Its Vegan MoFo!!

Hello Everyone!! It’s been a while since I have posted something (well a couple of weeks) and I have had some things going on here in Little Rock. I am enjoying myself learning my way around (thank God for GPS). I was so consumed with acclimating myself with Arkansas, that I almost forgot about VeganMoFo. I wanted this to be the first year participating and I almost missed it. Thankfully I have some amazing friends who kept me in the loop! Thanks Robyn, @ www.girlonraw.com!

Okay down to business, I am going to be posting every day this month some fantastic recipes as well as a look into my life being a mom, wife, and RAW Vegan foodist. So pretty much you will enjoy the fast paced comical world in which I live. This month will be so much fun (well, for me at least). LOL!! Let me start out by re-introducing myself. I am TwinkieR A.K.A. The Raw Twinkie and between my Awesome Hubby (A.H.) and I, I am a mother of 10 children (I physically had three of them). I have been married to my A.H. for going on four years, I am a Raw Food Chef, Life Coach, Writer, and Educator. I lived in Phoenix Arizona until July (my husbands job relocated us) when we moved to Little Rock Arkansas. I can tell you in my household there is not a dull moment. Not even during the sleeping hours. LOL! So now that I have introduced myself, I will say nice to meet you again. Now on to the good stuff.....

I was in the kitchen cleaning out the fridge yesterday when I decided to make a soup out of what I had left. I will tell you that it was one of the best soups I have ever made since going RAW. I was impressed with how incredible the flavors meshed together. The boldness of the herbs gave way to the Campari tomatoes and let them be an incredible star in this soup. Since I am used to really warm weather in Phoenix, I was trying to prepare my

mind for the fall here in Arkansas. It is starting to get cooler and I was looking for some tips and suggestions on how to adjust to being RAW in the fall and winter. After this soup however, after eating this soup, I dont think I will have to worry at all!

Fall RAW Vegetable Soup!

Makes about 3-4 servings

1 carrot (chopped) 1 cucumber

1 1/2 cups of spinach

1 clove of garlic

3 campari tomatoes

1/2 of a red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and a yellow bell pepper

2 green onions

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of fresh sweet basil

1 tablespoon of italian herb seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of hemp seeds

1/2 teaspoon of celtic sea salt (more if you desire)

1/2 cup of Water

Blend all ingredients together until soup (creamy) consistency and enjoy!

To add some texture to the soup I chopped some additional bell peppers, carrots, and green onions and tossed them in after the soup was finished blending. I loved it! Not only me but........

My three year old was all over my soup.

I am grateful that she loves fruits and veggies though. Eat as much as you like Ce Ce, just save mom some! ;-)

Much love to you and yours,

TwinkieR a.k.a. The RAW Twinkie

The Raw Twinkie's Weekly Newsletter! Enjoy!

I have started a weekly newletter. I hope you enjoy it!

Much Love!

http://bit.ly/1a87xJ

Organization is key! A lot of Changes going on!

Hello my Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian Family, Yes it is I. It seems like it has been forever since I have last posted (and indeed it has been). I have been doing some blogging just not on this particular blog. I have a website that I just started up and I have been doing some blogging there. Also I have another Blog on Blogger also. I also have a family blog that I have been working on too. Needless to say, I have not been very proactive on informing you on this information highway. So with that being said, I am committing myself to keeping this blog and my website updated. I must get organized with everything that is going on. I love writing and sharing with others. I just needed to concentrate on where to do that at. Now that I have that resolved, lets get down to business.

Let me update you on a few things that are going on in my life right now, as well as some awesome RAW food that I have been eating. I have moved from Sunny Arizona to HUMID Arkansas! My Awesome Hubby's job relocated us and I do feel that it is for the best. I am excited at all the opportunities that I will have to share, educate, and create in regards to the RAW vegan lifestyle. A gentleman who was helping us with some work around the house said he had never heard of RAW vegan food before. He said "you should open up a little cafe' or something, I would come sometimes, though I am not saying I would go totally RAW vegan or anything" LOL!! That got me happy. Not because he said that he would come to a cafe' if I opened one but at the prospect that he was open to hearing what I had to say. He was willing to give something he had never heard of a try. Family, I am LOVING what I am and what I do. So The Raw Twinkie is about to RAWK Little RAWK Arkansas!

Another thing that I have started while here in RAWRKANSAS (Can you tell I love playing with RAW), is a garden. I have never had one before but have always wanted one. I am so grateful for a beautiful backyard up on which to create nourishment for my family and myself. Please keep in mind that I am an amatuer at gardening. I became ecstatic when I saw the seeds start germinating and green started peeking out from the earth. I could not contain myself last on Wednesday when I woke up and looked outside and saw life coming forth. I had to make my AH (awesome hubby) get up and take a look.

