Just some things, because I'm bored and rarely update.

I started working on a list of my current favorite recipes, and foods in general. It's a work in progress.

Not all of the recipes are raw, however, but all are vegan.

Copy and paste,
Recipes

1. Kohlrabi Cream Soup:
1 ¼ kohlrabi, cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1 large clove garlic
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Hot water (to desired consistency)
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
1 green onion, cut into rings
Hulled sugar snap peas (optional – but it’s best to use them, it’s sooo good!)

Blend all ingredients except 1/3 of the avocado and ¼ of the kohlrabi well until smooth.
Garnish with the rest of the cubes of kohlrabi, green onion rings, black pepper, the rest of the avocado and the sugar snap peas.


2. Raw Summer Cauliflower Slaw:
1 ½ - 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
3 Carrots, peeled and julienned
½ cup diced summer squash (I used “patty pan”)
½ cup Broccoli Florets (optional –The recipe works well without it, but it’s a nice touch)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, cut into rings
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I like 2 or more)
½ tablespoon – 1 tablespoon olive oil (I like it on the lesser side)
5-8 larger Basil Leaves, minced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix well and store in sealed container in the refrigerator. I liked to put mine in a washed and re-used fruit container from the store, and then I put the lid on and shake it up really good, and store it in that container.

3. Cucumber Basil Pesto Soup:
1 large cucumber, cut into chunks
1 avocado
Large handful of fresh basil
1-3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons agave nectar
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Hot Water (to desired consistency)

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Garnish with mushroom and cucumber chunks that have been marinated in some balsamic vinegar with a few drizzles of agave nectar, a dash or two of sea salt, few good shakes of black pepper, and a couple good shakes of crush red pepper, and finely diced onion.

4. Bekka’s Quick, Easy, and Painless Pickles:
4-7 Pickling Cucumbers, sliced
1 – 1 ½ Yellow Onion, chopped
5 cloves Garlic
4 – 6 small sprigs Fresh Dill
1 – 1 ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
½ - 1 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 – 4 tablespoons Agave Nectar
Sea Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
Turmeric
Pickling Spices

First sprinkle sea salt over slices of pickling cucumbers and let sit. You may add the garlic, dill, and the onion to this, or you may just leave it aside, but that should be kept to the side as well.

Kindly add the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan, stir, and bring to a low boil on medium heat.

Add cucumbers, onion, garlic, and dill and immediately remove from heat. Stir efficiently making sure that all slices are well covered or submerged in the mixture. Quickly cover with a plate and let sit. I like to let mine sit on the hot burner with the heat off. Let the mixture sit for an hour or more. Check on it after 30 minutes, stir well and note progress. They are pickled when they are an olive-like tone green, and when, well… they look like pickles! If there are some that are not yet to this stage, which there probably will be, take care and cover them well in the mixture. Immediately re-cover with the plate and let sit another 30 minutes. Repeat the stirring and observation process as before. If or, when they are finished pour into a large (must check size) open mouth jar. Seal hand-tight and store in the refrigerator. Yum!

5. Bekka’s Easy and Delightful Green Beans:
Green and Wax Beans, ends trimmed and beans cut in half
1 large glove Garlic, minced
Few large Fresh Basil Leaves, delicately minced
1 tablespoon Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Stir ingredients in a bowl until the beans are well coated. Lay the mixture out evenly onto a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for a few hours, or longer, depending on how you like them!

6. Bekka’s Vegan Version of Turnip Au Gratin
2 – 3 Turnips, peeled and cubed
1 – 3 Carrots, peeled and chopped
A few medium-sized Broccoli Florets
½ - 1 cup Onion, diced or sliced
1 large clove Garlic, minced
6 tablespoons “Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread”
½ cup Non-Bleached White Flour
2 cups Plain Soymilk
½ - ¾ bag of Cheddar Style Daiya Cheese
½ - 1 cup Vegan Breadcrumbs (I use a brand called JASON)
More Cheddar Style Daiya Cheese spreads and some Mozzarella Style Daiya cheese
OPTIONAL: Nutritional Yeast

Boil turnips until tender and drain. Cook carrots as desired. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread. Slowly add the flour to the buttery spread, stirring constantly. Now, slowly add the soymilk stirring constantly until thick. Next, add the Cheddar Style Daiya Cheese and stir well and until completely melted into the mixture. Turn the turnips, carrots, broccoli, onion, and garlic into a medium casserole baking dish and add the Cheesy mixture. Stir well. Top with breadcrumbs and gracious amounts of Cheddar and Mozzarella style Daiya cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, until it is bubbly and the cheese on top is completely melted. If desired, sprinkle Nutritional Yeast on top before eating.

