Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Monday Morning Green Juice

A super-quick post today before I go to work - I made green juice on Monday (apple, cucumber, fennel and celery) and had the rest refrigerated last night. It was lovely.

Am busy at the moment working on a playlist of music for my Mum's birthday party, and also planning a trip to Bristol for the Vegan Fayre this weekend - the line up looks pretty good. I think we're going to spend the whole weekend in Bristol rather than going to Cardiff as well. And of course a raw picnic with my boyfriend on Friday lunch time. Lots to look forward to.

Monday, 25 May 2009

Friendship

My angel card today confirmed again that "not only are you changing on the the inside, but your life is changing on the outside as well." The name of the card is friendship, it talks about naturally occuring changes in relationships and says

'You are ready to receive new friendships with people who mirror your interests and ambititions.'

I am certainly ready to receive these in the blogging world! Have already made a friend in Zuccini Breath (Big Raw Vegan Blog) her support around the vegan barbecue brought about good things, as the previous post testifies! Thank you! x

Everything's changing for the better

Everything is working out perfectly. I got a phone call on Thursday saying that a place has become available for me to start teacher training at Chichester in September (I was on the reserve list) So I'm going to take the place and can't wait to start studying again. I feel really good about it because I will be able to work from home in my own space, walk to uni every day (and be green!) and hopefully get some transferrable skills relevant to raw food as well.

Things in the outside kitchen are fantastic, it's like the space was created for me although all I've had to do is get a tea towel, washing up liquid, cutlery etc. and all my food of course! I am happy being out there listening to my ipod and my parents are also happy to see me out there and often say 'that looks nice', etc. We are definitely all getting on better for it and the whole atmosphere in the house is much calmer. I made carrot salad last night for a barbeque, which felt like old times. Last summer was our first summer in this house and I don't recall any family barbecues at all, although we used to have loads of great barbecues in the old house. My mum asked me to make the carrot salad and my Dad, who had never tried it before, really liked it. (I will convert them both eventually!) No seriously just getting him to feel more positive about my diet/lifestyle is a big step. I've read that's often the hardest thing, trying to be raw in a cooked family, but now I feel my perseverance and belief that things would get easier are paying off.

Part of this belief was that things would get easier and therefore take less time. This is also happening and I seem to always have an abundance of food with less effort. I am better at making greater quantities to last for the next day, etc. am discovering delicious but straight forward recipes which and have some well-practiced favourites.

Am going to the Bristol Vegan Fayre this weekend with my boyfriend Andrew, and we are going to visit Cardiff (my University city) in the same trip. Can't wait for that. Again, how perfect that I am not down to work this Saturday. But I shouldn't be surprised because everything is perfect!

Thursday, 21 May 2009

Angel cards

Had the same angel card for two days in a row ... wow

"Celebration - this is a light filled time in your life. You have been working hard towards making changes, and your intentions have now manifested into form. This is the time to fill your heart with a warm feeling of gratitude. ... hold strong in this gratitude. You are like a gardener who plants seeds and nurtures them because she has faith that her labours will yield new growth. Keep watering and tending to your seeds, and you will soon see them sprouting to the surface."

This reassurance has strengthened my faith that I am on the right path. It is good to know that I have been working hard to make changes, as I have found myself doubting my efforts sometimes. Can't wait to see what tomorrow's card says!

Good deed for the day

It's my day off today and I owe my Grannie a visit - she is in a care home a short walk down the road. She is always so pleased to see me and it makes me feel really good to have gone. So it's a win-win situation, (which is always the best kind!) I have loads of oranges I haven't eaten this week, so I thought I would juice them and take it round there for us to have together. Not quite the same as tea and biscuits/cake/brownies, but it is delicious, and good for her - I do worry about her not being fed enough nutritious things in that place!! I have taken her raw chocolate before which, as a self-confessed chocoholic, she devoured. (Hhm I must make some more sweet treats very soon...)

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

The beauty of raw food

This blog turned out being all about aesthetics and how food makes me feel...

Last night I made Kate Magic's pasta sauce to go with my veg and rice pasta. I am loving my new outside kitchen space and am in the process of setting it up how I want... will post some photos of it on here soon.

My mum had also made salad and I added some things and before I knew it I had a recipe:

rocket
watercress
lambs lettuce
kale
white cabbage (roughly chopped)
corriander (roughly chopped)

serve with apple cider vinegar to taste and a sprinkle of purple corn

It looked beautiful with white amongst the green. I sprinkled purple corn on it and all the colours together felt so calming to look at. I am using a lot of purple corn at the moment probably because I am drawn to the colour and these calming properties (and it tastes nice!)


I think hemp seed would also look really pretty and I find it really calming too. Funny how things just seem to go together.
For desert I decided to experiment with the blender to make a raw chocolate pudding. It turned out pretty good, but I think it would be better substituting some of the banana for avocado to make it more fresh and less sticky. Here is the recipe:

2 bananas
2 tsps of coconut butter
1 1/2 tsps of carob powder
2 1/2 tsps of cacao powder
1 tbsp of agave nectar

Topping
goji berries
cacao nibs
purple corn
anything else that looks pretty! I think desicated coconut would look really nice.

Of course, I kept tasting it as I went along so the quantities might not be exact or the end product!

As you can tell I am loving taking photos of my food at the moment!

Monday, 18 May 2009

Let Blogging Begin

So the time has come for me to start blogging ... !

Fittingly (of course) my angel card this morning said 'Manifestation - you have manifested new opportunities and abundance'

'This is the process by which all thoughts transform into tangible form: First they begin as an idea, born of Divine sources. Then the idea meets with a feeling. If the feeling is loving and nurturing, the idea and the feeling create the embryo of the manifestation.'

This is what this blog is about - turning my raw imagination into raw creation, with photos and recipes which I hope will inspire you to eat (in the words of Kate Magic) *the best food in the world*!!

AmyJ xxx