Summer Tune-up

Since things have been quite hectic around these parts it's high time for a summer tune-up. Today marks the beginning of my attempt to do a raw cleanse, diet that is. I'm super excited and super nervous at the same time. Thanks to the wonderful blogsophere, there are tons of resources to help me through the next 21 or 30 days. In my last post I promised changes to the blog, changes that would not only incorporate personal finances, but to include other things that I enjoy, such as eating.

Why cleanse?

I usually do a detox/cleanse at least 2x a year. There are certain busy times of the year when I don't have time to focus on my diet the way that I should. Luckily or unluckily, my body responds noticeably to what I put in it. If I load up on processed and junk foods, then I feel sluggish, heavy and just down right not at my best. When I load up on healthy foods, then quite the opposite happens. I'm more vibrant, energetic and alert.

Why raw?

Oh boy. In the past I would do a somewhat vegan cleanse ... except for a minimal amount of cheese. This time I wanted to up the ante and go gusto. Now, if I begin hankering uncontrollably for hot food, I may allow myself some steamed veggies and/or wild rice ... ONLY. Beyond that, no cooked foods ... that's the goal. There may be something that I choose to eat that's not completely raw, like a salad dressing for example, but at this point I will not panic over those types of intentional or unintentional slip-ups.

Since I do love to cook, I'm looking forward to making and possibly creating some new raw recipes. This is a new world to me so hopefully I won't get bored. I think I will have more success doing a raw food detox in the summer months (especially living in the south) versus trying this for the first time in the winter. Hopefully I'll have an arsenal of new recipes to add to my collection. With that, here is a picture of my very first raw recipe ... Raw Almond Macaroons:






The key ingredient in macaroons is coconut, of which I am NOT a big fan. But hey, part of this raw experience is trying new things right? Instead of putting the amount of shredded coconut that the recipe suggested, I used 1/2 the amount and substituted the remaining amount with oats. Bingo!

Here's my recipe in case your interested:

• 1.5 C of dried coconut
• 1.5 C of oats
• 1.5 C of almonds
• 1/2 C of maple syrup or agave (I used an organic maple syrup/agave blend from Trader Joes)
• 1/4 C of coconut oil (again I'm not a big fan of coconut so I substituted earth balance ... feel free to use your oil, butter of choice)
• 1/2 TBS of vanilla
• 1/4 TBS of almond extract
• 1/4 TSP of sea salt

Ground almonds in food processor. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Using an ice cream scooper or TBS measuring spoon, spoon onto dehydrator tray if you have one. I don't have one so I used parchment paper & a cookie sheet. I put the macaroons on the lowest setting of my oven and left the door slightly ajar. "Dehydrate" approximately 7 hours or so. Of course, if raw is not your goal, feel free to crank that sucker up and bake away. ;-)!

This is going to be a very interesting month! Wish me well ...