It's a High Raw Life for Me!

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. My massage and pedicure were FABULOUS! We went to an organic spa in town, so all the products are natural. I had a lovely lavender massage.. mmm, I feel like a brand new women! ;) Anyway, I have a ton of food to post, so I am going to split this into two posts. I will start off with the end of last week. For lunch one day I made a Sunshine Burger and wrapped it in a collard leaf (seriously, once you use a collard leaf, YOU WILL NEVER USE BREAD AGAIN! So yummy and fresh!). I topped it with raw kraut, raw pickles, sun dried tomatoes and romaine. Perfectly high raw!

I've been making green juice a lot again. I love knowing that Baby A is getting all these wonderful nutrients in my milk! This one was kale stems, collards, romaine, apple, lemon.

I made a Buddha Bowl for dinner one night. This was from Crazy Sexy Diet. Basically it's a cooked grain (I used a blend of black and wild rice), chickpeas, oil cured olives, avocado, raw collards and hemp seeds. You can make it anyway you want. In the book, Kris uses raw broccoli and carrots. I had collards, so collards it was! Another great high raw meal!

My favorite lunch as of lately: romaine, olives, celery, avocado and a crumbled Sunshine Burger. Topped with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, nutritional yeast, ground pepper and curry powder. Basically my base is always romaine and a Sunshine Burger, the rest is just whatever I have in the fridge!

As I had mentioned, we went to my Mother in laws house on Friday night for a little pizza party. T makes some damn good pizza! ;) This was mine: gluten free crust (we use Bob's Redmill mix) with tomato sauce and broccoli rabe. My favorite combo!

I also had a big bowl of veggies: green beans, kale, zucchini, eggplant and broccoli rabe.

And finally, another yummy green juice I made for breakfast on Saturday morning: collard, romaine, apple and lemon.

So my birthday is tomorrow and we are getting another snow storm!!!!! I don't know if we are going to be able to go to the vegan restaurant near my parents house. I definitely will not travel down if it is bad out. So we will see! I am kinda disappointed, but I know it will be a fabulous day no matter what! I've got all the presents I need: T, Baby A and Ginger! :)

More to come, I still have MORE weekend food!

Snowflakes

Hey Star-lights, I hope you all are staying warm! Once again, we had another snow storm last night! I kinda don't mind since I stay in with the baby anyway. But I REALLY can't wait until it warms up so we can play outside and enjoy nature again! Anyway, thanks for all the love on my last post. I am feeling really good on a high raw diet again. I've been eating mostly raw until dinner (with the exceptions of beans, hummus or a Sunshine burger in my salads). I also have been having some high raw dinners, but most of them are cooked. Since it is so cold here, I find that works for us. 


Last night I made a recipe I found in Natural Health magazine. You can find the recipe here as well. Deep dish greens with a millet and amaranth crust. I didn't have amaranth, so this was just a millet crust! ;) This came out pretty good, I probably wouldn't make it again though. 

A picture of our yard as of lately..

Back tracking to T's birthday, he wanted a Tex-Mex style dish, kinda like the "Chipotle Bowls" I have been making. This one had black rice with corn and black beans and topped with guacamole and salsa. I think next time I make one of these I am going to put it over shredded lettuce to make it high raw.

We took a ride on T's birthday with our little boo-boo bear. Of course this was before the snow storm! I can't believe how big she is getting!!

Some green juice on a snowy afternoon: Romaine, Kale Stems, Apple, Lemon. 

This was a yummy snack plate I made for myself: carrots, celery and romaine sprinkled with curry powder and dipped in hummus. Lately I have been in love with romaine sprinkled with curry powder, it's so simple, crisp and refreshing, you don't need dressing at all!

Have a beautiful day all! I have a busy little weekend ahead: tomorrow we are going to my mother in laws house for a birthday pizza party for T, myself and his brother. Vegan, gluten free pizza for me! Then on Saturday I am going for a massage with my mother in law and bestie for my birthday. My birthday isn't until Tuesday, but I am making it a week long event! LOL!! Tuesday night we are going to a vegan restaurant for dinner, they have a ton of great raw options so I am excited! My parents will be watching Baby A for the hour or so, I am so nervous to leave her! I might cry!!!!!

MEGA POST!

Hello Snowflakes! Today is T's birthday! Yay! We are going to stay in and make a nice dinner and watch a movie. I will blog about that later on this week. :) I have a lot of food to post today, so I'll get on with it..


