Week 2...

So...I've completed week 1 and 2 of the 28 day detox. Week 1 went really well but the beginning of week 2 was challenging and here is why...
The new detox week starts on Saturdays, I had a social event on the Friday night, the end of week one. On the elimination list was alcohol. This I did not eliminate on week one, so figured I was good to go for the Friday night party of fun. I was however, determined that this was going to be a little test for me to limit the amount of alcohol I drank. I was even going to avoid my usual tipple of vodka and diet coke (which is ironic as I don't even like fizzy drinks but drink it as I once read ions ago that this combibation was the lowest calorie beverage and that is why I drink it!!! Insane)
Did I achieve this? YES I DID!! In total I had 4 drinks spread out between 8pm and 2am. I was impressed with myself especially as it was free drinks at the bar we went to!!
The next day I was hangover free, but I was in total bad carb city...having jam on toast for breakfast...it all went down hill from there until about Monday morning when I decided that I needed to sort myself out, especially as the tummy problems and groggy tiredness was creeping back in.
So since Monday, I have been eliminating all things from the list! ! I am still having about one cup of coffee a day as by mid afternoon I am getting a withdrawal headache...green tea isn't even stopping that at the moment. With my husband being out of the house a lot at the moment, and me chasing after a 2 year old,  I don't have time to deal with the withdrawal just yet. But I shall get there...soon.
In preparation for week 3's smoothie and juice fast (which started today) I was having a smoothie for breakfast, juicing up to 10 oranges, 4 carrots, 1 apple and 1 cucumber and drinking that for lunch and having a major green salad with sweet potato at night. I would then possibly have another juice before bedtime.
I'm feeling great!! I have better mental clarity,  and I feel like I'm not holding onto any major water weight. So less puffy or something..
I haven't done any exercise as I said earlier, my husbands out a lot working or working on his project, which I support fully,  but I'm a single parent right now with no outside help. ..so for now its just me and ma boy...but thats ok I'm still 5lbs lighter (although weight loss wasnt my main goal here,  my health is more important. ..it came as a pleasant suprise)

Carrot and Orange juice, banana smoothie (one for me and one for the lil dude)

Time to Detox!!

Hey, hey!!

So, I managed to spend most of the Middle Eastern Summer away! Yippee! I have done the odd summer here in Qatar, and it is not too much of a problem, the main benefit are the roads being clear and meeting people you wouldn't normally meet. However this year, I decided to get out!! I was fortunate to spend 2 weeks in Northern Cyprus and then about 4 weeks in my home country! I hadn't seen my family and friends for almost a year (some, over a year!) and I miss them all dearly (even the ones I did not manage to see)

However, everything, healthy eating wise, slipped over the 6 weeks, and my jeans got tighter. I had planned ahead. I packed my handheld blender, I brought foods that were my lifeline, which included dates and quinoa, I shopped at the destinations and stocked up on fresh fruit and veg. I even packed some homemade carrot cake balls, grapes and apples for the plane journey.

I was doing OK in Cyprus, I managed to get out and do a few runs, I swam lengths in the pool, I blended, I froze and I tried to order a salad whenever we went out to eat...my downfall?? Chips and alcohol. I flew back to Doha for 24 hours before my trip to the UK. I was bloated, and a couple of Kilos heavier...bleugh!!

Then 4 weeks in the UK, travelling from one place to another, I was having CEREAL!!! for breakfast and no raw foods at all. It was getting me down, so I started to have a smoothie for my breakfast, I did a few runs, and ate my mums yummy stew...but after having a fab time in the UK, not really paying much attention to my diet, I came back to Doha pretty sick. I was exhausted!! Then one night after eating a heavy cooked meal, I woke to a hideous pain in my stomach, I was dizzy, light headed, the room was spinning (no, I hadn't been drinking) and I ended up being sick a couple of times. The next day was spent in bed. But then after that, I was getting daily headaches, I was STILL exhausted, I had (and still haven't) no motivation for exercise, I was getting cramps in my stomach after eating, I was puffy and I was getting joint ache too, mainly in my wrists. I was concerned for my health, as this was all too familiar to me. I was eating cooked food everyday, they were pretty healthy actually, but was also eating quite a bit of wheat and sugar.

I was just hanging in there really as I was starting a 28 day Clean and Lean Detox programme in a few days time! I'm no major believer in detox's really, but after reading the info a few months ago, I saw it as an elimination programme, that seemed easy enough to stick to as it wasn't about major restriction (I HEART FOOD) so, here's the lowdown...

Week One- Eliminate 3 foods  (a list is given)  I chose Caffeine (o yes, even the coffee had made its way back in my diet...dammit!!) sugar and wheat. Also, introduce green smoothies into your day

Week Two- Eliminate ALL the foods from the list. Keep including green smoothies into your day

Week Three - Eliminate all foods from the list AND do a juice and smoothie fast

Week Four - Introduce the foods back into your diet, one day at a time and report how you feel.

Simples in my opinion.

Anyway, I started on Saturday, feeling pretty rubbish. BUT......... 24 hours later, I was a new woman. I ate 95% RAW on the first day, having a smoothie for breakfast and a huuuge green salad for dinner.
I woke up Sunday and I wasn't groggy, I had a bit of energy!! Then throughout the day, I noticed my joint pain, my wrists, didn't hurt anymore, and they haven't done since!! 48 hours and I have had no more stomach cramps and no more headaches!! I feel sooo much better.

