One Day at a Time

 

Try an eating plan…what is that you ask???? Well It is your strategic personal daily guide to nourishing your body with an appropriate portion. You can create structure and approach food in a calm, balanced, rational way by using the information you have gained from your patterns so far, by the lists you’ve created with my earlier blog.

All you do is eat exactly and only what you have planned for that day. No more impulsive buying or snacking on “Only one piece…”

You will have a clearer head so that you can enjoy other things.

Start right now with a note book or on the computer and map out what you are going to eat the rest of today and the next week, if you can or do it each morning for the day. What ever works for you….This is only a suggestion, however it if works for you to keep raw and eat right, then I suggest you stick with it, one day at a time.

 Do not think of this as forever but just today or this week!!

I have explained in detail in this blog my weekly strategy:  http://rawdivinedish.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/, How I plan my weeks, but now I also plan each meal for myself. It is challenging with my family because I plan regular meal for them and mostly raw foods for myself.

You may also want to review your plan at the end of the day and affirm for yourself that you followed through with it, also doing a mental review of whether you felt truly hungry before eating, plus how you felt emotionally before and after each meal. Paying attention to details like this can help us understand more about how our healing is unfolding.

Saucy Solutions:

A fantastic way to stay raw is with a great yummy sauce at the ready… Make up a big batch of something like basil pesto, tomato sauce, a creamy cashew dip or whatever you like. Keep this in the refridge to use as & when require. You might like it for sauce with raw pasta or a salad dressing, a spread on flax crackers, a dip for crudités and so on. You can thin it with more liquid or thicken with ground flax/chia seeds. It is a great way to stay in the game, rather than saying “there’s nothing here to eat, so I’m going to eat these chips instead…” The point is to be prepared.

There is a wonderful chemical free place I get my greens and veggies from and it is great. There is a Pay as you grow program, which help me plan for the week. Check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/jettsproduce.

Versatile Veggie Dip

 

 

This dip can be made thinner to use as a creamy salad dressing or thickened with veggies for a pate to spread on carrots or crackers or to roll up in lettuce leaves or nori seaweed sheets. Take a pint container to work with you along with your favorite veggies and/or lettuce or kale leaves.
Ingredients:

• Water (start with ¼ cup and add more to make it easy to blend the nuts until smooth)
• Cold-pressed olive oil (start with 2-3 Tablespoons and add more to desired creaminess)
• Sweet: raw cashews 7 ounces (or soaked and drained almonds, pecans, etc.)
• Sour: lemon or lime juice
• Spicy: fresh-grated garlic (the longer the garlic is in the mixture the stronger it gets), fresh-grated ginger root, chilies, cayenne pepper, or some sliced jalapeno pepper
• Bitter: fresh cilantro (or your fresh or dried herb of choice), or poultry seasoning
• Salty: Celtic Sea Salt, dulce (a dried, salty seaweed) and soy sauce, tamari or shoyu (These are just three grades of the same thing.)

Mixing:

1. Blend the nuts until finely ground in the food processor or blender.
2. Add a bit of water slowly until a thick "goop" forms.
3. Add a few cloves of fresh garlic and slices of ginger root.
4. Add some olive oil, Nama Shoyu (aged soy sauce), Celtic Sea Salt and blend.
5. Taste. If too sweet, add some lemon or lime juice. If too thick for the blender to handle, add more water.
6. Then make adjustments for sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter using the above ingredients or substitutes. (I found that the chilies, garlic, salt, soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger were key for balancing the sweetness of the cashews or nuts.)
7. For extra spicy, add 1 whole chopped jalapeno pepper or other chili pepper.
8. Blend and at the end, add dried or fresh basil or cilantro or your favorite herb. (If you blend too much at the end, the green herbs will turn it an unappetizing greenish beige.)
9. Serve with raw veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, green beans, sliced sweet potatoes, tomatoes, jicama—a Mexican root that is firm like a water chestnut—bell peppers, cabbage, etc.) or with dehydrated flax crackers.

This can also be used as rich, creamy salad dressing. Just add more water and salt, if needed. This dip gets thicker when it sits in the refrigerator. You can always add more water and stir before serving.
Optional ingredients (add to the blended mix or just chop into the dip):
Grated horseradish, chopped spinach, chopped bell peppers (any color), mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, sliced or diced green onions, or red onions.
Ideas:
Try emphasizing one herb for a dominant flavor (dill, basil, tarragon, etc.).
You can add carrots if you're using a food processor and make it into a paste and use it as a spread on crackers, rolled up in nori seaweed sheets (used for sushi rolls) or on lettuce leaves as a "green burrito."