Peanut Butter Smoothie

If you want a smoothie with more than just fruit/water/leafy greens, try this Peanut Butter Smoothie. The peanut butter and hemp seeds are protein sources, which keep you feeling full longer than a fruit smoothie. At over 400 calories, yes, it could be a meal replacement..

I did add spinach into mine, but the greens are totally optional. Taste your smoothie without the greens first and see how you like it.

Peanut Butter Smoothie
- 3 frozen bananas
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon agave
- 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
-  a few dashes of powdered cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, if you use plain almond milk. Not necessary if you use
vanilla non-dairy milk)
- 2 cups leafy greens (optional)

Blend!

For the frozen bananas, there's two options:
1. Peel and slice ripe bananas, then put them in the freezer inside freezer safe plastic baggies.
2. Put ripe bananas in the freezer. Run them under hot water to peel the skins. Break bananas in half. Then put inside your blender.

And if you're having chocolate cravings, add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Then you've got a "Reese's Cup Smoothie."

Coming soon: Peanut Butter Smoothie's crazy rich cousin: Tahini Smoothie. :-)


◦

Peanut Butter Smoothie

Clementine Smoothie

Hi Everyone!

Here's a simple green smoothie for the holidays.
- 4 clementines
- 1 banana
- 2 tablespoons ginger
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 cups raw collard greens
- 1 teaspoon hemp oil
- water

Blend!

You can always add more of any fruit or greens, or even use another leafy green. If it's not sweet enough for you, add 1/2 of a peeled lemon and/or 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (the canned pineapple in its juice, not canned pineapple bathed in syrup). To replace hemp oil, use chia seeds, flax seeds, or coconut oil.

Let me know what you think.

Love,
Althea ◦

Clementine Smoothie

Green Smoothie Gone Wrong

I've had a copy of Everyday Raw Detox by Meredith Baird with Matthew Kenney for a few months. Visually stunning, beautiful to read, and inspirational, I love the whole vibe of the book. Long-time readers know I'm a Matthew Kenney groupie and proud of it. Completing his online raw chef training and eating at one of his restaurants are on my bucket list.

So I finally make something out of the book: a green smoothie called "Clean and Lean". The ingredients are fennel bulb, grapefruit, fresh mint, water, 1 date (optional), pinch o' sea salt, and 1/2 avocado.

This is what the final product looked like. And I didn't like it all. It was far too sour. I added not one more, but ten more dates to make a sweet enough to drink because I was not throwing food away.

The other problem was that my smoothie looked NOTHING like the one in the book! That photo is of a GREEN smoothie, not a vanilla milkshake. I used fennel bulb as the book said, but maybe I should have used its green stalk? Maybe more avocado? I don't know.

Dear "Clean and Lean" Smoothie, I have now re-named you the "What's Wrong With This Picture?" Smoothie.

Maybe next time.....

Love,
Althea ◦

Green Smoothie Gone Wrong

My First "Thickie"

No, a Thickie is not a sex toy. A Thickie is a smoothie that's thick, and meant to be a meal replacer. It's the brainchild of Katherine Natalia of GreenThickies.com. I found this by chance. I was reading an old email from Heather Pace of Sweetly Raw about her Caramel Apple Cheesecake, and at the very bottom she says, "I'm doing a 7 day Green Thickie Challenge."

I was like, "What the heck is a Green Thickie?" So off I went to explore this intriguing concept. Katherine's site is dedicated to both Green Smoothies and Green Thickies. Her personal story is here: How I lost 56 pounds on a Green Smoothie Diet.  

Finding this site was right on time. I'm in the middle of a modified fast. Liquid for breakfast and dinner, and a solid lunch. I'm juicing and doing smoothies and feeling great. I'll decide on Sunday if I'll do an all-liquid fast for a short period. I was worried if I could a fast again. I haven't been able to successfully fast since 2009. And then into my life comes Green Thickies.

I made Katherine's Healthy Apple Pie Thickie. This is considered a Dessert Thickie. Dessert or not, I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, so that's what I made! The picture above shows all ingredients except the raisins. The only thing I added were pre-soaked chia seeds. The recipe serves 2. I drank it all. Let me tell you, I am very full. And it was tasty. Like a pureed oatmeal and fruit breakfast.

I plan on making more Thickies, and sharing my experiences with you all. In the meantime, try this one, and show Katherine some love!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Non Dairy Milk (oat, rice, soya, almond, hemp, coconut drink or raw nut or seed milk)
• 1 Banana
• 2 Apples
• ¼ Cup Pecans
• ½ Cup dates (or any other dried fruit)
• 1 Cup Oats (use raw oat groats if following a raw food diet or oatmeal if you don’t have a powerful blender)
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Allspice/Mixed Spice

Instructions

1. Blend the ingredients in the order listed.
2. Blend the ingredients a few at a time so that your blender can cope with the work, unless you’ve got a high powered blender, then you might be able to add them all in at once.
3. If it gets too thick, add more water as necessary.
4. If your blender has made the smoothie too warm, you can either cool it down in the fridge or freezer, or add some ice cubes or frozen fruit to it (You may need to add more water as this will thicken it further).

