We make "adult" chicken tenders her to put on the salads. I take a chicken breasts and cube them up then stir frie them in a little butter and olive oil with garlic and mrs. dash w/lemon and fresh black pepper. I then let them cool and dice them up a bit more then put them in the fridge to be tossed on salads for lunch etc. They sell this stuff in the grocery in little boxes, but it is expensive. Eating raw foods is agreat way to add fiber and vitamins to a diet, while replacing junk that came from a factory. I am not convinced however that the stuff has to be raw to be helpful. I love soups and we dice that raw stuff up and make soups alot. What I love about soups most is that a small amount of grains can so much further when mixed with veggies. I discovered this when eating a type II diabetes diet during pregnancies. My mother has diabetes as does/did all on her side of the family. I have been adding more raw stuff and watching the carbs since I last saw her, because I so do not want the needle.
I've had two days of healthy eating. On Monday I had oatmeal for breakfast, a fruit smoothie for lunch and salad for dinner. Yesterday I had a bowl of blueberries and strawberries for breakfast, a lovely salad for lunch, and my own veggie chicken noodle soup for supper. The soup was the least healthy probably, but not as bad as some stuff I was eating! I also have been drinking lots of water. Now I need to add more exercise to that. I'm doing som, but not as much as I'd like to.
I've had coffee (Sorry gotta have it ti juggle to 8 year olds and primadonna 5 year old) Orange juice, bananna, home grown carrots a protien shake (Protein powder with whole milk). That's just so far. I snack all day but I am trying to control what I eat,a nd for lunch I will have my favorite... mixed greens salad with broco sprouts, with home grown tomatoes, homegrown carrots, homegrown cucumbers, and of course I need some ranch dressing.. hahaha! But often I like to add some sliced boiled eggs or chicken strips, that are precooked with salt free spices. Anther treat for me is steamed veggies. I get zucinni (sp) squash, yellow squash, chives, mushrooms, and other things like maybe leeks, and I season them with STEAK seasoning!!!!! I steam them over hot water of course until tender and dig in! Many times I have been known to melt a bit of butter over it to add some more flavor. But take it easy. (Mouth Waters!) It is like a steak dinner without the grease!
You girls are awesome and oh my gosh, I am drooling all over my keyboard!! I had an interesting concotion this morning. It was all whole grains w/ flax seed. It was suppose to turn out like a warm cereal. I mixed it with water, dash of sea salt, and some organic honey, popped it in the microwave and continued to feed my kids. When I pulled it out, well, it was bread. I hadn't added enough water apparently and it obsorbed it all I pulled it out of the bowl in one big chunk and tore off a piece, YUM!! It was delicious!! So, mistake gone right! I'll make it again in the morning. Oh..and fyi tmi....cleaned out the ol' pipes in record time....geez that flax is a cleaning machine ;P
I've thought of going raw... or at least make 2/3 of my diet raw. I've read up on using the dehydrator for heating foods at low temps.... its interesting. I'd love to lose 10-15 lbs and hopefully stop these darn migraines. I'll go shopping this evening and get my fridge stocked up on fruits and veggies.
Sometimes, when I need to "Start Over". I do a hospital diet. You know that food they feed you after a surgery? Jello Chicken Broth Water crackers Simple things like that. Then I move up to mashed potatoes steamed veggies and so on.
May a newbie speak up to say You go, girl! How wonderful that you're doing what's good for yourself and loving it. Gradually, over years, I've switched to a mostly raw diet. There was no big plan. I just began tuning in to my body until I finally understood what it needed. Body said: Emphasize veggies, fruits, raw nuts (absolutely crucial), and whole grains; minimize meat, dairy, bread, and all those hyper-processed wonders promoted everywhere you turn. I just wish I'd listened decades earlier! It's a great thing you're doing for yourself. Even greater that you rejoice in it.
