Happy in the Garden

Yesterday I worked in the garden instead of walking around the neighborhood.  It is a different feeling. It's true that I only got in about 6500 steps by the end of the day instead of over 10,000, but it was a different feeling.  Travis planted some tomatoes and peppers, I cleaned the lower deck and pulled some weeds.  Lucy dug in the dirt and felt so happy.  I felt the same way.

Working in the garden makes you feel happy and productive.

I was puzzled by a plant growing in the herb garden as a weed.  I started pulling them out but decided to check if they are edible.  Edible weeds, such as dandelion,  can be used in our smoothies.  I put a picture on Facebook to ask for help identifying the weed, and the consensus is that it is plantain.  Some say edible and some say not, but I am inclined to think that it is edible.  My brother, Max, lives up in the mountains, and his neighbor says it is edible and the smallest leaves are best with a buttery taste.  He says you can also eat the seeds.  The plant is considered to be medicinal and can be used to stop bleeding.

Plaintain

Lesson from The Quintessence of Natural Living.

If we are to survive and thrive, we must get back to nature. We live in stressful times, and it has been found that people who eat a high raw diet can better deal with stress.  People who eat raw foods recover faster from jet lag, so it is a good idea to only eat fresh fruit before traveling and on the day of travel.  Raw food balances your body chemistry which helps keep you calm and healthy.

If you are always tired, with not enough pep and vigor, then switch to a natural hygiene diet of 75-80% raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts and see how much better you feel in a few weeks. Raw foods have a high potassium and magnesium content.

I would like to inspire you to stick to a hygienic lifestyle and diet.  Let your main meal be fresh fruit or a vegetable salad.  Keep the cooked food to only 20% of your total diet.  Eat most of your food raw, and you will need less food.  One third of what you eat keeps you alive, the other two thirds keep the doctors alive.  Grow as much food as you can and shop at the local farmer's markets in your town.  Ask the growers if they spray with chemicals.

Cook your food as quickly as possible and in as little water as possible.  Steaming is a good way to cook.  Don't eat more than one cooked meal per day.  Say no to the things that are killing you.

Juices for the day.  Celery, apple, orange, veggie cocktail.

Food prep for the day:

Lemongrass tea.

Made juices:

Celery Juice for 2 - Used 2 bunches of organic celery hearts

Veggie Cocktails for 2 - (1 bunch celery, 1 beet, 4 carrots, 1 apple)

Apple Juice for 2 - Used 6 apples

Orange Juice for 2 - Used 6 oranges

I made a sauce for dinner.  I am creating a collection of recipes that will be suitable for the Simple Raw and Natural philosophy of healthy eating and living.  Here is a recipe for you that you can use as a salad dressing, or as a dip for raw veggie dippers, or as a sauce over zoodles (noodles made from raw zucchini).

RAW VEGAN SAUCE

Blend in high speed blender until smooth:

1/2 cup soaked and drained sun-dried tomatoes

Juice of 1 lemon

1-1/2 Tbsp raw almond butter

1 medium red bell pepper

2 or more stalks of celery

1 cup of diced up zucchini or other squash

1/2-3/4 cup water to desired thickness

Green Smoothies for 2 - (herbs from the garden, 1/4 papaya, 1/4 pineapple, 2 bananas, 2 scoops chia seeds, 1 can coconut water, 1 cup frozen wild blueberries.

Green Salad for 1 - (spring mix, zoodles from 1 zucchini, 1 salad cucumber, 1 tomato, 1/4 onion, 1/2 of a Bubbies dill pickle)

The meals:

Morning: lemongrass tea, celery juice

Lunch: green smoothie, 1/2 avocado with shredded coconut, 1/4 mini watermelon, orange juice

Dinner: veggie cocktail, green salad, raw vegan sauce, dehydrated crackers left from last month's raw foods potluck, sauerkraut, 2 goodie balls left from a couple of months ago

To health and happiness.