juices. One is fruit-based for breakfast the next morning, and the other veggie-based for lunch the next day. Store in air-tight glass jars in the fridge.

Step 2: In the morning Vitamix your fruit juice with a big bunch of green leaves until creamy and smooth. Voilá, your breakfast is ready!
            Now Vitamix your veggie juice with one ripe avocado until creamy and smooth. Voilá, your lunch is ready! Pour back in the glass jar and take to work.

The beauty in juicing is that you can combine nearly anything together, and still come up with a nice taste. Natural tastes of fruits and veggies are so subtle that they mix well. I usually buy whatever is in season in the grocery store, and either make single juices or combinations according to my imagination. It´s all good for me!

  Now that I´ve been juicing mostly every day for a month, I can honestly say I´m feeling the difference. It is simple to put it in a nutshell: I feel satisfied. Never did think a thin cup of liquid could fill me up, but it does! It is a different, new kind of fullness I can feel in my throat rather than stomach. When I´ve had enough, the thought of more food & juice starts to feel repulsive. And it takes a lot longer to feel hungry again than before. I´d like to think it is because of the abundant amount of nutrients I´m getting now. No matter what the reason, I feel better and stronger now.
  I´d had a juicer for  years and years, but never did I drink juices this much and regularly. The biggest reason for that was that my old juicer didn´t extract as much juice from the same amount of produce as my new one, making more go to waste.

This is apple juice blended with two leaves of kale. Kale makes a nice, thick froth.

3/4 cucumber juice, 1/4 apple juice blended with 1 small avocado. Needs no salt.

  I´m impressed by the power of juice!

SAUTÉED WEEDS

  I´m all nuts for wild edible greens now! It´s been a rainy spring, which apparently has made the "weeds" grow luscious and generous. I´ve been collecting them almost daily with my three-year-old daughter, trying to pass down the knowledge. =)

  Today I boiled the first new potatoes of the season and served them with sautéed wild greens and tofu for the whole family.

A pan full of the most nutritious and natural greens ever, straight off our yard (we never fertilize).

This time there´s goutweed and fireweed, seasoned with fresh chives and lovage from the garden.

The recipe (serves 2-4):

4 cups (1 liter) freshly picked mild-tasting wild edible greens
a bunch of chives
a few leaves & stems of lovage
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
soy sauce

+ Chop the greens and lightly sauté in a skillet in little olive oil with the garlic.
  Serve over potatoes (or rice or pasta) and drizzle soy sauce over it.

  Super healthy, nutritious and free of charge! Can it get any better?

EATING PLAN FOR OSTARA

  This plan leans on whole grains, veggies and legumes. The baseline drawn from macrobiotics, but including less salty foods, as they tend to make me retain water. Also noticeable is that I´m returning back to work (tomorrow!), so speed is another important factor here.

8am Breakfast: 
2 cups (1/2 liter) kukicha tea with soymilk
3 big rice cakes with coconut butter and honey

Pasta and bolognese cooking up for on Monday. Two kettles, one for whole wheat pasta and the other for gluten-free kind for my son.

12pm Lunch:
2 cups (1/2 liter) bancha tea plain
Mon: pasta bolognese (with tvp=textured vegetable protein crumble, not meat)
Tue: vegetable-flat breads
Wed: tofu stir-fry & brown rice
Thu: tortillas with beans
Fri: pizza (vegan & low fat without cheese)
Sat: pancakes (including finely grated veggie like carrots)
Sun: miso soup with tofu

Creamy oat porridge with raisins and mulberries.

4pm Dinner:
2 cups (1/2 liter) kukicha tea with soymilk
oat porridge with raisins/honey/jam

7pm Supper:
apples

  The times given are merely approximate, and need to be adjusted to each day´s needs. This eating plan acts as a strong stem when planning my grocery shopping list. If I want to improvise, so be it, but with this in mind I won´t have to do the daily pondering of "what shall we eat today".

INSIDE MY GROCERY BAG

  A friend of mine once took part in a survey, which collected data from individuals´ grocery shopping. What they purchased, when, and on how many days a week, for one year. In exchange for keeping record of her shopping, she got data of her behavior and habits compared to the mass average in the survey. Quite interesting.

  One day after returning home from grocery store I pulled out these from my shopping bags:

Cucumber (especially for my kids), cabbage, small piece of smoked white-meat fish (I eat it maybe once a month, when my body craves for it), rutabaga (trying to learn liking it...), scallions, root celery, Honey Crunch apples (not available organic here, but they are the best brand), whipped soy cream, tamari soy sauce, tofu, carrots and dried tarragon.

