Does it have to be complicated?

[jeneebean]

Hello!
Are any of you finding success by taking the easy route -eating raw fruits & veggies plain without preparing meals - for instance - a bunch of grapes & a ear of corn peeled & washed & then call it a meal. I am hopelessly busy & don't enjoy meal prep! Just want to keep it simple...but at the same time don't want to fail...
I guess I'm in search of a role model :o

[RawChicky]

Hey jeneebean- I follow a very simple diet like that. The only things I prepare are green smoothies (which is just throwing a bunch of stuff in a blender) and salads. I know a ton of people here also prefer to eat simply and without much preperation.

[Mialsse]

I keep it pretty simple. Green smoothies are a big part of my diet. I buy a few different types of greens at a time (right now I have kale, turnip greens, and collard greens). I wash them all, tear them up, and mix them all in a big bowl. This way when I'm ready for a green smoothie - all my greens are right there ready. I take a couple of handfuls, throw them into the blender with some other fruits and veggies (both fresh and frozen), and that's that. I go through and clean out the fridge every 2 days or so (this is much less time consuming them a big cleaning once a week), and any fruit or veggie that looks like it's about to go bad, I throw in a smoothie. Helps cut down on the waste.

Simple fresh fruits and veggies make a great meal.

I made a really simple tomato soup last night that was so good. a few tomatos, some onion, garlic, fresh parsley, and a bit of sea salt. It was really quick and easy, and SO good. I love maters! lol

Also, I make a big batch of raw brownies or raw fruit & nut bars (without a dehydrator). They don't take too much time to make (10 minutes maybe), and they last quite a long time in the fridge to just grab and eat on the go.

When I have time I like to experiment a little bit - but it's not often. Simple is best anyway :D

[Elizabeth]

I have been eating very simply and it is working for me quite well. I feel very good and am completely satisfied. I do have some crackers and onion bread prepared just in case I want something more. I could make a veggie/avo sandwich or something if I wanted, but for the most part I have been having smoothies and an odd piece of fruit or cracker etc., here and there.

The one thing I would recommend is to make some bread or crackers, some kind of dish type thing and have it in the freezer maybe or fridge, just in case you all of a sudden get hungry... :o I have been there, when I am doing great, eating simply and then get so-o-o-o hungry and eat cooked because I was unprepared for the hunger.


Have a beautiful, Raw day!!!

[Veganforlife]

Complicated no way! YOU control how you want this to be. I like that freedom!
Green Smoothies all the way. Lots of food, very little prep and already broken down for you! How simple is that?

[barose]

Since I've been cooking and baking since I was young, I work pretty fast in the kitchen. I like to keep it simple but a good salad for me doesn’t take more than 7 minutes: washing/spinning lettuce, chopping veggies, etc. Strangely enough, the salad spinner makes it faster - I don’t have to wait for lettuce to drain and dry. It keeps longer too for when I take salads to work. I make dressings 1x a week and store; usually "ranch", honey mustard or something like that and that takes 7-10 minutes at the most. "Sushi" and warps takes about 7-10 minutes, green smoothies takes 3 minutes and so on.

I devote one-two days to making crackers, (15 minutes to soak; 3 minutes to put in the dehydrator), cookies, dried onion strings, "bacon" - things I use mostly as garnishes, so its not really a lot. I make one dessert per week (I share most of it) and that doesn’t take a lot of time. My DP isn’t raw, but he eats everything I make so its really for the both of us. I agree with Elizabeth, have something on hand!

Most of my meals are smoothes, salads, whole fruits, veggies, a few nuts. I spend much less time in the kitchen now, but I can still fulfill my “cooking bug”. Heck, maybe I can be a raw chef!

[Dimond]

I always have kept things very simple as I never liked cooking. But I need a good variety of foods & don't like a lot of foods by themselves. So I stick with a lot of under 5 minute recipes made in my Vitamix or mini chopper. Mostly soups, puddings & smoothies. Other recipes can be made without any appliance. The simpler you can keep things the better, yet you want to make sure you're enjoying your meals as much if not more than SAD.

