life on my plate

I’ve been told that I am crunchy granola; You know the kind I am talking about. Tree-hugging, hemp-wearing (and eating), patchouli-scented, hair-braided hippie granola. The kind of granola that is raw, earthy, nutty, full of fresh berries on top, or bananas. The kind of granola that is going to school to be a Master Herbalist. Yeah. Awesome.

Well, as if all those other things weren’t enough, we’ve been using essential oils much more recently. I’ve used them in my family and with my clients. What a difference they have made!

Not all oils are created equal, however. Here are the ones I prefer to use. (So much so that I sell them to clients, and wanted to offer them to you, too!) If you are interested, please feel free to click on the products and check them out. Email me with any questions you might have, or concerns.

The reason I love these oils is that they are harvested in the place of origin. That’s huge! In our world, so many things are shipped from forever away. When we actually get the herbs/plants from their original place it preserves so many more of the qualities that are inherent in each of them.

I also love that they are tested twice. They are not just cut, harvested and distilled. They are actually tested two times for quality. If it isn’t good enough, it all goes in the trash. No weeds, no seeds, nothing impure can be in the batch that is processed. I love that!

They are affordable! Some oils are outrageously expensive- and the properties are not the same, so you are paying for weeds and seeds and the herb/plant oil that are you are purchasing. Yuck.

They really do heal. It’s such a beautiful gift when simple means can heal a family and there is no cause for panic or an unnecessary dose of antibiotics.

This isn’t the last post you are going to see from me on oils, I can promise that. There are many more to come. This is something that is on my plate right now… and in my life that I love. How could I not share it with each of you?

Congratulations to John Schlesser- the winner of the sweet treat giveaway! I will contact you this week and we can talk details.

Tomorrow, I’m going to feature a recipe for some delicious beet ravioli. It’s a raw recipe, and it’s a nutrient-packed powerhouse entree that is sure to awaken your taste buds.

Cue the music, and tie up the helium balloons; lifeonmyplate.com is one! Yep, we’re celebrating a year of being here.  To celebrate I’m doing a giveaway. I happen to LOVE this edible delight that I am giving away, too. It’s raw, and yummy, and the woman behind it couldn’t be any nicer if she tried. I met her this past weekend and was blown away by the energy that she has! (Have I built this up enough? )

Her name is Melissa, the one behind Raw Melissa desserts. Here’s what you need to do to get in on this giveaway:

Post a comment telling me what your favorite raw dessert is. A winner will be chosen at random. (My two-year-old daughter will pick a number and that number will be the one who wins.) If you are the winner your name will be announced here on Friday. You have until midnight on Wednesday to submit your favorite raw treat. If you are chosen, you will be given one of her fabulous creations: macaroons. Check out her website if you want to see what else she has to offer: rawmelissa.com

So go ahead, tell me what your favorite raw dessert is. Maybe we’ll feature it on here, giving you all the credit of course. Best wishes to you all!

I realize I promised to type another blog… but then it hit our family: the dreaded food poisoning. My poor husband is throwing up as I type this. It’s lasted a little longer than usual, but we’ve pinpointed it to some raunchy (Organic, even) lettuce we picked up from Wal-Mart in a pinch because of a time crunch. (I know, it’s not typical of me to shop at Wal-Mart, and this sealed the deal to not shop there again. I will stick to local organic growers.) So, in lieu of the food poisoning, I’m blogging now- a little later than anticipated.

I feel like it is probably best if I go ahead and talk about the importance of knowing where your food comes from. I’ve heard it termed “shaking hands with the those that feed you.” I love that idea. And in the summer it is the perfect time to explore your area CSA’s, or your local Farmer’s Market. We have six near me. Yep, that’s right six! And honestly, I am sure there are many more that I am forgetting.

We recently spoke to one of the growers (an Organic cherry grower) and she said that we can buy in bulk from her at nearly 25% off what she sells the cherries for at the Farmer’s Market. Since we eat a higher raw food diet, it makes sense for us to buy produce in bulk in some cases, especially because it can be frozen for yummy raw smoothies later! All of the vendors with whom we’ve spoken have all said they would do at least 25% off, and some up to 40% off the price if we buy in bulk. This is GREAT news! It never hurts to ask, right?

Bottom line: help keep the little local guys in business. Know where your food comes from; ask questions about the soil conditions, standards of farming that they use, how they pack their produce, or anything else you want to know. It’s food that you are spending your hard earned money buying- you deserve to know as much about it as possible. Your health is worth it!

P.S.- Stay tuned for giveaway information, and classes that are coming up in my area! Hooray, lifeonmyplate.com is almost one!

Oh, I am embarrassed! I can’t believe that I went this long without posting. Well, I guess it might give you some insight into my crazy life lately. Here is what has happened during the past two weeks:

We celebrated our 3-year anniversary yesterday: Awesome!

I’m cleansing- which is great, but I forgot how it can hit you from out of nowhere and just wipe you out for a few days.

We just purchased 2 cases of organic oranges from a local market for $12/case. Yes, I am totally serious. I couldn’t believe it either!

My daughter who was potty trained decided that she was done being potty trained and has since demanded diapers. (If we have been more forceful and put her in underwear, she uses the bathroom in them and then tells us that she did so.) Frustrating.

I’ll be posting a bit more later… a year in review if you will, as we are celebrating a year of lifeonmyplate.com next week! For now, time to get back to studying for a big exam.

I’ve been asked this time and time again: How do you eat the way you do and not crave junk food? You want the nitty gritty truth? I do crave junk food, but seldom do I give into those cravings anymore. Instead I replace the junk with healthful alternatives for me and my family.