  This pretty well rounds up my eating habits these days. What´s not in the picture, but a major part of my diet, is whole grains. I buy most of them, especially spelt and rye and barley, in bulk from a nearby organic farmer, and use them mostly for baking bread. Other grains I favor are oat, quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat (in small quantities in baking, as I don´t like the taste, but do like to add it´s nutrients into my diet), and millet.
  If I was perfect, that would be it, but since I´m not, I often eat some milk chocolate for dessert in the evening... =) Before my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I preferred dark chocolate. But then I studied the sugar content of foods, and discovered that dark chocolates include as much sugar as milk chocolates do, although they don´t taste as sweet. And I like it sweet! So I ditched the supposedly more healthy option for the real deal. In addition to fulfilling our energy and nutritional needs, feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction are also important in eating!

QUICK & EASY MACROBIOTIC BREAKFAST

  On busy mornings I don´t want to put any more time into making breakfast than is necessary. This meal follows the macrobiotic food recommendations, therefore being super healthy, but takes hardly any time to fix.

Big rice cakes topped with miso, cucumbers, nori sprinkle, and yeast flakes (my personal favorite, which tastes like cheese and contains lots of B vitamins) accompanied by 2 cups of bancha tea with soymilk.

  That´s a lot to eat but contains little calories. I can´t seem to cut down portion sizes, I rather cut down on calorie density. =)

LEARNING MACROBIOTICS

  Two weeks ago the mail brought me the "Changing Seasons Macrobiotic Cookbook", a book I ordered earlier. I had been waiting for it so much, and now after two weeks, my enthusiasm has even risen, if possible. Why could I not have had this years ago, when I bought my first ever macrobiotic book?! This rocks in it´s simplicity and hands-on take on cooking. No bla-bla-blas, only useful info and practical guidance.

The book.

The student.

The lunch (whole wheat spaghetti with boiled cabbage and toasted sesame seeds, plus a small raw salad with soy sauce).

  Macrobiotics know nothing about decadent, sweet and fatty, desserts. The practice emphasizes whole grains, accompanied by vegetables and fermented condiments like miso and sauerkraut.
  For a dessert-lover like me, who has always had a major sweet tooth, learning to eat the macrobiotic way is a real challenge. But these weeks have been so interesting and experimental, that it has felt like an exciting journey!
  Be it placebo or not, but it feels like my sugar cravings have given in a little. I´m definitely continuing on this path of wonders!
  Today I begun the "spring cooking" section of the book. It is still stiff winter when looking out of the window here, but days have grown so much lighter, that I can´t help feeling spring every day! While it will still be a great number of weeks until I´m able to collect dandelion leaves for boiled salad recipes in the book, I use what ever happens to be available, and as local as possible, at the grocery store.

BROWN RICE WITH TOFU AND TOMATO SAUCE

  This dish is so simple, yet tasty and satisfying. It´s a genuine grab-what-you-have-in-the-fridge meal I conjured up. Healthy, lean, and provides lots of good carbs and protein, so you can eat as much as you like without getting fat. Is that perfect or what?  =)

Brown rice, skillet-fried tofu, and chunky vegetable-tomato sauce topped with yeast flakes.

  The recipe (serves 2 generously):

Rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 3/4 cups water
+ Rinse the rice first with cold water, then with hot, to remove excess starch. Place in a pot with the water and cook until the water is absorbed. Place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot, and let sit for at least 15 min before giving it a fluff with a fork (a neat trick I learned from "It´s All Good").

Tomato sauce:
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup (2,5dl) of canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp honey
basil
oregano
cayenne pepper
ground dried paprika
sea salt
2 Tbsp corn flour+some water
+ Sauté the carrots, celery, and bell pepper in olive oil until the veggies soften a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer until the vegetables are al dente.
  (In place of the specific veggies listed above you can use pretty much any you happen to have, but hold on to the tomato part.)

Tofu:
7 oz. (200g) firm tofu
1 Tbsp olive oil
soy sauce
Herbamare
+ Slice the tofu and fry in skillet in olive oil until crispy and golden. Season to your liking with soy and herbal salt.

  Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with dried yeast flakes to give a cheesy flavor.

  I made this for lunch, but also ate it for dinner, and the rest for breakfast the next morning. =) Really good stuff!

MISO SOUP

  It is so much fun trying out new recipes! I´m exploring the macrobiotic way of eating now, and today made miso soup for breakfast. It takes a bit of getting used to, eating soup in the morning, but it tasted good and was warm and comforting, not to mention healthy.

