oh, ive got questions!

[prettyenough]

first of all, im ashley. im a stay at home mother with my 3 children. i think its about time to do something for me and i wanna feel a lot healthier, having to run around with 3 little ones. im at home with them every day so ive got free will to do as i please as far as food and household things. we go grocery shopping every week. my son who is 2 eats all kinds of raw things. and i just had a baby boy 4 weeks ago who isnt into solids yet so thats easy. my boyfriend isnt interested in raw foods atm and my stepdaughter isnt here much until the school year starts up. i feel im the type of person who is all or nothing. so id like to transition from no raw to raw the next time i go grocery shopping. i have a feeling it will be harder b/c i have to buy things for my boyfriend and then things for myself..but this website has me SO motivated. im just wondering, what can i buy for the first week, what kinds of things will be easiest to eat and what are things that keep you full for good periods of time? i have a food processor but thats about it and i have no idea how to use it (haha) so any information on getting started would be wonderful! help me become the me i wanna be! :)

~thanks for your time
ashley

[Veganforlife]

Welcome! Do yourself a favor - get Alissa's book and DVDs if you can afford both - definitely the book.

What is easy? Raw fruits and veggies, seeds, nuts, and sprouts. Search around here for easy recipes. Use the search feature (green bar up top) and type in recipes and you will find a SLEW of 'em. If you want to be more specific, type in that particular word.

Chop up a bunch of fruit, throw in some sunflower seeds and you got a great fruit salad.

Chop up a bunch of kale with plenty of veggies you like, like shredded carrot, purple cabbage, red pepper, onion, throw on some lime juice, some sea salt (Himalayan is 'da bomb), a little extra virgin olive oil (evoo) and bingo! Nice hunkin' salad going on.

It's easy!!!

And - GREEN SMOOTHIES! Kids love 'em!

[prettyenough]

what i just figured out im looking for are recipes for actual meals that i can prepare without a dehydrator. i wanna get one, but cant afford it for a little while. i spose i can just stick with the simple salads of all kinds!

[Veganforlife]

Do you have a blender? If not, they can be picked up cheap at yard sales, goodwill or even a new one pretty reasonable. Then whip up some green smoothies.

Oh there's lots of NON-dehydrated recipes here...all for free...all for the lookin'!!!

[prettyenough]

i have a food processor..but i havent taken it outta the box in months.im basically saying i have no idea how to use and never have used it. haha. would that do for recipes? :-p

[prettyenough]

i just found the raw food pictures post. omg, YUM. my mouths watering hah!!

[Veganforlife]

i have a food processor..but i havent taken it outta the box in months.im basically saying i have no idea how to use and never have used it. haha. would that do for recipes? :-p

For green smoothies - and other dips, spread, etc.
Dust that bad boy off and let 'er rip!!!

[littlemarie]

Ok, im an allstar at havn to do raw with stiff resources. My advice, load up on fruits and veggies that last good long periods of time ie. carrots, apples, oranges, still green bananas, kale, ect. Only bein able to go shopping once a week is cutn it close but thats wat i was havn to do when i startd. Find a health food store if u can, but if not groceries and farmers markets are key. I dont have much equiptment either but im telln ya, a blender is key. it doesnt need to be fancy. i found mine at a yard sale for 50 cents. Talk about cheap! ;) :)

[shashibala]

I relied on avocados and sunflower seed dips when I first went raw. They are filling. The dips can be vegie dips, lettuce or collard wrap fillings, salad toppings, zucchini spaghetti toppings.... You can change the flavors by switching up the spices you use.
You can make zucchini "noodles" by using a vegetable peeler to peel off lots of long strips. Your food processor will make a nice marinara sauce.
There are some fun recipes you can watch on youtube to get started and actually see they process. Just search on youtube.com for raw recipes.
Good luck! It's so exciting to be embarking on this raw journey!!!

[DeFruitBall]

Because of their soft interior, bananas are literally the ultimate natural baby food. They also taste delish! Mashed avocados work well too.

Always remember though, that you can always squish the food up in a processor as well.

[Bananna]

Todd Waldorf's salad on here is pretty good... the book 'raw food made easy' has a lot of recipes that you just need a food processor for too.

Consider bags of frozen fruit too, you won't end up wasting any food that way. I love a thawed out bowl of mangoes!