◦

My First "Thickie"

Two Green Smoothies

Don't hate on my overly ripe banana! That's how I like them...with lots of brown spots. (I just wanted to get that out the way! LOL!)

These are two green smoothies from Green Smoothie Revolution. I can't give out the exact recipes, but the first one, as you see has kale, banana, ginger, apple, and water.

This one is watermelon, banana, lemon, and romaine. This is surprisingly sweet. I think it's the lemon that gives it a kick. I would definitely make this again before summer is over.

Love,

Althea

◦

Two Green Smoothies

Drinks that make you go "hmmmm"

...or more like "whooo!" or "ghaaa!" You know, juices and smoothies that make you pucker your lips together, then you say, "Damn, that's tart!" I've been saying that a lot lately. Sarma's "My Favorite Greens Shake" is bitter, sweet, and tart all at the same time. Would I make it again? Yes. Would I have ever thought to put grapefruit, cucumbers, lemons, limes, greens, sprouts, and stevia together in one blender? No. 

I only put 1/2 teaspoon of stevia because I'm in savory mode. The reader is free to add as much stevia or agave as she wishes. More of either sweetener would obviously make for a sweeter smoothie. In a few months, I'll add more stevia. I guess what I'm saying is for a non-alcoholic drink, it's got strong flavor.

This smoothie is made for the adventurous palate. Beginners, beware. You may never drink another green smoothie again. Intermediate and Advanced folks, blend away, and take your mouth on an unforgettable ride.

Skin Saver Juice: I'n not sure where I got this recipe from. Parsnip, celery, carrots, and green pepper. Again, I went "gaaah!" SAVORY!

Love,

Althea

Mocha Angel message:  Ask for clarity about a troublesome situation in your dreams. In the dream state, you are more receptive to messages than you are in the waking state. Give it a try tonight and see what answers are revealed to you.

◦

Drinks that make you go "hmmmm"

Raw Challenge and Your Produce Guy

Hi Everyone:

I hope you are all having a Merry December! There's a couple of things I wanted to share with you all.

On my intuition website, I'm offering 2011 Forecast Readings through January 30th. If you are interested, please go to www.altheahugheswills.com.

After three years, I decided to put a "donate" button on my blog. I make a whopping, are you ready for this?, twelve dollars a year blogging. I don't do it for the money. The Raw Mocha Angel is a labor of love
for me. If you feel like my blog has improved your life, and you feel moved to donate to its upkeep, then share whatever you are moved to donate. The button is here in this post, and on the right-hand side of my blog.

A few days ago, I got a YouTube friend request from Your Produce Guy. I checked him out and thought to share his YouTube Channel with you all. He teaches you  how to pick the best produce, and what to do with it once you have it. Your Produce Guy spent 16 years in retail produce sales and management. I don't know his real name, but he knows his stuff!

His YouTube Channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/YourProduceGuy

And my friend Chef Skai has a 21-day raw challenge that started on December 1. Join her on Facebook to follow everything!
Skai's YouTube Channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/yabbapot



Enjoy!
Love,
Althea ◦

Raw Challenge and Your Produce Guy

The Winners of Amy A's Green Smoothies

...are Jackie and Courtney!!!!!

Thanks everyone for entering :-)

Love,

Althea

◦

The Winners of Amy A's Green Smoothies

Amy A's Green Smoothies: Review + Giveaway!

Thanks to the power of Facebook, Amy Arnold, author of Amy A's Green Smoothies and I reconnected after 10 years. A lifetime ago, in the 1990s, Amy and I worked at America Online (aka, the Yahoo, Google, and Facebook of its day). Over a decade later, we both find ourselves in the wellness business!

Amy is the founder of VitalSelf, a health and wellness company in Virginia. (Make sure you read Amy's story here.) Her smoothie book was inspired by a challenge she made to herself. To celebrate her 44th birthday, she challenged herself to create 44 new green smoothies, one per day. She posted videos of her daily smoothies and inspired people all over the world. Now her smoothies are in a book! She even shares a few juice recipes too!

This slim volume is perfect for beginners. If you're like, "What is all this talk about green smoothies? Why should I be drinking them?" Then Amy's book is for you.

Her book includes:

-What makes green smoothies green?

-Top 11 reasons why green smoothies rock!

-The difference between green smoothies and green juices.

-5 steps to a perfect green smoothie.

All of her smoothies are funky, fruity, and kid-friendly. There's 62 recipes in all. My favorites are Summer Peach-Mango Delight, and Fresh HoneyRo (romaine lettuce and honeydew melon smoothie).

We are also gifted with 11 green juices, my personal favorites. You all know that juices rock my world. Amy's Green Lemonade (lemon, apples, ginger, garlic, kale and romaine) helped knock out my lingering cold.

This book is kid-friendly and colorful. The recipes are easy. There's no intimidation here. In short, Amy A's Green Smoothies is a lot of fun. You want to spend time with this book and experiment. Congratulations, Amy!

10 out of 10 Mocha Angels.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

TWO lucky people win ebook copies of Amy A's Green Smoothies!

