Thanksgiving / New Raw Food Prep and Corporate Wellness Series

Happy belated Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving was relaxing and fabulous. here are some yummy pics!!

Spinach Flax Wraps: I love these!! they are dense and filling and make me feel like i'm eating a real wrap!! i placed a large scoop of kale coleslaw in the center of each, sprinkled with nutritional yeast, wrapped them up and enjoyed every bite. they are sooo easy to make too!!!


my sister-in-law ashley, her new baby Luke, owen and I went for a wonderful walk thanksgiving afternoon. Owen napped in the stroller after our walk.

My nutrient-dense green / veggie salad loaded with greens, sprouts, red peppers, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, celery and more. With a simple dressing of orange juice, lemon juice and crushed garlic.

My kale coleslaw:

Joe and I before the feast!!

Nothing like roasting some marshmellows on thanksgiving!!! this is mason and his cousin mathew enjoying the, "nothing nutritious about it" marshmellows- pure sugar!!! and they loved every bite!!


Check out my website for details on my "2011 Raw Living Foods Preparation 9-part Series" and my "6-part Corporate Wellness Series". Call or email me with any questions. The 9-part Raw Living Foods Preparation Series is great for all levels and will give you specific recipes and techniques to easily incorporate raw living foods into your daily diet. Make living well a priority in 2011!!!

Also, keep an eye on the "Sweet Green" blog. I was interviewed last tuesday by a Sweet Green intern to be featured as a "Sweet Person" of Bethesda. I'll let you know when they post the feature.

Namaste, Kelly

7-day Green Smoothie Challenge

We just launched a 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge at Balance Studio in Bethesda, MD (this is the studio where i see many of my patients and clients). Balance Studio is doing a "10-week pilates challenge" and they are now 5 weeks into the challenge. At this point the participants have the exercise part down and now they can kick up their nutrition with my 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge!!
If you are participating in the 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge i want you to jump right in and EXPERIMENT. Get the whole family involved. You need to buy the ingredients on the list and start with the recipes that i have given you as a base. next, experiment with different blends to find ones that you love. One key to eating well for a lifetime is to find healthy foods, snacks, meals and drinks that you love and crave in a good way. i honestly crave my green juice everyday. i rarely go a day without my green juice and if i do go a day without it i don't have the same amount of energy. i make green smoothies for my boys everyday and i drink green smoothies approximately 5 days per week. my husband makes green smoothies 3-5 days per week and he loves them. he will often do his for dinner when he gets home late at night. this is not ideal because of the high sugar from the fruit but its still fabulous to get all those nutrients in at some point during the day
i received a few comments today and emails asking about the difference between green juices and green smoothies:
Green juice:

Green smoothie:

the difference between green "juices" and green "smoothies" is that juices have no fiber and are just filled with loads of nutrients. the fiber has been strained out. this is beneficial because when juices are drank first thing in the morning before anything else the nutrients are easily assimilated into the blood and the nutrients go right to your cells. also, because the fiber is taken out you can have huge amounts of greens in one glass resulting in more nutrients into your body compared to if the fiber was in it in which case there is no way you could take in all those greens. for instance in one 32 ounce glass of juice you may have a whole head of kale, a head of romaine, a box of broccoli sprouts, a bunch of cilantro, 2-3 apples, 2 handfuls spinach, 1/2 cucumber, 3 stalks celery etc. Green "smoothies" are filled with both nutrients and fiber. we need fiber for optimal functioning of the digestive system. i also love green smoothies because that is where i throw in all my superfoods (more on this in another blog post). i will often do greens, fruit, water, ground flax seed, green powders, sun warrior protein powder, acai powder, camu camu etc... i have loads of superfoods and i vary between them dependent upon what i'm in need of that day. if i need more protein i'll use sun warrior protein or spirulina. if i need a hormone balancer i will use maca. if i need more omega 3s i may use ground flax seed or chia seeds. The bottom line is its beneficial to drink both green juices and green smoothies. green juices are either made in a juicer or they can be made in a blender if you blend the ingredients and then use a "nut milk" bag to strain the fiber out. green smoothies are always made in a blender. if you get into making green juices and smoothies i suggest you purchase good equipment. there are two high-powered blenders that are fabulous- the Vita-Mix blender and the K-tec. for juices i love the green star juicer but for sake of time most days i use my vita-mix blender and then strain out the fiber with my nut milk bag. this method does lose some nutrients due to the oxidation of the blending compared to less oxidation if you use the green star juicer. but i know i'm still getting loads of nutrients and it works with my lifestyle right now.

