Raw Food Recipes for Mother’s Day: Yogurt, Zucchini Spaghetti and Not Meat Balls
I promised I would post my Mother’s day recipes later in the day. Well, it’s a lot later! My Mother’s day turned out to be a relaxing and fun day at home, with my kids, husband and on the phone with siblings and friends. It was indeed a treat! I actually never made it back to the computer until 10pm, after my almost 13 year old Kevin went to bed.
I mentioned on my previous post Mother’s Day Memories that I’d asked for breakfast in bed. What I realized this morning is that I’m not a “breakfast in bed” kind of gal …at least not on a sunny summer day.
I prefer to get up and out so what we decided instead was that after my run, we’d have Mother’s day brunch by the pool. One thing lead to another and by the time I actually got to eat my brunch it was 4PM!
Here’s a photo
of the beautiful brunch my husband Scott made me. In the glass is fresh coconut water. On the platter was mango, pineapple, papaya, coconut, strawberries and honeydew.
The green smoothie he made was not on the platter but it was yummy.
After my run, I snacked on some home made coconut pineapple yogurt I made the day before mixed with fresh blueberries. That was a treat and the recipe is below.
We had a delicious dinner a few hours later. Scott even made me a “cheese cake” dessert. I actually haven’t tried it yet, as I got full from dinner and by the time I had room, it was too late to eat. I’ll see if I can get him to post the recipe tomorrow.
For dinner Scott made a beautiful salad and I managed to whip up a zucchini noodle with marinara sauce and “meatballs” made from soaked walnuts, Brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds with some veggies. All the recipes are below.
I felt pampered and appreciated and I managed to eat delicious food that took very little time to make and was health enhancing. The best news is there are leftovers for tomorrow!!
The yogurt recipe was an improv and turned out great. You can pretty much make a favorite nut or seed cream and add probiotics and let it culture.
Pineapple Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup Artisana Coconut Butter (whole, raw organic coconut that’s been pureed into a peanut butter-like consistency)
- 1 teaspoon ground vanilla beans
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups water
- handful of dates
- 10 prunes (As taught in Eating for Bone Health, this quantity of prunes has been shown in studies to reverse bone loss)
- 1 teaspoon Blue Bonnet Probiotics, containing 44 billion live organisms (choose your favorite brand)
Directions
- Blend all ingredients except the probiotics until smooth.
- Add probiotics and blend briefly, just to combine.
- Adjust water if too thick.
- Place in glass jars and set to ferment in a warm place. I put it in a yogurt maker. A dehydrator set on lowest setting works well, too. It needs to be in the range of 90 to 100 degrees for 12 – 18 hours. if you turn on your oven to low then turn it off and let the temperature drop you can try in there.The longer you leave it, the more sour it becomes. It can turn if left too long.
- Serve plain or over fresh fruit.
Zucchini Spaghetti with Not Meat Balls
Cut the ends off the zucchini and process through a spiral slicer. There are several options to choose from. These are handy kitchen gadgets that allow you to turn vegetables into noodles.
Place zucchini noodles in a bowl and allow to sit while you make the rest of the ingredients. If you prefer them softer, add a sprinkle of salt and gently massage it in. Drain off excess water when ready to add the sauce.
Not Meat Balls
- 1 cup raw walnuts, soaked, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup raw Brazil nuts, soaked, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds either soaked and dehydrated or dry
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 small onion
- handful arugula
- sprinkle of kelp powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon whole unrefined sea salt
Place all ingredients in food processor and process until the mixture holds together and is almost smooth. Form into meat balls. These can be used as is or dehydrated for 8 -12 hours .
Simple Marinara Sauce
- 3 zucchini
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked for 1-2 hours in room temperature water or 10 minutes in hot water, to soften
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sale
- 1/2 teaspoon kelp powder
Put all ingredients in food processor and process until close to smooth, but still a bit chunky. Add soak water from dried tomatoes if it’s too thick. Adjust salt and seasonings to taste.
Set sauce aside.
Optional: marinated mushrooms. The night before I had sliced baby bella mushrooms and sprinkled with a little salt, massaged lightly then added lemon juice an set in a salad press. This is a device that presses the excess liquid out and enhances the vegetables and softens them. These too are available on Amazon
To assemble, place the noodles in a large bowl. Top with sauce and mushrooms. Toss to combine. Serve with Not Meatballs.
Enjoy the recipes and comment below about how you spent your Mother’s day!
Love, Health and Joy to you,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Artisana coconut butter, bone health, Dr. Ritamarie, Gluten Free recipes, Mother's Day, prunes, raw food recipes, spiralizer, zucchini noodles
Posted in Articles, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods, Raw Food Recipes, Raw Foods, Vibrant Health
Raw Foods Recipes: Sweets for Easter and Special Occasions
When I first made the connection between the M&Ms and ice cream I was eating daily and the health challenges I was experiencing, it came as quite a shock. Sure, there were other things contributing to my failing health, but the ones that hurt the most to let go of were the ice cream and M&Ms…especially the peanut M&Ms and the pralines and cream ice cream. I guess the good news in all that was I did like nuts, even back then.