7. Simple Raw Chocolate Treat:
Raw Cacao Powder
Raw Agave Nectar
Pure Vanilla extract, a drop
dash
Dash Sea Salt

Add a generous amount of agave to the cacao in a bowl. Stir with a fork until the mixture starts to form clumps. Keep stirring until it stirs into a doughy ball. If you can mash the fork into the mixture as you stir rapidly and form a creamier texture this is best. Add more agave accordingly. Add salt and vanilla, and stir well.

Either eat as is or freeze overnight for a firmer texture and different approach!

8. Sundried Tomatoes
9. Dehydrated Cucumbers with Sea Salt
10. Kale Chips
11. Red Delicious Apples and Almond Butter or With Almond Butter Mixture and Raisins
12. Smoothies
13. Roasted turnips
14. Beets Livingston
15. Salsa
16. Corn Avocado Salad
17. Raw Spaghetti
18. My salad dressing
19. Black Bean Burgers

I stayed in by myself tonight instead of beings social. I took some pictures with my cat because I'm not a "cool" person.


It's my birthday in two weeks...what kind of cake should I make myself? Give me opinions! Raw or baked, doesn't matter, but all ideas must be vegan or able to be easily veganized :)

mmm. Tasty cucumber cilantro soup!!
I lived off this stuff for weeks.

How has everyone been? I'm sorry I've been absent [as usual]-- lots has been going on! The man and I finally got a place together and so the past few weeks has been spent setting that up, moving, and settling in.
I also had a quite interesting, busy, and most of all: life-changing week last week.
I may or may not have mentioned going off of hormones two months ago. Going off hormones was the best thing I ever did for myself and for my mental and physical health. I feel like a REAL PERSON again. I'm able to express myself creatively once again. It's interesting how much that tiny little pill was effecting me, and I barely noticed it happening until it had spun out of control.
At any rate, I may or may not have also mentioned that I've never wanted kids, and that I've had quite a history with being afraid of and trying to avoid pregnancy-- I've always said that I wanted my "tubes tied", and a couple years ago, I made it a realistic and reachable goal of mine to accomplish as soon as I could find a doctor to do it, and as soon as I could afford it financially.

So on Monday I had an appointment to meet with a doctor to discuss having a tubal ligation. I found him randomly on the website for the group of clinics that are covered by my insurance. I read his bio and "fell in love" so to speak. He sounded promising, and he also sounded like an amazing doctor overall.

My mother came with me to meet with him because I had kindly asked her to since she had seen me go through all that I went through regarding my reproductive issues. Her support was indeed helpful. The three of us discussed it collaboratively sharing opinions, asking questions, and by the end of the appointment it seemed apparent that we all agreed this was the best solution for me. [something I was already aware of a long time ago]

Tuesday he called me to tell me he would do it for me.

By Thursday I was setting up an appointment for a pre-op consultation for Friday, and the actual surgery for Saturday.

And the rest is history :)
I couldn't be more pleased with my decision, and I am just so elated to finally have accomplished this. And better yet! It appears that this isn't going to cost me even a quarter of as much as I expected to be paying. Always a bonus.

Recovery has been annoying but bearable, and I get to return to working on the organic farm tomorrow which I'm totally ecstatic for.

Speaking of... my photo was actually included in one of their weekly newsletters.
Try to spot me on page three!
Kohlrabi Cream Soup.
We've been getting the most delicious kohlrabis from the farm and I've been enjoying it blended with avocado, some farm fresh spring garlic, hot water, and garnished with some farm fresh sugar snap peas, more chopped kohlrabi, and chunks of avocado. yum!!




Anyway, life has been good.

Hunny and Sweetie on the 15 dollar couch I bought at a thrift store

be well
xoxox

Not much has been happening lately so I haven't had the urge to write. But! I am excited because tomorrow I get my first box of vegetables from the organic farm I'm working for.

Did I mention this?

