Day 4: cheap, easy, no hassle vegan tacos

So if your like me and some days you are just too tired to put a lot off effort in cooking. (or you ran out of spices) Carb rich, one pot, super flavorful bean & potato filling! 

Ingredients for taco filling: 

1 packet of simply organic southwest taco mix (or other taco mix, this my personal fav) 

1 can of low sodium organic black beans 

1/2 a red bell pepper 

2 small potatoes diced 

1/4 yellow onion diced 

Corn/ flour tortillas (I am gluten free so flour all the way)  

1 cup or lettuce chopped 

Ingredients for guacamole dip: 

2 avocados pitted 

1/2 a lime 

1 tomato diced 

1/8 a cup of cilantro diced 

2 tsp of chili powder 

1 tsp of garlic powder 

Directions: 

1. Boil potatoes until soft 

2. Drain potatoes and in same pan, put 1/2 a cup of water & seasoning mix in first. Slowly add the rest of ingredients for filling and mix around until evenly coated in seasonings. Cook for 10 minutes on low for flavors to mix. 

3. While it is cooking make guacamole topping! 

Mix ingredients & pulse in food processor, till smooth or just mash avocado with potato masher and add in other ingredients after 

4. Filling first, then avocado dip, then add  lettuce and enjoy!! I always squeeze lemon on top and voila delicious! 

Day 3: Curry Spiced stir fry (optional with tofu)

Delicious! Only used 1 tablespoon of oil for this recipe. These noodles have a delicious light taste, the curry is  not over powering. Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups Rice Noodles (any brand, make sure there are no extra ingredients) 

1/2 a bell pepper sliced 

1/4 of a yellow onion sliced 

2 cups of broccoli 

1 cup of mushrooms (I used bella) 

1/2 a pack of extra firm tofu 

1/4 a cup of unsweetened coconut milk (no flavor) 

4 tablespoons of curry powder (organic if possible) 

1 tablespoon of garlic powder 

4 tablespoons of gluten free low sodium soy sauce (sub braggs liquid aminos if you would like) 

Extra garlic powder, curry & soy sauce for seasoning tofu (you choose how much) 

Directions: 

1. Cut tofu into squares (thick or thin as you like). Lay a kitchen towel down on a flat surface, layer the kitchen towel with two paper towels, Spread tofu out (no layers). Then lay two more paper towels over tofu, and a kitchen towel again. Press down and remove moisture from tofu. I do this for about 5 minutes until I feel the tofu has the majority of the liquid out. (your towels should be very damp) 

2. Steam Broccoli & bell peppers (till soft but not too soft) 3-4 minutes.When done let sit while you cook. 

3. Put 2 tsp of coconut oil into a frying pan, heat on medium. Cook tofu in coconut oil. While it is cooking sprinkle it with curry powder, garlic & soy sauce (amount not included in ingredients), you choose how much you want to spice your tofu with. 

4. Soften rice noodles by soaking them in hot water for 1 minute before next step. 

4.Remove tofu from pan. Put 1 tsp of coconut oil, and mushrooms & onions in pan. Heat until soft, then add in steamed veggies. Add in rice noodles & coconut milk. Stir and then add in curry, soy sauce & garlic. (if you would like spicy noodles add 1 tablespoon of siracha or red chili flakes in as well) Cook until ingredients are well mixed and noodles are soft. Taste and add more curry or soy sauce if you would like. 

5. Serve with tofu on top!! so good 

Note: If you would like the noodles to have more of a curry taste you will need to double the amount of curry in recipe! This recipe has only hints of curry. 

Day 2: Cranberry/ cacao smoothie

Anti-aging delightful smoothie!! 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of cranberries (fresh of frozen) 

2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder 

4 frozen bananas 

20 dates (I used khadrawy) 

Coconut water ( fill as much as you can without over-filling blender) 

Blend and enjoy!! 

Day 1: Vegan carb rich lunches

Lunch is easy when you are prepared and eating delicious food!! The following are some lunch ideas for a raw till 4 lifestyle. 5 days worth!! 

