Help, I don't know what to do for my husband!

[faith4u]

My husband suprised me the other day by saying he was going all raw for one week. He told me the day before so I didn't have much time to plan.

Anyways, he takes fruit mainly during the day while he is working. I know he isn't eating enough of it because he comes home starving.

The problem I am having is finding entrees that he would like for dinner that aren't a ton of work. I spent so much time in the kitchen yesterday and he didn't like much.

I made the spaghetti with marinara and he didn't like it. I made a dressing that he thought was okay.I made some crackers that he didn't like. I made mock salmon pate which I knew that he does like. He ended up eating it with carrots and celery because I couldn't think of anything else to do with it. Then I made him a smootie that I know he likes.

I spent the day yesterday making some oatmeal cookies that are really good so that he could take them to work.

The thing is that I don't eat the gourmet foods so this is going to waste and we can't afford it. Plus I am still feeding our children. I was tired of being in the kitchen yesterday that I was hoping he would quit. (I can't believe I was even thinking that) Here I have wanted him to try raw for so long.

So do you have any ideas of things to make for him? I don't know what to do.

Thanks!

[Rawkinlocs]

Maybe he needs to just eat the way that you do...more simply. He just needs MORE of it. But if there are things that you've made before he made this decision that he DOES like, make that and a LOT of it (and often).

It's kinda hard for us to tell you what to make for him if his tastes are so discriminating. Also, find out what about those dishes he didn't like...perhaps just adding a little of this or that might make it taste better. For example, with the marinara and pasta...perhaps he would have preferred the pasta to be tossed in olive oil and warmed in the dehydrator (this can be done while the sauce is being made) and maybe he would have liked the sauce less sweet or with some chopped bell peppers, onions and mushrooms in it. Just little things that sometimes we have to learn to deviate a little from making a recipe by the letter and adding things and flavor to it. I used to make the marinara sauce by the letter and then I thought one day, "When I used to eat spaghetti, the sauce had much more to it!" and so I began tweaking recipes and thinking back to how I used to make them (if I ever made anything similar in a cooked version before) what I used to do or add and that makes a difference sometime with some things.

But again, for now maybe it's best you explain to him that with eating raw, there doesn't have to be set meals and specific types of foods at specific mealtimes...explain to him how you eat and why and just get a lot of fresh fruit and veggies...for now if you DO make recipes such as even a simple salad dressing, try to keep it simple but also HALVE or even quarter the recipes since you never know if he'll like it or not. Get some nuts and seeds and maybe soak and season with spices and dehydrate for a filling snack...make smoothies or thick creamy shakes.

Don't feel obligated to make raw meals each night and explain to him that with eating raw, it's different...you can eat whatever you want and if he wants a half a melon for dinner or a large salad or a large fruit plate/bowl that it really is okay to have "just that". Going raw is also a shift in the way we think about meals and mealtimes so you have to help him in that area as well!

Best wishes to you both with this!

[IamLoved]

I just wanted to tell you not to feel badly. I have gone through this same thing with my husband. It can be very difficult. They are used to eating big meals and going to just having some oranges for supper can be quite a shock to them. I also tend to eat simpler. I have gone to huge effort in the past to make raw meals only to have everyone turn their noses up to it. It can be very discouraging. With our children I have stopped making meals. They have fruit for breakfast, nuts and dried fruit for snacks, smoothies and fruit for lunch and salad or other veggies for supper. My husband works a lot right now so I am not feeding him at home.
I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this!

[chilove]

Hi there,

If you can find some dressings that he likes, you can always fill him up with a big salad first before dinner. Encourage him to eat all his fruit during the day so he won't get too hungry and feel dissatisfied. Also, I think that he should be gently encouraged to take some responsibilty for this lifestyle change as well. At the very least, show him some recipes and ask him to pick out some that look interesting to him. I hope it goes well!

Take care,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[mattsonfamily]

My husband (the meat & potatoes guy) is trying eat more raw ;) I made him Storm's new recipe for Creamy Crisp Tacos! It is a $5.00 movie/recipe from http://naturalparadigms.com It was worth it because my husband watched the video and the meal was quick to make - Storm doesn't do any dehydrating. My teenagers even ate it easily.

Another thing that I do since he skips lunch quite a bit and comes home famished...I will have a big smoothie or some carrot juice ready. It seems to take the edge off and get him started in the right direction.

Good luck.

[Lay-Lay]

my husband loves candy balls. They are easy to make. Coleslaw is awesome too and very fast and easy.

[Tirza]

Hi,
Did he make this decision to "try" raw for a week because
1. HE wanted to see if it would benefit him and if he could get by on it
or
2. Did he do it to pacify YOU?
or
3. Is he wanting you to impress HIM?

A lot depends on his motivation. If his is #1, then it should be no problem because he will be wanting to find solutions to see if he can feel better and be satisfied with raw (not with just the idea of feeling stuffed). If it is #2 or #3, then you really have a problem. He may have felt nagged into it and not much will satisfy him in that case. He may subconsciously be determined to prove you wrong.

So don't march up to him now with hands on hips and challenge him on this. Maybe you already know.

See if you can work with him. Some people want to try to "raw-clone" their usual SAD dishes, others not. If you don't try to replicate dishes he loves, he won't be tempted to compare them unfavourably with his learned tastes. Regardless, it takes awhile for ANY of us, no matter what the motivation to re-educate our tastes and to really appreciate anything new. We are such creatures of habit, we need to work it into our routines for long enough for it to feel familiar to us and to become our "New Normal".

