Exactly ONE week to go until bloggie blog's birthday, which also means there is only ONE week to go until entries to the Healthy Hamper Competition close! And what better way to remind you of the amazing energising health-boosting delicious superfoods you can win, than use them in the most amazing energising health-boosting delicious recipe...

Elliot fuelling up to train for part of Tour de France race

A little about Matcha:
This finely milled Japanese green tea is a superfood amongst superfoods. Thanks to teapigs I have been able to experiment with all kinds of recipes from smoothies and hot drinks to chocolate and cakes. The available antioxidants are upto 150 times higher than standard green tea. Ingesting a whole tea leaf ground up, means you get mega high potency in catechins, chlorophyll, theophylline, theannine and essential amino acids. All this means, that it boosts metabolism, helps reduce cholesterol levels, energises for an extended period of time and calms the nerves. And the taste is oh so good.

A little about Hemp seeds:
Hemp is another name for the cannabis plant... and now that we have that out of the way, let's focus on its incredible health benefits. Hemp seeds are about 80% essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acids, omega 3, omega 6, etc. This would do wonders to your skin, hair, nails and overall internal organ happiness. There are no known allergies to hemp seeds, even for those that can't tolerate nuts, gluten, lactose and sugar. In addition to EFA, these health powerhouses are high in amino acids, iron, dietary fibre, calcium as well as a vast variety of minerals. I add them to cereals, smoothies, milks, crackers, breads, deserts or just eat as a snack on their own. Delicious.

1 Cup Shelled hemp seeds, soaked overnight
4 Cups pure water
Pinch Celtic sea salt
1 Tbsp Matcha green tea powder
2 Tbsp Raw honey
1 handful fresh peppermint
Ice, as needed

-Blend hemp seeds, water and salt. Then strain
-Watch me demo the making of nut/seed milk here
-Transfer the strained milk back to the blender and blend
-TIP: for a hot drink, leave the ice out and blend for 2-3 minutes on high


You can WIN a Matcha Kit and Hemp Seeds, as well as a whole array of superfoods by entering the Healthy Hamper Competition

A sliced Carrot looks like a human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like a sliced carrot! and Yes science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow and function of the eye. "Eat carrots to see in the dark", remember that?

Tomatoes and Capsicum have four chambers and are red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes and bell peppers are indeed pure and important blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster in a shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell. Check for yourself, but most of us know that grapes are also profoundly vitalizing heart and blood food.

A walnut looks like a little brain- a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuro transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain function and yes they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are about the same. Is you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Egg plant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female- they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?- it takes exactly 9 months to grow an Avocado from blossom to ripened fruit!

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, Oranges and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which was the epithelial layers of the eyes.

Bananas, Cucumbers, Zucchini and more target the size and strength of the male sexual organ.

Peanuts have a profound effect on the testicles and sexual libido. Peanuts were banned as a food for males by the church during the middle ages. Most people don't realise that arginine, the main component of Viagra comes from peanuts






As for this week's recipe, I thought it only appropriate to use some of my favourite ingredients (from above) and create a mega delicious salad...

For the Kale
2 Large handfuls Kale... okay 3!
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

For the rest
1 Large Carrot
1 Large Kumara/ Sweet potato
1 Ripe Avocado
Olives
Sundried Tomatoes

-While getting all prepared, have sundried tomatoes soaking in warm water
-In a large bowl mix the Oil, lemon juice and salt
-Destalk and chop Kale, then add to the large bowl
-Use your hands to really massage the juices into the Kale. The salt will also help break down the cell walls of this tough green and make it really nice and soft
-Grate the carrot and raw sweet potato. I used a Vegetable Spiralizer, makes the salad so much more exciting!
-Slice, chop, cut the rest and toss

Nothing really beats a day out in the sun!

..accept maybe a road trip, great company, tree climbing, a picnic and exploring new places.

Yep that certainly is one good day out and one I'm still buzzing from a week later.


That's me, Aya, Kyle, Elliot and a very sweet self timer.

We left London early on Saturday morning to be at Go Ape high ropes course for a 10am start.