At the time I was feeling badly enough so I was willing to do anything to feel better. Brain fog, headaches, post nasal drip and burning in my stomach did not contribute to a happy life.
I proceeded to detox my body, give up all processed food (what would I eat now??) and vowed that only whole fresh foods would pass my lips.
I stayed true to my decision and most of the time it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be…except around the holidays.
In my family of origin, Easter was a big holiday, and candy was the focus. We’d all get a chocolate bunny and those solid chocolate foil wrapped chocolate eggs…and we started eating them right after breakfast.
My grandmother , “Nana”, would cover the top of her dining room “buffet table” with plastic Easter grass and “hide” all sorts of candy for us to find.
After I changed my diet, holidays like Easter would bring back the longing for something special and sweet. Over the years, I developed many recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth. My focus was on creating the most nutritious whole foods sweet treats possible, and many of the recipes I created contained hidden green foods. I managed to fool everyone…unless I spilled the beans, no one knew they were eating green spiked candies and brownies.
For years everyone who tasted my desserts has asked me when I’d write a book and share them with the world. At the end of last year, I teamed up with my dear friend and very talented living foods chef, Karen Osborne, to put together a very special Dessert book called Dessert: Making it Rich Without Oil”
Unlike when I was first starting out on my health journey, there are quite a few raw food dessert recipe books on the market today. The problem is, most of the recipes contain a fair amount of oil and questionable sweeteners.
Our goal in writing this book was to offer sweet treats made exclusively from whole foods. They’re naturally sweetened with fruits, dried fruits and freeze dried fruit powders. Their richness comes from are made rich with whole foods fats like seeds, nuts and coconut – no oil. Oil is not a whole food, and while therapeutically it’s sometimes used to replenish deficient fatty acids, overall the healthier choice is to use whole food fats to achieve the desired mouth feel and taste. We’ve found that by using natural thickening foods, like psyllium seeds and a sea vegetable called Irish Moss, you can achieve creaminess and richness with very little fat.
For a limited time, when you invest in Dessert: Making it Rich Without Oil , e-book or paperback, you’ll get access to a set of video demonstrations of three recipes from the book.
This special offer expires on Monday, April 25. If you celebrate Easter, order the e-book and you’ll have immediate access to the recipes and the videos so you can make your family Easter treats to remember.
Order the print book and e-book combo by Thursday April 21 and I’ll also send you as a bonus my two favorite Easter Recipes: Chocolate Easter Eggs and Easter Cookies and a copy of Karen’s video for Fudge Cherry Bursts.
We’ve posted photos of some of the recipes and the complete table of contents here:
http://drritamarie.com/makeitrich/
Eating a health promoting diet need not feel like deprivation. Enjoy nutritious whole food desserts made with love and pleasing to the whole family.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie Read more »
Tags: Dr. Ritamarie, Gluten free desserts, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Healthy Easter Foods, karen osborne, raw food diet, raw foods recipes, sugar free desserts
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Raw Food Recipes
Raw Foods Recipes: Quick and Easy Healthy Meals for BUSY People on the Run
3 Simple strategies for preparing healthy Meals EVEN when you’re SUPER BUSY
Last week I shared about how to fit exercise into your life…even if you’re super busy. I wrote an article about burst training and posted a video on You tube.
This week I’d like to share how to eat really well, even if you’re super busy. SO many people tell me they were doing well with eating whole fresh foods and felt really good when they were doing it, but then got busy and fell back into old habits.
There is NO NEED for this to happen once you learn HOW to make super delicious, nutrient dense foods even when you’re in a hurry.
Last week was super busy for me. I had several technology challenges, a couple of program deadlines, articles to write, guest appearances on telesummits, radio shows AND kids home on spring break. Add that to a new puppy that’s not quite house broken, a weeklong trip to prepare for, private clients and patients to talk to on the phone AND see in person and……
If you felt tired just reading my list…welcome to my life.
In spite of it all I managed to exercise every day…a couple of days less than 5 minutes combined burst sessions as I showed on last week’s posts…and to eat really WELL.
How did I do it?
I have developed tricks and techniques over the 26 years I have been following this “Fresh Green Living and Eating” life style. It didn’t happen overnight. I had my struggles in the beginning and would often fall back into the “grab a taco and run” mode. I usually felt the drop in my energy whenever I grabbed for a starchy meal on the run, even if it was organic and made with whole grain flour and natural sweeteners.