I know, hard to believe right?!! I have no explanation of this, either I was run down, and I coincidentally got better, OR the foods are making my body thrive!!

I'm not sure if I want to reintroduce the foods (week 4) to be honest, I think this HAS to be a way of life for me.

DIY Dehydrating

Ok, so it's taken me a while to get into the mindset of yummy, whole food eating again. I don't think I was doing too bad, but I just couldn't cut the bread and there were a few events where cupcakes were a must, me, mainly making them, and having to taste test at every possible moment....I was just loving all that sugar, meanwhile my ass wasn't!

So my husband does a big food shop and brought home some goodies. The two things I had my eye on was the HUUUUGE watermelon and the Super Raw Carrot Cake Cookies.

OOOOO!!

I was pretty impressed with my husbands efforts, especially as the price had me almost chocking on my cup of green tea!! Anyway, I opened them up and devoured a serving!! Well Done Husband!!

It took me a few days to get through the bag, it wasn't like the normal bag of crisps or cookies, which would leave me wanting more. A few from the bag was enough and satisfied me! YAY

But I couldn't get past the price, and reckoned I could recreate this, especially as the ingredients were 5 simple things, all of which were stocked in my cupboard/fridge! So off I went into the kitchen to mix something up! 

Here is what I did-

1 Cup Shredded coconut

1 Cup Sesame seeds (I did not sprout these)

1 Medium Carrot- peeled and grated

20 Dates (I used Khalas, these are smaller then Medjool)

Nutmeg

Cover the dates at room temperature water for 5 minutes ( I find them easier to pit and blend if soaked) meanwhile, peel and grate the carrot then measure out the coconut and sesame seeds into a bowl and mix together.

Pit the dates and add to a food processor and blend until the dates loosen up a bit and are chopped (they will probably clump together and roll into a bowl- thats fine) add the carrot until mixed well. I used real nutmeg so cracked open the shell and grated the seed part into my mix, I used about half the seed (but I looove Nutmeg) I then poured in bit by bit the mixed coconut and sesame seed, and used until I thought I had reached the correct consistency.* 

It looked like this!
 I was very impressed at how alike they tasted to the shop bought one!! :) Go me...

I rolled the mix into balls,  flattened and placed on a baking tray.

Ready for the Dehydrating process to start!

I used half the mix to dehydrate and the rest I rolled into balls and put them in the fridge (they weren't there long..) 

I've never dehydrated before, I have read in the past that you can use your oven for this purpose although most serious dehydratists (is that even a word?) buy a Dehydrator. 

So why Dehydrate? And What is it? Well its a process that involves 'dehydrating' a food instead of 'cooking," in order to retain all of its beautiful enzymes that cooking kills.  So after doing a bit of research, it seems the temperature for dehydrating is about 105 Degrees Fahrenheit.

I'm currently using my oven, on the lowest setting and using a thermometer in the oven to help keep on track. I seem to be fluctuating between 100 and 120 degrees fahrenheit, and it seems the more air flow you have the better. I dont have a fan assisted oven, so have left the door open a few times to see if that helps...it's a bit of an experiment as it is the first time I've ever done this, they are still in the oven after being in there for 10 hours already!! YES thats right, I forgot to mention that Dehydrating is a lengthy process!! I'll let you know how it goes!!

xx

*Note -I measured what I had left of the coconut and sesame mix and had just under a cup, so the measurement above is a little wrong (remember approximation girl here!!)  I think I would try half a cup of each plus a little extra next time!

So far...

Ok, its been a few days! ! And my quest for better eating is going ok.  I have still not green smoothied yet but have managed a good ol banana and date icecream for breakfast everyday so far. I would happily live on this! I'm back using the spiraliser, which is proving a little life saver and have been spiralising beetroot and courgette.  I've been eating this with a big salad, I also made a potato salad the other day, vegan, no mayo, this worked great and tasted good too ( sweetcorn,  peas, spinach, jalapeños salt and a dash of olive oil) cutting out the artificial sugar is going well, but I think I need a fridge full of raw chocolate balls for whenever I get a craving. ..hmmm...thats actually a good idea. ..ok so I'm off now to do just that.
I shall leave you with a picture of my di net the other night...I had made the veggie burger myself...below are the Ingredients-
1 grated carrot
3 grated potatoes
2 cans of chick peas,  mashed
1 cup of sweetcorn
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients,  make into patties and pop them into a frying pan with a dash of olive oil...cook until done turning halfway
I'd just like to make a note that when I do these again I shall cook and mash the potato first, combine ingredients. ..I think they will hold together better that way!

May madness

Ok..so this is going to be short and sweet....
May came and went in a flash...I've been busy not really achieving a lot but busy busy with coffee mornings, birthday parties, play dates, more birthdays, swimming lessons,  music classes, the occasional gym session, yoga session and a quick getaway to Munich....phew...you get the gist.
Besides having some awesome vegan meals in Munich (more on that at a later date) I've lost my mojo...my diets all over the place and I'm carbed up on bread and crackers.  Ive had a couple of IBS moments, which were horrendous, so I know my body is in need of detox and I'm uber bloated and tired!
So tomorrow it starts. 21days more raw! Time for green juices, smoothies,salads and fruit, out goes sugar, bread and all other junk! I need my energy back!! I shall update on here as much as possible.

Wish me luck!! Xx

Blender Blunder!!

