Sunday Market

Since returning home to Christchurch we have gone to the organic and vegetarian market near our house every Sunday. It's a sweet little routine to have, not to mention a nice walk along the river to get there.

This is a stall which sells sauerkraut, raw crackers, raw truffles and other chocolate delights.

... And this is me eating a raw truffle.

I hate wheatgrass

I don't like the word hate, so let's just say I have a strong dislike for wheatgrass that sends me running from the room screaming.

It's funny how people don't like certain foods, and others do, or is that just me who finds it funny? I guess it's normal. I know someone who doesn't like chocolate, a lot of people who don't like avocados, another who hates milk, and someone else who detests anything with cumin added.

I have my own personal likes and dislikes, and to me this poses the question "Can I be raw if I dislike certain raw foods?" But before I answer this question, I'm going to give an example of 10 year old Felicity's dislikes and likes, and the present Felicity's dislikes and likes.

10 year old Felicity hated:

Asparagus, mushrooms, brown bread, salad, vegetable soup, porridge, tomatoes.

10 year old Felicity loved:
Candy (and lots of it), white bread, crackers, cookies, fried food, coke, waffles, potatoes, sausages, pasta.

As you can see, my former self wasn't exactly healthy... I sure liked my starchy, fatty, sugary food. I don't blame myself, fatty and sugary food appeals to primal urges -- yes. We are programmed to be attracted to that kind of food, because when we were all cave men those were the rarest foods in nature while also being the foods that provided the most sustenance. In brief, we are programmed to go for the biggest slice of cake. Most of my friends ate similarly to me, but it seemed that I was the only one who it reflected on; I was overweight, and my skin was bad from an unusually young age.

16 year old Felicity hates:

Any fast food, white bread, artificially colored food, asparagus (some things never change), coke, coffee, wheatgrass, spicy food, sprouts, blueberries.

16 year old Felicity loves:
raw chocolate ice cream, mushrooms, raw chocolate cake, raw pasta, essene bread, raw sushi, juice, kale, salad, avocados, pineapple, young thai coconuts, walnuts, miso soup, oranges, pears, apples, kiwi, raspberries, strawberries, chia, goji berries.

You'll probably see I dislike wheatgrass and sprouts, what sort of a vegan am I?! This is where the question comes into, well, question. When I first went raw my mum was so convinced I was going to die without all this protein that she made me a lentil sprout smoothie, but didn't blend it very well. I sat at the table crying for an hour like a 2 year old forced to finish my dinner, but in the end I managed to eat and keep down this smoothie. Of course, I don't hold it against my mum, she has my best interests at heart, but I specifically remember her saying, "You can't eat like this if you don't like sprouts." I happen to hate sprouts, they make my mouth taste... like a sprout, which to me tastes like fresh green colored air. Same goes for wheatgrass. I tried some, and my mouth smelt like a lawn for what felt like an eternity afterwards.

Another thing about my list is that I noticed that my 10 year old 'like' list is completely different from my 16 year old 'like' list, which is a lot more balanced and varied. I noticed that when I went raw I was trying more foods that I'd never bothered to try before, and realized that all the time whilst eating a typical diet that I'd never ventured to eat anything other than meals I'd been eating my whole life which usually were comprised of meat, something starchy, and some dead looking vegetables. In other words, I realized that pre-raw I ate the most boring and bland looking diet on the planet.

Another point is that some people don't like certain foods because they were served the food 'wrong'. For example, my best friend hates ALL salad with a passion because she has never actually had a salad that didn't taste like it had already been eaten. Sometimes we hate foods because we were served it up in a disgusting way. The sad thing is that a lot of healthy foods are made wrong! Raw food is so versatile and tasty, but when you see 'healthy' salads and fruit salads at a restaurant they usually look and taste like cardboard. I think better education on how to prepare good healthy food really is required!

But all in all, I think that even if you don't like sprouts (this is referring to me, haha) you CAN still eat a raw vegan diet, there are still millions of other delicious things to make up for a lack of one thing.

Peace,

Felic x
P.S. What foods do you hate?

Exciting Update

I know, I know, the last post I did was called 'Update' but I'm getting desperate, and I completely lack originality as far as post titles go.

So, what is this exciting update? Well, there are two, really.

