JOYEUX NOEL!!

OKAY, first off. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Hanukkah EVERYBODY!!!

I hope today is awesome, and that all of you got the vitamixes, and dehydrators you wanted :P

I want to share a story from last night! I went to a pretty amazing Christmas Eve Party with my family, lots of family friends and other people I met and had great conversations with. One person in particular told me how he lived in Armenia and was taken care of bye two individuals. At first he only elaborated on the first woman that took care of him, saying that she carefully sprouted lentils, grains, and seeds for him to eat, along with copious amounts of carrot, cabbage, and apple juice! My initial reaction was, "OMG RAW." Then I shared with him the story of a man I found on the internet who I wanted to meet one day: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/100708/armenia-gulag-guru

(That guy).

THIS MAN, at this XMAS eve dinner, PROCEEDED to tell me that he was the other individual that nursed him to health!!! I could NOT believe my ears, he had actually MET Vaghe Danielyan, a 90 year old marathon running, raw food eating, yoga-massage-language artist!!!

Anyway, I'm so excited, because I definitely want to get in touch with Vaghe, possibly initiate some sort of apprenticeship, WHILE simultaneously visiting my homeland...HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE.

Anyway, I'm sure you can sense my excitement from this dinner, but please share your cool XMAS stories below! Also, here is what I've been drinking a lot of.

-3T Cacao powder

-1T Carob powder

-2 cups water bring to a high temperature while slowly stirring.

-1 cup almond milk

When at desired heat, remove and add peppermint oil extract, cacao nibs.

ENJOY.

Weekly Fast, Coconut Water.

Going to start fasting one day a week for cleansing purposes. I did this last year and I felt it changed my spiritual life and helped me focus on the areas I needed to pay attention to.

The plan for my fasts will be from Saturday night, to Monday breakfast. I will be drinking lots of water with aloe juice (150% concentrate) --you can see the brand I use and only trust in the sidebar. You guys may remember I posted about it last year when my acid reflux was healed from only 2 weeks of drinking it.

Also, I had ice cold fresh coconut water from a baby thai coconut. It was SO awesome. Hit the spot, also since Canada is slightly confused about the weather lately and we're having sunny/rainy days vs. snowy/snowfests.

Tell me your experiences with fasting, whether it's been a juice feast/water fast/anything! Would love to hear back.

BRRRRRRRRRRRR.

YAH, it's cold. Packin' in the medjool dates.

I'm trying to exercise outdoors, it's quite interesting. Bundle up, and layer, and just go for it whether you're walking, doing some intervals or a jog, it feels good, and the fresh air is pretty ballin considering the dry indoor environment. I walked 6.5K today, down Bloor Street West starting at Royal York subway station.

IT WAS MAGNIFICENT, why? Because upon walking I encountered a hoard of carolers dressed in their vintage singing slash winter getup, only a few blocks later a brass quintet was playing, and a few steps later a church choir was singing, 'O Come All Ye Faithful.' Someone else was passing out Christmas cards and candy canes, and people were ACTUALLY saying, "Merry Christmas!" It was like everyone in the neighbourhood, children, dogs, parents were out there buying wreaths, trees, and just enjoying the season.

I don't know about you but in Toronto we're experiencing some sort of CHRISTMAPHOBIA, people are discouraged and occasionally frowned upon for wishing 'Merry Christmas', and all you see and hear is 'Happy Holidays.' Christmas concerts have been REMOVED from schools, and lyrics to songs changed. I understand everyone has different meanings of this winter season, but if I celebrate Christ's birth, then gosh, darnit, I'm going to wish you a Merry Christmas!

JUICE FEST.

burgers and slaw.

Here are the burgers I made from extra beet and carrot pulp (juicing by products).

-pulp

-braggs apple cider vinegar

-dijon

-a swish of evoo

-1 tomato

-a bit of red pepper

-onion (i hate onion but i have to admit this flavoured the burger)

-juice of half a grapefruit

blend in food processor (no salt or pepper needed)

add avocado/tomato

Slaw: made from beautiful yellow beets, I could not believe the colour when I started grating it.

-course sea salt

-juice from half a grapefruit

**added avocado and braggs after taking the picture.

Kensington Food Haul

magical jewels of love bursting with caramel and chewy cream.

My title is referring to medjool dates.