My diet has been SUPER amazing lately! I've been eating a lot of raw food and really focusing on getting a lot of nutrition and nutrients for my breastmilk. I haven't been cutting back or counting calories in anyway and I've already lost half my pregnancy weight (baby A was 2 months old yesterday!). I gained  A LOT of weight while pregnant (I blame my Crohn's being under control..lol). So I still have some ways to go. But I am not stressing at all. I've been working out along with eating really well, so the weight has been melting off. Yay for VEGANISM!!! Anyway, I have been having a ton of salads, at least one a day! A new salad place opened in town and T picks me up one a couple days a week.  This one was romaine, carrots, bean sprouts, avocado, olives, mushrooms, chickpeas, black beans and I made my own dressing with curry powder, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

Another salad from the same place: romaine, carrots, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, bean sprouts and the same dressing.

I had a big bowl of Go Raw Apple Rawnola one day for lunch. I added fresh almond milk, goji berries, banana and black and white dried mulberries.

Last week I made a simple soup on a chilly night. This was carrots, celery, brown rice pasta, white beans and miso. Nothing special, just using up what we had in the fridge!

I did a little stock up at the health food store over the weekend: Go Raw Apple Cinnamon Granola, Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax (I LOVE THESE!), a Righteously Raw Maca Chocolate Bar (this is my favorite raw chocolate brand, the caramel is AMAZING!!!), a few bottles of the best coconut water ever (besides fresh), and a ton of Gopals Raw Nori Wraps (these are great for protein, calcium, iron and protein, perfect snack while nursing!).

I also picked up these frozen gluten free, yeast free pizza crusts. I haven't tried them yet, I am a little nervous since the only ingredients were water, potato, and brown rice flour. I hope they don't taste like cardboard. :)

I picked up a "Sweet Green" juice at the health food store as well: Kale, Apple, Spinach.

This was a delicious meal I made one night for dinner: raw massaged kale topped with raw sauerkraut, cooked quinoa and baked sweet potatoes! OMG, BEST.DISH.EVER!!! All my favorites on one plate!

And finally, another "Chipotle Style" bowl: black rice topped with pinto beans and guacamole. I was asked on my Formspring page for my guacamole recipe and I am embarrassed to say, this is Whole Foods fresh guac! Hey, I have a 2 month old, gotta do, what I gotta do! ;)

Phew, that was a lot of food! I hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day! XO

Review: Brad's Raw Leafy Kale Chips

Hey All, I hope you are having a great weekend! I was lucky enough to get samples from the people at Brad's Raw for a review of their new Leafy Kale Chips! I adore this company, and WOW, these are the best kale chips I have ever had!!!! 

All of the kale chips are really crispy, but firm. I have noticed with a lot of store bought kale chips that the bag has a few leaves and the rest is crumbs! Not with these!! There were barely any crumbs at the bottom of the containers. They stayed together really nicely and have a delicious flavor. I also love that they don't use Lacinto Kale. I prefer curly kale! ;) 


My favorite flavor was the NAKED Vegan Cheese. They had a really yummy cheesy flavor made with nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, red bell pepper and lemon juice. Totally coated with batter!

The next flavor I tried was Vampire Killer: Garlic and Scallion. I am a big fan of garlic, but I have to admit, I was a little scared that these would have a very strong flavor. To my liking, they did not! They had the perfect touch of garlic and scallion. These were my second favorite.

Last, I tried Nasty Hot! These were delicious as well, but I don't tolerate spicy food too well, so I ate these with caution (they still only lasted two or three days!). These are great for anyone who likes hot flavors!

Every time I see these chips in the store, I pick up a container. I know how easy it is to make kale chips at home, but these are totally worth it! Warning: They are so good that they don't last much longer then a day! They definitely win in my book for favorite kale chip! Yay Brad's Raw!!

Eats and Birthday Plans

Hey All, I hope you are having a fabulous week! Did you get your copy of Crazy Sexy Diet yet? #1 on Amazon and as of yesterday: SOLD OUT! But don't worry, you can still get a copy at Barnes and Noble or your bookstore, and the second printing is being processed so Amazon should have it restocked soon! 
Speaking of Crazy Sexy Diet, green smoothie time: apple, spinach, romaine, almond milk, celery. Yum!

One night for dinner, T picked up a soup from Whole Foods for me. This was an ancient harvest soup, vegan and gluten free, but really not good! I am not a fan of peppers in soup. Yuck.

More "Lauren Style" salad: romaine, Sunshine Burger, raw kraut, artichoke hearts. My new favorite dressing is apple cider vinegar, olive oil, a ton of curry powder and Nutritional Yeast. So yummy, I lick the bowl clean! ;)

Another night I had a boxed broccoli soup by Imagine Organic Foods. Those boxed soups are great when you have no time! I added brown rice to it for a little extra boost!