It's a CSA program, and you can either buy a share of produce for the year, or you can participate in the workshare program where you work 4 and a half hours every week to get your weekly farm fresh veggies. I work every Saturday morning 8 AM-12:30 PM. It's been wonderful so far. Hard work? It's difficult for me to say that it is because I enjoy it so much, but it definitely is physically a bit of work. My body feels good and sore every Sunday...just the way I like it. So far we've been working on weeding certain crops, and we just harvested the spinach this last Saturday.

Check it out!

Working on Saturday was a challenge with my newest tattoo...

It's basically a symbol of my dedication to eating and living a cruelty free life. (Eating) Hence the placement of the tattoo. It didn't hurt much to get it done, but the healing has been a struggle. Oh boy...no more stomach tattoos! (We'll see if I actually live up to that threat, haha)

My friend does tattooing at a shop in town, and she's been doing mine (and my boyfriend's) for free... so I baked her some very naughty vegan confetti cupcakes as a sign of my appreciation. Man, I hate baking. I mean, I actually love it. But I hate all the frosting I just HAVE to lick off my fingers every 30 seconds.

Since I began the journey to RAW, I still allow myself to indulge in some cooked or baked vegan delights every now and then, and vegan cake is one that I just can't resist. It's horrible. It makes me feel horrible...and it makes me feel horrible BECAUSE I can't seem to control myself around it. I never liked having dependencies on ANYTHING...which is why I quit smoking, coffee, soda, etc. It makes me feel all icky inside to feel that something else has control over me. And I feel like cake totally does. It sounds silly... but I'm sure some of you have felt what I'm feeling.

Anyway, I've been blending up cucumber soups...making sweet potato chips on the dehydrator... but nothing worth taking a photo of.

Hmm...I'll write more when more interesting things are happening :)

So! I've got big news. I'm officially free of the nasty hormones!
This is a huge step in my raw journey, and it makes all the effort that I put into eating healthy seem so much more worthwhile. Honestly, the effects of Raw were so incredibly hindered by that tiny little pill that I took everyday that it's mind boggling. It's only been a couple weeks off of the pill, and I already feel like a new woman. Like MYSELF again.

With that said, I've also started my pursuit to finding a doctor that will give me a referral for a tubal ligation. This is something I have thought very long and hard about, in addition to doing plenty of research about my other options and the procedure itself. I've never wanted kids, and I would look forward to having a little spontaneity without having to worry about the possible consequence. My mom has been so supportive and has even offered to take off of work the day I'd have my procedure done whenever I do find a doctor to do it for me. It's really nice knowing that I have her support while I know a lot of mothers wouldn't be so supportive of the idea of never having grandchildren. It's refreshing to know that her interests are pure and unselfish.

At any rate, I've been eating good, exercising, and feeling better and better. My creative spark has returned and I came up with a simple and unique, but delicious recipe with a photo :)

Pineapple-Raisin Salad

Julienned carrots
Sliced zucchini
RaisinsDiced pineapple
Diced red onion
Chopped basil
Olive Oil
Agave
Sea Salt
I apologize for the lack of measurements, but when I create, I don't pay a lot of attention to measurements. I also made this as a small side to an entree, so it was not a portion large enough to record measurements for. Never the less, the method is as follows:

On a plate lay down a "bed" of julienned carrots. Arrange zucchini slices atop the carrots, and gently sprinkle a bit of sea salt over the zucchini slices. In a separate bowl, combine raisins, diced pineapple, red onion, chopped basil, a few drizzles of olive oil, a couple drizzles of agave, and a dash of sea salt. Mix well, and pour over your carrot and zucchini plate. Garnish with basil for visual effect ;) ENJOY :)

I know it sounds like such an odd combination, but I promise you it's delicious. If you want to give it a go, I suggest making the pineapple and onion in approximately equal parts, and approximately equal parts of olive oil and agave as well using maybe only slightly more olive oil. You can have fun with how you go about eating it. I liked eating the zuc slices with my hands with the pineapple-raisin mixture on top, but it was good all mixed up too. You could certainly rather chop the zucchini for eating with a spoon or fork a bit easier, but the slices were mainly for visual effect. :)

I ate this in addition to a zucchini pasta, because I'm a total zucchini freak!


That was my hefty plate of food. It's still shocking to me how thin I'm able to stay just by eating raw foods... I eat SO much!

The pasta was simply spiralized zucchini with some mushrooms topped with Fresh Corn and Avocado salad. When I make that salad I always use basil... I never use the olive oil (totally unnecessary), nor do I use pepper. It's sooo dee-lish! It's something I make a couple times a week! I'm addicted.