1# I am moving back to Christchurch! For those of you who have been readers for awhile, you might have seen my post here about the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, forcing me to move to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. My adventures in Wellington thus far are detailed here. Anyway, after 6 months, we are finally moving home. When we moved we didn't know how long we were going to stay, but at that time a lot of things have come to light. Let me elaborate. When I was living in Christchurch, I didn't really like it. A lot of kids hate their hometowns, and I really wasn't an exception. I couldn't wait to get out. Looking back, I see that I didn't appreciate the beauty that was around me. They say you have to lose something for you to appreciate what you have, and that is definitely the case. Living in Wellington has been a great (but painful) experience, and I am so glad I had this opportunity, but I am so relieved to be going home.

Beautiful views of Wellington

2# if you read my last post here, you probably saw that I'd actually added some cooked food into my diet. While I was ok-ish with that (it wasn't ideal), my mum said we really should eat some cooked vegan food until we got home, due to the high prices of organic food in Wellington. However, my heart always yearns to be 100% raw, and I decided that I would! For the past 3 days, I have been 100% raw, and I'm loving it! I always feel great, I have increased energy, my body cooperates with me, and my stomach is always really flat when I'm raw haha. We have a lot of food, but we always seem to buy 'new food', so I'm doing my best to use the food we have. As a result, I have been trying so many new meals! I've been having Chia Porridge/Pudding for breakfast, and I've also started making wilted Kale salads (thank you, Russell James!) We've also been putting our dehydrator to good use and making heaps of crackers, and I've also taken a liking to Strawberry ice cream recently. Our camera isn't very good, so I haven't been taking photos, but I intend to start posting more recipes and photos on this blog.

Anyway, my posting might cease again (no surprise) for awhile, too busy packing, studying for exams and practice exams, and seeing family and friends before leaving.

Peace,

Felic x

Update!

I really think it's about time I did a post. I know, this year I have been a complete failure when it comes to blogging, but... life has taken it's own turns, so I've just had to cope with it. I'm going to do an honest post. I want to share with everyone the struggles and triumphs after the earthquake, and how I'm dealing with everything.

Am I still 100% raw? Unfortunately no. Organic food is verrrrry expensive in Wellington. I am about 70% raw throughout the day. This is what I usually eat day to day.

Breakfast (9:00am)

2 kiwifruit

1 glass of Kombucha

Lunch (12:30pm)

1 glass of freshly squeezed juice (usually contains carrots, apples, wheatgrass/kale/silverbeet, oranges, pineapple)

Afternoon/Dinner (4:00pm)

Small bowl of homemade cooked vegan soup (usually contains leek or pumpkin, agria potatoes, onion, organic olive oil)

Or if I'm eating 100% raw for the day I'll either have

More juice from lunch, or a small bowl of miso soup.

*Throughout the day I also snack on seasonal fruit, and occasionally raw treats like cake and ice cream.

I usually have maybe 3-4 days a week where I try to be 100% raw. But the strange and funny thing is, I don't even care about percentages anymore. I measure things by how my body feels.

I resented cooked food for a long time. I hated the way it made me feel. I was convinced it would hurt me. I still support those ideas, though. I know the way processed foods make me feel, it's no secret that they don't support the body. Since moving, I tried to comfort myself with foods from my past (that were vegan, but when you binge it makes no difference), in the mistaken idea that they would make me feel better. BIG MISTAKE, I gained about 28lbs. Not cool, at all. I ate a lot of bread, rice, oats, chips, and flour that really just made my life worse. I don't blame me though, I was confused, depressed, lost, torn, and just really screwed up in general. It was also because we were staying with someone who had these foods easily accessible. I also got into some unhealthy patterns of fasting. I want to warn people (especially young people) about their intentions when it comes to fasting, and also urge people who are or want to fast to seek proper support. I didn't have good intentions while fasting, and bingeing on cooked food immediately afterwards just confused my body even more.

