Monday, August 29, 2011

Fast and Healthy Raw Foods

Your vegetarian diet should consist of 60% greens, 30% fruits and the rest nuts and grains.

Avocado (fruit) makes a great “fat” or “smooth” sensation substitute. Use it in place of butter on baked potatoes, cheese or meat on sandwiches. It goes with anything. Try avocado boats: Cut avo in half, remove seed, pour in your favorite dressing. Or mash up and mix with diced tomato and cucumbers, spread on whole grain bread, add lettuce, mustard or spice blend (like Mrs. Dash) for an energizing sandwich.
When eating at Mexican Restaurants: Ask for hand made guacamole (not from a pulp mixture if possible). El Chico makes the best “Top Shelf Guacamole” go easy on the salt and ask them to add cilantro. Roll up with pico de gallo and salsa in a CORN tortilla or Romaine leaf.
Portobello Mushroom – (fungus, not classified) “Bello Burger” The other “Red Meat”. Men and women really love these. Just pan sauté whole portos in real butter (argh) or a touch of water, Worcestershire sauce or your favorite seasoning. Saute just long enough for the porto to absorb the flavors. The texture should be as firm as the ball of your thumb joint or medium rare steak, if you over cook it will be soggy. Use a whole grain bun from the health food store (keep these frozen as they thaw very easily and last longer this way). Top with your favorite hamburger fixin’s. You can substitueVegannaise for mayonnaise. You can use prepared mustards and eventually make your own. Just mix dry mustard with water et voila.
You can also use the store bought Original Veggie Burger or other textured vegetable protein burger. Consider crumbling these up and putting in soups, pasta sauces or veggie chili. These also are not long term items because they are too high in protein, but they do help in transitioning your taste buds.
Taco Cabana – Black Bean Burrito. They say there’s no animal product used but we think there is some in the rice. I like to ask for extra tomatoes because their pico de gallo is pretty spicy. Then open the burrito, top with tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salsa. A great quick stop on the road for around $2.
Chipotle Restaurant – The best Guacamole in town!! I get a salad with a little rice, some grilled onions & peppers, pico, salsa and GUACAMOLE!! Yahoo. $5.85
Spaghetti Squash. Those huge oblong yellow ones. Boil for 30 - 45 minutes depending on size. Cut off ends. Slice lengthwise. Remove seeds. Use a fork to remove flesh so it comes out in long strings. Top with Veggie Tomato sauce, Veggie chili from “Recipes for Life” or a good organic store bought sauce. Another energizing meal at a really low price. Great in the winter when you want warm food. It doesn’t make you sluggish like pasta does. And I have to admit I do splurge on this one and add JUST a Little fresh grated parmesan cheese.
Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds (NOT peanuts!). Be sure to buy them RAW from the health food store or other fine purveyor. You can then soak the nuts over night in distilled or RO water to remove the excess proteins making them easier to digest. They’ll keep for several days in the fridge after soaking or dehydrate for longer storage. ONLY eat about 1 hand full of nuts per day. These make a great meat substitute and/or afternoon snack to keep your energy up. Note about Nuts! If you have under or over active Thyroid avoid Almonds. Do not eat more than a handful of nuts per day, they are acidic and will cause tooth decay if overeaten.
Keep all whole grain breads frozen if you aren’t going to use within a few days. Remember they have not been overly processed and still have live ingredients in them. It’s takes about 2-5 minutes for a piece to thaw, put in toaster on low for 1 minute, so a quick veggie sandwich is easy.
Veggie Sandwich – Do remember this easy one. A good Whole Grain bread, I love spelt, it’s easier on the digestive tract and tastes really great. Use avocado, veganniase, mustard, sprouts, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and a dash of spice blend. EASY and energizing.
Salad Bars – Find local salad bars around town. Many grocery stores have great salad bars. Also, Kroger has two very good vegetarian soups (somewhat salty). I have actually purchased the entire package from the produce clerk (about 2 gallons for $15). Most restaurants now have wonderful salad selections but most have meat on them. Just ask the waiter to take the meat off and add sautéed mushrooms, most of the time this tastes even better! Sometimes they will even reduce the price by a couple of dollars. Steak houses have excellent salads too, so don’t be shy to go with your friends and family. Just add a baked sweet or white potato, rice, sautéed veggies and you have a full meal. If a salad looks too small ask for two salads, usually the price reflects the size!
Burger Kings VEGGIE burger, ask them to cook it on the grill for a better flavor
Costco - IF they have these: Veggie Lasagna (yes it has a lot of cheese so eat sparingly) The Eggplant Parmesian is NOT fried/no breading and it tastes great!! Also they have Veggie burgers and Veggie Meatballs (same thing different shape) that are made of just veggies, not Textured Veg Protein.
Salad Bars and Restaurants - Kroger, Whole Foods, Souper Salad, Sweet Tomato (take your own home made salad dressing is so much better!!) ANY restaurant Salad that has meat on it ask them to replace it with sautéed mushrooms SO much tastier! Best salad in town is at Café Express!! Try it for sure.
Salad Dressings are VERY easy - I mix 1 C Cold Pressed, 1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (should be green in color), Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice, celtic salt, honey or maple syrup, any spice or spice blend, garlic and cayenne pepper to taste (drinkable!!) . . . You’ll never buy bottled again once you get into the habit of making your own. Check out “Salad Dressings for Life” at http://www.hacres.com for more ideas. All Salad Bar Dressing are loaded with fats, sugars, salts and preservatives, so if you don’t have your own use the olive oil and squeeze some lemons on for a really healthy meal. Lemons heal the nervous system so if you’re edgy eat fresh lemon juice and eat some B vitamins too.
