rawktober: day seven

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YOU KNOW IT'S A BAD DAY WHEN YOU PUT YOUR BRA ON BACKWARDS AND IT FITS BETTER.

unknown

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I don't wear bras. Firstly (and perhaps sadly?), because I don't need one. Secondly, because they're uncomfortable. Thirdly, because they're are hassle to remember to put on and take off. And lastly, because I just don't want to. A MindBodyGreen article I stumbled across today confirmed my decisions- bras aren't that great for you, anyway, apparently. My mum has been preaching to me for YEARS about how saggy my breasts (what breasts, mum?) are going to get in the future if I continue not to wear bras, but hey, according to numerous sources that include MindBodyGreen and LiveScience, wearing a bra should by no means be a necessity. If anything, it could even be more detrimental to our body than advantageous. Have a read, and unclip that shit gurl!

     Since you're probably busy burning your bra collection, here's a quick and easy salad recipe you can throw together for dinner.

no better way to wake up on a rainy saturday

Fruit in the morning is my favourite. Especially bananas. I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps lately, I feel like I'm about to come down with something, but it's only hit me 3/4 of the way. It's a pretty crappy feeling. I resisted the urge to gobble down some snickerdoodles and decided to prepare myself a lovely fruity "cereal-less" bowl instead. And now I'll move on to my favourite chocolate-kiwi-kale smoothie, and I'll be set for the day!...hopefully.

Although this so-called "recipe" is basically just throwing a bunch of the fruits you have on hand into a bowl and topping them with non-dairy milk, here's my combo this morning:

Serves one

1 banana

1 plum

1 nectarine

6 strawberries

handful of blueberries

1 cup of non-dairy milk (or yoghurt)

Dice the fruit, toss in a bowl, and feel free to garnish with nuts, toasted buckwheat groats, coconut, peanut butter, or agave. Get creative! ;)

lick yo lips pumpkin spice mocha

As you can probably already tell, I've got an abundance of leftover pumpkin and I'm not afraid to use it! On with the pumpkin recipes, shall we?

For a little over a one cup serving

3/4 cup strong coffee

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (eg. coconut- yum), or more

1/2 banana

about 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, or add until desired thickness

vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

1-2 tbsp cacao powder

sweetener, to taste

Dunk everything in your blender and combine until smooth and frothy. One word: nom.

raw pumpkin pie porridge

I always do this. I start eating clean, I feel clean, I feel great, and then I go and eat 3 muffins in a day (despite cravings for fresh fruit and veggies) and I wonder why I've got a stomach ache and a sore ego. And so then I resolve to start eating more living foods again- I keep that up for a while, and the same thing happens. Oh well, that's life. Either way, today was muffin day. I'm not feeling so fly on the whole; maybe my lack of clean foods lately isn't helping me fight off this bug that seems to be taking over my body. So, I decided to blend up some raw, healthy porridge to have ready for the next few days in case I'm too bed-bound to prepare anything else!

Based off happyhealthylonglife's recipe.

Enough for 3 small servings, but top them off as you wish!

1 + 1/4 cup soaked buckwheat* (measured after soaking)

3 oz non-dairy milk (a little over 1/4 cup)

1/2 large banana

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp chia seed

vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice etc.

sweetener, to taste

In your blender or food processor, combine 1 cup of the soaked buckwheat groats (reserving the remaining 1/4 cup) and the remaining ingredients, processing until smooth. Stir in the leftover groats. Sprinkle with some coconut, walnuts, and more fresh/dried fruit. Eat it up, and/or refrigerate the leftovers.

*For some simple, uncomplicated help with soaking, click here!

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EVERYONE THINKS OF CHANGING THE WORLD, BUT NO ONE THINKS OF CHANGING HIMSELF.

leo tolstoy

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nutrition (1/3 of recipe):

168.5 kcal

fat 3.3g

carbs 22.4g 

protein 5.6g

chocolate & vanilla kale smoothie variations

When you can't decide on breakfast, have it all - a saying I live by. The other day, I decided to have raw crepes, raw buckwheat cereal, a smoothie, and a raw bagel with avocado mash for breakfast. 

