RAW

First things first, this is going to be a long post (but an AMAZING one!) I am currently 3 months into my school and WOW am I a changed person already. Last week I had the privilege to hear a class by David Wolfe a raw foodist for over 20 years! This guys is a plant LOVER! He knows his sh**!

It is always a good quality to QUESTION something you believe in. If you go around believing everything you see or hear you can run into some major issues. So I heard all the good stuff, and the downfalls if not approached correctly and was left with the intention to never eat cook food again. NEVER...AGAIN. Now, I know that isn't realistic, come on now! I can't go raw overnight, but I can try it out, gradually, and see if my body likes it (which I believe it will).

So, this week was all about exploring and trying new things! Before I start on my trip to the store I want to share a few things that I learned!

RAW EATING vs. EATING COOKED FOOD

-I am a firm believer of God, the Creator of this amazing earth we live on. So when he created us He did not create microwaves and kitchen utensils to give to us, we MADE them! God created a planet of abundance for us, look around!

-Raw eating is all about including MORE fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, seaweeds, grasses and sprouts, herbs, superfoods, and fermented foods. Health and healing has A LOT to do with having fun! When you are forcing yourself to eat something "healthy" that is nasty, do you think there is good health in that?!

-ONLY 50% of the nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and more have been identified in foods!!!! The other 50% we haven't even discovered yet! (Gods AMAzing right?) When we eat these foods RAW we get those 50% of nutrients we KNOW of and the other 50% we don't know of!

-If you want to develop noble, clean and pure thoughts: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! If we eat food that is noble, that is of high quality, that is ideal, that is developed through noble thoughts and ideals through which it is delivered to us (God) then we take on those thought forms!

-If 51% or more of our food is cooked than our bodies will react with a white blood cell attack! I don't know about you but I want my white blood cells to fight infection and germs not attack the food I am eating. If 51% or more of the food we are easting is raw our bodies react with not white blood cell attack...interesting?!?

LOST BY THE COOKING PROCESS

1.) HYDROGEN: #1 most present substance on our planet! It must be a good thing! If you remove hydrogen from the planet EVERYTHING will die, including our food when we cook it!

2.) WATER: with live food we get live water. This helps us stay hydrated and energized. Cooking = GONE!

3.) VITAMIN-C: First thing to be destroyed my heat, SEE YA! I am sure you were eating some of those food in the 1st place to GET vitamin-c, stir fry maybe?

4.) ALL B-VITAMINS: Destroyed by heat once again!

5.) VITAMINS D & E: Nope they don't survive either.

6.) SULFUR: A VERY important mineral!

7.) AMINO ACIDS: One being tryptophan, this is what makes us "feel good" when we eat meat (turkey). 50% of ALL of the protein is LOST when you cook it!

8.)ANTI-OXIDANTS: 2/3s of them are lost! This made me VERY angry ;)

HOW HOT? If you would like all your food full of the nutrients it possesses then keep the heat below 112 degrees. That is HOT compared the the temperature of boiling 212 degrees!

               Water boils at 212°F and simmers at 190°F.

Tepid Water - 85 to 105°F. The water is comparable to the temperature of the human body.

Warm Water - 115 to 120°F. The water is touchable but not hot.

Hot Water - 130 to 135°F. The water is too hot to touch without injury.

 

Poach - 160 to 180°F. The water is beginning to move, to shiver.
 

Simmer - 185 to 200°F. There is movement, and little bubbles appear in the water.
 

Slow boil - 205°F. There is more movement and noticeably larger bubbles.
 

Real boil - 212°F. The water is rolling, vigorously bubbling, and steaming.

So now that you know the reasons behind my raw quest lets take a trip to the store!

(Left to Right)

SPROUTED tofu, linguine pasta, wraps, tomato pesto, ezekiel bread, unsalted cashews, tomatoes, cantaloupe, almond butter, agave nectar, garlic, sweet potatoes, and yams.

(Left to Right)

Mango's, kale, limes, red and green bell pepper, arugula, carrots, Brussels sprouts, leafy greens, and avocados.

(Top to Bottom)

Lemons, oranges, pears, apples, grapefruit mango's and bananas.

I am cutting back on fruit because it has been breaking me out! But I still LOOOOVE it!

I stalked the fridge UP! And all of this for around $115 bucks, with some fuel perks in the near future!

It is always good to have everything rinsed, chopped and ready to go!

THE GOOD STUFF

Now I am going to throw some of the recipes I whipped together, Be creative, try them and add your own kick, your body knows how to nourish and heal itself better than anyone!

BREAKFAST:

The first thing that came to me was RAW SMOOTHIE!

Strawberries, 1/2 banana, 1 small apple, 4 leaves of any leafy green (I used light lettuce) shelled hemp seeds, flaxseed, and my new spirulina powder (seaweed) with some cocoa!

I added some more fresh fruit because I need INSTANT energy! This drink may look too green but don't let it fool you, spirulina powder will turn YOU green! This was perfect to start the day with a blast full of energy because my stomach didn't have to work to digest it. Digestion is the biggest energy drainer! I already did all of the work by blending it so all it had to do was deliver it to my cells. I added some fruit to slow it down just a tad with the fiber!

BREAKFAST MEAL # 2

Overnight oats with some fruit and ezekiel bread!

Almond milk, chia seeds and oats are the perfect mixture! Full of incredible nutrients and fiber to get your day started quick! Ezekiel bread is SPROUTED topped with fresh strawberry jam!

RAW LUNCH

Grab those veggies we are going raw this time!

I went for some fresh basil from my mini-garden to add some big flavor!

First I cooked the tofu with some pesto and garlic. LOW HEAT! Then added in the veggies for a minute or so just to warm them in the yummy sauce. NO COOKING! They were more cold than warm, we are going RAW here!

I can't say much more than WOWZA! This dish kicked the raw foods butt!

RAW DINNER

Here I mixed in some red bell peppers, broccoli, tofu, tomato pesto and olive oil. LOW HEAT!

Mix well and set aside

Then I placed the mixed veggies in the center of the wrap and added fresh carrots and arugula!

Roll as such and then seal the end with some water so they stick!

Brown lightly with some olive oil!

Quinoa, leftover red bell peppers, tofu, carrots and arugula for the main dish and then topped with...

This meal might not of been the "rawist" but it is a work in progress! Becoming more conscious of your health and life involves having fun and enjoying what you eat everyday! I had a blast making all of these meals and hope you can create some incredible ones too!

ENJOY!!!

Gizmo loves to watch me cook while he lays in daddy's gym bags!