I planted some zucchini, squash, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, spinach, cabbage, romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, purple hull peas, mint, thyme, sage, basil, rosemary, and oregano. (the basil, rosemary, and oregano are in pots and they were plants). I am so grateful to be able to eat something that came from my backyard. It feels so good to be able to know where my food is coming from.

I have also been to our farmers market here and it is AWESOME. Buying local is truly the next best thing to growing your own food. I have meet some really nice people there and the vegetables and fruit are off the chain. I was so happy about going to the farmers market, I took along my video camera (please excuse the video quality, I am learning to use the camera). LOL! It is great to get to know the people who are also growing the food you are eating. I say if you cant get to a farmers market, see if you can join your local CSA. That way you can still get your food local.

Wow, that is a lot of information for now... I will share more with you on Wednesday. I have a couple of exciting recipes to share as well. Oh, I almost forgot....I can not leave you with out a recipe, now could I? This dessert is absolutely delicious!

“ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE PUDDING”

Makes 2-4 servings

1 1/2 of coconut milk (blend 1 cup coconut water and 1 cup coconut flesh together)

1/2 to 1 cup of cashews, soaked

1/2 cup of Agave

1/2 teaspoon of orange zest

1/2 cup of raw cocao powder

1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt

In a high powered blender begin by combining the coconut water and coconut flesh to make your milk. Once it has a milky consistency add your cashews. Blend until your cashews have become nice and smooth. Then add your remaining ingredients and blend until it has a creamy texture. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour. Then serve.

You can serve this just as it is in a nice glass or add some RAW granola, or fruit in between layers, or you can put them in freezer popsicle containers for a nice cold treat. The name of the game is enjoying yourself. I know I am!

Many Blessings!

TwinkieR* A.K.A. The Raw Twinkie

My New Dehydrator and my New Life!

Good morning my raw vegan, vegan, and vegetarian family!!

My last post was about my dehydrator blowing up and I mean it blew up big time!!! I was so excited that my AH ordered me a new one and I was waiting like a little girl on Christmas eve sleeping with one eye open waiting on the jolly guy with the red coat. I was elated when the day it arrived, my AH just happened to be outside washing the cars when it arrived. He had just as big a grin on his face as I did as he carried the box in and looked over towards me. I kept thinking "MY HERO", as he sat the box gently down upon the counter. Okay, I was going into fairytale mode but you get my enthusiasm, don't you? LOL!! So, I opened the box (my AH helped) and we set it up in the place we had dedicated "food blower station" in our kitchen. I started pulling out all the recipes that had collected while waiting on the dehydrator to arrive. To say the least, sheer joy was in our household. The kids were happy and jumping around (although my two year old wasn't quite sure of the "why" but she was more than excited to jump around anyway). I will say that I have had the dehydrator for a couple of weeks now and I am enjoying all the wonderful creations that I am able to make with it. From banana chips to jalapeno sun burgers, I am truly satisfied but my real reason for having this dehydrator is so that I can take the next step of my journey in to being "The RAW Twinkie", a raw food chef. I know that you should be prepared with the very best when embarking upon such an amazing life so "Excalibur" is truly the way to go. I am going through my RAW chef certification class today so that I may gain additional knowledge in the field of becoming a raw chef. I also would love to take (I am putting this our there into the universe) some classes through Living Light Culinary art Institute. I am just taking my life one day at a time and enjoying the steps that I am taking to get where I want to be.

Love to you all and have a FABULOUS life!!

TwinkieR*

My Dehydrator blew!

What is a girl to do..... CELEBRATE!!! YES!!! I had an older model Nesco snackmaster dehydrator. It was a good item for me to start out with and get my feet wet in the world of dehydration. So when it blew out (as it exhaled its last puff of air) Puff..puff...puf...pu....p, I promptly held it close to me as if I had a sick child in my arms.

Now, I am not sure if my AH thought I had lost it or what but when he sauntered into the kitchen and saw me ever so tightly clutching this huge electric food dryer (as my AH calls it), he let out a big laugh, turned and said, "well you said you wanted that Excalibur 9 tray food dryer, so it looks like I am going to have to get it now". If you could have seen the look on my face as I put the Nesco down on the counter and followed my AH into the living room, you would have thought I was put into a trance and he had the power. I yelled out "are you serious?" He said "yes, I was just waiting to see what you could make with that food blower". Well everyone, my hubby is ordering my Excalibur as I am typing this blog post! I can not wait! Though I had good times with the Nesco dehydrator, I am looking for even better times with the Excalibur! What to make first....what to make first???

Rawsome Blessings to you,

TwinkieR*

WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON???

