We all get unhealthy food cravings from time to time that are hard to control.  There can be many reasons why we crave certain foods: it could be that we’re just plain hungry, stressed/emotionally upset, or physically addicted to the foods we are craving. Certain foods are more addictive than others such as high fat and high sugar foods, chemically processed foods, and sometimes we can be addicted to the foods we are allergic to.

However, no matter what the reason for our food cravings we are trying to satisfy a need in us, whether emotional or physical. To put it simply, we are trying to make ourselves feel better. Unfortunately, most of the time, if we give into unhealthy food cravings we end up feeling worse! Fortunately, there are other ways to comfort ourselves without food that won’t make us sick or leave us feeling guilty!

Here are ten ways how to control food cravings and comfort yourself without food. Try them next time the craving monster hits!

Next time you get a craving . . .

Tip #1  Try chewing on something instead of eating such as a piece of sugar free gum, a straw, seaweed, licorice root sticks . . .(etc.)

Tip #2  Try stimulating your mind by playing a crossword puzzle or suduko.

Tip #3  When wanting to zone out and eat mindlessly try flipping through a magazine instead, it doesn’t take much mental effort and can have a calming effect.

Tip #4  Try bringing yourself back to present moment by paying attention to you breath and any bodily sensations you are experiencing in the moment. Repeat the statement, “I am here now”.

Tip #5  Try making yourself more comfortable by changing into sweat pants, letting your hair down, finding a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and or snuggling up with your favorite blanket.

Tip #6  When looking for comfort without using food, try using the soothing effect of heat to calm your body such as drinking your favorite cup of herbal tea, or applying warm washcloth over your eyes or forehead.

Tip #7  Try giving yourself a quick self massage on your hands, feet, shoulders, ears, face, and scalp.

Tip #8  Try changing your mood with different scents. Essential oils are great way to experiment; some scents have a calming effect and others have an invigorating effect. You can use an aromatherapy humidifier, lamp or diffuser or simply pour the oil on a cotton ball and sniff anytime you need it!

Tip #9  Try listening to a piece of beautiful relaxing music such as classical or new age type music that has a calming or uplifting effect on your mood. If you need a quick pick me up try dancing for a few minutes to your favorite energizing music.

Tip #10  Try looking at pictures of loved ones that make you smile, and make sure to have these pictures handy next time a craving hits.

This blog post was inspired by the book 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers, PSY.D, so if you liked these tips, check out the book! (Available on Amazon.)

If you have any other ways you like to comfort yourself without food, please do share!

♥,
C

P.S. If you would like some personal guidance on how to conquer cravings I am also available for a  raw food coaching session.

The bulk of my diet is still raw, but a percentage of my diet is full of whole foods that are cooked with water such as soups, stews, and steamed vegetables and grains.

Many people ask me what I eat when I eat cooked and here is a sampling of two recipes (a hearty vegetarian lentil stew and a steamed kale recipe) from Cathy Fisher who teaches whole food and vegan cooking demonstration classes at the True North Center in Santa Rosa in Northern California.

If you like these recipes please check out her amazing vegan recipe blog for some more healthy recipes!

Enjoy!

♥,
C

Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredients
¼-½ cup water, for sautéing
½ large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced

8 cups water
2 medium Yukon potatoes, diced
1 ¼ cups dry brown lentils

1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 teaspoons dried basil

½ of a medium green cabbage, sliced thinly, (about ¼-inch thick)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on medium-high, sauté the onion in a bit of water until soft, about 3 minutes (add water as needed to prevent sticking); add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté another minute or two, adding water as needed.

2. Add to the soup pot: the 8 cups water, potatoes and lentils, and bring to a boil. Add the cumin, coriander and basil, stir thoroughly and then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 30-40 minutes (until lentils are not hard but also not mushy).