When we moved to our little flat in the beautiful Aro Valley, I immediately tried to go 100% raw, but after eating so much 'white food' all I could eat was muesli, nuts, seeds, and as much fat as possible. It really made no difference. I was upset about the way my body looked and felt. I wasn't used to being 'fat' again, especially after being so comfortable and happy in my old slim figure. I relapsed off being raw, and then of course I tried to go raw again, and then relapsed. This continued for awhile. I got very depressed, not just about my completely ridiculous eating habits, but also because I felt like the earthquake had ruined my entire life. I'm not going to lie, I was crying every single day, and seriously contemplated suicide. I was behind in schoolwork, and I couldn't concentrate at all, which for me was difficult, as I was a straight A student. I still got As surprisingly, but I still found myself depressed, and being away from Josh (one of my best friends) upset me all the more. I didn't want to go to a normal high school, because I felt it would distract me more, and the only person I saw for about 4 months was my mum and her boyfriend, and I hardly even left the house, because I actually stopped fitting my clothes for awhile :/

I discovered after visiting the doctor that I had low iron. It was true, if we went out I would come home and end up being able to do nothing for about 5 hours afterwards, yet, at the same time I also had insomnia, where I couldn't sleep till about 2 or 3 in the morning.

We bought a Hurom juicer. Possibly one of the best purchases ever made! We started having juice everyday, and I did start losing weight again, but I had an insatiable appetite for cooked food and craved it madly. When I was raw vegan before the earthquake I would eat hardly anything, which I couldn't help, because I wasn't really hungry often, and I didn't need much for unlimited energy.

Now for the event that changed my life. My mum (who had suddenly become the social butterfly) had made a friend while gardening in the community garden called Lyndsey. My mum told her our plight and Lyndsey, who was very interested in EFT (also known as tapping) suggested that we come round to her house and try some. My mum went, but I didn't. I was a recluse at that stage haha. She came back with a spring in her step and a twinkle in her eye, which I'm aware sounds rather strange, but she told me it was great and that we should try it together. So we did. My food issues were the principle stress in my life, and I knew exactly what I didn't want. I didn't want to be tempted by cooked food, I didn't want to binge on cooked food, I didn't want to be thinking of food constantly, I didn't want to be bloated, I wanted to be raw, I wanted to weigh the same I had before the earthquake. We tapped on these issues. At first it didn't work, and I started crying again. We tapped again a few more times, without much change, but we started to change up the issues a bit more.

Then it was like I woke up. Something changed. I don't even know what it really was. I stopped needing to eat all the time, I stopped craving foods, I stopped bingeing, I stopped stressing, I stopped telling myself how much I hated myself. As of today I have lost about 20lbs. We continued tapping on other issues in our lives, and I feel as though I've left behind so many issues that were constantly plaguing me my whole life. I had a whole new energy about me.

Something else exciting happened after that, but I think this post is already too long, so I'm just going to leave that till next time.

Peace,

Felic Pear x

Blood Tests, all has been revealed!!

A week (or two) ago, we went to the local doctor's to get ourselves 'signed up' should the godforsaken happen and we actually need their help. They were really lovely, anyway, and I was really impressed when they were impressed by my raw veganism. To quote the doctor, "I personally wouldn't recommend milk myself."

Sadly for me, since the earthquake very very strange things have happened to my body. First of all, I gained 10kg, which is about 20lbs (or a bit more), and I have had quite bad depression, lack of concentration, and low energy, among other things. Strangely, even though my mum and I eat the exact same diet, she has not gained any weight and doesn't suffer from any of these symptoms.

I have also been having completely random episodes of bloating, where I feel like my stomach is about to burst, and then a very painful stomach that's impossible to sleep on.

When we received the results, everything on my mum's were perfect, but then I found out, shock horror, that I had low iron! Though we were happy that our B12 were great. I have heard that sometimes earthquake trauma can cause iron levels to be depleted, as I never had this problem before this whole thing, but oh my word, I am so over this. It follows wherever I go.

Raw Vegan Recipe: Chocolate Ice Cream (with Chocolate Sauce)

Today is my mum's birthday, and her favorite food is ice cream, so of course I had to make her some. I personally didn't eat any, after just completing a 5 day smoothie challenge, but hopefully she'll save me some, though I wouldn't count on it :P

Chocolate Ice Cream

10-15 medjool dates

1T unhulled tahini

1T sunflower/cashew butter (either)

2T honey

1 banana

1/3c coconut butter

3c water or whatever milk is on hand (preferably not cow's though haha)

1/4c cacao powder

(I know what you're thinking, "Tahini + Dessert?!" Bear with me here)

Blend the dates in the milk/water. If you don't have a great blender (like me) add water gradually, so it will sort of be like a paste.

Melt the coconut butter, tahini, sunflower butter. I boil the kettle and put the water in a big bowl and the ingredients in a smaller bowl. Continue to add the milk and/or water.