the key with this 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge is to have fun with it. if you, your family, business or school are interested in doing a Green Smoothie Challenge let me know and i'm happy to pass along the challenge recipes, grocery list and tips.

happy greens!!!

namaste, kelly

What a Day!!!

It was an action-packed day here at the Bradley household. Started my day with my 4am yoga wake-up call. i've been focusing on a lot of hip openers lately and i can feel it is helping to balance the whole body. when the body is balanced it works more efficiently. this is what we want. we want the body to work efficiently to preserve energy for living. and i needed the energy today!!!


mason woke around 6am and owen woke shortly afterwards. i knew today was going to be a "not-so-good" eating day for mason due to a cookie playdate and b-day party so i wanted to pack him with goodness in the morning: lots of fresh fruit and a nut milk strawberry smoothie. We did an early morning art project- we had a b-day party today so we wrapped his present and hand-made a b-day card.

i blended two cantaloupes and drank one myself and gave the rest to owen and mason. they love the blended fruit too.


i worked with a client this morning who is transitioning to a raw living foods lifestyle- check out the amazing goodies we made together:
Zucchini and Carrot pasta

Cilantro Basil Pesto

Brazil Nut "Parm Cheese" (brazil nuts, garlic, sea salt)

I coated the pasta with the cilantro basil pesto, sprinkled it with the brazil nut sprinkle and added a few slices of avocado. YUMMY!!!

Nacho Cheese Kale Chips

Sweet Cinnamon Sprouted and Dehydrated Walnuts

Green Juice

Nutrient-Dense Greenies: pulp leftover from juice, sprouted ground flax seeds, carrots, dulse, kelp, nutritional yeast and sea salt

Next it was home for a playdate where we made "turkey cookies." mason saw this on a commercial and wanted to do it. this included all the good stuff: sugar cookies, icing, food dye to color the icing, chocolate chips and sprinkles. everything i DON'T want him to eat. however, it looked like a fun project and i like doing these creative things with him and his friends. so of course i made it a little healthier- organic sugar cookie dough, gluten-free organic icing, dyes from real food such as the red was from beets, vegan chocolate chips and real sugar sprinkles. the best you can do in these situations is get real food products (no artificial colors or fake foods). here are the results:

it does not really look like a turkey but we tried!!!!

after the playdate i made myself a green fruit smoothie with sun warrior protein powder to fuel me the rest of the day. i took this with me on the way to our next event- a b-day party at the "rockville sports center." it was moon-bounce heaven. mason ran off all the sugar he ate with the sugar cookies!!! then the goodies came out: doritos, cake, punch etc. again everything i DON'T want him to eat. my thought with these situations is that what they eat 90% of the time is most important and what they eat the other 10% i should not stress about. i don't want to make food a huge "issue". the point of kid's b-day parties is for the kids to learn the art of giving, socialization, to move the body and most importantly to just have fun with their friends. i know that tomorrow i will cleanse him with eating very clean- green smoothies, loads of fruits and veggies, healthy meals, water etc.


i love days like today. action-packed but i was present throughout. having a busy schedule is ok- as long as you are present and truly enjoying the moments.