Tofu and zucchini in miso-nori broth. (Seaweed is something I´ve never liked. I´ve tried it several times, and it usually makes me gag. BUT now I found untoasted green nori flakes, which are fine. I sprinkle them on almost anything, and when kept in small amounts, I don´t mind the taste. Cool!)

  The recipe (serves 1):

3 oz. (100g) tofu, cubed
1/2 zucchini (or any veggie you have in the fridge, like cabbage or carrots,) chopped roughly
1/2 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp dried green nori flakes
1 tsp dark brown rice miso
soy sauce, to your liking
water

+ Place zucchini and some water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and let warm for another minute or two.
  Serve with plain green tea and rice cakes.

  I´m used to eating sweet breakfasts rather than savory, so for me this is quite different. Not weird, but different. It feels like in the morning anything goes, as opposed to the evening when I seem to need sweet foods. Savory just does not satisfy in the evening, but for breakfast it´s a great alternative!

EATING PLAN FOR IMBOLC

  Taking a leap towards macrobiotics again. After eating raw foods for months, my body craves cooked grain now. And since I´ve always been a fan of intuitive eating, I trust macrobiotic-like food being good for me now. Variety is always good.

A basic macrobiotic-style breakfast. Oatmeal sprinkled with green nori flakes, small green salad, and kukicha tea.

  Ten years ago I bought my first ever macrobiotic cookbook. It was informative, even too much so, but it left me confused and not knowing how to proceed. The recipes were not mouthwatering either, so I buried the book in the shelf for years.
  The second macrobiotic book I ever bought was "Mayumi´s Kitchen". So much easier to read and follow, but it was not hard core macrobiotic, and after all did not differ that much from ordinary vegan eating. But it was interesting and a good experience.
  Now I´m eagerly waiting for my copy of "Changing Seasons". Until it arrives, I glimpse at the online version of it.

Purple cabbage-celery-apple salad with yogurt-ginger-mint dressing.

  I´m taking a relaxed approach to macrobiotics by focusing on whole grains or whole meal, home made products like porridge and bread. Along with grain I´ll eat both raw and cooked vegetables. Some fruit and vegan sources of protein accompany the previous, but not even every day. What I will add to my daily menu is small portions of seaweed, miso, and fermented cucumbers. White sugar is eliminated, but more natural sweeteners such as dates and honey can be used in moderation. That about wraps it.

Wholemeal pasta with carrot-parsnip-rosemary sauce and fermented pickles.

  Since I´m a girl with a major sweet tooth, this will be an experience to me. On weekends I will indulge in chocolate or candy, but otherwise I try to reduce my sugar intake. How awesome would it be to live sugar-free Mon-Fri?!

Wholemeal spelt bread dough on the way.

The plan: is to eat whatever low-fat grain-vegetable dish I want at any time of day. I will test and learn from the suggested 7-day meal plans of "Changing Seasons" macrobiotic cookbook, but I will also use other sources of vegan recipes, altering them if needed to lower fat content and increase wholeness in grains.

Chocolate-zucchini cake sweetened with dates.

  Meal times follow those of my diabetic ten-year-old son´s healthy ones:
 8-9am breakfast
12pm lunch
4pm dinner
7pm supper

    Yum, healthy Imbolc!

EATING PLAN FOR YULE

  Evolution has brought me to this:

Breakfast:
1 cup green tea w/ soymilk
2 cups freshly squeezed vegetable/fruit juice
1 banana topped with coconut oil and honey

There´s cucumber, celery, and apple in this glass.

Lunch:
1 cup water w/ Echinacea drops
raw food meal of choice

Tzatziki dip with veggie sticks is a great lunch option.

Dinner:
1 cup green tea w/ soymilk
2-3 cups green smoothie/pudding

Cinnamon-flavored green pudding. Made of spinach, banana, avocado, water, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. I left the banana a bit chunky for something to bite on.

  If/when I get hungry in the evening after eating all three meals of the day, I´ll grab fresh fruits and veggies to fill me up.

  This plan combines raw foodism and principles of Clean eating by dr. Alejandro Junger (where he recommends eating two liquid meals and one solid meal per day)

  All the above examples happen to be green, but that´s not the intention (except for the green pudding of course =). I use mostly seasonal veggies and fruits as the base of all meals, bulking them up with avocado, coconut oil, and occasional cold smoked salmon or goat´s cheese. I´d love to eat an all-raw vegan diet, but at least for now my stomach doesn´t agree with nuts & seeds. A girl´s gotta do what a girl´s gotta do... which is enjoy this nutrient and enzyme rich fresh diet for the next six weeks or so!