3. Turn up heat and stir in the cabbage, cooking until it is tender (about 5-10 minutes). Serve garnished with diced green onions or chives.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes: 4 big, hearty bowls of stew

Rosemary Mushrooms & Kale

 Ingredients
½ cup water
1 large yam or sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/2–inch slices
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped, end stems trimmed
6 large cremini mushrooms or 4 portobellinis (small Portobellos)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions
Place ½ cup water in a large fry pan or skillet with the yam slices and garlic and bring to a boil. Place the kale on top followed by the mushrooms (place them stem side up). Lay the two sprigs of rosemary on top and cover. Decrease heat to medium-low and steam for 10-15 minutes, until the yams are easily pierced with a knife. Remove the rosemary and serve immediately, dividing between two plates or pasta dishes.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Both recipes by Cathy Fisher at  www.straightupfood.com/blog

I was lucky enough to find fresh turmeric at my local Whole Foods Market and decided to try a few fresh turmeric recipes. If you have never seen fresh turmeric, it looks like ginger except for it is a bright golden orange inside. I love the sweet and slightly spicy taste of the fresh turmeric compared to the powder, but the powder is more widely available.

You might have heard of all the amazing health benefits of turmeric lately some people even call it Indian gold! It is most widely known as a natural anti-inflammatory.

It contains a natural compound called curcumin and an overview published in Advanced Experimental Medical Biology in 2007 states, “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses.”

If you are lucky enough to get a hold of some fresh turmeric here are a few fresh turmeric recipes and ideas, but if you can’t find it, just substitute with the same amount of powder as the fresh root.

Fresh Turmeric Recipes

Fresh Turmeric Almond Milk

1 ½ cups almond milk

1-2 teaspoons honey

1/4 -1/2 inch knob turmeric

pinch of cinnamon powder

Make a batch of almond milk with a nut milk bag. (Click here if you don’t know how to make raw almond milk.) Then put the milk back in the blender with the turmeric, honey, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. If you have a powerful blender such as a Vitamix Blender you might not need to strain the milk again, but if it’s grainy strain it first and then enjoy!

Fresh Turmeric Tea

Bring four cups of water to a boil.

Add one teaspoon of grated fresh turmeric and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain the tea through a strainer into a cup and then add honey to taste.

You can also add ginger if you want to make a spicier turmeric/ginger tea.

Fresh Turmeric Juice

You can also juice fresh turmeric in a juicer such as the Omega Vert, Omega 4000, or Omega 8004.

Fresh turmeric tastes especially good with the juices of pineapple, orange, apple, pear, beet and carrot.

At a local restaurant called True Food Kitchen they make a delicious juice called “Bright Eyes” which contains pear, pineapple, beet, ginger, and turmeric and there is no reason you can’t make this juice at home.

Hope you learned a few things about using fresh turmeric and if you have a fresh turmeric recipe to share please post it below in the comments section.

♥,
C

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring us great joy. My new favorite recipe for a coconut water drink is a perfect example of how something so simple can be so good!

I call it Sunshine Juice and it really brightens my mornings. It is perfect for a Sunday brunch gathering or anytime of day you need a refreshing elixir to wake up your taste buds!

Coconut Water Drink Recipe – Sunshine Juice

2 cups of young coconut water from the juice of 2 young Thai coconuts
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (at least 4 oranges)
1 cup freshly juiced pineapple juice (at least 1 half a pineapple)

Makes 32 ounces of Sunshine Juice.

Safely open your Thai young coconuts and pour the young coconut water into a carafe. Peel the oranges and remove the skin of the pineapple and juice them in a juicer until you get one cup of juice each. I like to use my Omega Vrt350 or a centrifugal ejection style juicer such as the Omega 4000 to juice the pineapple and oranges. Pour the orange and pineapple juice into the carafe with the coconut water. Enjoy!

* If you do not have pineapple juice just add two cups of orange juice instead of one. Still tastes great but the pineapple juice takes it over the top!

Do you have any other coconut water drinks recipes? Please share in the comments section below:

♥,
C

Here is a quick 100% Pure Review.

Over the last ten years I have transitioned to more natural, vegan, non-animal tested cosmetics, skin, and body care. I am so grateful that I can still be girly, dress up, and wear make-up while still feeling good about what I’m putting on my skin.

I often get e-mails from people asking me what’s my favorite natural cosmetics and skincare company. Although I have many that I like, one stands out above the rest.

My absolute favorite company at the moment is a small company based in the San Francisco Bay Area called 100% Pure. They have two retail locations in Berkeley and San Jose, California. They also sell their products on the web, with some killer weekly deals and free shipping on orders over 50 dollars.

The company 100% Pure lives up to it’s name because their products are truly 100% pure – no synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins.

