Has anybody read the book "Raw Kids?"

[maraw]

I am looking for more information on transitioning my 4 and 5 year-old daughters to raw/vegetarian foods. They already eat whole grains and lots of fruit and veggies, but I would love to hear/learn more about how children do eating this way.

I saw a book called Raw Kids: Transitioning Children to a Raw Food Diet
by Cheryl L. Stoycoff, Solomae Sananda, and I was hoping to learn more about it from you guys. Any thoughts on this?

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Maraw,

I haven't read that book yet either, but I received this on another email list I'm on a little earlier in the week and thought it might be of interest to you:

============================

Here is some of the info from the Capital Area Homeschoolers list last week (prepared by Althea Hughes, President of CAHC):

Raw Parenting - General Tips to Remember
by Karen Ranzi

1) Try different textures. For example, a child may not like a banana, but may enjoy it in smoothies, sauces or [raw] ice cream.

2) Have fruits and vegetables around the kitchen in pretty baskets and brightly colored bowls. The varied colors of the foods in the child's everyday environment will attract them.

3) Name the foods you make with lively or catchy titles! My kids created their own recipes, even from the time they were very little, and then gave names to the recipes, or we got named recipes from certain recipe books.

Seedy Kiwi - by my daughter Gabriela
Cashew Lasagna - by Gabriela and Marco
Bianca Pops - from Sweet Temptations
BAT (Banana, Apple and Tahini) by Gabriela and Marco
Apple Yum Yum (Apple + Carrot Salad) by Beth Montgomery

4) Kids love using equipment - saladacco for making veggie pasta, snow cone maker by the Pampered Chef, Small Juicer (Krups).

5) Play restaurant - Let your kids be the Raw Food Chefs!!!

6) The Raw Foods Movement is growing! Inspire your children by bringing them to a raw food potluck .

7) Make sure your child eats whenever he/she desires during the day. Fat is an important ingredient for a growing child. Nuts and seeds and fatty fruits like avocado can be mixed in with the foods you serve.

8) Move your child gradually toward a raw food diet. Each week add more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Learn some recipes that your child will love! [Victoria Boutenko always speaks about this transition, too - see http://chidiet.com/tapes for her CHI video. Recipe suggestions later in this newsletter.]

9) Don't be surprised if your child wants to eat the same food for periods of time. My son Marco ate bananas for extended periods of time and called himself "monkey."

10) Be extremely careful of too much dried fruit. It can wreak havoc on the teeth.

[Note: Karen recommends that a Raw mother breast feed for an extended period during the early years of the baby's life - she covers this and more in the 2+ hour video available at http://chidiet.com/tapes.]

E-mail: Denise@organicavenue.com. If you have kids you need to hear Karen speak. **

-------------------------------------

Transition Snacks

Banana and Raw Nut Butter - Grab a banana, a jar of your favorite nut butter, a spoon, and spread.

Devine! Ambrosia - Almond mylk, chopped avocado, berries, chopped apple, chopped orange, pumpkin seeds, raw honey, and shredded coconut. Mix in a bowl and enjoy.

Avocado and Honey - Cut an avocado in half, skin it, and pour honey over it. Yum, yum, yum…

Thick Shake - Cup of Almond mylk, half of an avocado, and banana. Wow!

Figs and Olives - 5 dried figs, and small bowl of Greek olives. Molto bene!

"Chocolate" Pudding - 1 Avocado, 2 Tbs. raw carob powder, and a big scoop of raw honey. Whip it up and enjoy each creamy mouth full!

Ahhhhh-Almond - Jar of raw almond butter and a spoon. It's that simple.

Cherimoya Blues - If you're feeling down, eat one of these. If you don't know what a cherimoya is, find out. Also try it whipped in a blender with an avocado.

Date Crunch - Pitted Dates and Almonds. Stuff the date with the almonds and munchidy, crunch, crunch.

Banana Crème - Mash a banana and avocado together, or put it in a blender.

Melon Deluxe - 1/2 of a cantaloupe, one avocado. Blend!!!