I HATE KALE- GREEN CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

  My ten-year-old son hates vegetables. Cucumber and potatoes are the only things he´ll eat without a suffering face. But behold, Vitamix to the rescue! I have found a sneaky way to incorporate raw leafy greens into his diet, without him refusing one bit. In fact, he now asks for kale almost daily!

Chocolate smoothie, what a perfect way to start the day (and hide greens)!

A high-speed blender makes an unbelievably creamy and smooth texture. This stuff is very different from the produce of an "ordinary" blender, that leaves the smoothie more or less chunky.

The recipe (serves 1):

1-2 handfuls of kale (or other leafy greens)
1 banana
5 medjool dates
1-2 Tbsp cacao nibs
vanilla
3 tsp cacao powder
1/2 avocado
1-2 cups soymilk (for him, for myself I use water)

+ Blend everything until creamy and smooth.

This is satisfying and filling, and keeps us all going until lunch time.

ENJOYING CHOCOLATE - THE HEALTHY WAY

  Hello, I´m Nella, and I´m a chocoholic. For me Yule is all about eating chocolate, no other goodie compares. But instead of gulping down milk and sugar loaded unhealthy pralines day in day out, I try to tame my taste buds with healthier options of the dark brown gold.

One example is this home made chocolate ice cream. Simple and cheap to make, is totally good for you being raw and sugar-free, and is amazingly like the real deal. Check out all three of my favorite pre-Christmas chocolate treats and recipes on my column Nelland Living!

PARSNIP COUSCOUS

  This is so good! The taste is mild but so satisfying, and it leaves me full but energetic. One of my favorite lunch finds recently.

Raw couscous made with parsnip and avocado! No nuts or seeds, so my stomach adores it too.

The recipe (serves 1):

1 small parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
a drizzle of lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 oz. (35g) rucola
1 pear, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, cubed

+ Run the parsnip in a food processor until the consistency reminds of rice. Pour into a bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Toss. Add the rucola, pear, and avocado, and mix well.

  The original recipe is from Erica Palmcrantz´s book, and it called for 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds instead of the avocado I used. Good either way, but my stomach does not agree with seeds right now. =)

TODAY´S GREEN SMOOTHIE

  This is the third day of gulping down masses of green smoothie. Here´s what nourished me today:

Looks delicious like this too, but I would not enjoy eating the greens whole. Blending magically makes the tough greens "disappear", and what´s left is a sweet fruity flavor.

A two-quart (liter) pitcher full of green gold... heavenly.

Here we go again! Yum!

The recipe for "Tummy Settler" by Victoria Boutenko (makes 2 quarts/liters):

3 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup parsley
3 cups pineapple chunks
2 bananas
3 cups water

+ Blend all until smooth.

SLICE N´ STACK PIZZA BITES

  This has got to be the easiest, fastest, and healthiest form of pizza imaginable. I made these for lunch in a super hurry last weekend:

A plate full of bite-size pizzas just waiting to be stuffed in my mouth! And in they went, up to the last piece...

The "crust" is a slice of zucchini, a tomato slice has the role of sauce, and a slice of cheese (goat´s in this particular stack) on top, seasoned and garnished with fresh oregano and basil.

The recipe (for 1):

1/2 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
3 1/2 oz. (100g) cheese (preferably organic goat´s)
fresh basil and oregano
sea salt
black pepper

+ Slice the veggies and cheese. Sprinkle a serving plate with sea salt lightly, then stack the ingredients and season with black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

CRAZY GOOD CARROT SOUP

  Don´t let the rawness of this soup fool you, it is delicious! And suits the Halloween table well.

Dreamy and creamy, absolutely suitable for non-raw-foodists too.

No clumps or bumps, only smooth and fluffy delight. No salt is needed in the making, this is a naturally sweet soup.

  The recipe (for 1):

1 lb (500g) carrots
1 avocado
1/2 inch (1 cm) piece of fresh ginger
fresh basil

+ Juice the carrots (makes about a cup). In a high-speed blender blend the juice, avocado, and ginger until creamy smooth. Sprinkle generously with chopped basil.

  The first time I ever made this soup I was lazy and skipped the juicing part. Well, it was edible but far from the deliciousness of this one. Juicing is definitely worth the extra dishes!

EATING PLAN FOR SAMHAIN

 My stomach has gotten picky lately, so I´ll have to make some changes to my usual eating habits. It is unhappy with cooked vegetables, nuts and seeds (much fat in any form), and legumes. I don´t know why, and how long it´ll last, but for now I need to replace those foods with something else.
  So here is a brand new, healthy and slimming, eating plan for Samhain, with a new perspective. It now includes some organic dairy and even fish once a week.