- Leave a comment at the end of this post. Answer the question: “What is your children's favorite green smoothie, or your best smoothie for the "kid at heart?" :-)


- Leave a working email address that you actually check regularly. :-)

- If you have won a giveaway here in the last 6 months, you are not eligible to enter. (sorry!)


- Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Thursday, December 2, 2010.


- I will pick the winners at random at Random.org. The winners will receive an email from me on Friday morning, December 3, 2010. I will announce the winners on The Raw Mocha Angel blog on that same day. If I do not hear from the winners within seven days, I will draw another winner.

Good luck!

◦

Amy A's Green Smoothies: Review + Giveaway!

28-Day Detox Days 1-10

So I didn't win in my Black Weblog Awards categories. Was I highly disappointed? Yes. But I am grateful for you all taking the time to nominate me and to vote for me. And thank you to all the new subscribers I got as a result of the contest. I know I have a great blog, and I appreciate all of you reading my posts.

Now on to detoxing! This post is not about what I made out of Penni Shelton's book Raw Food Cleanse, but how I feel. I drank freshly made juices days 1-7, and smoothies, soups, and juices days 8-10. Despite being sick, not once, but twice, in that short time, I still feel good. (Four days after "it-who-has-no-name" was gone, I got a cold, or what I thought was a simple detox healing crisis. Oh, no. It couldn't have been that simple. Last night I spent six hours in and out of the bathroom with, guess what, diarrhea. It was big fun. Not! Rom just brought me some Oscilloccinum and Echinacea.)

Despite the bathroom fun, fasting brings a remarkable physical and mental clarity. The physical changes are:
1) I need less sleep
2) I have more energy
3) I've dropped 7.8 pounds
4) My skin is brighter

Mental changes are:
1) I wake up in a better mood.
2) I can think clearer

I have much, much more energy for my sons. And I can tell I'm not easily frazzled. I am a very busy woman with waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much to do daily. But I can handle the stressors better.


I truly believe everyone should fast at least some point in their lives. You will not regret it. Start slow. A one day fast, on a day you can stay home is a good start. I plan to do a five-day juice/smoothie/soups fast once per season. Maybe three days, maybe five days.

Days 11-28 of the cleanse is all raw food. I'll let you all know how it's going along the way :-).

Love,
Althea ◦

28-Day Detox Days 1-10

Carrot Cake and Green Drinks

Carrot Cake

This is the cake I made a few days ago. I adapted it from Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen.

Cake
7 carrots
1 cup walnuts (dry)
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked (I used Medjool)
3/4 cup raisins, soaked
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch sea salt
1-2 tablespoons agave

Blend carrots in a food processor (FP) until ground. Set aside in a large bowl.
Blend the walnuts until find in FP. Place in bowl with carrots.
Blend the dates until smooth. Add the spices and agave into the FP and blend well.
Add the carrots and dates back into the FP and blend until smooth.
Place batter into a bowl, and add the raisins. Mix well.
Place entire batter into a pie pan and a cake pan. ( I used an 8x8 square pan.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is from Have Your Cake and Eat it Too! by Monique Bastien.

2 cups cashews, soaked

Juice of one large lemon

1/4 cup agave or raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons water, orange juice, or another juice

1 tablespoon coconut butter (optional)

Blend all ingredients in an food processor. Add a little water at a time until smooth.

Here are two green drinks I made recently :

The Kitchen Sink Green Juice (on the right)

2 apples

4 celery stalks

cilantro

kale

parsley

1/2 lemon, peeled

Juice them all together. I call it kitchen sink juice because I used all the greens I had at the time.

Zing Smoothie

2 oranges, juiced

2 apples

1/2 a lemon or a lime

small piece of ginger

handful of parsley

Blend the orange juice and the other ingredients in blender. If it needs more liquid, add more juice instead of water. Enjoy!

Love,

Althea

◦

Carrot Cake and Green Drinks

Step Nine in the Raw Vegan Hero's Journey

9. I practice juice and smoothie fasting
Inspired by the mythical Hero’s Journey first compiled in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (photos are of famous, recognizable characters on their own journeys).

Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man drinking a green smoothie

If you're not including smoothies and juices, especially green smoothies and juices, in your raw vegan diet, you are missing a large component.

-From The Wheatgrass Book by Ann Wigmore: Chlorophyll is the blood of the plant...it is condensed solar energy. Chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus and the lungs. It is a tonic which, considering its stimulating properties, cannot be compared with any other.

-From Your Right to Be Beautiful by Tonya Zavasta: Our blood is very similar to green juice. The main difference between a molecule of chlorophyll in green juice and a molecule of hemoglobin in the blood is the central atom. Hemoglobin, the protein that makes our blood red, has iron as its central atom. Chlorophyll, the protein that makes plants green, has magnesium at its center.

-From Heal Thyself by Queen Afua: Chlorophyll detoxes and rejuvenates tissues, cells, blood, arteries, and nerves. The more we consume chlorophyll, in the form of eating green leaves like salad and herbs as well as green veggie juices and wheatgrass, the healthier our skin, hair, and bones, the purer our thoughts, and the more harmonious and healthy our relationships will be. Chlorophyll consumption brings heaven on earth...I would go so far as to say that if a community, a country, or even the world consumes chlorophyll consistently, we would see an end to world famine, dis-ease and war.