My beloved blender died a few days ago...r.i.p blender...it served me well for 2 full years, its just unfortunate that it was no longer able to keep up with the abuse that I threw at it. It was used daily, and in the beginning I would use it to make smoothies using soft fruits like blueberries and bananas. Towards the end of its life however, I was throwing in frozen bananas and other frozen fruit, I could hear the blender struggling until one day, on a sunny afternoon in Doha, the bottom of the blender split. It was the end. Im without a blender and have had to use a handheld device in  temporary replacement until we decide what to do. Hubby jokingly thinks I destroyed it on purpose in order to get a blender upgrade! Cheeky!! Especially as I recently went to a Thermomix demonstration, which, by the way, looks like an amazing piece of German equipment!! I have however heard amazinng stuff about the Vitamix. O what to do *sigh*

In other news... I have some sort of throat infection. Probably lovingly given to me by my little man. He's had conjunctivitis and an ear infection so we have been house bound for a few days. Anyway, not really wanting to load myself up on parecetamol, I decided to try and take a more natural route.  I've read many times that cinamon and honey in warm water is supposed to be good for the throat.  I have been replacing the honey for lemon, it tastes very pleasant. I've also been making fresh orange juice and watermelon smoothies, all of which give temporary relief. I'm hoping that this will fight the infection ASAP as we have little family getaway next week :-)

TTFN folks xx

Spirulina

I woke up this morning to hear of the devastating news in Boston. Since having W, I often get emotional when hearing such terrible news, probably because once you become a parent there is a silent shift, all of a sudden your life becomes valuable, you have someone to live for. So since learning the impotance of life, I am often left with a heavy heart when others gets taken so needlessly!! And today was one of those days...
So to take my mind off the world news I distracted myself and thought I would try a new 'superfood' in my smoothie. Spirulina!! I have seen this food floating around in the raw food world, heck, even my mamma is using it in her smoothies and tells me how good it makes her feel!! So hubs brought me some back after a UK trip he had a few days ago.
So here is the low down..spirulina is a green blue algae formed mainly in open water ponds. It is what gives the pond that greeny colour. It is called spirulina as it grows in spirals. It is thought that it is so nutritious that man could live on only this and water. It contains all 8 amino acids, iron, zinc vitamin b12, copper, iodine and magnesium. If you are sensitive to iodine then it is advised to avoid this product. It is also a blood, liver and kidney purifier, hence the increased energy when you take this product! So you can understand why this is labelled a superfood.
My plan was to make a cacao and banana softserve with spirulina. And thats exactly what I did.
First of all, the product comes in a powder, I opened the packet and a plume of green dust came out of the packet and the smell was quite overwhelming...I decided it best to just put a small amount in the smoothie. ..half a teaspoon will do!! Wow...it was a very overpowering taste. Quite earthy...but the colour was amazing, such a beautifully bright green colour (before I added the cacao). However, tomorrow I will add less spirulina and take it slow, just until my taste buds get used to this new taste.

In other news. W came home from nursery having eaten all his breakfast and lunch!!  Wohoo...it's been a while since he's eaten everything and at home he has been refusing food, especially his porridge, so I shook up his food slightly (maybe he was sick of porridge). So for anyone stuck for ideas here is what I gave him-  for breakfast he had quinoa, mixed with soya yogurt, blueberries and coconut palm sugar.  For lunch he had avocado with a squeeze of lemon and little bit of salt sandwiches, nut free raw balls (the nursery is nut free) that cosisted of ground sunflower, pumpkin, flaxseed and goji berries, coconut flakes, cocao, raisins and coconut oil. He also had a small bag of dried fruit. To be honest I didnt expect him to eat the sandwiches!! But Wohoo...he did!!
And so to finish off my distraction day I decided to make more raw balls without using any oil!! And I did it!! I wanted a strong flavour...and I did that too!! Here is the recipe..
1 cup of raisins
1/4 cup ground nuts or seeds (I have been using linwoods mixed seeds and goji berries)
1/4 cup cacao
Knuckle of ginger (or as much as you like...this was my strong flavour that I wanted)
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Mix the raisins well. Add all the other ingredients until well blended and then roll into balls. ..simples. ...

Gluten Free Day

Hey all.

So after following House of Vegans, Kirstiie's (www.houseofvegan.wordpress.com) gluten freeness on facebook, and reading about the positives that have come from eliminating gluten, I decided, on a whim to give it a go for 24 hours. I got my son (who shall be named W) involved too. Although he is only 20 months old, he seems to have major buddha belly at the end of the day. I understand that it's quite normal...but seriously,  it's huuuuge. I just wanted to trial it and see if elimination changed that. Also, I think he is possibly prone to allergies as he was covered in eczema at 6 months old.  He was put on a dairy and soy free formula and the eczema cleared almost immediately. He eats dairy now...but he wont drink milk on its own and refused it from 12 months...I see this as some sort of unspoken message that he was trying to tell me something. I'd like to add that W has a raspy chest all the time. I don't know whether this is because of desert living, sand in the air, which is heavily polluted (Qatar's air pollution is six times over the permissible limit) or whether it is something else, it doesn't really effect him on a day to day basis, but I don't like to hear it :( .

I had planned to cut out dairy from his diet for 24 hours too.

I also appreciate that 24 hours is probably not long enough to see major results and I am sure there is some sort of detoxification process that comes with it. But I just wanted to see if we could actually achieve 24 hours without too much trauma.

