Raw birthday – by raw foodie Sarah Lea

Submitted by sarahlea on September 10, 2012 – 3:34 pm

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Birthday season is officially over. In my family’s nest that is. Party number five done and dusted, with a very happy seven year old as an outcome. Over the course of two days I’ve managed to cut two decadently delicious raw chocolate brownie cakes into enough squares to feed over 50 drooling devotees! What a happy bunch they were too. We’re blessed to have such wonder-full friends who are willing to forgo dairy, wheat and sugar to join in on our celebrations!

And an amazing organic shop who not only supplies the raw ingredients to create such divine treats, but also sells tantalizing temptation take-outs such as raw pumpkin pie, key lime tart and purple guava cheesecake that we eagerly snaffled away to the playground and gorged on a deliciously impromptu picnic lunch while the children let their energy rip round the park.

That and a handful of sprouts with a couple of carrots eaten on the run was all that was needed to get us to the beach. Galloping after a pony and cart five kms to the sandy arena, I relished the thought of the amazing energy reserves my body was gifted at lunch. With my two girls in the cart and my husband and baby in the car, I allowed my wings to lift me free of daily restraints as Moonbeam trotted ahead on the sand and kicked up the streams of water, whinnying in excitement at his raw lunch … a couple of gifted apples and a garden of lush green Spring grass.

It was awe inspiring waiting on ten princesses at the royal banquet the following day. Crystal glasses filled with pink kombucha clinked and sloshed as the birthday girl was blessed by her friends in honour of her seventh year. Parents happily became waiters and bus boys as we held our breath.  The dining room filled with classical music kept the girls in a dreamlike trance … fully living the dream of a makeover princess party.

With tiaras freshly created perched on their silken heads, they were served fruits and vegetables in all manners of pre-prepared guises. Healthy and enticing raw finger foods interspersed by candlelight and the sweet essence of jasmine ensured that the royal guests were able to choose what they wanted, keeping bellies full for play and leaving little untouched. Round after round of raw delicacies were brought to the table to be devoured. The finale, a cake stand full of simple dried mango strips dipped in raw chocolate, buck-crispy cakes, jellies and pineapple wedges. The parents could hardly believe the attentiveness, the silence and the beauty of the performance. Leaving sugar highs and lows for another day, they took what they needed leaving their parents to swoop in grazing on the left over cake!

Buck-Crispy Cakes

1 cup coconut oil

2/3 cup lucuma

1/4 cup cacao powder

1 1/2 cups activated and dried buckwheat groats

1/2 cup raisins

pinch of himalayan crystal salt

pinch of purple corn extract (optional)

1/ Gently melt the coconut oil

2/ Pop the lucuma and cacao into a large bowl and add the coconut oil. Mix well until smooth

3/ Add the groats and raisins

4/ Spoon into little silicone or paper cup cases and refrigerate

Cram into your mouth and let nostalgia slip into your body.

Sarah Lea

ps/ Children may be overfed with things that make them lose completely their healthy instinct for food, whereas by giving them the proper nourishment, the instinct can be preserved so that they always want what is wholesome for them under the circumstances.” ~Rudolf Steiner

ROARING through parties

Our family has roared it’s way through August. 

With three Leos on board, our Golden Bay whanau have delighted us by celebrating a first, a fourth and a 38th birthday this last week.

That’s alot of cake!

And alot of food prep!

And I kinda didn’t want to push anyone, and I kinda did…but the big party ended up to be a raw event.

Watching the children surge forward and grab hand-fulls of raw plant matter made my heart swell…and this was before they saw the dessert selection!

My transition into raw – by raw foodie Sarah Lea

Submitted by sarahlea on November 8, 2012 – 11:08 am

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I never knew what it would be like to experience life now. Never felt as nourished, inspired, excited, energised and gratified by food as I do today. And it’s so empowering to know that my choice of diet can so dramatically affect the future of my health and quality of
life…those choices moving markets, shifting attitudes and improving the quality of life for future generations.