Chocolate is delicious, right? Can it be healthful? Absolutely. Combining chocolate with peanut butter is something we all are familiar with. Together those two create a treat that has been marketed and sold to hungry consumers for years. Since we don’t eat these tasty, albeit sugar-filled, little bombs morsels, I created something similar for my own family to enjoy this nostalgic treat from childhood once in a while. It’s vegan, it’s delicious, and I feel like it is even better than the original.

It’s easy- melt vegan chocolate chips and pour a little mixture into baking cup molds and swirl half way up to coat the liner. Next, take raw almond butter with a pinch of salt and a dab of honey and layer that on top. (See where this is going?) Top off with more melted chocolate and let sit in the refrigerator until firm. They are ready to eat, and oh so delicious.

As yummy as they are, I still don’t recommend eating them daily, but for a treat that is better than your average chocolate peanut butter cup, you can’t go wrong with this, and it’s so much better for you because it doesn’t contain additives or the dreaded High Fructose Corn Syrup! (That is another post for another day.) Looking to take this recipe to an new level? Try using raw chocolate! Truly delectable.

We’re going to be traveling this week, so I will be blogging from another location, but pictures will accompany my posts AND there will be a giveaway! Details will follow early on next week.

What’s your favorite “replacement” treat? I would love to see your ideas, so leave me a comment.

The party was a success. But I am exhausted. I mean, I am totally beat! It was great, and the party itself was relaxing, but everything leading up to it was.. let’s just say challenging. My muscles ache from standing in the kitchen for 10 hours, but it was worth it. Look at the smile on that little face. Priceless, really.

To recharge my body after an awesome evening, I’m going for a 4 mile walk today, and then I’ll treat myself to a wonderful lunch at Omar’s Living Cuisine. Oh yeah- that will be perfect. If you are in the area, I would definitely check out the place- it’s got a happy-enough-to-heal-your-heart feeling that hits you as soon as you walk through the door. Beautiful.

I typically write about food/health, but today I couldn’t resist to write a quick post about what happened while I was getting things ready for the afternoon. Eden was in her chair, happily eating lunch, all of a sudden she was upset. I couldn’t figure out why. So she happily snuggled into my arms, and I was off to finish what I was doing prior to snuggling a toddler. No sooner did I put her down than I noticed something green in her nose- bright green. Upon closer inspection I discovered peas- not one, but two, in one nostril! We removed them carefully, but I am still panicking about whether or not there are more. I mean, how many more could there be, really?

We’ve managed to make it almost 2 years without a foreign object making its way into her nose. If this is a sign of the things to come with motherhood, I am afraid I might need to learn a bunch of new skill sets pertaining to this role I live daily.

My daughter will be two on Thursday. She’s growing up SO fast. She’s also requested a tea party for her birthday party. Yep, a tea party-complete with herbal tea and finger sandwiches. My only problem is translating a menu for her tea party into something that other toddlers will gobble up rather than decide to send my creations flying onto the floor or smash them into my cream colored carpet. I would like the parents to enjoy the food, too. So many people turn up their noses at the though of something being -gasp- vegan; I set out to change their minds. My original idea was an all raw dessert bar, but that idea has been put on hold for someone else.

Here is what I have come up with:

Raw almond butter and strawberry jam tea sandwiches
Dill cucumber tea sandwiches
Fresh fruit skewers
Bite-sized raw walnut butter fudge
Carrot raisin cupcakes with cardamom icing
Banana bread cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting

Her birthday cake was the hardest to decide on; mainly because a couple of the kiddos coming to her party have nut allergies. I thought about making a raw vegan cheesecake because she loves it, but the base of it is nuts, so that is a no-go. I opted instead for two different kinds of baked vegan cupcakes. (They don’t have bleached flour, only sprouted grain or whole wheat, and they contain no added sugars. Not a total loss for a birthday treat, right?)

Here is the recipe for one of my cupcakes. Post a comment if you want the other recipe.

Carrot Raisin Coconut Cupcakes

1 1/2  cups sprouted grain or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup agave
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup palm shortening (non-hydrogenated) 0r 1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 can (about 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup shredded coconut
raisins to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, baking soda, spices, baking powder, and salt. Add the remaining ingredients,  and mix well. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. When they are cooled, feel free to frost them or eat them as they are.

Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz vegan cream cheese, room temperature
2 t ground cardamom
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup coconut oil

Mix together until fluffy and pipe onto cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. So delicious.

Everyone in my family loves sweets; and really, what family in America doesn’t? I really don’t love the products that come pre-packaged, though. They’re too full of who knows what- and I don’t want to put that into my body, or the bodies of my family members. So, I’ve been tinkering with a few new recipes, and yes, I finally did it; I made raw vegan cannolis today for our dessert. I should have taken photos! They were truly inspirational. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make these delectably sinful treats for some time now. I continued to get tripped up on making the shells taste like cannoli shells and still keep them raw. It took some tweaking, but I think I’ve created my perfect recipe.

Perfect sweetness, perfect creamy filling, perfect for anytime.

Cocoa Cannoli
Shell
1 cup ground golden flax seeds
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup raisins (soaked for 20 minutes)
4 dates (pitted and soaked for 20 minutes)
2 cups water

Drain the fruit you have soaking and add all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth with an S-blade. Place in thin rounds on the dehydrator fruit leather sheets. Dehydrate for about 4 hours at 105 degrees. Then carefully peel them back and roll them into a cannoli shape, sealing the edges with water. Place back in the dehydrator for about 2 more hours until just crisped.

Filling
2 cups raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons raw coconut butter
enough agave to thin to desired consistency

Drain cashews and place all ingredients into food processor- reserving agave. Blend, and while bending drizzle in agave until you have a creamy consistency. It should look similar to ricotta filling.

Fill shells with cashew filling and dip ends into raw cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips. Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge or eat while they are still a little warm.  Makes 26.