[rawzeit]

I started out looking for recipes to make, but that was too much hassle. Now I simply make 2 or 3 big bowls of salad at a time -- about 80% greens, in whichever combination I pull them out of the fridge, plus additional stuff like avocado and tomatoes. One meal is about half a bowl (I stopped using plates :D), so these last me for a day or so (a little more, actually). And I also make green smoothies, of course.

[kiki_louis]

i eat very simple, i ussually just cut up fruit and prepare salads. occasionally i will make raw brownies or banana chocolate chip ice cream, and even then that is just throwing things in a blender. i love using my vitamix, because it definately makes everything easy!! i also have this chopper where i just put the vegetable on it, and it gets cut into chunky pieces(great for tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.)

[Veganforlife]

Rawpriestess Brownies (taken off a previous post)

1 cup walnuts
1 cup medjool dates (pitted) not soaked
1/4 cup raw cacao or carob

blend in food processor until it holds together, if it doesn't hold together, blend longer

Press down into the bottom of a 9 X 9 pan, (I use a pyrex) and then pop into the freezer or fridge to set, then cut with a knife, I then place them into a baggy and freeze, so I have them when I want them, many just eat them LOL

hope you like them

you can add nuts on top or frosting if you like

I personally add Rawkinlocs cinnamon roll frosting on top as my choice.

[Mialsse]

I use that same brownie recipe. I also add about 1/2 a banana if I want a more "fudge-y" brownie. So Good!!!

[Carol K]

Vegan for Life:

Do you soak the walnuts????

[Mialsse]

*threadjacking* lol, I don't soak the walnuts.

[dextera3]

The only "preparing" I do is washing my fruits/veggies, and throwing them in the blender. It doesn't get much easier than that. :)

[DavidZaneMason]

There are many (like myself) that eat very simply. In my case, I transitioned over years of eating all raw to simpler meals....and then just eating single items at a sitting (mono-meals).....and eventually to all fruit in the past couple of years. And I am the healthiest guy I know! LOL.

-David Z. Mason

[lafsalot]

Not at all, I prefer simple meals that are quick and easy - green smoothies, raw soups, salads, fresh fruit, and a handful of nuts now and again. ~ Cathy

[StarFire]

I do have some crackers and onion bread prepared just in case I want something more. I could make a veggie/avo sandwich or something if I wanted, but for the most part I have been having smoothies and an odd piece of fruit or cracker etc., here and there.

I agree with Elizabeth! You can eat as simply as you chose - and that's the beauty of this lifestyle! But it is always nice to have something stored - just for those few times that you might want something more- or have time to make something like that avo sandwich! Everyones' different - and yet the Raw Lifestyle fits us all!! Good luck!

[jeneebean]

Thanks to all of you for caring enough to respnd! I appreciate the examples (and recipes :D ).

[RawVegan4Health]

I thinks that's the best way to go, but sometimes I want something wild and that is when I prepare soemthing. Even then I don't do anything too fancy.

[Pierre]

I eat mostly smoothies, salads, and single fruit (including the inside of pineapple peels, the rest of which I freeze to put in smoothies). Now it does take me a long time to make a salad ;) soak the kelp, wash the lettuce, chop the onion, scoop the avocado, pick snails out of the kelp, etc.

[Ariannah]

Hello!
Are any of you finding success by taking the easy route -eating raw fruits & veggies plain without preparing meals - for instance - a bunch of grapes & a ear of corn peeled & washed & then call it a meal. I am hopelessly busy & don't enjoy meal prep! Just want to keep it simple...but at the same time don't want to fail...
I guess I'm in search of a role model :o
For me, simple and low-maintenance is what I stubbornly stick to. In my experience that's the whole idea of raw. To me, as unprocessed and no-frills as possible keeps me going.
Plus, I love my fruit!

Mileage may vary, as many people love the delicious recipes! That's good, too. But I'm a no-fussin' kind of person. Smoothies are as complicated as it gets for me.