Raw foods have truly changed my life….

However, I do remember the early days of transitioning to a raw food diet, that there were times when detoxifying felt less than amazing! The way I changed over was to slowly incorporate more raw foods into my daily diet while I eliminated highly processed foods
such as coffee, dairy, fried foods and refined flours. It took a while, but that was OK. As the weeks moved into months the benefits towered over keeping the junk in.

I started with a fruit and vegetable juice in the mornings, ensuring that there were plenty of greens. Cleansing, hydrating and light this ensured that my body was able to continue the detox that it had been working on while I slept. In the earlier days I created sumptiously lip smackingly fruit salads that allowed my brain to feel full. With seeds and nuts scattered over the top I felt less deprived! This made an enormous difference and I felt my health and energy leap forward.

Feasting on an incredible salad for lunch got me through the next meal. We’re not talking side salad! Filled with sprouts, olives, avocados, seeds, various green leaves, tomatoes, sauerkraut and divine dressings I was amazed at how nourished I felt. With a special gift of a deep hand-thrown lunch bowl, I felt nurtured and energised at the way my life was turning.

Raw chocolate for pudding gave me a fulfilling pat on the back for having got through two thirds of the day raw. It really was that simple!

My cooked evening meal became lighter and being more aware of how my body reacted to foods, I chose to enjoy a small salad with a cooked vegan dish…usually curry or some type of stew served with quinoa or baked potatoes. My evenings had more clarity and sleep became restful.

I actually remember the day when I realised how much more flavour the uncooked foods had than their cooked counterpart. With no need for shop bought dressings or sauces and choosing healthy home made alternatives, this led me to experimenting with raw pasta sauces, seed cheeses and seaweed seasonings.

And then I found I’d gone raw! I just did it! I took a dive, believed and never looked back.

Sure, I’ve fallen off the band wagon over the years … but each time there’s been a lesson learned and I hop, skip and jump back on feeling stronger than ever.

Sarah Lea

Ps/ Whatever you do and however you do it, walk your own path and walk tall. Only you know what feels best for you. Take it slowly. We all have our own eating habits and emotional food issues that trace back a lifetime. While some people may have overnight transformations, the rest of us can work through a process of constantly working towards new and improved levels of health, energy and personal awareness!

Health-full lunch boxes for kids 

Submitted by sarahlea on August 21, 2012 – 7:56 pm

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When I was little I used to throw my morning porridge behind the dresser and refused to eat the cheese pinwheels and smash they’d serve me at lunch at first school. The milk that was handed out at morning break used to make me heave and it’d be a cause of anxiety until the bottles and straws were handed back to teacher.

It still seems quite normal for children not to like their cooked veggies, preferring to fill up on breads, pasta, rice and sauces instead. Watching my children and their friends, they always take preference over simply cut up raw fruits and vegetables to a mixed pot of something or other. They act intuitively, knowing what their body needs at any one time. This can prove frustrating at meal times when a favoured dish for the last few weeks becomes inedible to their professional palates overnight.  I play simple when breaking their fast. Cut up seasonal fruits for the first course, followed by g’raw’nola and almond milk…letting them dive into their nose bags while I create the green juice of the day.

Sending them out for a day of play, having filled them with the above foods makes the lunch box easy to create. Not needing filler foods such as breads and dairy, having got a foundation of nutrition well laid in the morning, typical lunches are simple and colour-full. Allowing them freedom from sitting and eating, enabling them to graze while their playtime can be uninterupted. Keeping children in a social whirl is important, so filling the lunchbox with yummy alternatives to the norm is an important ingredient. Varying packed lunches and picnics with a simple theme keeps an average of 10 minutes to prepare…usually when the children are slurping their spirulina tablets around the bottom of the juice glass. Filling the box with more food than they need ensures plenty of choice, and leftovers for snacks later in the day.

