Last night on raw

Well, tonight is officially the end of our raw week - we shared a cheeky dinner of mango and raw chocolate brownie. No-one complained! I am thinking about doing a Master Cleanse starting next week to help shift some of my own stuff in preparation for the spring as the raw week was very much about everyone else and I didn't really get a chance to go deep into the detoxing process. I fancy putting together a programme of journalling and massage, inner truth seeking and yoga to lead up to the spring equinox. We are organising a big Ostara egg hunt though so will have to curb all those chocolate cravings! I'll let you know how I get on.

Raw Update

Hey lovely folk, Just an update on being raw as a family for a week. Well Jez and I are on Day Five and feeling pretty fantastic. I started introducing cooked foods again for my children on day three because I didn't think that raw was really working for them. They ate loads of fruit, a bit of seaweed and quite a few raw veggie crudites but my youngest in particular was not keen to try anything more complex so when they started to get hungry I made some soup and the next day jacket potatoes and so on (they are now eating raw for two meals and cooked at lunchtime).

Making mylk One of the most successful things has been hazelnut mylk which I make fresh every morning by blending two handfuls of hazelnuts (that have been soaked overnight with two dates) with about a pint and a half of water. I drain this for a lovely creamy mylk to accompany raw granola. 1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 1/2 cup agave syrup 1 cup almonds, soaked 1/2 cup raisins (not usually raw as they are coated in oil, so omit if on a strict raw diet) 1/2 cup hemp seeds 1/2 cup flax seeds 1/2 cup coconut flakes Put all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well mixed and nuts and seeds are broken down a bit. Put into dehydrator overnight. If you don't have a dehydrator - put in the oven on lowest heat with the door open for an hour or so (although environmentally this is a bit of a disasterous use of energy!)

Crisps and other snacks We have also dehydrated parsnip and courgette crisps which went down well and made tomato nachos by blending five tomatoes in a food processor and dehyrating the mixture. When ready I broke it into triangle pieces and we have them with sprouted chickpea humous (which is made in just the same way as normal humous, just with sprouted chickpeas instead). Mains and salads Vegetable pasta (peelings of carrot and courgette) has featured prominently either with raw tomato sauce or spinach pesto. Am going to try nettle pesto as well this week. I have become addicted to a brassica leaf mix (finely chopped with a hemp seed dressing), available from the local farmer's market and have had to phone the lovely farmer who grows it to ask if I can go and pick up some more because I've run out and have been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for three days! Detoxing and cleansing One of the things that has struck me is that we have all gone through a detoxing phase and that I have been so anxious about how everyone else is feeling, what they need to eat etc that I have not been able to tune into my own detox at all. I love fasting and doing equinox and solstice cleanses so will probably carry this through into next week and do a Master Cleanse to finish the clearing out. Oh, and clearing out has been another good thing to come out of this going raw experiment. I have taken lots of things to charity and done some regifting of books and clothes. Will keep you updated with our progress!

Raw Food Week

Amid today's scary headlines about the food industry - declining bee population could cost millions in terms of crop loss, fruit and vegetables being grown in factories devoid of natural light and the unveiling of aggressive marketing techniques used in the food industry in a new book - we have decided to go raw for a week. We already eat quite a lot of raw food but we have decided to try going raw for a week and charting how this dietary change affects our moods and emotions. As spring approaches it feels like the right time to do a bit of a clear out and transition to some lighter, juicier foodstuffs. I ordered a bumper selection of fruit instead of our organic veg box this week and have started sprouting seeds on all available surfaces in the kitchen. Have made some raw granola for breakfast tomorrow morning and will get some nut milk started before retiring tonight. Tonight is the last supper and I'm out at a workshop on Nutrition for Children, appropriately, so I won't be around to eat it. The last few days we have stopped eating wheat, sugar (a few blips!), caffeine (coffee, choc etc) and alcohol. I'm excited and I'll keep you posted about how we get on.

buy nothing month: day nineteen

We're nineteen days into our abstinence from consumerism - so how is it going? What are we missing? Any slip-ups?