The company focuses on antioxidants and you’ll find ingredients in their products like: Pigments of Peach, Apricot, Carrot, Pomegranate, Cocoa Bean, Boysenberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Raspberry, Acai, Goji Berry and Tomato!

100% Pure products smell good enough to eat (not recommended), because the wonderful aromas in 100% Pure products are from real fruits, pure essential oils, and pure absolutes.

Only natural preservatives are used such as Japanese Honeysuckle, Thyme, Oregano, Goldenseal, Rosemary, Lavender and a high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants, so on each product there is an open jar symbol with a number on it. That number indicates how long you can use the product once it is opened.

My favorite products are the fruit pigmented tinted moisturizer (they also have a great foundation if you need more coverage) which gives your skin a natural glow and the fruit tinted mascara that smells like blueberries and makes your lashes thick and full. I also like their fruit pigmented powdered blushes (my favorite color is healthy) and their fruit pigmented island kiss lip palette which contains 6 different shades of lipstick.

In the picture below I stepped out to give the dogs a walk and I’m wearing the tinted moisturizer and the masacara. I like that the tinted moisturizer evens out my skintone without looking like I’m wearing any make-up!

They also have a great selection of gift sets and online gift certificates that I’ve given out as presents to friends and family with rave reviews. Everyone that I have told about 100% Pure thanks me and ends up being a loyal customer.

http://www.100percentpure.com/

I hope you enjoyed my 100% Pure Review and I hope you’ll go ahead and treat yourself on Valentine’s Day! Please forward this article to friends and family and if you have had any positive experiences with 100% Pure products please comment in the comment’s section below.

♥ ,
C

P.S. In the spirit of full disclosure I was given a few samples from the company for free, but since then I have ordered their products for myself and family and friends because I like them so much!

My number one New Year’s resolution is to find harmony in my life between my responsibilities in life and my self care. This is something that I have been learning about for ten years and the truth is I am still learning how to find that perfect balance between the things I need to do and the things I want to do.

When I was younger I didn’t pay much attention to the needs of my body. At one point I had my day scheduled from 6am to 11pm at night with absolutely no down time. Yes, I got a lot accomplished but it wasn’t sustainable. At 22 I had completely burnt myself out and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There were many other factors at play such as poor diet, stress, and suppressed grief but I know that a major part in getting sick was packing my schedule so tight, that there was no room to just breathe and relax.

Now days I no longer have Chronic Fatigue but I still struggle with finding balance between work, play, relationships, household responsibilities, and nurturing my well being. In today’s world I know that I am not alone in this struggle.

I have been exploring how this year can be different and I have come up with three tips I’d like to share with you.

Tips For Finding Balance in Your Life

Tip #1 Alternate Between Structured and Unstructured Activities

I find that alternating structured activities such as work and household responsibilities with non structured or more spontaneous activities such as walking on the beach, meditating, yoga . . .helps energize me through out the day and keeps me balanced.

According to Tony Schwartz from the New York Times,

“THE pioneering sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman gave the name “basic rest activity cycle” to the 90-minute period at night during which we move through the five stages of sleep. A decade later, he reported that we experience a parallel 90-minute cycle in our waking lives.

At night, we move from light to deep sleep and back out. During the day, we oscillate every 90 minutes from higher to lower alertness. In effect, our bodies are asking us for a break every 90 minutes. But we override the signals with coffee, sugar and our stress hormones.”

I find that taking a break from structured activities to non structured activities every ninety minutes helps combat fatigue. So for example, I have been playing with the idea of working for ninety minutes and then taking a 15 minute break where I dance, read for pleasure, take a walk outside, do a quick meditation, or drink a green juice in the sun. You may only have the luxury of taking a nice stretch at your desk, or smelling an invigorating essential oil for a few seconds at work, but whatever you can do to recharge quickly can still help.

Tip#2 Schedule in “Me” Time

Just as we have a work schedule and appointment schedule it is really important to schedule in self care. Self care means to me anything that increases our sense of well being and reduces stress such as yoga, massage, meditation, dance, being out in nature,listening to music . . .(etc.) For each person it is going to be different.

You may be so busy that they only have 5 minutes to yourself. In that case I say make sure to use those 5 minutes to get into the deepest state of relaxation that you can through meditation or some other relaxation technique. If you have a corporate job and the only time you have to yourself is lunch, drink a quick smoothie for lunch and hire a masseuse for a 30 minute rub down.