People ask me all the time, "How do I get started in raw food?" My answer is, "Add green smoothies and juices to your diet."

Get Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko (www.rawfamily.com) and any book on juicing.

What's the difference between the two?

Smoothies have fiber. All you are doing is blending fruits and vegetables and water, retaining the fiber in them. That fiber has to be extracted by your digestive system, which takes time. Juicing extracts fiber from the fruits and veggies. The digestive transit time is much faster than smoothies. In my opinion, one is not better than the other. They are simply different. (Anyone can feel free to comment about this.)

The most successful fast I did was fourteen days, from March 31 to April 13, 2008. The first seven days I did both smoothies and juices. The last seven days, I only did juice. To read about it, click here: Juicing. Scroll down 6 posts, and Days 13-14: Success! will be there. Scroll down to Inspiration: Terilynn. That is the beginning of the journey.


If you have never fasted before, start for one day. Then perhaps a three-day weekend. Regardless, you need to prepare your body for a fast. Cut down, or eliminate, acid-forming foods: processed foods, dairy, meat, sodas, etc. Eat more salads, and fresh fruits and veggies. You are making your body more alkaline. Trust me, if you go from eating french fries on Thursday to fasting on Friday, you will be hungry, cranky, headachy, and bitchy. Do yourself a favor and ease into a fast. Read as much as you can before you start one.

You will experience emotional breakthroughs you don't expect. When you stop eating, clarity comes rushing in. The mental, physical, and emotional clarity will knock you over.

Relating this to the mythical Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey, the best time to fast is when you are "in the belly of the beast." This is when you are the middle of some crap that feels like it's going to kill you. You can't see straight. Your life, or emotions, are dark. You've had it.

Movie examples of characters trapped in "the belly of the beast":
-Star Wars (the first one): Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Lea are trapped in the garbage section of The Death Star. The walls are closing in on them, literally. C3PO and R2D2 have to stop the walls remotely. The three leads are not physically strong enough to stop the walls from crushing them. Death is imminent. The robots stop the walls just in time.

-Finding Nemo: Marlin and Dory are inside a whale. It's dark. They feel trapped. Marlin believes all is lost. He will never be able to rescue his son. Dory, who also happens to "speak whale :-)", says, "if you promised your son that nothing would ever happen to him, then that's not realistic." Marlin awakens, determined to find Nemo.

-Toy Story: Woody and Buzz are trapped at Sid's house. Woody is stuck in a milk crate. Buzz is strapped to a rocket. Sid plans to explode Buzz the next morning. Their owner, Andy, is moving to a new house that same morning. It appears the toys will never see their owner again. All is lost. But Sid's mutant toys come to the rescue.

In all three examples, the protagonists are either about to die, literally or metaphorically. That is the belly of the beast. What follows is "resurrection." (The last three steps in this twelve step series reflects this truism. Remember, the Hero's Journey is a metaphor for life.)

Fasting will certainly resurrect you. It will heal your pain, and release energy you thought you had lost. It's a critical part of your raw journey. Be gentle, and ease into it when you feel you are ready.

Love,
Althea ◦

Step Nine in the Raw Vegan Hero's Journey

My Unconventional Thanksgiving

Shanelle and Ayoluwa at The Yabba Pot

For Thanksgiving last year, I made six entrees and two desserts, all from scratch (what was I thinking?). You can read all about it here:
http://therawmochaangel.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-i-made-for-thanksgiving-dinner.html

This year, I had NO desire to make a Thanksgiving meal from scratch. I do want to do a raw Christmas, and I'm planning that dinner now. But I was not feeling cooking, raw or not, on Turkey Day. Instead, I ordered a platter from the Yabba Pot in Baltimore. My family got to enjoy:

Vegan Turkee with Mushroom Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing Queens Greens
Mashed Sweet Potatoes…with crushed Pineapples and Coconut milk
Orange Mint Cranberry Sauce – from scratch!
Vegan Mac and Cheese
String Beans Almondine

And Ayoluwa and Shanelle looked so pretty that I had to take a picture of them. They were kind enough to say "cheese" even while the place was busy! Thanks, ladies!

This is Raymond at the restaurant with me. He could not WAIT to eat, so I let him try the food before we left to come back home.

Cilantro Sparkle and Basic Balance from Green Smoothie Revolution

So what did I eat? I mostly drank during the day. I wanted to keep my body light. I've been drinking smoothies from Green Smoothie Revolution. I asked Victoria Boutenko if it was okay to blog about my working through that book, as I am doing with Light Eating for Survival. She said "sure." But unlike LEFS, I won't be posting the recipes. I'll be sharing my experiences in terms of how I'm feeling, weight loss, etc., as I drink the smoothies. My favorite so far is Cilantro Sparkle. It's supposed to be a green pudding of cilantro, mango, and orange. Mine was more like a smoothie and it was fan-tas-tic. I like anything with cilantro in it anyway. Another hit is the Applesauce. I got Raymond to eat it, and that's his new breakfast.

