"Grab and go" recipes?

[raweater]

The only thing I absolutely hate with raw food is I must make every single thing I eat myself (if I had raw foods at the grocery store or a raw restaurant raw would be so much easier, on SAD I used to order 3 times a week, try that with raw around here...), and sometimes I just don't want to spend 15 minutes making a meal. Not to mention the ONE AND ONLY pre made raw food available here are larabars which are way too expensive to eat regularly, at least with the crashing US economy (I'm in Canada getting paid worthless US dollars).

What I'd like is recipes I could make once a week or so of things that keep at least a week (this probably means dehydrated) which I could simply grab and eat at any time, I'm sick of making a meal each time I'm hungry and sick that not one damn store or restaurant has a single non cancer causing item here, even 99% of salads in restaurants are more dangerous than smoking.

I'm also loosing weight (which I absolutely do NOT want, what I'd like is to GAIN 40 pounds or so, but this seems REALLY hard on raw), so quick grab and go recipes would really help me eat without spening my life in the kitchen.

I have many dehydrated recipes but I either don't like them or they are too complicated (soak X hours, dry X hours, re soak X hours, re dry X hours, bla bla bla and it takes 2-3 days before it's ready).

Thanks

[virginia]

First of all I would suggest you take a more positive attitude. Then, there are plenty of things...I usually use one day a week to make something substantial to eat throughout the week. Usually I soak sunflower or almond, either blend with water and pour into a sproutbag to drain or process in food processor. I sometimes add up to about the same amount of vegetables/herbs processed or chopped small. Sometimes I add a capsule of probiotic and then I either put in refrigerator or put into glass containers with loose lids or form into burgers and put in my dehydrator to ferment overnight. All week I eat fresh fruits, sprouts, young greens, avocados, maybe other veggies in season and whatever I made that week. Sometimes it's soaked flax seeds blended with veggies/herbs, some I put into a container as is, some I dry into crackers. Also with the almonds, the liquid that drains out, put into another jar, it is milk. Virginia

[beckx]

second the positive attitude and taking a day a week to prep - make breads and crackers on that day and maybe a few kinds of dips or pates to put on salads and a couple desserts if you want. you can make fresh salsa or guac in under 10 minutes. you can even chop your veggies on the food prep day. then you have nearly everything you need all ready for you all week to assemble.

aside from the rare dehydrated crackers/breads and maybe eggplant jerky, i make everything fresh and never spend more than 10 minutes including clean up on a meal.

worst case scenario, you can do prepared food orders from awesome foods or rawvolution.

btw, in my opinion if it comes down to eating a salad at a restaurant or being hungry and miserable, take the salad, say some grateful words over it, eat it with love and don't tell yourself its cancer causing because its way better than many alternatives... i think anger is way more cancer causing.

[raweater]

"worst case scenario, you can do prepared food orders from awesome foods or rawvolution."

As I said I'm in Canada and the ONLY raw food available here are larabars.

About eating cancer causing salads, firstly a salad isn't filling so I wouldn't be any more full after, and secondly I don't eat at restaurants, specifically because nothing is edible there. I as saying I would like raw restaurants so I could order raw meals every now and then to get a "cooking" break.

[raweater]

By the way sorry for the negative attitude, this is just not a good time for me, the US dollar, which I get paid in and am in Canada, is probably at a record low, and me being in Canada means I get paid almost half per dollar that I did before 9/11. I'm also trying to gain weight but because I'm broke I cannot afford to.

I also cannot start a new business to get out of this mess because I'm broke (it takes money to make money).

I also recently bought a Green Star juicer with my Christmas money and now am in debt because of this.

I just want to find another source of income to get me out of this mess, but I'll have to slowly save money before I can even do that. I mean, I'm putting off a cookie recipe because I can't even afford the ingredients, I've NEVER had to do that before, even in what I thought was past hard financial times, this is the worst of the worst.

Hopefully Ron Paul will be elected president and will repair the crumbling US economy, which in turn will get me out of this mess.

Vote Ron Paul for President to save this country and planet!

[beckx]

don't be sorry, but if you're going to feel anger around something don't let it be food!

start with what you love to do, then think of ways you can turn that into a way to make money with as little start up money as possible. or, if you're already doing what you love, what are ways you can make it more profitable?

[gabscastillo]

Ummm... go ahead and vent. And please don't apologize.

This isn't easy! You are to be commended for sticking with it.

I may not be a lot of help (but I'll listen, and you can go ahead and grouse to me :) ) but I, for one, eat a lot of whole foods, and I've come to love them. I never go anywhere without whole fruits, veggies, raw nuts, and I juice a lot !! I save the complicated stuff for special occasions.

Hang in there!

[GreenJB5]

Hi raweater,

I understand your pain.. these are hard times and let's hope the next president will turn things around. my favorite grab and go meal is avocado and salsa with a drizzle of olive oil.

raw food in rest. and wholes food are way too expensive for me. I found that mexican rest. are great to eat raw and very cheap. I order a side of greens and a side of guamole(sp?). then load up with the free salsa.

[buffalogal]

Hi Raweater!! I just wondered what kind of job you do in Canada that pays in US Dollars. Do you live near a "border" city? How easy is it for you to get to the U.S.? I live in Buffalo, NY and there are alot of places in Buffalo that carry staples to help you in your raw journey. Are there any food co-ops, Sam's Clubs, etc. near you? We have several grocery chain stores that carry organic items. I really feel bad for you; you just seem so stressed all the time.:( Do you exercise? Not for weight loss but just to feel better. Even just a walk in the fresh air will help with some of your stress and will make you feel better. Just a suggestion.