And where has Ginger been? Well, just chillin as always! She really doesn't acknowledge the baby. She just stiffs her sometimes and stares at her when she cries. Ha ha! I am sure when Baby A is old enough to play, it will be a different story.

And finally, T picked me up a big salad for lunch at a new salad place that opened in town! More salad places = Happy Lauren!!! I got romaine, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and then I added curry powder and Nutritional Yeast.

Tuesday is T's birthday, the big 29!!! Ha ha! I still don't know what to get him. Plus, I haven't been leaving the house! Any ideas?? My birthday is a week from his and I will be 27. We are going to have my parents baby sit for an hour while we grab a quick vegan meal! I am so nervous about leaving the baby with someone besides T, but my mom runs a daycare in her home, so I really don't have to worry. Plus I am going to pump a ton, so baby A will be content!! Also, the Saturday before my birthday, I am going to a pedicure and massage with my mother in law and future sister in law (AKA: my bestie!). We all got gift certificates for Christmas, so I am really looking forward to it! T will be babysitting, I hope I can actually relax! LOL!!! Have a great day all!

Yum Filled Weekend

Hey! I hope you all had fabulous weekends! :) Did you get yourself a copy of Crazy Sexy Diet yet? I am obsessed! ;) I am not doing the 21 day cleanse this time, because I am nursing, but my diet is pretty much CSD approved anyway. I will be following along and giving my support on the Crazy Sexy Life forum. Kris will be popping in daily to lead the cleanse in the Crazy Sexy Diet Club! 


Anyway, over the weekend I had a lot of yummy eats! T picked me up some broccoli rabe from a local Italian deli and I filled a sprouted grain wrap along with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and Bubbies! I am avoiding gluten now, but for some reason sprouted grains don't bother me. Someone had mentioned that they are easier to digest, so who knows. I am not going to make a habit of eating it, either way but they were the only wraps I had.

Speaking of sprouted grains, this was sprouted grain bread with coconut oil and my new favorite thing..

Salad Booster! This is a raw vegan spice that has spirulina, chlorella, sea veggies, nuts and other spices. I bought it at the health food store over the weekend. Can't wait to have it on my salad today!

We went to see our families on Saturday and we had dinner at my mother in laws house. Baby A still hasn't been "out" yet, she only visits some family, here and there. I see a trip to Whole Foods happening with her next month. Since she will be 3 months at the end of February. Can you believe she will be 8 weeks on Wednesday! Eek!! Anyway, back to my mother in laws, we had a big salad that had kale, romaine, cucumbers, scallions, tomatoes, sprouts and roasted potatoes on top!

While we were down there, I had lunch from the health food store, raw pizza bites! Yum!

I washed them down with a Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar Ginger Spice drink. I've had the concord grape one in the past and didn't like it, but this one was yummy! And no calories either!

We had take out sushi last night. I ordered avocado rolls and a vegetable roll, both made with brown rice.

Have a great day everyone!

Crazy Sexy Diet!!

Hey Love Bugs! Today I wanted to bring you a special post about an amazing new book that my lovely friend Kris Carr has written: Crazy Sexy Diet. I can not tell you how excited I am for this beautiful book to be out in the world! I couldn't be more happy for Kris because this book is a must have bible for ANYONE!


Last year, Kris held an Adventure Cleanse on her forum, My Crazy Sexy Life and I jumped right in! Before the cleanse, my Crohn's was still out of control and had a few extra unwanted pounds lingering from being on prednisone. After cutting out gluten and sugar along with my already vegan diet, my health was back! I even wrote a testimonial (page 58) that Kris published in the book! I felt like a brand new person! I couldn't believe what a difference cutting out gluten would make. When I was pregnant, I enjoyed gluten again because my stomach seemed to tolerate it. But since I have had the baby my stomach hasn't been feeling it. I am now I am back on the Crazy Sexy Diet and doing much better! Phew!

Anyway, I just wanted to endorse this amazing book and tell you all to RUN to get yourself a copy! Don't you want the glow this beautiful lady has? ;)

On the heels of Kris Carr’s best-selling cancer survival guidebooks and her acclaimed TLC documentary comes her new journey into a realm vital to anyone’s health. Infused with her signature sass, wit and advice-from-the-trenches style, Crazy Sexy Diet is a beautifully illustrated resource that puts you on the fast track to vibrant health, happiness and a great ass!

