A Breakfast of Buckwheat

This was my first experience with buckwheat and keeping it raw, at that!

Contrary to popular belief (and fooling people by it's name), buckwheat is not a grain -- it's a seed! As an interesting fact, buckwheat is one of the best foods you can eat for magnesium. Who needs magnesium? Apparently we all do! This seemingly insignificant mineral contributes to over 300 biochemical tasks in the body!!!

Ok, so let's jump right into the goodness and get to "cooking" although you actually won't need a stove or oven to make this delicious porridge. Nope, as crazy as it may sound - it is possible to make a bowl of porridge without cooking!

Take a look . . .

Recipe credit/inspiration goes to Angie! Thanks, girlfriend. :)

Raw Buckwheat Porridge
Yield: two 1-cup servings

1 cup raw buckwheat groats (soak for at least an hr, best if overnight)
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tablespoons agave (use the maple flavored, if possible!)
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Pour the raw buckwheat groats in a bowl with 2 cups of water. Let soak for a minimum of 1 hr or prep before bed to be ready for breakfast. Rinse the buckwheat well after soaking.

2. Blend soaked (and rinsed) buckwheat groats in food processor or blender, with almond milk, chia seeds and vanilla. Continue blending until smooth or preferred consistency. Add the sweetener and cinnamon to taste!

3. Scoop into a glass parfait dish or just use a plain ole cereal bowl - either with work! Add fresh toppings: almonds, fresh or frozen fruit, dried coconut, cranberries, etc. Just be creative and have fun with it!

***Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a couple of day***

Have you ever tried buckwheat? (had you even heard of it before now?! i know . . . it's kind of out there :p ) 

Do you have any experience with soaking nuts / grains / etc? (mine is miniscule but I'm learning!)  

What are your favorite oatmeal toppings? :) 

Raw and Real

Juicing endeavors! 

Spinach salad w/ a boat load of juicy cherry tomatoes, red onion and sauerkraut for lunch on Friday. What did you have? 

Dinner was out Thursday evening. Eating out on a raw challenge isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I made it work! House salads typically come w/ lots of fresh veggies (just ask for no cheese and take off the croutons!) so they're a good choice. :) 

Packing healthy lunches for work isn't really that hard, but I admit it does take thinking ahead of time to succeed. It's like anything, right? In the end, it really comes down to our daily habits. 

And, these next two pictures were before Wed. So, no - cooked hasn't been on the menu of late. :p But, I still wanted to share because I thought the pictures turned out pretty. :) 

This was lentil soup (great source of fiber!). Everyone kept asking me how I made it and now I wish I could remember! I think it was the extra, extra garlic powder and basil seasoning, plus using a broth combination of chicken and vegetable. 

Mayo tomato sandwich with cucumber slices and hummus, anyone? I love how hydrating fresh veggies are!

My workout this morning was a 20 min dvd workout w/ weights and then I hit the treadmill for a 3.4 mile run. I'm really dying to get outside for a change - I'm pretty sure it makes me run faster when I'm not constantly staring at how fast I'm going. Physiological? I think so. :) 

It's been a productive Saturday for me! Hope your's has too!!!!!! Coming up on Monday - raw buckwheat porridge recipe!

Link-up for Fresh Friday!

FRESH FRIDAY :) 

#1 - embarking on a 2 wk raw challenge! 

#2 - the best extended family. ever. I'm so blessed!

#3 - "Happy birthday" to 3 very special people in my life! Joey - why aren't you in this pic? 

Pesto Alfredo Spagetti

Ok - take a guess (and no cheating!). What's this made with? Hint, hint - it's raw. :)

Yesterday Day 1 of 14 went pretty well! Thanks to each of you who left a sweet comment to spur me on! I already eat a lot of raw food, but I do love like baked goods so I'm curious to see how I'm going to handle a whole 2 wks. :p

This recipe far surpassed my wildest imaginations! Here's the recipe for you brave souls. :)

Raw Zucchini Spagetti
4 medium sized organic zucchini
2 cups fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (I used Kal's vegan/raw/non GMO version)
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil (organic, if possible)
salt/pepper, to taste

There are a couple of ways you can shred the zucchini to make it look like pasta. :) You can use a hand crank (like I did) or a julienne peeler (visit Angie's blog for tutorial).