 9.00am Breakfast:
 a cup of green tea
 a green pudding made with leafy greens, fruit, and vegetables

Green pudding made with dinosaur kale, zucchini, banana, and water.

1.00pm Lunch:
a cup of water + 20 drops of Echinacea extract
raw-food meal + an avocado, or 3.5 oz. (100g) cold smoked salmon (once a week), or 7 oz.(200 g) cottage cheese

A sample lunch of veggie dip, the sauce made with either avocado or organic sour cream.

4.00pm Tea:
a cup of green tea
a generous cup of flavored yogurt

Yes, dinner is really this simple, a bowl of yogurt. This one is apple & cinnamon flavored. It provides some fat, protein, and good bacteria for the gut, and acts as dessert for the day. Going cold turkey with sugar does not work for me. This much I allow myself.

7.00pm Snack:
a cup of green tea
1-2 apples

9.00pm Nightcap:
a cup of herbal infusion + soymilk
(and raw vegetables if hungry)

Saturdays: feel free to eat your favorite foods!

  This plan bases on one I created when I was sixteen, and lost nearly twenty pounds with it. I was way too skinny then, but luckily soon I left for the U.S. for a year as an exchange student, which fixed the problem more than enough. =)
  I use Erica Palmcrantz-Aziz´s book to guide me with the daily lunches. It keeps the menus varied and interesting without having to think for myself. =)

  I hope my stomach will agree with this plan, as it did twenty years ago. Wow.

WILDERNESS FOOD

  It´s all out there, just go grab it - for free. Forests are full of wild, natural, food at this time of year.

Mushrooms for lunch.

And lingonberries for dessert.

  More specific how-to on my column Nelland Living. Check it out and get out there!

ELIXIR OF YOUTH

  A couple of weeks ago I bought a few cans of mild cider at a grocery store, and the cashier lady asked me for id. Me! You need to be 18 here to buy it, and I´ll be 37 next month! Yipee! I thanked the nice lady and told her how she had just made my day. =)

  Every now and then I hear people say how I look younger than my age, including a top photographer (in which case I lost a photo shoot because of looking so young =(, and the head of my modeling agency). My age is not yet an issue to me. 36 is totally young these days. After all, fifty is the new thirty now!

  Still taking care of oneself helps to keep the good looks, and makes you feel great. One of the secrets to a lively and healthy (a.k.a. youthful) appearance is raw leafy greens. The darker the better. I prefer fresh greens over dried superfood ones. Now kale is in season, so it is time to enjoy it.
  After getting a high-speed blender (Vitamix) for Christmas last year, I have been able to enjoy super smooth green juices. They say that when food is broken down to such tiny particles, your body can use it up better. So I figure blending raw leafy greens I get the most out of them. I prefer blending over juicing because then the juice still includes all the fiber too.

A fountain of youth, raw green juice with pulp.

    The recipe (for one):

5 leaves dinosaur kale (or any available raw leafy greens as much as your taste buds can tolerate)
4 sprigs of mint (or any fresh herb desired to taste)
20 drops of Echinacea (I use merely for taste, but possible health benefits are only a big bonus. My aunt has used it for decades, and swears on it´s cold-preventing properties.)
water

+ Blend the kale and mint in a high-speed blender with 1 1/2 cups water until all smooth. Add water enough to reach 2 cups. Pour into a glass and add the Echinacea drops. Stir and drink with your lunch for extra boost.
  Shine, radiate, and get ready for compliments!

RAW STIR-FRY

  This is a raw version of my long time favorite, vegetable stir-fry with brown rice. Raw foodists often substitute rice with finely chopped parsnip. I still like my cooked rice, so I made a compromise by mixing the two. The result is tastier and healthier than plain old brown rice. Yummy!

Vegetables soften without cooking too. Simply marinate them in olive oil and soy sauce. It is easy to prepare them, say the night before or in the morning, and they are ready to eat by lunch. Quick and easy.

Parsnip pulse-chopped in a food processor looks much like rice, and is nice and easy to eat.

Tuck in!

  The recipe (2 portions):

for the vegetables:
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 small bell pepper, thinly sliced (or 1 cup sliced mushrooms if you have any. I didn´t.)
1 cup broccoli, in small florets
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 Tbsp dried shredded coconut
1 Tbsp olive or sesame seed oil
soy sauce to taste

+ Combine all and let sit in the fridge for at least two hours to let the vegetables soften.

for the rice:
1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice

+  Pulse the parsnip in a food processor until the texture resembles rice. Stir in with the rice.

  Place half of the rice mixture on a plate and add a mound of vegetables on top. Serve and enjoy the good vibrations in your body!