Okay, okay,

So last nights post turned into this mornings post. My two year old was running a fever and I has to take care of her (though my AH does a great job with her as well). I also got a chance to make a black and blueberry cobbler from Ani Phyo http://www.aniphyo.com/category/recipes/page/4/

It was so delicious! I was going to post the pics of the cobbler but I think my stomach wanted the first look. LOL!! I will take a pic of maybe what's left...

On to what has been going on in my world. For those of you that dont know I have started a social networking site for women celebrating the RAW food lifestyle www.womenintheraw.ning.com. I have also been getting back into the swing of writing (amongst my other talents). I had been working on something I call a blogvel (blog/novel) a while ago and I have decided to get to work and continue with it. You can check it out at www.twinkier.synthasite.com (and please keep in mind that back then I was not a raw foodist-LOL). I will be updating that site once a week. Also I am almost finished working on a site for others that would like to showcase their writings in a blogvel format. More on that later.

I have decided to go for a RAW chef certification. I have had so many people try the dishes I create and then ask me to make more for them. They even pay me!!! WOW!! I love the way I feel helping others. I feel like I am in some way helping to contribute to their health. I also love the feel of being in the kitchen creating dishes and recipes). From their I am looking forward to having a business as a raw food chef as well as start a non profit-organization for Seniors and those that are looking into being and staying healthy. I have quite a few other things up my sleeve as well but for now these are the things that I am working on. I will keep you posted as I complete each goal. Thank you all for the support and encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Now..hhuumm....for a mentor....Let's see....Kristen (http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/) are you available? ;-)

Love to you all,
TwinkieR*

Trying to experiment on planning!

Hello my RAW, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN Family!!

I have had a lot going on in the past few weeks which I am going to spend some time tonight (later) to catch you up to speed (hyper speed) LOL!! So, I am having this discussion with the AH (awesome hubby) and we are talking about setting up a budget for myself specifically for my lifestyle. I totally agree with this mind you. I am all for budgeting but what I was doing was as I felt the move of the wind, I would just get up and go shopping and getting whatever I saw in my path. I would get home and then I would try to figure out what I had bought and what I was going to use it for. I would wait until the last minute and see a recipe that I wanted to try, go and get the ingredients for it and would come out spending more than what I told my AH what it would be. I basically didn't have a plan.

Well, here is my experiment (of sorts). I spent some time today comprising a menu for myself of what I would eat for the week. I then created a list of ingredients for those dishes that I would need to get. Keep in mind that there are things that I already have at home so the list would be what I would need to pick up. I will document exactly the cost associated with what I have to get as well as how the week went planning this way. This might be a great way to get myself in order (let's see). So here is what my menu looks like this week:

Menu for the week:

Breakfast:

Smoothies (everyday)

Snacks:

Cauliflower & Carrot Chips (from RawDog Rory) http://rawdawgrory.com

Creamy Taco Sauce http://rawdawgrory.com/

Seeds/Nuts (various)

Home made Tahini

Food:

Creamy marinated Kale Salad (from Latrice at http://www.lifeitdetox.com

Jalapeño burger & Avocado fries (from Carmella) at http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com

Kelp Noodles (my own creations)

Mock Tuna Salad (from Rawvolution by Matt Amsden)

Plenty of leafy green Salads

Desserts:
Raw black and blueberry pie (Ani’s Raw)
Raw chocolate Ice Cream (from Sheri at http://greenandcrunchy.blogspot.com )

Chocolate Pudding (back up) (from Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis)

Here is my grocery list:

Grocery List

1 Cauliflower
2 Bags of Carrots
Hemp oil/Olive oil
Chili Powder
Nutritional yeast
3 bags of spinach
3 bunches of kale
2 packages of mixed organic greens (salad)
Tomatoes (various types) about 20
15 lemons (maybe more)
2 bags of raw sunflower seeds
1 bag of Raw Pecans
1 bag of Raw Walnuts
1 bag of Raw Cashews
1 bag of hemp seeds
2 bags of Dates (1 medjool and 1 honey)
1 bag of sun dried tomatoes
10 reg avocados and 2 California avocados (the big ones)
10 pounds of banana’s
2 onions (yellow)
1 bag of green onions
1 pound of ground flax seeds
Garlic (2 heads)
Chipotle powder
Agave
2 stalks of celery
10 coconuts
4-6 red and yellow peppers
Mushrooms
Dulse flakes
Dried dill
2 pints of strawberries
2 pints of blueberries
2 pints of blackberries
2 pineapples
10 pounds of apples

Let's see how I do! Let's get this experiment party started! Dont forget I will be back tonight with how things have been going for me!!

Love ya;-)

TwinkieR*