Directions for Zucchini

Wash and peel zucchini. Shred, whatever method you prefer. :) Set aside.

Pesto Directions 

Wash basil, pat dry. In a food processor (or blender), pulse 2 cloves fresh minced garlic, nutritional  yeast, and lemon juice. Add olive oil. Pulse until thoroughly blended. Toss w/ your zucchini pasta and serve with a garnish of fresh basil and tomato slices. Enjoy!

~

I am really surprised at how delicious raw zucchini tastes (add the pesto in there and you've go - bam!). I think it really has a lot to with the individual zucchinis themselves. Go for the hard and firm ones versus the soft and mealy. And, don't worry - if you happen to make this mistake you will quickly realize what you did and never do that again. :p

If you'd prefer marinara sauce over pesto you can check out this link from Culinary Adventures in the Kitchen! I've never tried it, but it looks good!

So, I'm raw and running at the moments, folks. hehe! Just over a 3 and a 1/2 mile run this morning. :) Have a great day!!!!

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What was your first guess at ingredients when you saw the top picture? 

Would you give zucchini spaghetti a taste? 

How far did you go on your last run? 

Going Raw: 2 Wk Trial

Alright, guys - I'm going raw . . . for 2 wks! You can expect some interesting recipes to explode from this blog as well as reports on the failures um, I mean challenges that I'm looking forward to facing with a raw food diet!

Ok - so, why the cold turkey? {No pun intended - hehe!} Truth be told - I'm doing this as moral support for someone I love. A whole lot. Plus, I know this person would do this for me (or anything) in a less than a split second so I feel the least I can do is ride the wave with her for a short 14 days. :p

I assure you - food is not a religion for me. Although I like to eat healthy when it's in my control, I can enjoy pretty much any food just as much the next person. :) Going completely raw would not be my first choice, but like I said-- love will make you do craaazzy things!

I'm sure my skepticism (and initial questions) are typical of most people looking into a raw based diet:

• will i be hungry?
• can you maintain weight on an all raw diet?
• what is this going to cost?! 
• can i do this?!!!!! 

I'm convinced, though, a raw diet this is one of the best diets for alkalinity. Disease thrives in an acidic environment but it CANNOT survive when the body is alkaline. :-) Yes! There are action steps you can take. I suggest testing your pH level as a start!

I already have a string of incredible ideas and recipes that I can't wait to try my hand at! Watch out - you just might be persuaded to give some new foods a try by the end of this. :p

Pictures and recipe reports to come!

~

Do you like challenges? Join me! :p 

Have you ever experimented with raw foods before?

What percentage of your diet is raw vs. cooked at the moment? 

Grilled Cheese Turned Gourmet (+ a little bit healthier)

Grilled cheese sandwiches are fun! Especially if you grew up as an all-American kid. :) But, for me - mom raised my siblings and I pretty health conscious so something like this was a treat! (Although I admit I didn't put spinach on mine back in the day . . . ) 

Adults tend to revert back to early developed habits and foods they ate in childhood. That's why I like this recipe so much! It's a taste from the past with a step towards the future. :) 

To make:

• multi-grain or whole wheat bread slices
• butter 
• fresh spinach
• tomato slices

Prepare just like you would a regular grilled cheese only layer on the extra ingredients that add some nutrient (i.e: spinach / tomato).

Enjoy!

Fresh Friday Link-Up Party

I'm so happy it's almost the wk/end, arent' you?! 

Here are my top 3 for today's Fresh Friday. :) 

#1 - cute brown leather boots (did I mention? i got them for a steal!)

#2 - spinach salads. yes, they're my favorite!

#3 - gorgeous weather this wk! 

Tell me your's!

And, we have a winner for the Equal Exchange Geobars! Congrats to Katheryn M. :-)

Have a FRESH & FANTASTIC wk/end everyone!!!!!!! Any fun plans on the horizon?