Rollin' with the Spring Rolls!

Awesome, now rollin' with the homies (hand motion and all) will be stuck in my head for the next hour.

In regards to these deliciously Thai-inspired spring rolls, here are the necessary items:

• 1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro
• two carrots
• rice noodles
• a bag of baby spinach
• cooked shrimp
• a package of spring rolls
• shallow pie dish
• non-fibrous and very clean dish towel
• Thai peanut sauce (optional)

They are fantastically FUN to make and make a wonderful appetizer or light meal.  The first step is preparing the ingredients.  Pick the leaves off 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, clean and roughly chop.  Wash and peel the two carrots.  Boil and rinse the rice noodles.  Make sure the spinach is clean and the shrimp cooked, thawed and chopped.  Last, set out all ingredients so that they are easily accessible.

The rolls look like this at first.

You'll need a shallow dish (I use a pie plate) of warm water to soak them in.  They only need 20 seconds or so to get nice and sticky.

Now remove the roll and carefully lay it on a non-fibrous and very clean dish towel to pat dry.

Transfer the roll to a plate and begin piling on the ingredients!

Here's the order I assembled mine.  Start with a layer of spinach leaves close to the edge.  (Make sure no stems are protruding out.  I found that they are sharp and will poke through the thin spring roll.)  Cover the leaves with carrot shavings.

Layer them with a handful of rice noodles and top that with a hearty grab of cilantro.  Last, position 7-8 shrimp pieces on top.

The rolling will be tricky, but after the second time you become a pro!  All it takes is a little tucking, a little folding of the edges and the sticky spring roll will roll... just like the homies!

Slice the roll in half and give into the urge to jump for joy and squeal with excitement.  Repeat all steps until the ingredients are gone.  This will make you about 7 rolls.  Cut ingredient proportions in half if you want to try it as an appetizer.  I went big with the portions for leftover's sake!

I hope you can experience this fun and veggie-filled plate for yourself soon.

Namasté,

Brittney

Your Personal Wellness Advocate

It's a Wrap!

I thought I would put a new twist on colors today- I didn't plan for snow peas, carrots, fresh spinach, and orange bell peppers to do the tango!... but my, my, can they dance in my mouth. haha!  I found these tortillas at Huckleberry's and since I'm not striving for 100% raw, I thought my Mexican cells would appreciate a little cilantro and jalapeno sabor! (it means flavor for you gringos out there)  I lathered on some guacamole (this time it was a mix of 2 avocados, red onion, green onion, tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and pepper), stuffed all the ingredients in there and rolled it on up.

Ohhh and I sliced up an organic pear and used it to scoop up even more guac and chowed down on them between bites (kinda like a chip!)  This ended up to be the best idea ever!

I hope you can experience this amazing and nutritious meal for yourself soon.

Namasté,

Brittney

Your Personal Wellness Advocate

Nut Milk - Goodbye dairy!

I discovered I was lactose-intolerant on a cold, winter night sipping homemade hot chocolate from a mug while strolling down Winterhaven.  My grandpa had so lovingly prepared this beverage with the 2% milk, cocoa mix and his best intentions.  What I didn't expect is to be rushed home just to spend the rest of the night on the toilet.  I'll try not to be too graphic since this is a food blog, but for the next few months let's just say my days and nights all ended up similarly to this one.

My dad encouraged me to fast from dairy to see if my symptoms disappeared.  If so, I would have my answer.  Five years later and still going dairy-free, this one scientific experiment isn't the only thing keeping me from milk, cheese and ice cream.

My decision to ditch dairy is rooted in these facts.  First, cow's milk is designed for calves.  No other living creature that had once drank milk as an infant continues to drink milk as an adult.  Along those same lines, no other living creature drinks the milk of another living creature.  On top of that, cattle are pumped with hormones and antibiotics that as any mother should know, travels directly to breast milk!  Ewww and no thank you.  I have enough hormones running through me (chuckle) and cannot think of a reason I would regularly inject a stream of antibiotics to swim through my veins.  Now when it comes to bone health I know that if I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables I will easily meet my body's needs for all the calcium and every other nutrient required.  To sum this all up and add a few key points, dairy is high in saturated fat, is "unnatural" for humans to consume, is loaded with harmful hormones and antibiotics and is hard for most people to digest (lactose).

Here's a GREAT alternative!

For every cup of nuts, add two cups filtered (or even better spring) water.  Blend together and strain the pulp using a cheesecloth or nut bag.

Here is the documentation of my adventure.....

