SUMMER JUICE BLEND: WATERMELON, GRAPES, BLUEBERRIES AND LEMON

Here's another refreshingly delicious juice blend.  I can't get enough!  Add the power of raw fruits and vegetables to your diet by juicing, you will feel it from the inside out. I love adding grapes to this juice blend because the restorative power of grapes is phenomenal, and they are known for cleansing the liver and removing uric acid from the body.  It also protects the blood vessels and the heart.  It's super refreshing and delicious.  Who doesn't like watermelon in the summertime?!?

SUMMER JUICE BLEND: WATERMELON, GRAPES, BLUEBERRIES AND LEMON

1/2 a watermelon
1/2 to 1 pound grapes
1 cup blueberries
1 lemon, juice of

Juice all the fruits together, except the lemon.  Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the juice blend and stir.  It is now ready to serve.

Enjoy!

CURRENTLY SIPPING ON: BLUEBERRY PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE WITH SPINACH

Currently sipping on this delicious and refreshing smoothie.  Hope your day is fabulous!

BLUEBERRY PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE WITH SPINACH

1-1/2 cup almond milk

2 cups spinach

3/4 cup frozen pineapples

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

 

Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

 

Optional - top with shredded coconut and hemp seeds.

 

Sip and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

RAW JAM

I absolutely love this recipe.  Three ingredients blended in a few minutes and voila!  I was recently asked by a reader and friends about finding a good recipe for raw jam and so here it is.  I took it to a party and it was really a hit!  Use it with your favorite PB&J dish (or AB&J - Almond Butter :) ) Or, as we did, make some raw vanilla whipped cream and eat it atop your favorite cracker or bread with the jam - its oooooh so good!  And don't forget my Fig Jam when fig season comes around... which is just around the corner.  I can't wait.

One thing to remember though when you make raw jam is that is fresh, so it will not last as long as regular jam.  Make them in small batches... it a treat that you're whole family will love.

 

RAW JAM

1 cup organic blueberries or strawberries

1/2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder*

1 teaspoon raw agave or raw honey

Blend all the ingredients together to the desired consistency.  Transfer the mixture to an air tight jar or container and let it chill for 15 minutes.  Voila, you now have your jam!  I love this jam.  It tastes so fresh you can't go wrong.

If you want it just a tad firmer, then use 3/4 teaspoon psyllium husk.

*To learn more about psyllium husk check out this link.  The psyllium husk powder asks as a thickening agent.  Only a small amount is needed.  I have also seen raw jam made with chia seeds.  I haven't personally tried using chia seeds yet, but I can definitely see how that may work too.

Enjoy!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw spread?  We'd love to hear what if is. Please share in the comments below. Links are welcome!



ENERGY BARS

True Confessions.....I am a single mother and I don't have time....like ever, so I try to make recipes that give me the most bang for the buck.   I like these energy bars because they are a great snack that gets me over the 3 o'clock hump, and they last a while in my house.  You can find the original recipe for the Energy Bars here.  This time I made them more of a fruity chewy bar.

I wanted to try some different fruit combinations so I used dried blueberries, dried apricots, shredded coconut, and some ginger chews that I stubled across at Trader Joe's, this is what they look like here.

Some time saving tips that I learned along the way:

*I use a lot of whole nuts, and chopped about 1/3.  

*Blend the nuts first that you want to chop, then the dates.  

*Remember to use a food processor.  A blender will not work, it will turn the nuts into butter too soon, and it's torture to clean the dates off of the blades  (this I learned the hard way),  and who has time for that?

*Also parchment paper is your best friend.  Use it to line your cookie sheet to have less clean up.

*Also once the bars are cut wrap them individually in saran wrap.  This will save you a lot of time when you are daily preparing your snack, just pop one out of the freezer and your ready to go!

This recipe is very versatile so the same guidelines apply, I just used different ingredients.  

Here's what I used:

FRUITS:

Dried Blueberries

Dried Apricots

Shredded Coconut

Crystalized Ginger (found at Trader Joe's)

NUTS:

Cashews
Sliced Almonds
Macadamia

BLUEBERRY + CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

BLUEBERRY + CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

 

Written by contibutor Britney Manuel of Btanjerine and A Simply Raw Life. 

 

 

Looking to add some unique smoothies to my repitore,  I came across this one again from the app Whole Living Smoothies (here's the link to the website).  I am always trying to make sure to incorporate something green, I mean might as well since you won't taste it anyway.  And this one came out light and mild.  Perfect in my opinion!

A few health tips.  Berries are full of anti-inflammatory and disease-preventing stuff (too many words I can't pronounce but trust me it's good stuff).  And cucumbers are loaded with water to help keep you hydrated.  They are also a source of silica, a trace mineral that strengthens connective tissue.

The Line-up before

Et Voila! The finished product!

BLUEBERRY + CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

 

THE LINE-UP

1/2 c. frozen blueberries

1/2 cucumber

1 c. almond milk

1 pear

2 dates

THE PROCESS

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

Makes 1 serving approximately 2 cups.

Enjoy!