Raw Vegan Toast. No, a Toast to being Raw Vegan.

Not 100% sure if the Kefir fully worked. It wasn't as fizzy as I think it was supposed to be.

Oh well, it tasted great anyway.

I went across the other side of town today to the University, only to find out that it's the 'holidays', and that I have a 1,500 word essay due in a week or two.

I may be gone for a while. But I'll be back, don't worry!

24 hours away from Water Kefir happiness...

We started fermenting our Kefir Grains a day (or two) ago.

For anyone that doesn't know, Kefir is a grain that you ferment, and it is filled with healthy bacteria and goodness.

We found great tutorials and articles about growing and fermenting Kefir. I'm so grateful for the internet, it makes being raw so much easier. And everything else, as well.

...I'm sorry, I was just distracted by the full moon just outside my window.

Anyway... What was I saying again? 

Kefir! Right, I found a great tutorial and post from GreenMomZoe's blog, but the Water Kefir post and Video are specifically here.

We're currently up to a 'stage two' fermentation. We added 1/4c orange juice to make an Orange Lemonade (kind of like Fanta, hopefully), and are letting it ferment for a further 24 hours. I tasted it, and it was sort of like Lemon Ice Tea, very nice :D 

I hope to post the 'Slice of Happiness' Energy bar recipe soon. I'm still developing it. I brought samples to school for my friend Josh to try, and I think he liked them, but they still need improvement. I have managed to develop a Chocolate flavour and a Vanilla flavour! I really like both, but I need to add more sweetener I think. I'm not used to my food being very sweet.

So far we're 2 days into the new block at school. There are two blocks in a term, every 5 weeks. Every block we choose new classes to take. Anyway, I'm not really a bunker at school but I don't take many classes (we have quite a lot of freedom, I already attend University part time, and do some subjects that aren't offered by correspondence), but this block I picked a ton of classes, and so far my attendance has been perfect! Granted, it's only been 2 days. But I plan for it to continue! But with taking a lot of classes comes the most ridiculous amount of homework. I tell you, what a waste of time. For maths I have to find out all these name origins of measurements, for history I have to read 10 pages about WW2, for Health I have to keep a food journal (more on that!), for French I have to write about what I want to do when I 'grow up' AGAIN (I've already written it about 50 times), and for music I have to listen to a massive CD, and read complicated excerpts. I don't think I've ever had this much homework in my life.

So anyway, this block I'm taking a class on Nutrition! I know! As a Raw Vegan, I get to take a class on Nutrition, I felt like it was Christmas.

The first question the teacher asked the class was, "What is nutrition?"

Some skinny guy (drinking an energy drink): "It's, uh, getting, like, 5 vegetables a day and meat and..."

The next question: "Do you care about nutrition?"

The same guy: "Uh no."

Teacher: "Why not?"

Guy: "We've got fast metabolisms."

Everyone applauds.

That's actually quite common at my school. There aren't many fat people, and everyone eats badly, because clearly the crap is not going 'straight to the thighs'.

So I get to keep a food diary for the next few weeks, and the good news is that I'm sure I'm getting my 5+ vegetables per day.

Raw Recipe: Cream o' Buckwheat

My favorite breakfast. Yes, that's how good it is. I first saw a similar version on The Renegade Health Show, and then adapted it. It's simple, quick, and delicious.

Cream o' Buckwheat ~ Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

1/2c Sprouted Buckwheat (or soaked for a few hours)

1/3c Filtered Water

2 Boysenberries

2 Bananas

Method:

Rinse Buckwheat and try to get as much of that 'slime stuff' off as possible.

Blend everything, and enjoy :D

My Week

I'm sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I have been really busy this week.

I made a nearly-the-end-of-week resolution last week, which was that I had to stay to the END of the school day, no matter what. I'd been coming home in the afternoons because I didn't have any classes on. So anyway, school took up a large part of my time this week. >:|

I invented 'Felicity's Slice of Happiness', my new Raw Energy Bar! (That's a good name for a blog, too.)

These are the plain bars, I made another batch with chocolate.

This may not be helpful to 811ers out there, but I'm going to be honest here, I need nuts and seeds to live! They may have calories, but they give me energy like nothing else out there, and it's the same for my mum. I drink my green smoothie daily because it helps keep my skin healthy, and gives me my daily dose of protein. However, if I don't have enough fats (like nuts, seeds, avocados) my body starts craving them, and if I don't have enough greens, my body starts craving them. So I'm still really learning about myself at this stage.

Back to the Slice of Energy! They are so great to bring to school, because they look just like the muesli bars that everyone else has. I will post a recipe when I manage to think of one, all I really did was throw lots of different kinds of nuts, some dates, raisins, and honey in the food processor.

With this lunch, I'd look just about normal!