Lunch 1: makes two lunches divide evenly 

1 pomegranate (seeds) 

2 cups of grapes 

4 oranges 

4 tablespoons of hummus/ raw peanut butter 

1 zucchini  cut into veggie dippers 

1 cucumber 

 

Lunch 2: makes two lunches divide evenly 

1 pomegranate 

1 can of pineapple in juices 

4 pears 

3 oranges 

1 zucchini 

7 cherry tomatoes 

1 cucumber/ celery 

4 tablespoons of hummus/peanut butter 

Use pineapple juice to stop the pears from oxidizing/browning, simply mix around in juice for 1 minute then put into lunch! 

Lunch 3: 

Salad 

2 cups of lettuce (romaine/ green leaf) 

10 cherry tomatoes 

1/2 a cucumber 

1/2 a cup of shredded carrots 

2 tablespoons of Annies organic sesame ginger dressing 

Fruit 

3 cups of your choice of fruit! I used grapes 

Date balls (optional) recipe can be found in my blog choose your favorite (I eat 9) 

Delicious Bean dip! Kid friendly

As I was thinking of recipes I could do with a food processor & a microwave for my 1st grade class, I stumbled on the idea of a homemade quick bean dip. The result was delicious, and my students literally licked their plates clean. After they were done, they did not ask for more fritos, they asked for more bean dip on lettuce with tomatoes! This made me so happy, I almost cried! First off during lunch, most of the kids I teach, throw away their Charro/Borracho beans, this dip has all the same ingredients, pulsed to a delicious creamy dip.

Ingredients: 

1 can of pinto or black beans (low sodium/organic)

2 soft roma tomatoes 

1/4 a cup of vegetable broth ( I use 1/2 a bouillon cube in water) 

1/4 a cup of cilantro 

1/8 a cup of diced onion 

1 tablespoon of chili powder

2 tsp of garlic powder 

Directions: 

1. Cut veggies in chunks and drain and rinse beans 

2. Pulse all ingredients in food processor, till smooth! 

3. You can add more vegetable broth to make a creamy or thin bean dip, that is more like nacho cheese, (my kids loved this consistency) 

Serve over tortilla chips, no oil fries, or fritos if your feeling frisky (the low sodium kind of course) 

This kind was made with borracho beans with my kinder cooking class! 

Shredded coconut date chewies

In an effort to make my normal date balls with Halaway dates, I came into a problem, I didn't have enough oats!! The result was this delicious soft chewy date ball! Pack in those carbs! 

30 Halaway  dates (or super wet dates) 

1/3 a cup of macadamia nuts 

1/3 a cup of peanuts 

1/3 a cup of rolled gluten free oats 

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1/4 a tsp of almond extract 

1 cup of shredded coconut (dehydrated for less fat) 

Directions: 

Process in flood processor till blended ( put dry ingredients first to prevent blade from sticking) 

Roll dough mixture into small balls. Roll the balls on shredded coconut till covered. Good for 4 days in fridge! I eat 9 small balls a day for lunch along with fruit and salad 

Sweet Cacao "cappuccino"

No coffee. Just pure fruits & raw ingredients. I love, the taste of coffee this drink captures it and re energizes you without any stumulants. Try it and fall in love! 

1/4 a cup of coconut sugar 

4 frozen bananas 

1/4 a cup of shredded coconut (I use dehydrated,for less fat) 

1 tsp of vanilla bean powder 

Blend and enjoy! 

Chocolate fruit milk!

Ingredients: 

4 frozen bananas 

2 normal bananas 

1/4 a cup of coconut sugar 

2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder 

Water to fill blender 

Blend & enjoy!! Add more coconut sugar for a sweeter milk 

Cacao banana smoothie! No added sugar

Delicious beyond belief!! This smoothie will wake you up in all the right ways👌 perfectly divine, just the right sweetness and oh so creamy! 

Ingredients: 

3 frozen bananas 

15-20 soaked dates (khadrawy 20) 

1.5 tablespoons-2 of organic raw cacao powder 

2 tsp of cinnamon 

Water to fill blender (sub coconut water) 

Blend and enjoy!! 

So divine!! 

Corn Salsa!

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw corn, Cut off the Cobb! (you can use frozen, but the taste will not be as sweet!)
1 lime
1/4 a cup of red onion
1/4 a cup of cilantro
1/8 a tsp of sea salt, or less (optional)
2 tsp of chili powder (or less, personally I love chili powder!)

