Tart Fruity Smoothie

Today is the day I start my raw adventure.  I'm going to take it day by day, but I'm truly interested to see what this way of eating does for my energy, my skin and essentially my body!  I will be making my best effort to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible.

Breakfast this morning was an apple with this beautifully coloured smoothie.  I knew it was going to be tart (somehow I forgot as I took my first sip..) but it was also very refreshing after my 11km bike ride.

Tart Fruity Smoothie (serves 1)

1 orange peeled
4 frozen strawberries
2/3 cup frozen raspberries
2 - 3 cups cold water

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender and serve immediately :)

Fresh Salmon Avocado Noodle Bowl

Ah yes, zucchini and salmon.  I went to my Mum's office today to get a new pair of glasses.  I ended up choosing a rather bold frame (in black too!) which happens to be the same frame my sister has.  Even cooler.

While I was there, I told my Mum I wanted to make dinner for everyone (all four of us) and we chose a zucchini noodle, salmon dish.  On the way home I thought about somehow incorporating avocado into the recipe.  I didn't want to make the all-to-familiar salmon-mayo salad, so I decided to opt for avocado as a creamy substitute! OH BOY, was it a good decision.

This bowl was light, fresh and very tasty.  I also used bell pepper since I wanted to add in a bit of extra colour.  You can make it as spicy as your heart desires and feel free to play around with different herbs and toppings!

Fresh Salmon Avocado Noodle Bowl (serves 4)

2 large zucchinis
1 bell pepper (orange, yellow or red work best for colour!)
1 can salmon
1 avocado (mashed)
1/4 cup salsa (I used medium)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic (or 1 clove)
1/2 tsp onion powder/salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Possible Toppings
Feta cheese
Slivered almonds
Green onion
Diced bell pepper
Diced tomato

Use a spiralizer to create your zucchini noodles using the two large zucchinis.  You can also do this with the bell pepper, or finely chop it to mix in with the noodles or use as a topping.  Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and mash until smooth (or leave chunky for added texture).  No matter how you combine these ingredients, it will still be delicious!!

Evenly divide the noodles into 4 bowls and top with the salmon/guacamole mixture (1/4 each).  Top with anything you feel is appropriate and dive in!  I always enjoy eating my veggie noodle bowls with chopsticks for some reason :)

Tip: to make this raw AND vegan, omit the salmon and feta!

Citrus Kick Juice

About a week ago I went on a small juicing spree.  My family doesn't own an actual juicer, but this doesn't mean I still can't juice.  I used our trusty Vitamix blender and a sieve.  I wasn't able to get ALL of the moisture out of the residual pulp, but it was enough for a tasty juice :)

The first one I made (which was by far my favourite) was an orange, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne juice.  It was the perfect mix of sweet, sour and spicy.  I think I chugged the whole thing in a matter of minutes.... :)

Citrus Kick Juice (serves 1 - 2)

1 navel orange
2 lemons
2 tbsp maple syrup
Dash of cayenne
1 cup cold water

Juice the lemons and orange with a citrus juicer and pour into a mason jar.  Add the maple syrup and cayenne to the jar and fill the remaining space with cold water.  Shake or stir and serve chilled. Enjoy :)

Chocolate Banana Pumpkin Muffins

Last night I overheard my Mom say she wanted to make some banana muffins with the older bananas we had left on our counter.  I decided to beat her to it and developed these delicious gluten free om-noms in the process!

We had some leftover pumpkin puree from before, and I really wanted to throw some cocoa powder in there, so I made it happen!  They were actually quite a bit sweeter than I thought it would be, but just slap some all natural peanut butter on there and you're good to go ;)

Chocolate Banana Pumpkin Muffins (serves ~24)

1 cup almond flour/meal
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup coconut flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp powdered stevia
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 mashed bananas (the older the sweeter)
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
1 cup craisins/chocolate chips/chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to bake at 350F.  Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl (including sugar, stevia and cinnamon), set aside. Mash bananas in another bowl and add all wet ingredients and mix well.  Combine all ingredients together and mix until no dry flour patches remain.

Fill into 24 lined muffin tins (about 3/4 full - they don't rise much) and bake for 20 minutes!  Let cool and enjoy :)