Raw Food and Menu Planning
I often get asked if I have a 7 day menu plan for a raw food diet. I don’t. And there is a pretty good reason for that. I don’t like planning. I am of of those creative types that can get a little claustrophobic if things are too scheduled. It reminds me of weight watchers where I had to measure every drop of food I ate. Yes, I lost weight but my brain finally blew up from the tedium. And the minute I stopped counting and measuring, the weight came back on.
Which brings me to the joy of raw food. I don’t have to weigh and measure. I don’t have to plan everything out. I just have to keep an eye out for balance which is pretty darn easy to do when you are eating such healthy food. That said, we all know that eating a raw food diet does take a little planning. Nuts need to be soaked, some raw food recipes need to be dehydrated. We need to shop for ingredients! But that can be easy. I am going to give you a few suggestions on how to create out your own menu.
First, you need to figure out how you eat. Are you a strict three meal a day person or a grazer? Do you need healthy snacks around? Do you need a little something to satisfy your sweet tooth? Take a couple of minutes and write down the way you would like to be eating.
Now, you just have to fill in the blanks. Head over to the recipe index, you can find it here: Rawmazing Recipe Index. The recipes are divided into sections. Go through, and see what appeals to you. From there, you can make your shopping lists and also do your planning. I often will sit down with a piece of paper divided into 7 columns, one for each day of the week. Then I start dropping in the recipes I want to make and work backwards. If I know I want to have a dehydrated cracker for Thursday, I check soaking and dehydration time and then make a note to start it on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Having a well stocked pantry is extremely helpful. You can get my pantry list simply by subscribing to the mailing list using the green box on the right. Having the basic ingredients on hand eliminates one more step between you and healthy eating. Tossing raw food recipes together becomes almost effortless.
One tip I have used before is to make sure you start your next batch of crackers or flat bread before the one you currently have is gone. That way you can have a continual supply.
Raw food is easy. I spend so much less time in the kitchen than I did when I ate a traditional diet. With just a little planning, you can get into a beautiful pattern and have plenty of good, raw food on hand.
Contest Winner!
This week’s contest winner is Michelle, who’s word was “patience”. All winners are chosen with a random number generator. I have sent you an email letting you know and requesting your address. Congratulations, you will love the DVD.
Rhonda wrote on December 18, 2010
We have been raw almost two years and love it. I have learned so much here. Thank you so much for all the amazing information you have.
Patrice wrote on December 14, 2010
Susan, I would also like to know the soaking and dehydrating times on all the nuts. Thanks for your assistance and I absolutely LOVE your website!!!
Susan wrote on December 14, 2010
There are a couple of posts on the site about soaking and dehydrating nuts. I will work on posting another one soon. Basically, you need to soak nuts at least 12 hours. You do not need to soak all nuts. You want to dehydrate the until they are very dry.
Judith wrote on December 13, 2010
Lo and behold you really are more like an artist who has supplies at the ready for inspiration.
love it. bless
Lois wrote on December 13, 2010
I read somewhere on your site that when you purchase your nuts, you come home and soak them, then you dehydrate them. I guess that will depend on the nut you are soaking the the dehydration time? And do you soak all nuts including pine and macadamia nuts? Maybe not as long 6 – 8 hours. Do dehydrate at 115 degrees? Would you dehydrate a almond or Brazil nut for 10 -12 hours and maybe pecans and walnuts for 6 -8 hours?
I would appreciate your feedback on how you manage it.
Thank you.
Lois