Kale Pesto

All I can say is “OH MY GAWD, my life has been so crazy!” I have have descended deeper and deeper into a punishing abyss of “there goes another week of not blogging about my passion for all things healthy. When will I get a chance to say hello, how ya doin,’ sorry I can’t get back to you, but if you leave your name, and your number, I’ll get back to you.”  And I’m still not completely back, but today I’ve put my foot down and said “enough is enough, I’m going to let that shiznit wait, ’cause I miss my creative conversation with y’all. It’s been too long amigos! You must be wondering, “this girl’s just plain lazy.” Well, ya’ll are about to get schooled in Busy: 1. Motherhood and Marriage. 2. Construction in three rooms of our house…while living on site. Moving out of rooms, moving back into rooms….fun, fun, fun! 3. College, plus a 2 hour commute each day. 4. My son’s homework, plus my own homework: Statistics, Chemistry, and French. 5. Volunteering for my son’s organic program. 6. Cooking, cleaning, and laundry. “Whaaaa.” Now that I’ve exercised my right to winge uncontrollably (we live in [...]

Raw and Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

Here’s a healthy version of sweet potato pie that’s fabulous! My husband who isn’t even close to being a raw foodist said that it’s so good that I should sell it. Now that’s big news coming from a man who would get worryingly excited about Filet o’ Fish Fridays (thankfully he hasn’t been to Mc D’s in over a year- that’s also big news). I was so excited that I promised the ladies at my son’s school organic garden program for a tasting of the raw and vegan pie, so there you have it, sweet potatoes again folks! I made vegan Kale Pesto today, but I thought, “eek, two posts with green photos!.” It’s nice to have a contrast of color, even if one week it’s orange, then green, then orange, then, erm, green again. I must find myself a blog color consultant. I live in L.A., there must be someone that does that kind of thing around here….. When transitioning to a high raw food diet (75%-80% raw, 20% cooked veggie dishes) you definitely need “goodies” to fall back on. I create gorgeous organic salads with all the trimmings (my favs: olives stuffed with garlic, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, [...]

Green Juice Fast Recipes

Toby and I recently watched the documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead,” about a man who was 100 pounds overweight and suffering from a myriad of diseases. After 60 days of green juicing, he shed the weight and now enjoys incredible health, all from drinking green juice and a bit of exercise. The movie inspired us so much that we decided to do a juice cleanse of our own. Our reason for the fast was simply to have a bit of a spring clean for the new year. Last Sunday, we both gave up what seemed like everything, except raw organic fruits and vegetables. I’m not going to lie, we both endured massive headaches in the first 24 hours from the loss of our beloved tea and coffee. Thankfully by day 2 we were rocking, rolling, and feeling fine. I’m not going to say that I didn’t miss my comfort foods, but it was worth it to just give my digestive system a break, enjoy a light and breezy feeling, mental clarity, and more energy than I imagined without the boost of caffeine. By the end of the week, Toby lost 9 pounds and I have lost 7. If you’re [...]

Sweet Potato Pudding

I grew up with a sugary-sweet, marshmallow-topped version of sweet potato pudding, which was partnered up with cooked meats and overcooked green beans or heavily spiced collard greens. I can already hear some of you saying “Umm Umm,” but I dare say the only way is up from a nutritional standpoint. Somewhere in my teens I started pulling the marshmallow off because the sweet potatoes were so darned good (albeit with heaps of butter and white sugar in the mix). In my twenties, I discovered the naked goodness of fruits and vegetables, plus with a twinkle of seasoning….which is very nice indeed. My wholesome version of sweet potato pudding has a little twist of coconut, and I cannot tell you how gimme-some-moreish this dish is. We’re talking simple simple simple, yummy in my tummy goodness. Sweet Potato Pudding 8 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed and dried tbs coconut oil 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ground nutmeg tsp pure vanilla extract (brand with no alcohol) tsp of agave syrup (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife all over, then lay the on a large baking tray. Bake for 60 minutes, or [...]

Vegan Eggnog

Happy Holidays everyone! Here is a dairy-free eggnog recipe that is incredibly quick, easy, and so so delicious. With or without alcohol it is OMG good! Vegan Eggnog 1 liter of unsweetened almond milk 1 can of light coconut milk 1 banana tbs vanilla extract (no alcohol added) 3 tbs agave syrup tsp ground cinnamon tsp ground nutmeg tsp allspice handful of ice cubes optional: 1/3 cup rum 1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Serves 8-10