So being quite underprepared for this last minute decision, my first challenge was breakfast. It came as a smoothie/soft serve type of breakie. It consisted of frozen bananas, strawberries ground seed and goji berry mix and water, all thrown into the blender. The frozen bananas make like a soft ice creamy/frozen yogurt type of texture. It went down well...so far so good.

We then went shopping, to get a little bit more prepared, and we came back with LOADS of stuff. Gluten free muffin mix, gluten free bread mix, flours, falafels cereal. I was pretty impressed with myself and thought this was going to be a breeze!!

Lunchtime!! Brocoli and chickpea soup with a side serve of grilled Polenta. I really enjoyed the lunch. I'm not too sure about polenta, but it was edible. W spat the whole thing out and refused to eat any of it!! Grrr

Grilling Polenta!

Dinner, went even better...not!! I made a goooorgeous roasted pepper and carrot humus and put it on top of a baked sweet potato. I thought this was going to be a winner as it was all very sweet tasting....nope, spat out and refusal to touch any of it!! In a desperate attempt to make sure W went to bed on a full tummy, I made him a bowl of gluten free puffs (like rice krispies) with almond milk, topped with coconut palm sugar....he had 2 bowls!! 

Roasted Pepper and Carrot Hummus

By the end of the day, we were both fed-up, tired and grumpy!! This wasn't the flowers in your hair,  running through fields with the long grass running through your fingertips type of day that I had imagined... bundles of energy, lot's of laughs...nope, instead it was hard work, lot's of tears, and not a lot of fun...and to top it off I felt bloated!! O dear!!

So here is what I think went wrong!

First of all, W was teething, this became more and more apparent during the day, with his rosy red cheeks, and when this happens he's not really interested in food, especially cooked food.

Secondly, this was day 2 of Daddy being away. He always gets irritable when Daddy isn't home (does this happen to your kids?)

Thirdly, we had a couple of days of very early wakings (4.30...WHAAAT!!?) probably because of his teething, so we were both VERY tired.

and Fourthly, W just WOULD NOT take a nap that day. He was adamant and I was too tired to fight it in the end, so he had been up for waaayyy too long, and this also makes it harder to get anything inside of him!! 

I think I had basically set my expectations really too high for this little man and to have expected such a dietary change so suddenly was a little unfair. I also timed the change awfully. Tiredness, grouchiness, teething all contributed to the bad day we both had. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed everything I made (it was all from scratch!) but had circumstances been different, then maybe it would have been easier.  I also forgot to mention that during the day, I gave W some cheese as he was tugging at my leg going 'cheese, cheeses, cheese,' and as he hadn't eaten much I decided to give him some.

On the positive side, I had noticed that W wasn't raspy, even though it was a windy day and sand was blowing everywhere...there was no rasp!! So that is something to think about!! 

So, today has been 2 days since the DAY! And although, I have pretty much remained gluten free, I have decided that I will make slower changes for the rest of my family, for example, tonights dinner, Sweet potato curry with Quinoa...although W spat it out and only had about 2 mouthfuls, it's a step in the right direction. I, however, am trying to keep going,

although I did have a small piece of bread today...ooops!!

The Garden

I thought it was about time that I updated you all on our little balcony project. It's all growing amazingly and the more I see growing, the more excited I get. It's funny because I know where food comes from, I know it grows on trees or out the ground, I know it grows from seed etc, but I've gotten a whole new respect for food now that I have actually SEEN it grow from nothing!! I'm fascinated when the tomato plant flowers, and then turns into a tomato, it's just an amazing moment and a reminder of just how spectacular mother nature really is!! Love the planet people...it's here to protect us!

Anyway, here are just a very few pictures of what's happening in our jungle-



Mixed Lettuce Leaves

 

Pak Choy

 

Rocket 

 

Carrots, Garlic and Sunflowers

  

Tomatoes

 

 

We also have a whole heap of other stuff growing too. Basil, Chives, Mint, Coriander, Lemons and Peppers. I'm thinking we are going to have a challenge on our hands now that it's rapidly warming up here in Doha and who knows if anything will actually survive the summer heat. We are already watering like crazy, but it's worth it...there is a beautiful smell on our balcony once everything has been watered, which reminds me of home...or anywhere green for that matter! MMMM...

 

Coffee Fixed!!

I've kicked my coffee habit!!

I haven't had a single cup of coffee for the last 5 weeks!! I can't remember the exact date, and I can't even remember if I made a conscious decision to actually give it up. However, I remember sometime in February, I was experiencing some terrible tiredness. It wasn't 'oh you just need some sleep.' It was extreme fatigue, something that I have had before and only someone that experiences it will ever be able to understand! I was at the point where I could barely put one foot in front of the other, or even hold a conversation as it wore me out!. I remember feeling tearful talking to the husband about how awful I felt and that I was just so darn tired...all the fricking time, I wanted to feel normal, whatever that was!! One thing that I kept talking about with him though, was my diet!

I realised that I had gotten into a vicious coffee cycle and that I was actually drinking it more than water. I thought the coffee was going to give me a lift and the energy I required, but I seemed to get more tired. I would then click the kettle and make another cup in order to make me feel less tired, and then another and another. It wasn't working.

So, how did I get a taste for coffee in the first place? My addiction started really when I started my job at Heathrow Airport. I worked shifts, and commuted (my journey being 130miles a day) some days I was getting up at 3.30am, start work at 6, work 13 hours,  and be home for 9 or 10, then do it all again the next day! It was exhausting, challenging but I loved it! There was a Coffee Shop only a few doors down from where I worked...mmmm hello coffee, let's be friends!!