Why is it so important to schedule “me time” even if you feel like you have absolutely no time to yourself? Because I can tell you from experience as a previous Chronic Fatigue sufferer that burning the candle at both ends is unsustainable and you will eventually burn out! Do all you can to find a way to nurture yourself before you are forced to stop due to stress induced illness.

Tip#3 Pay Attention to Your Bodies’ Rhythms

Pay attention to your bodies’ energy fluctuations. You can do this by observing how you feel at certain times of the day. After paying attention for a few days I noticed how alert I am in the mornings and then I noticed that from 2-4 is when I feel a little tired. My energy picks back up again and then I have focused energy until about 9 at night. I used to force myself to work through my afternoon slump but I was never happy with the work produced so now I schedule easier tasks or take a break during that time.  For you, it might be different but paying attention to your peaks and lulls can help you find the most harmonious and productive schedule for you.

So what do you think of my tips? Do you have some tips for living a balanced life? Please share in the comments section.

♥,

C

This week I am visiting beautiful Sunny Southern California and I thought I’d share my favorite travel tips for eating healthy while traveling. Even if you are taking a short day trip, it always pays to be prepared!

Tip#1 Bring Your Kitchen With You!

• Travel with a small cutting board, utensils, napkins and paper plates. A package of compostable forks, knives, and spoons can be really helpful to cut into fruits and vegetables on the go. You can also travel with a sprout bag to soak nuts and seeds and small personal blender called the Tribest Personal Blender (available in 220V also) to make smoothies. (I once soaked some sunflower seeds overnight in a sprout bag and made them into a pate in a Tribest Personal Blender on a cruise!) If you are driving, traveling with a plug-in cooler is also great.

Tip#2 Bring a Few Essentials!

• Pack some unopened non perishable food items into your bag. (These days, it is best to pack them into your checked bag and make sure to declare them because each county is different in what they will or will not allow into their country.)

Here is a list of food items I like to pack:

• Raw Tahini and Almond Butter (unopened jars) because you can dip vegetables into them and use them as dressings just by adding some orange juice.

• Dulse Flakes and Nori Sheets (unopened packages) are beneficial as Dulse can be used as a salt substitute. For example, you can make a lettuce wrap with avocado, torn Dulse, and chopped tomatoes. Nori sheets can also be used as a wrapper, just cut up some vegetables such as cucumber and carrot, spread on some tahini, and you have an easy wrap.

• All Prepared Raw Food Snacks such as raw food energy bars, cookies, and crackers for that little extra boost of energy on the go.

• Green Powder because you can mix it with juice or water and if you are traveling in the United States there are juice bars/smoothie bars everywhere where you can ask them to make you an all fruit smoothie. You can then add your green powder to make an instant green smoothie!

• Liquid Stevia because you can use it to sweeten some mineral water (as a substitute for soda) or use it to sweeten some tea.

• Italian Herbs and Sea Salt because when dining out all you have to do is ask for a lemon wedge and you have an instant salad dressing!

Tip#3 Research, Research, Research!

• Before going anywhere, research whether they have a natural foods grocery store or a farmer’s market and then make sure this is your first stop off the plane to stock up on healthy food. You can also research to see if the area has any juice bars and vegetarian or vegetarian friendly restaurants where you can dine out.

• Sometimes the local food culture will have a vegetarian specialty for example, in Spain you can order gazpacho (a raw tomato soup), in Fiji you have the young coconut meat and water widely available, in Italy fresh squeezed orange juice is widely available . . .(etc.) (If you are traveling to a third world country, it is also a good idea to research what foods are safe to eat!)

Tip#4 Stock Up!

• When you locate that health food store or farmer’s market stock up on healthy food that you can store in your hotel room. Hopefully, your hotel room will have a refrigerator, but if not, it might be worth it to travel with a small cooler because most hotel rooms have an ice machine.

• Some of my favorite healthy foods to stock up on when traveling are: fruits that will last a few days such as melons, oranges, bananas, apples, and avocados; dried snacks such as dried fruits and nuts; and plenty of liquids to stay hydrated in dry hotel rooms such as water and coconut water.

• Also, at most U.S. grocery stores you can always find raw guacamole and salsa. All you have to do is add a scoop of salsa and guacamole into a romaine lettuce leaf or you can enjoy it with some baby carrots or other cut up vegetables such as celery or zucchini.