Just Eat An Apple - When all else fails one of the best things one can do is eat an apple.

Ice Cream - One avocado, two frozen bananas, and a blender. Cut the bananas into small pieces before placing them in the blender

Creamy Crunch - Two stalks of celery and your favorite raw nut butter. Spread it in the valley

Fudge - 1 avocado, 2 Tbs. of coconut butter. 1 cup of blueberries, 1 Tbs. of raw honey, and 3 Tbs. of Carob powder. Blend! Refrigerate for 3 hours for a hard fudge.

Three-Minute Burrito - One avocado, Romaine lettuce leaves, chopped tomato, juice of one lemon, chopped onion, chopped garlic, dash of cumin, dash chili powder, and pinch of cayenne and salt. Mash avocado in a bowl and mix in lemon juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Wrap avocado mixture with tomatoes and onions in the romaine lettuce leaves.

Two-Minute Guacamole - One avocado, one clove of garlic chopped, half a red onion chopped, the juice of one lemon, one tsp cumin, one tsp coriander, pinch of cayenne, and salt. Mash in a bowl with a fork. - Use the Two minute guacamole to stuff tomatoes, peppers, portabello mushrooms, add it to salads, or just use it as a dip.

From the 5/7/05 edition of the Creative Health Institutes e-newsletter.





Transitioning to Raw

The following are quick and easy ways to get more raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds into your diet:

Blend your favorite fruits together for a breakfast fruit smoothie
Eat fruit for breakfast
Blend a bunch of your favorite vegetables for a lunch vegetable smoothie or soup
Eat a big salad for lunch
Make salad dressing from a lemon and olive or flax oil
Take a bunch of your favorite vegetables, fresh fruit, a mix of organic raisins, dates, figs, and apricots, or a mix of raw nuts and seeds with you for snacks on the go
Drink plenty of water
Drink a fresh (not pasteurized) vegetable juice every day

From Jackie Graff’s article “Eat Your Pain Away” in the 5/3/05 edition of Creative Health Institute’s e-newsletter.

http://www.creativehealthinstitute.us/



Apple Sauce


3 Apples, peeled, cored, & chopped

Purified Water or Apple Juice

1-Tablespoon Maple Syrup

A sprinkle of Cinnamon



Place apples in blender on pulse setting and add liquid until the desired consistency is achieved.

Serves 1



Apple-Mango Soup


2 Mangos

4 Apples, cored & peeled

1/8, peeled and chopped



Blend mangoes and apples. Serve in a bowl. Decorate with banana chunks.



Serves 2



Raw Cereal with Apple Juice


4 cups Oatmeal

½ cup Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup Black Raisins

1 cup Yellow Raisins

½ cup Sunflower Seeds

2 cups Date Pieces

½ cup Flax Seeds

1 cup Cashews

½ cup Almond Slices

Apple Juice



Thoroughly mix all ingredients except for the apple juice. Remove the portion that will be eaten and soak in apple juice for at least 30 minutes.



Serves 10





Hebrew Fruit Salad with Sauce


2 Apples, diced

2 Bananas, peeled and sliced

¼ cup Raisins, soaked 30 minutes and drained

Cashew pieces, soaked overnight and drained



Sauce:

1 cup mixture Apples, Bananas, Raisins

¼ Nut or Seed Milk or Purified Water

2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar



In a bowl, mix apples, bananas, and raisins. Scoop out 1 cup of the fruit mixture and blend with liquid and Agave nectar. Pour on sauce. Mmmmm. Good.

Serves 1 hungry soul





Flax Cereal


2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds, sprouted 2 days

2 Apples, peeled and chopped

2 Dates, pitted and chopped



Mix and serve



Serves 1





Melon Melody


1 Watermelon slice

½ Honey Dew Melon, halved, remove seeds

½ Cantaloupe, halved, remove seeds



Scoop out fleas of each melon with an ice cream scooper to make round balls. Set honeydew and cantaloupe shells aside. Fill shells with scoops of all of the melons.



