raw update

So, I made a huge deal about me going raw for 30 days. I did the research, wrote recipes, and decided to commit. After two days of being 100% raw I got really sick. I wasn't getting enough nutrients and was not able to workout and continue this lifestyle. From the research I have done I think that eating raw is amazing for your body but it just isn't practical. The prep is intense and time consuming. If I had someone helping me do this I think it would be a totally different story.

I am so upset that I am not able to do this 100% like I wanted! BUTTTTT I am still going to continue a challenge :) I am tweaking it. One raw meal a day and NO processed foods! This includes my beloved nutri-grain bars. I try to focus on whole foods in general but I am going to be a straight up stickler about it for the next 26 days. This challenge is called "Back to the Start". The reason for this is because our grandparents, and family before that didn't have fast food, tv dinners, and twinkies. They ate real food.

Here are my rules:
1. One meal a day must be raw. This can be as simple as a juice with a handful of nuts for breakfast or the same thing plus a salad for lunch.
2. No fast food, no tv dinners, or anything that says "just add water". Pretty much, if my great grandmother wouldn't know what it was, I'm not eating it.
3. If I go out to eat I will eat completely vegetarian. The reason for this is because I can't be sure of where the meat comes from.
4. Eat whole, fresh foods! Bake, cook, and grill as long as everything is a real food.
5. Mix up my workouts. Workout 6 days a week. If you think about it, back in the olden days they did hard man well labor. Which is equivalent to working out about 6 days a week.

This may seem like how I should eat everyday, and honestly I try to. Except for the one raw meal a day part. But I am also a teenager and occasionally eat fast food, and live by the saying "everything in moderation." But for the next 26 days (I have been following this since I was unable to be 100% raw) follow me daily and do the Back to the Start challenge with me! I will post workouts, recipes, and my emotional response to all of this. Wish me luck, because honestly, avoiding Pineapple Whip is going to be my toughest obstacle. Peace out. Chat to you tomorrow :)

Poor Man's Meat

I am going RAW for 30 days. I am very stoked but also freakin' terrified. So, I am savoring my last few days of cooked food, and yes, my last meal will be a burger. All in moderation, and YOLO... right? Well, tonight I made a four bean soup for dinner. I added brown rice so that my meal would be a complete protein and a one pot dish in itself. I know what your thinking "that whollygirl is crazy! soup in the summer!?!". Chill. This soup is lovely. It is light and is fantastic cold. It's so easy to take along with you to the lake or even camping. You won't miss the meat here, and you save some ching-a-ling.
El Quatro Bean Soup
-if you can, soak and cook dried beans. canned will work fine though :)
RINSE AND DRAIN ALL CANNED ITEMS
-2 cans green beans
-1 can white kidney beans
-1 can red kidney beans
-1 can chickpeas
-2 large tomatoes, diced
-1 jalapeño, diced
-1 onion, chopped
-1 T cumin, corriander, and oregano
-squirt of dijion mustard
-2 T worstershire sauce
-1 c brown rice, minute rice will work
-salt and pepper
-water

1. Heat a saucepan to medium heat, and spray with cooking spray if needed. Add in onion, jalapeño, seasonings, worstershire, and dijion. Stir.
2. Add in tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Let that come to a bubble.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and 3-4 more cups of water. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until rice is cooked.
4. Eat up :)

I'm Vegan..ish

This one's for the veggies out there! I am a fan of greek yogurt and raw milk but there is none of that found here. I abandoned all animal products to make my version of zucchini bread. Now, it's really carrot bread because I had no zucchini. Plus, carrots are high in Beta-carotene! (That's how I got my red hair, tehehe.) SO, I baked up a classic with a little spin. No oil, no dairy, but a whole lotta love. Cliche? Yeah but who cares?
Better-Carrotene Bread (get it?)
3 T flax meal mixed with 1/2 C plus 1 T water (this replaces the eggs)
1 C applesauce, no sugar added (replaces oil)
2 C grated, organic with the peel, carrots (about 6)
3/4 C stevia or sugar in the raw
1 C ww flour
1C organic, unbleach all purpose flour
1C oats
1 T cinnamon
1 t Baking Soda
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/2 c dried cranberries
1. Oven @ 350
2. In a large bowl whisk togeth flours, oats, cinn, soda, and salt.
3. In a med bowl mix togeth the rest of the ingredients besides the cranberries and pecans. Once combined add the wet ingredients to the dry then fold in cranberries and pecans.
4. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment. Spread the batter into the pan, it will be thick.
5. Bake for 20-25 min or until set. Enjoy!