It took me about 15 minutes to complete the process.  I blended two cups of raw, soaked (8-12 hours) cashews with 4 cups filtered water.  I poured, strained, and squeezed the milk through a cheesecloth about 10 times total to end up with this much cashew pulp and this much milk.  My verdict: the BEST milk I have ever tasted!!  I have read about some creative ways to use the pulp (since it is raw cashews that offer glorious nutrients!) but I'll have to get back to you on those recipes.

I hope you can experience this amazing and nutritious drink for yourself soon.

Namasté,

Brittney

Your Personal Health Advocate

Raw, Vegan Carrot Cake Cup..balls

As a chocoholic, I usually don't invest a whole lot of time into creating treats that don't classify as either fudge or brownies.  This time was different!  I saw the ingredients of freshly grated carrots, ginger, and cinnamon and my mouth began to water.  Check out the recipe for yourself and tell me if yours does too...

...right?!  Okay, so here are the basic steps I took to make these amazing little pieces of heaven.

For the "cupcakes" I gathered my ingredients.  Next I blended up the nuts and dates, then added shredded carrots, ginger, spices and raisins to the mix.  (I used my Ninja!  I also used pecans instead of walnuts and soaked them even though the recipe said not to.)

I formed the dough into little bite-sized minis and let them chill for about 30 minutes (in the fridge).  Meanwhile I threw together the "frosting" complete with cashews, dates, lemon juice, and salt.  I also added about 1/8 tsp vanilla extract.  I slabbed it on top of the chilled carrot balls.  Half way through I realized I could add some raw cacao powder to the mix to make them "chocolate" so I have half of them came out chocolate carrot treats and the other half coconut carrot treats.  Both are so yummy.

I hope you can experience this amazing and nutritious snack for yourself soon, but in the meantime I'll let you experience with your eyes.

Namasté,

Your Personal Health Advocate

Maifun

Slimy... yet, satisfying!  I know what you're thinking!  I'm not talking about worms found under a piece of bark... I'm talking about Maifun aka Chinese noodles.  They are just to my liking because they are gluten-free and 100% nat-ur-al!  I snapped off a handful (over the sink because it made a huge mess) and stuck them in boiling water for 4 minutes.  I poured on about a tsp of Coconut Amino, a natural soy-free seasoning sauce made from coconut tree sap and salt that contains 17 amino acids (which help digestion).  This added just the right amount of flavor.

I also created a fruity tropical salsa complete with pineapple, mango,  red onion, green onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and of course tomato.  I used my new Ninja food processor/blender to chop it all up and it came out awesome.  I didn't want it chunky because I want to use it as a garnish/dressing.  It is going to be just awesome to use in/on my meals this whole week.

I was also craving chicken and decided to invest in a non-antibiotic, free range, humanly raised chicken breast.  I marinated it in fresh garlic, basil, green onion, and cilantro with a hint of lemon juice and hemp oil.  Then I threw all of it in a glass pan and baked it for 20 minutes.  Four small pieces were sliced off and added to my noodle concoction.

Of course I cannot forget the side salad, complete with pineapple and strawberries!!!

How I love food... and in return I feel so satisfied because of this nutritious, balanced, GREAT meal!  Thank you God, thank you chicken, thank you plants!!

I hope you can experience this amazing and nutritious meal for yourself soon, but in the meantime I'll let you experience it with your eyes.

Namasté,

Your Personal Health Advocate

Quinoa

Hello soul family!  I experimented with a brand new ingredient today!!  It's called quinoa, and pronounced keen-wa.  It cooks like rice and has the consistency of rice too.  This beautiful little grain is gluten-free and high in protein.  I bought a little bit to try in bulk at a local co-op market, but I just saw it for sale at Wallymart too.

I cooked 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup water for about 15 minutes.  When it was done I stirred in some chopped fresh basil, green onion, cilantro, garlic, and squeezed in about 1 tsp of lemon juice. Oh, and added some Himalayan pink salt and a tad of pepper.  WOWEE!  It satisfied my craving for a warm meal, and was oh-so-flavorful!

Along with the quinoa mix I lightly cooked some shaved zucchini in coconut oil and created the perfect organic green salad complete with fresh avocado, tangelo slices, strawberries and vegan dressing.

I had a blast creating this meal and it tasted like PERFECTION!

I hope you can experience this amazing and nutritious meal for yourself soon, but in the meantime I'll let you experience it with your eyes.

Namasté,

Your Personal Health Advocate

TJ's Corn Tortillas

An old friend taught me how to make these fab and fresh green chili enchiladas using fresh tomatoes, cilantro, olives, queso fresco... and of course chicken!  For the first time I bought my corn tortillas from Trader Joe's and the preservative-free flavors were worth every bite.  The green chilis and enchilada sauce I kept authentic... from Food City!

I prepared a lot of ingredients yesterday so that today wouldn't be as much work.  That would be my tip for the day- prep work pays off!