A Recipe and an Update

I'll start with the recipe in case you don't care to read on. ;) This comes from Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding kids right.

Mild Bean Chutney
1 c diced tomatoes
1 c shredded green cabbage
1 c shredded carrots
1 c diced green peppers
1/2 lemon
1/2 c diced red onions
1 c frozen corn, defrosted
1 c chickpeas
1 c frozen green peas, defrosted
1 t cumin
1 T wine vinegar
1 t Mrs. Dash
1 t garlic powder
1 c kidney beans
1 c black beans

Add the tomatoes to a small covered pot and steam the shredded cabbage, carrots and green peppers for only 5 minutes on the lowest flame possible in the pot. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon and the onions, corn, peas, spices, and beans. Serve cold on top of shredded lettuce.

Will I get kicked out of the club if I admit I served it all warmed through on brown rice? And, I used canned beans, so I didn't want to waste the bit leftover after a cup. So it made a ton. But it was good. My kids all ate it without a fight, and even though I could tell Brandon didn't love it, he did say it was good and he would eat it again. And I do think the leftovers will be lovely cold on a salad today.

Now for the update......for anyone who's dying to hear about the new Vitamix. I LOVE IT!!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of my green smoothie for you this morning but my camera is dead. It was good; a splash of OJ, banana, a blend of frozen strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple, spinach, flaxseed, and spirulina. We also had a little homemade granola with almond milk, (which Andrew said looked like dog food, but he still ate). The vitamix has made it so easy to eat things raw that we otherwise would have a hard time with in much quantity. It's definitely kick starting us into eating lots of veggies. Plus it can do all sorts of things like make nut butters and is an awesome food processor.

So our new lifestyle is consisting of lots of green smoothies and veggie juices, salads, and dinners like Dr. F's posted above. And making Em's raw treats. I feel so great! I finally have some energy coming back, and the best part? I feel so full! Even though I don't feel guilty about Emily's treats, I have one and I'm good. There's no internal fight to stop. And when I went to Walmart last night to stock up on more fruit, I walked right past the doughnuts and the Easter candy and thought, "Nah....not hungry." It feels great not to feel so "weak" in that area. My skin has cleared right up again as well. And I LOVE almond milk. MMMMMM......tasty. Even Paige has come to like having salad with me. The boys still prefer veggies and dip, but I'm sneaking enough greens in their smoothies that it's okay. I even had one chalk full of broccoli the other day and they thought it was so cool. Drank it right up. I'm hoping to move ever closer to being raw....but for now I feel like we're doing pretty well. No more dairy! YAY!!! That was huge for us. Next up will be learning to sprout grains, and dehydrate things. Do you do that Emily?

Oh and by the way.....if you can afford it, spirulina is SO COOL. No more B12 worries!

Emily, I'm so glad you're posting again....I'm trying all your stuff. I wished I lived closer to you so I could learn from you. Maybe I'd have done all of this a lot sooner. :) My husband is especially appreciating the treats. He thought "raw food" meant that he'd be gnawing on carrots and cabbage all day.....and that everything would taste like cardboard.

Thanks for all your support ladies! It's good to have friends like you. ;)