Easy Carrot Raisin Salad

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 We got a craving recently for a childhood favorite: Carrot Raisin Salad.

Don’t you love it when you can take a trip down memory lane simply by dining on a meal? Well, we were unloading our groceries the other day and noticed that we placed the bag of carrots right next to a bag of raisins. Hmmmm .. we both started to say, remember enjoying carrot raisin salad as a kid?

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We decided to make some right away.

We also decided to keep it super easy and make homemade coleslaw dressing to use as the dressing for the salad as we both LOVE that easy and versatile dressing.

What we did: 

  • Grated up 1 lb of whole carrots
  • Tossed in about 1/2 cup raisins (maybe more…)
  • Tossed it with Easy Coleslaw Dressing

That was it! Super simple, right?

We enjoyed the salad right away on a bed of spinach. It was yummy. A nice mixture of an old friend and new tastes (in the form of the coleslaw dressing).

Luckily we had made enough carrot raisin salad to have it again the next day and this time we sprinkled the top with some sunflower seeds- which gave the salad a wonderful crunch and salty bit every now and then.

Do you love Carrot Raisin Salad? Try it and let us know what you think

Apples At Trader Joe’s Kansas City

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Hello Kansas City Trader Joe’s Fans;

Here at Living Trader Joe’s we wanted to let you know about a special treat being offered right now at the Ward Parkway location.

For those of you are lucky enough to have the childhood memory of picking fresh apples off of a tree and eating it right there in the orchard or back yard you can relive that experience.

If you are one of these people, then your mouth has probably started to water as you recall the sweet-tart sensation that danced on your tongue as you bit through the tough skin that protected the juice packed center.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure yet…it is waiting for you at Trader Joe’s Ward Parkway. Unless you just cannot stand tartish apples, that first bite will be a moment you will not forget.

For those of you not in the Kansas City area call your favorite location and see if they are offering something similar.

Enjoy life,

How to Make Raw Almond Milk With the Vitamix

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Are you interested in learning How to make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily? Then keep reading to learn just how simple this whole process can take. Almond milk is a healthy and tasty substitute for dairy milk that you can make quickly and easily at home with the Vitamix. The Vitamix makes creamy and delicious almond milk in less than 5 minutes.  We normally enjoy our almond milk on our morning oatmeal or cold cereal.  But it can be used in baking or even making French toast. Try it anyplace that you enjoy dairy milk.

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We also like the flexibility of making our Almond milk at home. This way we can make the amount that we need, we can avoid any unwanted preservatives, and, as we are shopping at Trader Joe’s, enjoy a high quality end product.

But I am sure that I don’t have to sell you on all the benefits of enjoying raw almond milk.

Let’s get started making Raw Almond Milk quickly and easily at home.

What You Need:

  • ¼ to ½  Cup Trader Joe’s Raw Almonds
  • 2 Cups  Water

Optional Ingredients: Vanilla, honey or Agave syrup

How To:

1. Pour  2 cups of water into the Vitamix blender. Add the amount of raw almonds that you wish to use. We like to use ½ cup of raw almonds to 2 cups of water. This makes thick, rich almond milk.  Experiment here and see  what you like the best.

2. Start the Vitamix on low and quickly increase to high speed. Let the almonds and water process until you can’t hear any “chunks” of almonds anymore and the container just starts to get warm. This is where we stop, so that we don’t wind up cooking the almonds.

3. Pour into a glass jar and it is ready to use. We like the almond milk cold, so we try to make sure that we make the almond milk the day before we need it.

Variations:

We like to add a drop or two of vanilla to the almond milk. You can also add a bit of Trader Joe’s honey or Agave syrup if you like.

Here is a short video of me making raw almond milk in the Vitamix (check out my crazy hair… can anyone say “haircut time Kris”?? :

So now that you know How to Make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily.  We hope you get a chance to enjoy some soon.

Have you checked out the Vitamix yet? 

This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals.

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix

Easy Raw Diet Green Smoothie: Spinach & Ginger

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Another great tasting Easy Raw Diet Green Smoothie:Spinach & Ginger was created today in our kitchen! We are so excited by the yummy green smoothies that we are enjoying and wanted to share another one with you today. This one was just loosely based on a recipe, and then became a sort of  “just toss it in” creation.  Now even if you are not on the Raw Diet, you can add these yummy Green Smoothies to your day. They are a fantastic way to eat more fruit and veggies!

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Trader Joe’s has made this smoothie kick we are on sooo easy! In our Tucson store they have added a lot more “individual” pieces of fruit. So now we can go in and just pick up one pear, or one orange when we want to.

Vita-Mix Raw Green Smoothie: Spinach & Ginger

Vita-Mix Raw Green Smoothie: Spinach & Ginger


We recently purchased some great looking Kiwi fruits…. Look out Vita-Mix!

We are using a base of fruits in our smoothie recipes that seem to be working out very well for us. We are using an orange, a banana and a pear with 1 ½ cups of water and a ½ cup of ice. Then the creative part comes in and we start to add the green stuff and this week a super-delicious “extra” ingredient…. fresh ginger root.

Wow! Was that a great idea. The ginger added a kick to our raw diet green smoothie. It was subtle at first, but then as you sipped a bit more, it hit you- as a sweet spiciness in your mouth.  We recommend trying some fresh ginger in your next smoothie, but we would also recommend starting out on the conservative side. We added a slim round slice from our ginger root. It was the size of a quarter and about as thick as two quarters. I was thinking I would like to add a second slice, but then thought not. I figured that I could always add more ginger, and would taste and see.  I think the amount was perfect and I am now glad that I did not add more.

OK here is the recipe for a wonderful Raw Diet Green Smoothie:

Awesome Spinach-Ginger Raw, Whole Fruit Smoothie

  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 1 pear, quartered and seeds removed
  • 1 banana, peeled
  • 1 coin of ginger
  • 1 handful Trader Joe’s baby spinach
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 1 ½ cups cold water
  • ½ cup Ice cubes

1. Prepare fruit (peel and remove seeds where needed), wash and rinse the ingredients and add to the Vita-Mix blender. Whirl until smooth about 1 minute total.

Like I said before this Raw Diet Green Smoothie was just wonderful. We were a bit concerned because I tossed some parsley in the container, but all we could taste at the end was the fruits.

The finished Green Smoothie

The finished Green Smoothie

So if you are trying to add in some more fruits and veggies into your day- we say – go ahead and try a green smoothie. Even if you are not on the Raw Foods diet 100% (we are not…. But we are just trying to add some more raw foods into our diet) you will love the energy you get from this drink.

Have you checked out the Vita-Mix yet?  This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals. Take a look today at

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix

What do you like in your smoothies?  Have you tried a Green Smoothie yet?