Going Raw: Zucchini and Asparagus with Sundried Tomato Sauce

The Raw food movement is hitting Barrie with a local Raw meet-up group and a few of The Healing Oasis members starting to incorporate more raw food recipes into our diets.

Tonight, I used a Raw Food Blog I found and created my own meal based on bits and pieces of other recipes. I cheated a little by steaming my asparagus to soften them a little. If you would like to be more Raw then use the raw asparagus and let the dish marinate longer.

1 large zucchini, sliced in skinny strips using a potatoe peeler
1/2 a red pepper, sliced thinly
8 asparagus stalks, broken into 1 inch pieces
5 sundried tomato slices, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes

Sauce:
Blend the following in a food processor
The soaked sundried tomatoes
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary
Add more water as needed

Toss veggies with some olive oil and sea salt then the sauce.

Eat right away or let marinate till later.

These are my rendition of the "Larabars" you can buy at the health food stores. They are delicious and packed full of healthy ingredients...and not as many as you would think! I used as many "RAW" ingredients as I could, including the nuts. You can have fun with these and experiment with adding different ingredients like coconut, dried cranberries or raisins, cocoa powder, and you can even add more protein with some hemp or soy-based protein powder. Enjoy!

Peanut-Coconut balls
- small handful of peanuts
- small handful of almods
- about 20 dates
- scoop of unsweetened coconut
- small drizzle of agave nectar or honey
(you might want to try adding some cocao powder to this one - I didn't have any unfortunately.)

In a food processor, add nuts and dates and process until bits are small. Add agave nectar and/or honey and drizzle over the mixture. You will have to experiment with the texture and add more agave nectar or honey so that the consistency will allow you to form the balls. Scoop out spoonfulls and with clean hands squeeze them into balls and I would put them in the fridge for a bit to let them set. You could also make a larger batch and press the mixture into a baking dish and then cut it into squares.

Cashew Balls
- about 16 - 20 dates
- large handful of raw cashews

Follow procedure above and enjoy!

4 Weeks to Wellness

All I can say is WOW! What an amazingly beautiful day it was yesterday. The sun was shining brightly all day and the city was just basking in it's glory! We started our "trek" at The Healing Oasis and like usual walked along Kempenfelt Drive and then back along the old railway tracks.

It's such a beautiful opportunity for us to be able to walk out our driveways and immerse ourselves in fresh air, a clean atmosphere, and such wonderful surroundings - we are really quite lucky to live in such a great city. Clearly, I don't get out enough and enjoy it because every time I do it always amazes me this way.

And that's the reason for our 4 Weeks to Wellness. It's to help people like me who are so caught up in the every day hussle and bustle of "life" that a Sunday morning walk is the only time I can enjoy some peace and a little bit of nature. If you'd like to join me next Sunday I'll be there waiting. :)

I also brought some healthy snacks which I will share the recipe
with you on our facebook page along with some more pictures. See you next time! :)

Yours in health and wellness,
Lee Anne
and THO Team

Green Tip - Natural Moth "Balls"

To prevent moths and other bugs from invading your closet, use dried lemon peel as a natural deterrent. I'm sure they're a lot safer to have around for the pets you do want in the house and it smells much better than those little white balls that always remind me of my Grandma's house!!


With much love for you and our planet,

Lee Anne & THO team

4 Weeks to Wellness

It's that time again when we get the urge to get outside and be more active and maybe try to lose a little bit of that extra winter weight.

At The Healing Oasis we have had such huge success and participation with the 4 Weeks to Wellness that we thought we'd keep up the trend and start it again this coming Sunday May 16th.

Anyone can join us for the approximate 4-5 K walk along Barrie's Kempenfelt drive and then back along the bike path.
We will meet at The Healing Oasis every Sunday morning at 10am sharp for the next 4 weeks (rain or shine or frost!!) and leave from there. We will have some healthy and tasty snacks to enjoy afterwards and we're always sharing the recipes so make sure to check the blog regularly.

Bring your friends and family or someone you know who needs a little support in getting more active and we can all help each other. See you on Sunday!

Yours in health and wellness,
Lee Anne and THO Team :)

Dominica - The Nature Island and Tree Candy

I just returned from a trip to the island of Dominica where my sister is attending medical school. It's a small island near St. Lucia with a very tropical feel. Stephanie, my sister has been there for almost two years. The thing she will miss the most is the ability to find your own food growing naturally all year round on trees in her backyard.

Here we have some avocados that are still growing. They are a different species than what we find in the grocery stores. She says they will grow to become half the size of her head and they have a more buttery and creamy flavour.

Avocados are a great source of good fats. These are great for children, people needing to gain extra weight, and athletes. For the typical person who doesn't want to gain weight, try to stick to about 1/2 an avocado a day.

Avocado ideas:

- Guacomole

- Sliced on a sandwich

- Cubed and put on top of a sandwich

- Blended with chickpeas and spices for a unique Hummus

- Avocado pie, a "raw food" recipe with almonds, avocados and cocoa powder

Although our avocados aren't the size of our heads, they are still a tastey way to get great nutrients in our diet.

Happy eating:) Whitney Young, ND

Cleanse with Your Friends - Day 12

Onion Spread

I'm meeting with the group of women shortly for our 3rd night of Cleanse with Your Friends. We've been cleansing around 12 days so far. I hope everyone is still doing well!

Here is a recipe for a dip I've made to bring to class tonight. It's from a book that is no longer in print called "CCNM's Simply Healthy Cookbook." This book was put together by students and staff from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2002. It's a great resource at home for me and I'm sorry that it's no longer in print. I will share some recipes from time to time to share the wisdom of my peers.

Cold Onion Spread

4 large onions, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dill weed
salt

- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Add enough water to cover the onions
- Add the bay leaf, dill weed and salt according to taste
- Cover the pan and cook at medium-low for 35 minutes, or until onions are cooked.
- When onion is tender, uncover and increase temperature to medium-high. Allow onions to cook until they turn a golden-brown (mine didn't turn colour but I cooked it until a lot of the water evaporated
- Remove bay leaf
- At this point I decided to blend it with my hand blender.

Eat hot as a side dist or cold as a spread on rice crackers or cucumbers and carrots.