The Green Owl.

Unfortunately, there are no raw food restaurants here in the Madison area. One local restaurant, The Green Owl, has a raw food night the second Thursday of every month. I've been wanting to go for a long time now, and finally went this past Thursday with a couple of girlfriends.

The Green Owl. Normally they serve all vegetarian meals.

Squash blossoms with herbed nut cheese.

Heirloom tomato gazpacho.

Kale chips. I think mine are better:)

coconut cake with raw cacao topping

The food was amazing! We got there too late to enjoy all of the raw food options including, fresh corn polenta cakes with heirloom tomato-summer squash ratatouille and a veggie salad with cherry vinaigrette. What we had was worth it in my opinion! I saw some nice little squash blossoms in my garden today that I think I'll eat this week. I LOVED the gazpacho so much. I have looked for recipe after recipe of something similar to what we had. I even bought some heirloom tomatoes today so I can try my own version of the gazpacho. Coconut is not usually my favorite, but this dessert was very good. I personally would've had less middle and more cacao! I can't wait to go again!!

Busy, Busy!

I seem to be so busy and pre occupied lately that sometimes I forget to eat. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but ever since my son was born my hormones have done a number on me:) Sometimes I just don't feel like eating either. I know I've mentioned before about taking a whole food raw supplement. I use Garden of Life right now, which I really love. I recently purchased their meal replacement shakes so I'm getting healthy raw calories that are quick and easy. When I bought it, I was told that it doesn't taste that great, but to mix it with almond milk or coconut milk to help improve the taste. Not a problem! I mix all of my protein shakes with almond milk anyway.

So, I don't mind the taste too much, but I'm not horribly picky either. It tastes a bit "mealy" and "grainy" to me. Have you ever tasted the batter for cornbread? It's a little along those lines. What I absolutely can't stand in a mixed shake is when it gets too thick. Yuck! This does not do that! The directions call for 2 scoops, but I have only been using one, which could help it stay thin. I'm happy with it, and LOVE that they offer SO many raw options.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is a documentary that Eric found on Netflix the other day. It's about an Australian who decides to take his poor health in his own hands and cure himself by juicing. Very interesting documentary. My hubby is not a fan of this whole raw food stuff. He's a bit picky to say the least:) (I love you babe!) Anyway, it motivated him to start juicing more, which makes me an incredibly happy woman! He even stopped the show in the middle so we could come up to the kitchen and make some fresh juice.

 It happens to be a great time of year for us to be juicing so much, because I have quite a few veggies in my garden that I could never eat alone. Juicing takes alot more, so nothing goes to waste! 

 Someday I'm going to invest in a new juicer:) I've had this juicer for about 10 years I think! Yikes! It still works, just doesn't do leafy greens the best.

 I know it can be hard to get your kids to eat veggies too, but I'm pretty sure they will love fresh raw juice. I love it for my son because he still can't chew alot of healthy greens that I would like him to eat. Run it through the juicer and they get all of the healthy benefits! Just make sure to drink it right away when it's nice and fresh!

It seems like I put a different combo of veggies in the juicer everyday. Some taste better than others, but I love the variety. My son absolutely loves to help push veggies down the little shoot! Add a lemon, lime, or fresh ginger for a nice little zing to your juice:)

Raw Zucchini Alfredo with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes.

Raw Zucchini Alfredo with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

For the pasta:

Spiralized zucchini noodles (or just use a peeler)

Small chopped carrot

Sugar snap peas, cut in half (about 3/4 cup)

Baby tomatoes, halved (I used lots)

Fresh shredded basil

A small handful of chopped, sun-dried tomatoes

For the sauce:

1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked for a few hours (I just put them under water when I left for work in the morning)

¾ cup water

1 tsp agave

1/3 cup lemon juice

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp miso

Begin by turning the zucchini into pasta and tossing it with the veggies. To make the sauce, put the soaked cashews in your Vita-Mix or food processor along with the agave, lemon juice, sea salt, miso, and 1/3 cup water. Blend until it looks thick and creamy. With the motor running (in either the processor or the Vita), drizzle more water in until the sauce is totally smooth (if you’re using a food processor, you’ll have to stop and scrape sides occasionally) and the consistency you want. Toss the sauce with the veggies, and voila: you’ve got a creamy, delicious bowl.

I had zucchini, carrots, and basil in my garden that I needed to use. I happened to find this recipe that used all three and it was delicious!