(originally published June 24, 2012)
A Typical Raw Lunch...
Well, I've been at this for a while, and I think I've hit on a great raw mid-day meal that is easy to fix - assuming you've done some prep already (see below). Best of all, it is satisfying at all levels - energy, taste, and tummy fullness. It kept me going easily through on to dinner, with no cravings.
Here's the menu (recipes to follow in the next blog):
** fresh-made juice (mine today was mint/watercress/cucumber/lime, cut with a little aloe vera juice.
**raw red pepper hummus with carrot sticks
**raw foccacia bread with raw olive tapenade & raw feta pine nut cheese.
I could have easily served the hummus with broccoli, celery and/or cauliflower, or even red peppers for a more colorful setting. I had carrots handy today so that's what the picture shows. I wanted you to get a sample of what an easy alternative to yet another smoothie or salad might look like, if you are seeking to create an all-raw menu.
I made this meal in a blink of an eye, incredibly easy to put together that morning in a few minutes' time, assuming you have everything on hand. That's the trick with raw meals...prep. (Although in all actuality these days if you live close enough to a Whole Foods store it is actually possible to get much of this pre-made!)
Here's the vision: make your raw foods at the end of one week so they can be on hand for the next week. Specifically, I pre-made my hummus, my foccacia bread and my cheese. Juice, of course, can be made any time, and really should not be made any earlier than that morning as the live enzymes in the juice start to breakdown after a couple of hours.
Once I got into the rhythym of making things ahead to have on hand, it got easier to be on the raw diet. As usual it is about learning a new lifestyle ...New habits need to emerge to stay on track.
So, now my all-raw day can look like this:
Breakfast: healthy smoothie or raw muesli (both easy to make in minutes)
Lunch: hummus & veggies, foccacia bread and cheese
Dinner: a nice large salad, and/or possibly a raw soup for a more hearty meal. With the salad & soup ingredients on hand, it's just a matter of a quick chop-chop and your meal is ready!
Personally, I prefer the heavier meal (hummus, foccacia & cheese) during the day and having my salad at night so it is not weighing on my tummy at night. However you could also switch these meals around at your convenience.
I highly recommend allowing yourself the creativitiy to make the bread, cheese and hummus so they are on-hand. (They are simple to make - check out my blog for recipes). It's great having them available. There were many times in the beginning when my hunger would strike venomously and the thought of something sweet (juice, fruit) or a salad was not what I would go for, and I would ultimately grab some carb or grab a block of baked tofu and gobble it down. It sounds dramatic, but when the blood sugar level drops my body takes over, overriding any good intentions or even caring about being raw.
This meal however, if on hand, is quick to fix. And, in the event you delay eating too long and your blood sugar drops, this meal is sufficiently satisfying to trick your body into thinking its getting those "in-the-moment-satisfying cooked carbs" when the body says "I need food NOW!"
So, you will just need to do your work the previous week to be on schedule! Bon appetit!
Well, I've been at this for a while, and I think I've hit on a great raw mid-day meal that is easy to fix - assuming you've done some prep already (see below). Best of all, it is satisfying at all levels - energy, taste, and tummy fullness. It kept me going easily through on to dinner, with no cravings.
Here's the menu (recipes to follow in the next blog):
** fresh-made juice (mine today was mint/watercress/cucumber/lime, cut with a little aloe vera juice.
**raw red pepper hummus with carrot sticks
**raw foccacia bread with raw olive tapenade & raw feta pine nut cheese.
I could have easily served the hummus with broccoli, celery and/or cauliflower, or even red peppers for a more colorful setting. I had carrots handy today so that's what the picture shows. I wanted you to get a sample of what an easy alternative to yet another smoothie or salad might look like, if you are seeking to create an all-raw menu.
I made this meal in a blink of an eye, incredibly easy to put together that morning in a few minutes' time, assuming you have everything on hand. That's the trick with raw meals...prep. (Although in all actuality these days if you live close enough to a Whole Foods store it is actually possible to get much of this pre-made!)
Here's the vision: make your raw foods at the end of one week so they can be on hand for the next week. Specifically, I pre-made my hummus, my foccacia bread and my cheese. Juice, of course, can be made any time, and really should not be made any earlier than that morning as the live enzymes in the juice start to breakdown after a couple of hours.
Once I got into the rhythym of making things ahead to have on hand, it got easier to be on the raw diet. As usual it is about learning a new lifestyle ...New habits need to emerge to stay on track.
So, now my all-raw day can look like this:
Breakfast: healthy smoothie or raw muesli (both easy to make in minutes)
Lunch: hummus & veggies, foccacia bread and cheese
Dinner: a nice large salad, and/or possibly a raw soup for a more hearty meal. With the salad & soup ingredients on hand, it's just a matter of a quick chop-chop and your meal is ready!
Personally, I prefer the heavier meal (hummus, foccacia & cheese) during the day and having my salad at night so it is not weighing on my tummy at night. However you could also switch these meals around at your convenience.
I highly recommend allowing yourself the creativitiy to make the bread, cheese and hummus so they are on-hand. (They are simple to make - check out my blog for recipes). It's great having them available. There were many times in the beginning when my hunger would strike venomously and the thought of something sweet (juice, fruit) or a salad was not what I would go for, and I would ultimately grab some carb or grab a block of baked tofu and gobble it down. It sounds dramatic, but when the blood sugar level drops my body takes over, overriding any good intentions or even caring about being raw.
This meal however, if on hand, is quick to fix. And, in the event you delay eating too long and your blood sugar drops, this meal is sufficiently satisfying to trick your body into thinking its getting those "in-the-moment-satisfying cooked carbs" when the body says "I need food NOW!"
So, you will just need to do your work the previous week to be on schedule! Bon appetit!
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