Tip#5 Learn Some Lingo!

• If you are going to a country where they don’t speak English, and you are going to eat out, make sure to learn a few phrases so you know what to ask for. And this goes for any restaurant, they will usually make something special for you, especially if you tell them you have dietary restrictions and food allergies. For example, when I’m out to a Mexican restaurant with friends or my husband I ask the waitress to bring me a plate of lettuce, chopped raw vegetables, salsa, and guacamole. I mix it all together to make a delicious salad. Sometimes you just have to get creative!

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Although I am definitely more flexible while traveling than I am at home, I still manage to eat pretty healthy so that I can feel great and enjoy my travels!

Make sure to add any of your tips to eating healthy while traveling below in the comments section.

Bon Voyage!

♥,
C

P.S. These are some bonus tips not related to healthy eating but they have really helped me a lot this trip: You might consider investing in a portable humidifier (it will make those dry hotel rooms bearable), a portable white noise maker or ear plugs and an eye mask so you can sleep under any circumstances. Really helped out last night when our hotel room was situated right next to a busy stairwell and crowded pool with kids playing! We slept like babies.

It’s a simple and fresh raw dessert recipe that can be modified to use any type of fruit you like!

Peach Cobbler

2 ½  cups peaches, sliced (or other fruit)

5-6 medjool dates, pitted

1 cup raw coconut flakes

½ cup almonds

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp raw honey

3 Tbsp coconut oil

Slice and pit peaches and set aside.  Place dates, coconut, almonds and a pinch Himalayan salt into a food processor and mix until combined and sticky.  Set aside.  Blend only ½ cup of peaches with vanilla, honey, and coconut oil in the blender until smooth.  Layer all components in a glass dish or in individual serving cups.

Please let me know if you try this recipe and what fruit you use. I’ve also tried it with mixed berried (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and it worked great!

For more of Julia’s recipes you can go here: www.divianaalchemy.com

♥,
C

P.S.  There are still a few more days to get the ground breaking e-book, What do Raw Fooders Eat? Click here for more info!

One of the things that has intrigued me about human psychology, is how often times we might know what the right thing to do is, but sometimes we do the opposite. For example, how many of us know that refined sugar is bad for us, fried foods, alcohol, or smoking cigarettes; but we still continue to consume them day after day?

Well you might say, people are addicted to substances such as junk food or nicotine and they can’t help it. I would agree with you, especially in cases of severe addiction, but what about the things we don’t do that are good for us such as exercise, meditation, rest . . .(etc.) It can’t be that we are addicted to not exercising or not meditating, right?

You might say, most people don’t have enough information on the benefits of exercising or eating healthy to make an informed decision.  And this might actually be true in some situations, but I have seen too many people go to the raw food expos and the potlucks year after year and I know they have, if anything, an overload of information on the benefits of eating healthfully. Yet, I see them year after year struggle with making healthy choices and positive changes in their lives. Why is this?

And I’m not immune oh no (I wish), I know I should get to bed earlier and exercise more, and not overeat . . .I know the benefits, so why is so hard for me to do the things I know are good for me?

For me personally, I know it is because I don’t make these things a priority. If I made them a priority I would put more energy into making them happen. For example, I recently made it a point to watch a sunset everyday, so I made the extra effort to set an alarm on my phone to remind me. It has worked beautifully and I haven’t missed a sunset since I set the alarm.

This leads me to an observation about human nature. We are easily programmable. This can be a good thing if we are programming ourselves. Like I mentioned earlier, setting an alarm to remind me to watch the sunset everyday has worked like a charm. Setting a routine of preparing healthy food everyday has become a habit I don’t even think about anymore, it has become so ingrained into my life and personality it doesn’t even occur to me to eat junk food . . . but it wasn’t always like that.

Over ten years ago I ate whatever I wanted, which was a combination of Spanish and American Cuisine, and my Mom’s idea of what a healthy diet should look like (think grape nuts cereal, 1% skim milk, chicken with no skin, and a lot of broccoli beef stir frys). I just ate what I was accustomed to eating growing up in my family. I never questioned it, and why would I? Everyone else around me was eating what I was eating and doing fine. Except for, I wasn’t doing fine. I was overweight and had Asthma, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Depression . . .