I have been indulging in boxes of these babies for weeks now, and I can say they're definitely helping me in this cold. HOWEVER, I do think I'm overdoing it, I'm remembering to brush my teeth better than usual (3x a day, not 1x or 2x), and I just have slight sensitivity on my right upper canine, SO......I'm going to lay off the 'jools for a while.

My favourite ritual is my daily walk into Kensington to go to this organic garage-like store (64 Nassua St.) I buy dates first, then bananas at 29cents/pounds and enjoy the vit D! Yesterday I went to buy dates, and the jar was empty. I literally freaked out, the owner just chuckled and said, "HOLD ON, fresh from the truck!" ...a potentially horrible day turned magical in an instant.

I will be ordering from the date people soon, so will update you on how that goes, where do you get your dates from, and how do you enjoy eating them? (With almond butter? bananas? alone? let me know!)

Taking requests for YOUTUBE channel content.

I've decided to start filming---FINALLY.

Whether it's "How to stay raw during the holidays", "My favourite breakfast ideas", or "Why raw?", you choose what content you want to see on my channel.

Leave a comment below with your requests and suggestions!

Din Din on a cold night.

MEGATRON Salad.

I find dill warming, good thing the grocery store sells it fresh!

-sprouted black and red quinoa

-soaked dried cranberries

-one whole head of romaine

-one roma tomato

-tons of DILL

-1T tahini + 1 tspn raw apple cider vinegar + 1 tspn olive oil

-don't have lemon juice or olives or else they too would go in.

Nut Mylkz + Sproutz.

Pictures from weekend raw endeavors. I realized I never posted a how-to on nut mylk, so here are the basics.

Soak raw almonds for 4-8 hours

Check for tips = sproutage has begun!

Remove skin

Blend with double cup amount of water, ex. 1cup almonds = 2 cups water

Add cinnamon/(coconut oil/maple syrup/agave/stevia/medjool dates)

**strain through paint strainer bag/nut mylk bag (I didn't do this, I like it thicker for breakfast/fruit combos) Keeps for 2-3 days.

Sprouts: mung bean, buckwheat (soak lightly, few minutes, drain and leave to sprout), peas, and quinoa. I should express why it is super VITAL to sprout. Firstly, sprouts are a huge component of this diet, without them, you're screwed. They're high in protein (aminos), give tons of energy, add kick to salads/smoothies, and are ALIVE vs. dried/starchy hard to digest things (pre sproutage).

Two tablespoons per jar.

Cover + Set in dark place. Rinse every 4 hours. The shells come off and you need to ensure no mould grows!

NEW FAVE YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

Actually, so knowledgeable, same wavelength, LOVE DIS GUYY.

http://www.youtube.com/user/cintronbrandon

It's a good thing midterms are over...because there have been too many late nights catching up on all his videos.

Winter-Autumn Recipes

"stick-to-your-ribs" wild blue smoothie.

-wild blueberries

-3 epic medjool dates

-1 frozen banana

-1 cup+ water (add less for a thicker drink)

I always used to question and..judge all the raw foodist/youtube people slash ANYBODY that added medjool dates to their fruit smoothie. I was like, WHY would you make something sweet, sweeter?! Except now I know, if you want a calorie-dense, filling, easily assimilating sugar source for your body and energy reserves, YOU GOTTA ADD THOSE 'JOOLS!

This smoothie is SO vibrant, I feel so happy drinking it (can you tell I'm on a study break..). It's a deep dark purple.

What's your favourite winter smoothie?

Fall Season, My Birthday, Tgivs, Fresh Starts.

literally glowing?

mi amiga!!

peach cobbler! and local tasty thingz.

my little broseph (not in uni).

HAPPY TGIVZ EVERYBODY. (In Canada that is)

The weather this weekend has been so beautiful, up in the high 20's, broseph came home from uni to celebrate everything with us. Went to Niagra aka wine country, enjoyed the epic view of foliage, bought tons of local peaches, apples, and pumpkins, celebrated bday with extended fam, juiced magnificent heads of kale, made raw peach cobbler, ABSORBED copious amounts of love from everything around me.

Since my last post, everything has become more positive. I have definitely attributed this to my visualization techniques: dreaming of what I want, and aiming for it! I have been stretching more, running less, reading my Bible early in the AM, seeking truth and not worldly claims and juicing green!!

