Stuff Raw Foodies Like #1 : Restos that won't give you a hard time for bringing your own baon if you can't eat anything else on the menu

Sure, they might serve you perfect (read: scary) veggies, but if you can't have anything else on the menu, they at least won't begrudge you opening your baon :)

My brother's so funny. He told me, "Fran, next time we eat out, you choose the resto, para kami naman ang mag-baon." 

almond pate

sprouted wild un-fried rice

Raw foodies: what stuff do you like?

Update in 2017: Hong Kong resto owners allowed me to eat my own ban. I appreciated it so much!

Stuff Raw Foodies Like #1 : Restos that won't give you a hard time for bringing your own baon if you can't eat anything else on the menu

The Beginner's Breakfast Green Smoothie

The smoothie that started it all for me!

Since quite a few of you have been asking for smoothie recipes, I thought I'd share the one that started it all -

The Beginner's Breakfast Green Smoothie (serves one)


Ingredients:

• 4 ripe lakatan or lagkitan bananas (save the saba for when you're intermediate!)
• 1 bunch of organic kangkong, stems removed (soak in a large bowl of water with a little sukang tuba for 15 minutes, then rinse well. (OC peeps will want to run it through a salad spinner  before blending, but I am OK with putting it straight into the blender after rinsing if I'm in a hurry)
• 2 dalandans (skin off, seeds removed)

2017 update: In the original recipe, I used 4 ripe bananas. Nowadays, I would use triple or even more than that amount.

Preparation:

• Blend in a high-speed blender. Or if using a regular blender, add a little bit of filtered or coconut water and pulse until the kangkong gets as fine as possible.

Important stuff to remember:

• After drinking your smoothie, wait 30 minutes before you eat your oatmeal or other breakfast. I know most raw foodists just have this on its own, though. I, on the other hand, need to increase my caloric intake because I work out. 
• Please, please, don't use the smoothie as a drink on the side. It needs to be taken alone so it can be digested at once. When taken with other food, it might end up just fermenting in your stomach. You don't want this happening to you. Trust me.
• Some people like to add papayas, berries, ground up flax seeds, and superfoods, but keep it simple when you are starting out. 
• Don't add rootcrops or vegetables. The exception is the leafy greens. Don't add any kind of melon to your smoothie. Melons need to be eaten on their own. Stay clear of  watermelon shakes at a restaurant!
• Don't use the same leafy green daily. Very important. Other leafy greens for beginners are curly leaf lettuce, kale, wheatgrass, and spinach. (Alugbati, pechay, arugula, malunggay and mustasa have stronger flavors and are better for intermediates. If in the future you start experimenting with these other leafy greens, know that you can always add more bananas or water to make the smoothie taste better)
• The ideal smoothie has less fruit and more greens, but this is a beginner's breakfast green smoothie, made for people who want a yummy first green smoothie experience :P
• If you don't like the taste of your smoothie, put it in your compost, or if you have a garden, Victoria Boutenko says just pour the smoothie onto the soil. The earthworms will have a party! 
• Most dogs like smoothies too!
• And oh, the experts say to take your time enjoying the smoothie, even mixing it with saliva before swallowing. I haven't been doing this but I haven't experienced anything bad drinking it really fast.

The original recipe is from Aileen de Guzman. But I tweaked this one so it's simpler. Anyhoo, credit still goes to her for getting me started.

Oooh, and some raw foodies I know started feeding their baby  green smoothies at 6 months. How cool is that?! The baby was purely breastfed and is super healthy and happy! Go raw family!

OK, I'm rambling. Will go now :D

The Beginner's Breakfast Green Smoothie

Raw food prep classes!

March 5, 2011 1:00-5:00 pm

Live Food Preparation Class Series

5888 Gloria St. Poblacion, Makati.

Aileen De Guzman

healthspringph@gmail.com 

890-9161

0919-2127190

Aileen sells superfoods at the venue. Try the ch-ch-chia! Great for making pre-workout pudding!

March 12, 2011

Simply Raw
10am-1:30pn

Dance or Desserts
3:30-7pm

Dahon Kusina
Creative Space Building 
A. Mabini cor Dr. Pilapil Sts., Kapasigan, Pasig City

P750 for a deposit to Creative Space's BPI Account 0419004162
P850 for walk-ins
 

Asha Peri

leaf-kitchen@yahoo.com
916-0931
0917-861-1212

Simply Raw and Dance or Desserts are workshops so be ready to do some food prepping. If available, purchase the kelp noodles. Yum! I can put a whole package away in one sitting with the recipe Christmas Coleslaw. Mmmm.