Each of us has expressed a desire for some food that has not been prepared in our kitchen. My youngest wants sandwiches on white bread with hula hoop crisps to accompany. Jez wants to go out for a luxurious meal at our favourite veggie restaurant in Brighton partly to eat amazing food but also to avoid the washing up for a night! And create washing up we have done. In a normal month we eat little processed food anyway but never before have we made so much washing up. It seems that when everything is prepared from scratch, at least double the amount of time is spent in the kitchen. Which can be tricky when you have a business to run and two home educated daughters to inspire. Yesterday whilst making a load of breads and pies and stuff to last for a couple of days I made salt dough too, for the girls to get creative with. We also boiled up some beet juice to make pink food colouring and the salt dough creations look really gorgeous in shades of pink and white.

As for me, I seem to get a brief burning desire for things that normally I wouldn't feel too bothered about. It passes quite quickly and sometimes I don't get affected at all. At the weekend we went to Wakehurst Place as we have Kew membership (so free to get in!) and the shop there is great. I really enjoy noodling round gift shops in these sorts of places. I saw plenty of nice things that would make great Christmas pressies. And yet, walking around I felt so liberated. Completely freed from having to make a decision on any of this STUFF. Which is essentially what it was, albeit very nice stuff.

And on to slip-ups. Have we had any? Well yes, last week we had a home ed trip pre-organised and despite lots of creative ideas about how we could get there and get in without paying in money, but using other resources instead, we ended up parting with cash. Yep, I spent over £10 that day; on entrance to the fort and also on public transport home. So we didn't actually buy anything physical but we bought experiences and it still felt as though I was 'breaking the rules'. To our credit we did have a crazy packed lunch of things like sprouted seeds and pieces of dried fruit that we ate alongside friends availing themselves of café fare.

So, that's where we at at the moment - 11 days to go...

vegan celebration six

Well the Heavenly Cake Company must be busy little bees if their testimonials are anything to go by. They make vegan birthday cakes and celebration cakes with 100% coconut oil, which owner Luzolo believes is the healthiest oil on earth. Apart from the range of gluten free cakes, their cakes are made with organic spelt flour; an ancient flour used by the ancient Egyptians and Romans, also known as the 'mother' of wheat. It contains more protein and fibre than wheat and also has ingredients which stimulate the body's immune system. Even though it contains gluten, it can often be tolerated by gluten intolerant people because it is whole and unadulterated. I like the sound of their Chocolate Love cake, which is apparently melt-in-the-mouth good. Hopefully I'll find them at a vegan fayre next year.

buy nothing month: day eight

Hey, we have completed the first week or buy nothing month and all is going well. I expect the real challenges to come in a couple of weeks time. I am carefully rationing food items and it is making me more creative in the kitchen. We are going to a party tonight and I am planning what to take with me as a gift - will probably make some edible treats and maybe something from the garden, like a bunch of carrots, in place of flowers!

One pleasing aspect is the reduction in the amount of waste that we have created over the last week. So far we have accumulated half a carrier bag of rubbish in just over a week. I know that we have further to go on waste reduction so I am aiming to cut this as we progress. 

I haven't travelled further than we can cycle over the last week so have enjoyed more time spent with close neighbours and people in the local community, which has been another added benefit. Next week we have a couple of home ed trips planned and I haven't yet worked out how we are going to travel and pay for these, if we go. I am sure that there is some creative trading that could be possible. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, off to make something to rival a box of organic chocs... 

vegan celebration two

Yay - today in our vegan spotlight we have another yummy food company. This time we are focusing on the lovely Natural Balance Foods (NBF), who are a small company dedicated to increasing world happiness. NBF produce a range of scrumptious raw bars called Nakd and Trek from their base in Wales. I found some of their products in a health food store in Wales and was hooked.

Nakd bars come in a range of flavours including Berry Cheeky, Apple Tart and Cocoa Loco. They don't contain any artificial ingredients or added sugar and are 100% raw and v tasty.

Their website contains things to make you laugh, get more health aware and plenty of great competitions to enter - fancy a big box of raw bars?

Although they do not carry the Vegan Society label, there is no animal-based products inside these healthy bites and each product does display the Animal Aid symbol on the packaging.

vegan month

November is Vegan Month, organised by animal welfare charity, Animal Aid, to raise awareness of an animal-free diet and lifestyle and to improve availability of vegan food.

Visitors to the site can download a vegan recipe book and action pack, enter a competition to win a hamper full of vegan goodies, find out about events taking place in the local area, source recipes, watch videos and find out why going vegan is good for animal welfare, the environment and our health.