Serves 2





Mango-Banana Salad (Blend or Eat)



2 ripe juicy Mangos, diced

2 ripe Bananas cut in round slices



Mix and serve. This fruit can also be blended with nut or seed milk for a nice shake.



Serves 2





Cleansing Citrus Salad


4 Oranges, peeled

2 Grapefruit, peeled

2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar



Cut oranges and grapefruit in half, remove seeds and pull apart each section. If grapefruit skin is tough, separate from pulp and discard. Add Agave nectar and mix well.



Serves 2



Citrus Twist Salad


2 Mangos, cubed

2 Tangerines, halved, peeled & seeded

1 Pineapple, halved including the crown

Strawberries (if not sweet, marinate in a little Agave nectar), sliced



Pull tangerine slices apart. Remove pineapple pulp while preserving the shell and dice. Mix mangos, pineapple, and tangerines. Serve in a pineapple half. Decorate with sliced strawberries.



Serves 2



Brilliant Buckwheat


1 cup Buckwheat, soaked overnight or sprouted 1 day

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil

¼ cup Nutritional Yeast

1 teaspoon Sea Salt



Mix and enjoy.



Serves 2



Soaked Oats


1 cup Oatmeal

¼ cup Raisins

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Apple, diced

1 Banana, sliced

1 cup Water

Maple Syrup to taste



Presoak oatmeal in water for about 30 minutes. Mix with sweetener and cinnamon. Stir in apple, banana, and raisins.



Serves 1

(the above recipes are from “The Joy of Living Live” by Zahkah)





Uncooked Pie Crust


2 ½ cups ground sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon raw maple syrup

1 tablespoon warm water

1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract



Mix with hands and press into sesame-oiled pie pan





Pie Filling 1


2 chopped pears (remove skin)

2 chopped apples (remove skin)

½ -1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ raisins

Let the above ingredients marinate overnight.

Spoon onto pie crust and top it with 2 tablespoons of wheat germ. Decorate with well-ripened sliced bananas and sliced strawberries.



Pie filling 2


1 ½ cups sliced strawberries

1 ½ cups blueberries

1 ½ cups raspberries



Combine ¼ cup of each berry with ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons maple syrup.

Blend and pour over the remaining berries that have been put in the pie crust.

Cover with ½ cup freshly grated coconut and ½ cup chopped walnuts.



(the above recipes are from “Heal Thyself” by Queen Afua)



Sergei’s Favorite Smoothie


Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth:

2 Oranges (peeled)

2 frozen bananas (other frozen fruit is optional)



Place the oranges towards the bottom of blender to make enough liquid to blend the frozen bananas.

Decorate with fresh strawberries!

Serves 2-3 (until you get addicted, then it only serves 1).



(the above recipe is from “12 Steps to Raw Food” by Victoria Boutenko)



Apple Cinnamon Porridge


3 Cups almonds, soaked

1 apple

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Celtic salt



Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. This porridge is great on a cold morning. It also goes well with some ginger added.





Pecan Porridge


2 Cups pecans, soaked

1 Cup coconut water or water

½ teaspoon Celtic salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ vanilla bean



Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.



(the above recipes are from “Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.)




Marvelous Muesli


Serves 1



Ingredients

2 handfuls nuts of your choice (chopped if larger than a hazelnut)

handful small berries (strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries), chopped

1 apple, diced

1 bananas, sliced into discs and halved

any other fresh fruit

1/3 cup dried fruit (such as dates, figs, raisins, or apricots)

sprinkling of coconut flakes

sprinkling of sesame seeds (optional)



Directions

Mix together all the nuts, berries, and fruit in a bowl, and top with coconut flakes and sesame seed, if using. If you want milk, simply blend a handful of your favorite raw nuts with 3 to 4 cups of pure water, and strain well. Add the milk to your muesli and enjoy!





