I use to spend my days counting and calculating calories. I had no clue about the needed nutrients for a healthy and energetic body. Today I share this what I ate in a day consuming higher fat, higher protein, low carbohydrate meals on a plant based diet.
Discovering this wonderful way of eating gives such a free feeling instead of a restriction. To be able to enjoy food without guilt in a free and pure way changed my whole life and perception of food. Eating high raw, raw and a plant based diet meals meant freedom. No more restrictions, fighting cravings with willpower and damaging the body due to an unbalanced diet.
Inspired to share with you what it means to eat a high raw or raw plant based diet, I decided to prepare a whole days worth of food!
I found it very interesting to see how much it actually is and how the balance is as a whole. You can add as much raw as you feel like and need. If you eat about 70% of your foods raw, it is considered high raw. Even with 50% raw are the benefits for your health, skin, weight and energy amazing and you will be surprised what adding more pure foods to your daily diet could mean.
My day,
- A big glass of lukewarm or warm lemon water made of filtered water and lots of fresh lemon juice to wake up the liver so it dumps its during the night accumulated toxins and to hydrate the body. Also very alkalizing.
- 20 minutes later my green juice, or a green smoothie
- Breakfast is usually a more filling green smoothie rich in protein like hemp, quinoa, chia and some nut milk. To make it more filling and blood sugar balancing in combination with healthy fats like avocado or coconut.
Or some kind of porridge. Love porridge! This time it was a leftover slow cooked quinoa yummyness with nuts and cacao nibs. This can of course also be a overnight oatmeal or coconut yoghurt with crispy buckwheat granola.
Quinoa Porridge, slow cooked, 2 portions
1 cup of nondairy milk of your choice, I used almond, 1 cup of water plus 1/2 cup of well rinsed soaked quinoa or 3/4 of a cup sprouted quinoa and add it to your slow cooker. This also can be done in a regular pot on the stove but I prefer my slow cooker for anything cooked. My CrockPot works on low, which is 70 to 80 degrees Celsius, about 158 / 176 Fahrenheit. The food is cooked slowly on a low temperature which leaves most of the nutrients whole. I use it for my family and find it a great solution to make food which is close to raw but feels and tastes cooked.
Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla powder or essence and 1 Tbsp. ground flax.
Set the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for about 2 hours. If too thick, you can add some extra almond milk. Or cook it on a stove for 15 minutes. Keep stirring.
When done, add 1 tbs. of maple syrup or some stevia if needed. Top with chopped nuts and cacao nibs. Or whatever you prefer!
A raw version could be my Bircher Muesli or some crunchy buckwheat pumpkin granola with almond milk or soy yogurt.
- if I get hungry after a few hours, then it is time for a snack! This can be a lighter green smoothie, a berry chia pudding or a few nut or seed balls without added sugar. A frappuccino, a turmeric shake, some chai tea and a handful of nuts also make a nice snack.
- Lunchtime, that often means a blender soup, just because it is fast and furiously good! I love salads, I truly do, but they take TIME to chow down which makes a soup ideal when time challenged. If I feel like chewing I love wraps. I usually fill some big leaves like bok choi, romaine or iceberg and roll them up with all kinds of goodies I have in the fridge. Chopped veggies, a Hummus, some nut cheese or leftover quinoa, fresh herbs and sprouts.
My Red Beet Soup,
is like a savory thick smoothie! This time I used a medium red beet, 1 small fennel bulb, 1 Tbsp. flax, pinch of pink salt, handful fresh dill, 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar and 2 Tbsp. walnuts. Blend with 1 to 1 and 1/2 cup of water or plant milk, depending on the desired consistency.
- A fresh green juice will get you through your mid afternoon dip. No need for coffee! When in need of a snack I take a few flax or other gluten free crackers with avocado, or celery with nut butter. Energy bars, a smoothie, nuts or fresh greens are also a great choice.
My round Pizza Rounds can be eaten as a cracker or as a pizza base. Great with mashed avocado or with a tomato sauce, tomato slices, olives, fresh herbs and “cheese”.
Pizza Rounds, dehydrated
Ingredients for 10 voor rounds,
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 zucchini, cubed
- 2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
- 2 cups ground flax
- 1 tsp. pink salt
Add the veggies to a foodprocessor with the S-blade and process until fine. Add the herbs, salt and pulse. Add the ground flax and pulse further until cooperated. It should not be too wet but still spreadable. Is it too wet, add a few tbsp. of ground flax.
Divide the dough in 10 portions and spread it out on the dehydrator sheets, about 1/2 inch thick. Dry for 8 hours on 110F, remove them from the sheets, turn and place them on the silicone drying sheets. If you would like to eat them as a cracker, you can dry them further until crunchy. You can keep them 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- My diner was a classic vegetable spaghetti, my zucchini pesto pasta with a Nut Fennel Burger. Kids and hubby enjoyed some chickpea burgers from the freezer ( I doubled the recipe last week for extra’s ), steamed broccoli, a crunchy fresh salad of bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, sunflower sprouts and some air fried potato wedges.
Nut Fennel Burgers, 8 burgers
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours
- 1/2 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours
- 1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp. tamari
- 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds or 1 star anise, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- Pink salt to taste
Add the veggies, herbs and flavorings to the foodprocessor and process with the S-blade. Add the nuts and chia and pulse further until it has a nice consistency. Let it rest for half an hour in the fridge, it will get firmer. The burgers can be eaten like this or they can be heated and dehydrated on 110F until they get a crunchier crust. This takes about 6 to 8 hours. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Also great as a filling for wraps or crumbled on a salad or pizza.
- I usually don’t eat dessert daily, I am satisfied enough after a big meal or I just take a piece of raw pure chocolate and some herb tea. I do like desserts like these Carrot Cupcakes, I more often eat them as a snack or breakfast. You can find the recipe HERE. These Chocolate Nut Cupcakes are also delicious and decadent.
Njoy!
Tina x
