Mango Blueberry Salad

Staying true to my bright colorful lunch theme. It doesn't get better than this salad served on top of a bed of romaine...Yummy

Mango Blueberry Salad

2 cps ripe mango peeled
1/2 to 3/4 cp blueberries
Juice 2 Limes
3 Basil Leaves diced (or herb you prefer)
1-2 T black sesame seeds

Just hand-stir and serve

Lunch This Week

All this week -- to make sure staying raw is as easy as possible, I am starting my mornings with smoothie and following up with a super colorful, happy lunch...

It suddenly seems doubly important for me to stay raw or as close to raw as I can. I have been diagnosed with MSG sensitivity...seems like more than an allergy because the list of problems coming from MSG sensitivity mimic RA so closely that I wonder if one of the reasons the relief from Humira or so far the Simponi seem hit and miss and/or fairly random might be because of the MSG interference...

And I thought I was already AVOIDING MSG because I know it's not a healthy choice, but boy, oh boy, was I wrong! I now have a complete list of ADDITIVES TO AVOID...and it's quite surprising!
List of MSG masks
Basically, if it sounds man-made, I gotta avoid it...

Also, did you know that foods can be labeled "Natural" and "All-Natural" and still be loaded up with MSG? I did not know that. It's because the FDA and Food Labeling Commissions agree that MSG is a "natural product" because it occurs in nature. So now, even at the Health Food Store, I will be reading labels.

If you have known MSG sensitivities or allergies you probably already know that these restaurants reportedly use MSG liberally:
KFC, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy's
Chili's, Applebees, TGIF

IF you have any of the following symptoms after eating you may want to start looking at labels:

1. Severe headache
2. Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting
3. Irregular heartbeat or blood pressure, racing heart
4. Depression or mood change, bipolar, SAD
5. Abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, colitis, IBS
6. Balance problems, dizziness, or seizures, mini-strokes
7. Tenderness in localized areas, neck, back, etc.
8. Sleep disorders
9. Blurred vision or difficulty breathing
10. Chronic fatigue or sleepiness
11. Excessive perspiring or shuddering and chills
12. Shortness of breath, chest pains, asthma
13. Swelling, pain, or numbness of hands, feet, jaw
14. Pain in joints or bones
15. Flushing or tingling in face, chest, pressure behind eyes
16. Gagging reflex or difficulty swallowing
17. Hyperactivity, behavioral problems
18. Chronic post nasal drip
19. Skin rash, itching, hives
20. Bloated face, dark circles under strained eyes
21. Extreme thirst or dry mouth
22. Difficulty concentrating and poor memory
23. Slowed speech
24. Chronic bronchitis-like symptoms, allergy reactions,
dry cough, hoarseness or sore throat
25. Heavy, weak feeling in arms and legs

I Don't Like...

I always hear those words... it doesn't matter what the ingredient is - Spinach, Beets, Celery, Kale, Chard - ah ha, there was at least one of those you nodded your head to, right? Well, let me tell you. There's times I don't like something...I mean really...Jicama?...who eats Jicama anyway... but I've learned the trick to eating something I don't really find appealing...

Take beets for instance, the number one veggie everyone tells me they don't like when they see it in my smoothie ingredient list. Once upon a time I wouldn't touch a beet with a ten foot pole, and then a friend of mine shared a photo of her smoothie...and it looked so incredibly disgusting, so wrong, so...bloody... and that's when I knew I had to find out just what she was drinking... turns out it was beets and I trepiditiously (I don't think that's a real word) went to the store in search of organic beats... and found them. It took a few days of staring at them before I actually threw one in the blender... and low and behold... yum! But not because I loved beets, because I loved what I mixed with the beets to mask the flavor. Pick a fruit, any fruit, preferably one with a strong flavor that steals the show: bananas, pineapple, very ripe peaches, strawberries.

The strange thing is - and this really did happen - the next morning, I woke up craving beets. Not the flavor of the smoothie so carefully masking the flavor of what I thought I didn't like, but the actual earthy taste of beets. Weird  right? Well, I never dismiss a craving, because I know that my body is instinctually aware of what it needs. I made another smoothie, different masking flavor, one that allowed some but not all of that beet flavor through...and I'm not going to lie...I didn't love it...but my body loved it. It seemed like every cell was doing a happy dance for hours after that smoothie.

I did a little research and discovered that beets contain nitrates. Yes, this is a good thing and here's why. Nitric oxide allows the blood vessels to dilate which allows for increased blood flow. No wonder my body was doing a cellular level happy dance:)

I was also really fun to drink the scarlet smoothie in front of my hubby to see him cringe. He said it looked like "Goat's Blood" and hence my smoothie had a name:)

**Goat's Blood Smoothie

1 Beet, 6-7 Baby Carrots, 1 Celery Stalk

1/2 cp Blueberries 6 Lg Strawberries

1 cp Organic Lemonade

1 cp Water

**No animals are harmed in the making of this smoothie -Please Use Organic Produce! Your body will thank you. 

Blend all except water at Medium speed until all veggies are smooth increase to High Speed for about a minute (if you use a blender as I do this smoothie will have "texture" add enough water at this point so that you do not feel like you have to chew...) I add 1cp Water and mix for a few seconds on High.

Supplies 3 Veggies, 2 Fruits approx 253 calories (for 90 reduced calories use all water no lemonade)

Another One?

Does The World Really Need Another RAW Food Blog?

If you google RAW food you will find dozens of pages...hundreds of blogs...more ex-chefs turned RAW-chefs selling everything from cookbooks to supplements to their personal advice and life-coaching skills for a lot of moolah...
So in answer to the question...NO! The world does not need another one of those...

This blog is for me... a way to keep myself accountable because I keep falling off the RAWwagon... and for my friends who are kind enough to email me asking for the ingredients to the last fab smoothie I posted on Facebook:) There is no promise I will never, ever, ever write a RAW cookbook (I am a writer) and I never, ever, ever try to second guess the fates... but for now, it is not my plan or intention so if you are here and enjoy a recipe use it. Just please do not re-post as your own.
And with that said, I present the first recipe. A smoothie, of course.

Perfect Summer Morning Starter

1cp Summer Squash, 6-7 Baby Carrots 

1Banana, 1 cp Pineapple, 3/4 cp grapes

1 cp Organic Lemonade

1 cp Water


Blend all except water at Medium speed until all veggies are smooth increase to High Speed for about a minute (if you use a blender as I do this smoothie will have "texture" add enough water at this point so that you do not feel like you have to chew...) I add 1cp Water and mix for a few seconds on High


Supplies 2 Veggies, 3 Fruits approx approx 271 calories (for 90 reduced calories use all water no lemonade)