How do you stay on track?

[Myownworstenemy]

Anyone here do daily or weekly menus to stay on track? Or do you just sort of go with what you feel you want to eat. I'd love to see someone daily/weekly menu/shopping list to get an idea of how you plan your days and weeks of eating.

I live with my folks right now (in order to help with my termianlly ill father) so they're diet is drastically different from mine. Although my mom is a vegetarian, she is also a fan of the boxed/canned processed foods, and my father is a big conventional eater, so eating raw is a challenge.

I would love to see a sample shopping list/menu from you all here to get some idea as to what you do and how you do it.

[Hina]

Well, I usually drag my father to do some shopping together for the next week each weekend. Mostly buying seasonal foods with a few exceptions that are affordable where I live (avocados, mangos, papayas etc are big no-no, they are rarely fresh and damn expensive). I have to improvise, as half of the stuff in the recipes these American (no offence ofc :)) raw food chefs write are non-existent here.
So as of now its something like this:
all kinds of cabbages (green, red, chinese, turnip etc) and lettuces (red/green romaine, lettuce etc except ice berg), cucumber, squash, beet, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, different types of paprika, mushrooms, radishes (red/white), red/green onions, welsh onions, garlic, ginger, parsley,celery, coconuts (mature only, couldn't find young thai ones here...), bananas, dates, frozen berries, lemons, apples (I eat at least 2 a day haha), pears, plums, grapes, (soon oranges, kiwis, mandarins season come too) almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds (these are mostly inexpensive, other types are out of reach :rolleyes:) tomatoes freshly from our garden, different types of sprouts (just the "base" to sprout for ourselves) that's all I could think of as of now, hopefully it will give you an idea ;)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Have you read Alissa's book? It has a meal plan for ya. ;)

[Rhapsody]

Hey there!

Well i personally go by type of meals, i know that in my day I want at least: 1 smoothie (morning), 1 big salad (lunch), and 1 juice (night) and some essene bread with raw honey and nuts for snacks

I write everything on a paper and then i just break it down, go for what you like!
for example for a smoothie bananas are a must! (at least for me lol) then i add what i find on sale (papayas, pineapple, cranberries, etc) and I'd usually add some kale (to make it even more healthier, and because i can't really stand the taste of kale in a salad lol)

salad: there's so many recipes you could make! There's no restriction! lettuce mix , spinach, zucchini spaghettis, with some dried tomato (check Alicia's recipes :p) don't hesitate to use spices. (again if you're short on money look for what's on sale, and use your imagination)

Juice: cucumber (contains a lot of water) celery, beats, and carrots!

nuts: everything (but be careful with brasil nuts)

Once I bought my groceries I'd stick the grocery list on the fridge so i can remember to use everything I bought (because sometimes I'd forget something in the back of the fridge :( )

Good luck in your raw journey!:)

[EZ rider]

My menu is pretty much the same everyday. I start my day with green juice. Then I eat fruit all day. In the evening I have a salad and juiced veggies. I get a variety of fresh foods depending on the season and availability. IMO the the best way to maintain and/or heal a body/mind is to provide the nutrients it is looking for and can find in fresh raw foods that are not damaged by cooking. Good luck.

[Seedy]

I agree that a simple menu makes shopping and food prep easy. I'll have a green smoothie, a fruit plate, or chia pudding for breakfast, a collard or lettuce wrap and apple for lunch, and a big salad, raw soup or zucchini pasta for dinner. The fruit and veggies I buy vary slightly with the seasons, but I have a list of staples that I always buy. That way I can make something quick when I get home from work without much effort. If I feel ambitious I might make some flax crackers or buckies (sweetened sprouted buckwheat) in the dehydrator.
Seedy

[RawKnitster]

I don't plan ahead unless it is something that needs dehydrating. My pantry is loaded with raw staples. I get a weekly CSA box most of the year, but in summer I put it on hold and buy most of my food from the Farmer's Markets. The rest I buy based on how fresh it looks and what is on sale. I find that the best way to keep it diversified and interesting. It helps that I live near several stores with good organic produce departments. Makes it easy to stop and shop on a whim.

Part of the fun of being raw for me (especially in the beginning) was exploring new stores and finding new foods I hadn't tried before.

I used to keep myself on track by writing a menu of options to chose from based on what was in the house. I usually wrote it the night before or that morning. Planning further ahead than that doesn't work for me.

[klomasius]

I don't really know how I stay on track these days. I guess it has a lot to do with the total view change I've had and the fact that raw is the food for me now.

If it's raw, I eat it, no plans, no menus, no routines, just eat as I go. I just pack fruit and a raw bar in my bag and that does me for out and about.

[Veganforlife]

I haven't. But I'm back again. Just will power. Pure and simple. It's me against me. And I'm winning! :D

[revdrcyn]

I follow Alissa's 30-day meal plan. She includes a detailed shopping list, which makes it really simple. After the first few week, it is quite easy to modify - you know, once you get the hang of it.

[commoncents]

I use a weekly shopping plan since I go to the store once per week.

First, I decide what I'm going to eat for the week. Last week looked like this:

Enchilada
Soup
salad
Salad dressing
fruit
Juicing and green smoothies supplies (fruit and vegetables)

Then I go through the recipe book and list everything that I'll need for each of those dishes and decide which fruits and vegetables that i'm going to juice/eat for the week. Works well for me and makes sure I used all the produce I've purchased.

Good luck.

[HereAndThere]

If it's raw, I eat it, no plans, no menus, no routines, just eat as I go. I just pack fruit and a raw bar in my bag and that does me for out and about.That's what I've been doing lately, too - shop for the sales and figure out what to do with it later.

My husband is non-raw and barely vegetarian so I'll try to make a salad that we can both share or a raw dessert that he'll eat too. That way, it doesn't feel like "my food" vs. "his food" (hard to explain).