Raw Thanksgiving

As I plan my Thanksgiving Menu, I am reminded about the choices that we all make and the way a habit can so deeply become engrained into our daily lives.

In a family of four, I am the only one who has really embraced the power of a raw food lifestyle. Although I vary in the degree of raw % on a daily basis, my intent is clear to incorporate cleaner food choices for myself and my family into everything that I make. Since we are having company this holiday, and they each have very traditional SAD diets, I have decided to gently present RAW choices that are delicious and simple so everyone can enjoy the benefits without feeling the pressure of eating what the hostess prepares even if they don’t like it. That’s really the joy of Raw preparation. Pretty much everyone likes the ingredients, but they have never tried them together in a dish that hasn’t been cooked. For example, cooked carrots,peas and beans. Many people eat them cooked, but haven’t had the pleasure of a fresh sweet crunchy pea. Make selections this holiday that will showcase the simplicity of Raw and give your company a suprise with the new twist on traditional dishes, or add in a new dish like Matt Amsden’s cauliflower couscous, or fresh cranberry salad.

Tell me about your Raw Thanksgiving Menu.

~RawMa

Raw Menu Plans

These are hard to find and hard to make up as well. When you have transitioned from SAD to RAW, it can be very challenging to know what your body needs. Yes, you will get more vitamins and minerals by primarily eating raw veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds but is this everything you need? As you begin to feel the effects of the dietary change, you will begin to question your body and add, or subtract some of what you are eating until it feels right.

It is also a good idea to consult with a nutritionist for your individual needs.

A good foundation to start with is to follow along with David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System. Below is a sample from his book.

The All-Raw Diet Weekly Menu (Fall/Winter):

Day 1: Monday Morning: 2 young coconuts, with coconut meat and water blended together in a cream. If young coconuts cannot be found, blend 2 avocados with mature coconut water.

Afternoon: 5 oranges. 2 avocados. Spinach leaves.

Snack: 3 oranges.

Evening: One large spinach salad containing cucumber, tomato, and green onion salad with 1 avocado and fresh-squeezed lemon.

Day 2: Tuesday Morning: One large papaya eaten whole or blended with orange or lime juice.

Afternoon: 4 oranges. One small green-leafed vegetable salad (containing kale or spinach) with 10-20 almonds and fresh-squeezed lemon.

Snack: 2 oranges.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 2 avocados, cayenne pepper, and an orange squeezed as dressing. 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables, 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. squash, peppers, okra, etc.).

Day 3: Wednesday Morning: 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly-made orange juice mixed with 1/2 avocado or 3 teaspoons of flax seed oil. (Mixing a fat with a sugar for breakfast will time-release the sugar for more endurance energy).

Afternoon: Cucumber, 10 pitted dates, lettuce mixed salad. Squeeze an orange into the salad as dressing.

Snack: 2 persimmons. Assorted green leaves (lettuce, spinach, endive).

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables eaten with 1-2 cups of raw nuts, and an orange squeezed as dressing. Add several servings of raw dulse seaweed to the salad. Add 30-40 Sun-ripened olives (if available).

Day 4: Thursday Morning: 2 large pomegranates and 3 oranges cut and juiced on a citrus juicer. Blend with 0.5 ounces (0.015 liters) flax oil if desired.

Afternoon: 8 dried prunes. Silicon salad! (see Appendix C: Sunfood Recipes).

Snack: 2 asian pears. Assorted greens (kale, spinach, baby bok choy).

Evening: Nori rolls! Be creative! (see Appendix C: Sunfood Recipes).

Day 5: Friday Morning: 8 tangerines. 1 avocado.

Afternoon: Cucumber, okra, zucchini, onion mixed salad. Add high-quality extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil as dressing

Snack: 2 tangerines. 1 grapefruit.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 2 avocados, and an orange squeezed as dressing. 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables (including 3 ribs of celery), 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. asparagus, apple, cucumber, etc.).

Day 6: Saturday Morning: 1 Papaya mixed with lettuce or mixed with 1 avocado.