I've also recently tried apricots for the first time ever! I don't know how I never tried them until recently!

Anyway, I shall be off to tend to the rest of my duties for the day...hope everyone has a happy and safe rest of the week!

xox

hello everyone! I will write a much more detailed blog tomorrow or over the weekend with pictures, but I had to write a quick one now to share a recipe!! I just made a REALLY tasty raw marinara sauce and I don't want to forget it!

For the sauce:
2 and 1/4 medium vine ripe tomatoes
2-4 sundried tomato halves, soaked
1 date
as much fresh basil as you like!
about 1/4 of a medium sweet red pepper

blend it all to desired consistency!

then I spiralized two zucchinis and finely chopped another 1/4 of a medium sweet red pepper and tossed that in with the zucchini noodles and then poured the sauce over it all after it had time to settle in its flavors after a few hours :)

MM!!!

Disney World was AWESOME!!! more to come....

The reasons that I have come to a fruitarian lifestyle go beyond just health. It also has a lot to do with moral values, and the fact that I believe in a natural way of living. To me, the health aspect of it really just tends to be the result of natural living. If you live naturally, you will probably be a lot healthier, and I think that's pretty much common sense.

Unfortunately, it seems that my ideals are much misunderstood in our modern and oh-so chemically "enhanced" society. I'm just plain "weird" or "eccentric", even, for many of the values I hold dear.

This came to me because of a discussion on a message board regarding animal testing. And, as I was typing out my very passionate reply (obviously being against it) I realized that no one there would probably agree with where I come from in regards to not toying with nature to the point that we do. I feel that I am constantly repeating myself, when I try to point out that we as a human race have caused so much destruction to our world and to OURSELVES by persistently defying natural laws. It seems that we try to BE the law, instead, and I just think this is a really scary thing!

Many rawists understand that much of what modern science performs animal testing for, can be treated or even prevented through a natural lifestyle. I have heard so many success stories of diabetics and other chronically ill patients who have turned their lives around just by avoiding all the crap! Which is a large reason as to why I think that animal testing is downright cruel and unnecessary. A lot of the health issues we face in our world today are a result of our own lifestyles or our relatives lifestyles, etc. Obviously, this doesn't go for all things, but it seems that people keep running to and relying on pharmaceuticals to have a quick fix while they continue to lead toxic lives, and I just can't stomach it.

I understand that it isn't EASY to live a healthy life in the world today. Of course, it's much easier to be ignorant to the choices we make and how those choices affect our vitality. It was easy (but definitely not cheap) for me to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day at one point in my life. It was easy for me to chug soda after soda, scarf down pizza, and sit on my butt all day.

It was easy alright, until I found myself at the doctor constantly sick with chronic sinusitis, swollen extremities, pains of various sorts, constant digestive issues, etc. And of course, doctor after doctor would recommend a pill or something, but never would they tell me to change my lifestyle. I figured this out on my own.

At any rate, people tend to make excuse after excuse for keeping their filthy, self-destructive habits...but then when it catches up with them, they are devastated and want to save themselves at the very last minute.

Of course, I could fall ill myself, despite my taking care of myself. But you know what? At least then I will have known that I did everything I could, and it just be what nature had intended for me.

My point is, why do animals have to sacrifice their lives at our expense and especially for our own self-destructive mistakes?

On another note, I gotta say, it always makes me laugh, the attitudes of a lot of people that surround me whom have some icky habits of their own. A friend of mine and myself went frisbee golfing the other day and got on the topic of health, and I always give her hell about her smoking, because well, I'm her friend, and I care about her life. [and on a side note: Some might think it's better to hold your tongue and keep your opinion to yourself... but I think if you care about someone and you see them hurting themselves, it's your duty as a loved one to voice your concern for them...if you don't, afterall, what kind of friend are you? ] She made the classic comments like: "well, everything gives you cancer anyway!"

Oh boy. And IF she happened to get cancer, I highly doubt her attitude would be the same, and she'd probably regret every cigarette she ever smoked. Right?

"everything gives you cancer anyway!" = a statement that people make in efforts to make an excuse for their bad habit, so that they can lie to themselves a little to pretend that they don't really care. it's just justifying the behavior, and it isn't at all a logical school of thought.