On the subject of energy... I have been so active this week. My mum was borrowing a car from her friend (whose children she was cooking for), and had to give it back last week. Since it's been gone, my daily activity has gone through the roof, I've had to walk all over the place. Yesterday we had to walk back from the organic grocer's, which was probably about 3km. But I didn't mind, me and my mum got to have a good talk, we weren't polluting the already polluted planet, and got a large dose of Vitamin D.

Plus I went to the gym twice this week with my friend. I don't really like the gym, but there are times when I just feel like running and not stopping. Not that I did, I had a sore leg :(

I got into some pretty big debates this week, too, with one of my best friends, who wants to be a doctor. She believes doctors are the way, the truth, and the life. I don't.

I don't really like doctors much. When I went to the doctors, begging for help, they gave me some pills that did absolutely nothing, except for one of the pills, that did have the desired effect, but taking it wasn't very nice, I can tell you. I kept being told, "Come back in two weeks, and then..."

Of course, then I stumbled upon Raw Food, and so I didn't require a doctor any more.

In my interview at the raw seed, I mentioned that Cream o' Buckwheat, which is what I have for breakfast every morning.

I always add a Boysenberry in the middle, and a sprinkle of Goji Berries.

Everyday I think, 'I wonder if I'll ever get tired of this...', but then I take the first bite, (or spoonful?), and I know that I never will. Every morning I'm surprised by its amazing perfection. I will post a recipe for it this week.

A few weeks ago my mum bought me a super kwl black art book, because I really needed one to write all my raw food recipes in.

I have been slowly working on my eBook. I'm not sure when I'll 'officially' release it, though. I'm taking my time, I'm definitely not planning on doing a whole week of ice cream again! Don't get me wrong, it was heaven, but heaven should only be an occasional thing.

More exciting news! We are brewing some Kombucha and some Water Kefir! I LOVE Kombucha. They should be ready in... 8-10 days. That is so unfair how far away that is. The world could've ended by then.

We received our copy of Purely Delicious the other day. I've been reading it ever since. I love stuff like that! The raw food world is really expanding, now we just need a 24 hour TV channel.

And have a look at this video! If only they played it on TV, the young impressionable children would be so much better off...

I have quite a few recipes I want to post on here, so I will be posting in the next week hopefully!

And we're selling our microwave, which we haven't used for months. Now we store our crackers in that spot.

Love,

Felic Pear

Raw Vegan Lunch served by Felic

So much has happened this week. I'm not exaggerating or joking, I'm very serious.

I was so sad that Ice Cream Week had ended, I had to do something to cheer me up. Well. I wasn't actually that sad.

I tried 2 of Meredith's recipes from The Raw Seed! They are both on her blog. One was the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (who said Ice Cream Week actually ended?) and a Cheesecake. I was communicated to by an unknown voice that was saying, "Felicity, you have to make a cheesecake." Of course, I always listen to the voice.

The ice cream was eaten before I managed to locate the camera, but I did manage to photograph the Cheesecake!

It was the first time I had ever made a Cheesecake, let alone tasted one, and I was so proud of my attempt! The photos are terrible, because I was so eager to eat the thing, the rule of thirds went right out the window...

I followed Meredith's recipe for the actual Cheesecake mixture, but decided to 'freestyle' the base. I added chocolate, and since we had no almonds, I used brazil nuts, cashews, and walnuts. Mmmm... It was so goooood!

My mum's friend came over and enjoyed a slice. She said, "Usually when you eat cheesecake the it leaves a fatty texture in your mouth, but this one was perfect, because I could enjoy all the flavors." High praise, indeed.

That Cheesecake was also amazingly healthy. Because the cashews were fermented with rejuvelac, it was easy to digest, and full of B12! I've always been under the impression that you can only get your B12 (which is vital to life, apparently), from meat. Hmm. No. I read on my friend Chantal's blog, Eat Dance Live, that it is actually in Fermented Foods (and a lot of others that are common in the Raw Vegan diet), such as Rejuvelac, Kombucha and Kefir, and also sea vegetables, which I have regularly. Shame on the doctors for telling us we need to take supplements! Read what Chantal said here. (I think it's really important that Raw Vegans, Vegans, and Vegetarians read it! Actually, everyone should read it.)

The other day I was at one of the only places that sells Raw Vegan products, and I was majorly inspired by a few of the products. I saw them, and was thinking, "Hey, I should buy them", but then I thought, "Back the eftpos transaction truck up, Felicity. You have all the flippin' ingredients at home, get off your ass and make the stuff yourself!" So I did. I 'invented' some Broccoli Bites.

My mum has a habit of sneaking broccoli into my Green Smoothies! I hate broccoli in Green Smoothies! I don't know why, but I don't like it. So this was a way better way of eating it, since my mum bought a fridge full of the stuff.