Finally mix all the ingredients together in the blender. (Or if you have a good blender you could have done this in the beginning). The right texture shouldn't be too thin, and should be more on the creamy side.

Freeze, or put in the ice cream maker. If you freeze it, take it out of the freezer first for 10 minutes before you eat it so it will be softer.

Note: I always make this recipe for me and my mum's taste, and we don't like things to be so sweet. If you think it needs more honey, dates, bananas, or anything else ADD THEM. Also, these are estimates, I hardly ever follow recipes and just add till things are 'good enough'.

I also don't have an exact recipe with the sauce, I used honey (even though I'd been warned against it, though it worked this time), cacao butter, and cacao powder.

Peace,

Felic x

Day 5 of Green Smoothie Challenge

Laaast day of the 5 day Green Smoothie challenge. My last smoothie was kiwi, kale, and another herb (whose name I forgot). My favorite smoothie of the week was definitely day 1, with strawberries. I love berries so much :D

Day 4 of Green Smoothie Challenge

Turned out my last day of sleeping meant I was all perky today. I had no detox symptoms today, and on the contrary I actually felt amazing, so that was great. I continued with study, and went on a short walk around the neighborhood.

Aro Valley

Day 3 of Green Smoothie Challenge

Today I had a purple green smoothie. I got a picture of it too.

Silverbeet, Orange, Parsley, Banana

Today was definitely the worst day as far as detox goes, I was shivering all day, and it didn't help that it was icy cold outside, luckily for me I didn't have to leave the house. Also, I felt really tired, not weak and starving, but literally like all I wanted to do was sleep - so I did. Normally I don't like sleeping during the day, but luckily for me I didn't have to go to school and I'd got a lot of work completed before that so I could afford to take the day off.

Day 2 of Green Smoothie Challange

Today I had a spinach, raspberry, and banana smoothie, which unfortunately I didn't take a picture of. It was very nice too, I love raspberries!

I had a lot more study to do today. It's criminal the amount of work they pile on the fragile children of my age. Once again the green smoothie aided me through, and my concentration was clear. My skin is also looking rather nice right now. Last night I had a bit of a headache and a bit of pain in my stomach, but in the morning it was all gone, so I guess it was toxins.

Pretty much feelin' great!

Day 1 of Green Smoothie Challenge

Even though New Zealand is the sort of country which feels like it is isolated and alone and left out from everyone else's activities, we have something that I'm pretty confident not many other countries have! We have a company that makes green juices and green smoothies called Green Juice Inc., based in Wellington (where I happen to live right now!)

I was so amazed when I heard this that me and my mum contacted them and ordered some smoothies straight away, and then went the next day to pick them up. And we got to personally meet the owner, which was great too. It's funny, because when I buy raw food I usually contact the owner of the company and end up meeting them - you can't say that for all food companies out there!

I am a strong believer in green smoothies and juices, I mean, what could possibly be better medicine than a fresh juice or smoothie? The problem I find with juicing is going through so much produce, and sometimes it can be hard to source new and exciting ingredients for green smoothies, so they can get a bit samey, or if you use the same ingredients over and over again like I read here.

But with Green Juice Inc., they use different ingredients everyday. Janelle, the owner, showed us a sheet of paper with all the different combinations she was using, and many of them were definitely ones I wouldn't use. I guess my knowledge of green smoothies is not very extended.

She also has a sort of package deal called the 'Green Smoothie Challenge'. Five days of Green Smoothies. Yes please. So that's what I'm doing. Todays smoothie was Strawberry, Orange Pear, Silverbeet, and mint.

So far I feel amazing. I had a huge energy burst, not to mention I felt really happy too. I was also doing a lot of urgent last minute study (kids, don't procrastinate) and I actually feel it really helped me concentrate. And it really filled me up, so much! It was delicious, in other words.

Mothers' Day Cake

A cake for my mum. (Coconut Butter donated by Pure Wellbeing)

I just want to thank my mum for everything. She has sacrificed so much for me, listened to me, always given me hugs when I needed them, and supported me in all my ridiculous and crazy ideas. When I went raw she followed me, even though she didn't need to, but she did it anyway. Life hasn't been perfect, and neither have I, but she loves me and I love her <3

Us in 2006

Raw Vegan Ice Cream Bars

Back in the 'old days' (and I mean the real old days) me and my mum would often have choc bars, which I think are normally called Ice Cream Bars. They are ice creams, with chocolate coating.