[JEN]

Sorry you are having tough times. Here is a book that might help.

http://www.zpointprocess.com/resources/thinkandgrowrich.pdf

You might check out the abundance thread in this forum as well.
Best of luck to you.

[raweater]

Thanks for all the replies. I also wasn't in my best mood when I wrote the original post, I normally like making my own meals, but sometimes I just want something quick. I'm about to make Juliano's Cashew Butter Fudge cookeis now, they have like $15-20 of ingredients for 12 cookies but I just got the last ingredient I needed today.

About guacamole in restaurants, don't you think that would be something like Kraft's "guacamole" which has no avocado but rather a lovely base of artificially colored and flavored hydronegated oil?

buffalogal: I actually sell software I made online, I do not work in the US, but I sell it in US dollars as 90%+ of my customers are in the US. I'm actually very rarely if ever stressed, I never let anything negative get me down and I don't let these hard financial times get me down either. I do weight lifting but have been doing much less, and cannot afford to start again now (when I do, my hunger and in turn my grocery cost triples, as I start eating 6000-7000 calories per day when I workout, I cannot afford this now). I was working out to gain weight, which works quite well, I rapidly gain weight when I do, but as I said I simply cannot afford the food/energy needs to workout right now.

At least I'm slowly getting out of debt (I'm just in debt since Christmas but I had never ever had a negative amount of money before and am not used to it). I expect to be back to positive amounts in a month at the most.

[deberaw]

Hang in there Raweater! ...at Mexican restaurants here they make they guac. fresh...sometimes right in front of you! I'd say if it was at a SAD chain restaurant, it probably wouldn't be authentic....I'm finding that things like marinated greens and hummus last in the fridge for at least several days if not more...so I make a big batch at once and dip into it during the week...also nut butters are filling....and calorie dense...maybe romaine wraps with almond butter? or a romaine wrap with avocado and whatever else? Keep looking thru recipes.....glad this month has less than 30 days...next month will come quicker for you! {oh, you have the gallon of coconut oil yes? add to smoothies!}

[GreenJB5]

About guacamole in restaurants, don't you think that would be something like Kraft's "guacamole" which has no avocado but rather a lovely base of artificially colored and flavored hydronegated oil?.

The guacamole is fresh . i was only giving you suggestions. you may take or leave them

[raweater]

I was only trying to warn about potential artifical guacamole. In any case I'd assume it's obvious when it's artificial, after all it's just colored and flavored hydrogenated oil.

[ManyLittles]

Raweater,

We all have days like that, don't feel bad about it. And I say, Amen! That is one thing that is frustrating with raw food, the lack of quick and easy snacks, and portability. I wish I had a suggestion, I'm looking for the same ideas! Pretty much everything takes some preparation. Right now, I am doing a lot of green smoothies in a great big cup with a lid. Maybe some dehydrated sweet potato chips? Or spicy flax crackers? The sweet potato chips would be fairly cheap.

So sorry you have to buy stuff in Canada on a US salary. Being broke and raw is no fun. Ordering prepared food to be shipped to you would be great, I'd love to do that. Problem is, I think you'd have to be reeeeeally well off to afford it! LOL Oh well, maybe someday, right?

I think the guacamole idea is great, because the avocados are more fattening, if you're wanting to gain weight. With some flax crackers, it would be great for the "grab" but not so much the "and go" part. At least, not if you're klutzy like me and likely to end up with green stains on your shirt! ;-)

Good luck, I hope someone gives you better ideas than I did!

[tvillemom]

How about sprouting? Seeds are cheap, and usually pretty easy to sprout. I like to sprout lentils and buckwheat. They seem to be the easiest for me, and you can do lots of stuff with them. Lentils can be eaten as is, or make Alissa's BBQchicken fingers....which does take time, but make a BIG batch and freeze some for future use. I find that dehydrating stuff does take time, but alot of time I will make alot extra, and then freeze (if I need to) this may help you with having things more accessible, like "ready to eat" just throw it in the dehydrator for alittle bit to thaw, you know? Hope this helps.

I feel your pain with the expense of staying raw. I try to just buy the cheapest stuff at the store, for me it's bananas, apples, celery, carrots. They are cheap. Then maybe a couple of avos, and a bag of raw walnuts or almonds. That's about all I buy on a regular basis. I try to keep frozen berries to make smoothies. Oh yeah, a bag of baby spinach.

Try to look at the positives, how are you feeling? focus on the positives, I find that this always helps me come out of "the funk".:D

Good luck to you.

[raweater]

I have no problems focusing on positive, I never let anything negative get me down. I did post about it here, but I'm not depressed or anything about it.

Also, my money problems have nothing to do with raw, I've been raw for over two years and normally raw costs less than SAD anyway (except for special things like raw cacao but that's the very rare exception). My money issues are due to:
-Christmas purchases got me broke
-Bought Green Star after Christmas purchases, got me in debt

This is a temporary issue that I'll be out of in no more than a month, this is not a long term problem, sorry if I gave that impression. It is true the crashing US economy isn't helping, but the true reason I'm in debt is my Green Star, but I'm glad I bought it and am sure it will last many years or decades.

About sprouts, I'm concerned about the health issues of lentils, I've read several times they have natural toxins. I've rarely managed to do anything with sprouts other than falafels made of chickpeas or pizza crusts made of buckwheat (2 sprouts I'm actually trying to avoid). I've never managed to do anything with the truely healthy sprouts, as I don't quite like their taste as is.

Thanks