Pink Porridge


Serves 2



Ingredients

2 cups almonds, soaked at least 6 hours, and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

6 to 8 apricots, soaked 1 hour, and drained



Directions

Placed all the ingredients in blender with 1 cup water and process to a porridge consistency. Add water slowly to keep the porridge from becoming too runny.



(the above recipes are from “The Complete Book of Raw Food” edited by Julie Rodwell and Lori Baird)



Kale and Avocado Salad


1 bunch Kale Greens

1 Avocado

2 tablespoons liquid aminos

½ cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves



Wash and chop kale by hand or in food processor (I rip them up with my hands). Blend a paste of olive oil and garlic. In a large bowl, mix kale, nutritional yeast, liquid aminos, lemon juice, and as much of the olive oil/garlic paste as you desire. Add diced avocado. Decorate with tomatoes.

(side note: it’s delicious even without the avocado or tomatoes)





Harmony Spinach


1 bunch spinach

¼ cup cold pressed sesame oil

1 tablespoon ginger

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons liquid aminos



Wash spinach thoroughly, remove stems, and chop. Mix ingredients and serve.

(the above recipes are from “The Joy of Living Live” by Zahkah)



Quick and Simple Apple Pie


Crust:

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds or almonds

3/4 cup of raisins

1 tablespoon carob powder



Filling:

5-6 apples peeled and cored

1/4 to 3/4 cup raw, unfiltered honey (suited to your taste)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

juice of 1/2 lemon

shredded coconut (optional)

dash of powdered cloves (optional)

1 seasonal fruit (kiwi, bananas are good)





Directions:

Make the crust by placing the sunflower seeds (or almonds), raisins, and carob powder in a food processor. Process with the "S" blade until finely ground and mixture sticks together.

Press the mixture into a 9" pie pan with your fingers. Form into a crust.

Chop the apples in the food processor with the "S" blade. Be sure not to overdo it and make applesauce!

In a bowl, mix the apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, and honey. Will be juicy.

Scoop the mixture into your pie crust. Save the "juice" that remains and drizzle over pie when it's served.

Sprinkle coconut flakes on top (optional)

Cut the seasonal fruit into thin slices and place on top of pie.

For best results, place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.





Reference Books:



“The Joy of Living Live” by Zahkah



“The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing” by Jay Kordich



“Cleanse and Purify Thyself, Books One and Two” by Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D



“Living Foods for Optimum Health” by Brian R. Clement with Theresa Foy DiGeronimo



“Juicing For Life” by Cherie Calbom & Maureen Keane



“Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine” by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.



“The Complete Book of Raw Food” edited by Lori Baird & Julie Rodwell



“Raw in Ten Minutes” by Bryan Au



“Back to Eden” by Jethro Kloss



“Heal Thyself” by Queen Afua



“12 Steps to Raw Foods” by Queen Afua



“Raw: The Uncook Book” by Juliano



Handout prepared by Althea Hughes Wills

5/13/05

[maraw]

WOW! That's what I call guidance! Thank you so much for taking the time to put all that information here. I am going to print it out so I can look at it during the course of the day.

Again, thank you SO much.

[RawTruth]

I know this book. I bought it for my daughter to use as she feeds her 18-month old (darling) daughter more raw. I read it and consider it an excellent resource. I believe it's Solomae who does child care in her home, in addition to her own child, and so, she has lots of experience with transitioning. She also lived/worked? at Gabriel Cousen's place in Patagonia, Arizona, if I remember correctly. It's got my two thumbs up!

[RawTruth]

Oh ... and, before I forget -- thanks so very much, Rawkin for your perfectly long post. It came at exactly the right time since my daughter and the toddler from heaven will be visiting next week. I'm cutting and pasting and will be making some of these things for her.

[caramba]

Thanks Rawkinlocs - cuttin', pastin' & printin' here too!

BTW, I'll be getting this book as soon as it's available through the Aussie distributors, will let you know what I think when I do (of course...lol!)

[Lara]

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this up!
Lara

[Rawkinlocs]

Hey ladies!

You're welcome, but please don't think I did TOO much of anything shy of copying and pasting myself! ;)