May 23, 2012

What I Ate Wednesday #1

I've been following a strict raw vegan healthy eating plan now for 17 days and learning so much from people in the blogging world. Certain bloggers participate in something fun called What I Ate Wednesday, a concept that Jenn from Peas and Crayons came up with.
What I Ate Wednesday is a social event that happens each Wednesday in the wonderful world of blogging. Foodies photograph a day of meals from any day of the week and link up so other people can see what we ate.

Jenn mentions that it's not about comparison, judgement, restriction, or guilt but rather a way of "celebrating one of the glorious things we all have in common: We all eat!"
Since this is my first time participating in What I Ate Wednesday, I'm going to share a list of what I've been eating for the last 17 days.

Here's what I've been eating:
-Lots and lots of Lemon Water:
Lemons are one of the top alkalizing foods Drinking lemon water (I like it first thing in the morning) helps cleanse the liver and kidneys, aids in digestion, and digestion, it's a natural diuretic, and it makes my skin glow. Love love love my lemon water.
-Green Juice/Smoothies: I believe that fresh green juice/smoothies are a complete meal all on their own. They're delicious, nutritious, easy to digest, and oh so simple to make.
One of my very favorite recipes from Carmella at The Sunny Raw Kitchen.

1/2 avocado
2 to 3 bananas (fresh or frozen)
2 cups of fruits of choice (fresh or frozen)
2 to 3 cups greens (spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, kale)
Juice of 5 or 6 oranges (or 2 to 3 whole oranges, peeled and seeded)
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water

Blend until smooth.
Add more or less water.
Makes 7-8 cups.

Another yummy smoothie that I made for me and "The Taste Tester"
I had a shot E3 Live (he refuses to try it) followed by a chaser smoothie made of spinach, celery, sunflower sprouts, pear, mango, berries, and bee pollen. Oh yeah!
I occasionally add a few teaspoons of bee pollen to my smoothie and I've also been using raw honey as a sweetener.
This morning I read this post by Gena at Choosing Raw and now I'm having second thoughts about using honey. I kinda like those little honeybees.
I'll have to do more research on this topic.

-Fruits and Vegetables: I try to buy fresh, organic produce when I can. With so many essential vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Plus, they give us loads of energy!

A Peek Inside My Fridge
Raw Pizza with Homemade Crust, Sauce, and Cheeze
Big Salads are a must!
Fresh Collard Greens Make an Excellent Sandwich Wrap
-Seeds & Nuts (Raw, Not Roasted/Unsalted): some of my favorites are almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts.

I'm also in looooove with nut butters (almond/hazelnut butter and almond/cashew butter are two of my favorites).

I also loooove nut "mylks" (almond mylk especially). I've learned how to make it myself..and it's oh so simple and easy peasy!

Banana + Spoonful of Mystery Butter (Almond Cashew Butter)=Pure Goodness
Homemade Grawnola + Fresh Homemade Almond Mylk
-Raw Cacao:
According to this article posted on the RawFit Blog, "all the bad things commonly attributed to non-raw chocolate bars, such as cavities, weight gain and diabetes, are caused by the dairy, sugar and others fillers added to the dark chocolate."

The article also mentions that the "health benefits of chocolate when it is in the form of raw cacao beans, butter, nibs and/or the powder include; weight loss (because of its high chromium and coumarin content), prevention of cavities (theobromine actually kills streptococci mutants, one of the strains of bacteria that cause tooth decay) and regulation of blood sugar which is beneficial for diabetes (chromium can naturally regulate blood sugar).

Raw cacao also benefits the heart and the entire cardiovascular system as a whole."

Here are some of the scrumptious desserts I've made with raw cacao:
Chocolate Snowballs

 
Chocolate Mousse (made with Avocado)
-Sprouted Legumes: (I've learned how to sprout buckwheat, garbanzo beans/chickpeas, sunflower sprouts, alfalfa, and bean sprouts). They're easy to digest, and an excellent source of protein and fiber. Always rinse sprouts before eating them because according to Earth Mother "this helps to remove surface sugars that contribute to those musical toots."

Sunflower Sprouts make an excellent addition to salad, sandwiches, and wraps. They're great to eat all on their own too!
rawola, pizza crust, and sandwich bread for sandwiches.

My first What I Ate Wednesday as a raw vegan healthy eater has been successfully accomplished.

Cheers to that!

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4 comments:

  1. Sinfully NutritiousMay 24, 2012 at 6:27 AM

    Bravo Maria, you are a perfect example of the ideal healthy eating lifestyle. Everything looks so fresh and delicious. I love raw pizza with cashew cheese. I always use marinated portabella for my crust--- cause I never perfected the dehydrator crust. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Maria @ Little Miss CornucopiaMay 24, 2012 at 8:28 PM

    Hmm interesting! I've never been a fan of mushrooms until I recently started adding them to my salads. Now that I'm a fan, the sound of marinating portobellas sounds divine. Thank you for your kind words by the way, I truly appreciate it :)

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  3. Laura @ Sprint 2 the TableMay 26, 2012 at 12:38 AM

    I love using collards for wraps! I use them for taco shells all the time. Great post about some raw options... I couldn't go all raw but I feel a huge difference when I'm concentrating on getting most of my nutrients in that way.

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  4. Maria @ Little Miss CornucopiaMay 29, 2012 at 12:43 PM

    Collards ARE great aren't they? Good for you for experimenting with raw foods :) Glad to hear that!

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