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?!

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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!

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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)

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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...

evergreen's cinnamon roll soft-serve

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!=)

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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!!!