For thanksgiving dinner at my relatives house, I pre-made about 4 nori rolls that turned out beautifully. Avocado, sprouts, and pickles, with tahini for dipping sauce.

Also thinking about cutting out fruit for a while, just to see how I manage without the sugar. I tried without planning last week but failed, so now we're getting a little more official. Here's my list:

green juice: kale, ginger, lemon, lime

sprouts: sunflower, broccoli, mung, lentil, alfalfa, flax, adzuki, chickpea

salad: parsley, cilantro, fennel, anise, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint

green smoothie: half an apple or low GI fruits

herbs + citrus dressing: citrus + herb + 1T oil/sundried tomatoes

seeds: sesame-black, white, sunflower, pepitas, flax, hemp, CHIA POWER

sprouted/soaked nuts: almonds, brazil, walnuts, cashew

sprouted grains: quinoa, buckwheat, wild rice

seaweeds + kelps + spirulina/chlorella

fats: olives, coconut, flax, walnut, avocado

wheatberry: rejuvalac

wild greens: dandelion, etc.

grated squashes, radishes, beets, carrots, sweet potato

fermented: sauerkraut, cucumber, pickled anything

teas: chinese herbs, vanilla, ginseng, ginger, lemon rind

Balance: steamed root vegetables, steamed cruciferous, steamed quinoa, chickpea, sweet potato, minimal excito-toxins.

*note balance: emergency/necessary Yang foods

What are your favourite grounding foods, or routines? How did you spend the weekend?

Much Love!

Amy

Don't Doubt Your Path.

The following post was inspired by Claudia Gaviria, owner and founder of Cruda Cafe, the RawBrahs, my best friend Jenna Paulson and my MOM<3. Thank you!

I felt I needed to write about something that's been on my mind lately.

I have made the realization that eating and being in this lifestyle is something that requires a mind, body, and soul transformation. You may be eating the PUREST, cleanest, most organic and local, fair-trade, breathatarian diet in your life, but if you are not purging your mind and body of the toxic stress and energy from around you, you will literally be a living sponge for all of it.

I speak from experience. I believe this diet is the purest, healthiest, life-giving and earth and nature unifying diet. I'm not going to edit my use of the word diet, it's a lifestyle obvi, but readers, I'm sure you understand either way. In my understanding of the word toxic stress I will list what I feel it includes, or has included in a negatively influential way in my life: Friends, people -strangers/family, environment - the city pollution/household energy, daily stress - school/work/debt/etc, and any thoughts - emotionally charged/passive/negative.

I know that the way I have been eating is not something I receive EXCESSIVE amounts of support for and until yesterday I don't think I had come to terms with that. It was truly tainting my quality of life, and experience with this perfect way of eating. The stress of school is something I've felt I've overcome but again it isn't something I have consciously dealt with in my mind. It is important to counteract the negativity with positivity. For all of you NON-hocus-pocus people I am not talking about floating energies, as much as I believe those exist, this is the basics of living. If you are not addressing the negative thoughts going through your mind, they are going to stay inside of you and much like mixing fruits and nuts, they will ferment.

Ex. "Traffic sucks, this is horrific", "The TTC deserves to die, why can't this commute exist without technical difficulties!?" , "Why can't my mom and dad understand that juicing is necessary for optimum health and longevity" , "WTF, Why is she so thin when she eats a crap ton of pasta and all you can eat sushi!"

You need to be your own beacon of light and positivity even when circumstances around you are the opposite. You also need conscious stress releasers. For exercise I mainly run and Claudia reminded me that I need a more balancing exercise to counteract the running. Yoga or walking are great ways to experience grounding, and more relaxation and stress-release. I strongly encourage writing as well. For people reading this, I'm sure you have read that journal writing in general is a great stress release, and it is just a suggestion that you skim over. Until you act this out, and commit to a small 5 minutes of YOU TIME with a piece of blank paper, you will never know how much this contributes to a clear mind and heart. I suggest starting with a clean desk space, and a few different coloured pens. For five minutes, just sit and focus on writing positive words on this paper, without hesitation. I guarantee you will feel on top of the world after.