You hear enough about Elliot and I :), so meet Aya Davis, my beautiful friend and amazing woman behind Pura Vida Food.

If you haven't heard of Pura Vida, it's a Raw Living lunch delivery service around London and now offering postage service throughout all of UK.

Her food is to LIVE for, completely scrumptious and super nutritious. 100% raw of cause and highly recommended by me!


Meet Kyle Vialli of kylevialli.com- the super energy charged man behind organising Europe's best and biggest Vitality events.

If you haven't heard of his next event Vitality, Longevity & Genius Conference (with David Wolfe, John Demartini and a secret surprise speaker)- where have you been my friend?

It is not until November, but early bird tickets are available only until 4th April, make sure you get yours asap! Aya, Elliot and I will be there too, along with another 1200 people. CAN NOT WAIT!




Our day only kept getting better, exploring Windsor, Royal Holloway University, Virginia Water and even more tree climbing. Apparently real monkeys don't need no harnesses...


We certainly worked up quite an appetite for our picnic. Lunch never tasted so good! Check out what we had...

This week's recipe: Superman Smoothie. Is it coincidence that when I wrote our initials on each bottle, it spelt TEAK- strong hard wood tree!

Samosas from Pura Vida food delivery

Aya's amazing Jerusalem Artichoke salad

A selections of Raw Chocolates from my upcoming book

1 whole pineapple, shaved and chopped
2 mangoes, meat only
1 Tbsp Spirulina powder
1 Tbsp Chlorella powder
1 Tbsp Wheatgrass powder
water

-Put all ingredients into a blender in that order
-Cover with water
-Blend
-Mmmmm

Please note this competition is now closed. Thank you so much to all who entered and thank you so SO so much to those who shared the link on their own Facebook pages and blogs!!!


Counting system: all Facebook entries first, followed by blog comments including legitimate links :)

=Sophia Maslowski                =Alisha Palin            =Mandy 'Roberts' James

Congratulations Sophia, you get a full Detox Your World hamper!
Congratulations Alisha, you get a Teapigs Matcha kit!
Congratulations Mandy, you get Tanya Alekseeva's eBook 'Purified'!

xxx

Guess who is turning 1 soon!... You are looking at it right now :)

On 16th April my little baby Better Raw Blog is going to be not so little any more. And to celebrate- two of my favourite companies ever, generously sent me some of their top products. Amazing! This is Christmas all over again!!

But I can't take the presents that don't belong to me (oh how I am going to regret saying this), as I did afterall set up this blog for you guys. So to all my beautiful and handsome people all around the world... keep reading to find out what these awesome incredible products are and how you can be one of three super lucky and super envied winners...


Some facts about Better Raw Blog that you may not have known:

1. I was extremely nervous posting my first recipe on 16th April 2010
2. I started it so I could share some recipes with my corporate wellness clients after I set up my own company Corporate Creme
3. First month, only 5 people read it: My mum, my dad, my sister, my boyfriend Elliot and Elliot's mum
4. Now it gets over 6,000 readers a month (and it's not even 1 old yet)
5. I changed the template 3 times over the year. Don't laugh, but this is what the blog looked like when first born...

Shazzie started Rawcreation Ltd in June 2000. She noticed a gap in the market for the natural health products that she recommends in her books, videos and lectures. Rawcreation Ltd, now known as Detox Your World has since blossomed into a company which publishes fine educational materials, retails over 800 genuine health products and wholesales to ethical companies worldwide. Include any or all of the above ingredients in smoothies, deserts, nut shakes, soups, muesli or just eat on their own. Delicious.


Teapigs organic matcha is the hottest new drink for staying trim and healthy . Described as the “superhero amongst teas”, matcha offers a higher nutritional value than other green teas because it can be completely dissolved in water. Add it to smoothies and hot drinks or sprinkle over your morning porridge. Until now matcha has remained the best kept secret amongst A list celebrities. Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lindsay Lohan and Dannii Minogue are all self-confessed fans. Super easy and adaptable, teapigs organic matcha is the perfect antioxidant boost on-the-go.