Easy comfort food?

[KittyMommy]

Raw isn't really comforting when I'm stressed out--hence my frequent lapses. I'm trying to equip myself with simple, easy raw comfort food (if it's complicated, I can't make it): for example, avocados are comforting, as is raw oatmeal. Would appreciate recipe suggestions.
Thanx!

[kiropa]

may i introcuce you to the infamous RPs brownies:

1C dates pitted
1C walnuts
1/4C raw cacao

whirl in food processor for a while. press into 9 X 9 pan. freeze. cut into squares and enjoy the best healthy brownie you ever ate!

also chocolate pudding is easy

avocado, cacao, raw sweetener in the FP

raw ice cream. process a frozen banana with vanilla, agave, whatever
top with some walnuts and a splash of agave
yum!

[Zaphirah]

I'll tell you mine...altho it may sound weird....raw kraut with olive oil, nutritional yeast, sea salt and avocado on top. I can eat a large bowl of it. *blush*

[EZ rider]

Raw isn't really comforting when I'm stressed outPlease don't take this as preachy but I think you need to stop thinking in terms of "comfort food" and start thinking in terms of the right fuel for the body. I will be the first to say thats its hard being a raw fooder sometimes, and sometimes its a pleasure, but the rewards of good health in body and mind are worth the effort IMO.

[Zaphirah]

I concur. The whole idea of live food is to move beyond our fleshly cravings into health.

BUT

I do think it's wise to have some comfort food on hand as you transition. It's very difficult to go over night from comfort eating to raw/live food with no "cushion" as you learn to cope with your emotions rather than eat them away.

Just try to keep it in mind that "comfort food" is an unhealthy concept and know that your goal is to one day not need comfort food because you will know how to cope more successfully and in a healthier way.

[Zaphirah]

oooh! I should add that I am a recovering food addict. I have struggled with food addiction for 28 of my 33 years. I KNOW comfort food. LOL!

[EZ rider]

Zaphirah -- I liked your response to my post. Well said :)

[PomegranatePip]

I crave "comfort food" to warm me up. I am so cold all the time! I've never been a big stress eater, so I guess the phrase "comfort food" has a bit of a different meaning for me. Right now, comfort = warmth. Ginger just isn't cutting it. I end up reverting back to salt and cooked foods.

It doesn't help that, here in the Pacific Northwest, the cold is damp and therefore feels like it's soaking into your bones. It's hard to get up in the morning and eat a bunch of cooling fruits and veggies when your body is screaming for a hot cup of tea!

So when do we listen to our body, and when do we tell it to "shut up, I'm trying to eat raw here"?

[rawfoodmommy#1]

I crave "comfort food" to warm me up. I am so cold all the time! I've never been a big stress eater, so I guess the phrase "comfort food" has a bit of a different meaning for me. Right now, comfort = warmth. Ginger just isn't cutting it. I end up reverting back to salt and cooked foods.

It doesn't help that, here in the Pacific Northwest, the cold is damp and therefore feels like it's soaking into your bones. It's hard to get up in the morning and eat a bunch of cooling fruits and veggies when your body is screaming for a hot cup of tea!

So when do we listen to our body, and when do we tell it to "shut up, I'm trying to eat raw here"?
I have been raw for some time and in the beginning I wanted that hot tea in the cold winter but as the time past on I no longer want anything hot. So after some time your body will adjust to the cold weather and not want anything hot.
My advice to you is to warm up your food in food dehydrator
good luck

[EZ rider]

I have been raw for some time and in the beginning I wanted that hot tea in the cold winter but as the time past on I no longer want anything hot. So after some time your body will adjust to the cold weather and not want anything hot.I have lost my desire for hot tea and now I prefer room temperature water.

[Zaphirah]

I have been having the same problem. I live in a COLD house up on a mountain where the temp is usu. 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding towns. I have been chilled to the bone for the last 2 weeks. I haven't had anything warm, BUT, my basic plan is to keep herbal tea in my diet thru this first winter on raw to make sure I don't return to cooked. Then by next year I'll be an old pro and have found other ways to cope.

[Riiiya]

I'll tell you mine...altho it may sound weird....raw kraut with olive oil, nutritional yeast, sea salt and avocado on top. I can eat a large bowl of it. *blush*
I'll blush with you!! :D
i rediscovered sour kraut for myself! with oil and avocados and salt.....MMMMMMMMMMMM! i am now actually planning to make my own kraut..ahh can't wait :rolleyes:

[PomegranatePip]

my basic plan is to keep herbal tea in my diet thru this first winter on raw to make sure I don't return to cooked.

