raw blueberry tarts

the crust of these tastes like raisin butter tarts. holy moly. yet another dangerously delicious recipe...

these were originally going to be one giant raw blueberry pie, complete with a lattice top crust.

why pie? well, first of all - why not. but also because i just got home from an 8-day motorcycle trip with my dad across the cascade mountain range through canada and northern america. along the way i was able to get vegan food everywhere and it was all delicious; but sadly i could never get a slice of homemade, local, fresh, wild berry pie at any of the adorable diners we stopped at! apparently they like butter in small towns.

so i decided to make a raw blueberry as soon as i got home. we have tons of amazing blueberry bushes in our front yard and they make up a large chunk of my diet in the summer. mmm...

i'll be posting about my motorcycle adventure tomorrow, in case you're interested. in the meantime, make these tarts (or make it into one big pie) and enjoy summer before it winds down! i'll also be posting a recipe for a KILLER KALE SALAD. i had it for lunch. man, was it good. 

for one lovely afternoon: i suggest doing some yoga or meditation with this music, creating a kale salad with garden veggies, and finally making these tarts. following that, maybe have a glass of wine with your loved one and watching a movie? whatever floats your boat. it's your day.

mini blueberry tarts: makes about 5

crust:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup dates

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt

filling:

4 cups organic blueberries

4 tablespoons agave/maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

for the crust, process the nuts into a rough flour in your food processor, it might get kind of like a really thick nut butter (mine did). then add the dates, raisins and salt. process until it all sticks together. i couldn't stop EATING THIS. quickly press the crust into lined cupcake tins before you devour it all. put in the fridge.

to make the filling, mix the sweetener and cinnamon gently into the blueberries. you could add some vanilla and salt here if you want. then fill the tarts with the blueberries and voila! 

health is simple, health is delicious, health is beautiful!

10 day juice fast: day 10

day 10 is here! and almost done! it's really strange to think i won't be only consuming juice tomorrow... i will be having solid food. crazy. a part of me is a little scared to go back to food. i know i'll have no regrets once i eat but i've gotten used to juice, and i love what the fast has done for me. at the same time, tomorrow is like christmas!

i spent my final day of fasting having a great time with amber. we drove downtown and got E3 Live shots at Buddha-Full. i won't lie... i prefer wheat grass. but then i LOVE wheat grass juice. i know some people think it's too strong but personally i think it's delicious and sweet on it's own! the E3 Live however was pretty bitter. we had orange and lemon slices for chase. 

what do you think of E3 Live shots? compared to wheat grass?

next we stopped at sejuiced and got... you guessed it. juice. amber is having a raw day :) i got the "body and soul" juice and she got something with "energy" in the name. can't go wrong there.

then we went to kits (hippie central: my home land) and visited banyen books. I LOVE THIS PLACE! my mom had been telling me it was my kind of store and that i needed to go for awhile now, but i didn't have a chance until today. oh boy. heaven. they had a book on tiny houses, a whole shelf dedicated to juicing, fasting and raw food (and two others for vegan, whole foods and vegetarian diets), and everywhere you looked was something to do with harmony, om, buddha, chimes, meditation music, and generally just beautiful things.

finally we walked down to the beach and sat on opposite ends. i was able to meditate and reflect on the past 10 days, as well as anticipate the near future and my feelings about both strands of time. exactly what i needed. after that i fell into a om-like state and have stayed that way since. i will sleep very well tonight i think, and wake up tomorrow to face a day of eating!

oh and i do want to mention, tonight i had some nut milk. this is my juice fast and i'll do it the way i want to, tonight i felt nut milk would hit the spot. some people might be stricter and consume nothing but juice for 10 days (which is essentially what i did, of course), but i'm totally fine with eating a strawberry here and there, and having nut milk on the last days. my body is thrilled either way ;)

i got an idea from this glass of milk actually... i'm gonna make a cashew banana chocolate milkshake tomorrow ;) stay tuned, my darlings! i want to thank you all for the support and positive energy you gave me during these past 10 days.