On the subject of the famous Green Smoothie, I thought I should share a recent experience. I decided it was time I should start taking them to school, as I usually bring fairly normal looking stuff.

When we were sorting through an old cupboard, I found a mug that would be just perfect, and it even had an inspirational quote on it. I figured it was just right.

I recall as I was pouring it into my 'coffee mug' and snapping on the lid, my mum saying, "Now do be careful, Felicity. The lid is very difficult to get off, and you wouldn't want to spill it on Josh." Josh is one of my best friends who I usually sit with at school. "Yeah, yeah," I said, halfway out the door.

I get to school, and want to show Josh my Green Smoothie. I start to tug at the lid.

And what do you know. It spills all over Josh. Great going, Felicity.

I found another mug. It's more safe, and I tested it at home.

Me enjoying a Green Smoothie at school. Photo courtesy of Josh, taken at a safe distance.

Moving on. (Shuffles papers).

Me and my mum decided to try out a new vegetarian restaurant that we discovered, that serves some raw food. The food was divine, an amazing salad, a fresh juice, and a superfood smoothie 'cookies and cream'. Afterward, we were browsing through the gift shop when we stumbled upon an excalibur dehydrator for sale! It wasn't cheap. But we really wanted it. So then my mum managed to accumulate enough money for us to go back the next day and buy it! The next issue was getting it home, because we don't actually own a car... So we had to take this HUGE box home, on the bus. What a sight. I also pulled a muscle in my back (not that I actually have any muscles), but it was so worth it, because now we have the most amazing dehydrator in the world!

Can you remember I posted here that I prepared a 100% Raw Vegan Lunch for some of my mum's non-raw-vegan friends? They were so impressed and inspired (I know, crazy right?!) that they invited me over to their place to prepare another lunch, this time for some of their friends, and they said that they would pay the cost for all the ingredients as well. Coming to the lunch was a teenager who also had health issues and Bella (the non-raw-vegan friend of my mum) said that she wanted me to come along and show how easy it was to be a raw-vegan blah blah blah.

So I whipped up a menu. It was pretty basic, because I'd never done anything like this before, and wanted to stick to what I knew. (Because even that goes wrong occasionally).

Starter ~

Strawberry Sorbet

Main ~

Mexican Flax Crackers, Kale Chips, Noritos, served with Sour Cream.

Dessert ~

Cacao Cashew Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake.

I even managed to get the day off school! Here are some pictures I took.

Mexican Flax Crackers (with Avocado, Spring Onion, and Red Bell Pepper on top)

Kale Chips, Noritos and Sour Cream, and Cake.

The table.

And that was before the lady that brews Kombucha turned up! Mmm... I was like an alcoholic, "I'll have another glass of kombucha, thanks". I love the stuff, it's insane. Everyone has been fermenting things recently, and we have wanted to as well. This lady gave us some kefir grain, and a kombucha scoby!

The food was RAD (Raw And Delicious), and I got a day off school, a free lunch, and a container of goji berries. Not bad.

Thankfully school this week was really relaxed (thanks to everyone taking practice exams), so they were fine about me taking the day off for my learning.

So without all the pesky other students about, me and Josh decided to take some photos. Josh hates photos, so of course we had to act really weird in them.

Me and Josh, pretending we are from the Victorian Era.

I also had a sleepover at my other best friend Priyanka's house on Friday night. Sleepovers are difficult, they involve a bit of smooth talking.

I decided I would bring a selection of fruit. And of course, before going I made the typical phone call to 'remind' Priyanka that I would not be being a normal human. You know what I mean.

Unfortunately you do have to remind people. Take my grandma for example. One time (a long time ago, so you have to assume her memory got worse) I was at her house with a friend, and we were all eating soup. The soup had meat in it, and my friend was a vegetarian.

"I can't have the soup, sorry, I'm a vegetarian," said my friend, as politely as you can to someone whose food you're rejecting.

"You could just pick the meat out," says my lovely grandma, completely oblivious to the fact that that was not the point.

But back to the sleepover! It was so cool though... Sometimes it's just fun to sit around, watch movies, paint our nails, take photos, do our makeup, examine clothing, talk about people, plan for what we want to buy 'when we get the money', and just 'be girls'.

Me.

My plan for next week is to road-test the dehydrator! Mmm... I want to make Tacos! Ice Cream Wafers! Cookies! Noritos! Corn Chips! Kale Chips! Everything and anything.

I am so tired now, after a whole week of crazy rushing around, planning, creating, fermenting, talking, visiting, delivering, photographing, writing, studying, watching, laughing, crying, eating, and sleeping (or lack of). But I have a day off life tomorrow. And I plan on using it to finish doing nothing. Goodbye. :)