namaste, kelly

Blended Fruit

What a beautiful day today!! it was a fabulous yoga day. woke at 4am and did an early morning yoga practice and some body rolling too. Then i went to the 8:30am class at yoga fusion in bethesda. the class was a wonderful intense flow that made me feel connected and powerful. i'm cleansing this weekend and when i cleanse my whole body, mind and spirit feel connected. when i'm cleansing i love drinking blended fruits. yesterday i blended 2 whole cantaloupes and drank them throughout the morning (see pic above). Today, i blended 2 personal watermelons. they are soooo fresh and yummy. The kids love these drinks too. Try this with any melon- papaya and honeydew are great too. Cantaloupe is my favorite. be sure when you are drinking any blended beverage that you swirl the drink around your mouth before swallowing to allow the enzymes to help digest it. You can also add a few leaves of any greens to blended melon to make a green smoothie.

Namaste, Kelly

Decadent Warm Cacao or Carob Drink

I may have posted this last winter but i just received an email asking for a substitute for kids and adults for the typical hot chocolate. i was reminded of my favorite warm cozy healthy hot cacao or carob treat.

Drink this amazingly creamy treat on a cold dark night when you just need a sweet chocolate fix. You will not only feel satisfied but you will have provided your body with an abundance of nutrients!!! ENJOY!!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 or 2 teaspoon raw almond butter (makes it creamy)
honey or agave nectar to taste (about a teaspoon)
1 tbsp raw carob or cacao powder
1 thin slice of fresh ginger, chopped (optional)
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of grated nutmeg
1 dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy. Place in pot on stove and warm lightly.

Drink is slowly and mindfully!!!

I actually have a quiet house to myself in the middle of the afternoon. Mason is at school and owen is napping. i'm sitting here drinking a warm tea doing the work i love. It's another blissful day!!

namaste, kelly

Today's Daily Rituals

Woke at 4am
1 hour of yoga practice
drank water with lemon and took probiotic
made green juice for the day- 50 ounces for me and 16 ounces for the boys
drank kombucha tea while working with clients
took mason to school
9:30-11 yoga class at yoga fusion
drank green juice and took supplements (multi, vit D3, B-complex, omega-zen)
drank green juice while working with clients
picked up mason from school
made dinner with boys and ate: raw fermented veggies by Rejuvenative Foods, 3 lydia's organic sunflower seed bread slices spread with avocado, nutritional yeast and dash of sea salt.
Enjoyed time with the boys
Will be in bed by 10pm tonight.

Check out Lydia's Organic products. She makes fabulous raw dehydrated crackers that are great to travel with or to take on-the-go during the day. because they are dehydrated you do need to eat something moist with them for optimal digestion. i usually do some kind of salad or raw fermented veggies.

namaste, kelly

Quote & My Thanksgiving Meal Plan

I want to start with a fabulous quote i ready today:

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." Gandi

I love this quote and it is so true. We are what we think, what we say and what we do. but are these things always the same? not for many people. Many people act a certain way or do certain things just to "fit in" or because it is what the mainstream is doing. I challenge everyone to become mindful in regards to this and then attempt to be true to oneself and say and do what you truly think.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. its just about being with family and eating fabulous food. But this does not mean you have to stuff yourself silly as if you are never going to eat again. i don't get why people eat such a huge amount of food in one sitting. There are always leftovers you can have the next day. Eating too much at one meal is one of the worst things you can do for your body and digestive system. Overeating leaves you with no energy because all the energy is going towards digesting the food. So here are a few tips to improve your chances of having some energy leftover after the thanksgiving feast:

-Don't eat too much at one time
-If there are many things you want to try take a little of each and truly enjoy what you are eating
-take breaks between fork-fulls
-instead of eating everything at one time break it up into two meals a few hours apart
-Don't drink water or liquids with your meal (it dilutes the hydrochloric acid that is trying to digest your food)
-Eat some raw foods with your cooked meal (the enzymes from the raw food will help digest the cooked foods that are void of enzymes because they have been cooked)
-Slow down and chew your food till it is totally liquid