Try Rhondas No Oil – made with nuts - and add different herbs to it for a variety of flavors. If you buy store bought salad dressings, read the label!!!! I rarely find one that isn’t made with Canola Oil – Which in my and others opinions is VERY BAD! Last I checked the only one without Canola is the Whole Foods brand so read the label to confirm and STOCK up.
Greek/ Mediterranean Restaurants and Food - Tabouli with a lot of parsley is excellent for building your immune system, baba ganouj is roasted eggplant dip with the flat break is a very tasty and quick light meal.
Water – Be sure to use distilled or Reverse Osmosis. You can even add Water Max from Hallelujah Acres, Aerobic 07 Oxygen from the health food stores, Sun Fire Salt (the BEST!! From http://www.radicalhealth.com ) or liquid Minerals to it for an extra boost. Carry it with you everywhere and take large swigs before you go into stores or meetings. Take it with you into restaurants, church, meetings etc. if you will be more than 2 hours, they don’t care!
Juicing – Whole Foods has a good juice bar, also some Smoothie Factories do too but they are not organic if that matters to you. Other local stores may offer juices, keep your eyes and ears open. Learn to make your own. Vegetable Juices are the best healing tonic you will find, nothing else. Mona Vie is the BEST prepared fruit juice on the market, drink this DAILY for excellent results, you can purchase at http://www.monavie.com #1204230
Coffee Substitutes – Ahh, the addiction! This is such an engrained American way. Are you looking for flavor or the boost? If you want flavor and warmth, try these suggestions:
Teas: Think of yourself as a European and try different teas. You’ll be surprised at how good they really do taste and the herbal teas have healing qualities. I like Traditional Medicinal’s Throat Coat, tastes FANTASTIC and really soothes the throat too. I also love Yerbe Matte with some honey, it has a type of caffeine that doesn’t give you the jitters and it tastes great. Honey, cinnamon and warm water is an immune enhancer and just plain makes you feel good.
Pero and Roma – Wow! Get these at your local health food store. These really taste great, coffee tastes terrible anyway! Try both of these hot brew blends and see which you like best, I like them both. Just mix 1 t in hot water. Very transportable too, just keep a jar at the office or take your own Thermos on the road with you. Friends will want to know what you have that is better than their daily “grind”. Use sweeteners and “creams” listed below if you want.
Sweeteners: Maple Syrup, Molasses, honey and Stevia. Taste great and are better for you! Try Stevia in transportable packets. Better yet, go without, if you get enough fruits you won’t want sweeteners very often.
Cream and Milk Substitutes - So easy to make your own nut Mylks. Just grind 1 cup of soaked nuts in a vita mix or a coffee grinder (best to be dried if using the grinder!). Then, in blender, add 6 cups of water, some sweetener, dash of celtic or sunfire salt, dash of vanilla (optional). Blend until very milky. Using less water will make cream. You can use a mesh bag or cheese cloth to strain if you want, either way it tastes great and only takes a few minutes to make. Sunflower Mylk lasts a LONG time, but fresh almond mylk goes ”active” within a few days so drink it up fast!!
Easy to purchase are Hemp, Almond, Oatmeal and Coconut milks. Use original or vanilla flavored and read the sugar levels to ensure they are not too high. Rice milk is high in sugar and Soy Milk is not necessarily nutritional.
Dried Fruits - Most people are surprised when you offer dried fruits to them. As if they have never seen them. Sonoma makes a great Mango. Be sure to READ the label as most have added sugars to entice we Americans. Go without and ask your health food store to order fruits without sugar. Raisins are great. Try soaking your dried fruits for 15-30 minutes before eating if you have time. Do not depend solely on dried fruit as your fruit source. The natural water in fruit is vital to a healthy body and dried fruits are difficult to digest. You can easily make fruit leathers in the dehydrator when fruits are in heavy season. I put dried fruits in my oatmeal with butter, cinnamon, maple syrup and ground pecans or flax seeds, it’s good!
Grain Salad – One of my favorites in the winter. Cook a good brown and/or long grain wild rice. Quinoa or other grain. Make your regular salad with greens and veggies. Mix the two together and add your favorite healthy dressing. I’ve wowed many people with this combination as well as satisfied that desire for hot food on a cold night yet still ate very healthy.
SOUPS - Easy broth soups, vegetable takes less than an hour to make. I also make and Asian soup with Veg broth, shitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, ginger, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, cilantro, thin sliced carrots and rice noodles (the noodles are high in sugar so avoid if you have sugar issues). Add in some vegetarian hoisin sauce (found at most stores) and enjoy!

From http://www.hacres.com please use my code #908
Barley Max – Remember to supplement with Barley Max DAILY!! It’s a great detoxifier and energizer. Stomach feeling a little queasy , DRINK the Barley Max, in a few minutes you’re healed!!
Digestive Enzymes are a must. Our bodies are enzyme deficient from trying to digest so many cooked foods and so much animal proteins and fats.
Probiotics are another must - After years of antibiotic use these help rebuild your digestive system and give you energy by helping your body produce B-12. It is also helpful if you have sugar issues such as insulin resistance or diabetes. You WILL notice a difference when using probiotics so start today and stay on them for life.

Websites:
http://www.hacres.com
http://www.rawfoods.com


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