What We Ate Wednesday: Raw And Rushed

May 10th, 2011 - filed under: The Food » Food Styles




Monday marked the start of my second all-raw trial! It was also the day I dove head first into my next project, which is on a ridiculously short deadline. Dining was light and the workload was heavy, but Waits and I managed to have a good time (we always do!)

Why is raw food just so much prettier to look at? Am I the only one who feels this way?



Coffee Green Tea
I miss coffee. I don’t miss anything else, but I miss coffee.

Obviously, green tea isn’t raw either, but it’s much better for you and there’s no way I’m giving up caffiene while simultaneously undertaking the biggest writing project of my carreer. I’m cray-cray, but I’m not crazy.

There were 3 of these throughout the morning . . . (2 tea bags, and the last cup that re-used the 2 tea bags.)



Breakfast
Waits enjoyed some coconut cream with blueberries, some sunflower lecithin, and some molasses. I wasn’t feeling very hungry so I skipped my usual smoothie and opted for a grapefruit. Waits helped me with that as well. I also had an orange at some point during the morning, not pictured.





Snack
After our bath and the wee Mr. Rebhal’s nap, I had an open face “pb&j” and Waits nibbled on nut butter. This time around doing raw, I’m trying to stay stocked up with easy-to-grab goodies. It makes it SO MUCH easier when there’s a variety of choices, different tastes and textures. This bread is totally neutral – I call it my “raw toast” – and it pairs perfectly with almost anything.




Juice!
Our post-dog-walk juicing session. This one was a blend of kale and cucumber. Simple and perfect.





Late/Light Lunch
More “raw toast”, with mashed avocado and sliced Romas. So pretty, no?



But then I sprayed it with tamari (yes, I keep a little tamari in a small spray bottle for easy and even application) and piled it with nutritional yeast. Nut yeast is not technically raw, but it’s just so terribly healthy for you and it’s been embraced by the raw community. Kind of strange, that. Not that I’m complaining.




More Green Tea
I ain’t gonna lie, there were three more mugs . . .




Kombucha
After nap number #2, I got down to the business of making dinner. I drank some home-brewed kombucha while I worked.




Din Din
It’s back to the days of double dinners: cooked food for my boys and a raw meal for me. Luckily my boys like a lot of raw foods, and I don’t mind the kitchen time.

Damian and Waits had a hearty lentil soup made with sprouted lentils. Damian also had cornbread on the side. They shared my big-ass-salad.

Baby plate: lentil stew, some mashed chickpeas, and some sliced cucumbers.



I had a big-ass-salad with red leaf lettuce, romaine, orange and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, and red onion. Just drizzled with olive oil and a bit of balsamic (balsamic is not raw).




I also had “raw toast” smeared with a tahini-based sauce, piled with Roma tomatoes and sliced white mushrooms. And, there was Rooster.






How have you been doing with your MMM so far, and how has it influenced what you’ve been eating?

  • http://heartviastomach.blogspot.com Gillian

    Raw food IS gorgeous, especially what you’ve got here.
    And that teacup/wine glass is amazing!

  • Camilla

    How do you make raw jam?

  • http://vegetalion.blogspot.com Sarah P

    I love the tea cup with a stem! Also, I can’t believe I’ve never thought of keeping tamari in a spray bottle. How ingenious!

  • http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

    Mmmmmm, I agree – raw food is so much more visually appealing! Although, I do think caramelized Brussels sprouts make for great food porn.

    I’ve been debating the whole raw toast thing. My husband surprised me earlier this week by wanting to make our house 100% gluten free and high raw, but he said that in order to do it he can’t have any “substitutes” around while he is making the mental transition. I’ve been craving raw toast and crackers, but I’m not sure if that will blur the line too much for him. Oh, and the pesky fact that I don’t have a dehydrator – there is that.