Today I’m going to share a little bit about my strategies …as much as I can in a short post, a few of the recipes I made this week…ones that took UNDER 5 MINUTES to fix, and then let you know how you can learn my strategies and recipes in DETAIL .
My Top 3 Strategies for Eating Well, Even When You’re SUPER BUSY!
1- Have Ingredients on hand.
This may seem overly simplistic, yet it needs to be stated. If you always have a variety of healthy choices on-hand, it’s easy to whip up a quick, healthy Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar and trans-fat free meal in a matter of minutes.
Sometimes people object saying they don’t have time to go to the store several times a week to keep fresh ingredients on hand. Others argue that when they do stock up on fresh veggies, oft-times they spoil before they are eaten.
These are simply, I hate to be so blunt, excuses. Many of the green leafy veggies are hearty enough to keep around for over a week before they spoil. I’ve had kale that’s been forgotten in the back of the refrigerator for up to 10 days before I found it resurface and make a perfectly great smoothie, soup or salad.
Even if you can only shop once a week, you can keep a supply of fresh foods on hand to make most of the recipes I’ll share. Just be sure to have your staples on hand. I have a FREE gluten-free pantry stocking guide available on my website.
2- Make things in advance as much as possible.
With as little as 15 minutes a week, on a weekend or day off from work, you can pre-make a few dips, sauces and spreads that make creating healthy “fast food” a snap. We teach all about that in our class Quick and Easy Healthy “Fast Food”. For those times when you run-out of fresh veggies, once you learn the art of making delicious bread, chips and crackers in your food dehydrator, you can make a month’s supply with less than a half hour a month time investment. We have some free resources about dehydrated comfort foods on the web as well
3- Be adventurous. Think veggie and green at each meal. Think filling.
It can be as simple as a handful of carrot sticks, celery or a red bell pepper eaten out of hand with or without a dip. What’s a good wrapper in the veggie world and what can I fill it with. The “filling” is just that. The veggies alone are not calorically dense enough to “fill you” so you need a filling. I usually turn to avocado, nuts or seeds as the filling and have all sorts of recipes for combining them with herbs and vegetables to make delicious and nutrient dense fillings.
My Meal in a Hurry Recipes
Cheesy Italian Tomato Slices
Ingredients
Several tomatoes (depends on how hungry you are and how many you’re feeding)
- 1 recipe creamy nut cheese
- Dried basil
- Garlic powder
- Kelp powder (optional, adds to the mineral content)
- Sea salt, unrefined
Directions:
- Slice tomatoes about ¼ inch thick and place on a plate
- Spoon enough nut cheese on top to cover
- Sprinkle with basil, garlic powder, kelp and salt.
- Enjoy….heavenly!
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Creamy Nut Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw nuts**, your choice. My preference is ½ macadamia nuts and ½ cashews.
- ½ cup pure water
- Juice of ½ – 1 lemon, depending on size and to taste
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, unrefined
Directions
Blend all ingredients until creamy and smooth, adjusting water, lemon and salt to taste and desired consistency
**Seeds can be substituted for all or some of the nuts. The macadamia and cashews are white and make the cheese look like ricotta cheese. Pine nuts can be substituted, except they are VERY expensive. Hemp seeds are a good choice. Almonds and Brazil nuts are tasty, and make the cheese more brownish gray than while.
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Green Avocado Wraps
Ingredients
- 1-2 large green leaves per person – romaine and collards seem to work best
- A small handful of spring mix or shredded cabbage, lettuce or other greens per person
- A small handful of sprouts per person
- A few spoonfuls sauerkraut per person (optional, adds to the flavor and nutrition)
- ½ avocado per person
- 1 tablespoon seeds per person – hemp, pumpkin, sunflower or ground sesame (optional, for texture)
Directions
- Lay leaf on cutting board. Top with greens, sprouts, sauerkraut if using
- Slice avocado and lay on top of the greens
- Sprinkle with seeds
- Roll up leaf to cover the filling and eat with your hands like a sandwich.
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Wilted Arugula Salad
Arugula is one of nature’s best sources of nitric oxide, a potent circulation enhancer…nature’s Viagra and blood pressure lowering green. Here’s a tasty way to enjoy it. This can be a no cleanup meal if you get the arugula in one of those big plastic containers.
Ingredients
- 1 container pre-washed arugula
- ½ teaspoon sale
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- Your choice of seasonings
- Creamy nut cheese (optional)
Directions
- Rinse arugula if desired
- Sprinkle with salt
- Massage well with hands to wilt it.
- Add lemon
- Continue to massage until the arugula has shrunk to half or less of its original volume
- Add seasonings to taste. I love curry powder, Italian seasoning and Mexican seasoning (not all together…choose 1 and try them all eventually!!)
- Add nut cheese and massage in or stir well for a creamy and more filling salad.