Afternoon: 1 cup (0.25 liters) of wheatgrass juice blended or juiced with 3-4 apples or 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly-made vegetable juice containing at least 50% celery, 50% apples or pears.

Snack: 2 apples. 10 almonds.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables (including kale or spinach), 2 avocados, and high-quality extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil as dressing. Add 8 pitted dates to the salad for added zest.

Day 7: Sunday Morning: No breakfast.

Afternoon: 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables (including 3 ribs of celery), 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. jicama, pumpkin, etc.).

Snack: 2 pears. 1 zucchini.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 3 avocados, and a lemon or lime squeezed as dressing.

Wheat Grass’ secret weapon is…

CHLOROPHYLL! When you consume wheat grass for a few days in a row, you begin to notice many benefits (no, it’s not the flavor). If you do nothing else but add in a few shots of wheat grass every week to your diet, you will see massive improvements to your mental clarity, vision, skin and digestion among a few. Chlorophyll is most abundant in wheat grass, green leafy vegetables, barley grass and certain forms of algae. To get chlorophyll benefits, you may want to increase your current consumption level of all of these foods. You can also purchase liquid chlorophyll in health food stores but my favorite way to get it is from fresh Wheat Grass.

Chlorophyll is widely believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which means that it can be useful in helping to heal the body in a variety of different ways. It is also considered to be an internal deodorizer and if you purchase the liquid form of chlorophyll, you can use it as a mouthwash.
Get your fill of liquid sunshine today and feel the energy!

Raw food and Diabetes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwwKl6t6Cw

Making Almond Milk the Easy Way

How many times have you made Almond Milk and gone through the process in anticipation of that delicious fresh milk hitting your tongue? You love the milk, and the variations of chocolate and vanilla, spiced and plain. You would have it every day if it weren’t for the mess.

If you’re like me, everytime you make it, you think there has got to be a better way. The cheesecloth drawstring bags, a stocking or other variation of squeezing the milk through and almost milking it like a cow’s utter, just doesn’t appeal to me. It’s messy, unsanitary if you are serving it to guests and just plain impractical.

I’ve been looking for an alternative for months now and trying out different strainers laid on top of each other to press the almonds and release the milk in a cleaner manner. Without tooling a new product, I was at a loss. I mentioned it to a co-worker and she said four simple words “don’t reinvent the wheel”. I said I din’t have a wheel that would work and she brought to my attention something I had overlooked. The Frenchpress. I hate to admit what an amateur I am about coffee so I played it off like I knew exactly what she was talking about…for about two seconds, then I fessed up. I had no idea what a French Press was. When I got home I googled it and then went onto youtube and watched a video about making the perfect cup of coffee with a French Press. Finally, this was my answer! I love almond milk, but I don’t like the almond pulp mixed in. The Vitamix does a great job of pulverizing the almonds, but the milk is still too thick for my liking if I leave in the pulp. Besides, I like to make almond bars out of the remaining pulp.

Now that I have decided I want a French Press, I am seeing them everywhere. They appear to be the perfect device to use while doing a raw almond milk demo, and the guests won’t feel uncomfortable about drinking what you just squeezed out of a bag for them with your bare hands!

Peace.

~RawMa

Raw Food Menu Week 1

I thought I’d give you an idea of what my first few days at High Raw looked like.

Day 1

Smoothie: spinach, coconut water, banana, kelp

Snack in the car: almonds & goji berries

Lunch: veggie burger on veggie bread (I prepared and dehydrated the night before) w/ lettuce, raw mustard and raw ketchup

Snack: squash chips, flax crackers, 1 apple

Dinner: I really wasn’t hungry, but I had a small salad and 1/2 cup of a smoothie.

Day 2

I juiced ginger/cucumber & 2 carrots then added a frozen banana, spinach and maca to make a delicious smoothie

Snack: almonds & lemon water

Lunch: small salad w/ veggie burber

Snack: 2 vanilla macroons (I made the night before) & 1 small banana

Dinner: squash spaghetti w/ tomato garlic sauce

Day 3

I woke up late so I took a small salad to eat on the way to work

Lunch: veggie burger/veggie bread/lettuce/tomato

Snack: smoothie ~ blueberries/banana/horsetail/maca/dates & juice pulp from day 2 am drink

cayenne flax crackers

just before dinner: almond bar (I made day prior)

walk in the park

Dinner: Jicama/lime nori wrap

I really got hooked on the veggie burgers. They were so filling and nutrient dense that it gave me a ton of energy and kept me full.

