Day 7- Lettuce Taco Variations

I am a really big fan of this "Lettuce Taco" idea. You take a crunchy organic Romaine heart, fill it with whatever veggies & grains you want and voila! A simple, yet extremely satisfying, meal you can even serve guests.

Today I put in leftover quinoa (& added brown rice since there wasn't much of the quinoa left), guacamole (avocado, tomato, seasoning salt, and splash of lime), and chopped up an orange bell pepper that I got organic at Trader Joes for a pretty good price. :)

Let me know what variations you come up with!

Day 5- New transitional plan

So, I realized that, as much as I want to eat completely raw, my body is being a little stubborn and still wanting to fill up on grains first. So, instead of trying to eat completely raw right now, this is my new plan:

- Eliminate meat and dairy.
- At each meal, at least 50-75% will be fruits and/or vegetables (mostly raw, with lots of dark leafy greens)
- The rest will be grains (cooked) and nuts/seeds (this will give me the protein & fat needed to feel full)

That should make this transition a little easier. And hey, I am still eating "vegan," just not raw. That is still quite a feat!

(Note: Vegans do not eat any animal products (meat, dairy). Since honey is considered an animal product, some vegans do not eat it, and some do. I will be eating honey.)

 With that new plan in mind, I just had this for dinner:

A baked sweet potato with a little rosemary

A modified version of my favorite Super Waldorf Salad
'(with kale instead of spinach & romaine, and no carrots or bell pepper)

A side of Quinoa pilaf
(I briefly sauteed a chopped clove of garlic, added chopped carrots and sauteed for a minute (so they were still crunchy), added a couple shakes of Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary, a little sea salt, and about 2 cups cooked quinoa and mixed well)

Of course, I started eating the grains first. But this meal was extremely filling. And I feel light & energetic, instead of gross & sluggish (such as I feel after eating lots of meat, only carbs, or lots of sugar & artificial ingredients).

I even think my husband might like it. :)

Day 2- Green Smoothie & Quinoa Lettuce Tacos

This was my menu for the day:

Breakfast: organic waffle*, banana, blueberries
Lunch: Leftover waldorf salad, adding kale & raw goji berries
Snack: Kale smoothie, Trader Joe's Whole Grain Pita Chips*
Dinner: Quinoa* lettuce wraps & pears for dessert
Snack: Apple slices with Sunflower Seed Butter*, and pumpkin seeds

*= not raw, but I'm still transitioning...

I'm pretty impressed with myself that I am eating so much raw food already and I don't even own a lot of ingredients & kitchen tools needed for a lot of the raw food recipes in my new books.

Here is how to make the Kale Smoothie that I had for snack:

Green Smoothie

Fill blender to the top with spinach or kale.

Fill half way with water.

Add a handful of chopped carrots, 2 bananas, any fresh or frozen fruit you want.

Add flax seed oil &/or hemp seeds.

Add a scoop of Raw Organic Protein Powder (I use Garden of Life brand)

Blend and enjoy! The variations & possibilities are endless!

Our dinner was another personal creation of mine, and turned out fantastic! This was also for my husband who is not necessarily gung ho about "going raw" at this point, and he was also finishing an all day fast. So, it includes Quinoa, which is cooked (and he did add some chicken to his). Although a simple, completely raw version would be to substitute quinoa sprouts (home grown), instead of cooked quinoa. I'm looking forward to experimenting with growing my own sprouts, since I have discovered how highly nutritious they are. I had no idea! And I actually really like sprouts

Quinoa Lettuce Tacos

Ingredients: 

Organic Romaine Lettuce Hearts

Quinoa (cooked or sprouted)

Grated Carrots

Chopped Green Bell Pepper

Olive Oil

Rosemary

Other spices (I will have to experiment)   

Here's what you do:

Wash & separate romaine leaves- they will be your "tortillas" to put your taco mixture into.

Cook Quinoa (and season with rosemary & any other spices) OR use raw quinoa sprouts

Grate carrot, chop bell pepper.

Add all ingredients together & spoon into the leaves of romaine. 

Eat like a taco. 

Be sure to make enough because it is tasty!

 

Have pears for dessert. :)