Start with a smoothie

Ok, so I started today. I am going to eat more raw food. I tried raw about 5 years ago, bought a bunch of stuff and then, EPIC FAIL. This time, I was inspired by a friend's blog, Cabin Blendings. I decided that instead of going full-speed ahead like last time, I would just ease in. I have been doing that over the last few weeks and now, I am going to give "high-raw" a shot.

I am going to do my best to un-cook my way through Delightfully Raw and Raw Food Real World over the next couple of months.

I am starting simple. I have a Vita Mix on loan from my mom, an old dehydrator, and I have spend the last couple of weeks trying out recipes and stocking up on some basics like Raw Almond Butter, Raw Tahini, Agave Nectar, Pure Vanilla, Nama Shoyu and a few varieties of nuts and seeds.

So Many Ingredients

The one thing I noticed about the raw recipes is that they call for a lot of ingredients I either don't have in my pantry or have never heard of. My plan is to make the recipes first that I already have items for or to do my best to substitute where I can.

I started today with a green smoothie. I still don't really have the green smoothie worked out. They don't taste so much like dirt, but they still seem a bit odd. I must have gotten the spicy kale because my smoothie this morning was spicy. Basically tasted like sweet and spicy almond butter. Not so bad I guess.

For dinner I made Kelp Noodle Salad from Delightfully Raw. It was good but my mind was having a tough time with the texture. It has a great Thai flavor. My boyfriend says he puts in the "Good" category and not even just for a raw meal.


I was planning to make Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce from Delightfully Raw, but I didn't realize the cashews had to soak and the cake had to set up. I guess I will have to get used to planning ahead a little better. Oh well, something to look forward to for tomorrow night.

Learning Curve:

Today I learned to crack a coconut. I actually got the easy crack coconut so I really just smacked it with a mallet. I had trouble getting the meat out - I think this was because it wasn't a young coconut. Has anyone else had this experience?