best way to start raw with teenagers

[Kimberle]

I've been going to do raw and just haven't had the time or energy. I need to lose weight and get healthy. My teenager isn't too keen on the idea. We bought a juicer and it is a pain to clean! We got the excalibur dehydrator etc. When juicing I read you have to juice ever time. How long would each juice last in the fridge? I just don't have time to juice 3 x's a day with working and teaching. Any awesome recipes to get my child on board? Thanks Kim

[Sharon in Colorado]

It is not mandatory to juice. Eat what you can - if you are strapped for time, eat lots of fruit, salads, use the vitamix for smoothies and soups, etc. It doesn't have to be difficult - make it fun. Juice on the weekends as a fun thing to do.

[Conscious Midwife]

Grocery shop together making the fresh porduce section your main focus.

Uncook together

Do several frozen treats in advance.

Trying just juicing maybe one time per day if at all and having blended fruit and nut milk smoothies at other times. So far I only juice apples and carrots all else including wheat grass gets blended.

As a mother of five I do what's easy too. For instnace unless I'm making guacomole for guest and desire uniformity in the recipe, I just mash avos with a fork. Again for larger serving I use my food processor.

I don't own a dehysrator yet, but when I get one I will probably prep in bulk in advance. So that it's not running everyday all day.

[vgloveforlife]

You don't have to juice especially if it takes too much time for you. When I first got into the raw movement I thought I needed to juice to make the diet work, but I never bought a juicer and I'm glad I didn't.
Whole foods are so muh healthier and the way to go IMO. I do make smoothies some mornings too which just require a blender.

There's tons of recipies on this board. The ones that I've noticed are popular is RP'S Brownies, Onion Bread and Chilli. Just do a search for these.
I also love Alissa's chocolate cake recipie!

[Halo Aglow]

Is your teenager a lover of desserts? If so, I would first focus a little bit more on doing raw for desserts for your child. Raw desserts are so easy and beautiful and oh so delicious!

I love to do the just like cheesecake, chilled or freezer fudge, date nut torte, key lime tarts and mango tarts both with the macadamia and coconut crusts and milkshakes and ice cream.

Oh man... I'm getting hungryyyyy!

[vgloveforlife]

I agree Luna Lin! Start with raw desserts as they are so much better than cooked desserts IMO.

[JEN]

My teen loves Alissa's raw pizza and calzone, RawVeganMoms philly cheesesteak (recipe in this forum), and Alissa's ceasar dressing for salads. She also loves all the dessert recipes I make. Rawkinlocs peach delight is her favorite with apples instead of peaches. Smoothies are also a big hit.

[juliebove]

I'm not sure that you can make a teenager eat something they don't want to. When I was a teen, I was very busy and pretty much got my own food most of the time. What I did eat a lot of was a trail mix that I made up myself and it was indeed raw. Not sure how well that would go over these days. This was back in the 70's and this kind of food was common. I also ate a lot of salads and raw vegetables. This was by choice. IF someone would have told me to eat differently, I wouldn't have.

My family is not raw. I provide fresh fruit and vegetables. That is the bulk of our diet. Well, the vegetables anyway. Nobody in this house is a big fruit eater, except for my husband and only then when he wants to lose weight. It doesn't work...but he goes overboard on the fruit thinking it will.

I don't do a lot of dehydrating or recipes. I do make the onion bread and nut cheese. Those things do get eaten. I make occasional desserts but we're not big on sweets. I rarely make juice, except for citrus. I don't keep the juice. I just make it and my daughter drinks it or I use it in a recipe.