This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law and her family. I'm constantly asked the question, "what are YOU going to eat for thanksgiving???" Well my sister-in-law and her husband are in charge of the turkey, mash potatoes, dessert and the more typical Thanksgiving foods (which i obviously will not eat). I'm going to bring my Kale Coleslaw (see below for recipe) which i love but honestly don't make often so its a treat for me. I'm going to make some Collard Wraps with Kale Coleslaw inside and some Spinach Flax wraps with Kale Coleslaw inside. I love both of these and could not decide which to do so i'm going to do both. I'm also going to do a basic green salad loaded with veggies and sprouts with a fabulous garlic lemon dressing. When i travel i always take some dehydrated crackers like Lydia's Organics so i'm sure i'll have some of those too.


Here is the Kale Coleslaw recipe (from Raw Revolution)
Kale Coleslaw

2 servings
Dressing:
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp light miso
2 tsp flaxseed oil
1 ½ tsp agave syrup
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground flaxseeds
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch of powdered mustard
Salad:
2 cups kale leaves cut into thin ribbons
1 ¼ cups shredded cabbage
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and drained, diced
2 tbsp red onion, diced
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of sea salt
For the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.
Add the kale to the dressing and toss. Massage the kale well for a few minutes to soften. The kale should take on a cooked appearance and reduce dramatically in volume.
Add the cabbage, tomato, onion, cayenne and salt and toss again.
Kale coleslaw is best served immediately, but it can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

So what will my Thanksgiving Day plate probably look like:
1 or 2 collard and or spinach flax kale coleslaw wraps
large salad with yummy dressing
some dehydrated crackers with avocado, sea salt and nutritional yeast or more kale coleslaw on them

One key to eating well and feeling well after you eat is not mixing too many different foods. this can be a challenge on a day like thanksgiving.

I will also eat my meal over time and slowly. i'm the slowest eater in the world and always the last one done. i don't like eating lots of food at one time because i feel awful afterwards. So if i want to enjoy more food i will wait till some of it digests and then eat more later.

i'm sure everyone will enjoy the raw living foods that i bring and little will they know but i will be helping them digest all the typical Thanksgiving Day foods. i can't stop everyone from chowing down but i can at least contribute some nutrients and enzymes to their meal.

More to come in a future blog about Gratitude and Giving Thanks all year and on Thanksgiving!!!

Namaste, Kelly

My Daily Rituals Today

Creating daily rituals is what helps us stay organized when trying to live a healthy lifestyle. i'm often asked what i do and eat on a daily basis so i like to share with you occasionally my daily routines, food intake, exercise, what i feed my family etc. what works for me on a daily basis has been discovered through experience. i'm always changing what i do and eat dependent upon my needs at that time. It's important to stay present and make changes when needed to help you reach your goals. my goal each day in regards to food and exercise is to eat and move the body so i feel good and have energy to do the things i want to do. i have found that eating a raw living foods diet primarily made up of green juices, fresh fruits and veggies, loads of sprouts, fermented foods such as sauerkraut and some sprouted nuts and seeds is the food that works best for me. In regards to movement, yoga is what makes my body and mind feel balanced and alive right now. my weekly schedule varies dependent upon the day: i work tuesday-thursday and i'm home with my boys friday-monday. here is my day today:


wake 4 am
drink water and take probiotic
make green juice: celery, cucumber, kale, chard, broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, pea sprouts, spinach, romaine, cilantro, parsley, dandelion greens, collards, apple, ginger and lemon
drank synergy GT kombucha tea while seeing clients from 6-9 at the studio
took yoga class at yoga fusion
bodywork session from 11-12- this is intense manual work/massage to my body to release areas of tightness and balance the musculoskeletal system. i feel this is very important for most people to get done.
drank green juice and took supplements (raw whole food supplements- multi, b-complex)
sipped on green juice while seeing clients 12:30-3:30
picked up mason at school
made dinner with the boys- they had a feast of avocado with sea salt and nutritional yeast, sunflower seed veggie pate and apples with almond butter. mason later wanted some buckwheat pancakes with honey- we had these already made from breakfast.
i munched on black grapes from 3:30ish to 5. i was in the mood to take it light today. when i'm very busy i feel better when i eat very light so i have the energy to do the things i want to do and not expend the energy digesting my food.
so it was a very simple day of drinking and eating.
next was clean up, bath time, quiet time, reading time and finally bedtime.
I love the evenings with the boys!!
The boys are now asleep and i'm finishing up work while drinking a GT kombucha tea.
Will read a little before bed and be asleep by 9pm.

