Raw challenge day fourteen - that's it!

Two weeks accomplished. Now give me that green curry, soya"meat"balls and rice porridge!!! :)

Seriously speaking, what's up next? I'm thinking about keeping one huge salad on my menu at least once a day. Also, the green smoothies and raw porridges will certainly be often on my breakfast menu. I still have the same no-no's: meat, coffein, getting drunk :) They make me feel instantly bad and/or are a risk to my health. Also trying to keep the intake of white flour and sugar reasonable. I mean, saying "no" to a warm cinnamon bun would be just stupid. With all the sweets in general, I'll probably be doing more raw than baked in the future. It's a small change you can easily do, that benefits your health.

Today's "farewell dinner" was amazing! It must be partly habituation to the raw, but the cheese sauce on this pasta tasted do cheesy, you cannot imagine! Although the raw two weeks are now ending, I know this is going to be my lunch tomorrow.

And yes, a big portion of smashed potatoes, soyaballs and lingonberry jam in the evening :)

Pasta with cheese sauce


Pasta: 
Slice zucchini into thin slices (cheese slicer is a good help)
blend with one tablespoon of coconut flour

Cheese sauce: 
1 dl cashews (soak for 1-2 hrs)
quality salt
black pepper
1 tbsp soya sauce / tamari
1 tbsp lemon juice
(1 tsp lemon zest)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
(thyme)
water (not the soaking water of cashews)

Blend it into the most delicious pasta sauce! I didn't have lemon, so I used half a lime instead. Worked just fine!


Last, but not least, a big thank you to Katja of Moments-blog, for handing out all these recipes!

Raw challenge day thirteen

You know those days when you are feeling tired, the darkness is bringing you down and you just instinctually turn to something good to eat. And there's nothing wrong with that (occasionally)! Turns out, even on a raw diet, with a little bit of imagination, you can satisfy your sweet tooth easily with raw chocolate, dried plums and like.. mixing apple, maple syrup and peanut butter. Way too good. So, not the healthiest day, but at least better than a pizza and a bowl of Ben&Jerry's! This being said in all respect and love to BJ. 

Ok, pretty much NOT interesting information. Actually, I just wanted to come here to say thank you for all you kind people, who have been reading this blog and commenting to me on these topics. It feels so great to deliver some ideas and inspiration! I will not be posting on daily basis from this challenge forward, but I certainly hope to keep you reading :)

Today's dinner was stuffed mushrooms with salad. It's a small portion - the lines above explain pretty good why I wasn't too hungry :) The recipe was fantastic, however.

Recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments-blog

Raw challenge day twelve - papaya!

Papaya salad

spinach
papaya
avocado
coconut flakes
salt
black pepper

dressing:
peanut butter
sesame oil
chili
lime juice
olive oil

I think this will rate quite high on my list of lunch salads. So simple and so tasty! Two weeks have almost passed and I'm having bit of a mixed feelings. Mixed, but positive. This two week challenge has definitely done good to my digestion, since it's working better than in years. I've also found some new food favorites, that will definitely be on the menu in the future.

Also, I've noticed, that it is possible, that a smaller amount of a sweet thing is enough. One evening, I ate about 1/4 of a chocolate bar which I assumed to be 200g, but no, it was actually only 100g! So I ate like 25g and was totally satisfied. Weird. Also today, we went into this cutest cafe with my boyfriend and I had two bites of his cinnamon bun. Normally, two bites would have gotten me only to order a bun of my own, but not this time. Totally happy with two bites. How odd! For sure this'll change pretty soon, haha.

Then again, I haven't been so punctual following the plan (as you probably already figured out from the previous paragraph..), so for sure I did not get the full effect. But little's better than nothing :) Two more days to go!

Raw lasanga - boy, I'm in love!!

When I still ate meat (about seven years ago), my favorite food in the entire world was lasagna. So, in addition to the risotto the other day, I was a bit suspicious with this one. But boy did this knock me off my feet!! By far the best raw food I have ever tasted! My boyfriend also loved it. The taste is so amazing, you totally forget you are eating raw food. You are just in lasagna heaven. Ok, maybe that's enough :) I'll let now the pics speak for themselves. But please, try this one out!

The recipe is in Katja's blog in the Raw Food for Dummies section. It's in Finnish, but I'm happy to translate it in English/Swedish if someone asks for it.

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

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

Raw challenge day one

Konbanwa! First day done and so far I'm loving all the foods. And I'm SO far from starving! Just take a look at the size of this "snack" :) Reading the menu I thought I'd need a lot of extras during the day, since losing weight is obviously not the goal here, but at least today I have been more than fine. Only extras have been a couple of bites of raw chocolate. I'm thinking all raw goodies are definitely included in the challenge :)

An apple, a mandarin, two figs, kiwi, dried mulberries, dried coconut flakes and honey. 


ps. I'm not planning on posting every meal and thought here, I'm just so excited today that I cannot help myself :)

Good raw morning!

Thinking about having "just a green smoothie" for breakfast doesn't sound that tempting. Nor filling. But just take a wild guess how this was, yes, both tasty and very filling (yes, the portion is also huge). Think of it as a combined bread with veggies and a fruit salad :) Just that it is all pure, natural and in a form that is easy for your body to digest and to absorb all the nutrients. You know, that after a night of "fasting", the body is like a dry sponge. It is happily looking forward to efficiently use all the things you give it in the morning. So while a french breakfast with white bread and nutella might sound awesome, it's not the best choice. At least not every morning :)

You also must know people that skip breakfast in an attempt to lose some weight. Or maybe it's just a habit not to eat. Or maybe your body just does not take in anything (or it feels like it). But the truth is, that you should eat something within the first 1-2 hours you are awake. This sends the body a message, that it is time to wake up, start to burn the fuel that it is given and to function in all the magnificient ways it does. Not having breakfast tells something more like "Gosh, dude, it seems we are NOT having any fuel today! It's not yet for certain, BUT we better now start to hold on to the fats, just in case. And let's also start to slow down all the preparing work; inflammation curing, diseace protection and cell renewal."

So if you happen to be one of those breakie-skipping-folks, maybe you could start tomorrow by having a glass of juice. Or blend a small smoothie with juice, yogurt and fruits/berries. Think about that you are doing your body a huge favor.

Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
3 handfuls of spinach
1 dl hamp seeds
1/2 dl coconut flakes
a big chunk of pineapple
an orange
water

from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Raw two weeks

Katja threw a challenge in her blog last spring about eating raw food for two weeks. Personally, I think it's pretty extreme to go from a meat - white flour - sugar -including diet into 100% raw. So, careful if you think about trying this. I even don't think 100% raw diet suits everybody. For me, I think the good ratio is about 50-50. Now, however, I'm so tempted to try this challenge out of curiosity. I want to see, how my body feels about this chance to inhale so much nutrients and less "useless" stuff. Any piece of additional energy (+ reduced stress levels) this dark time of the year is welcome. My main goal is NOT to stick to the food plan like a stupid monkey - I just try to listen to my body and give it what it needs. I'm pretty sure at the end of the first days, I hear a strong request for milk and muesli. If that's the case, so then be it. A bowl of muesli with milk coming right up :)

I went shopping yesterday/today and was kind of terrified with the costs of all these veggies and stuff. And (I'm afraid to admit) not even all of them are organic! Well, this is an experiment and in the future, I'm sure I'll reduce the amount of raw - and try to increase the amount of organic. But I have to admit that I love the way my kitchen table and fridge look right now.

Tomorrow is the first raw day. I'll let you know how it goes :)

Here is the link to the Raw Food for Dummies -challenge.