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EAT BREAKFAST LIKE A KING, LUNCH LIKE A PRINCE, AND DINNER LIKE A PAUPER. 

adelle davis

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Okay so maybe I haven't been entirely true to that statement lately-- I feel as though I've been dining majestically at all meals. But hey, who's to judge? Either way, part of today's breakfast included some smoothies that I never thought of trying before. You see, usually when I think of smoothies, I think of loading in everything I can to make it the most nutrition-packed green goodness possible. I guess "keeping it simple" never crossed my mind, even though I've heard claims that the simplest smoothies are, in fact, the tastiest. Halfway through my blending this morning, I decided to pour out some of my original smoothie into a cup, and add a few more ingredients to the rest to test out a few new flavours. The verdict? Heaven. And for those of you who aren't completely in love with kale (yet) like I am, great news: You can't even taste it!

Note: don't question the kiwi, just throw it in. You can thank me later ;)

The recipes: 

Make one cup of thick smoothie each, or 2 cups thin (if you dilute it with some more milk)

Basic vanilla shake

1 cup kale

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 banana

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of cardamom

sweetener, to taste

Chocolate kiwi shake

1 cup kale

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 banana

1 kiwi

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cacao

pinch of nutmeg

sweetener, to taste

Blend together, pour into glasses, and savour the deliciousness. 

sweet & sour portobello "steak" and cauliflower/carrot mash

Based off Quiche-a-week's delicious recipe. Details to come!

carrots gone dry?

No recipe today, but a fantastic tip that I wish I knew about ages ago! Do your carrots dry up too, when you keep them in your bag all day? Well I've got a solution for you! Slice in some bell pepper and store them in your snack bag along with the carrots- they'll keep them moist plus you've got yourself some more healthy snacking! Win-win, folks.

carrot pasta with creamy dressing

Today's been a tough day. PMS and complete exhaustion don't go hand-in-hand. I tried to cheer myself up by spreading some joy, but my speech failed me and I ended up complimenting a random chick on her "awesome boobs!" instead of boots... Sigh. A compliment's a compliment, I guess, even though I did come off as a massive creep. The minute I got home I fixed me up a delicious raw dinner -- and gobbled it down before I could even snap a photo or two. Below is my variation of the recipe, and here's the inspiration. One Vegan Bite's also got a picture of it on the post to tickle your tastebuds.

Serves one.

1 large carrot, spiralized or cut on a mandolin and sliced into "noodles"

some kelp noodles

2 tbsp milk (I used flax)

2 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp Dijon mustard (because it's my favourite condiment; although I 

          can imagine that the almond butter originally called for would be

          quite delicious here as well)

1 mushroom, chopped

handful of broccoli, chopped (or any other veggies)

sprinkling of 1/2 nori sheet, crumbled

pinch of kelp, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and garlic powder

Prepare the carrot and throw in some kelp noodles; set aside.

Combine the 3 sauce ingredients and pour onto the "noodles." Allow to marinate and soften them while you prep your veggies. Shouldn't take long- devour!

nutty coconut broccolini and sprouts-fry

Delicious vegan 5-minute dinner! Can be low-calorie (substitutions below).

Serves one generously

1 tbsp peanut oil, or water
3 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp miso paste
1 tbsp crunchy peanut/almond butter
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1/8 cup light coconut milk, or other milk
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 1/2 cups broccolini

optional:
garlic powder
nutritional yeast
red pepper flakes
black pepper
kelp granules

Heat the onion in a pan until transparent, either in oil or water. Add miso paste, milk, and nut butter; next, throw in sprouts and broccolini, drizzling them with soy sauce and additional toppings. Heat through and devour!

per serving:
430 kcal (calculated using oil, nut butter, and coconut milk)
311 kcal (calculated using water, nut butter, and coconut milk)
252 kcal (calculated using water, nut butter, and unsweetened almond milk)
Remove an extra 100 calories if excluding the nut butter; I can't vouch for the authenticity of taste when these substitutions are made!

single buckwheat banana muffin

Inspired by chocolate-covered katie's recipe.

for the muffin...


1T buckwheat flour
1T coconut flour
1T Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free flour
1/4t baking powder
pinch of baking soda
pinch of salt

2T mashed banana
1T applesauce
1/2t vanilla extract
2T almond milk
1t agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients and the wet in separate bowls, mix together, and place in a muffin cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is browned.


for the frosting...


2T mashed banana
1T Toffutti cream cheese
1T silken tofu
1/2t vanilla extract

optional:
1/2t matcha powder
1/4t spirulina
1/4t chlorella

Mash and whip together ingredients with a fork, smother on the muffin.