    Oh – I have an actual question! Do you ever have raw (read: lukewarm) soups ever? I make this incredible ginger miso soup that my husband and daughter both love and I usually just make myself some tepid broth and have my veggies on the side, but I think I want to try and make the soup at >110 degrees…but not sure if it’s worth it. I would hate to waste all the ingredients if it’s going to taste horrible.

  • http://www.thedomesticvegan.com Jess – The Domestic Vegan

    Such beautiful pictures! May I ask what camera you use? Your photos are always so vibrant & gorgeous. (I’m sure most of the credit goes to you, but a good camera doesn’t hurt. ;))

    Looks like a delicious day! And a lil’ (lotta) green tea never hurt anyone. :)

  • Kathryn

    I LOVE your juice cup!

    I do have to say that I have not totally gone vegan but as of right now I’m a Morning Vegan! And I have taken half of my coworkers with me! We have been eaten vegan every morning and have started to make our way into the lunch hour! Wish us luck, it’s going great so far!

  • http://www.twitter.com/alihalsaba Alina S

    mmm that lunch looks YUM!

    I’ve been juicing/smoothie-ing every morning and adding more salads and raw snacks.

    It takes a bit of adjustment but pretty cool once you realize that raw foods alone can actually satiate you!

  • http://oliviajeankeepinitgreen.blogspot.com Olivia Jean

    So I got my hubby in on the “vegan for a month” idea :D We have been all vegan since Monday (last week was just vegetarian). I’ll be doing a what we ate post this friday!

    Two things, we are having a hard time staying full, and getting used to a new food routine with a busy schedule….

  • http://moreturmeric.blogspot.com Kelsey

    That looks so yummy! What is your raw toast made out of?

    I haven’t been eating as much raw foods as I would like to so far this month, but I have had a green smoothie almost every morning so far.. . yum yum!

  • Selina

    My daily salads are just not happening! :( It’s my fault; I just haven’t been making them a priority- what with weekend trips, finals, a general lack of “inspiration”…also, I used to be a Thousand Island-only type of salad eater so I’m clueless about how to make a healthy vegan salad that also tastes good…

    BUT- no more excuses! So for the rest of the month I will be eating my daily salads IF it kills me! :)

    *off to google vegan salad dressings*

  • http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

    @Selina: there are some awesome vegan dressings in Appetite for Reduction. Ceasar Chavez dressing has got to be the best name ever, right? I’m sure there are some great ones on the PPK, too.

  • http://joyfulyogawithtara.blogspot.com/ Tara

    Tamari in a spray bottle = genius. I will definitely be adopting that little gem. Also, I completely agree that raw food is so much more beautiful than most cooked items. It must be all that color and life!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Gillian – I know, ain’t it purty?

    @ Camilla – Sorry that one’s exclusive for the cookbook. ;-)

    @ Sarah P – Yeah, the tamari is SO handy, you should totally try it!

    @ Monika – First, omg wow, that’s so great that your hubs is on for gf/high raw. Seriously, that’s RAD.

    About the soups, I’ve liked everything that I’ve warmed in the dehydrator. 110 is actually a lot warmer than I thought. I also dig lukewarm miso soup, but I can see how it may not work for some people. Might as well try it!

    @ Jess – The Domestic Vegan – The “big camera” we use is a Canon 5D and right now we have a 50mm 1.4 Prime Lens on it, which Damian loves and I do not, ha! We also use a little point-and-shoot which is really handy for macro shots – it’s a Canon s90. Hope that helps!

    @ Kathryn – That’s so awesome, I am wishing you all LOTS of luck!