I am going to be celebrating a different vegan company every day on the blog this month so keep reading to find out which companies have animal welfare at their heart.

day two: buy nothing month

Well, it's a gorgeous autumnal afternoon on day two of our Buy Nothing Month and I'm sitting here with a cup of tea and an almond and chocolate muffin, feeling pretty good. So how is it going? And what temptations have we encountered so far?

It's going well, although this might have something to with the fact that we live in the back of beyond and retail temptations don't really exist out here - unless you count the fab village shop and of course, the ever present lure of internet shopping. We are all looking forward to the challenge and even the kids have volunteered to forfeit their pocket money for the month, in order to be more involved in the experiment. I have cancelled our weekly newspaper fix and the film club that we belong to.

I am being extra cautious and sparing in the kitchen with store cupboard ingredients like coconut oil, agave syrup and dairy items such as butter and yoghurt as these will run out quite quickly and we will not replace them during November. I guess there will come a time towards the end of the month when we eat lots of soups and flat breads!

Yesterday, I made big batch of pastry using flour, coconut butter and cold water and turned it into a gigantic pumpkin pie (to make use of all that pumpkin flesh left over from Halloween) and a batch of mini tartlets filled with leek and cheese or tomatoes and herbs, which should last a day or so. On presenting the massive pumpkin pie at dinner last night, amid cinnamony wafts and proud smiles, I discovered that I am the only one of us who likes this traditional treat. Anyone who visits in the next day or so will not get away without being sat down for a cup of tea and a large slab of pie.

Today for lunch I unearthed a packet of couscous from the back of the cupboard and made a salad with tomatoes, herbs and chilli from the garden. Dinner will probably be pasta with similar seasonal veg. I must confess that my cupboard is probably fuller than the average store stump as we do an Infinity Foods bulk order once every few months, so I have a stock of items like tinned tomatoes and large bags of flax seeds, almonds etc.

We usually sell our eggs to neighbours and passers by but this month I will be using them or maybe bartering them at the dairy farm round the corner. I am really interested in nutrition and will keep a close eye on the kids to check that they are getting everything they need this month in order to thrive. I used to feel that my girls were very picky eaters but since I have relaxed my attitude to this, they in turn have relaxed and are mostly happy to try things before rejecting them. My eldest is happiest with raw fruit and veg and her sister prefers pies and potatoes and more carby food. It is an interesting balance but I now love being in the kitchen, when a year or so ago food had become a bit of a sore point. 

Over the last two days we have discovered that we 'need' a few things for the house - a lightbulb, new washer on the tap, over mitt etc. and although these items have been on the To Buy list for a while, now that we can't just go out and buy them, they are causing more frustration. Perhaps I might get around to making my own oven glove this month. Watch this space...

land of the gm free

Is America starting to turn against GM food? The GM industry has managed to keep consumers in the dark about the GM food they are eating for more than a decade. However, some major new developments in the US market suggest that the tide may finally be turning against GM technology. The Soil Association has published a report on the launch of a major new non-GM labelling initiative in the US. It covers the US farmers rejection of new GM crops and the staggering collapse in the market for Monsanto's GM milk hormone. These are very significant developments that are being ignored in the current UK debate on GM. Read more here.

chocs away!

Figured I should probably let you know what chocolate I am eating (see last post). Well, it's my new favourite brand - The Organic Seed and Bean Company. They produce a range of devilishly dark bars delicately flavoured with additions such as rose oil and lavender essential oil. Normally I'm of the opinion that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Dark chocolate is absolutely fine all on it's own - stop adding weird flavours like lime, ginger, anchovy etc. But these bars manage the additions so smoothly it's impossible to dislike even the more ambitious ones - Mandarin and Ginger par example. All their products are organic and fairtrade. Which is more than offered by the organic chocolate giant that is owned by Cadburys and available in a shop near you, pushing small artisan producers off the shelves.

love your heart

In recognition of World Heart Day on 28th Sept I thought I would post about having a healthy heart. Our hearts are the organ of emotion and stress management and are just as important and require the same level of care as other more visible parts of our body to ensure good health and wellbeing. 

Hugging for Health

According to herbalist, James Green, boys are hugged 60-80% less than girls when growing up and this cultural inheritance plays into adulthood with many men being more emotionally reserved and less spontaneously affectionate than women. But the good news is that hugging and communicating through physical touch nourishes the heart muscle. And childhood wounds can be healed through lots of physical affection in adulthood.