So, we fill our picnic hamper with little bags of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruits, cut up strips of carrots, celery, yacon, peppers, a little tub of mixed sprouts; snow peas, blue peas, lentils and alfalfa, cucumber or apple rounds filled with nut butter, raw seaweed crackers, chunks of halva or bliss balls, raw chocolate brownies, fresh fruit and coconut water or pure water.

This may seem alot, but it allows the girls choice. I love watching them delight in deciding what they want rather than eating what they have to. They generally eat all the food, and what doesn’t get eaten gets used for the evening meal. Their friends are inquisitive and the girls are always offering their sweet treats to them, telling them how delicious they are. Packing more than we need is great so that others can try.

For shared food at friends houses I will add a tub of olives, guacamole or a sunflower seed pate, raw chocolate, flax crackers and a bag of fruit to the packed lunch list.

And they know. When we’re out with others they naturally come to me or a friendly elder and ask if they can eat something that we haven’t brought. Usually this is a handful of rice or corn crackers. They know how they feel after bread or cake and don’t want that anymore. Of course, my eldest has questions about what others eat and my three year old is beginning to wonder too. I tell them that we’re not here to be judgemental about the choices of others. I tell them that cooked food can make people poorly and sad. I tell them that what they eat builds strong, healthy bodies and clever brains. And my eldest shouts with joy that she is wild and free, happy and clever because that’s what she feeds her body with.

Check out Sarah’s Facebook page Lovin'LifeRaw

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• Janet says:
  August 22, 2012 at 6:22 pm
  I served your raw chocolate to yet anopther guest at my Alaskan Lodge. The staff loves it as I make it every Sunday. I feel like a pusher sometimes, passing around the container so thay can all have burst of natural energy!
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• sarah says:
  August 23, 2012 at 7:32 am
  jonathan deals with cacaao beans now when he’s out and about!! Sultry corners and cacao explosions!!! Missing you dear friend. Come home and share your chocolate delights <3
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• Debora says:
  August 25, 2012 at 2:02 pm
  Awesome Sarah! Thanks for sharing, that was so inspiring and encouraging! Great ideas for lunch box… and just as I thought that I had no choice but to surrender to the unhealthy lunchboxes for my daughter (who, at 12 months, is already spying on other kids’ meals!) Keep it coming! :} -Debora

Raw food: Bit on the side by Sarah Lea

Submitted by sarahlea on September 24, 2012 – 9:23 pm

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I love having a bit on the side. And so it seems do others. It took me a while to get there but I feel rather saucy. Making extra condiments that only last a few days in the fridge seemed such a hassle, but wowser! How they can revolutionise a meal.

I physically shudder when someone bypasses the condiments and I wonder what they’re going to think of the dish that I’ve made them. A Save-the-fish cake just wouldn’t be the same without some Holidays Sauce. And a Full-afel without Tomato Catch-up and tahini dressing would unbalance the taste detector scales! And for crying out loud … what would a pancake do without a citrusy cinnamon sauce and chocolate dip?

I roar in delight when customers come back for second helpings at food fairs … and what they take-away with them is three different types of sauce! And I’ve lost count how many times I’ve created an extra only to turn it into a main.

There’s an easy way round all this extra work and it’s called teaming up meals. The night we have a marinara sauce twisted around veggie pasta, I take a portion of the tomato sauce aside before adding what makes it taste like the sea. When I prepare almond mayo for wraps, crackers and crudites, I add extras to the other half and create something entirely different for the next day. Thinking ahead is always a great plan … it saves you time, money and energy.

In the before raw days, my pantry was well packed with extras that would tart up a meal. Bottles of ‘perk-me-up’ and ‘cover-that’ and ‘taste-better’ hustled and bustled with jam jars and pickles. Now, having something extra on the side is something to shout about. Often, the highlight of the meal and full of nutrients, there’s nothing to stop you from spooning it right outa the jar! And when the children do just that, there’s no hullabaloo. Let them have it and know that all will be well. With no added extras like sugars, flavourings, colourings and fillers, let your loved ones lick their fingers in delight.

