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!

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.

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.

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!

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 BROCCOLI SOUP

  Wednesdays have been my soup days lately. Today I made broccoli soup seasoned surprisingly with cumin.

The main ingredients.

Blender does the same trick as cooking; softening and breaking down particles to ease chewing and digestion. But blending also reserves all the  enzymes. The recipe is from the gorgeous evergreen miss Mimi Kirk´s, book Live Raw. Oh, how I wish to keep my looks the way she has at still way over seventy!

A smooth and velvety combination of broccoli, avocado, and soymilk seasoned with cumin.

  The recipe (for 2-3):

2 cups almond milk (I used soymilk)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 avocado, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon onion (I used chives)
1 clove garlic
1/2 stalk celery
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

+ Blend all in a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours to meld ingredients. Warm carefully until baby-bottle warm and serve.

  Two slices of wholemeal bread and 1/2 cup of chickpeas accompanied my meal.

WILD GREEN SAUCE WITH BROWN RICE

  Beltane begins my harvesting season. Nature is now abundant with new, fresh, tender, soft, and mild-tasting wild edible greens. It starts small and slow, but after a short while there is so much food around that it makes me cry inside not being able to collect them all!

  Wild greens have been on my menu, daily, for about two weeks now. Together with my daughter I have also collected and preserved them in the freezer. It is easy to add greens in nearly anything, but my favorites now are a green drink and a green sauce over grains/potatoes.

The recipe (for one):

1 handful wild edible greens (I used dandelion, stinging nettle, and bishop´s goutweed)
1/2 - 1 avocado
1/2 clove garlic
pinch sea salt
water

+ Blend everything in a high-speed blender until the sauce is rich and creamy. Check for salt.

Enjoy over brown rice, or as a dip with oven-baked potato wedges. This sauce makes me feel happy and bubbly inside. Makes for a great, energizing, lunch!

TZATZIKI SOUP

  The combination of garlic, cucumber, and dill is totally irresistible! Here it is in a soup form, which makes a nice and healthy meal with whole grain bread.

I can´t get enough of it! My tzatziki soup is very smooth and creamy, vegan and mostly raw. A real all-you-can-eat-without-getting-fat food.

The recipe (makes 3-4 cups):

1/2-1 clove garlic
1 avocado
1 cucumber
dill, dried or fresh
1/2 zucchini
pinch of sea salt
soymilk

+ Place all ingredients in a blender, add soymilk as needed to reach the desired consistency. (I like my soups thick.)

  I enjoyed this soup with whole grain spelt bread with vegan margarine. Simply satisfying.

KID APPROVED GREEN SMOOTHIE

  Like mother like daughter... It amazes me that a nearly-two-year-old can like raw foods and smoothies.

  We offer our children all sorts of foods, including meats (and eggs and dairy to our girl, who is not allergic to them), and they can choose for themselves what to eat.
  My son excludes all veggies and most fruit, and likes grain and meat. My girl on the other hand excludes most meats, eggs, and fish, but indulges in raw veggies and fruit, along with grain. Is it the man-gene that makes boys resent veggies?

  The sight of our breakfast made me laugh outloud yesterday:

Sweet green smoothies. 2 cups ( 5 dl ) for mommy, and 1/2 cup ( 1 dl ) for daughter.  The recipe: 1 Granny Smith apple, 1 banana, 1 stalk celery, 2-3 handfuls greens, small handful of stinging nettle (or any wild edible green, if available), water. Blend all in a high-speed blender until smooth, add water to your liking.

  In addition to the smoothie, I offered her fruit-flavored soy yogurt, rice cakes with margarine, and grapes. She didn´t want any of those, but instead pointed at a kettle, in which I had just cooked some beluga lentils for lunch. Holy moly is she healthy! She ended up having green smoothie and lentils for breakfast.

  It is said that small children know to eat instinctively. They know when, what, and how much to eat. I believe that can apply to us grownups too, as long as we choose from healthy foods. You know you are hungry for real, if a bowl of oatmeal sounds inviting...  =)

VEGGIE PATTIES & GREEN JUICE

  My husband inspired me to try these veggie patties by bringing home store-bought ones the other day. He is a big-time meat eater, but praised those veggie patties to heaven and back. Of course I had to try them. Well, not bad, but at the same time I was thinking how they were nothing out of this world, and that I could easily make patties equal to his find. But I would make them even better by keeping them vegan (no dairy or eggs) and gluten-free.
  I made my version of the veggie patties today. They were so good (yet easy to make), that I want to share the recipe.  This is one of those foods you can eat as much as you like without getting fat. (I ate half of the amount the recipe makes  =).
 

This is my whole lunch today. The content on the white plate ended up in my Vitamix, and became a nutritious green juice. (Oops, I now notice that the frozen nettle I added in the juice is missing from the picture.)

The recipe for the veggie patties: In a big bowl, combine a generous 1/2 cup (1,5 dl) of soy flour, another generous 1/2 cup (1,5 dl) of buckwheat flour, 3/4 tsp Herbamare, and 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme. Pull out any veggies you have in your fridge, including carrots, and grate/grind about 1.5 lbs (700 g) of them finely. (I found carrots, zucchini, onions, and bell pepper in my fridge today.) Mix in with the flour and add about 2 Tbsp olive oil too. Form patties, place on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 450 Fahrenteit(230 Centigrade) for 15-20 min.

The recipe for a refreshing, and somehow summery, green drink: mix in a high-speed blender one Granny Smith apple, a one-inch (two-centimeter) piece of fresh ginger with peel, a handful of wild edible greens if available, and as much of any salad greens you can tolerate, with some water. I added water enoug to reach 2 cups (1/2 liter) altogether. Even my nearly-two-year-old liked this juice! She has proven to be a hc-raw-foodist.  =)

  Have a happy and healthy day, loaded with positivity!

