Sunday, May 22, 2011

A plentiful week in life!

     30 = the number of mosquito bites I so lovingly received while I volunteered on a farm this Saturday! Ah - itchy & swollen!!! I must be allergic or something...or perhaps, just so sweet the mosquitos couldn't help themselves...eh, I don't know if I'd go that far! :-) Anyhoo, I had a great opportunity to spend Saturday morning at Urban Roots Farm. This farm is dedicated to sustainable farming and provides an experience for highschoolers to help manage the grounds. It's energizing to watch these kids take time out of their week (especially Saturdays) to learn more about sustainable agriculture and how to live off the land...amazing! What a great time I had - I felt blessed to be a part of the day!

Happily weeding the fields!


Awesome bunch of youth doing some seeding, planting, & weeding!

All the love and care that goes into the farm allows
beautiful food to be produced! Eggplant!
     
     My dear friend, Allison, came to visit me this weekend! It was so great seeing her and catching up on life! We made homemade tamales with a filling of black beans, onions, scallions, cumin, & chili powder; alongside a fresh batch of corn tortillas, guacamole, and a garden salad! Yum! She said it was one of the tastiest meals I've made for her... good to hear that my education is paying off! :-) And we can't forget to mention our trip (in the downpouring RAIN) to Redbox to pick up our chick flick (Confessions of a Shopaholic) and our fancy schmancy sorbeto! ;-)

Thanks for coming my friend! :-)
    
     Last week in my little culinary world, we started our Raw Food portion of the program. Raw food is not only uncooked fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts & seeds, but it is living food that if planted - it will grow! It is definitely a lifestyle that takes much preparation, but what healthy lifestyle doesn't take time?! That's the fun part of it anyway...put your love and energy into your food so you can feel at your best!

     Our instructor & Raw Food Vegan Chef, Alicia, taught us so much this week! We sprouted wheatgrass, sprouts, legumes, nuts & seeds. She made us superfood smoothies & soups and showed us how to make more non-dairy beverages along with dehydrated seed snacks and kale chips! Everything was so flavorful & delicious! She is a new instructor to the school & her passionate energy for healthful living is beautiful!

     Fresh squeezed juice is also recommended by Raw Foodists as the benefits are immediate - the nutrients go right to the blood stream for energy & it is easily digested by the body! *Note - I said fresh squeezed juice ... not juice from juice box that is about 4% juice. :-) Thankfully, my roommate has a really nice juicer (p.s. I scored on my present living situation - love it here - what more could a girl ask for - a vitamix & a juicer - nice! Oh and of course, a really wonderful roommate!). So I picked up some organic carrots, celery, greens, and fruit for my first fresh squeezed juice that I enjoyed this morning! It turned out very tasty! If you're interested, this is a Centrifugal Juicer that is pretty simple to operate & to clean.

Organic Carrot, Celery, & Apple Juice...and some lemon too!

     Well, I'm on my way into another week of learning about Raw & Living Food! My list of kitchen ware and ingredients just keeps growing!!! Blessings to you all - be kind to your bodies!

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