Need Help and Support - Raw Food Chat

patvstewart · 09-10-2007

I am 32 years-old and a mother of three. I am looking to learn how to eat raw foods in a simple way. I have talked to other raw foodist and they made things to hard. I want to learn how to do this very simple and I don't have time to put alot of things together. So can someone help. I need it very simple. My email address is patvstewart32@yahoo.com. Thank You!

rawhippie · 09-10-2007

hey paty, there are plenty of books out there in regards to simplicity, just look in the bookstore.
one of my favorite simple recipes is zucchini "pasta" in a marinara sauce.
the "pasta" is just zucchini grated on a cheese grater (takes one minute) and the marinara is some tomato, mushrooms, basil, spices, and anything else you'd like ground in the food processor. the only time consuming part of this is peeling and cutting upt the marinara ingredients. if they are organic, you don't have to worry about peeling anything. anyway, i have found that a lot of raw food recipe books contain a lot of words for an easy recipe, so don't be scared away from what looks like it may be difficult. most of the authors get pretty wordy (like me right now,hehehe) by telling you precisely how to do something. ie: cut the banana lengthwise with a paring knife to make sure the banana stays in tact and set aside for later. see, lots of words describing one silly aspect. DON'T BE SCARED TO TRY SOMETHING OUT, most recipes out there for everyday life are quite easy.
hope that helps
chin up and good luck
peace
hippie

greenbunny · 09-11-2007

hey Paty,

Eating raw is so simple. Here are some suggestions:

Have lots of fruit in the house and let your kids grab some when they are hungry.

Make trail mix. You can buy all the ingredients on line. I just made one with some sunflower seeds and pumpkins seeds that I bought already soaked and dehydrated, sundried raisins, goji berries, mulberries and goldenberries. Then I got these little packets of freeze dried fruits and put some of those in - or just eat those as ready to go snacks - or a meal.

Smoothies. The perfect food. In a blender goes all sorts of fruits with some nutbutters or soaked nuts and/or seeds. Always a favorite and oh so healthy.

Carrots with nutbutter. Bananas with nutbutter. Nutbutter on manna bread. Nutbutter on raw crackers.

Chocolate. Raw powdered chocolate mixed with agave or dates put on fruit or just eaten plain. Couldn't be more simple or delicious.

Baby greens. Already washed and organic. Cut up a tomato and put on salad dressing... and it's a meal.

Miso broth. Fabulous food.

Raw soups. My favorite is a couple tomatoes with some basil, celtic sea salt, olive oil and italian herbs blended up. You can drink it cold or heat it on the stove a little if you want.

Frozen juice in those little pop makers for kids.

Did I mention fruit? Fruit, fruit, fruit. Oh so easy. Oh so perfect.

How about carrots. How about carrots dipped in nutcreams or tahini.

How about Halvah. All it is is sesame seeds and honey in a vitamix and what could be more delicious than that!

Guacamole. So easy. How about just cutting an avocado in half and putting celtic sea salt, cayenne and lemon on it. That's the perfect meal for me.

Did I mention chocolate? The kids would have a great time opening a young raw coconut. Smash, bang, boom. Drink the milk and put the meat into a blender, put in powdered chocolate and agave and out comes Chocolate Pudding!

Raw foods are the simplest, easiest and healthiest thing to eat. It is not hard. It's easy.

Oh, soak nuts and sprinkle on all sorts of yummy seasonings. My favorite is pistachios with chilli powder. Almonds with nama shoyu are great. Pistachios blended with miso is just amazing. Put that on carrots. Yum.

I could go on for days with simple things that are delicious. Did I mention fruit?

What are your kids favorite foods? I would imagine that it would be pretty important to get raw versions of the things they like to eat.

Greenbunny

rawhippie · 09-12-2007

hey greenbunny, what is manna bread? i've seen it mentioned ehre a lot and have never heard of it. also, what are goldenberries?
thanks
hippie

greenbunny · 09-12-2007

Manna Bread - in all honesty - is a raw lie. It isn't raw. It's bread that is cooked at low temperatures and is supposed to be sprouted.... but the only one of all the different kinds/flavors that is really all sprouted is the rye bread. When they say low temperatures, what they don't tell you that they mean low compared to what most bread is cooked at. Manna bread is cooked at 250 degrees the last time I researched it over a decade ago - but I doubt that the temp has changed. Some raw foodist say that they don't eat the crust and the inside is raw, but I don't know how they can really know that the inside is raw. What I do know is that manna bread sits well with me even when I "cheat" on it eating 100% raw when cooked things in general would make me at the least queazy and usually make me throw up. So, as far as I'm concerned, manna bread is a great transition food and very good substitute for bread if that is something that is hard for someone to give up and something that they would cheat on - like me and for that poor woman with the three kids trying to transition and wanting things easy - it could be a god-send.

The loaves are small and more like cake in many ways than bread. I used to make manna bread sandwiches with avocado, onion, tomato, baby greens, pepper, celtic sea salt and a tiny bit of cayenne that were unbelievably delicious when I was in transition. It made the transition possible for me.

Greenbunny

greenbunny · 09-12-2007

Oh, forgot to say that Manna Bread is name brand and found in the freezer section of health food stores.

Goldenberries are a berry that was almost lost to the amazon but re-discovered that is very nutrtious and interesting. It is tart and tangy so adds a great pizzazz to a trail mix. ELF brand has them. Google ELF. .... Essemtial....Living ...Foods I think. I forget the full name. If you can't find it I'll go check the bag.

Greenbunny

rawhippie · 09-12-2007

THANKS!!!
you know, it's funny, i find that when i have cooked food cravings...at this point it's really just for bread and cheese. i was talking about this with another raw food friend of mine and she was finding the same thing...so what the ($%@? what the heck did i eat before going raw? just bread and cheese? 'cause that's all i want from the "cooked food world." it just seems odd to me, that's all.
just one of my silly observations.
peace

SnowBunny · 09-12-2007

RawHippie... it's the same for me too lately! At least for my cravings for sugar was easy to get over, as I would just gobble down fruit. I'm fortunately coming out of that little phase. And for chocolate I just use carob in nut bars.

But bread and cheese is hard to make up for in raw foods. Bread and cheese was always my comfort food, (okay and ice cream too!) I even decided how good a restaurant was based on their bread.

We just need to push through it just like my little sugar craving period! I wonder if it's something we're missing from our diets? Or just as I said, a craving like sugar?

rawhippie · 09-12-2007

hey snowbunny,
actually, usually if you're body is having short term cravings like sugar, it generally means you need what your body is asking for for its nutritional content. so you are right on the money with your wondering.
if you are not vegan raw, you still can have raw cheese!!! thankfully!!!
but bread? i am very aware it's an emotional attachment for me. there are times when i get in my car, pull out of the driveway and get to dunkin donuts to get a bagel and turn right around and go home before i get to the drive thru! in those moments the realization hits me that i am not even freakin' hungry!!!!!!!
man, cooked food is such an addiction!
i am happy that i have had these awakenings and can incorporate them in these almost give in moments.
good luck to you....to all of us when we are having those moments
peace
hippie