She then says to me, another thing that a lot of other people often bring up when they are trying to justify their unhealthy habits, "Well I know of someone who got lung cancer who never smoked a cigarette in their life".

So? The rare occasion that a person gets lung cancer having never smoked in their life, validates literally BEGGING for lung cancer by chain smoking? This just makes no sense what-so-ever to me. It's such a black and white way of thinking, and it's again, just another way of the person trying to justify their habit.

I also pointed out to her that many other factors play into these diseases than just the obvious things like smoking. The hundreds of other products you consume, for one thing, also have an affect on your health, aside from sleep patterns, exercise, sunlight, a positive outlook on life, etc.

Said person who gets lung cancer without having ever smoked, may have also worked at a factory where the air is filled with toxins... or lived near a manufacturing company, etc.

And these are things that I do, and will always continue to also pay attention to in my life. I would never in a million years work in a facility where just breathing the very air might kill me. I will never choose to LIVE somewhere that isn't very sustainable for human life. These are all part of the choices we make everyday, and what we decide on can have a big impact on our fate.

I grow more and more frustrated everyday as I hear all my loved ones make up excuse after excuse for their self-destructive tendencies.... and then looking at ME like I'm the crazy one!

*sigh*

Like I said before, I understand that making healthy choices isn't always easy. It took me a few tries to finally quit smoking... and even longer to quit caffeine. I still miss a lot of things that I used to eat as a kid, and I probably always kind of will. But I definitely don't miss the impact that they had on my health, and the even bigger impact that they probably would have had if I would have continued it.

I know I'm not perfect, and no one is, but what I can't understand is not even being interested in TRYING to overcome your bad habits and take care of yourself. If you slip up sometimes and have a burger, or a coffee, I don't think you're a horrible person... but I cannot understand this overall COMPLETE lack of ambition to even CARE about what you are doing to your body. Yes?

Anyway!

Sorry for the lengthy rant, but it was something that I had to get out of my system, and I felt that this was the best place for that. I know that anyone who reads my blog who is interested in raw foods, will probably at least somewhat see where I'm coming from. And I hope that I'm right about that :)

In other news: it's Friday! and in just two days I'll be on my way to the Sunshine State! Thank god, because it's only 43 degrees out here today. When I scheduled the trip, I wondered if going in May would have much purpose, thinking that it would already be so nice out here by then... so I'm glad that I still get to feel like I'm getting away from the crappy weather!

I am still nervous about what food will be like out there, so I brought some non-perishable raw food bars and raw cashews just in case. I'm hoping they won't be necessary since my stomach isn't very fond of nuts, but it's better than eating some of the cheap, processed foods that I know they have there.

Woo hoo!

In terms of raw food, I'm concocting a "dressing" tonight for some zucchini noodles made of tomato, half an avocado, lemon juice, and spinach. I hope it turns out... I don't really know how it will all go together, but it seemed like it would be yummy. Hopefully it is!

Well, I won't be back until May 15th, so no blog updates for awhile. Hope everyone has a happy and healthy week!

xoxox

Hello everyone! Just 4 days until I am in Disney World... I can't wait! But I am so nervous about forgetting something, and I gotta be honest that I'm also a bit nervous of flying. I'm not afraid of a crash...rather it's almost a claustrophobia issue--being trapped in a vessel up in the air--

At any slight instance that I feel trapped, physically or emotionally, I lose it a little. It's the same reason I'm not sure I'd ever go on a cruise...

Anyway, I've been looking around online to make sure there's going to be food for me to eat. And luckily I've run across a few places like this...

"Harambe Fruit Market" in Animal Kingdom. I can't wait to eat all the fruit!

At any rate, I had been wanting tomatoes like crazy lately, and they were on sale for 99 cents a pound at my local grocery store, so I decided to whip up a little something inspired by this.


What I changed: I didn't use a pepper or celery, and instead of basil I used cilantro. I also used a half of a cup of fresh corn. I only used one tomato, and a half of a zucchini. It was good! I will be having more without the corn tonight :)And maybe I will try the celery though I still don't know where I stand with celery...

I actually think the corn upset my tummy a little. Since I went fruitarian I haven't had much of any problems with gas (which is downright crazy because I have always been really gassy, haha) but I got a lot after eating this, and I know it wasn't any of the other ingredients.

Anyway, speaking of all this food. I am going to have myself some oranges :)