One thing I've noticed is that I crave green drinks. Even if a smoothie or juice does not call for greens, I'll drop a few in there anyway.

Vegetable Elixir, Green Glow, and Waldorf Salad from Light Eating for Survival

Here's the recipes: (just put all the veggies and fruits through your juicer)

Vegetable Elixir
4 oz carrot
2 oz celery
1 oz beet
1 oz wheatgrass

Green Glow
4 oz comfrey leaves, parsley, spinach, celery
6 oz apple
mint to taste

Waldorf Salad
2 stalks celery
2 apples

More awesome, beautiful juices

I made more the next day. Rom's favorite was the Alfalfa-Pineapple Juice. He asked me for more, twice, and then said, "You got a future in juice." Alfalfa sprouts and pineapple juice may not sound tasty, but it is. I'd also thrown in a handful of romaine-parsley-cilantro-beet greens into the juicer. It's a refreshing, light drink that leaves you wanting more.

Simple Alfalfa Sprout Cocktail
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

High Iron Smoothie
2 cups apple juice
2 bananas
1/2 cup raisins soaked in apple juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lecithin (optional)
1/2 sesame seeds (optional)
Blend in a blender!

Alfalfa Smoothie
1 cup alfalfa sprouts1

1/2 cups pineapple juice
1 banana
Blend in a blender!

Liquid Light
1 part carrot
1 part apple
1/4 part beet
1/8 part wheatgrass
3 comfrey leaves

Green Blood
1 quart carrot juice
8 oz any green juice
1 oz celery
1 fresh tomato
handful of parsley
kelp and cayenne to taste (optional)

Rejuvenator
2 oz wheatgrass
2 oz rejuvelac

Sweet Grass
1 oz wheatgrass
3 oz pineapple

Up next: the winner of Easy Raw Holidays!

Love,
Althea

◦

My Unconventional Thanksgiving

And The Winner is.........

......Anastazia!!

You've won a free copy of Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I had 36 entrants, which is a record for my blog. The Raw Mocha Angel's 2-year anniversary celebration continues with another giveaway tomorrow.

Love,
Althea ◦

And The Winner is.........

Green Smoothie Revolution: Book Review + Giveaway!

My mom called me one day last year and exclaimed, “Iron Man drank a green smoothie in the movie!” “Are you serious?” I said. When I finally watched the movie on DVD, there was Robert Downey Jr. as uber-genius Tony Stark drinking a green smoothie as he feverishly perfected the design for his Iron Man costume. I thought, “Wow, green smoothies are going mainstream. That is too cool.”

The popularity of green smoothies can be credited to one woman: Victoria Boutenko.

She, her husband, and two of their children all became raw vegans in 1994 because of their serious health challenges. Since then, Boutenko has chronicled her family’s experiences, and helped millions of people (I’m one of them) in the process in books like Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening, Raw Family Signature Dishes, 12 Steps to Raw Foods, and Green for Life.

Anyone who is suffering medically, from anything, should read Raw Family. It is a powerful testament to a mother’s love and determination to heal her family. (www.rawfamily.com)

Green Smoothie Revolution is a follow-up to Green for Life, a serious scholarly effort heavy on research and science, short on recipes. Anyone skeptical about green smoothie benefits should read that one first.

In fifty-six pages of Part One of Green Smoothie Revolution, Boutenko takes the reader by the hand. Boutenko brings the ample research she is known for. She pulls in a chemist and a chemical engineer in the Smoothie vs. Juicing chapter, but keeps the tone conversational. You may not think that reading about how humans and chimps share 99.4% of the same genes is exciting, but it is! Boutenko has unlocked the missing component in human nutrition, and figured out a way to make greens, edible weeds, herbs, and sprouts palatable.

Her passion for healing is clear. In the chapter, Greens, the Key Ingredient in Human Nutrition, she writes: “Today, as we continue to increase the amount of processed foods in our diets, the level of public health is falling so quickly we can observe the dramatic plunge even in the course of one generation.” Boutenko compares the health of her generation of middle schoolers (she’s 54 now) and the health of middle school-age children now. The comparison was stark. It made me think about my own children, their peers, and their health. And there is a chapter dedicated to smoothies for children. (Make them a little sweeter!) Children get 23 recipes just for them!

In Part Two, the reader gets 200 recipes, cultivated from green smoothie drinkers around the world. I just wanted to dive in. So I did! I made Favorite Green Smoothie and Red Smoothie right away. And I’m drinking an apple, kale, lemon smoothie right now. How’s that for enthusiasm for this book?

There’s Smoothies for Beginners (for the new palate); Supergreen Smoothies (lots of wild edibles); Green Smoothies for Adventurous Souls (exotic, luscious smoothies); Savory Green Smoothies and Soups; Green Puddings, and Green Smoothies for Children, Pets, and Body Care.