30 Day Raw Challenge Update

Well, this is day 6 of my 30 days at high raw of 100%.

I’m feeling great and my digestion is getting better too. Yesterday I was really tired. That was a combination of lack of sleep and detoxing I’ve been enjoying a wide array of raw dishes and trying new recipies each day.

I can’t wait to test what’s in the dehydrator as I plan my week ahead. There are so many great dishes to make. If you have one you’d like to submit, I will post it on RawMa’s Blog

~RawMa

30 Day 100% Raw Challenge

Well, after many months of 80% raw, I was feeling the need for a body cleanse. The best way to clean out your system is to go hard core 100% raw. In order to get the full benefits and feel the bliss of the raw living vegan food lifestyle, you have to just do it…for a minimum of 30 days. You will be glowing in no time at all.
I hope you join me in this adventure. I officially started Sept. 1st, so I am on day 4 and it’s a breeze so far. The key to make this work for you is a little forethought and minimum prep work.

I’ll be posting my daily food diary so you can get an idea of how I’m making it work. I’m enjoying seeing people’s response to what I’m eating. Once I share a tried and true treat with them, they really get interested.

There is still a huge misconception of what “Raw” actually means. It doesn’t sound that appealing, especially if someone doesn’t know you that well. They may assume you eat raw meat. I’m personally a raw vegan at best, but mostly raw vegitarian. I know my body doesn’t do well with dairy, but my mind struggles with cheese. This 30 day cleanse has already brought me amazing clarity, courage, confidence and better outlook on my day. I can’t encourage you enough to give it a shot. If you’re new to this, don’t be affraid. You can do it.

Is Packaged Food Safe?

I read an interesting article on food packaging and the safety concerns most of us never think about. I have greatly reduced the amount of pre-packaged foods my family consumes, but there are still some valid concerns over what the boxes, bags and wrappers may contain. Here is a portion of the article:

– Packaging Digest, 7/23/2009 3:53:00 PM
Fourteen percent of retail packaging failed a screening test for toxic heavy metals and is likely in violation of state laws, according to a report just released by the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH, or Clearinghouse). Imported products using flexible polyvinylchloride (PVC) packaging and the printing inks and colorants used on shopping and produce bags were most likely to contain these toxic metals, including lead and cadmium, known environmental and health hazards.

The report, An Assessment of Heavy Metals in Packaging: 2009 Update, found that lead concentrations detected in printing inks and colorants used on plastic bags were typically 20 times greater than the legal limit established by states. Toxics in packaging laws in 19 states prohibit the intentional use of any amount of lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium. These laws also establish a maximum concentration limit of 100 parts per million (ppm) for the incidental, or unintentional, presence of the four metals combined.

Lead or cadmium were also found in 52% of flexible PVC packaging, mostly imported from China and Pakistan, making these imports the most likely to be in violation of state laws. Flexible PVC, a “heavy-duty” plastic material, is frequently used to package home furnishings, pet supplies, cosmetics, and inexpensive toys. Metals, including cadmium and lead compounds, can be used as heat and ultraviolet stabilizers in PVC resin to control degradation during processing and use.

These findings were based on the screening of over 400 packaging samples using x-ray fluorescent (XRF) analysis by the TPCH, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Aside from reading our product lables, it is time for us to all be concious in our purchasing decisions to include the entire process of production before we spend our money and place the food in our mouths.

~RawMa

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are becoming very popular in the Raw food World. Rightfully so, this wonderful little seed has an abundance of nutrients, yet has been neglected by mainstream for years…with the exception of the Chia Pet. I always wanted one of those. Now after eating Chia seeds, I see how they stick to the surface. This is a huge benefit for our digestive system.

Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Another advantage: when added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.