I got the recipe from Nina, who runs the blog called Veggie Wedgie. I really admire her recipes, photography, and just her in general. My try wasn't exactly perfect. I didn't want to use agave, so instead I used Raw Manuka Honey, NEXT TIME I would definitely use liquid honey. The chocolate coating was all lumpy! But apart from the funny bumps all over the shell it was absolutely delicious. Also, it was my first time ever using Cacao Butter, so if anyone has any tips about it they would be hugely appreciated, cos I had no idea what I was doing...

I definitely want to try it again, and get it perfect this time :D

Organic in Wellington

So far I have to say that I LOVE living in Wellington. And since yesterday, I have been feeling more that way than ever!

Yes, yesterday I discovered paradise. Commonly known as Commonsense Organics. A huge organic food store, with everything I'd ever dreamed of.

The person holding the trolley is my mum HAHAH ;D

They had so much fruit and vegetables, not even joking! They had everything I'd ever dreamed of. And it was all organic too -- SCORE.

And then we stumbled on THIS.

Nearly everything on this shelf was Raw. Raw chocolates in every flavor imaginable, Grawnolas, Macaroons, Crackers, not to mention all those super cool ingredients that I have been wanting to find forever so I can try some recipes. AND CACAO NIBS.

This was all the stuff we decided to get in the end.

We enjoyed our feast sitting beside the water front (sort of) and looking at Mt Victoria.

Stay tuned for more of Felic's Wellington Adventures!

Peace and Raw Food,

Felic

After 6.3

Some of you may know that on the 22nd of February a 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch -- AGAIN. Yes, about five months earlier we were hit with a 7.1 earthquake, so we were pretty confident lightening wasn't going to hit the same place twice, then BOOM.

Me and my mother have moved cities, moved islands in fact! Now we live in Wellington -- the capital city of New Zealand. I am really sad about this of course, Christchurch is a beautiful city (which is now destroyed) and it was my home for 11 years. Not to mention I went to an amazing school (the best school in the world) and had my BFFL Josh.

The thing about earthquakes is that there is the initial quake, which is terrifying, and afterwards everyone's emotions run wild and it seems difficult to stay sane.

During the earthquake I was at the University Library. Suddenly the room started shaking violently, the power went out, and people started screaming. A pipe broke and it started raining inside. I grabbed all my stuff (no way was I going to leave it behind) and we evacuated. Outside, I was lucky to find someone I knew and decided to stay with her. The unfortunate thing about the University is that it is an hours bus ride away from my house, which I estimated would take maybe 3-4 hours on foot to get home. I always promised my mum that if there was a disaster that I'd walk straight home, but when it actually happened I was way too scared to voyage out there on my own! I told her I was going to stay with my friend, and try to eventually get home. We walked for 2 hours, and during that time I managed to contact a couple of people and check that they were fine, and of course we were hearing all sorts of rumors, such as certain streets and roads were destroyed, including one that I would have to go down to get home. So I txted my mum and told her I was going to my friend's house and was going to stay there with her. The cellphone coverage was really bad, but when I eventually got her replies 1 hour later, I could see she wasn't happy about my decision. But I knew that attempting to get home with all these aftershocks on my own would be dangerous, possibly resulting in who knows what...

I kept trying to txt another best friend of mine, who was in the city center, but with no luck. I was panicking because we could see a lot of smoke and dust and could here alarms and see police and fire engines and ambulances driving in. Me and my friend got in some University student's car, someone who we didn't know, but one of the girls we were walking with knew. We spent the next 5 hours in the car going around the back suburbs and trying to get out of the horrible traffic which was hardly moving. There was liquefaction everywhere, and about half the houses we saw were destroyed. Seeing these things on the news is one thing, but when you see them with your own eyes is completely different. I couldn't help but wonder if it was all a bad dream. Finally we arrived at my friends house, and I called my mum and did my best to calm her down, told her my friends address, and soon after she came with our neighbor to pick me up and take me home.

Once I got home I felt much better, and I finally managed to contact my friend who was in the CBD, she told me that everyone was absolutely freaked, but no one was dead. I'm convinced that if I had been at school on that day that I might have been injured or killed, because me and Josh often walk around and could have easily been doing that. This hit with no warning.