There you have it. These are actual meals I eat on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes I use spinach instead of or in addition to the arugula
My YouTube video Dr. Ritamarie’s Raw Food Recipe for “Sautéed” Spinach…Fast Food without Cleanup demonstrates the massage technique in action using spinach.
Our video class Quick and Easy healthy “Fast Food” shows all these techniques in detail and includes a recipe booklet with recipes, photos and guidelines for preparing and creating your own recipes.
I look forward to hearing your feedback.
Please comment below and share your favorite healthy “fast food” recipe.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: bone strengthening foods, cancer and diet, DrRitamarie, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, healthy fast food, loscalzo, meals for busy people, nut cheese recipe, nutrient dense foods, osteoporosis diet, quick meals, raw food Austin, raw food classes, raw foods recipes, vegan diet
Posted in Cancer Nutrition, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods, Raw Food Recipes, Raw Foods, Raw Foods classes, Vegan Diet
Gluten Free Recipes: Brussels Sprouts – Raw or Roasted They’re Antioxidant Rich
Brussels sprouts are an incredibly nutritious vegetable that offer protection from cardiovascular diseases as well as colon and prostate cancers. Here are two recipes, very similar. One is raw, marinated and warmed in the dehydrator. The other is roasted.
Both are antioxidant rich and delicious.
Roasted Rosemary Brussels Sprouts
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp kelp powder
- ½ tsp salt
Clean Brussels sprouts and remove any discolored or damaged outer leaves. Place in bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Place on a baking tray and place into oven set to 375 degrees F. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes, or until soft.
Raw Marinated Rosemary Brussels Sprouts
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp kelp powder
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 fresh squeezed lemon
Clean Brussels sprouts and remove any discolored or damaged outer leaves. Cut into thin slices. Place Brussels sprouts in a bowl and add salt. Massage Brussels sprouts until they start to soften and wilt. Add remaining ingredients and toss until well coated. Allow to sit and marinate for several hours. Spread Brussels sprouts on a dehydrator tray lined with a non stick sheet and dehydrate at 140 degrees F for 2 hours. Reduce temperature to 110 degrees and continue dehydrating until soft. Serve immediately.
Tags: antioxidants, brussels sprouts, dehydrator, Gluten Free recipes, kelp powder, nutritious vegetable, prostate cancers, raw foods recipes
Posted in Cancer, Gluten Free recipes, Raw Food Recipes
Raw Food Gluten-Free Diet Classes: Mouth Watering Tamales
I love Mexican food, but getting wholesome, gluten and dairy free Mexican food can be a challenge. Sure, I can go to a Mexican restaurant and get guacamole and salad, but what about tamales, stuffed chiles, enchiladas…..my mouth waters just thinking about it.
Turns out, making delicious authentic Mexican food is a skill you can master at home. That’s right.
We’ve perfected the grain-free, dairy-free, living version of tamales and we’re about to unveil our secrets to the public.
I’m thrilled to announce that we will be teaching a class called “A Taste of Internal Mexico”. All the recipes we demonstrate in class are amazing raw-food versions of real authentic Mexican recipes, bursting with flavor and nutrition. You can attend the class in person or online and get videos.
During this class, we will demonstrate how to make “Meat” Tamales, “Bean and Cheese” Tamales, Dessert Tamales, Stuffed Poblano Peppers, and a variety of toppings and fillings you can use to make any number of delicious Mexican dishes.
There will be samples for everyone to try, a recipe packet and a high quality video, indexed by recipe so you can watch over and over.
How many times have you been to a class, taken good notes, only to go home and be a bit confused? This doesn’t happen with our classes. You get a permanent reminder in living color. You can watch the video at home and follow it step by step as you try out these beautiful recipes on your own in your home kitchen!
A Taste of Mexico – Class Registration
Our Raw Food University and Gluten Free Academy schedule for the year is starting to shape up. We offer special 3 and 5 class packages as well as add a friend discounts.
We’re very excited to be offering A Taste of Mexico & Other Upcoming Classes to empower you to take charge of your diet and create the health and energy you desire and deserve.
With all the evidence and research linking serious health conditions to dairy products, heated and low quality oils, refined and processed grains, gluten, sugar and commercial meat, you’ll be delighted to learn that you can make delicious meals with all the flavor and spice of their traditional counterparts yet leave you feeling light, energized and comforted by the knowledge that you’re feeding yourself and your family nutrient- rich, disease- protective and satisfying meals.
I can’t wait to share these fun and flavorful recipes with you. I hope to see you there!
Love, Health and Joy to you,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Austin, authentic mexican recipes, dairy products, Dr. Ritamarie, gluten free classes, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Mexican food, raw food classes, raw food diet, raw food recipes, tamales, Texas
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods, Raw Food Recipes, Raw Foods, Raw Foods classes, Vegan Diet