I then moved to Qatar, our compound, with a coffee shop, meant that I was in there everyday having my coffee fix, sometimes it was twice a day, and if I was at home...coffee, or if I was seeing a friend...O yeah, more coffee...it was a bit out of control...

I woke up one morning, and I said 'no thank you' to my hubbie, when he offered to make me a coffee. I continued to say no, and so by the end of the day I hadn't had any at all. However, I remember getting a slight headache, so I had a cup of tea, which completely subsided the pain.

The next day, I decided to continue on this journey. I bought some Green Tea with Earl Grey. It was really satisfying (even hubbie was drinking it) and it was enough to get me through the day. Green Tea, still contains caffeine, but it is at a much lesser amount (less then black tea too) it was enough to avoid those pesky headache withdrawal symptoms!
I did however get some other withdrawal symptoms, I experienced nausea, I had one day of slight fever symptoms- going hot/cold, nausea, feeling weak and constipation. I cannot guarantee it was all withdrawal though, as my boy was sick at the same time I wasn't feeling great, so who knows!?

However, having gone through that, I have come out the other side feeling heaps better!! I feel I have more energy now, the fatigue has improved dramatically, when my bubba wakes me in the morning, I no longer dread having to get up and drag my feet all day. I also feel like I have a clearer head, and my skin no longer feels quite so dehydrated!!

I will also add this. Since giving up the coffee, I have pretty much given up artificial sugar (thanks to Art of Abundant Livings Raw Food classes) and soya, I'm not saying I will never, ever eat either again, but I believe this (more so the artificial sugar)also played a part in my energy levels, or lack of.

Anybody else have any experience with giving up the caffeine?

Raweo's and approximation measuring

Heeey!!!

So, I've been back in the kitchen the last few days. I recently came across some cacao powder that I found stuffed in the back of my kitchen cupboard. It was bought a few months ago when we holidayed in Sri Lanka. We went to a Herb and Spice Garden, and our guide gave us a whole heap of information about what's grown in Sri Lanka, how you can use a particular herb/spice for medicinal purposes or for beauty purposes etc. There was a shop at the end of our tour and we came out with a heap of goodies. One of which was Cacao Powder. I really would like to think it is as pure as they told us and as I'm assuming it's raw. I decided to make something on a whim. This was the result! For now, I shall call them Walnut and Cacao Balls

I know, they look pretty much like every other thing I've posted on here, but they are different I promise!! 

I've recently learnt about myself that I prefer approximations rather then measuring anything, and somedays this goes in my favour, but other days, not! I feel I have baked enough in my time to know how much 1 cup is, or 1 tablespoon etc, and I have watched my Mum many times having a lot of fun with just throwing something into a bowl....dang, she makes an amazing veggie 'approximated ingredients' stew!!  So I guess I also get a lot of it from my Mum...

Today was an approximation day...it turned out ok...

Here is what I did.

I used walnuts, and turned it into a powder (about 2 cups) I then threw in about 1/2 cup of raisins, 8-10 dates (these are quite small, not like the large medjool dates) a squidge of agave syrup, about 4tablespoons of cacao, and 2tablespoons of coconut oil. I whizzed in a food processor. I whizzed some more...unfortunately, I ended up with a bread-crumby type of consistency, for whatever reason, I decided at this point, it was a good idea to add coconut flakes, with little improvement to my mixture, but great for the taste!! I'm not sure what I may have done wrong...perhaps I should have used more dates? more Agave to bring it together? I don't know but I do know that if I handled it all quite delicately, with minimal rolling etc, I was just about able to get a ball shape out of the mixture. I then put them in the freezer for the coconut to solidify and for everything to set. Once out, they tasted good. A pleasantly nice combination of chewy and crumbly. Me and my hubby both thought that it was a bit biscuity and I just kept thinking that they looked like the biscuit part of Oreos. So I decided to make a Raw Vanilla Frosting to finish off this recipe...and this time I measured. Here are the Ingredients and what I did-

1 Cup of Cashews
3 tbs Agave
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 tbs Coconut oil

I blended the cashews until they became a butter. It took quite a few attempts of starting and stopping the blender to wipe down the sides etc, (this was my first attempt at butter so wasn't sure what I was looking for) eventually the Cashews go creamy and end up like this

This is what I think Cashew Butter should look like!!

I then put the Cashew Butter and the rest of the Ingredients in a food processor and whizzed until it had all come together to make a thick paste. Depending on how you like it, you could add more coconut oil to make the frosting a bit thinner (or maybe even water) as this came out quite thick (sorry I forgot to take a picture)

I then flattened the Raweo (were once called Walnut and Cacao Balls) balls to make a biscuit, but they just crumbled into a mess so I decided it was to become a Raweo Cake, and so the balls were now the base of the cake. I then the vanilla frosting on top and sprinkled some walnut base and coconut flakes on top of that!! 

It looked oddly like Cheese on toast! Ha!

I popped it into the freezer for an hour.

I couldn't wait to try it and once I cut a piece up, I was left this yumminess

It was delicious! The Vanilla frosting was soooooo good too, it reminded me of fudge! Be warned though! It is very filling and although I would say that it isn't overly sweet, it can leave you thinking hmmm I ate too much of that and be left with that sweet, sweet, sickly feeling. But believe me, it's worth it!