The final thing I want to mention is getting out of the huge beach umbrella of dogma and black&white-ism--if that's even a word. The Rawbrahs couldn't have released a more compelling facebook note summing up their reasons and experiences leading up to their plunge away from the do's and dont's of raw. At first I'll admit, I was SO SCARED. Like, sleepless scared. I didn't want to believe that another set of raw fooders had turned around. But the truth is, it isn't turning around, it's moving forward! It's deciding what is right for you, and what works within your means and doing it. It doesn't make you any less raw to question, or any less healthy. After I read this note and was over my initial freakout session, I actually felt a huge sense of relief. Maybe one day I would like to eat raw honey (or..insert other so-called NO-NO), I'm going to see if it works for me, I don't care necessarily about other people's experiences or rules. If I did care, it might mean I'm not doing this for the right reasons. Being vegan for over 3 years I am happy to say that I feel excited to live outside of the rigid mental guidelines. I'm not eating dairy or any carcasses yet but if I ever decide to I hope that I will only receive support for it.

SO. IN CONCLUSION. For the month of October (TEN MORE DAYS TILL MY BIRTHDAY). I will be focusing on three things:

1) Finding more grounding exercises and incorporating them into my routine: morning Bible reading, yoga.

2) Purging the emotional, mental and physical toxicity from my surroundings

3) Getting out of dogmatic rules placed by "raw gurus" and individuals alike.

I CAN'T WAIT :D

Don't EVER. Doubt your path! --Mom

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Please share any insight, advice, or experiential anecdotes!

Breakfast. AKA. Best Meal of the Day!!!

Today I woke up, decided I wanted ice cream for breakfast.

Whipped out my blender and the frozen bananas, and VOILA.

Craving satisfied.

raw cacao nibs (optional)

dried coconut (optional)

banana slices (optional)

cinnamon (not optional)

vanilla bean (not optional)

I'm eating this as I type. Funny thing is that this morning I woke up and it was SO COLD. Like, nose reddened, don't sleep with the windows open OR without socks cold. [I actually never sleep with socks, that grosses me out]

MOVING ON TO BREAKFAST#2. I named this Yin-Yang.

-wild frozen blueberries

-walnuts

-cinnamon

-agave

Coulis

-strawberries

-vanilla bean

-agave

sprinkle hemp on top..

On another note, my neighbour birthed THIS baby from her backyard. She named him Zach and as much as I hate to say it, it was THE most delicious zucchini I've ever eaten. I juiced it, made raw pasta with it, my mom bbq'd some of it, I juiced more of it, and blended the last bit. AND the pulp fed my garden.

Phone Consultation with Kirt Tyson from 'Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days"

SUCH EXCITING NEWS.

I get to skype with Kirt Tyson tomorrow at 7PM. I cannot wait, I have a list of questions prepared, but I need some more, is there any questions anyone wants to have answered, tell me now!!

Carrot Cake

mmm..

First Day of School!!

OH, how I love the feeling of a new school year. New classes, friends, clothes, a fresh start, and most of all the overwhelming desire to succeed. I'm going into fourth year university, shocking since I'm not sure how I ended up here, almost near the end of my degree. HOWEVER, I'm not complaining, I can't wait to start again and achieve the list of goals I have prepared for this year.

Some goals specific to health and school routines are:

-juice greens daily

-bring emergency snack kit ERR' WHERE.

-find people that are on the same wavelength; with health as a top priority

I will be posting more sustainable recipes, using the vegetable/fruit pulps from juices I make. It's going to be experimentation city, so if anyone already has recipes for these things, or tips hook me up!!

Definitely not AS excited as when I was in elementary school, but close.

Otra Vez Breakfast Variation.

-blueberries

-nectarine

-banana

-chia seed

-cinnamon

-almond mylk

Total: $4.01

oh, and check out all the pretty rocks from Willows Beach!! :D

Quick Breakfast Idea

-mung bean sprouts (took a day and a half to sprout)

-chia seed

-nectarine

-banana

-cinnamon

total: $3.14

On The Road: Traveling Raw

So summer has almost come to an end for most, I personally can see the stress of school waiting for me just around the corner. This year university starts on the 12th, giving me a week of relaxation since being back from working in Ottawa. I have wisely chosen to spend these seven days in Victoria, BC with two of my best friends! I will provide tourist-y updates about this as the days go by, but more importantly providing updates on how I've been eating, and how you can eat inexpensively and healthily during travel.

