I realize we keep teasing everyone with vague yet bold talk of some new rawsome health frontier we're pursuing. We'll definitely get to discussing all of that later this year sometime. ?In the mean time, though, we may occasionally run an article or two that reflects a bit of our experimentation.
Lately, Wendi and I have been drawn to a similar style of eating -- although for different reasons. ?You see, we've both been on a real kick to simplify lately. For Wendi, this reflects more of an intuitive response to her diet. For me, it's more of a response to all of the experimentation I spoke of.
Conveniently, we've both been drawn to more simple foods for the time being. (This makes mealtime much easier than if we'd been drawn to separate styles of foods!) I have to say, we're enjoying this simple time! So, I thought I'd share a few of the types of things we're eating lately in order to show what I mean by "simple." (Yes, I realize that, to many raw foodies, a simple meal means two or three bananas. I guess I'm talking about one notch of complexity above that -- but still safely within the definition of "simple" from a culinary perspective). Take a look:
Breakfasts:
- Most days, we've been blending up one whole pineapple along with two bananas. (From time to time, we've even skipped the bananas!) A medium sized pineapple blends (core and all, of course) into two large servings, perfect for a quick breakfast drink. (Occasionally we throw in a tablespoon of hemp protein powder.)
- Other days we blend a young coconut (water and meat), a banana, a tablespoon of hemp powder, and maybe a squirt of agave or a couple of dates. This makes less volume than the pineapple, so Wendi usually takes most of it, and I finish off the rest (and then take a couple of apples with me to work).
Lunches / Dinners
- Well, there are always simple salads. We've posted before about the joys of these.
- I know I've posted some wild smoothie recipes on this blog. But, lately, I've had many dinner smoothies using just two oranges, some frozen blueberries, and a small handful of soaked almonds.
- We've also been making some simple Vita-Mix soups -- just water, carrots, celery, cucumber, salt (and maybe a little sage).
- For snacks, I've been just doing things like a small handful of almonds or walnuts, or maybe a couple of dates.
So, as you can see, when we say "simple," we really mean simple -- mostly just whole fruits and veggies, very few spices, almost no powders, superfoods, or other exotics, and fairly light on nuts and seeds. I suppose you can think of it as giving your body a break from heavier, richer, more complex recipes. Quite honestly, I feel pretty good as a result!
Who has a super-simple meal or smoothie recipe to share
Original Comments
Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
I like to keep it simple too. I started this way almost 2 years ago....simple raw! Every once in awhile I'll try the odd gourmet meal but I'm usually disappointed in taste (after how long it took to make) and in how I feel (not as energized and light). Right now, I'm into:
Apple and Parsley Smoothies for Breakfast and Lunch
2-3 apples depending on size
1head of flat leaf parsley
dash of cinnamon
and...
plain fruit or plain veggies for snacks
and ...
simple salads for dinner
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
You Dee's are just like me!
My dinner tonight: almond milk (homemade), raspberries, hemp seed, banana, two handfuls spinach, blueberries. One quart of lovely mauve love!
I always keep it simple, in fact your outline is exactly how I eat.
Great Minds!
love you deb
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
SIMPLE... YIPPEE... ME TOO!...
apple.
pear.
pineapple.
young thai coconut.
banana.
smoothie: apple + ginger + greens
smoothie: baby coconut + banana + greens
smoothie: baby coconut + pineapple + greens
pasta: strips of cukes made with a vegie peeler + garlic & olive oil
salad: baby greens, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic
pasta salad: mix cucumber pasta with salad
pecan pie: open a medjool date + put a pecan in it
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
Where I live I can get Avacado's for 49 cents sometimes. So I will just open them up, remove the pit, and fill the hole w/ goodies (left over salad or just balsamic vinegar) and spoon it all up bite by bite.
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
I have been drawn to simple eating as well. Sometimes just eating something fresh by itself. Like when our cherry trees were full, I spent a week eating nothing but cherries for dinner. Felt great. Here in the Upper Valley California we have great year round growing seasons that allow for eating what is in season and fresh off the tree, vine or bush. That makes simple eating easy.
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
Simple foods=less stress on the body. Love it.
Simple smoothies I partake in often:
Coconut water and fresh wheatgrass juice
Pineapple, mango, greens
Greens only
Banana, greens
Sometimes:
Tomato, hot pepper, celery, greens (raw Bloody Mary!) I can't have this too often as I have an issue with nightshades
On February 5, 2010, wrote:
well are we all in tune or what ?? ?
me too has simplified , smoothies, raw soup , salads, the sauces are made of nuts or avocados, no oil, lemons no vinegar and i stopped salt which was not easy but i am 59 and after menopause i started to have a tendency to arthritic fingers, swelling, pain, like all members of my family (females) and stopping salt was the key to no pain, swelling etc... also a key to my health was to use minerals, i was depleted, even so i have green smoothies, use organic mostly, and have been raw 3 years now but 56 years of life before starting the raw life cannot be erased so rapidly even so i had detox programs and colonics and liver cleanses and coffee enemas, but my health has improved as i had been strong dope smoker in my younger years so i am thrilled to see the differences,and the simpler the food the better i feel.
The body attunes itself the longer one follows the raw path.
On February 15, 2010, wrote:
I'd recommend getting some dark green leafies into those simple smoothies you are doing. Just sayin' :)
On February 16, 2010, wrote:
*giggles* We do consumes green smoothies a lot, but sometimes we just go for something a bit quicker. Don't worry, though...there are LOTS of greens consumed in the Pure Jeevan household! I LOVE greens!
*blows kisses*