Overall though, this has been a lesson learnt. I'll be turning over a new measuring leaf and be saying bye bye to approximation fun. I enjoy the thrill of 'will this work, or wont it' but I'm finding myself increasingly frustrated for not knowing how I made it exactly!! I shall redo this recipe at some point, in order for me to get the exact measurements. I cant guarantee it will taste the same, but thats fine too...hopefully it will taste even better ;)

xx

Let's Talk Equipment!!

Hey!!
I've been asked by a few people what gadgets I use to make my food...so I decided to do a brief post on it with piccies.
First of all, I don't really have anything fancy, just the basics, which were bought at reasonable prices. I think it's a good way to start out, mainly so you know that the gadgets are actually going to get used! Secondly, I still have my eyes on the all amazing Vitamix blender, the ultimate machine for pureeing, smoothie making, nut butter making and I most recently learnt, dough making!! But maybe one day.

So onto the pics


The first set of pictures is a piece of equipment we bought in December 2011!! It's one device that has multiple uses. I've only just figured out how to use the Food Processor so it mainly sat in the cupboard for over a year, except for the juicer and blender part.

Juicer, I juice every thing in this, but my husband...

uses this, to juice his oranges, lemons etc

This is THE food processor

I've been using the food processor quite a lot recently, now I know what to do with it. I mainly use it for high powered chopping with a bit of mixing involved, so for example, the Ginger, Cinnamon Balls were made in this.

The Blender!

I use the blender for smoothie making, and soups and Raw Sauces. You would use this for a smoother/creamier texture to a recipe. I LOVE making smoothies with frozen fruit! It's like Ice Cream!!

Most recently, we got a Coffee Grinder, which was given to us for Christmas this year. I recently gave up coffee so was like...hmmm what am I going to use this for...well actually I've been using it quite a bit recently....

Coffee Grinder

To make this

Turn into this!!

The coffee grinder is great at making nut powders, the above picture is almond powder, great for Raw Recipes, or as a substitute for flour. Be careful not to grind too long as you will soon discover it turning into butter!!!

I also have a recently purchased Spiraliser

Hello Spiraliser!!

It turns your veggies into this

Courgette (Zucchini) Pasta...sooo pretty!

The Spiraliser is quick and simple to use, it raises eyebrows when served and becomes a bit of a talking point. You can pretty much use any veg and you really do save time in the Kitchen when you don't have to chop, chop, chop! I think it's been one of my best purchases, mainly because of the ease of use and time saved in the kitchen, added bonus, my boy loves to spiralise too. I like the fact that I don't even like courgette much, but spiralled with a bit of salt...it's pretty yum and I've been having it most days ever since! 

So that's pretty much the equipment I have been using. It all works just fine, it all gives me the results that I want. My only troubled issue is my blender, as I have had the bottom fall out a few times mid blend (it unscrews to wash the blades) thats really irritating and happens mostly when the blender is under a lot of pressure with hard foods (frozen food, nuts etc) I use at least one piece of equipment everyday (my poor neighbours) and have barely used the oven over the last month, and have barely (shock horror) even baked any sweet treats!! 

On a random note, I ventured out to the new Ikea in Doha today. It opened yesterday, so was expecting busy hellness, however, all was going well until we were greeted with this lovely queue...

Yes, the cashier was sat under the lit up number 10 with the arrow....

TTFN!! xx

Every Day I'm Truffling!!

Good Day!

I've been back in the kitchen, non-cooking up a storm! Har har!!

So with my Cacao stocks at an all time low (BOO), and already looking in two MegaMarts (Supermarkets) and having been told to try Spinneys, I was like 'you know what? The Cacao can wait!!'
THEN, the sweet tooth kicked in and I was like ARGH....NO CHOCOLATE!! So I hastily went online in search of a recipe that was raw and sweet and didn't include chocolate!!

I came across a website www.rawmazing.com that gave me a ton of ideas, but the one recipe that stuck out in my mind was the Raw Cinnamon Ginger Truffles! I didn't have all the ingredients, so I made it up as I went along! And actually, truth be told, I didn't even measure the ingredients (apart from the Almond Powder) I just approximated and threw it all into a food processor!!

TA DA!! This is what I was left with

Here are the Ingredients and the approximations!! I cannot guarantee you will get the same results, just do what you feel is right!!

1 cup Almond Flour

1tbs Cinnamon

Fresh Ginger (about half a tsp)

Fresh Nutmeg (about half tsp)

1/4 cup Raisins

3/4 Pitted dates

1/4 cup Agave

I put all the ingredients except the Agave Syrup into a food processor, whizzed until mixed, then added the agave and mixed until it formed a doughey/sticky like texture. Then I rolled them into balls and then rolled the balls in coconut!

The taste was really quite divine! But VERY VERY sweet. Probably because of the Agave Syrup and Date combination....for those of you that may not know much about Agave, here is a brief lowdown! 

Agave Nectar was discovered by the Aztecs who used it as a medicinal aid in healing wounds and infections. It is 10 times sweeter then Sugar, so you can use less of it in a recipe if using instead of sugar. It also has a low Glycemic Index, meaning your blood sugar levels wont go crazy when you eat the stuff...

Back to today...On this occasion, maybe I had used too much? Or maybe the Agave and Dates combined?( the original recipe asked for cranberries) . Although, still enjoyable, I was thinking 'I know I can make these better, what could I use instead?!' So, as I'm taking a look around my kitchen, I see it..staring right at me...some VERY over ripe bananas that had about 24 hours left in them!! That was it! That was the ingredient that would change this recipe, so I tried again!! 