At least he is willing, for whatever reason. Just try your best and don't get too frustrated. He might just take pity on you and abort the whole operation and then you will really feel bad. So will he.

[Dimond]

What about some simple soups? Those can be filling and he can bring it to work in a thermos.

[fikustree]

so far my man likes just about everything that I have made!

Some thoughts
Sushi/nori rolls
gazpacho
salads
flax chips and salsa/guacomole/sour cream


These are all things that are "normal" that you would eat anyway with a few tweeks and are super easy to prepare (especially if you can buy flax chips)

[faith4u]

Rawkinlocs- as always you have been so helpful. I did change and add somethings to the marinara like you said because it didn't remind me of my old sauce either. He liked the sauce but hates zucchini. I thought maybe he would like the noodles but didn't.

We actually talked about this just a little bit ago and he said that he would like to eat raw all day and then a healthy vegan dinner. I encouraged him in this because just eating raw all day is a HUGE change from what is normal for him.

I would rather him be able to stick with this long term rather than jumping ship at the end of the week.

missionarymamato5- Thank you so much for taking the time to share that with me. It means a lot to me to know that there are others out there who are experiencing the same things.

Audrey- I keep trying salad dressings (in small amounts) to try and find one he likes. He doesn't like sour stuff like vinegar nor fruity stuff like orange juice bases etc... I will keep trying. I also told him that he has to eat a lot of fruit. I know he isn't eating enough yet but I know it will come with time. Thanks for the advice.

mattsonfamily- Great idea about the carrot juice. That is one thing that he does like. I will do that. I will have to look into the tacos. I made the tacos from Raw Food Real World and he DID like those but it was a lot of work too.

doubleg- Yeah, he did this on his own. His birthday is next week and like always he doesn't like how he feels each year. I just try to encourage him. I hoped to make it easier by keeping him full but he needs to take more responsibility for it too. Thanks for your advice!

GilmoreGirl- I haven't even found any soups that I like yet. I want to keep working on it though. I have a chili recipe that looks like we might like it so I think I will start there.

fikustree- Thanks for the ideas. Count yourself lucky that your man likes everything. ;) I guess my dh is no different than my children, I just have to have him keep trying things over and over and over again.

Thanks again everyone!!

[Rawkinlocs]

faith4u, that sounds like a great plan and one that will probably work best for him...some find they are more successful with a plan such as that.

I am just happy for both your husband and you that he made this decision and like you said, hopefully he will decide to carry it on further than a week...but small steps equal bigger ones, so congrats on hubby coming on board!

Also, what kind of SAD salad dressing does he like? Maybe we can help you come up with something in a raw version that he'll like. I'm going to email you in a bit.

[JEN]

My family still eats cooked but sometimes they really like the raw dishes I make. Alissa's calzone recipe is great!! One of the most liked by SAD eaters. I play with this recipe a lot. Its very heavy to me, so I go light on the cheese and spinach filling. I only make half of crust recipe into calzone and the other half I make into a pizza crust. I dehydrate it until is crisp and top it with a nut cheese spread, avocado, tomato and onion. They love it. Another recipe they like is RawVeganMoms philly steak, use the banana to find it, its wonderful. Sometimes they put it on flax crackers and sometimes in cabbage wraps. Also Alissa's rawviolies are really good and more filling than angel hair. Hmmmm, what else......Alissa's pizza is also good. These recipes are very easy to make and my very picky 17 yr old loves them all. After he eats raw for a while he will start eating much simpler, like you do. My honeys fav raw recipe is corn salad
with Cilantro Dressing

Salad:
4 fresh Corn Cobs, stripped
1 diced Red Bell Pepper
1 Avocado, cubed

Dressing:
1 minced Garlic
1 small Onion
½ Jalapeno Pepper
1 small bunch Cilantro
1 Lime, juiced
½ tsp Sea Salt (or to taste)
2 tsp Flax or Olive Oil
½ tsp Cumin Powder

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, red bell pepper & avocado. Set aside. In a blender, Vita-Mix or food processor, combine the dressing ingredients. Pulse until the cilantro is finely chopped. Mix the dressing with the salad. Enjoy!

Good luck and congrats on his eating raw!!!!

[Pierre]

When I go to work, I usually bring a salad like this:
1 avocado
1 or 2 tomatoes
1 or 2 leaves Allium sp.
Sometimes carrots or celery
Cabbage
Lettuce
About 1 g dulse
Often basil and oregano from the pots on the patio
90 g olives, weight with pit
Total at least 640 grams. I also bring some fruit, such as plums or oranges, unless I'm out.

In the fruit he brings to work, does he include avocados or olives?

[IamLoved]

Hi,

You mentioned that you have a chili recipe so I just wanted to share this with you. There is a recipe on here by Yani (?) for chili and it is so good. I play around with it a lot and add stuff that I like to it, like mushrooms and corn. Then I add it to the dehydrator and let it "warm up" for about 5 hours. Her recipe only says an hour or so but I have found that when you dehydrate it for longer it thickens up and really takes on the texture of cooked chili. It is so good. If you add corn though don't add it until an hour or two before you eat it. Corn gets really hard when you dehydrate it. Then it is not too fun to eat. My husband actually likes this.

My husband also will eat nori rolls, have you tried this? It is really easy to do.

Best wishes to you!

[faith4u]

Thanks everyone!! You are all so helpful.