*I don't get discounts for spreading the news. 

Raw food prep classes!

Green smoothies at the gym

After months of putting it off - I started going to my office's gym. Yay!

Before we can use the facilities on our own, we need to get clearance via a physical fitness test. I hated these things in grade school, but this time around I wanted to fully embrace the experience, even looking forward to the shuttle run. (Naks) Alas, no shuttle run. Gym guy made me do modified push-ups, stretches, sit-ups, toe-touching, and the treadmill for 30 minutes instead.The treadmill was boring. I wanted to go fast but Gym Guy made be do 3.0 kph. Nothing is dorkier than having an emergency stop string attached to your gym clothes while you are going at a granny's pace. I didn't even break out a sweat. I was able to answer a text on my cel. When he wasn't looking and I wasn't paying attention, I accidentally (promise, accidental talaga!) yanked the emergency stop string. So I manually placed the speed to 3.5 kph.  The highlight of the treadmill was a short brownout and a cute guy jogging by. (We have a nice oval on the roofdeck of the building, and the track is visible from the treadmills. There is also a badminton court but I can't play unless I "pass the physical fitness test").

I found it amusing when Gym Guy pointed to my bottle of green smoothie when he was taking my blood pressure.

Ano yan? Choco ba yan?

Green smoothie. Gawa siya sa green leafy veggies, saging, mangoes o kaya ibang

Green smoothies at the gym

Coco Cacao Nice Cream

My godsister Berni is craving pinoy food. But she is in snowy Milton, MA and has no access to fresh Philippine mangoes and freshly squeezed calamansi juice, and buko juice!  :(

She told me to have some buko juice for her with some vanilla ice cream, and I told her, I'd have something non-dairy, like maybe coconut ice cream. 

Here's what I came up with:

3/4 to 1 cup gata, kept in the fridge for 2-3 days*

1 tsp or more raw cacao (I guess you can grind yours but I wanted to keep the texture so I didn't grind these up)

raw honey or agave nectar to taste

soaked sunflower seeds - optional

freshly grated cinammon - optional

*I like it because it gets a little more dense in the fridge when I keep it this long

The question is, what shall I call it? It's not exactly coconut ice cream. And if I call it gata with cacao and raw honey it just sounds....wala... awkward. And long.

Come up with a name and I will reward you with 4 fresh bukos (only if you live in Metro Manila) or USDA organic, kosher-certified, Philippine-made VCO :D (if you live elsewhere). A great way to infuse electrolytes into your system! Metro Manilans can choose if they want the bukos or the VCO. 

Use the kontactr form on the right. Subject line: Help me name this dessert! 

Include your full name and exact delivery address. If applicable, please inform your lobby guard to accept condo deliveries. 

I'll choose a winner by March 4th 2011. You don't have to be a raw foodist to join the contest. :D 

Contest is closed!

Coco Cacao Nice Cream

Natural bug zappers

Have you ever wondered why certain bugs like to flock to light bulbs? Apparently, you can use the same principle to attract them to a natural bug zapper in your garden! Take a yellow party plate and smother it with organic homemade glue and voila! The bugs stay on the party plate and not on your garden shrubs.

Hmm... I wonder if this is why fly paper is usually yellow....

Does anyone want to try this?

Or do you prefer letting garden spiders do their work? I was in Silang, Cavite recently and noticed these critters abounding along the highway, by the trees and electrical wires. Noo-neee-nooo!

What about homemade organic pesticide?

What is your favorite way to keep the pests away from your plants?

Natural bug zappers

Simply Raw February 5th, 3-6pm

Click on the photo to enlarge. 

*Disclaimer: This is an advertisement post. I have tried Asha's classes and I think they are helpful. 

I don't get discounts and/or freebies for posting these announcements. 

Bring a pen! Asha provides a hardcopy of the recipes, but you might want to jot down important info shared during class. A camera is helpful too :D

Also, if you wrote to her beforehand about your food allergies, give her a helpful reminder so that a portion is set aside for you without the allergens. She is accommodating about these, but if there is more than one of you with specific food requirements, it is best to let her know before each recipe is preferred. I can imagine it is hard to keep track! I remember in one class, 1 was allergic to bananas, 2 couldn't have tomatoes, 2 couldn't have garlic and onions, and 1 high-maintenance gal couldn't have tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, zuchinni, and soy. Good times.

 Check the ingredients on your handout so you can warn Asha and/or those assigned to prepared the food. (Yes, it is a hands-on workshop.)

Enjoy! :D

Simply Raw February 5th, 3-6pm