1/8 tsp of cumin powder 

Directions:
You can just mix the salsa, and let sit in fridge for 30 minutes till the flavors blend or you can pulse a couple times in food processor till chopped! your choice!! I served this salsa over my Spanish Rice  with black beans cooked in a tomatillo salsa (can be store bought), with avocado! so delicious

Raw granola Balls (for energy)

So I just posted a recipe, for date balls almost the same as these. I decided to amp up the recipe, and add flax seeds and Chia seeds. Try this on for lunch, or snacks throughout the day! I ordered the Khadrawy dates from HERE. They were only $53 including shipping for 10lbs of goodness, this MIGHT last me a month, but who knows lately these have been a staple in my recipes.

Ingredients:
30 pitted Khadrawy dates (Medjool =15-20)
2/3 a cup of rolled oats (gluten free)
1/3 a cup of cashews (raw, can be substituted)
1/3 a cup of peanuts (raw, no salt)
1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon of white or black chia seeds
2 tsp of ground cinnamon

Directions:
Pulse in food processor till mixture forms dough like ball. Roll small balls 1-2 inches. My mixture made 20 balls, 10 per day!

Raw vegan granola balls!!

Perfectly sweet and delicious!! 

Ingredients: 

1/3 a cup of peanuts (raw no salt) 

1/3 a cup of rolled oats (gluten free) 

15 dates pitted (I used khadarwy) 

1 tsp of ground cinnamon 

Directions: pulse in food processor till mixture forms a ball!! 

Roll into balls and keep cold!! 

*can be made into meal, if you double this recipe!! 

Blueberry Banana Ice-cream!!

Seriously though, if you haven't tried nice-cream you are missing out. This recipe is loaded with antioxidants and tastes delicious. This is a snack size, if you would like this for a meal, triple the amount of ingredients.


Ingredients:
3 frozen bananas
1 cup of blueberries
1/4 a cup of coconut sugar/ agave nectar (Optional, if you want a sweeter treat)

Directions:
Process in food processor till creamy!!

Date/Peanut sauce!!

Not feeling a smoothie?? no problem, get all the calories you need with fruit and this delicious sauce!! Seriously though, this sauce and strawberries, celery, cucumber, carrots, anything you can imagine, would pair well. What makes this sauce awesome??! It is full of healthy carbs and fats. You could make this sauce, your full meal, 1000 calories, if you add more dates. I bring crunchy veggies, this sauce, a salad and fruit to fill me up during lunch. 

Ingredients:
15-20 Khadrawy dates (sweetest!! taste the most like caramel, medjool can be substituted)
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 a cup of peanuts (or your choice of nut)
3-4 tablespoons of water!! (add more if you want a creamier sauce)

Directions:
Process in food processor till smooth!!

Roasted Veggies!! No oil!!

Who doesn't love roasted veggies!! I found a way to cook them without adding oil and its superb!! 

Ingredients: 

Cauliflower 

Broccoli 

Carrots 

Sweet Peppers 

Optional (small yukon potatoes, or similar small potato) 

(you can add other veggies of your choice! this combination is my personal fav) 

Directions: 

1.Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2.Line cookie sheet with parchment paper 

3.Cut and clean veggies! (cut carrots about 1/2 an inch and leave broccoli big) 

4.Rinse veggies then immediately season them so the seasonings stick, I use garlic, pepper, chili powder & a tad bit of lemon, I sprinkle it on till I think it is coated enough, if I were to estimate I would say 1 tablespoon of each. Do not season sweet peppers!! these are good all on their own

5. Add all veggies EXCEPT sweet peppers to pan and bake for 20 minutes 

6. Fill a bread pan or similar pan 1/2 full with water. Add to the bottom rack, or the rack below where you will put your veggies! 

7. Add sweet peppers, or similar pepper the last 20 minutes of cooking!! 

Enjoy!!! 

(For the picture I baked all of the veggies including potatoes on the same pan!! Potatoes can be added to the list of veggies) 

Vegan hobopacks!! BBQ style

Ingredients: 

1 organic potato cut into small chunks (smaller than picture for a short cooking time!) 

1 ear of corn cut in half 

1/8-1/4 a cup of onion sliced 

1/4 a cup of red bell peppers & yellow bell peppers 

1/4 a cup of barbeque sauce (annies organic)

1/2 a cup of cauliflower cut into small pieces 

2 tablespoons of braggs liquid aminos/low sodium soy sauce 

Directions: 

Place all ingredients into aluminum foil, and cover well!! 

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour till potatoes are soft! 