It was a learning experience, that turned out fab in the end!!

So as I start up the food processor, food whizzing around, I throw in half a banana....nothing happens to the mixture, so i throw in the other half...still...nothing...another half banana.....o darn!! too much! The mixture is now WAAAY too gooey. I tried to roll some into balls, and although they formed some sort of shape they were just so soft and sticky and borderline unmanageable.  The only thing holding them together was the coconut. This was mistake number 1

Mistake Number 2, I let the Food Processor get hot from being on for too long, this added to the gooey problem. I ended up putting in more Almond Powder and (I already had this in my cupboard) some ground linseed and gojiberry to try and thicken it up a bit, I then decided to put the whole bowl of mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes. After it had cooled, it was easier to work with.

After I had finished rolling, I put some of the truffles into the freezer and some into the fridge. I left them overnight..

12 hours later...The truffles in the freezer didn't actually freeze. You could take the truffle out and eat it right away, they had hardened. It was delicious!

The truffles in the fridge also hardened, but were a lot softer...still just as delicious

I must say that I prefer the recipe using banana. It tasted more balanced and wasn't too 'in your face' sweet. My boy LOVED them too and I kept catching him in the fridge having a sneaky truffle. The best thing though, was that I didn't mind. They had no sugar in them and were actually good for him!! 

Here is a general idea of the final recipe (I doubled up this time too :))

2cups Almond Powder

2tbs or as much cinnamon as you like (I love it!)

1/2tsp Fresh Ginger

1/2tsp nutmeg

1/2cup raisins

5/6 pitted dates

1/2 to 1  small banana + a little bit of blending patience

Mix until it forms a sticky, dough like consistency.  Roll into balls, roll into coconut, sesame seed, cacao or whatever you like and VOILA!! A yummy, healthy sweet treat!!

Enjoy xx

Raw Finale

Yesterday was the final class in the 3 part Raw Food classes at Art of Abundant Living....the class focus was on desserts...yum yum...there were 4 desserts being made and these were - Apple Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie and Kiwifruit Pops.
I was working on the Apple Pie and we had only 40 minutes to make the desserts!! 40 minutes...eek!! You would be surprised how little time it actually takes when there is no cooking involved, and all you have to worry about is presentation, (none of this will it rise? will it sink? will I burn it?, will it be cooked in the middle? malarky) and Its so surprising how creative you can get with these Raw ingredients of mainly nuts, fruit and Agave!
Here are some of the creations we made today

Raw Apple Pie

Raw Key Lime Pie

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

My favourite of them all was probably the Apple Pie (I'm biased?) but a close second was the Strawberry Cheesecake. However, I would probably recreate the Strawberry Cheesecake. The reason? It's only because the Apple Pie contains figs and I'm not ever likely to have them in my apartment. I LOVED the colour of the Key Lime Pie, it was so vibrant, a real head turner, and it doesn't contain any artificial colour...no, it's what nature gave us!! Yum yum!!

I've had an absolutely brilliant 3 weeks. It's really inspired me to get more creative in the kitchen. Not only that, I will actually be able to make some tasty raw food rather than some lettuce leaves in a bowl dripped in salad dressing and thinking 'this is rather boring'...I was once told by a friend 'your food is so bland' well I hope that with the new found inspiration and a desire to make more interesting food, my friend will one day, eat her words!! (ahem!)

For more information about Raw food classes and other events please visit www.artofabundantliving.com  

Oh Oranges!

Over the last week or so I've woken up a few times to find a big jug of freshly squeezed orange juice on the counter top, made by my lovely husband! ! It makes me feel all giddy knowing that he's feeling the More Raw love atm. We do have a ton of oranges but having this every morning is just a perfect start to the morning! ! Go try it!!

Hows your IQ?

Today, it seems everyone is talking about traffic hell here in Doha.  Maybe it was a particularly bad day for it, but I can say I experienced it too when I boarded my vehicle with my lil man and took him to nursery. My usual 20 minute round trip journey took me 43 minutes!! Yes, I was sad enough to time it (red face). Even sadder then that,  I sat at some traffic lights and watched them turn from red to green 4 times! Whats wrong with that? I hear you say...well as any doha peeps know...if you are stuck at a red light, then you are in it for the long haul!! You will have time to do your make-up, read a magazine, drink your coffee......and wait...and wait. But anyway, we got through it..I got home...

My day improved when one of my good friends, Rachel Matthews, gave me a bar of chocolate. It's called IQ Chocolate and it was developed by her mum, Jane Shandley and her friend Kate Hamilton. They are Scotlands first bean to bar manufacturer using only the finest, organic ingredients. It is a superfood chocolate bar as it processed at a low temperature to ensure MAXIMUM, superior, superfood quality. So, this all tied in nicely with my recent chocolate raw class, I was intrigued to have a taste. So after a pretty hectic morning, I was looking forward to sitting down with a mug of green tea and some IQ chocolate...

OOOO...Lucky me...

Ok...So for the sciency bit. Why a superfood? Well RAW chocolate, or cacoa, contains high amounts of Polyphenols. Polyphenols contain high amounts of antioxidants which, is great for overall health. However, a lot of processing is usually involved in mainstream chocolate, which in effect destroys the antioxidant qualities. The less we mess with chocolate the more health benefits it gives us. See it really is good for us!! Back to today..