Holidays Sauce

2/3 cup activated almond, ground (soaked, sprouted, dried)

1/3 cup water

3 large lemons juiced

grated rind 1 lemon

1/3 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

1/ Blend all the ingredients together, saving the olive oil

2/ Add the oil and blend until thick.

3/ Pop into a jar and dip, dip dip!

Refrigerates for up to 5 days when stored in a jar with lid.  Delicious teamed up with Save-the-fish-cakes, crackers, raw sushi and burgers.

Sarah Lea

ps/ For anyone signing up to Eat More Energy, my 4 week part-time online course, you will get more recipes for a bit on the side.

pps/ Sarah’s LoveLifeRaw Introduction to Raw Foods precedes her hand-held 4 week online ecourse. This Sunday 30th September 10am-2:30pm Lunch included. Takaka. $95

ppps/ Check out Sarah on LoveLifeRaw’s facebook page for more raw food ramblings.

The Raw Shopping List by raw foodie Sarah Lea
Submitted by sarahlea on October 26, 2012 – 9:04 pm
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Thank goodness it’s Friday! The cupboards gape mournfully and the fridge gets a makeover. I’m so thank-full that I got us to the beginning of another food week, I get all excited and clean the shelves!
I always plan for a day out on a Friday, starting at our generously packed market stall, where I buy most of the week’s fresh fruit and vegetables from. This stops people coming by the homestead and getting turned down.. having no deliciously decadent treats to snaffle! The cupboards get topped up by a Saturday morning market visit, picking up anything that tasted sublime the day before…or yummy extras that we’ve already demolished our way through! Buying direct like this means that you’re getting fresh, seasonal produce that is at its energy peak in full flavour and nutrition.
I love keeping my money within the community, knowing my food has been cared for, and that I’m receiving all the benefits of food being sold at it’s absolute best. Stopping at roadside stalls advertising organic leafy greens, tops up my sluggish gardens ever dwindling supply and grabbing ripe fruits from friend’s gardens adds to the bounty.
Believing wholeheartedly in feeding our bodies the best to feel the greatest, eating organically wherever I can gifts me with preserving more than my well being. Helping to restore soil quality and encouraging wildlife fills in the bigger picture. Receiving up to 50% more vitamins, minerals and enzymes than in non-organic produce and avoiding exposure to poisonous chemicals and potential carcinogens allows me to breathe easy and ignite my days with more energy.
Shopping in the supermarkets is sometimes our only option, and some are well stocked with organic, wholefood supplies. Local, independent shops are way more fun however, and I love to have an energising giggle with likeminded souls over a willow shopping basket, brown paper bags and tantalising treats. Wholefood stores are also stocked with knowledgeable staff who can point you in the right direction. They also offer bulk buying, which is a sensible option, as prices on nuts and seeds can drastically be cut buying this way.
What to buy for eating more energy and loving life raw…
A selection from each section…
Fruit…apples, oranges, pears, lemons, dates, bananas as your staples. Then anything seasonal from your area…kiwis and grapefruit for me at the moment, and there are tropical fruits if you are lookin’ for a treat…pineapples, kumquats, lychees, mango, guava. I always have frozen organic berries in the freezer too.
Vegetables…carrots, avocadoes, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers (not green as these are unripe), celery, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, green beans, olives, corn. Dark leafy greens such as kale, pak choi, rocket, watercress, chard and cavolo nero are an important part of your diet.
Sea Vegetables…These contain more minerals than any other kinda food, as well as many vital vitamins, including that elusive B12! …dulse, arame, nori, kelp and wakame are a few to choose from.
Herbs and spices…fresh is always best! Ginger, garlic, red chilli, parsley, coriander, basil…anything you can get your hands on. Dried…I use, dill, cumin, cinnamon, garam masala, paprika and nutmeg.
Nuts…walnuts, almonds, hazlenuts, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, macadamias and brazils.
Seeds… sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, flax, alafalfa (for sprouting only) tahini If I had to choose one of the above, I would choose almonds and sunflower seeds for their diverse uses, high nutritional content and their affordability! Make sure all nuts and seeds are untoasted, unheated and raw.
Dried fruit…avoid buying sulphured fruits, such as orange apricots and light pears and fruits sweetened with sugar. Raisins, dates, apricots figs and dried mango.
Grains…buckwheat groats, quinoa and oat groats.
Beans and pulses… lentils, mungbeans and chickpeas
Oils…Cold pressed only. Flax, hemp, coconut, extra virgin olive oil and treat yourself with walnut, avocado and other fancy oils.
Sweeteners… raw honey, raw agave nectar, lucuma, mesquite and maple syrup
Pickles…sauerkraut, gherkins, kimchee, pickled onions…
Flavourings…nutritional yeast flakes (add cheesy flavour) carob powder, miso, tamari or shoyu or Braggs liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar, sundried tomatoes, vanilla extract/beans and sea salt or himalyan pink salt.
Superfoods…spirulina, wheatgrass powder, barleygrasss, blue green algae, cacao, hemp protein powder and maca.
And if you’re really lucky you may find…
Essene breads, ready made raw chocolates, macaroons, grawnola, trail mix, brownies, raw nut butters, crackers, truffles, halva and raw icecream.
Yeeha! So, empty your cupboards and fridge of all the old fashioned, energy depleting way of eating and raise the vibration with your rainbow room of delights.
Sarah Lea
Ps/ To find out how to turn this lot into 5 minute delicious gourmet dishes, that’ll be gobbled up just as quickly, tune in to Eat More Energy this November and jump aboard the energy train!

