Chances are you already know how to make almond milk (if you’ve been around raw foods for awhile), but if you don’t, then enjoy this video where I show you how to make almond milk with my new favorite large 1 gallon nut milk bag! If you’re already an almond milk pro,  then fast forward to the end of the video where I show you how to make a blueberry carob almond milk elixir.

Click here if you can’t see the video

If videos don’t tickle your fancy, click here for step by step instructions with pictures on how to make almond milk.

And of course, click here for the best  nut milk bag on earth:) IMO

Blueberry Carob Elixir

1 cup almond milk
handful of blueberries
1 date pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon carob
1 teaspoon Maca powder
1 teaspoon blue green algae
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
pinch stevia powder

Blend in the blender until smooth for an antioxidant immune boosting pick me up!

♥,
C

Any good almond milk recipes you’d like to share? Please share them in the comments section. Thx!

A few weeks ago at my potluck group I talked about my list of top foods that I believe to be super nutrient rich. Stinging Nettles, urtica dioica, were on that list.

The reason I think they are so great is because they are rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. According to some sources they are one of the best plant sources of iron. They are 40 % protein which is considered high for a vegetable. Traditionally in folk medicine they were used to build the blood and treat anemia among other conditions. Recently they have been proven helpful to treat hay fever and osteoarthritis. (For more medicinal uses scroll down to the bottom of this post.)

Where to Get Stinging Nettles

To add stinging nettles to your diet, first you need to find them. I am lucky enough to live in Northern California where I can get them at the Marin Farmer’s Market for 6 dollars a pound. If you have a local wild edibles guided tour (please don’t eat any wild edible unless you are sure) you might be lucky to find them in shady spots, in flood plains, woodlands, along streams and river banks in Europe, Asia, North America, and Northern Africa. Or you can simply try to grow them in your own backyard. If you can’t get ahold of fresh nettles you can find dried nettles in the bulk herb section of your natural grocery store, which make a lovely tea.

Ouch!

They are called stinging nettles for a reason, they have stinging hairs which can really irritate your skin. For this reason I do not advise handling them with your bare hands. I personally use tongs, but you could use gloves as well. Some people recommend rolling them like a taco and then eating the leaves. Here is a video of David Wolfe, raw food author and speaker, showing you how to do just that.

Click here if you can’t see the video.

I personally prefer to enjoy them using the methods I describe below:

 The great thing about stinging nettles is that when you cook them, juice them, or blend them they loose their sting!

 My favorite thing is to make a nettle shake. (recipe below)

 Nettle Shake
(Thanks to Novalee for this idea)

2 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup nettles

 Blend for a minute in a high speed blender and enjoy. For a heartier drink you can add 1 banana and half an apple.

 Nettle Green Juice

You can also add nettles into your green juice. Just substitute whatever green you were going to use with nettles and run them through your juicer. I like to juice them with celery and apple.

Make Nettle Tea

Boil a pot of water and add a cup of nettles and let sit for at least 10 minutes. It makes the most beautiful emerald green tea you can imagine. Sweeten and enjoy.

Cooking Nettles

Nettles can be steamed or boiled and are probably one of the most delicious greens out there. They have a mild nutty flavor and can be substituted in any cooked recipe that calls for spinach or kale. They are so good that they can be enjoyed just steamed plain or perhaps with a touch of sea salt. I have also seen recipes where they are boiled with potatoes, leeks, and other ingredients to make a creamy blended soup.

Medicinal Uses

Nettles have been used medicinally in folk medicine for such things as: allergies, water retention, anemia, poor circulation, asthma, wound healing, as a diuretic, to build the blood, and for arthritis and rheumatism. Recently, nettles have been proven effective for treating hay fever and osteoarthritis.

*Now if you are going to use nettles medicinally I would definitely work with a professional for the correct dosage and there are some contraindications and drug interactions you might need to be aware of especially if you are pregnant, have kidney issues, diabetes, or are on blood pressure medication or other medications.

Hope you can enjoy this powerful superfood as a regular addition to your diet!

♥,
C

Sources:

Wikipedia/Stinging Nettles
Rain Tree/Nettles
Web MD/Stinging Nettles

Nettles

In my post about the Raw Union Festival I alluded to the fact that I discovered a really great raw food product from a company I had not heard of before.  They are called Vivapura  and I was lucky enough to speak with their co-owner,  Chris Whitcoea, a  little bit. He’s a really nice guy and super passionate about his products.

He encouraged me to try his Australian Jarrah Bee Pollen. I have had bee pollen many times before; I buy it from my local farmer’s market, and it’s a regular in my green smoothies. I like my local bee pollen, don’t get me wrong, (I do believe that buying local bee pollen does help with seasonal allergies) but what I tasted from Vivapura tasted like no other bee pollen I have ever tried!

First off, the consistency is crunchy! It has been dried so it is not powdery like most bee pollens I have tried. The crunchy texture actually makes it fun to eat!

Second, the Vivapura bee pollen is amazingly sweet. Usually bee pollen is somewhat sweet and sometimes has a bitter aftertaste, but this bee pollen tastes like powdered sugar! I was reassured that it has been biologically and energetically tested by Gabriel Cousens and contains no added sugar.

Since purchasing the Vivapura bee pollen at Raw Union, I’ve been hand mixing the pollen into my smoothies so I can eat the little bee pollen crunchies as I sip my smoothie. Of course, you could just blend the bee pollen into your smoothie.

I also sprinkle it on top of homemade coconut kefir (I’ll post my recipe for coconut kefir later) and blueberries as a super healthy and delicious snack. Not to mention colorful!

It would also taste great on top of any fruit, raw granola, raw ice cream, any raw dessert, and even on a sweet salad. It is sooooooo good.

The Vivapura brand bee pollen is a little bit of an investment so if you aren’t ready to try theirs, I urge you to pick up some local bee pollen from your local bee keeper. Here are just a few reasons why:

 Benefits of Bee Pollen

•  High antioxidant levels
• Natural aphrodisiac
• Increases strength and endurance (Used by Olympic athletes with great results)
• Reduces the production of histamine and can help with allergies
• Source of B vitamins (except B-12) and vitamins C, D, E, Beta-carotene, trace minerals, and many more
• 15% lecithin composition
• 25% protein composition

-Source
 Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of The Future by David Wolfe

♥,
C

P.S. If you are allergic to bee stings then bee pollen is not for you.

 Question of the Day:
Do you use bee pollen? If so, how do you eat it?
Answer the question in the comments section.