i challenge everyone to be mindful of your daily habits and make changes dependent upon what your goals are. If your goal is to have more energy then experiment with different ways of eating that will give you more energy- eating a green smoothie for breakfast instead of a big bowl of cereal or not eating right before you go to bed. Experiment with different forms of exercise to see what gives you the most energy and freedom of movement (when you have freedom of movement your body works more efficiently and therefore, you conserve energy)- yoga, pilates, biking, hiking etc. Everyone is different and therefore, thrives by eating different foods and moving in different ways.

namaste, kelly

Mindful Parenting

As the mother of two amazing boys i'm always striving to be the best mother possible. i want to raise boys that are kind, honest, loving, healthy, comfortable in their own skin, adventurous yet safe, confident, positive, open minded, happy- the list can go on and on. I believe in and read alot about "mindful parenting", "conscious parenting" and "attachment parenting". One of my favorite books is "Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting" by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I was rereading this last night and just loved this statement:
"As I see it, the challenge of being a parent is to live our moments as fully as possible, charting our own course as best we can, above all, nourishing our children, and in the process, growing ourselves. Our children and the journey itself provide us with endless opportunities in this regard."
This statement says it so well. Parenting is a challenge- every day, every minute. We are challenged with nourishing them in every way. As mason gets older i find it even more challenging. He has his own little personality and no longer does he just go along with what i have planned. i need to allow him to grow to be his own person- not who i see him growing up to be. i need to guide him in the right direction of course but ultimately he will choose who he will become. i want to give him the opportunity to shine in his own skin and be the best person he can be. One of the most important things i need to do now is to give him emotional support so he gains an inner confidence to explore the world and be who he is in this world. To give him emotional support at this age, when he can be a little crazy, there are moments when i have to take a few deep breaths, think about how i'm going to react to a situation and then act. I need to act in his best interest. I have to see the situation through his eyes and his world. he is living in a 4 year old world whereas i'm living in my 34 year old world. taking the time to see the situation through his eyes has helped me be a better parent.

namaste, kelly

4 am Yoga Practice

Today was an amazingly beautiful fall day. It was crisp yet warm in the sun. I am a nature girl. i love being in nature, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun on my skin (for at least 30 minutes a day to get my D3 of course).

I've had a home yoga practice for a long time. Since having mason and owen i get up before they wake to practice and have my quiet time. some mornings i make my green juice first other mornings i do my yoga practice first. lately i've been almost jumping out of bed to get on the mat at 4am- yes 4am. some mornings i'll even wake automatically at 3:30 and i just get up and go right to the mat. I've even increased my morning practice time to 2 hours most mornings- it all depends on how late the boys sleep. I will do a morning practice even if i 'm going to a yoga class that day. My morning practice consists of breathing, sun salutations, vinyasa flow sequences and body rolling. if you have never tried body rolling with either balls or a foam roller you have got to experience it. it is essential for me to open up various parts of my body such as the pecs, psoas (a hip flexor muscle), piriformis (a hip muscles), IT-band, quads and more. I use it therapeutically with all my clients and patients. The combination of breathing, yoga, body rolling and mindfulness in the morning helps me to get my body and mind prepared for the day.
so when i hear those little feet pop out of bed or a little cry from owen i'm ready to be a mom and live my yoga throughout the day.

every morning i set intentions for the day. today it was to be present and breathe in everything i do and to go with the flow. i've had a very busy last two weeks between work, clients and workshops and i was looking forward to spending a day with my two boys just being present and going with the flow. when i set intentions in the morning i repeat these intentions throughout the day.


