Thursday, April 29, 2010

this week's re-cap

hi bloggies! i'm glad many of you found the previous post helpful. anyone give the coco oil a try? =)

lindsay from passion homemaking has asked me to post the link for the updated homemade deodorant recipe. it's pretty much the same thing, just more coconut oil.


some of you wanted to know why i add lavender to my baking soda face scrub. originally it was added because i have a lavender plant and love the scent.

after some research i found that lavender balances the production of oils, stimulates cell growth, and has anti-fungal and anit-bacterial properties to prevent acne. then i learned that the latin word for lavender is lavare, which means to wash! how 'bout that?!

***

seeing green

during a trip to natural health i picked up some discounted wheatgrass, among lots of other goodies. (all the green tags mean discounted.)


since i don't own a juicer i blended the wheatgrass with some water and strained through a nut milk bag.



wheatgrass ceiling art
this is what happens when you forget the middle piece of the vita mix lid!


(for those unfamiliar with the many health benefits of wheatgrass, you can read excerpts from the wheatgrass book by ann wigmore here.) 

the result was almost 2 quarts diluted wheatgrass juice. i added some to our morning smoothie and to biggie's food. i'm not crazy about the taste so i took shots of the rest.

speaking of biggles, i had a phone consult with a homeopathic vet today. after i digest all the information he gave me, i will do a post to share what i learned from the phone call and a new book i've been reading, dr. pitcairn's complete guide to natural health for dogs and cats.

 this is the feed-me face i wake up to every morning. she means business!

***
raw soup was on the menu almost every night. since i was out of ripe avocado, i came up with a variation of jennifer cornbleet's cream of cucumber soup, posted by the lovely joanna on the raw freedom community forum.


2 small cucumbers, chopped
2 chard or collard leaves
small handful basil or cilantro
small handful cashews
1 garlic clove
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 2/3 C. hot water (depending on how creamy you'd like it)

mix all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy. this recipe serves two.

we like to top our raw soups with wakame and chia seeds.

chia seeds are also great on salads. (we're going through our 2 pound prize quick!)


this was a yummy meal of gluten-free rice vermicelli with cooked veggies. our days are pretty raw up until dinner, where about half our dinners include cooked foods.

we love rice vermicelli, but i would like to get back into making zucchini pasta. i'm using the fact that john works outside in the chilly weather and wants to come home to a warm meal as an excuse, but i won't be able to use that one in the summer!=)

i've found that i really enjoy the combination of cooked asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. nom nom nom. the meal below was scrumptious! (again on a bed of rice vermicelli and topped with lemon and gina's hemp-esan)


***
our desserts have been mostly raw. when we want something sweet, quick and easy, we grab medjool dates or fresh fruit.

when i'm feeling a lil spunky i'll whip up a frozen treat in the food processor or vita mix, like...



or 

a vanilla milkshake


to make i blended 3 frozen bananas, about one tablespoon vanilla water, and a small handful of cashews, then topped with blueberries. mmm!=)

***
so what are your plans for the weekend?

saturday we have yet another religious family obligation function (a communion). i'm happy that we'll get to see our nieces and nephews. sunday we're going to a vegan potluck brunch (yay!). i'm thinking of making chocolate avocado pudding or a raw raspberry cheesecake. we'll see if i get my butt to the store in time! =)

have a happy friday!!!

12 comments:

  1. I have Dr. Pitcarn's book! I looked in it but not much about tooth abscess. I will keep it out for a refresher as it's been awhile since I've read it.

    I am scared of discount wheatgrass. Hope it was not too old. I have heard of people doing the blender thing with it but some books say it doesn't break down the cell walls. Better than nothing I think.

    Love your meals and cinnamon roll ice cream!

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  2. oh there is nothing worse, well for me, than having family (religious) obligations that you are just roped into and they suck up half the weekend. ugh for you.

    as for the 4 lb dumbbells, loved that! and also heart, brain, tongue. check. loved that's your fave parts, i would say i kinda agree for myself, too!

    And cinny roll softserve, and this cuke soup...what a great post of yum!
    xoxo

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  3. bitt - the vet told me yesterday that infections or excretions are the bodies way of cleansing itself (i was concerned about biggles ear gunk). he said we should let it run its course, but take measures to soothe them. i hope zuki isn't feeling any more pain in his tooth, poor thing.

    thanks averie! i shouldn't complain - we're not actually going to the church this time, and i love any opportunity to see the little ones in the fam. oh, and the adults too. =)

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  4. i wish i could get into raw soups...i can't do it...it's kinda like my aversion to flax seeds!! it really sucks!!!

    nice eats! and i am going to buy that book! anything i can do now to help jackson along in his lifetime would be wonderful! i hope biggie feels as good as new very soon!

    let me know what you end up bringing to the potluck!! and i'm not a big fan of the family "obligations" but i love seeing everyone...although with john's family, there is always something going on...i think i know his family better than my own!!!

    have a beautiful weekend!

    =)

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  5. hey nelly! i like when the soups are a little warm, and having something kind of crunchy in there like wakame helps. then it's just like creamy tomato soup with crackers!=)

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  6. Love the berries in the smoothie :-)

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  7. Dr. Pitcairn's book is a very informative. We have been feeding our dog homemade puppy chow for quite a while now and he seems to be thriving on it. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject, especially regarding cats.

    As always your meals look so delicious. I like the ceiling art.:)

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  8. hey shannonmarie! i loooove berries.=)

    hi mr. h! i'm sure your puppy loves his homemade chow, and will love long and healthy on it!

    mrs. biggles is a very picky eater, so we'll see if i can create something she'll eat!

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  9. Well, the green juice certainly looks pretty! And oh yes, quite familiar with the ceiling art...and cupboards. :) Love the face of Mrs. Biggles. She does mean business! ha ha! Love it though...priceless. That's so cool about the lavender too.

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  10. What a great week! I love getting organic stuff on discount:)Thank you for telling my about the natural pet guide. I'll have to check that out! mmm raw soup love it! And your raw desserts..yum!

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  11. I've been really curious about animal friendly pet food, as well as homeopathic meds. My poor kitty barely eats. He whines and whines and whines like he's hungry but he won't eat. The fam has tried everything. So any info will be greatly appreciated!

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