Raw, but no peace - Day 23
It's Day 23 and I'm having a tough time of keeping up with things. Paul's treatment is making him very unwell, I have lots of work on at the moment and a little girl who just wants someone to play with. And there's no other guilt like that, I can tell you. I could do with more sleep and less worry. I am not sure I can keep up the pace of raw. There's still 7 days to go and I am running out of steam. Fast. But it's not me to fail. And it's not me to give up. But this time I just might need to take some time off so I don't burn myself out and not be able to take care of my family - because burning out would kind of defeat the purpose of my quest wouldn't it?
That said, I did manage to do two raw meals today, with relative ease. Perhaps I just need to get out of the mindset that it's a challenge and just treat it as everyday food. Which, to an extent I will once the challenge is over. Right now I am wanting to make something different every day, when in reality, I would just fall back on a few easy favourites to get me through busy days. Which is kind of what I did today...
Lunch
Apple, Celery and Noodle salad
Chop 1 apple
1-2 sticks celery
Handful of beansprouts
1/4 lettuce (or any green)
Crushed macadamia nuts
The bad part: 1/2 a packet of Chang's Fried Noodles (oh, I know it's not good, but it adds crunch and is so good in this salad!)
Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Stir unti honey is dispersed and pour over salad. Delicious. Probably my favourite salad.
Dinner
Zucchini Spaghetti with Meat-free-balls
This meal involved 4 parts but really, once you have the food processor out it is very easy. I did it all in less than 45 minutes, which included cooking Isla's component.
1. Zucchini spaghetti
Peel long ribbons and slice into long strips - a staple and a favourite
2. Tomato/capsicum sauce
1 red capsicum
1 tomato
About 10 semi-sundried tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil and parsley
1 tbs pine nuts
Approx 6 dates (essential to sweeten it, otherwise the tomatoes can be a little acidic)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (which isn't raw, but we're not using much)
Whizz up and set aside
3. Cheesy Nut Cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup cashew nuts
2 tbs pine nuts
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)
water - adjust to get a thick, creamy consistency
Whizz up and set aside
4. Meatballs
Last night I made "savoury balls" and they were meant to be refrigerated for 24 hours (which I didn't do)... but the leftovers were put in the fridge and came into good use tonight. For those who didn't read yesterday, here it is again:
For the balls...
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1-2 tbs minced onion
1 tsp tamari or soy
1 cup of grated pumpkin or carrot (I used pumpkin with about a 1/3 carrot)
1 big handful of fresh herbs - parsley and coriander
1 tbs lemon juice
Optional: a handful of chickpeas (they were there, so I threw them in) as well as some alfalfa sprouts
Process the seeds first, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well mixed. There was enough for 2 nights here, easily.
Assemble as per the picture (or mix up into a big mess) and enjoy.I added some kalamata olives too for extra tastiness. Yum.
I think the cheesy nut cream is very rich - perhaps I served a little too much for myself. Maybe a smaller portion would be enough. Or alternatively, you could use the almond ricotta here instead (see Day 10's lasagne recipe).
For Isla, I cooked some organic wholemeal pasta and simmered her tomato sauce, added a little of the creamy sauce at the end with some olives and broccoli. Her "meatballs" were lightly simmered too. She didn't like the texture of the meatballs, but I broke them up and mixed them into the meal and she ate them up without realising. I don't think she loves her "rawish" meals yet. But like anything, it will take some getting used to and eventually it will be normal for her. Still, she eats it up and I am satisfied knowing exactly what is in the food I am giving her. At least I don't feel guilty about her diet...
That said, I did manage to do two raw meals today, with relative ease. Perhaps I just need to get out of the mindset that it's a challenge and just treat it as everyday food. Which, to an extent I will once the challenge is over. Right now I am wanting to make something different every day, when in reality, I would just fall back on a few easy favourites to get me through busy days. Which is kind of what I did today...
Lunch
Apple, Celery and Noodle salad
Chop 1 apple
1-2 sticks celery
Handful of beansprouts
1/4 lettuce (or any green)
Crushed macadamia nuts
The bad part: 1/2 a packet of Chang's Fried Noodles (oh, I know it's not good, but it adds crunch and is so good in this salad!)
Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Stir unti honey is dispersed and pour over salad. Delicious. Probably my favourite salad.
Dinner
Zucchini Spaghetti with Meat-free-balls
This meal involved 4 parts but really, once you have the food processor out it is very easy. I did it all in less than 45 minutes, which included cooking Isla's component.
1. Zucchini spaghetti
Peel long ribbons and slice into long strips - a staple and a favourite
2. Tomato/capsicum sauce
1 red capsicum
1 tomato
About 10 semi-sundried tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil and parsley
1 tbs pine nuts
Approx 6 dates (essential to sweeten it, otherwise the tomatoes can be a little acidic)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (which isn't raw, but we're not using much)
Whizz up and set aside
3. Cheesy Nut Cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup cashew nuts
2 tbs pine nuts
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)
water - adjust to get a thick, creamy consistency
Whizz up and set aside
4. Meatballs
Last night I made "savoury balls" and they were meant to be refrigerated for 24 hours (which I didn't do)... but the leftovers were put in the fridge and came into good use tonight. For those who didn't read yesterday, here it is again:
For the balls...
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1-2 tbs minced onion
1 tsp tamari or soy
1 cup of grated pumpkin or carrot (I used pumpkin with about a 1/3 carrot)
1 big handful of fresh herbs - parsley and coriander
1 tbs lemon juice
Optional: a handful of chickpeas (they were there, so I threw them in) as well as some alfalfa sprouts
Process the seeds first, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well mixed. There was enough for 2 nights here, easily.
Assemble as per the picture (or mix up into a big mess) and enjoy.I added some kalamata olives too for extra tastiness. Yum.
I think the cheesy nut cream is very rich - perhaps I served a little too much for myself. Maybe a smaller portion would be enough. Or alternatively, you could use the almond ricotta here instead (see Day 10's lasagne recipe).
For Isla, I cooked some organic wholemeal pasta and simmered her tomato sauce, added a little of the creamy sauce at the end with some olives and broccoli. Her "meatballs" were lightly simmered too. She didn't like the texture of the meatballs, but I broke them up and mixed them into the meal and she ate them up without realising. I don't think she loves her "rawish" meals yet. But like anything, it will take some getting used to and eventually it will be normal for her. Still, she eats it up and I am satisfied knowing exactly what is in the food I am giving her. At least I don't feel guilty about her diet...