Flowing with the current of christmas

Fuelling our refined engines with rabbit food this christmas just ainta option. With friends sharing our days and high expectations from the children, I've had to throw caution to the windless day and join the crowd. Ahah! you cry…the big day just aint possible without falling by the wayside…but no, enlightening desserts, chocolates and drinks have been devoured without compromising our energy levels. And everyone's been digging in!

Waking up throughout the night before christmas, checkin' on the whereabouts of St Nick, kept us on our toes. With enough carrots to help the old man loosen his belt off and alchemical laced delights for the red nosed reindeer, kept my eldest on night watch, concerned the bearded bloke would eat all the chocolate instead!

Hitting morning with little shut eye, hinted at a breakfast of super-natural powers. Chocolate mousse, walnuts and berries recharged us as we flung ourselves into the art of giving, receiving, ooohing and ahhing. Swooning from the heat, and sticky with humidity, we stripped down and got stuck in.
Giggling through gifts, resting and playing built up enough appetite to eat a mediterranean inspired feast, dining al fresco with loved ones as we clung to the shade of the grapevine. Raw pizza topped with caper berries, pesto and basil, sweet peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and nut cheese was guzzled down alongside blackcurrant wine and purple corn lemonade. A garden salad filled with the scent of flowers, raw olives and lime pickle had the tuis all of a buzz, and the air was filled with the sweet song of babies nestling in the natives.
Topping the bill was Christmas pudding. I had to stop myself from making the raw version and using dried fruits! A tiptoptastic tirarawmisu produced gasps of wonder, covered in freshly picked raspberries.

Holding our tummies and giving in, we headed to the cool, crystal waters of the river to idle the glorious afternoon away. Filled with love and gratitude, a sense of calm enveloped us with warm satin waters keeping our temples cool and clean. Slurping on sun warmed plums, squirting their juice at us, the children splashed and the dogs frolicked as we all took time to hang out and be present with the day.
Watching the little ones gasp with joy and shriek with laughter filled me with a sense of wonder of what we all have in our lives if we'd just let it in. Time. Without the restrictions of a work filled day, all techno gear turned off, we harmonised with our natural surroundings and our loved ones. Drifting gently with the day, flowing with the current, life played out a glorious set of magic. And with berry-filled custard tarts and mince pies topped with frangipani cream for dinner, we set up a day or two of fasting creating a natural rhythm for the rest of the festive holiday.

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