Ambrosia of the heart

Tears are shed a s a health response to life's stimulations and are to be encouraged. Too many of us ( and especially men, though I don't wish to generalise) subscribe to the belief that it's weak to cry. Crying helps us to release held emotions and stress. In fact studies have suggested that suppressing tears can cause illness and diseases of the heart. Cardiac disease statistics show that cultural expectations of men have taken their toll; this now needs to change and crying in response to stress, grief, joy and empathy must be embraced as a manly response. 

What you eat

In addition to reclaiming emotions, diet plays an important part in heart health. Eat unadulterated, whole foods whenever possible. Plenty of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables and lots of water are vital. Avoid excess salt, sugars, additives and processed foods. But rather than cutting things from your diet, which can aggravate our pleasure-seeking monkey minds, try adding good stuff to your life instead. Want to give up coffee/smoking/alcohol? Indulge in something that's good for alongside and make it part of your daily routine. Always have a drink when you get home from work? Have a fresh fruit smoothie and a drink aswell. Keep adding the good stuff at the rate of about one new thing a week. Think a daily walk, cycle ride, time to read a book/meditate, hot bath etc. Eventually unwanted habits will start to drop off the radar and you'll be a more healthful, energetic, happier version of yourself.

Go for garlic

And lastly, garlic and other alliums, such as onions, support heart health - try and include them in every meal. Except perhaps breakfast, unless you're a bit weird, like me.

By the way, I wrote this with a bar of chocolate besides me on one side and a pint of water and lemon juice on the other. Am hoping that if I practice what I preach, the chocolate might slip off into the ether. Maybe I'll replace it with a little bowl of sprouts or something - mmm!

foodie news

This weekend promises to be a food lovers paradise with the Soil Association's Organic Food Festival taking over Bristol's waterside from 6-7th September. With tastings, talks, cookery demonstrations to inspire parents, children are also well catered for with a giant cardboard structure from cardboard toys folks, Paperpod, in the gardening area, a food trail, more tasting and cookery workshops. Elsewhere London Vegan Festival will take over Kensington Town Hall on Sunday and visitors can expect to learn how a vegan diet can reduce harmful emissions that affect climate change. Younger visitors will be treated to storytelling, puppet shows and workshops. On Monday a lecture held by Compassion in World Farming is taking place at Savoy Place in London about the impact of meat production and consumption on our planet. Given by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and joint winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, this looks to be a fascinating talk with discussion welcomed afterwards.

week one: challenge update

Well, the assistants in the fridge shop clearly think that I am a loon. So what if a fiver can be pulled out of the fridge door - have I checked the temperature? Uh no - how do I do that? Apparently if "the temperature of the item retains a suitable temperature inside the unit, it is fair to say that the item is in perfect working order." They actually said that! Sales-speak gives me uncontrollable giggles so we didn't get much further than that. Back to the drawing board on that one. But, the corners of the mini ice box are stuffed with bits of paper and bubblewrap and I have hardly opened the fridge at all this week, preferring to eat fab food made by my mother-in-law and have a sneaky lunch out with my aunt. Am sure I have done other virtuous things too to counteract the vast quantities of chocolate consumed in the office this week prior to deadline, but they are alluding me. This weeks challenges will be posted up later - all to do with getting from A to B in the greenest possible way. Exciting - non?

organic milk squeeze

According to a report in the Indy today dairy farmers are the latest to feel the credit crunch and are abandoning organic practices in favour of cheaper cattle food and higher yields. Cost of organic feed has gone up by as much as 80% in some cases (some of it is flown in from China!!?) and the 36p per litre of organic milk received by the farmer now leaves him out of pocket. Farmers need prices to increase by at least 4p but the competitive nature of the nation's supermarkets makes that unlikely. I like the novel solution from a group of organic dairy farmers from around Britain who practice tai chi with their cows (in the same field rather than encouraging the cows to join in - apparently the milk has increased levels of wellbeing), who have launched a site called Chakra Checkout. Choose organic milk rather than a fizzy drink for example to help balance your Sahasrara or crown chakra, the solar plexus will benefit from more healthy foods so carrots are a good choice to increase personal power, sensitivity and joy while the heart chakra, Anahata is more in alignment when you choose items that are kinder to animals and people, like fair trade products. I am not an advocate of the dairy industry, preferring to drink nut, seed or soya milk instead but those green consumers who do drink organic milk would be best off buying from local farmers or through local shops. 

nut muffins

Ooh I love baking - even if my approach is usually a bit haphazard. I like to make things up according to what I flavours I fancy. Here is a sugar-free muffin recipe, adapted from a recipe by Tanya Barnard in How it All Vegan, which is really tasty and avoids that terrible nosedive that you can get from sugary snacks. Would like to be able to make a wheat-free alternative - haven't had much success with wheat-free flours, apart from using home ground nut flour in raw recipes which is delicious. 