The day was perfect!!
i woke at 4 for my yoga practice
boys woke around 6ish
we relaxed, made smoothies and got ready for the day with classical music playing in the background (i'm a big believer in the healing of music so i suggest you experiment with how music makes you feel)
we went to the market to stock up on all our greens and produce and food for the week. i love shopping with the boys. mason is such a helper now. he opens the bags for me while i put all my greens in.
we stopped back at the house to unload, get a snack of apples and almond butter for the boys and blended cantaloupe for me.
we then played soccer and ran around in the back yard. sooooo much fun!!
owen took a nap and mason and i went to the park to play more. he found 2 little friends and they played liked they were best friends forever. i love this about kids. they make friends so easily and just have fun playing. i loved just watching them in action. i stood in the sun just taking in the rays.
next it was time to go home and make dinner. we ate, took baths and relaxed together as a family.
SOOO simple and perfect. it was the exact type of day that i needed.

i challenge everyone to experiment with doing a morning yoga practice and setting an intention for the day.

namate, kelly

Lifelong Learning

I just completed my second physical therapy continuing education course in two weeks. Last weekend i did a course called, "Functional Anatomy" which was a review of anatomy, the muscles and their origins, insertions, actions and functions, possible dysfunctions and treatments. Today i completed a two-day course on "Balance Enhancement and Fall Prevention." I'm reminded again how important it is to continue learning forever- to NEVER STOP BEING A STUDENT.

As a teacher myself i know how satisfying it is to share my knowledge with others and make a profound difference in people's lives. it is just as satisfying for me to be a student. i love to learn and build on my current knowledge base. even though i do a home yoga practice i also take yoga classes from other instructors almost daily. i love being the student, listening to new cues, experiencing new sequences, being silent and going within.


So I challenge everyone to be a student of life everyday. This could be in the form of reading a new book, watching a documentary, taking an art class, taking a new exercise class, observing children play, meditating- there are endless ways to continue to learn everyday!!

Namaste, kelly

Raw Holiday Bliss

The holidays are here soon and there is no better time than now to experiment with some fabulous raw vegan recipes. You do not need to do a completely raw holiday dinner but include just a few items that will impress everyone!!! Raw Vegan foods are loaded with nutrients and enzymes that are otherwise destroyed when you cook food. If you do choose to eat cooked food it is best to eat raw foods with the cooked foods so the enzymes from the raw food can help you digest the cooked food. So get excited for some delicious and nutritious raw vegan holiday recipes!!


Savory Herb Stuffing
*instead of a turkey this year go for the raw vegan choice of a nut stuffing or loaf. To make this recipe into a nut loaf just shape it into a loaf and dehydrate at 118 degrees for 12 hours.

1 cup soaked raw almonds (or walnuts)- finely ground in a food processor
1 cup soaked raw pumpkin seeds- finely ground in a food processor
1 cup soaked raw sunflower seeds- finely ground in a food processor
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
¾ cup diced celery
1 ¼ chopped mushrooms- marinate in 2 tbsp wheat-free tamari for 1 hour
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp kelp
1 ½ tsp dulse
1 ½ tsp sage
1 ½ tsp thyme

*Prior to eating all nuts and seeds they should be soaked and rinsed to remove enzyme inhibitors. Soak nuts for 8 hours and seeds for 4 hours, drain and rinse.

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and serve.

Serving Suggestions: Take the stem out of a collard leaf and roll some of the stuffing in the collard leaf with other veggies such as sprouts, carrots and red peppers. Or just place the herb stuffing on a romaine leaf and enjoy.

Cauliflower Spinach Mash

2 ½ cups cauliflower- ground in a food processor
¼ cup raw macadamia nuts (or almonds or walnuts) (soaked for 8 hours, drained and rinsed)- ground in food processor
1 handful of spinach
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper to taste
*I love adding a dash of cumin, tumeric and cayenne too!!
*if you want this recipe to resemble mash potatoes omit the spinach and additional seasonings.