Like I said, the initial thing was bad, but it was even worse afterwards... I wrote that during the last earthquake we stayed raw quite easily, and had clean water back in a few days. No such luck even 2 weeks after this quake! We decided that we'd had enough of all this, and started packing. The combination of packing, and having hardly any food and water meant that I did have to eat some cooked food. Which is ironic really, because packing really requires a lot of energy and strength, and here I was eating food that provided me with neither. My body responded not very well, of course, and now have the flu! >:|

Yesterday we finally had our whole house packed up and drove up the coast of the South Island to catch the Ferry to Wellington. My next few posts will be about me exploring this place, which I will share with everyone with some pictures.

And tonight I get to see some of my family and my 2 little brothers :)

Felic eats a Raw Italian Feast

My beautiful friend Meredith A.K.A. Padmapani Little Sky asked me to try some of her recipes from her new eBook 'Raw Italian Feast'.

They all looked SOOO good! I had a difficult time choosing just a few! Her eBook at a glance is exquisite. I have always loved her photographs, and her recipes are always exceptional. The great thing was that when I was looking through the eBook, I realized that I wouldn't actually need to buy too many ingredients, we already had a lot of them, which is always a fantastic bonus :D

So I planned a Raw Italian Feast with:

Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms

Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce

Pizzelle Ice Cream

The first item on the menu was the entrée of Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms.

Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms with Zesty Italian Cheese

These are so incredibly easy to make, and the taste... oh the taste. I was trying to figure out why they were so amazing when I was eating them. Was it the soft warm mushroom, the savory cream... or the crumbled sausage on top. I couldn't figure it out. In the end I concluded that it was 'all of it'. Three completely different textures harmonize perfectly, and this is coming from someone who used to hate mushrooms - I am now converted!

I could see these being the hit of a party as well. They are so unsuspecting... but when you take that first bite, you will never look back.

Fresh outta the dehydrator!

The next item on the menu was the Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce.

Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce

I really love these recipes, because I find them SO EASY to prepare! This took me something like half an hour to make, and I have got to say, the taste was sensational. I followed Meredith's serving suggestion, and I served with some Zesty Italian Cheese on top. As well as looking impressive, this was also very filling.

Me becoming impatient and deciding to start eating

Whether you are new to raw or a seasoned pro, you have to taste this ice cream. It is completely indescribable - I can't even find words to explain the taste. Pure indulgence. I have tasted quite a few different ice creams in my time (raw and non raw) and I can actually say that this is the best ice cream in the whole wide world. Yes. I wasn't paid to say that, either, but I have to admit, I was gasping in shock as I ate it, it is that amazing. You will not be disappointed.

Pizzelle Ice Cream A.K.A The Best Ice Cream in the World

I am so impressed! I have truly had a feast, and the great thing is, these recipes are so easy (even for me with my terrible kitchen skills) with ingredients that don't cost the earth. They are so versatile that if you are missing one ingredient, it can often be very easily substituted. I am so eager to continue this feast and finish all the recipes in the book, and it is a possibility, because a lot of the recipes re-use other recipes in the book, verrry clever.

So what are you waiting for! If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the eBook which is only USD$11.11 (make a wish, haha), click here.

Outside of the Blog

I apologize for my lack of blogging these days. There are a lot of reasons, really. If you want the full list you can email me, haha.

Some of you may not know (in fact, probably all of you) that at my house we have an organic garden, where we get a lot of organic produce. Sound like your thing? Well, my mum is the one who runs the garden, so if you wanna have a look feel free to head over to her blog and see what happens outside of the kitchen. Click here!

There is the occasional raw recipe too, as well as gardening advice, and just stuff like that. She will probably do a guest post here at some stage in the future too.

Bad News, and Pasta

Ok, I have some really sad news. There will be no 'Raspberries Part 2' post... We ran out of raspberries!!

So to make up for it I have some pictures of some raw Pasta that we made today.

We didn't have zucchini (well, we do, but it's still growing, at the moment), so we used kohl rabi instead. The texture wasn't really the same as wheat Pasta, but visually it was mostly the same. I liked it being a bit chewy, because aren't we supposed to chew our food when we eat it. Usually I hate kohl rabi, especially when cooked, but this time I actually really liked it.