In the Appendix, the amazing weight loss story of Clent Manich is documented by Clent and his doctor, Miven Donato, PT, DC. Clent came to Dr. Donato weighing 391 pounds, suffering from Type -2 diabetes, lower back pain, and sciatica. Clent is honest about his weight loss stops and starts. His transformation truly began when he added green smoothies and cut out animal products. You can’t help but be inspired by Clent Manich's testimony.

Victoria is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Her solution to great health is a simple one. With all the back-and-forth about Health Care Reform, all you need is a blender, greens, fruits, and water. Blend them up to create your own Health Care Reform. Go buy your copy of Green Smoothie Revolution TODAY.

10+ out of 10 Mocha Angels.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

One lucky person wins a copy of Green Smoothie Revolution!!

- Leave a comment at the end of this post. Answer the question: “What is your favorite smoothie?”
- Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Monday, November 23, 2009.
- I will pick the winner at random. The winner will receive an email from me on Tuesday, November 24, 2009. I will announce the winner on The Raw Mocha Angel blog on that same day.
- Good luck!

Love,
Althea

◦

Green Smoothie Revolution: Book Review + Giveaway!

Light Eating for Survival Blog Project

"Light Eating for Survival" Blog Project a la the movie Julie & Julia.

1 Year. 481 Recipes. 1 ambitious mama.

Day 7.

Today, I've got three drinks for you. Two are from Light Eating, and one is from Victoria Boutenko.

Spinach Mango Smoothie
1 peeled and chopped mango
1 handful or more spinach
water to taste
Blend
I can't remember which book by the Boutenkos I saw this, but this green smoothie is not for beginners, unless you like bitter smoothies. If you want it sweeter, add another mango, or perhaps an orange. But I enjoyed it. Perhaps my palate is getting used to green bitters.

Green Mint
8 oz. orange or carrot juice
1/2 cup fresh comfrey or mint leaves, or 1/2 cup mint tea
I used carrot juice and mint leaves. I am blessed to have mint growing in my backyard. This was a refreshing, easy drink.

Banana Ape
8 oz. orange juice
1 banana
2 apples
Blend.

I used one apple and added a little bit of water. WOW. This is fantastic. A true party in your mouth. Loved it.

I also made an green smoothie on the fly today. It was 1 apple, 2 bananas, and 3 handfuls of spinach. Add enough water to make it thin. Rom and I split it, and Raymond had mine. He actually liked it, and kept asking me to make him apple juice (to which I add spinach juice). I'm seeing that as long as the smoothie or juice is still sweet to him, he'll drink it.

Until next time!

Love,
Althea ◦

Light Eating for Survival Blog Project

Light Eating for Survival

"Light Eating for Survival" Blog Project a la the movie Julie & Julia.

1 Year. 481 Recipes. 1 ambitious mama.

Days 1, 2, and 3.

I've been saying for months that I need to eat more green, healing food. I've been downing salads and green juice, which has been good. The problem is that I've lacked focus on what to make. I have so many raw food books that sometimes it gets overwhelming. I'd said before I would focus on my favorite foods. I quickly realized that I am a foodie. I love trying new food. Sticking with the same stuff all the time was boring me.

When the movie Julie and Julia came out last week (I will see it soon), I was inspired. I thought, "huh, sticking with one book will keep my focus. I have a hundred things to do everyday. Maybe this will make preparing my raw meals easier." Rather than make all the recipes in a current raw food book, I was drawn to an undeservedly obscure and out-of-print book called Light Eating for Survival which I have owned for over a year.

Written by a then 21-year-old Marcia Madhuri Acciardo, in 1977, this is a true classic. With cover art and inside the book art by Peter Max, a book that originally sold for $6.00, now goes for $144.47 (the highest price I found) on Amazon.com.

I tracked down Marcia to get her permission to do this, and she graciously said yes.

I want this book to get more publicity. I don't know if it was the first raw vegan recipe book published, but it has to be one of the first. In the era of celebrity raw food chefs who push the most outrageously expensive ingredients and appliances, this book is unpretentious. No Vita-Mixes, no dehydrators, no drama. The ingredients that you can't find at your local grocery store: nutritional yeast, miso, slippery elm, comfrey, and other herbs, you can find in a health food store.

With 481 recipes packed into a slim, spiral bound 105 pages, I thought, "I'm up for a challenge. Why not? Life is good (way good). Let's make it better."

Presenting the first three days of my Light Eating for Survival Project: Lemonade

1 lemon juiced (I used 2)
3-4 cups of water (I used 3)
honey to taste (I didn't measure, but used enough until it was sweet to me)

I put everything in a mason jar and shook it. The only thing I did wrong was that I juiced the lemons with the rind on. Duh! It tasted great, but the longer it sat, I could feel the bitterness rising. Perhaps I should peel the lemons first! :-)

Heaven and Earth
1/2 carrot
1/2 apple
Juice

I juiced 2 carrots and 2 apples. I've always loved this combination. Sweet and simple.

Kid Friendly Smoothies:
Raymond loved these. When your child says, "Can I have some more?" you know it tastes good.

Date Shake
1 cup apple juice
1 banana
1/4 cup pitted dates
Blend

Carob Date Shake
1 cup apple juice
1 banana
1/4 cup soaked pitted dates or raisins
1 oz. soaked walnuts
1 tablespoon carob powder
Blend
I already had soaked dates in the fridge. Soak them until they are soft. I soaked the walnuts for an hour.