Serve over brown or white rice!! Or eat in bag your choice 👌

Sweet avocado dip!!

Ingredients: 

4 ripe avocados 

1 cup of frozen strawberries 

1 mango 

1/8 a cup or maple syrup (sub 4 soaked dates) 

Directions: 

Process in food blender till smooth!! 

Eat with veggies & fruit yum!! 

IBS?

I was diagnosed with IBS three years ago. Up until 2 months ago, I always had problems eating. My stomach was frequently bloated, I was in pain, going to the bathroom for an hour was usual and I felt super tired after every meal. Since I have been following raw till 4 I haven't had bloat, or felt any symptoms of IBS. I can attribute not eating meat, or eggs, or a lot of beans, but that's not the whole truth. Broccoli used to give me problems, any raw veggie really gave me problems, so I avoided them. I learned to stream veggies and to eat fruits in my salads, to help my body heal. The other day I felt like adding raw broccoli to my salad, and I was expecting major discomfort, but I had none!! I was so suprised that I tried it again, and voila I felt fine!! I added a probiotic into my regimen to help my gut heal and along with eating a clean plant based diet, my body has actually healed itself! If you have IBS I suggest trying the raw till 4 diet, so that your gut can heal. Like me you will fall in love and stick with it!! Fruits are your friends!! Let them heal your body 

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Prep, Prep, Prep!!!

During the week I wake up at 5:45, I have to be at work by 7 am and I leave at 4:30 pm. On Wednesdays and Fridays I have to be at work by 6:30 and I stay till 6 pm. Needless to say my work week is pretty hectic and tiring. I don't have much time to go grocery shopping, or prep food during the week, since I like to relax when I get off work and do yoga or other fun stuff. On Sunday I prep my food for the week, which is easy, and saves me so much time during the week. I can spend my week, doing stuff that I enjoy and relaxing after a hard day teaching. The following is a list of things that I do to prep, for the week and make my life so much easier. Eating healthy is easy when you are prepared!!

1. If you have too many ripe bananas,freeze them!! Cut them in half and place them in a large freezer safe container! Use parchment paper to separate the layers so that you do not have large bananas stuck together. If you do not have a large container, just leave them in the peel, and freeze them! Take them out 10 minutes before you are going to make your smoothie so they can defrost a bit, run them under hot water, and the peel comes off easy!! You can never have enough bananas on hand! 
   
2. Soak your dates, so they blend easy in smoothies!! Finding fresh dates, is hard for me! The ones I do find are over $10 a pound and that is not very practical for eating on a budget. I buy deglet dates, I pit them and soak them in distilled water, so they are easy to blend when I need to use them! If I do not soak them my blender leaves chunks of dates, and the smoothie does not turn out creamy or frothy. I bought a pack of jars, a while ago, and use them for all of my smoothie storage needs. When you are about to make your smoothie, simply empty the entire jar (water included) and add whatever other ingredients you like. 
   
3. Wash your fruit!! I cannot stress this more, when I buy a bag of apples, I take them all out and soak them in cold water for 1 minute to wash them. I do this with all of my fruits & veggies so that when I need them they are ready to go!! Make sure your fridge is clean, so that your fruit and veggies do not get bacteria while they are in the fridge. I use paper towels at the bottom of drawers and switch them out when I need to so they are clean and fresh. 
   
4. Cut any fruit you need for lunch beforehand. I cut cantaloupe and pineapple and leave in BPA free containers for lunch. I also cut mandarins and any other fruit, I have so that they are ready to go for lunch. 
   
   
   
   
5. Prep salads two days ahead of time. Dressing at the bottom of the container, 2 tablespoons is a healthy amount if your dressing has oil. Hard crunchy veggies above the dressing, put enough so that the dressing is covered and does not ruin the lettuce. Now put nuts and any other add-ins. Lastly put in the greens! I love romaine and green lettuce personally. Do not over fill the container so that you can shake it and spread the dressing easily at work!! (seriously hold the lid tight, and shake!! this will spread the veggies and dressing very well) 
   

   
   
6. If the weather is warm then prep a high carb soup! Potatoes, Rice, bouillon cubes, veggies! I have a recipe on this blog you can follow. Quick easy dinner!! 
   
7. Keep organic Juice in stock!! You can add too smoothies or drink for a quick fructose lift!! If you don't have enough time to eat an apple, or peel an orange, just take some fruit juice with you.