Sounds like a good idea.

I wonder about herbal teas, though (and even just hot water). Presumably, the reason most of us eat raw is to preserve the enzymes and make the food easier for the body to assimilate. I guess steeping herbs in cold water would be preferable, but what is so bad about a cup of peppermint tea, for example? It's not like it's a lot to digest. Why would it cause a problem? Or would you even notice a problem?

[ski bumette]

I'm not 100% sure where I read it (??Alissa' book?) but it said that as long as you didn't boil the water it was still considered raw. But I don't remember if they said that you had to use a certain type of tea. But I figure if I'm raw in every other aspect that the Raw Gods will forgive me if I continue with my herbal teas with raw honey in it......lol I gave up putting the skim milk in. I'm sure that once I get right into the raw way I'll find hot chocolate recipes...can't wait for those. Tried a raw chocolate bar and wowser......wonderful!! ate the whole thing at once although I'd decided to save some for tea time later.

[Bananapie]

Yes, may the Raw Gods forgive us. How many Hail Mary's must I do in order not to give up my herb teas?:D

[beppa66]

I'm not 100% sure where I read it (??Alissa' book?) but it said that as long as you didn't boil the water it was still considered raw. But I don't remember if they said that you had to use a certain type of tea. But I figure if I'm raw in every other aspect that the Raw Gods will forgive me if I continue with my herbal teas with raw honey in it......lol I gave up putting the skim milk in. I'm sure that once I get right into the raw way I'll find hot chocolate recipes...can't wait for those. Tried a raw chocolate bar and wowser......wonderful!! ate the whole thing at once although I'd decided to save some for tea time later.

I'm thinking out loud here...but I bet if you made some almond milk and heated it up slightly in the dehydrator and then shaved that raw chocolate candy bar into it with a little agave...hot chocolate!:rolleyes: :)

[beppa66]

PS. Have you tried hummus and crackers, or banana ice cream, or alfredo from alissa's book? Oh, and justine posted a really yummy rasin bread...made great pbj's. the enchilada's from alissa's book are good too! MMMMMM.

[ski bumette]

I'm thinking out loud here...but I bet if you made some almond milk and heated it up slightly in the dehydrator and then shaved that raw chocolate candy bar into it with a little agave...hot chocolate!:rolleyes: :)
Thanks for the idea but that tiny chocolate bar cost me $3.50, at that cost it makes me not so sure I want to use it "trying" out new recipes.... would rather set pieces on my tongue and savourrrrrrrrr it. I haven't seen any agave while I've been shopping, may have to search it out. I don't have a nut milk bag as yet, it's on my list of "to buys".

[ski bumette]

PS. Have you tried hummus and crackers, or banana ice cream, or alfredo from alissa's book? Oh, and justine posted a really yummy rasin bread...made great pbj's. the enchilada's from alissa's book are good too! MMMMMM.
last time I was raw I made the hummus and I think I made the alfredo. The problem I have is that even tho I half recipes it still makes way too much for me.......this often stops me from trying recipes (unless it's desert which dh loves to share with me).

[Green Life]

The Alfredo from Alissas book is so addictive. It's very good.

I make hot chocolate by blending up some Agave, coco powder, and nut milk and a dash of vanilla and celtic salt until it's warm to the touch. A very good food.

ALso, the cheddar cheese recipie is yummie!! You can pour it over noodles and it's divine.

[beppa66]

last time I was raw I made the hummus and I think I made the alfredo. The problem I have is that even tho I half recipes it still makes way too much for me.......this often stops me from trying recipes (unless it's desert which dh loves to share with me).

Alissa sells agave on her site, but you can also buy it next to the honey and maple syrup at whole foods/wild oats.:)

We usually halve the recipes too and that is for my dh and I...they make a lot! Except for the pizza crusts, then I freeze the leftover crusts once they're dehydrated, and they are ready to go when you want them.:D

[pan.droid]

I have lost my desire for hot tea and now I prefer room temperature water.

I allow hot tea in my diet... if the point of eating living foods is health it seems dogmatic to not consume a healthy cup of organic white tea just because it's hot... I try not to forget the big picture.

