Raw made simple - need ideas

[tammay]

Hi all,
I think most of us would agree that the beauty of eating raw is that you can make it as complex (i.e., elaborate gourmet meals with dehydrators, etc.) or as simple (grab some fruit and nuts, etc.) as you want.

I'm trying to come up with a way to make a raw food diet as simple as possible. I have several reasons for wanting to do this: I'll be starting grad school soon and that means classes and teaching and I won't have time to spend on making elaborate dishes in the kitchen; also, lately my kitchen has been overrun by cockroaches and other nasty insects :( and though I'm working with my apartment manager to solve this problem, it's made me psychologically grossed out and I would rather not spend too much time there, as the places where the roaches seem to congregate are the places I use most in preparing food.

I've made the following list according to how easy/complex it is to prepare:

On the Go:
Fruit
“Hand” Veggies (baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, string beans, romaine leaves, pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower)
Raw nuts
Dried fruit
Raw food bars

Minimal Preparation (i.e., blender/food processor not required):
Tahina dip
Guacamole
Chopped veggies (celery, cucumber)
Salad of pre-cut greens, baby spinach, olive oil/ACV/orange juice dressing
Celery filled with nut butter


Medium Preparation (i.e., throw everything in a blender/food processor):
Zucchini Hummus
Nut pates
Salad of 2 veggies (such as romaine and celery or spinach and green onion) with fruit-based dressing (Blueberry Dressing, Mango-Pineapple Dressing, Apple Pie Dressing)
Vegetable/Fruit Salad with nuts and dry fruit
Date (soaked and mashed), nut butter, and honey mixed to form a ball and refrigerated
Smoothies (fruit-based and green)
Raw soup

I'd love to hear from anyone if they think I missed something. I do have the book "Raw Food Made Easy" which has been a huge help.

Tam

[peachy_pie]

You've given ME ideas, so I have nothing for you!!!!

The only thing i have to add is that I am lazy... and so initially when i started the raw food thing i was forgetting to eat because i hadn't prepared anything and then thinking "*~&% it, i'll have some pasta." Now what I do is an idea from Jillian McKeith, that lady from you are what you eat... I chuck in may bag whatever lovely fruits vegies and nuts, and eat them whole! Its great! today i had a cucumber, a carrot, an apple and a mandarin. and then some nuts. Then i have some more substantial stuff for dinner. you can eat tomatoes, zucchinis, bell peppers... pretty much anything whole! Lazy-girl proof too!

[Ang]

You can make a big batch of salad dressing in the blender, then make dips out of it during the week, or different dressings, and store them in the small (2-3 oz?) Gladware. I made ACV/EVOO dressing Sunday, then blended a tomato and herbs into one portion for a tomato & spinach salad, and an avocado and cumin into another-- this makes it thick like a dip.
On the go you can always get a smoothie or salad at Wild Oats. Also make trail mix into the small Ziploc bags with nuts & dried fruit. A meal with a piece of fresh fruit.

[puzit19]

Just eat them as they are :)

I didn't get bored og it yet ! and i'm a creative person :|
Only the different colours everyday of the fruits make me happy and not bored... I'm lazy myself.. and I found myself just eating everything raw as it is... sometimes on the weekend i make something for the week... but most of the time... its only whole fuits vegies and nuts :) got some tahini in the cupboard and honey so i take a spoon and have fun sometimes :) almost every evening actually ;)

[puzit19]

Just had an idea while thinking of boredem at work...
I'm from Israel :) and we got loads of jewish holidays...
so just remembered ROSH hA Shana.... in which we just deep apples into honey and eat them lick them and everything which is left ^_^
you could try that :) easy to take with you aswell.... chop up apples (or as i once did bit them off with my teeth and deeped them in)
its yumy ^_^ too sweet to be true and fun !
Good luck !

[tammay]

Peachy, you're not being lazy, you're following the ultimate simple raw food diet :D.

You actually gave me an idea and yesterday instead of chopping up a salad and grating pear in it like I planned, I washed some romaine leaves and some green bell pepper, sprinkled it with lemon juice and ate them just like that. I was surprised that they satisfied me as is, since I've always been one to eat raw veggies with some kind of dip or dressing. I can eat some veggies plain raw (like celery, carrots, and occassionally cauliflower) but "salad" veggies have always had to have some kind of oil or fruit-based dressing.

I'm going to keep trying that as I'd like to ultimately move to eating primarily veggies, fruits, nuts, and dry fruits whole and without any dips/dressings.

Thanks for the tip!

Tam

[Vegan Princess]

I eat pretty simply myself. I eat a lot of fruit in its natural form. Tomato slices with basil or just cucumber slices with salt or a sliced up bell pepper make good snacks. Sometimes I eat an avocado out of it's shell with some salt.

My staples for dinner are blended salad (like a green smoothie but with veggies and spices...eat it like a soup). I also am in love with marinira....so easy to whip up a half batch in the food processor. I like to put it on zucchini pasta which takes about 2 minutes to make or even just over spinach or other veggies. Everything tastes good with marinara on it!

Dessert: a simple chocolate sauce made of raw cacao powder and agave is great over fruit like cherries or strawberries. Annie Phyo's donut holes are quick and easy to tote around. Choc. pudding made from avocado. And choclate shakes.

Cindy