Along with help from her all-star posse of experts, Carr lays out the fundamentals of her Crazy Sexy Diet: a low-glycemic, vegetarian program that emphasizes balancing the pH of the body with lush whole and raw foods, nourishing organic green drinks, and scrumptious smoothies. Plus, she shares the steps of her own twenty-one-day cleanse, and simple but delectable sample recipes.

"Kris has been there, and she brings the depth of her experience to this uplifting book and offers tips from experts and success stories along the way. She even offers a 21-day cleanse with recipes included. Kris Carr is an incredible and tireless advocate for health and she’ll be your coach, confidant, and companion page after page. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have." -Neal Barnard, M.D.

"Kris Carr makes practical and hopeful suggestions as we face greater and greater numbers of our friends and family falling prey to chronic degenerative disease. I am personally inspired by her example in leading the way for people to take control of their bodies and their health." -T. Colin Campbell, PhD

“Kris Carr titillatingly turns a kitchen into a pharmacy. -Dr. Mehmet Oz

“Consider this not a diet book, but a guide to living fully; not a meal plan, but a road map to self-empowerment, adorned with Kris's unrivaled enthusiasm, humor, and compassion." -Dean Ornish, M.D.

Eating Good

Hello Pea Sprouts! I hope you are all having a fabulous week. Once again, we had a snow storm this week. Not as bad as the one a few weeks ago, but we definitely got a nice coating. I don't mind the snow now that I don't leave the house much! Plus, T usually gets off of work, so the extra help is always welcomed. I even got to clean up my house! I am such a neat freak, not having control over the mess has been eating me alive!!! I am always looking to improve our home, next stop modern dining room furniture!

One more pic from the Christening last Sunday! Me and my love..

I must say, I am really looking forward to the Spring so we can bring Baby A for walks and play outside with her and Ginger!


This morning I made myself a delicious green smoothie (as soon as Baby A fell asleep I ran into the kitchen to whip it up!). This was spinach, almond milk, almond butter, maca powder, spirulina, cinnamon and chocolate Sunwarrior protein. DE-LISH!

I had a mean craving for a Chipotle rice and bean bowl, I ate them a lot while pregnant, lol! Last night I decided to make my own! I made brown rice with cumin and Mexican seasoning and cooked up some Eden black beans with the same flavors then I mixed them together and topped it off with some fresh guacamole. Craving gone!

I've been making the same salad for lunch everyday: romaine, Bubbies, artichoke hearts, olives and a crumbled Sunshine Burger. I dress it with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, curry powder and nutritional yeast. Curry powder is so amazing on salad, Thanks Kristen's Raw for the great idea!

This is by FAR my favorite coconut water (aside from fresh). I've blogged about it in the past. This time I got one with aloe added to it. I was a little nervous since aloe can taste like dirty socks, but you couldn't even taste it. I am guessing the coconut water flavor soaked into the aloe chunks.

And again, my new favorite lunch salad. This time I added raw kraut as well. Mmm, looking forward to having this again in a little! ;) And yes, that is my nail file and it has bite marks on it, thank you, Ginger! LOL!

Have a great day all!

It's A Beautiful Life

Hey All! I hope you had a great weekend! We had the most beautiful day on Sunday in celebration of our daughter being baptized!

The whole day was just perfect! She didn't cry once during the ceremony, and was pretty good throughout the whole party. Baby A knew it was her special day! :)

I will post some more pictures as I get them. Unfortunately, my camera died before the party! Booo! So I am waiting for pictures from everyone else. We had about 60 people at an Italian restaurant, they closed down for us, and everything was amazing! We had vegan and non-vegan food (T isn't vegan, so I can't expect him to have an all vegan party). But only 2 entrees and one of the cakes weren't vegan. We had an anti-pasta with olives and roasted peppers, a mixed green salad, fusilli with broccoli rabe and sun dried tomatoes and a roasted vegetable plate. The non-vegan options were chicken or fish. We also had a vegan carrot cake! I am so mad my camera died!!! Anyway, for now you can find me on Facebook! I am always posting over there!

Anyway, before all that happened, on Saturday night, T had to run down to our parents houses and pick up stuff to drop off at the restaurant. He picked me up a green juice on his way home: Lemon, Apple, Ginger and a shot of wheatgrass!

I also made this delicious salad of romaine, Bubbies, olives and a crumbled Sunshine Burger. Someone once called a salad with Bubbies and a Sunshine Burger "The Lauren Original"--I like that! ;)

And finally, my little boo-boo going for her doctor visit! She gained 2 pounds and one inch! We have hit 8 pounds people!!! Yay Mommy Milk! ;)

Have a great day all!