Raw for 30 days

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Permalink Reply by Deb on February 13, 2009 at 10:35pm

Congratulations on your decision! And I'm so happy to hear that you're pre-planning...it will help you be successful. I have only a blender,a juicer and a dehydrator. All are very inexpensive machines and have lasted me for years. The dehydrator is handy for making crackers out of juicing pulp and for making treats but it's definitely not a necessity. My typical daily menu is fairly inexpensive and very portable.

Breakfast: a smoothie made in the blender
Snack: homemade trail mix and/or fresh fruit
Lunch: green smoothie and/or fresh juice and/or salad (if going to work and can't refrigerate smoothie, use a thermos)
Snack: crudites with "dip" (sunflower seed pate or fruit dip)
Supper: Here's where I get more creative and I'm more likely to have put something in the dehydrator in the morning to enjoy in the evening. But salads are a staple though I vary them greatly. One night I may serve it with lots of sprouts and a raspberry dressing; the next night it may become a mexican type salad featuring jicama and topped with an avocado dressing. And I love raw stir fry which is stir fry type vegetables chopped into a salad and tossed with a dressing made from soy sauce, oil, garlic and honey. You get the idea.
One night it might be a pineapple boat (salad of pineapple chunks, celery, chopped apple mixed with cashew or sunnie cream and served in scooped out half of a pineapple). Or refried sunflower beans (raw pate made in the blender) served in romaine wraps with guacomole. I've made glazed ginger carrots and just eaten tons of that all day. lol

So what are my hints? Have plenty of food on hand for the first week as you may be very hungry as you adjust. Bananas, bananas, bananas. Don't leave home without a few. Eat them as is, dip them in something yummy, freeze to use in smoothies or to mush into a faux ice cream, etc.. To freeze bananas, I first peel them and break them into about one inch pieces before bagging them. As you're not going 100% raw and don't have a dehydrator, you may want to invest in some healthy crackers. I don't use nuts often as I don't need the calories or the expense. Two pounds of raw sunflower seeds cost me less than $4 and lasts me about 6 weeks. I do have a can of raw tahini (which was more expensive) but it lasts me months because I mainly use it for flavoring like in a salad dressing or a banana-tahini smoothie. Raw buckwheat groats is a staple for me as is quinoa. Buckwheat a pound a month at $1.69; quinoa I don't remember the cost. Sprouts are another thing I can't do without. Alfalfa, mixed beans, clover, radish and so on. They're all good. It may seem expensive when you buy the seeds but realize 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds fills a quart jar with sprouts. I sprout in a mason jar using cheesecloth to cover the opening and have never had any problem difficulty. Use sprouts in salads, in green smoothies, etc. I always have plenty of carrots and apples on hand. Use in juicer, munch on raw, grate and flavor to make either a savory or sweet salad. hmmm...what else is always on my shopping list? Oh, dates or raisins. Soak some in water and blend with the water to create a natural date or raisin syrup. Keep it in refrigerator so it's always ready to add when you need a sweetener.

Wow! I just wrote a lot. Hope it helps give you a few ideas. You'll have fun experimenting and will soon find and develop favorite meals of your own. We're here for you. ((hug))

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Permalink Reply by Deb on February 13, 2009 at 10:39pm

Oh I forgot to add that if I mentioned anything that sounds interesting and you want a real recipe rather than my vague reference to some of the ingredients, let me know.

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Permalink Reply by RaWChomp on February 13, 2009 at 11:13pm

Hi, I started raw about a week ago. The only non-raw food I have is a cup of coffee with coffee whitener and sweetner. I already had a blender and a juicer. I really want to get a food processor and dehydrator but those are things that are further down the line for me. The day I decided to go raw I just ate the vegetables in my fridge. I bought a raw cook book and read as much stuff as I could find online. The next day I went to the local grocery store and but tonnes and tonnes of vegetables. I tried doing some of the recipes but realized that I didn't have a lot of the right herbs - a food processor - or the recipe didn't make sense - or there was some exotic indgredient like coconut oil. So - the next day I went out and bought a bunch of exotic stuff and stocked my cupboard. Through this whole process I realized raw or not I am not going to like certain foods (like cabbage and onions) unfortunately some of this stuff is going to go to waste.I tried out some of the recipes and they wern't for me either. Some other things sound really good like the dehydrated foods of choco squares and sprouting but I decided that it would make more sense to take things slow so I have eased up. I like the green smoothies. I also found that I needed to have more fruits (maybe its just me). I rediscovered my love of bananas and spinach. I don't care for nuts so much but they are a handy snack. My advice would be to do like what I am doing keep it simple with things you know and expand your diet with foods that you enjoy. I was really turned off by how complicated eating raw seemed to get. It really is a learning experience. I have made a little time line for myself. I am going to get a food processor in a month or so and then start sprouting by mid spring. I also want to get a food dehydrator by the end of summer. I am leave enough time between each project so that I can experiment and leearn how to get the best results for me. Hope this helps. I can say that in one short week I sleep better, wake up rested, lost lots of bloat and about 5 lbs. Colours seem more vivid and I feel happier then I have in a long time. I don't know how much better I can get but I am looking forward to it. Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on February 15, 2009 at 4:16pm

Thank you both for your replies which I have read and learnt from :-) I have been introducing more raw foods to my diet in the last few days and creating (or to trying to!) various dishes. I've blown the dust of the blender and have done a few smoothies and raw sauces (from the Raw Revolution Diet book), the sauces i've been adding the large salads and as a replacement for processed sauces to go on other foods. As for work i'm planning on stocking up on fruits to bring in, esp. for snacking which I am prone to do! Once again thanks for the replys!!

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Permalink Reply by Deb on February 15, 2009 at 10:42pm

Keep us posted on what you discover you like. :D

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