As many of you know, I have been trying to eat and be healthy lately! A couple of weeks ago in an effort to try something new and to reprogram my brain and body into eating healthier I embarked on a week long raw diet. I was getting tired of eating the same food all the time, and I really just wanted a challenge to try something new. Good news is that I discovered a lot in that one week, and I actually lasted the whole time! I did lose a few pounds, just in case you were wondering, but that wasn't the reason I wanted to try this diet. Anyways, if you follow me on instagram, you might have seen me posting photos of my raw diet meals. If not, that's ok, you will see them below along with recipes and suggestions to try if you are interested! Along with everything pictured in this post, I also ate a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. Among my favorites are: kiwis, pineapple, celery, mangoes, peaches, plums, nectarines, carrots, and tomatoes.
1. Juice
Juicing was a major part of my raw diet. I don't really use any set recipes. For the most part, I would just wing it! That's what I did during my juice fast too. A couple of my favorite mixes to this day are:
1 sweet potato
3 oranges
3 apples
2 carrots
1 cup of spinach
Thoughts:
Basically, I put as many leafy greens into my drinks as I could. Mainly spinach and kale. Juicing is a great way to get your vegetables and fruits in for the day! It's also fun coming up with different combinations and it gives you natural energy without any negative side effects.
2. Orange, Carrot and Ginger Soup (idea from this recipe)
What you need:
Blender
1 cup fresh, hand squeezed orange juice
2 TBSP raw almond butter
1" chunk fresh ginger
4 carrots
Optional:
Sea salt
Black pepper
Fresh basil
What to do:
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend until the texture is smooth and creamy. If you want, you can blend it for a little longer to make it warm.
Thoughts:
This is absolutely delicious. I blended mine for a little bit longer to get it warm. It was incredible. The mix of flavors is fantastic. This was the first meal I made raw. It also doubles as a great salad dressing and dip for fresh veggies.
3. Filling Smoothies
What you need:
Blender
2 bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries (froze them myself)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 avocado
2 TBSP raw almond butter
What to do:
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender. Easy enough.
4. Frosted Raw Brownies (idea from this recipe)
What you need:
Food Processor
Blender
Brownie Pan (9" x 9")
Small Mixing Bowl
Base:
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw pecans
1 3/4 cups of pitted medjool dates
1/4 cup dried pitted cherries
1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (w/o alcohol)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Frosting:
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
2 TBSP raw cocoa powder
Pinch sea salt
What to do:
For Base:
In the food processor add the almonds, cashews and pecans. Process until fine, for a couple of minutes.
Add the dates and cherries. Process/pulse until crumbly.
Add cocoa powder, salt, pure vanilla extract. Process until the mixture comes together. The mixture should be sticky and it should hold together with pressed with your fingers. If you need to, add a few drops of water.
Once you feel like the mixture is done, take it out of the processor and press into the brownie pan that is lined with wax paper. Press and flatten the mixture firmly to make sure the mixture will hold.
For the Frosting:
In a small mixing bowl combine the raw almond butter and raw agave nectar and mix until smooth.
Add cocoa butter and salt and make sure all ingredients are mixed evenly. Mixture should be smooth.
Smooth the frosting over the base and refrigerate for about an hour to set and they will be ready!
Thoughts:
These are seriously delicious, only if you like nuts of course. I think it tastes better than regular brownies! They are also really filling and fulfilled my chocolate craving for the week!
5. Zucchini Pasta Alfredo (idea from this recipe)
What you need:
Food Processor
Spiral Cutter
Blender
3 Zucchini spiralized
Fresh Basil, to taste
Grape tomatoes, halved
Sauce:
2 1/2 cups raw cashews
3 Cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp sea salt
Optional:
Red pepper flakes
Black pepper
What to do:
In a food processor, process the raw cashews. Then, add the processed cashews into a blender along with the garlic, thyme, sea salt and a little bit of water.
Toss zucchini noodles, grape tomatoes, fresh basil and sauce together
Thoughts:
It's definitely different, but I love zucchini, so I thought it was pretty delicious. The spiral cutter was not really worth the money. It just makes zucchini look like noodles and it was fun, but I ended up returning it, because I had no other uses for it.
6. Zucchini with Marinara (idea from this recipe)
What you need:
2 zucchini
For Sauce:
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 vine ripe tomato
1 cup basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Optional:
Black pepper
Red peper flakes
What to do:
Prepare zucchini by chopping them up into small pieces.
In a food processor, process cherry tomatoes, vine ripe tomato, basil leaves, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.
Toss zucchini in marinara. Top off with black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Thoughts:
This was delicious. I love tomatoes and this mixture was pretty satisfying. It was probably my favorite meal all week. It was also extremely filling!
Would you try any of these?