I think a lot of people get carried away with diets because they'd rather not subscribe to some reasonable deliberation about what they chose to consume. Probably 1/3 of the people on this site do this(?) I am after an evolved health. I'm in this for so many selfish reasons!

I think it's odd that the "comfort food" notion is being knocked, somewhat, on this thread. I have trouble imagining any raw comfort food being all that negative (unless it is all one is consuming). The key is variety. No avocados and nuts only days! Thoughtfully appeasing ones taste preferences is a part of health to... look at sex:)

[EZ rider]

I have lost my desire for hot tea and now I prefer room temperature water.

I allow hot tea in my diet... if the point of eating living foods is health it seems dogmatic to not consume a healthy cup of organic white tea just because it's hot... I try not to forget the big picture.I guess you missed my point. I'm not "knocking" comfort foods or tea or anything else. All I am saying is that I wasn't in any way trying to do anything with tea - that is, I wasn't trying to stop drinking tea, continue, or drink more. After I went all raw I lost my desire for hot tea and I have found myself drinking room temperature water instead. The desire for hot tea simply and naturally fell away. I don't know if that will continue or not but certainly if I feel like a cup of tea I'll have one as I have nothing against tea.

[Shona]

Thanks for the idea but that tiny chocolate bar cost me $3.50, at that cost it makes me not so sure I want to use it "trying" out new recipes.... would rather set pieces on my tongue and savourrrrrrrrr it. I haven't seen any agave while I've been shopping, may have to search it out. I don't have a nut milk bag as yet, it's on my list of "to buys".

I hope you aren't waiting to make nut milk until you have a nut milk bag. A special bag really isn't necessary - I strain my nut milk through a cheap mesh sieve that I bought at the dollar store. Works fine. You can use cheesecloth too. :)

Also ... softer rich nuts like cashews and Brazils don't require straining and you can use them just as they are.

[notwell]

Tried a raw chocolate bar and wowser......wonderful!! Which raw bar?

[Veganforlife]

Comfort food?

Two words:
GREEN SMOOTHIES

They comfort EVERYTHING in one's body. Body, mind, and soul!

[ski bumette]

I hope you aren't waiting to make nut milk until you have a nut milk bag. A special bag really isn't necessary - I strain my nut milk through a cheap mesh sieve that I bought at the dollar store. Works fine. You can use cheesecloth too. :)

Also ... softer rich nuts like cashews and Brazils don't require straining and you can use them just as they are.
I haven't really read about making nut milks, I guess I should. Yes I thought you had to have a bag. I should look at it more closely and will probably find more food recipes opening up to me and find out how easy it is. I read a recipe and see nut milk and pass over that recipe because I don't have any.

[ski bumette]

Which raw bar?
It was a raw chocolate bar that the raw restaurant sold. You can eat in or take food out. Plus she sells stuff such as crackers, granola, chocolate bars etc. It's expense tho. For a small bag of flax seed crackers she wants $3.50. It's about the same amount as what I eat as a snack once.

[eachpeachpearplum]

Hey Smile :p !

I DO drink herbal and fruit teas when cold as do both my kids. I have no guilt associated with this at all. And may in time remove these from my diet as I do believe in Alissa program.

This diet is not some cult where if you dont follow it to the letter you are banished; as many have said "it's a journey"! :eek: And this is such a great forum for support.

This is a freeing way of life not constricting. You must tailor it TO YOURSELF. Know what works for you; what works for someone else may not suit YOUR body.

I WILL put my soup in a warmed bowl when I have icy fingers - I am in Seattle. I will also gently warm soup and oatmeal for my kids by putting the room temp food in a bowl and putting that bowl in a bowl of very warm water. This work for me but others may be up in arms about it - thats OK. We are all different.

I also keep comfort foods around but I dont call them that. I have learned that my body at times needs sweet or salty so I have items prepared that address this. Again as a mindset I do not to lable them as "comfort foods" as I would find that distructive as I do have cooked food addictions.

Just remember to look at the glass as half full. Ask youself "what foods do I find I am needing" and think in terms of sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, creamy. Not "I crave chips", instead think that would be crunchy & salty so find what you could have that adresses crunchy & salty!:rolleyes:

Whew! Sorry didnt mean to drone on so much. I hope this helps. And remember we are her to help :o

Cheers,

EPPP

[Bananapie]

I find that if I am using my nut milk right away I don't have to strain it at all because I like things kind of fiberlicious. If my nut milk is going to be stored in the fridge that I strain it so that it doesn't get a funny taste.