My tea and coffee consumption has been going up lately so I wanted to try and cut out caffeine today. I also wanted to attempt to eat raw food only today. Well that was my intention when I got up but I think I fell at the first hurdle as the first thing I consumed today was a cup of green tea. I wondered whether the tea was roasted or was it just dried? But by the time I had added boiling water it wasn’t very raw so how it emerged from the packet was irrelevant!
Breakfast was definitely raw. Strawberries, one and a half bananas and coconut water which I drained from the coconut myself.
This was lovely and I enjoyed every single drop.
Jenni came round for a coffee and brought some of her delicious cakes but I have managed to resist 🙂 The photo, which I took in the evening, just before harvey devoured them, does not do them justice and they really looked very tempting! I didn’t manage to resist a coffee though so that was something definitely not raw. It was good though.
Lunch was all raw. Or was it? Are olives raw? This is harder than I thought it would be. First of all I made guacamole by mashing a small avocado with some salt and lime juice.
I added the salad to the plate and I munched on an apple as I prepared it. I used baby salad leaves and pea tops, cucumber and celery,
carrots, sunflower seed sprouts and mixed bean sprouts.
I then made an olive tapenade from 1 tbsp green and red olives, 7 sundried tomatoes, 1 tbsp rapeseed oil and 1 heaped tsp capers. I put it all in a blender and blitzed it, leaving it quite chunky.
I thoroughly enjoyed this lunch. The salty strong flavoured tapenade was a wonderful contrast to the creamy gentle avocado. The vegetables were crunchy and every mouthful was a pleasure. I will definitely be having this lunch again.
At weigh in tonight I found out I had put on a pound. I am not surprised but I am disappointed in myself. I have eaten and drunk way too much in the past couple of weeks and it has finally caught up with me. I was feeling a bit too blasé about quite how much I could eat and still lose weight. So that first weight gain in 6 months will hopefully jolt me back to behaving myself.
I came home to make another raw food dinner.
Raw Carrot and Courgette “Pasta” with Pesto
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 1 small courgette, washed and topped
- Salt
- 1 carrot, peeled and topped
- Fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tbsp mixed sprouted beans
- Red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
- Mixed salad leaves
Method
- Finely julienne the courgette. Lay the courgette sticks out on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and leave for about 20-30 minutes.
- Julienne the carrot.
3. Put the courgette and carrot in to a bowl and mix gently.
4. Put the pesto ingredients (basil, olive oil, garlic, sprouted beans and chilli) in a small blender and blitz until smooth.
5. Mix the pesto in with the carrot and courgette.
6. Pile salad leaves in to a serving dish and place the pesto pasta on top.
I bought the mixed bean sprouts in the local Co-Op this morning. A little bag packed full of goodness for just £1 which is superb value, especially when you compare that to the cost of an equivalent quality of animal protein.
This was edible and I would eat it again because it was so nutritious but it is a supper for someone very kean to eat healthily. I definitely wouldn’t put this in the family meal category.
I am pleased with myself for eating nearly raw and mainly decaffeinated all day. Off to have a mug of Rooibos to celebrate. Wow, life in the fast lane eh?
Good for you with the eating raw today after your weekend. Your body will thank you for having a raw food day.
I enjoy a lot of raw food but unfortunately my dabble with raw food eating coincided with a massive drop in temperature here in England and I was constantly cold both days. I can see the health benefits of eating a raw diet and it is something I have done before and I even have a dehydrator. I think I will plan to do a raw food detox in the new year, but for now, will continue to eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables but mixed in with cooked food.