:)

Mexi-CAN

Say goodbye to boring tacos and bean burritos, well at least upgrade them. On a whim I made a tomatillo (spelling? I'm a little slow once in and while.) salsa. It is sweet and spicy, like me, hah? Anyway, this pureed mix of veggies will amp up any mexican dish! I also made a veggie n' buffalo stew to ladle over sweet potatoes along with my salsa! ENJOY. (that's an order)
Tomatillo-Apple Salsa
about 10 tomatillos, husked, washed and chopped into 1/4s
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
s&p, just a sprinklin'
LARGE handful of cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/2 apple, chopped
1/4 water
1. Oven @ 500
2. In a baking dish or sheet tray, toss tomatillos, onion, jalp, garlic, and s&p togeth. Roast 20ish minutes until soft and slightly charred.
3. Remove from oven and cool 10 min. Then place ALL ingredients into a blender. (I use a vitamix bc they are obviously rad). Add more water if needed. Puree until desired consitincey, I like mine kind of chunky.
Veggie n' Buffalo Stew
3/4 lb ground bison, you can use any ground meat (this is a good choice bc you norm buy it from local farmers, so it is grass fed and no fillers)
3 cups of random, chopped veggies.. tonight I used mushrooms, bell peppers, leeks, and corn.
1 can roasted tomatoes, no salt added
1 can low sodium, organic chick broth
3 T cumin
2 T paprika
s&p to taste
2 t oregano
1 T granulated garlic
1. Brown the bison in a dutch oven or deeper pan then stir in your seasonings and tomatoes and chick borth, reduce the heat to low and add in veggies.
2. Cover and simmer for about 30 min, but you can let it hang as long as you want.
3. I serve this over sweet potatoes which I bake at 400 for about 45 min. Top w salsa and maybe some more cilantro and def some avocado!

Hope you love :)

Hummus: Good 4 the Soul

So i just wanted to start out by saying that I am in fact alive. I know, 2 months of cyber disappearance can seem like an eternity but I'm back! It's a totally gorgeous spring day and I decided to make some hummus:) It is perfect for dipping pita chips, veggies, or pretzels. It's also a fantastic spread on sammy's or burgers. Try it yourself, super simple to make and tasty to eat!
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can chickpeas
2 T tahini (sesame paste, I didn't have any so I use greek yogurt!)
sprinklin of salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 T or so of flax meal
2 roasted red peppers (smaller, seeded and peeled)
1 T garlic
1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.. I know, real tough. <3 whollygirl

Ready, Set, Pizza!

Superbowl is only 6 days away! I cannot believe that it is almost February 2012. CRAZY. Anywho.. pizza is def one of the favorites for football. Everyone likes cheese and bread! Normally pizza is heavy and greasy, but not Whollygirl style! I made a thin whole wheat crust that has olive oil in it. The Mayo Clinic says that the unsat fats in oo can actually reduce your risk for heart disease! Plus, oo has your omega-3 fatty acids:) Top the crust with your fav tomato sauce, I use plain tomato sauce and sprinkle on italian seasoning and garlic. Also, a 1/2c of mozerella will do the trick! And your best veggies!
WW Pizza Crust
makes enough one large sheet pan

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c organic unbleached white flour
2 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
1/4 c olive oil
1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Sprinkle counter, rolling pin, and hands with whole wheat flour and roll out the dough until about 1/8inch thick. Transfer to baking sheet and poke holes all around the dough with a fork. Pre bake in a 425 degree oven for about 5 min then top with sauce, cheese, and veggies. Bake an additional 8ish minutes or until desired done-ness.
<3 whollygirl

Chicken McWholly

It's superbowl time! People get together and eat. I mean lets face it, no one would go to a football party without food. So, why not snack on foods that can fuel your body through the game? You don't want to hit that 4th inning slump! So forget processed snacks and 50 nugget boxes, save some change and calories by making your superbowl snacks at home and make them healthy! Part one of Whollygirls Superbowl Series:
Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries w/ dipping sauce
1 lb chick breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2c egg whites
1/2c flax meal
1/2c nutritional yeast
1/2c oatmeal
1t of each: sea salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic
1/4c agave nectar
1/4c dijon mustard
1T dill weed
2 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges or strips
cooking spray
sea salt for sp's
oven at 400
1. In three separate dishes: Dish one, flax meal. Dish two, egg whites. Dish three, nut yeast, oatmeal, salt, pep, paprika, and garlic.
2. Dip chick pieces in order from dish one-three. Going wet, dry, wet.. starting with flax meal. Then place on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
3. Place sweet potato fries on the same baking sheet as the chick nugs, and spritz the top of the fries w cooking spray and sea salt. Then bake for 10min, flip and bake 4 more min.
DIPPING SAUCE
1. In a small bowl combine mustard, dill, and agave.
Try this for dinner, kids love them! Or serve at your next party, they are perfect for superbowl :)