Raw challenge day eleven

Didn't have a pear this morning. Used banana instead. Also didn't feel like having a smoothie - so I used a bit less water. And found the best breakfast porridge! Ok, one of them. All have been so yummy!

Lovely morning
a handful of spinach
two handfuls of lingonberries
one banana
2-3 dried figs (soaked)
2-3 dried dates (soaked)
dried acai berries (soaked)

Maybe my head is spinning, but for me this tasted pretty chocolatey :) Added some mulberries on top. And here you have my lunch salad. Note the honey falling down, hehe. I have such an eager and talented photographer, who's unfortunately not always present when taking these pics (as you can see the difference in this post). Hope you guys don't mind!

Raw challenge day ten

Today has been like 4/5 raw. We had a team breakfast at work today and I didn't wanna make any fuss with my "yeah guys, sorry, I only eat leaves and water", so I had a normal breakfast with them. The salmon rye bread tasted excellent! And yeah, my boyfriend makes fun of my smoothies, saying I'm having "leaves and water" :)

I have been feeling super well since the first three-four nauseous days. I've also been eating some natural yogurt, that is not raw, but obviously does the trick. I've also had quite a lot of raw chocolate and other little raw snacks. This snack was not so little, hehe, but it was super good. The orange chocolate cake (stays excellent in the freezer, and, hehe, yeah I ate it half frozen) and an apple. And maple syrup. With ginger tea (ginger, honey, lemon). Delissssshhhh!

Raw challenge day nine - risotto!

Risotto is my absolute favorite food. If I spot risotto on a restaurant menu - I'm done with the choosing. So there is no way even trying to compare real risotto with the raw version. But then again, it's not surprising that this recipe instantly became my favorite - it's a risotto! *say it with an italian accent*

Raw Cauliflower risotto
3-4 dl minced cauliflower
1/2 dl cashew nuts (soak, if you remember :)
raisins
coconut flakes
lens (or other) sprouts
avocado
salt
curry
jeera (cheese cumin?)
black onion seeds

I love these naked bars as a snack. So delicious and easy to carry around. I guess the brand is "nakd", but for me it first looked like "naked" so naked it'll be. These are raw wholefood, gluten/wheat/dairy free, no added sugar or syrups, cold-pressed, never baked. This choco orange bar includes only dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa and a hint of natural orange & chocolate flavor. If you make these bars yourself, you can use orange peel and be even more raw :) Homemade bars are nevertheless way cheaper. But these are yummy, as said :)

Independence Day Raw Dinner

Had to come back here to show you my lovely dinner. This salad is definitely my favorite on this challenge (so far) and since it's the independence day and Tuesday and December and all... chocolate ice cream as a dessert :)

Strawberry salad
Rucola
Strawberries and raspberries
Avocado
Pine nuts
Coconut flakes
Black pepper
Olive oil
(honey and salt)

Chocolate banana cashew ice cream
Frozen bananas
Cashew nuts (soaked)
Raw cocoa powder
Lucuma
Honey
Little bit coconut oil

Raw challenge day seven - cheating

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, since this was never meant to be a torture diet and I feel I'm doing the right thing listening to my body. I've had some troubles sleeping three nights in a row (very unusual) and last night, literally in the middle of the night, I sat down with a bowl of natural yogurt with peanut butter and cherry jam. It was all lovely and helped me to fall asleep.

I've had that nasty nauseous feeling three evenings in a row. It might be just the toxins in my body starting to move, but on the other hand, as I already said, this was never meant to be a torture diet. So, this morning I had a bowl of nice warm oatmeal porridge with my green smoothie and I'm feeling a lot more balanced now. I'm thinking I'll adapt the rest of the challenge a bit more suitable to my body. Going pretty much day by day - listening to my body.

This amazing salad was today's lunch. It's not very filling, but that was just fine since the breakie oatmeal bowl was not the smallest :)

Happy independence day to all my Finnish readers!

ps. all the recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Raw challenge day.. six?

Yes, it is day six :)

Yesterday's nauseous feeling is gone and although all the blended soups are coming out of my ears (you say that in English..?) I feel good since I just had a snack that almost brought tears into my eyes. Muesli and milk! I'm a real muesli addict and could easily eat one package if muesli with milk on one sitting. 

Almond milk

Blend 1/4 almonds with 3/4 water. Add honey and vanilla to sweeten. Strain it through a "straining fabric". And save the pulp for later use (like raw porridges, brownies, sweet balls, shakes). 

Muesli

Blend your favorite dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Or go to Punnitse ja Säästä and buy their "trail mix". 

I was feeling so out of control, that I even added some mulberries and agave syrup. Totally wild :)

Raw food challenge day five

I've been feeling a bit nauseous and cold today. Not sure if it's because of the food or because of the lack of sleep last night. It is interesting, they say that feeling nauseous in the beginning of a raw diet is just because all the toxins in your body are starting to move and exit - then again, you can wonder if it's just that your body is lacking something it needs. The body is truly amazing and it can adapt to SO many different diets, so quite naturally it will also get used to changes. So is the feeling better a symptom of the toxins being gone, or is it just habituation?

Have I noticed any significant changes so far? Well, at least my food digestion is working a lot better than usually. And I don't have such a sugar cravings in the afternoon and evening. It's also quite liberating not to have to think about what you are going to eat. And funny to be so excited about getting to mix a BANANA in your smoothie! Well, it just makes such a difference to the taste :) Also, I had some natural organic yogurt yesterday evening, because I felt like something milky. And has a bowl of yogurt ever tasted so amazing!? Gosh :) 

Coming back to body adapting to different diets - one thing that I definitely notice, is that I'm getting used to the real flavors and pure, clean food. If I now think about what I'd like to have, if I could eat anything, it's not the usual risotto/pasta/Ben&Jerry's/mudcake - I feel more like having a warm oatmeal! Or rye bread with butter! 

Ok, there were some thoughts, here is the picture of my dinner salad. Have a lovely evening! 

Raw challenge day four

So far I've had the best and the worst taste experiences with this challenge. I kinda ruined the melon smoothie the other day and yesterday's papaya smoothie.. let's not even go there. Then again, some foods have been out of this world delicious, like todays breakfast porridge. That was more like a dessert and I enjoyed every single bit of it! Afternoon snack was raw chocolate mousse, and you can never go wrong with that :) Also the "sushi" that I had as a dinner was yummy.

Yummy porridge: 
3 dried plums
3 dried dates
2 dried figs
2 tbsp goji berries
2 tbsp dried cherries
1 dl buckwheat
100g blueberries
banana

Soak everything except blueberries and banana overnight. Don't use the soaking water of buckwheat, do use the needed amount of soaking water of the fruit. Blend everything and add some cuties on top. I used almond flakes, coconut flakes and raisins.

Chocolate mousse: 
1 avocado
3 soaked dates (use the water)
3 tbsp raw cocoa powder
honey
vanilla

Blend and enjoy! I added some mulberries and cashews on top.

Recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Sexy on Raw

Raw challenge day two

So I promised not to post every meal - well I skipped breakfast! I mean posting it, not skipping the eating. That would have been just weird after yesterdays post.

These raw meals are just making me so happy. Just take a look at my (half eaten) lunch. See, I tried to resist posting it until halfway through, hih.

Then again, shall we not talk about the dinner soup. Let's just say that I needed a strong mind to spoon it all down and a handful of raw chocolates as a dessert. But I bet it was good for me :)

Pineapple, orange, avocado, pecans, coconut flakes, honey.

Recipe from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments