Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Kristen Suzanne’s EASY Raw Vegan Dehydrating Now Available in Print!

by Kristen in amazon, books, crackers, dehydrator, excalibur dehydrator, granola, Kristen Suzanne, Kristen's Raw, pancakes, plant leather, raw food, wraps

I’m excited to announce that my book, Kristen Suzanne’s EASY RAW Vegan Dehydrating is now available in print from Amazon. Yeehaw!

If you are trying to decide whether or not to buy one, then this book is for you! There are SO many fun and interesting things you can do with dehydrating Raw foods, such as making breads, crackers, wraps, pancakes, granolas, plant leathers (fruit roll-ups, etc.), seasonings, and much more. You can also intensify flavors, add cooked-like textures to your foods, and even serve warm dishes with the food’s nutritional integrity totally intact!

This book is a great, thorough, and comprehensive introduction to dehydrating for people who are curious about the subject. It’s also a must-have for Raw food enthusiasts who want to experience the full range of experiences in the Raw food cuisine.

This book also comes with a special offer: 10% off Excalibur dehydrators & products.

My Interview with Revvell of Rawkin Radio

by Kristen in bodybuilding, exercise, interview, kids, Kristen Suzanne, Kristen's Raw, nutrition, personal growth, plant-based, poop, raw food, Rawkin Radio, supplements, training, yoga

I had a fun interview with Revvell of Rawkin Radio, which is now available here.

Just a few of the things we chatted about…

~my bodybuilding experience and how I found vegan and then Raw
~tips for eating Raw in the winter
~getting kids and family into Raw
~supplements… are they important? who should take them?
~exercise and my latest endeavor
~changing one’s mindset
~digestion (poop is important!)
and more!

Enjoy!

Oh! And if you haven’t entered for your chance to win the Lexen Healthy Juicer, you can do so here.

Living A Whole Life Blog & News to Peruse

by Kristen in cancer, farmer's market, FDA, raw food

It’s been such a great weekend. I went to the farmer’s market and loaded up with plenty of fresh, locally grown, organic, Super Qi produce. I played Mah Jongg with my family today. And, now it’s time to start a new week, all fresh and energized! It’s going to be a great week, I can feel it already. In fact, I think it’s that time again… for another one of my Awesome Giveaways! Check back this week for details.

I wanted to share a new blog with you, Living A Whole Life. A friend of mine started it and I’m enjoying it very much. Check it out!

News to Peruse
FDA to Reconsider Plastic Bottle Risk – It’s about time!
How Certain Veggies Combat Cancer – YEEHAW!!!
Celebs Resolutions Include Going Veg, Raw Foods, Dropping Smokes – Yay Fergie and Eva!

Pre-Planning Raw Food Menu – Motivation Trick To Stay Raw

by Kristen in food journal, menu planning, motivation, raw diet, raw food

If you’re struggling to add more Raw to your life or you’re having some challenges sticking with it, here is a tip that can really help! Have your menu totally planned out for the day before you start your day. By listing everything you’re going to eat, you give yourself something to really look forward to, as well as a reason to stick to it. After all, it’s already planned out – much of the work is already done!

In the past, I’ve written about the important role a food journal can be. But, this kind of journal is a little different from what I’m mentioning above. A food journal is usually filled out after you eat. Some people fill it out after each meal and some people wait until the end of the day. I also keep a food journal of this sort, but I do it for a different purpose (and, I don’t do it all the time). This kind of tracking is useful for attaining certain goals, such as when I want to lose weight or when I get pregnant I will track my food intake to ensure I’m getting enough calories, nutrients and protein. Again, though, this kind of journal usually gets filled out as the day goes on. It’s different from a “pre-planned day’s menu” which can be a driving force for staying Raw and keeping motivated and excited to do so.

Therefore, while it’s only 2am on Monday, I’ve written down the food I’ll be enjoying. Today’s menu is filled with DELICIOUS, high-energy, Raw vegan food. Oh, I can’t wait! (See? I’m totally stoked about my food plan for the day and this will help keep me on track for sure!)

Here is my menu for today:

1 quart Plant Blood (kale, celery, orange)
orange (whole)
——-
1 quart Plant Blood (broccoli, apple)
orange (whole)
——-
Huge salad (romaine, cucumber, carrot, prunes, King Garlic Hemp Dressing)
Creamy-n-Soft Cauliflower Soup
——-
Huge salad (romaine, cucumber, carrot, prunes, King Garlic Hemp Dressing)
Creamy-n-Soft Cauliflower Soup
——-
DATES!!!!!

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

by Kristen in diabetes, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, raw diet, raw food, Simply Raw

This post is short and sweet, because the bulk of the details are in the link I provide at the end. I saw a post featured on Raw Food, Right Now!’s blog and wanted to pass it along. This is good stuff!!! It’s important information whether you have diabetes yourself or not (if you don’t have it, it’ll inspire you to keep the Raw vegan lifestyle a priority). Or, maybe you know a friend or family member with it. Again, this is great information to learn and pass along. Visit this link, watch the video, and see for yourself.

We Met Our Future Doula

by Kristen in doula, pregnancy, raw food

It’s been an exciting week so far. I’ve been assembling my future birthing team (found my midwife already) and this week we interviewed our future doula. I want to have as much planned and figured out as possible so that when I’m actually pregnant, I can just relax and focus on the health of my mind, body, and spirit. Anyway, back to my doula… she’s AMAZING! We clicked immediately and I’m truly ecstatic to have her as a part of my birthing team.

What is a doula? Well, she’s basically my helper for anything I need during birth. The word “doula” means “servant to women” so she’ll be there to do everything she can do make me comfortable from massage to making sure I’m hydrated and fed to coaching and supporting us to running interference if anyone or anything is messing with my birthing flow (very important!) to helping me have the best and most safe birth experience I can.

What am I eating these days? My goal is to get used to eating a little more than I usually do. I want to put on a couple of pounds to help facilitate getting pregnant and get used to eating more protein on a daily basis. For the past couple of months (and going forward), my HRAV food intake includes:

a) 1-2 quarts fresh organic green juice (I affectionately call it Plant Blood)
b) Organic Hemp Green Smoothie (loaded up with all kinds of goodies for extra nutrition)
c) Vitamineral Green Powder
d) Fruits of the Earth Powder (and/or camu powder) every few days or so
e) Fresh fruit and salads
f) More Raw Vegan foods (for example: raw pasta, pesto, soup, crackers, etc) and/or low fat cooked vegan foods (for example: lentil soup, beans, sprouted bread with raw nut butter and jelly, hummus, red quinoa, cereal/raw hemp seed milk, etc).
g) I’m still taking my Heavy Metal Nano Detox (will be done this week) and Pine’s Wheat Grass (will take throughout pregnancy and beyond) daily
h) I’m done taking my ground milk thistle seeds to cleanse my liver
i) I’ve recently decided to add this Vitamin B complex after much research and debate. I’d rather be safe than sorry and I can’t guarantee to get enough B-vitamins with my foods alone. I don’t want to stress about it either, that would wreak havoc on my body.
j) Women’s Tea of nettle, alfalfa, and raspberry leaf daily (I want to add lemon balm, but mountainroseherbs is out of stock right now).

Another thing I’m getting into my routine is taking a 2-3 mile walk every day no matter what. It’s something I want to keep doing all through pregnancy so I’m getting into the habit for it now.

Daily Conversation Question:
In what era would you most like to have grown up?

Stroke Of Insight – An Excellent TED Talk

by Kristen in raw food, TED talk

This is an amazing story. I think a lot of you are fans of Eckhart Tolle… if so, you’ll get a kick out of this quick video (and, if you don’t like Tolle, that’s okay, you’ll still like it). It’s both entertaining and thought provoking. Please enjoy.

Summary: Jill Bolte Taylor (a brain scientist!) tells about her fascinating experience when she had a massive stroke, watched as her own brain functions shut down one by one, and truly experienced being in the present versus past and future thought. Watch video.

My Raw Food (it’s 5:30am and I haven’t gone to bed,so this is Saturday’s food):
Vitamineral Green and Fruits of the Earth with water
Plant Blood (celery, dandelion, apple, kale)
Hummus, sprouted bread
Peach
Green Smoothie (hemp prtn pwdr, banana, celery, carob, freshly ground milk thistle)
Chocolates Diva Jewels
Granola w/ almond milk
*This is in addition to my daily Pine’s Wheat Grass Tablets and Heavy Metal Nano Detox

Daily Conversation Question:
Do you possess any of the qualities of your astrological sign?

The Greatest Salad In The World

by Kristen in Mandala Salad, Olive Vinaigrette Dressing, raw food

Truthfully…it’s hard to have only one salad in the top spot, so I’m claiming that this salad has earned the right to be in the top 5 at least. It’s refreshing, gourmet, stylin’ and everyone will want seconds and thirds because the chewy, crunchy, savory and sweet will have you begging for more.

Spring and Summer are popular seasons for enjoying salads. This one is perfect for any occasion, whether you want to:

~ Make yourself a gorgeous salad. (It can be a “starter” for your meal or the whole meal itself.)
~ Serve it to your family. (Get many “oohs and ahhs” while you’re at it.)
~ Show it off to friends. (This salad gives you total bragging rights! It’ll make you very popular.)