For the sauce we used sun dried tomatoes soaked overnight, and a bit of basil pesto, no fresh tomatoes as we'd eaten the ones from the garden the day before! Oh well, I really really liked the sauce too.

And we sprinkled some raw Parmesan cheese on top.

Raspberries Part 1

We have plenty of raspberries at the moment. So I thought I would do a two part post of some desserts that I will spontaneously make. Yes, no recipes, I will 'wing it' as the cool kids say.

Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Base:
2c Walnuts/Cashews/Macadamia nuts
8 Medjool Dates
1T melted Coconut Oil
1t Vanilla Essence
1T Water (or more)

(Optional: 1/4c Cacao Powder)

What I did first was process the nuts till they became crumbly, then processed everything else. You reach the right consistency when you can press the dough into a ball and it will hold.

Transfer into a pie dish (or whatever those things are called...) and put in the freezer while you make the cheese part.

I had leftover, so I made some Brownies.

Filling:
2c Cashews (I soaked mine overnight because when I soak them they get bigger, therefore I get more cashew for my dollar!)

1.5c Water
2+c Raspberries (Mine are frozen because we freeze ours after picking, but who cares right.) I would suggest more, depending on how red you want the filling to be!
1/2 c melted Coconut Oil
1/2 Honey (or you could use Agave, but I like to use raw organic Honey)

Blend it all!

Pour the filling into the pie crust, and put it back in the freezer for about 2 hours. Then it should be ready to serve.

YUM.

And in a few days, there will be Raspberry Ice Cream. That's right, RASPBERRY ICE CREAM.

Blog Changed

I added some new pages to my blog, come and have a look. :D

Lasagna + Coffee Cake

Why bother to go into details. They were both out of this world. Enough said?

My Job, at Eternal Delight: Raw/Vegan café

This is the beautiful place where I work, known as Eternal Delight.

Front Counter

Food Cabinet. Yum!

I have always really loved the way they have painted words around the room, as you can see.

The view from where I sit

Today was insanely busy, but I managed to snatch a few minutes to myself when there was no one in the café, and take some pictures of my food, and of my surroundings.

The Counter

Here are all the goodies that are for sale, food, teas, superfoods, hydrosols, sauerkraut, cheeses, pesto (all raw and vegan)

For lunch I had a raw Italian burger. It was amazing - smooth cheese, crispy sprouts, crunchy greens, tomato, cucumber, and even a 'meat' patty! Ok, it didn't taste like meat, thankfully, but I really liked the way the burger was built like a burger, with the bread, cheese and meat. I loved it.

Black Forest Gâteau

This is another amazing dessert, the cream tastes so creamy, but without the cow, or the guilt. Plus the caramel sauce was just the best thing ever.

On another angle, you may notice that there are even grapes inside, oh wow!

Creamy Thai Mushroom Soup

I know what you're thinking, 'Felicity, do you actually do any work at that place?' Well, the answer is I do. But they offered that I try this, so how could I refuse? It was so rich and flavorful. Yes, the word I would use to describe this is definitely flavorful. As well as that it was very filling. But oh so good.

Also because today was really hot, I had a scoop of Coffee flavored ice cream! I didn't get a picture of it though, I forgot I had the camera with me, haha :D

They gave me some food to take home too, Pesto for my mum (who eats it like there is no tomorrow), another slice of Black Forest Gâteau, a slice of the Berry Cheesecake, and a roll of Sushi. Yay for my awesome dinner. Sadly the food was not in a photographable state after the dangerous bike ride home, and was beaten to a pulp, but it still tasted great.

Love,

Felic Pear x

Birthday

Today I turned 16. It seems like yesterday that I was waiting for my 6th birthday... I always make sure I watch the clock for 8:08am, I have this thing that it isn't 'official' otherwise... Anyway! I took some pictures of my birthday breakfast and one of my presents. Most of my presents from my mum were food, yum!

MMMM! Raw coconut chocolate butter. They recommend eating 3 tablespoons a day. Or else.

Raspberries, Fruit, Essene Bread, and of course Chocolate Coconut Butter :D

Warmed Essene Bread

It was a very tasty breakfast

This is what I usually make for breakfast, a raspberry smoothie. All it is is a banana, frozen raspberries, and a bit of water. And then I add goji berries, of course.

Anyway, hope everyone had a good New Year!

Peace,

Felic Pear x