Hooray for fall time, for the abundance of pumpkin, squash, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts spinach, ginger and apples. Bring on the warm grains, seeds, beans, soups, and hot drinks. Now’s the time preserve the last of the crops by fermenting produce for the winter. It’s also a time to whip up a batch of shea butter infused with your favorite essential oils for dry skin and hair. I’ll be posting about all of this and more so be sure to check back often or subscribe to my newsletter!
My meal plans for Autumn are filled with in-season fruits and vegetables from the local farmers’ market. I eat a variety of cooked and raw foods in the fall time and adhere mostly to a 60% raw 40% cooked diet. If I feel my immune system weaken I’ll go back to 80:20 with plenty of warm fluids, and alkalizing super foods like spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae.
I switch out my cold juices and replace them with soups made from veggie juices, herbs and fats such as avocado like in the sweet potato apple soup or coconut oil, if I’m heating the soup at a high temperature. I warm my body from the inside with dried cayenne, I love adding it to salads, pastas and rice with fermented veggies. I brew herbal concoctions that cleanse me. I dry as many herbs from the garden as I can. I stock up on nuts, spices, seeds, grains, and legumes. I give them life by soaking and sprouting. These are my fall ways.
Staying healthy for the holidays is always at the top of my priorities. I remember every single year around this time being sick as a dog. If only I had known how to take care of myself properly.
Some important things I learned to always keep in mind.
*Make sure you’re getting enough greens and alkalizing foods.
*Eat lots of fermented veggies containing lactobacillus “the good bacteria” to keep candida in it’s place.
A popular problem around the holidays is acid reflux….we eat a good amount of meat, cooked sides, desserts and next thing we know our heart all the way up to our throat is on fire and it’s not going anywhere for awhile, unless we take a pill. I decided enough was enough, I’d rather get creative and make food that tastes just as good with ingredients that don’t give me such problems.
Many traditional holiday foods have acidifying or acidic elements like meat, processed wheat and sugar. Eating too much sugar from all the delicious pies and candies can cause many problems around this time of year. This is why I choose to make all raw desserts, they are easier and taste incredible. This way I eliminate a large portion of my sugar intake which keeps candida levels at bay, you don’t want to feed those guys sugar, they will wreak havoc on your immune system.
Look out for these Upcoming Recipes
All of the upcoming recipes will be vegan, most will be raw, gluten free and I’ll throw in some nut-free recipes as well.
Sprouted Cranberry Maple Pecan & Apple Raisin Oatmeal
And Many More!!
These are the pictures I took after shopping, you can’t see everything but you get the idea. We use the best quality ingredients possible, mostly in their raw unprocessed state and we use our imagination and creativity to make healthier dishes that replicate our childhood favorites. It’s fun making and sharing food, especially around the holidays. It’s in our culture to share food made with love, why not make it food that also shares health.
Mostly everything in the jars I start soaking on a friday to make most of my meals on sunday. I know at first this seems like a daunting task but all you have to do is soak, rinse, leave on the counter, rinse again every once in a while with warm water and look for little white tails. The tricky part is remembering the soaking and sprouting times for each, but there are many sites that can help you with that.
Soaking nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes neutralize their anti-nutrients, reduce or remove phytic acid and are more readily available for absorption of protein and minerals. There are many more reasons to sprout, another one being that our ancestors instinctually made a habit of sprouting but why do it because someone tells you to. Try it both ways and compare how your body reacts afterwards. Multiple times I have found that sprouting helps reduce gas and bloating. Our modern day way of eating these foods has caused many digestion problems from long term consumption and to me it is now obvious.
Nuts, seeds, grains and berries will forever be a staple in my fall and winter diet. They are great bought in bulk so I take less trips to the market when it’s chilly out. They are really cheap per pound, store for a long time and can be made into many different easy recipes. Cheap, easy and convenient…sounds like natures fast food and that’s perfect for a busy schedule full of fun fall activities!
Cheers to good fall food, warm bodies and healthy holidays! xoxoxo
,Amanda