I served this for the salad course at my last Mandala Dinner event, and probably received the same number of emails requesting this recipe as I did for the Spinach Thyme Soup Recipe (available in May’s email newsletter – sign up here).

Making the Salad: There are few components you’ll need to make in advance, so plan accordingly. I’m known for bragging that my ebooks and recipes are EASY and FAST! Even though this recipe involves a little more work than the typical chopping found in a salad, the work is acceptable for two reasons…1) the salad is a-freakin’-mazing and 2) the work you do for a couple of the items (seeds and leeks) is for making components to the salad that can be stored for future salads; hence, the second, third and maybe fourth time you make the salad, you’ll only toss together the dressing and leafy greens.

You’ll need the following for each small serving of salad:
2 cups spring mix lettuce
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 tablespoon Sweet Vanilla Rain Sunflower Seeds (in my Sides-n-Snacks ebook)*
1 tablespoon Dried Leeks (recipe below)
2-3 tablespoons Olive Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)

*You can use any sweetened raw, sprouted and dehydrated seeds, but this simple recipe of mine is one of the main components that brings this salad together. (Special flavors!)

Dried Leeks: Slice 2-3 leeks very thinly, rinse well and place in a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Place the leeks in a shallow bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt. Let these marinate for about 15-minutes. Transfer them to a dehydrator tray (shaking off any excess oil over the bowl beforehand) and dehydrate until crispy – which is approximately 10-15 hours. Note: Make extra dried leeks so you have plenty on hand. Store them in a glass mason jar in your refrigerator for future salads and soups.

Olive Vinaigrette Dressing
Yield 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons raw agave nectar
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (or any olives of your choice)

Blend all of the ingredients for the dressing except for the basil and olives. Add the basil and olives, and pulse your blender to break them up, but not to blend them completely. This gives the dressing a lovely texture and color. Put your salads together with all of the ingredients above and enjoy!

The Story of Stuff

by Kristen in green living, raw food, Story of Stuff

I love this.

A great little story about consumption. It really hits home to the “G-Me” (Green). I used to be a big shopper/consumer. When I first moved to Arizona and needed to get directions to go somewhere from someone, I used to say…”Is it near the Borgata shopping mall, Fashion Square shopping mall, Biltmore Shopping mall or Kierland Shopping mall?” THOSE were my points of reference. Sad, I know.

Now, I have a new frame of mind and new behaviors because I’m living the G-lifestyle as much as possible. This is something that a few people in my life “still don’t get.” Well, to them I say, “watch this because this little ‘Story of Stuff’ breaks it down.” www.storyofstuff.com

Today’s Food Intake:
Breakfast: 3 bananas
Snack: 1/4 cup soaked pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Miso soup, zucchini and beet salad, German Chocolate Brownies
Snack: Green Smoothie with E3-Live (Emerald Blend)
Dinner: Undecided, but it’ll be accompanied by Vegan Organic Wine *We’re going out to dinner tonight and I’m donning my sassy red high heels and black cowgirl hat

My Annual Health Stats, Smiles, & Today’s Food

by Kristen in blood work, health stats, raw food

Hi Everyone! It’s that time of year for me when I get my annual physical and blood work done. Last year my blood pressure was 94 over 64 and my cholesterol was 107. Today, the physical examination was great, my blood pressure was 96 over 62 and tonight I’ll be fasting in preparation for blood work tomorrow.

Today’s food:
Breakfast: warm water w/ fresh lemon juice to drink and 2 apples to eat
Snack: 4 bananas
Lunch: 4 cups of green smoothie (water, banana, kiwi, spinach, and 1 bag frozen blueberries)
Snack: 3 bananas
Dinner: fresh zucchini pasta marinara alongside a large bowl of Harvest Blend Soup (recipe available on this blog in another post)
Dessert: German Chocolate Brownies

On another note…I was at the vet yesterday with my dog for his annual checkup (he’s doing great by the way!). While I was in the waiting room there was a gal (waiting to take her dog in, too) who was very friendly, outgoing, and all smiles. The thing that was extra neat and special about her was that she said “hi” and smiled at everyone who came through the door or was passing through the waiting room. She was like a breath of fresh air…especially among impatient customers who were tired of waiting for the vet. She started conversations with people and was very chatty. I loved it! She completely transformed the atmosphere in the waiting room and filled it with positive energy. I took a lesson from her and today I said hello and smiled to almost everyone I walked by on the street, in a parking lot, etc. It felt GREAT and now I find myself on the lookout for people so I can smile at them, say hello, and pass on some positive energy.