Place all ingredients (except black pepper) into a food processor and mix until fluffy. Top with fresh ground pepper if you choose.


Kale Raisen Salad

1/4 cup raisins (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes)
1 bunch Kale stems removed
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice and or orange juice or mixture of the two
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (or pine nuts or sunflower seeds)
2 tbsp raisins
*Sometimes I add a dash of cinnamon to this recipe.
*I also like adding a few chopped soaked sun-dried tomatoes to this recipe. It adds color and flavor!!

Soak raisins in warm water for approximately 10 minutes, drain and save soaking water.
In blender or food processor, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and soaked raisins. If after blending, it is too thick add some of the raisin soaked water to thin.
Mix dressing with Kale and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Toss in the pine nuts and remaining raisins when ready to serve

Use the above recipes to make a plate of mouthwatering nutrient-dense and delicious food to enjoy with family and friends!! Plate like this:

*Serve the Savory Herb Stuffing in a collard wrap with sprouts, red peppers and carrots. Maybe keep a few marinated mushrooms to add into the wrap too. I would add a little avocado too. Or you can make a bed of greens with the Kale Raisen Salad and place the Savory Herb Stuffing on top.

*A scoop of Cauliflower Spinach Mash. I always want to include more greens so I add the spinach and extra spices.

*A large serving of Kale Raisen Salad.

Or just experiment with one recipe at a time at your next holiday event.
This meal is one no one will forget!! Enjoy and please send me your comments!!

Raw Yoga Mom Update

ELIZABETH'S GONE RAW


Last friday i went to Elizabeth's Gone Raw's 5-course raw vegan dinner and it was just amazing: kale chips, dolmas, arugala and marinated mushroom salad, sorbet, olive raviolis and pumpkin cheesecake. DELISH!!! The only downfall about dinners like this is that it is soooo much more food than i am used to eating at one sitting and my belly just does not like it. my energy is sapped after i eat a meal like this. I'm very sensitive to food and its like my body just gets overwhelmed. so for two days after i eat like this i detox- water with lemon, green juices and fresh fruit and veggies- very simple!! now of course what i know i should do is ask to take the dessert home but its sooo hard when it looks sooooo delicious- but i will do it next time!!

COLD WEATHER EATING: MY FAVORITE WARMING MEAL




The cooler weather is upon us and soon the shorter days. during this time i crave a hearty warm meal occasionally. i don't eat much cooked food but when i do my favorite is the meal i did today- and it was very yummy and satisfying. here is my favorite:
cooked quinoa
baked or steamed sweet potatoe
chopped cilantro
chunks of avocado
green peas (or broccoli or any other veggie you want)
dash of sea salt to taste
In one big bowl i put approximately 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1 small sweet potato (in chunks and slightly mashed), handful of peas, chunks of avocado, a handful of chopped cilantro and a dash of sea salt.
i love when the really warm quinoa melts the cooler avocado- sooo yummy!!

MOM'S GROUPS, SUPPORT AND EDUCATE YOURSELF!!!

This morning i spoke to a group of moms in regards to nutrition. i love working with moms and families because i, as a mother, wife etc can relate to many of the issues they have. Motherhood is challenging and getting support from other moms and professionals that can help you find solutions to issues is the key. one big problem with nutrition today is that the media and marketing campaigns send out the wrong information. I challenge all moms and families to do some research and learn why we should not "go with the flow" in regards to what the government and the media tell us to eat. Watch some movies on the topic such as "The Future of Food" or "Food Inc." You will never eat the same. I'm always happy to talk with moms groups so please pass the word.

PICTURES FROM THE PUMPKIN PATCH
I love this time of year and i love going to the pumpkin patches. This year we did Homestead Farms and Butler's Orchard. I love the big sliding board!!





Namaste, Kelly