I love the hospital food idea! I did allow myself to have some chicken (rotisserie, YUM!) with dinner. My salad was my main course (just spinach with mushrooms) and my chicken was my "side". I've been reading a book called The Raw Food Detox Diet, and have discovered a wealth of information. I checked it out from the library this week. Out of a level of 5 system, I'm on level 3 and she gives you a weekly menu to kind of show you where your at. You can stay on these levels as long as you need to w/ the ultimate goal being level 1 which the author is and is all raw. She was on level 3 for 2 years and she lost her most weight on that level. Okay, the odd concotion was a boxed organic "cereal" from Arrowhead Mills..4 grain plus flax. I haven't had it since the "incident", I had a mango, banana, almond milk and honey smoothie for breakfast this morning. In this book, she stress' having your lightest meal in the morning, with your biggest meal as your last. COMPLETLY forgein concept to me who has always heard the exact opposite, but it makes sense. I highly recommend this book. There are parts of it I think are a little silly, like she suggests...ahem, proping your feet up when you take a poopy b/c that's how nature intended it....ya...okay. But her philosphy on this lifestyle is so laid back and presented in such an easy to understand and apply way it's refreshing. So what are your biggest pitfalls? Today we went to my grandparents house where grandma (greatest cook in the universe) whipped up a grand meal, and I sat watching my husband and children devour every morsal, wipe the greece off their chins, whilst I sat there mourning, eating my avacado and tomatos (which were good, but not grandma's homemade cookin'!) That was a struggle. That's kinda why I allowed myself the rotessire tonight.
Hey - Eden... One of my favorite recipes when i was raw was my SIL's honey lemon viniagrette over greens... equal parts raw honey, fresh lemon juice, and expeller pressed olive oil...add salt, pepper and a fresh garlic to your liking. I usually follow 1/4 cup honey, lemon juice and olive oil...to one clove minced garlic and pinch salt. It's DIVINE! And all fresh ingredients. It only lasts in the fridge for about 5 or 6 days so don't make more than you could use in that time. Another one I got from the Raw Cookbook that I still do occasionally - and you do need a special julienne peeler for it... Carrot, zuccini, cucumber - julienne peeled (it does in the long skinny strips like spaghetti). Over top make a raw tomato sauce by using chopped tomato, onion, garlic, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice, also finely chiffinade of fresh basil. Serve over the julienne strips of vegetables....make sure to salt and pepper to your liking too. WhenI would do the "spaghetti" as the author had called it...I would finely shred romaine lettuce and thinly slice scallion in it too. It gave you that feel of swirling it on the fork, and the mouth feel of al dente pasta.
I had similar symptoms from food allergies...you can have them and not realize it, I didn't. After I quit eating things I was allergic to, I lost weight without effort, no more headaches, no more fuzzy head in the morning. If you have pollen or other inhalant allergies like cats or dogs, your problems could be food allergies, that could be a less restrictive diet than the current diet you're on once you figure out what you're allergic to. Milk is a common allergen, and my worst one, that could be the main thing that's making you feel better. I went through a few days of feeling worse when starting my food allergy elimination diet, then started feeling much better. Let me know if you want instructions about how to try an elimination diet.
hey i am jumping in here feet first as usual how do you go about an elimination diet, cause something is making me bloated etc but not sure what!!!!
If you don't have other allergies, don't bother, it's only possible if you're allergic to other things already like grass and pollen or cats and dogs. Basically, all you get to eat is turkey, lamb, broccoli, squash, water, yams, peaches, pears, and olive oil for a week. Nothing out of a can or a box, no spices, no coffee. If you don't feel better, you just quit. If you do feel better, you add foods one at a time, one a day, a little bit at first, then more at the next meal, and see how you feel. There's a lot of books and online articles about it, basically, the most allergenic foods are: Milk Eggs Peanuts Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts) Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder) Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp) Soy Wheat A lot of people are also allergic to sesame seeds, beef, corn and coffee, some people have problems with the potato/tomato/eggplant/green pepper family, but you can be allergic to any food.
i think mine is more intolerances than allergies, all my children are or were milk intolerant as babies, and all were breastfed and i had no dairy or were on soya or rice milk! i think i may give it a try i am still breastfeeding my dd2 so will have to be extra careful but its a good way to find out whats triggering her eczema thanks will let you know