SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

Thank goodness it’s Friday! The cupboards gape mournfully and the fridge gets a makeover. I’m so thank-full that I got us to the beginning of another food week, I get all excited and clean the shelves!

I always plan for a day out on a Friday, starting at our generously packed market stall, where I buy most of the week’s fresh fruit and vegetables from. This stops people coming by the homestead and getting turned down.. having no deliciously decadent treats to snaffle! The cupboards get topped up by a Saturday morning market visit, picking up anything that tasted sublime the day before…or yummy extras that we’ve already demolished our way through! Buying direct like this means that you’re getting fresh, seasonal produce that is at its energy peak in full flavour and nutrition.
I love keeping my money within the community, knowing my food has been cared for, and that I’m receiving all the benefits of food being sold at it’s absolute best. Stopping at roadside stalls advertising organic leafy greens, tops up my sluggish gardens ever dwindling supply and grabbing ripe fruits from friend’s gardens adds to the bounty.

Believing wholeheartedly in feeding our bodies the best to feel the greatest, eating organically wherever I can gifts me with preserving more than my well being. Helping to restore soil quality and encouraging wildlife fills in the bigger picture. Receiving up to 50% more vitamins, minerals and enzymes than in non-organic produce and avoiding exposure to poisonous chemicals and potential carcinogens allows me to breathe easy and ignite my days with more energy.

Shopping in the supermarkets is sometimes our only option, and some are well stocked with organic, wholefood supplies. Local, independent shops are way more fun however, and I love to have an energising giggle with likeminded souls over a willow shopping basket, brown paper bags and tantalising treats. Wholefood stores are also stocked with knowledgeable staff who can point you in the right direction. They also offer bulk buying, which is a sensible option, as prices on nuts and seeds can drastically be cut buying this way.

What to buy for eating more energy and loving life raw…

A selection from each section…

Fruit…apples, oranges, pears, lemons, dates, bananas as your staples. Then anything seasonal from your area…kiwis and grapefruit for me at the moment, and there are tropical fruits if you are lookin’ for a treat…pineapples, kumquats, lychees, mango, guava. I always have frozen organic berries in the freezer too.

Vegetables…carrots, avocadoes, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers (not green as these are unripe), celery, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, green beans, olives, corn. Dark leafy greens such as kale, pak choi, rocket, watercress, chard and cavolo nero are an important part of your diet.

Sea Vegetables…These contain more minerals than any other kinda food, as well as many vital vitamins, including that elusive B12! …dulse, arame, nori, kelp and wakame are a few to choose from.

Herbs and spices…fresh is always best! Ginger, garlic, red chilli, parsley, coriander, basil…anything you can get your hands on. Dried…I use, dill, cumin, cinnamon, garam masala, paprika and nutmeg.

Nuts…walnuts, almonds, hazlenuts, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, macadamias and brazils.

Seeds… sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, flax, alafalfa (for sprouting only) tahini If I had to choose one of the above, I would choose almonds and sunflower seeds for their diverse uses, high nutritional content and their affordability! Make sure all nuts and seeds are untoasted, unheated and raw.

Dried fruit…avoid buying sulphured fruits, such as orange apricots and light pears and fruits sweetened with sugar. Raisins, dates, apricots figs and dried mango.

Grains…buckwheat groats, quinoa and oat groats.

Beans and pulses… lentils, mungbeans and chickpeas

Oils…Cold pressed only. Flax, hemp, coconut, extra virgin olive oil and treat yourself with walnut, avocado and other fancy oils.

Sweeteners… raw honey, raw agave nectar, lucuma, mesquite and maple syrup

Pickles…sauerkraut, gherkins, kimchee, pickled onions…

Flavourings…nutritional yeast flakes (add cheesy flavour) carob powder, miso, tamari or shoyu or Braggs liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar, sundried tomatoes, vanilla extract/beans and sea salt or himalyan pink salt.

Superfoods…spirulina, wheatgrass powder, barleygrasss, blue green algae, cacao, hemp protein powder and maca.

And if you’re really lucky you may find…

Essene breads, ready made raw chocolates, macaroons, grawnola, trail mix, brownies, raw nut butters, crackers, truffles, halva and raw icecream.

Yeeha! So, empty your cupboards and fridge of all the old fashioned, energy depleting way of eating and raise the vibration with your rainbow room of delights.

Sarah Lea

Ps/ To find out how to turn this lot into 5 minute delicious gourmet dishes, that’ll be gobbled up just as quickly, tune in to Eat More Energy this November and jump aboard the energy train!

Tags: raw food