    @ Alina S – Yeah it’s definitely an adjustment, to say the least! I’m learning too. =)

    @ Olivia Jean – Oh wow, that’s amazing! Congrats to you and yay for your husband for getting on board. I’m so excited for you guys! The not feeling full thing is pretty common when making the switch. Most likely it’s one of two things: either you’re not eating enough calories, or you’re not eating enough fat. If it’s the first, it’s because plant-matter is naturally so much less calorie-dense than animal foods, so if you put the same “amount” of food on your plate, it will probably have a lot fewer calories. So, you need to get used to physically eating *more*. More bulk, more food is required to get the same calories (in general). If you like to eat then this is Yay! It also may be the second possibility, that you’re not getting enough fat. Fat really helps with that feeling of fullness and will add lasting power to your meals. Obviously, plant foods are naturally lower in fatso try adding some nuts or avocado or other healthy fats and see if that does it for you. Good luck guys! Feel free to ask ANY questions – I’m totally here (that goes for EVERYONE reading this!)

    @ Kelsey – It’s a bunch of stuff but it’s based around oat groats. =)

    @ Selina – I feel ya, but don’t worry, there are *so many* amazing vegan dressings out there! Tahini may be just the thing to give you that creaminess you’re looking for. Something like this: http://www.choosingraw.com/carrot-falafel-with-tangy-tahini-sauce/ Gena actually has a bunch of great dressings if you want to poke around that site. But don’t beat yourself up! Tomorrow is a new day. =)

    @ Tara – *Totally* the colors. So vibrant!

  • http://peasandcrayons.blogspot.com Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons

    I totally agree! Now that the sun is shining and my garden is growing, i’m happy to say that RAW will be increasing in this household! <3 Happy WIAW love! save me some salad!!!!

  • http://livecompletely.blogspot.com/ kory

    OMG that salad looks AMAZING (and I don’t think I could give up balsamic for anything btw!). I have been doing better (more raw fruits/veggies for snacks, smoothies more cosistently, etc) but I still have a long way to go.

    I’m curious, did you grow up eating healthy? I’m just wondering because I definitely did NOT and I’m still having a hard time adjusting my palette to a lot of things (like raw tomatoes… and anything remotely sea-tasting… and hemp -I want to love it, I really do!-). Just wondering if I’ll ever get there or if it’ll always be a struggle to eat the really healthy stuff…

    Thanks!

  • Joselle

    @Olivia Jean: in addition to just eating more, I’d also recommend adding more protein. Fats and carbs pass relatively quickly through the stomach and into the small intestine to get digested. Protein stays in the stomach for longer and starts to get digested in there. Try adding more beans; least processed soy like tempeh and tofu (even Tofurky sausages are pretty unadulterated in comparison to your average soy-based burger); nuts and seeds. Eating more protein helps me feel fuller longer.

  • Britt!

    Duuuude, I *luuuuuhv* reading your day menus…! Keep ‘em comin’, honey! = )

    P.S.~
    I hope this blog NEVER goes away!! I was just thinking, I turned Bonzai-1-year-old not too long ago…! Happy birthday to me!! ;){sigh… wipe a tear}… Such sweet memories… I adore you, BonzaiAphrodite…!

  • http://oliviajeankeepinitgreen.blogspot.com Olivia Jean

    Thanks Sayward and Joselle! This is good advice and we are still trying to figure it out…its harder on my hubby than me I think…

    here is a little glimpse of our first week

    http://oliviajeankeepinitgreen.blogspot.com/2011/05/vegan-for-month.html

  • natashia

    LOVE LOVE LOVE your tea cup wine glass!!!!! where oh where is that gorgeous thing from?

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ natashia – Oh man, I love that thing. I got a few of the, at Urban Outfitters actually, like 5? 6? years ago. But look! I found this DIY tutorial – http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/creative-reuse/how-to-diy-teacup-wineglasses-086135

  • natashia

    woo hoo, thank you! I CAN’T WAIT to try this! note to self: must invite friends round for a drunken dinner party so i can get a few more cracked wine glasses!

  • http://thefrickinchicken.blogspot.com Amanda Dittlinger

    I love kombucha! I like to flavor mine with strawberries. http://thefrickinchicken.blogspot.com/2011/02/kombucha.html