SEASONAL & LOCAL LUNCH

  A big brown paper bag full of root veggies arrived at my doorstep today. Once again my neighbor, the friendliest organic veggie farmer, delivered awesome food to ous: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, root celery, beets, onions, and cabbage (not a root, I know =). Those are pretty much the only fresh, local and seasonal food left at this time of year over here.

  After a few weeks of eating mainly raw veggies, I decided to try cooking for a change. Here´s what I made:

A delicious veggie casserole with coconut milk and a green juice.

The recipe (yields 4): Peel, chop, and sauté the following in olive oil in a skillet: 8 egg-sized potatoes, 2-3 carrots, 1 onion, 1 beetroot, 1/2 zucchini, and 2 stalks celery. Season with salt, pepper and an herb of choice. Butter an oven dish, and place the veggie mixture in it. Pour 1 cup ( 2 dl) of coconut cream/milk over the casserole, and bake in a 350 Fahrenheit (180 Centigrade) oven for an hour. (We went outside to play in snow until the food was done.)

This nettle &  cucumber drink delivers raw goodness to the meal. Last May I collected some wild edible greens from our yard and put them in my freezer. Freezing is my favorite way to preserve greens. To make this drink (for one), I took three sprigs of nettle and a 2 inch (5 cm) piece of cucumber, and blended them in my Vitamix with enough water to make 2 cups (5 dl). To my surprise the taste was so mild, that I did not need to add any seasoning.

  The olive oil and coconut cream make sure this casserole is not something I would call light. But eating a normal-sized portion, which in this case is 1/4 of the batch, will make sure I don´t get fat. When combined with the beautifully green drink, this lunch left me feeling satisfied and energetic. So good, that I ate another portion for dinner! Really nice.

RAW "CHEESE" SOUP

  It´s been six weeks now, that I have eaten raw blended soups and smoothies daily. Me, and my stomach, like!

  This soup is my latest concoction. I had it for lunch today, and loved it.
  I am a health freak, I admit, but only when it comes to "real" food (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I balance it all out by munching chocolate nearly every evening for dessert... =) 

Here is what the "soup" looks like before blending. Imagine eating it straight up like this? Think not!

What Vitamix does to it is like magic. I only added water and a sprinkle of Herbamare on top. Now this plateful I can spoon up in no time.

The result is sooooo soft and creamy.

The recipe (yields 1):

1 medium zucchini (preferably yellow, but if using green, peel it just for color)
1/3 of  a small lemon
1.8 oz (50 g) pine nuts
hot water
pinch of  Herbamare or seasalt

+ Mix all in a blender until creamy. Adjust the amount of water to your liking. Super simple.

  Of all cheeses, this soup reminds me of cream cheese the most. Another version would be cheddar. I think I´ll try that next week, by adding a pinch of turmeric for color, and a little brewer´s yeast for taste.
  When eating blended soups daily, I find it important to vary the recipes enough to keep it interesting. Although I read somewhere that an average person eats only six different types of meals in rotation. That´s not much, but says something about us being slaves to our habits. Hopefully blending will become a habit to me. There is just something powerful, primitive, sexy even, that draws me to raw foods. I can´t explain it. It´s magic!

CREAMY CARROT SOUP (RAW)

  Wow, my very first attempt to make a savory smoothie, a.k.a. soup, exceeded all my expectations! This is freaking delicious, I just ate a huge bowl:

Looks like any other puréd soup, and is warm too. If I did not know it was raw, I would not suspect anything.

A good sprinkling of paprika on top, for both looks and taste. Garnishing adds to the overall experience of eating. And we eat not only for our tastebuds, but mainly for our whole system, right? You know, for nutrients. And nutrients this soup delivers!

The recipe (serves 1):

3 carrots
1/2 inch (1cm) piece of fresh ginger (no need to peel)
1/2 avocado
1 small handful of sunflower seeds
1 generous cup (3 dl) vegetable stock, warm/hot
a dash of cayenne pepper
paprika for garnishing

+ Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Throw all ingredients (except paprika) into the blender and process until creamy. Add stock if needed.

  How quick and easy is that! And nutritious and good for you!

FIRST GREEN SMOOTHIE OF THE YEAR

  Now that I have an exceptionally good blender, it would be a crime not to make (green) smoothies regularly. Hence I started this exceptionally good year (I´m sure it will be!) by making one:

"A green smoothie a day keeps the doctor away!" or how was it?

  My search and exploring has taught me that you can put anything in a green smoothie. Any fruit, veg and greens. So I´m taking a relaxed approach to whipping up these babies, by simply exploring my fridge (and garden) to see what mine will consist of. 
  This one is made of three blood grapefruits (peeled but otherwise whole), three handfuls of spinach, about 4 inch (10 cm) piece of cucumber, and some water. It made about a quart (a liter) of smoothie, which I shared with my family too. My one-year-old daughter especially likes these fresh smoothies. Go girl!  =)

VITAMIX

  My oh my, have I been good this year! Santa brought me a Vitamix blender!!!

To me it is the thought that counts, rather than the cost of gifts... Clearly Santa disagrees. =)

To be honest, I have dreamt of this machine for years. And now I´ve got it. I can´t believe it. Yipee!

For this smoothie I threw in the citruses pictured above, seven small tangerines and a lime. Plus some water of course. The tangerines were full of seeds, and as an experiment I did not remove all of them. I gave the mixture a 30 second spin in the blender and...

...the result was incredibly creamy! I can´t believe there are seeds in this smooth mixture! Awesome!

  Looks like I´m in for a good start for the upcoming new year. Yum!
  May this gadged add a decade (or more) of years to my life!