150g flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp maple syrup or agave

2 tbsp psyllium husks in 4 tbsp water (If you can't find this at a health food shop, you can use a mashed banana instead)

150ml soya or nut milk soured with 3/4 tsp vinegar

4 tbsp oil

75g crushed macadamias

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add rest of the ingredients and mix until just mixed. Spoon into muffin tins or paper cake cases and bake for 15-20 mins at 200ºC, 400ºF or GM6. 

Like to load up the oven when I cook to increase the energy efficiency of this incredibly power-hungry appliance so made a courgette, pea and basil tart (most ingredients from the garden - thanks Mum for the courgette plant!) and some crunchy roast potatoes and beetroot at the same time. 

Have now finished work for the afternoon and am off on a bike ride with my two gorgeous girls. Yay!

harvest festivities

It's Lughnasadh or Lammas, the Pagan celebration of the harvest. I am planning a few crafty activities so I thought I'd share them. Traditionally our ancestors would have made corn dollies at this time to represent the Goddess, honour the crops and protect their home during the winter months. We have made these for years with varying degrees of success - often I am left struggling to make something recognisable with a pile of wheat sheaves whilst everyone else has moved onto more engaging activities. Such as eating. Bread was baked from the first harvest of the corn and lammas literally translates as loaf mass. So there'll be wafts of fresh bread aroma filling the kitchen, unfortunately not using the first corn harvest as we have none to gather. The bread will be part of a harvest feast, featuring those veggies that the chickens have left well alone - so lots of carrots and beans, a few peas and tomatoes and some edible flowers such as calendula and nasturtium. Oops, gotta go, will post more later...

edible playgrounds

Yummy cereal company, Dorset Cereals won a gold medal at this year's Hampton Court Flower Show with their Edible Playground. The garden, which will now be transported to Holy Trinity School in Weymouth, Dorset, is brimming with colourful and tasty plants from Pink Passion chard to blueberries, strawberries, sweetcorn, Welsh onions, Corsican mint and much more. A windmill powers a weepy hose watering system, and a wormery and compost bin deal with all the kitchen and green waste. An outdoor classroom area features a green roof and a rainwater collection system. Designer, Nick Williams-Ellis has loads of ideas for creating your own edible playground. Sounds delicious!

Today in the office

Well, no sun tea today due to rain and grey skies. So still using behemoth of a kettle to make the many cups of tea we drink. I spent some time today making strawberry ice cream for the kids because we went to a fruit farm earlier in the week and had about five punnets of strawberries and raspberries that needed action. I am trying to avoid sugar in our diet at the moment, as I feel it is an empty food stuff so I made ice cream using agave syrup. Its v simple and tastes pretty sublime (if I say so myself). 1 punnet strawberries, 90g cashews or macadamias, 40g agave syrup (the quantities are fairly approximate and you might want to mess around with them until you find what suits you in terms of sweetness and creaminess). Whizz in a food processor until smooth and then put it in the freezer. Take it out every two hours or so and give it a stir, otherwise it goes rock solid and is difficult to eat. I also stir some raspberry syrup through it (made with pureed raspberries and agave syrup) to make a homemade raspberry ripple type effect. As I said it's really yummy and fairly nutritious too. Picked some mammoth courgettes and salad leaves from the garden and made courgette bread for the kids. Got recipe from this magic new book How it all Vegan, which popped through our letterbox last week. Have already sampled quite a few of the recipes and they are really innovative and exciting. Has made me come over all bake-a-lot mum, which has to be a good thing! Jez and I had to finish off the proofing of the magazine today - it looks very fine indeed and am very pleased with the final look of it. Just three weeks to go now and it'll be dropping onto doormats around the world, hopefully bringing a little cheer and green inspiration to all our subscribers. Customers who get it from their local shop will have to wait a little longer - it's out on 24th July but we just heard that ALL WH Smith stores will be stocking The Green Parent from next issue so that's very exciting and means it will be easier to find. Hurrah!