raw food & family

i have the best family. 

for the past two days charlie and i have had the wonderful pleasure of spending some time with my family. 

alyvia insisted on taking a picture of charlie:

we went blackberry picking:

so whats a pastry chef to do with all these fresh blackberries?

make blackberry cobbler. 

i tried a few new raw food recipes as well. 

raw cashew agave truffles: 

raw key lime bars:

trail mix cookies:

peanut butter coconut cookies:

for these, we just blended a bunch of nuts, agave, dates, coconut flakes, cinnamon, whatever we wanted and mixed it with peanut butter. 

filled chocolate cups:

raw chocolate cherry ice kream:

blend frozen bananas, cocoa powder, cherries,  & honey. 

thats it for now. 

superfoods.

i learn best when i type/write something after reading it. 

naturally i am drawn to compose a blog post about super foods.

what is a superfood?  foods that serve as a great source of nutrients, promoting optimal health due to their high contents of phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity)

(source)

dark leafy greens: kale, spinach, romaine, mustard greens, collard greens, chicory, swiss chard

nutrient dense

source of chlorophyll

provides protein, betacarotene, vitamins (folic acid, vitamin A) & minerals (iron, calcium)

fiber

phytonutrients (lutein, zeaxanthin, flavonoids) - antioxidant properties.

try KALE CHIPS

(source)

berries: blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, acai, etc.

some of the highest ORAC foods

antioxidants

phytonutrients (anthocyanin, pterostilbene) - prevention of cancer cells.

try the FAT FREE BLUEBERRY ICE DREAM

(source)

cacao: the raw form of chocolate. 

scientific name "Theobroma" = "food of the gods"

high in antioxidant flavonoids

minerals (sulfer, magnesium) - heart protection

try RAWLISCIOUS BROWNIES / CHOCOLATE CAKE

(source)

goji berries: also known as wolfberries

used in Chinese medicine 

high in ORAC 

nutrients (beta-carotene, vitamin c, amnio acids, and vitamin b)

try GOJI CACAO TURTLES

spirulina: blue-green micro algae

high in protein

rich in b vitamins, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, vitamin e

try CACAO MINT SMOOTHIE

maca: instant energy lift & mood-enhancing qualities

improve libido

important traditional and medicinal plant 

provides more then 55 phytonutrients, fiber, all the macronutrients, protein, carbs, fats, and many vitamins & minerals

try FUDGE BON BONS

Of course there are more super foods then the ones that I have listed, however I am studying these particular foods which is why I am writing about them. 

life.

Life should not be boring, I believe that God intended for us to lead lives that are full of excitement, privilege, and inspiration. I know everyone has their own definition of "abundant life," perhaps mine is just more extreme. I do not want to live in the mundane, boring race that seems to consume most everyone, I want to drink in the possibilities of something new, something fresh and raw. 

Revolution. 

As I reflect on the past year, my heart is filled with mixed emotion. On one hand I have experienced extreme joy and I have experienced extreme sadness. It is true that the good comes with the bad.

On Monday, Charlie and I decided to climb Stone Mountain finally. 





The weather was hot hot hot, but the view was incredible.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. 



















My niece turned four years old. 
She is a princess and she knows it. 
I love her with all my heart, that little squirt. 





I made her cake and cupcakes for the party. 








:) 


one month until Florida! 

foodstuffs

. foodstuffs . 

to start off, a couple of cookies.

 

alternate baking company's espresso chip vegan cookie. 

- made with rice flour, this cookie is a soft alternative to regular chipped cookies made with eggs and milk. The taste was average for vegan cookies.  

rating: 3.5 

nana's no gluten chocolate cookie. 

this was a disappointment. what i was expecting was not what i found, the cookie taste was not the problem, it was the texture: it crumbled, but a moist crumble. 

rating: 2.0

and now on to the baking:

 (i find that now that school is over I want to cook more and be in my own kitchen more)

one.        cheesecake with a chocolate crust

i started with a double chocolate chip cookie and life cereal in a food processor, added butter and sugar, and baked at 350 for 10 minutes. 

then i made a cheesecake batter made of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. 

i poured it in the baked crust and baked again for 25 minutes. 

 

two.            bread. 

whole grain wheat bread

1/3 c + 1 T brown sugar

2 c warm water

2 pkgs of active dry yeast

5 - 6 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c powered milk

2 t salt

1/3 c oil

dissolve 1 T brown sugar in the warm water, add yeast. let stand.

combine 4 c flour, powered milk, 1/3 c brown sugar and salt in mixer. 

speed 2 for 15 seconds. 

add yeast mixture and oil to flour mixture and mix about 1.5 minutes longer. 

stop and scrape if necessary. 

add remaining flour 1/2 c at a time. 

mix 2 minutes longer. 

place in greased bowl, cover, let rest 1 hr. 

punch down, divide in half, shape and proof. 

bake at 400 for 15 minutes, the 300 for 30 more minutes. 

The flavor really is tops. It is soft on the inside with a harder crust on the outside. 

three.       raw ice cream.

start with frozen bananas. process a bit. 

i added a few leftover cookies. 

precessed more. 

yum. 

:) 

well thats what ive got for today.