Pie Crust #4
2 cups mashed pitted dates

1 cup ground walnuts

1/4 shredded coconut

I mixed everything in my food processor until it formed a ball. Then I pressed it into a pie plate. Apple Pie Filling

8 grated Pipin or Cortland apples

2 chopped apples

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

2 tablespoon chopped walnuts (optional. I did use them)

1 lemon sliced

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon

coconut

Mix everything together. Spread on the crust. Sprinkle coconut on the top. Refrigerate.

I completely forgot to put shredded coconut on this pie! That is my bad. The only change I made was that I juiced one lemon and added it to the mix to my taste. I also ate it with a cashew cream sauce (2 cups cashews, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, agave to taste. Add water, just to the top. Blend.) This was melt in your mouth good. Me and my husband fought over the last piece. We like apple anything in my house, so making this was a no-brainer.

Until next time!

love,

Althea

◦

Light Eating for Survival

"Thank You For My Healing"

As promised, I jumped right back on the green wagon this morning. I've only had apple and banana smoothies today. I feel clearer than I have in a long time, which is good because Jona is not feeling well. He has slept most of the day. Raymond and I have hung out watching American Idol and Food Network Challenge: Last Cake Standing. (Raymond wants to be a chef. He loves Food Network.) Right now, he is seasoning Spanish Rice (seriously).

I realized something after I posted yesterday. I'd said that I was told I wasn't using my "magic" to heal all of my many situations. I'd said I was afraid of what people would think of me. I realized that it's the raw food, Angel messages, and healing that will propel me out of my difficulties. Am I a non-conformist? Without question. But a non-conformist with good intentions for herself and her loved ones cannot walk afraid.

As a confirmation of my realization, I got an email from We Like It Raw advertising a free ebook called 279 Days to Overnight Success by Chris Guillebeau. The name of his website?
The Art of Non-Conformity. No lie. The link is here: http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/

Don't you love how the Universe works?

In conjunction with changing my diet to raw vegan, emotional healing must be present too. That, for me, has been the missing ingredient. I've read about folks who have gone raw overnight. I am not that person. Being a raw vegan means healing your body, mind, emotions, and spirit. They all work together. Three without one equals a car that can't move. I have gone back and forth between raw and cooked, and I've learned that it's okay to be honest about my struggles rather than running from them in shame. There's nothing to be ashamed about.

Today, I did some cool stuff. My Mocha Angels book is ready to be published. If anyone has three to five thousand dollars they just HAPPEN to have sitting around and would love to invest in the sure-to-be NYT bestselling Mocha Angels: 365 Days of Angelic Wisdom and Affirmations, send me an email :-). My Angels always say manifest the life that you want by proclaiming it in the now. So I created a mock cover, front and back, and put it around Friendship with God by Neale Donald Walsch.

And I created a mock cover for Sage, my second novel eight years in the making. This is how you manifest. You come into alignment with what you want. You make it real and concrete. You commit to the outcome. These books ARE best-sellers. Not "will be", but "are." Keep your affirmations in the present tense. I wrote the blurbs from Oprah for Mocha Angels, and Steve Barnes, Tananarive Due, and L.A. Banks for Sage. I wrote the ISBN number, price, bar code, everything.

And for my body, I am saying "Thank you for my healing." I've been saying it to myself all day long and will continue to do so until it's a reality.

Thank you all for reading. You all are a wonderful group of readers. Thanks for the emails and comments of support!

Love,
Althea ◦

"Thank You For My Healing"

Challenges Along The Road of Healing

Days three and four of my "internal greening" went great. I had lots of smoothies, juices, and salads.

And then I fell off the wagon. Why? My response to challenges was not terrific. Everything happened all at once. On Saturday (April 18), in short, I was to get paid to cook for someone for 10 days. At the last second, she had to reschedule. It wasn't her fault, and the gig will happen soon, but the timing was horrible.

On Sunday (April 19), on the way to a birthday party, Raymond threw up in the car. Rom had to turn around and bring him home. I was at my yoga class...that no one showed up to. That night, my sister-in-law had a seizure.

We were watching "The Great Debaters" and we heard her moaning. We ran upstairs to see Laverne in the middle of an intense 10-minute seizure. We chose not to take her to the ER for two reasons: 1) with her last seizure in November, the hospital (supposedly one of the best in Maryland) released her the same day, with no diagnosis and no help. 2) Her then doctor gave her an EKG the next day. When it came back normal, the doc turned to me and said, "These things happen" and sent us out the door. I did not expect any help on Sunday. I knew it would be more of the same. I didn't sleep well that night.

On Monday, April 20, LaVerne had another seizure at her medical day program. Me and the kids went to pick up her and Ruby. A few hours later, I took Ruby to get some blood work done. Guess what happened? The engine light in the car came on. The car nearly stopped seven times. With loads of prayer, we managed to get her blood work done, and make it to the car dealer. I had planned to take LaVerne in today (Tuesday) to her new doctor, but it looks like her scheduled appointment for Thursday will remain.