Like I said earlier, humans are easily programmable and this is good if we are programming ourselves, but not always beneficial if we allow society, our families, and our peers to influence all our choices. Many of us are making decisions about our diet and health on auto-pilot without questioning if there is a better way.

It’s like we are trains on a one way track. Do you know how much effort it takes to turn a train around? Quite a bit. Well it’s the same with humans. It takes a lot of effort to change diet and lifestyle habits and most of us will cruise on that one way track until a major event forces us to change direction. We need an impetus big enough to cause us to shut off the auto-pilot and wake up!

For some people, the impetus might be an illness or when someone close to them gets ill. For others, it might be a traumatic event that causes them to realize life is short. It might be that they don’t want to be a burden on their kids or they want to be around for their grand kids. We all have our reasons that inspire us take better care of ourselves!

I’ve observed that most of the time it isn’t just information that shakes up our world. I’ve never had someone write me and tell me that an article or a recipe that I’ve written inspired them to change their diet. It is always 100% of the time “my story” that touched them.

It’s usually something deeply personal that inspires us. Reading a story or meeting someone who has overcame the same obstacles we are going through can sometimes give us enough hope and enough push for us to prioritize getting healthy and reprogram ourselves.

I hope that you are able to take the time to think about the reasons that inspire you to take better care of yourself and if you need some extra inspiration from the stories of actual people that have changed their eating habits for the better I recommend the e-book “What do Raw Fooders Eat?” available again for this week only.

As I mentioned above, putting a face on the “nutritional facts” can be very powerful. And that is what I feel Nomi Shannon has done with her groundbreaking e-book “What Do Raw Fooders Eat?”. Not only do you get the daily recipes from 48 raw foodists, but most importantly, you get their stories. What inspired them to change? And what are the benefits they received from making the extra effort to eat healthfully?  This e-book might just be the little boost you need to turn your “train” around:)

Click here to learn more: http://rawgourmet.com/cmd.php?af=1286243 *affiliate link

“What do Raw Fooders Eat?” e-book is available again for this week only Aug 16-23^rd (with the 400 dollars worth of bonuses!) due to the many e-mails that were received that expressed disappointment for missing out on the offer. If you were disappointed, I do hope you can take advantage of this offer the 2^nd time around!

Click here to learn more: http://rawgourmet.com/cmd.php?af=1286243 *affiliate link

♥,
C

P.S. What is your reason to take better care of yourself? Please comment in the comments section below.

Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Vegan Raw Diets

Brenda Davis RD and Vesanto Melina MS RD

Nutrition geeks rejoice! This book is chock full of nutritional information about the raw food diet. If you’ve ever asked (or been asked) how to get enough protein?, where to get B12, iron, and calcium?, what raw foods are unsafe to eat?, and can you really get all the nutrients you need from the raw food diet? This book answers all those questions and more! It also includes 50 raw food recipes that contain all the nutritional information about the recipe including calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate content and a complete vitamin and mineral nutritional analysis.

My favorite recipes from the book are: Sprouted Quinoa Tabouli, Thai Spring Rolls with Spicy Pecan Sauce, and Mango Pie with Coconut Crust. After reading this book, you will have a greater understanding of the nutritional needs on a raw food diet and you will be better equipped to answer any questions from family and friends. Yay!

Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People

By Jennifer Cornbleet

The Zen of raw food preparation! This is one of my favorite raw food recipe books because of ease of preparation and the availability of the ingredients in all the recipes. Even though the recipes in this book are simple, they do not sacrifice on taste one bit!

My favorite recipes are the Cream of Zucchini Soup, Ranch Dressing, Mediterranean Kale, and Key Lime Mousse. If you are new to raw foods and want to get started right away this book is for you. No fancy equipment required!

Here is a video of the Mediterranean Kale Recipe by the author of Raw Food Made Easy, Jennifer Cornbleet

Click here if you can’t see the video above

*A side note, in both books some of the recipes call for Tamari or Nama Shoyu and I prefer to substitute those two ingredients with  Organic Chickpea Miso or Sea Salt. Also, I usually substitute some of the sweetener called for in a recipe such as honey or maple syrup with stevia to cut out some of the sugar. But you see, that is the cool thing about recipes, they can give you a foundation and then you can make them your own!

What do you think? Did I get it right? What’s your favorite raw food recipe book?

♥,
C