Breakfast-bowl of blueberries, papaya and (lots of water the night before...don't want to dry out on the plane ride)

Lunch- 3 Medjool dates + lots of water and mint tea

Dinner-dried fruit/seed trailmix + 1 head of brocolli w/ hummus + 2 delicious containers of blueberries

Total Cost: $11 + free breakfast thanks to mom.

Breakfast from today: I brought chia seeds and cinnamon from home, and bought these massive BC grown nectarines! Easy, and delicious.

Lunch-red leaf lettuce salad with avocado, nectarine, cilantro, hummus

Dinner-red leaf lettuce salad with avocado, nectarine, cilantro, sunflower seeds

Total Cost: $8.17

Couldn't wear nail polish at my summer job, now I can..hence the dark plum lacquer :P

Kale Confetti Salad

Easy Easy Easy!! University students take note! I've made this salad multiple times in inconvenient situations (ex. dorm rooms, tiny kitchens, on the road: use plastic bag to mix and eat out of), it always pleases, and tastes amazing, especially when left for the next day.

-1 head of kale: sliced thinly

-3-5 carrots: grated

-3-5 beets: grated

-one clove of garlic minced

-EVOO

-juice of one lemon

-sea salt

-olives: de-pit them

-sunflower seeds: we (my mom and i) always add these, but today we didn't have them and it was just as delicious without.

MIX. SET. EAT.

This yields a good family size portion. You can keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Summer in France: Raw Pasta

This dish is PERFECT for hot summer days..it's light, yet filling. In addition to being easy to put together it makes use of left over pulp from juicing. This morning I had a juice with beet, carrot, ginger, celery and lemon. I saved the pulp in the fridge and blended it all with the 'SOWWHSS' ingredients.

Currently making the most of my new kitchen tool--a handheld vegetable julienning contraption. (I highly suggest everybody to get one, it was $20 from Canadian Tire: https://www.titanpeelersale.com/) Compared to my carrot peeler this is definitely a step up.

Sauce

-fresh mint from my backyard

-fresh tomatoes from neighbour's backyard

-juice pulp

-1 cup of water

-ground peppercorns

-sea salt

-tiny slice of purple onion chopped

-1 Tablespoon of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

-EVOO 1T

Pasta: julienne copious amounts of zucchini

The neat thing about this is that the sauce turns out textured like a true marinara and the beet pulp makes the sauce a dark pink colour--really beautiful against green!

Raw Summer Recipe.

Finally got an afternoon off from work, went swimming outdoors, visited the nearest farmer's market in Ottawa and made a pretty epic, ultra-fresh salad with my friend!

-julienned zucchini, cucumber

-sweet corn (from Quebec :P): slice off kernels with sharp knife, soak in a bowl till water is clear

-fresh basil and cilantro (chiffonade-cut)

Sauce:

-fresh ginger

-sesame oil

-nama shoyu (or soya sauce)

-one lime with

-handful of cashews

-bowl of frozen mango slices

-half a green jalapeno pepper

-Herbamare + Provencal sea salt with mint

Place 'noodles' on bed of lettuce, garnish with diced veggies and sesame seeds, pour dressing and toss!

TIP: If you're tired of eating the same salad with the same dressing everyday, try changing how you prep your vegetables. Jumbo diced tomatoes and cucumbers can be julienned, turned into salsa, or blended with the dressing instead.

In Other News..

dried seaweed, chinatown sale, 2 for $2. Anyone have any ideas as to what I should do with it?

It was my mother's day of birth yesterday! (yayyyyy happy bday.) Won't say how old she turned, but I will say that I bought her the best gift ever. A JUICER. It's the BREVILLE Juice Fountain Elite. Today we juiced: beet, carrot, apple, ginger, and lemon. Everyone in the house had a glass...even my 13 yr old broseph.

RAW VEGAN SNACK STASH.

Thank you JP! My best friend slash devoted follower of this blog! Yesterday I hung out with my bf from high school and after not seeing each other for 2 years it was unbelievable, the transformation I saw in her. She has quite the raw food testimony, which I'll be posting shortly. BUT. For now...

ALL OF THE ABOVE. WILL BE TRIED. AND TASTED. Reviews to come!!