New and need fast help!

[daystar]

Hi! I'm sorry I haven't done the intro thread yet, but I kinda need some help asap. I'm just now learning about raw food and the lifestyle and I'm really on board with it. I'm eating really simply......no recipes and I'm ok with that and DH is getting into it as well. We also have 2 kiddos, 2 and 4 years old, and they are going to be a real challenge to move over to a raw diet but that's another thread, LOL! But back to my emergency, ;) :

My dad is 60 and has high blood pressure. He's on meds and they're not doing much. He's a chronic muncher, has a major sweet tooth, loves milk.........yeah, alot of bad stuff. Anyway, he's been trying to do a little better by snacking on celery, carrots, almonds, sunflower seeds (albeit roasted and lightly salted), eats chicken, adds little or no salt to things, has started taking grapeseed extract capsules.......but it doesn't seem to be affecting his bloodpressure - it's still up and his mood is going down. I think if he went in a more raw direction he might start seeing some improvement but I also think it's going to take some pretty tasty and palatable "dishes" to rope him in, if you kwim. And they can't be complicated or require more more than an average blender and small food processor to begin with (he isn't going to drop 300.00 on equipment right now). I'd love any suggestions you all might offer. Thanks!!

[freespirit]

I suggest looking through the recipe section and buying some books- most health food store have a couple raw books, and i know barnes and noble even carries some.

jennifer cornbleet, victoria boutenko, nomi shannon, and bridgette mars all have great books with fairly easy recipes.

And of course alissa's book is very easy to use, great recipes, and she gives you a plan for a month to get you started. grocery lists and the whole shebang!

[GlimR]

Good for you and hubby. As for your Dad...there are tons of recipes on this site you might try. Have him eat 4 stalks of celery every day, it is excellent for high blood pressure. If he has a sweet tooth you can make RP's brownies in the food processor and he may like them very much..walnuts, dates and cacao powder...they are delicious and very simple. The more fruits and veggies he can eat the better. Fruit smoothies w/ sweet fruits, oj and spinach are very sweet and filling, he might like those...freeze the bananas when very ripe to make them thick and cold. Wishing you the very best as you try to find what works.

[Revvell]

I have a special running right now just for people such as your dad. IF you can get him to drink a blender-ful of smoothies a day and watch the video "Eating", I'm sure he'll want to drop a bit of money for a better blender. Sometimes, people need to hear/see things from someone else's perspective. Check this out please: http://bit.ly/3Bs0kn.

The people interviewed in the dvd are doctors and others who've regained their health.. many of them are your dad's age. Once he experiences what green smoothies (or smoozies) do for him, he just may want to take some more steps.

Revvell

[daystar]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions - I'll definitely look into all of them! Can someone give me a quick recipe for a green smoothie with spinach? I've got baby spinach, OJ, apples, bananas, cherries, oranges, natural peanut butter, honey, avocados, kiwis....um....that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Something I could whip up real quick to maybe let him try? I've never made one even for myself so please forgive the newbie-ness.:o

[daystar]

Oh! and what is the recipe for RP's brownies? That sounds perfect for him! And what does RP stand for, too?:o

[JEN]

Here it is with an icing recipe someone posted as well. Ive noticed that now that I drink fruit and green smoothies and eat more fruit I rarely want sweets. Green smoothies are a great way to get some fruit and greens in at the same time. My favorite green smoothie is about 6 peaches and a couple big handfuls of baby spinach. First blend the spinach with a little water to liquid then add in peaches and blend. I usually add 6-7 cubes of ice just to slightly chill it, but I dont like them too cold. Enjoy!!

Rp Brownies


1 cup walnuts (unsoaked)
1 cup dates (pitted unsoaked)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (you may use carob if you like)

Place in food processor, and blend until well blended; should still be dry and chunky, appx 30 seconds. Press into a small springform pan. Refrigerate until you can insert a knife and it isn't too sticky.

Cut into little pieces, then place in plastic baggies and freeze.

They can be eaten fresh from the fridge or from the freezer.

(Note: Sometimes you have to add a teaspoon or so of water so they stick together. You can also form them into balls and then roll them in raw coconut.)


Icing!

2 small ripe avocados
1/2 -3/4 c agave nectar (raw "blue" agave is best, but is harder to find)
1/4 c raw cocao powder (or less)
2 T coconut oil
1 T alcohol-free vanilla
dash of sea salt
dash of cinnamon (optional)
banana or strawberry slices for garnish

Place everything in a VitaMix or high-power blender or food processor and blend (on high) until very smooth.

Keep stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.

[Zella Juice]

Get a cheap juicer and start juicing. That's what we did just cause we didn't get any veggies in our diet. We never thought we were headed to Raw Vegan Land. We even joked that we would go raw after cutting out meat and milk. But never thought it was possible. Just by starting juicing...the body naturally starts craving the good stuff and the brain starts getting smarter about food choices. Just JUICE. Fresh juice in a green smoothie is a bonus. We didn't start green smoothies until 2 years later because we didn't know about them. But I couldn't be raw with out them. They really cut down on cravings for salt sugar and oils.