1 pineapple (leave in the core if you’re using a Vitamix)
250 g blueberries (mine were from the freezer)
3 or more seeded dates
optional water or crushed ice (if not using a Vitamix)
a few leaves of malunggay
3-4 leaves of basil
a few leaves of Romaine lettuce
edible flowers for garnish
Irish moss (optional)
Preparation:
1. Blend and enjoy.
2. For the tiny flower with the stem, only eat the petals. The stem tends to be bitter :)
I have been delivering food to a friend in Makati since June 2015. She has had enough of poor health and is wanting to incorporate healthier food into her diet.
These are different from the mono meals which I eat most of the time, but they closely resemble foods a normal person would eat except that some allergens are taken out and the food is uncooked, and are a great introduction to eating healthy, so that the gourmet taste is still there and they are not at all boring. Because they are gourmet raw, they tend to be higher in fat due to the seeds and nuts. I soak them in order to remove the enzyme inhibitors in the seeds/nuts and to make the nutrients more bioavailable. These resemble the foods I started eating five years ago, which jumpstarted my path to healing. They are raw, but prepared classically. All these provide the dishes a rich taste that people look for in regular food, but because of all the plants, feel lighter, even though the volume is bigger.
Here are sample menus I have planned for her:
1: Banana green smoothie
Zucchini pasta and live marinara
Live lemon bars
2: Pineapple malunggay green smoothie
Spicy hand rolls and mango chutney
Jicama rice
I am excited that she is taking an active role in her health and I am praying for breakthroughs for her! :)
An entire ripe organic, non-hybrid, non-GMO, fresh pineapple, skin and eyes removed
A few sprigs to many sprigs of malunggay (1 sprig if this is your first time to try this recipe)
2 cups of water or more to taste
For high-speed blenders: Blend everything at once.
For regular blenders: Put in the pineapple little by little and pulse until well blended.
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This is not a smoothie to make for a first-time smoothie drinker. For beginners, I recommend this smoothie instead. Once you are ready for a malunggay smoothie, use only one sprig. Then build up your taste buds to take two sprigs the next time, and so on.
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Malunggay can just grow in your backyard if you live in the Philippines. It can also grow in Hawaii. The Philippine consulate in Israel has also tried growing it there - and it has! It sure would be nice if every Pinoy (or the local public school) has this in the yard, wouldn't it?
To prepare, grab a few sprigs and wash carefully. Sidebar: Do you have a 2.5-3 year old at home? Show her how to do this one by one, and sloooooowly. I guarantee you - you will have a very happy camper! Just be patient! S/he will like plucking the leaves off into a bowl until it is ready to be washed.
I don't soak mine in sukang tuba, because I grow malunggay organically at home.
Malunggay leaves have a waxy coating that deter pests and can be grown pesticide-free!
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An organic pineapple is about P70 each.
Imagine this: for less than P100, you can provide a cancer patient with a pineapple - malunggay green smoothie with the following nutritional, bioavailable benefits:
This recipe has a high amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium, Manganese, Zinc, Selenium, Protein in the bioavailable form of 18 essential amino acids, and trace amounts of:
When eaten raw (not canned or frozen), and fresh from the blender, and taken alone (not as an accompaniment beverage to a Standard Filipino Diet meal), your body assimilates this recipe's goodness super fast!
Too often, Pinoys equate pineapples with upset stomachs because to begin with, their stomachs are acidic. Pinoys also equate pineapples with opening a can of ______. (Can anyone say "tricalcium phosphate?!). Preservatives in canned pineapples exacerbate the stomach's reaction to pineapples. Slowly alkalize your body with fruit and vegetables, and over time, you will not find eating organic, raw pineapples upsetting. In fact, they will have an alkaline-forming effect on your body. Strange but true!
