Raw Pumpkin Puree

PUMPKIN!!!!! PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How can you ever have fall without pumpkin? Carving, Pies, and pumpkin...well..everything!

So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the minute I got the opportunity, I bought myself a pumpkin and carved the heck out of it. Kudos to anyone who can guess what I carved. If you can, leave a comment below telling me what or who you think I carved!

Here's a hint:

Making raw food from pumpkin, however, is a bit harder if you don't do it right. Most pumpkin purees involve boiling the pumpkin to soften it enough to use. With this in mind, I set out to create a delicious pumpkin puree without having to cook it. So this is what i've come up with.

Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients:

1 Pie Pumpkin

1 Apple

-Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all of the seeds and insides. An ice cream scoop works excellently for this. Then core the apple.

-Cut up the pumpkin and apple into small pieces or cubes and put those pieces into a juicer.

-Put both the pulp and the juice into a food processor or blender and blend until the texture is smooth. Add water if needed until everything is smooth.

-Enjoy!

I also saved some of the juice just for the sake of Harry Potter references

Finally, a pumpkin puree that a raw foodist can partake of. Some people just settle for carrot puree and say you can't tell the difference, but if I want some pumpkin then i'm gonna have some pumpkin!

Pumpkin is also one of the nutritious fruits available (yes, its a fruit). Not only the mineral rich flesh, but the seeds are also incredibly good for your body and in many cases considered one of the healthiest foods on earth. But I didn't really use the seeds in this recipe in this post, so lets save that for another day.

I'm not big on counting my calories since I really dont need to worry about it with a raw diet but for those of you who are, there are only about 40 calories in every half cup of this puree! It contains a load of beta-carotene, which is basically just Vitamin A when its in the body. Vitamin A is awesome for your vision and helping to reverse skin damage. Also this vitamin is not too bad at boosting your immune system so when its combined with the vitamin C that's in here, its a perfect food for those winter colds.

It also has about 5 grams of fiber for ever 1/2 cup so your digestive system and cholesterol levels will both thank you for that. The Vitamin E in here will help your skin and the vitamin B5 will help to balance out your hormones.

So not only is this stuff going to taste incredibly good in a pie (a recipe for that is coming), but its also amazingly healthy for your body too! I added the apple in here to give it some sweetness for desserts, but you don't really need it if you plan on using this recipe for a soup. Expect me to be eating this stuff all month long!

Whats your favorite pumpkin recipe? And did anyone get what I carved?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Only a warrior could handle this mega shake...

Its green, slimy, and will revitalize you faster than the cure for the zombie apocalypse. I don't care what you say man, this stuff tastes GOOD! You can give me weird looks all day long, but I guarantee that now one of them will get me worked up in the slightest. You can say what you want, but I think I just found my after-workout snack.

It looks like a mint-green color but tastes nothing like it. Actually, it kind of tastes chocolaty. That's one of my favorite aspects of raw food. I can make something that tastes absolutley amazing, but people look at me as though i'm devouring the slimy brains of another helpless victim. Being a raw, vegan highschooler is awesome!

Choc.Cado Super Shake

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

1/8 c. Cacao Nibs

1/4 c. Chia Seeds

2 tbsp. Coconut oil

4 tbsp. PURE SYNERGY Powder

4 tbsp. Honey/Agave

-Mix the chia seed with 1/4 c. of water (or coconut water works well too!) and set it aside while you prep your other ingredients.

-Skin and pit your avocado and throw all of your ingredients into the blender. Blend until everything is well mixed. Add a bit of water if needed.

-Pour into a glass and enjoy!

I....FEEL.....THE POWARRRR!!!!!

Recovery smoothies and shakes are so incredibly easy to make. Its all about whats inside that makes it all worth while. So lets go over the yumminess inside, shall we?

Chia: What the crap is a chia?

Chia is like a dieter's dream come true. You soak it and it gets filled with water in about 3 minutes. Then those big, slimy beads of water fill your stomach so you feel full...off of WATER! Water has no calories! Not only that, but it contains a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber which balance out your blood sugar by slowing down the conversion of starches into sugars. They also are a complete source of protein to help build you up and are rich in antioxidants omega 3s.

My favorite part of it all is its cleansing aspects though. As it runs through your body, it picks up a lot of the build-up in your body and safely moves it all out. So this food builds you the good and cleans out the bad all at the same time!

Avocado: Guacamole in my drink?

This green fruit(yes, its a fruit) is one of the best foods to add to just about anything for the reason that it helps you to absorb nutrients. The fats in avocado are soluble, meaning they are absorbent. So when nutrients is eaten with and absorbed into the avocado, your body is able to take in sometimes five times as much of the benefits!

And the fats themselves prevent different cancers on so many levels and the Vitamin E is one of the best for radiant and clean skin. The oils and fats in it are especially excellent for tissue repair after your workout.

Coconut Oil: Need I say more?

I really need to do a coconut oil post. This is my absolute favorite food and is one of the most complete foods on the planet. Its contains the best oils for your hair and your skin, is incredibly rich in antioxidants, contains acids that fight of viruses, helps with high blood pressure, tissue repair, revitalizing blood......i really need a coconut post.

But for now, it is excellent for both repairing old tissue and rebuilding new tissue after your work out. It also strengthens your thyroid which increases your metabolism for more of a fat burn after your work out. A fat that burns fat is always loved! Not to mention the energy it will give you after eating it!

Green is Good: Pure Synergy is beast!!

As i've stated in previous posts, pure synergy is probably the only green superfood formula I will ever use. Its raw, completely organic, and is the most complete green superfood powder on the market. I could basically live off of this stuff and still maintain optimum health.

I am NOT advertising for them by any means, nor is this a medicine supplement. Its basically just some of the most potent foods on earth dried and ground up to size where your body can digest it the easiest. I just strongly believe that this powder is by far superior by all standards due to the complete combination of enzymes , fruits, and sea vegetables, and herbs.

In short, this stuff is amazing!

Cacao and Honey: Not just for taste..

Raw chocolate and unheated, organic honey are the two most antioxidant and enzyme rich foods ever recorded to this day! Chocolate contains the same oleic acid as the coconut oil and macadamia nuts do, which is the absolute best oil for your skin. Honey absorbs nutrients rather quickly and sends them straight to your blood stream.

The sugars in honey if it is unprocess and unheated are mostly fructose, which are the best foods to power your brain and metabolism. Its even been shown that eating a spoonful of honey before bed send energy to your brain without storing it, and then to your thyroid to produce more metabolic hormones. In short, eating a spoonful of it before bed can help you loose weight!

Its also sends energy directly through your body without need for digestion, so fuels and repairs your body almost instantly to help with that after-workout burn.

In short, this shake-smoothie thing tastes delicious and begins repairing your body almost instantly, building you up and strengthening you from the inside out!

Whats your favorite after-workout snack or meal?

-Andrew D. Morrison-