How does it taste?? Oh my word...it's delicious!  The perfect blend of smooth, bitter chocolate sweetened to perfection with Coconut Blossom Sugar! The added crunch of the cacao nibs finished it off and was like the icing on the cake!! I enjoyed every mouthful and polished the whole lot off!! It made my day, so thank you Rachel and Andrew Matthews for sharing your IQ Chocolate and letting me experience a little piece of chocolate heaven!! 

Enjoying my IQ Chocolate...nom nom

For more information go to www.iqingredients.com ...go on do it now now now!!

Park bazaar...park bizarre??

Hey...a late post...but anyhooow. Yesterday me and my boys went off to whats called The Museum of Islamic Arts..aka MIA. There is a wonderful park there for kiddies and lovely views of the city with a beautiful coffee shop on the water front. Every first Saturday of every month, in the winter, they have a Park Bazaar. It's a fantastic idea and a step in the right direction for 'things to do in Doha.' There were lots of stalls selling little trinkety things and hand made jewellery. In fact one of my friends was there selling her awesone designs! Check out her blog www.tribeofmannaquins.wordpress.com she does some pretty unique designs and it's all hand made. I bought a lovely purse off of her.

After a little wander we ended up in the food area...it waz a bizaare set up of home made foods in big crock type pots...but...I'm afraid it just didn't do it for me... maybe I didn't spend enough time there or we arrived too late, but I was expecting more....some healthy option foods....even maybe a vegetarian stand..but there really wasn't anything that WOWed me. Maybe its because I've eaten mainly raw foods for a few weeks and I was seeking out something Raw inspiring. Maybe it was because it was all very meaty and the smell of carcass made me want to hurl...whatever it was, I just wanted to get out of there pretty quick!! And so we did...

All in all a lovely afternoon spent with my 2 favourite people...

On a seperate side note...I really need to stop making raw truffles...they are sooo good I could eat them all day everyday!!

our first crop!!

Take a look at what we picked from our balcony this morning!! We were very excited! And can't wait to see what else we will soon be eating from our balcony oasis :-D

Our Home Grown Tomatoes!!

Farmers Market

Doha imports OVER 90% of it's food...90%?!!! Thats massive!!  With the lack of rain (I think it's about 6cm a year) AND the HOT summers of up to (and sometimes over) 50 degrees, is it any wonder that this tiny little country has to rely on outside sources? So we were over the moon to hear about a Farmers Market of locally grown produce...we just had to go and find out and support this amazing project! It is a little out of the way and you can only really buy in bulk, but thats still no excuse to miss this great opportunity and bag yourself a bargain. So off we went a few weeks ago, and again today!

All this yummy food at a fraction of the price that you would pay in the shops!...Lucky me

Just a little update...the Farmers Market currently operates in the winter time, on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday and are open from 7am until 7pm. I am not sure how long there 'winter' period is for. I've attached a map. It's located in Um Salal, just off the expressway/Al Shamal Road, past Landmark and Dhukan. Once you get nearer, you follow signs for Um Salal and follow the little fruit and veg signs which will take you straight there. 

Here is a little map for you too!!

The Raw Life

Heya all!! So for the last two weeks I have attended 2 raw food classes. It has always been something that interested me and I have followed a few blogs for years, seeing them go from a raw hobby to a full on businesses. Anyhow, I was told about the classes in Qatar and I was so excited to be able to do them as although I have followed these blogs, I didn't really know where to start with raw food. Ok, it sounds simple,  lettuce tomato, cucumber in a bowl. ..but the raw life is so much more then that. They talk about spiralisers, dehydrators, vitamix blenders, juicers, coffee grinders..then they go on to talk about cacao, spirulina, maca...it was a headache just knowing where to start with it all. So I opted to do nothing. Until now! It all makes sense now. I purchased a spiraliser,  I got a coffee grinder for Christmas and the rest I collected over the years...I've already re-created a couple of recipes and I'm excited for next weeks...decadent desserts...o yeah...bring it on

Raw Beet pasta with Alfredo Sauce

 Raw Courgette with a Marinara Sauce

Raw Chocolate Energy Balls

the balcony oasis

So, hubby and I are on a small mission for healthier living. We have decided to attempt to grow our own food on our balcony...Trust me the balcony is nothing to get excited about. Its a tiny space...but we dont mind..its slowly becoming our green oasis. I cant really take any credit for it mind. The hubs has had control over it, However,  its starting to look very good. We currently have herbs , chives, rosemary, mint and basil, and most recently planted are tomatoes and peppers...watch this space for the progress. ..especially with living in the desert. ..wish us luck

Happy Vegan New Year

Happy New Year!! What are your New Years resolution?? Mine?? I'm going Vegan!!

Once upon a time in my early twenties, I was hot headed and highly opinionated. I didn't care what people thought of me...I became Vegan...I had many an argument, debates, heated discussions with people who I believe just didn't understand! But over time, I changed, Society wore me down and I took the easy way out and slowly started introducing dairy and eggs back into my life. However, a few things did change. I always baked Vegan, I could no longer stand the smell of cows milk or the taste of butter....so it became a 'if i couldn't see it then it was ok to eat it' type of vegetarian
I always had a plan to go back to Veganism. It was always what felt right in my heart. I knew that the dairy/egg industry still promotes animal cruelty and I didn't want to partake in that. So, new year, new Vegan me!