With all of this happening, plus more, I was not doing well. The pressure was (is) immense. The good news was God/Universe/Creator was on the case. The car dealer is across the street from the library. Me and Ruby waited in the library for Rom to pick us up. My favorite librarian, Cherlyn, said, "There's something here for you. "

"Is it my movie?" I asked.

She looked for it. It wasn't shelved and they hadn't called me yet. "It's right here!" She'd pulled out "You Can Heal Your Life" the DVD. Perfect. Perfect timing.

I watched the movie this morning. I'd give it five thumbs up if I had five thumbs :-). Raymond even watched parts of it with me. If you want to be inspired, here's your movie. Louise Hay talks about her life's challenges and how she came to be a spiritual teacher. Other people are interviewed, but it's the real people, the cancer survivors, who really make it special. I love seeing other people who have conquered hurdles and have come out of challenges healthier and happier. Love, love, love this movie.

I have been holding back my "magic" as one of my colleagues at Mystickal Voyage, Dr. Gwen MacGregor, keeps telling me. We all possess the "magic" which is not what it really is. It's personal power. Sometimes I think, are people going to think I'm wacky because I strive to be a raw vegan, or that I say I receive Angel messages? I've been holding back, and not putting myself out there as much as I could.

Fear is cyclical. If I put out fear (I can't...what if people think....I'm worried about....etc.), I get more of that back. And life is a reflection of what we believe.

I have not been walking fully in my spiritual truth. No wonder I have foot problems.

My life is out of balance. No wonder my right hip is torqued forward, leaving me to walk with a tiny limp.

I get scared sometimes about money. No wonder financial opportunities get choked off.

So I'm not saying I'm making radical changes in my life. I'm starting with my thinking. I'm writing all this to say there is no shame in my game. It's okay to fall off the wagon. Thankfully, my legs work fine, so I can get right back on it!

And this was the Mocha Angel message I got this morning:I trust in the Lord for all my days. Truth is my name. Magnificence is my destiny. I manifest the life that I want by proclaiming it in the NOW. Living the life of my dreams is INEVITABLE!

Life is meant to be a luscious creation of love, joy, beauty, excitement, passion, and glory. It's not meant to be hard. That's a condition we put on life. Difficulty is a man-made creation. There will always be grief and sadness, because when our loved ones die, we will grieve.

But everything else....racism, war, meanness, slavery, gossip, control-issues, terrorism, those are all man-made issues. Any belief that limits us or separates us from one another is a creation of man, not of God. We are made in the image and likeness of our Creator. That means we are Creators as well. We can create a life that is worthy of us. A life that is...loving, joyous, beautiful, exciting, passionate, and glorious......

I create a beautiful life today.

Love, The Mocha Angels

And, Love,
Althea! ◦

Challenges Along The Road of Healing

Green for a While

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I posted! I went to Atlanta to see my family, which was very much needed. My mother was nice enough to have some green smoothies in the fridge waiting for me. Me and my children had a wonderful, albeit short, time with my parents, grandma, brother, and his girlfriend.

I had said I was backing off gourmet raw food to focus on healing. My healing. My perimenopause post hit a nerve, to my surprise. I did go green before I left, meaning everything I ate was green. This isn't a juice and smoothie fast necessarily. It's a focus on healing foods like green smoothies, green juices, energy soup, wheatgrass, Rejuvelac, and simple green salads and foods.

One of my intents of this blog was to offer simple recipes that anyone could make, regardless of income or kitchen skills. In my quest to get my hormones (and life) back into balance, I am reaching back to that original intention.

Yesterday, I had lots of water (I'm not keeping track, but I have two travel water bottles and a 16 oz glass I use around the house), green smoothies made of kale, apple, frozen peaches, banana, buckwheat sprouts, and water. Yes, I know the smoothie sounds scrumptious, but believe me when I say the fruit cuts the bitterness of the kale.

In Atlanta, I'd made Buckwheat Energy Soup.

1 apple or pear or 1 cup watermelon
1 teaspoon dulse (or nori or kelp, for minerals)
1 cup rejuvelac (or water or vegetable juice)
2-3 cups buckwheat sprouts
1/2 avocado

Blend together until smooth, adding avocado last. Adjust all ingredients to taste.
I know it looks like slop, but it tasted good (not great, just good).

Today I had lots of kale salad, green smoothies, apple juice, water, and 2 green apples.

I purchased soft wheat berries today, and I can begin making my first batch of Rejuvelac. It takes about four to five days to make. I'll keep track of it and report back when the first batch is made. Until then, I'll keep posting about going green :-).

Oh! And I connected with a Mocha Moms group where I live. I am SO happy about this. I met the group for the first time today. It turns out one of my yoga students is a member (I had no idea). This is REALLY good news for me. My children had a wonderful time, and I met some lovely women. I've been a member of Mocha Moms for almost seven years, but since I moved from the metro DC area, I haven't seen most of them in three years. (I'm not going anywhere Monica!) But I am THRILLED to have like-minded women near my home.

Love,
Althea ◦

Green for a While