Knowing that I have a goal of continuing the raw food lifestyle after the first 10 days (today is day 9!), fellow mediator and lawyer Amy Martell (follow Amy on Twitter) sent me an e-mail bursting with helpful information about going raw.
I post her very helpful message here with permission. Thanks, Amy.
Amy writes:
As a basic rule, I use about 40% greens, 60% fruit, or more greens to taste. Then fill the blender with liquid - either a juice, coconut water, or regular water (and ice, if using fresh instead of frozen fruit) - so that it covers almost (but not quite) all of the solid contents (about 7/8). Use whatever fruit and whatever greens you like - baby spinach is the easiest green to tolerate at first, I've found. Frozen bananas will add creaminess. To the mix you can add other flavors - such as a chunk of fresh ginger, handfuls of fresh mint, vanilla powder, honey, or cacao powder. Always add fruit first, then greens - blends better that way. Be prepared to blend for about 2 minutes. In my Vitamix-- an industrial blender--I have to blend for about 40 seconds. You want it to be as smooth as possible.
my basic "gateway" smoothie recipe:
2 bananas
3/4- 1 cup frozen or fresh pineapple
1/4 lime, peeled
1/2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled
1 half-handful of fresh mint
2 large handfuls baby spinach
adjust proportions to taste or to fit in your blender
My recent fave: 1 grapefruit, peeled, 1 small chunk ginger, 1Tbsp raw honey, spinach, and a generous pinch of cayenne was amazing.
A lazy one: 2 small grapefruits, one with the skin on, with 1tsb of orange juice concentrate and baby spinach.
Local and (almost) in-season: 1 frozen banana, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen peaches, handful fresh mint leaves, juice from 1/3 of a lime, 3 large leaves rainbow chard, handful of baby spinach, about 1 tsp fresh parsley.
Melon and mint are divine just by themselves, with a bit of spinach.
You can also do savory smoothies if your blender will tolerate. kind of like a raw soup... carrots, celery, an apple, some tabasco, avocado ... etc.
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here are some links with recipes and info about smoothie making:
http://www.greenforlife.com/ (one of the best resources around on
raw food and green smoothies. The book is fantastic). Anything by the Boutenkos is helpful. They have a few youtube things up, I believe.
Considering giving your email and getting the free e-book from Kevin Gianni, High Raw - this book was my gateway to raw foods, and offered to me so much information in a permissive, enthusiastic manual. I love it still.
http://www.renegadehealth.com/highraw/
Finally, if you're up for purchasing a sweet e-book from a super sweet guy, who will give you lots of fun raw alternative to typical snacks, check out "Gettin' Raw with Rawdawg Rory", available here: http://rawdawgrory.com/gettin-raw-with-rawdawg-rory-e-book/
I also love anything that Ani Phyo puts out - books or videos.
And if you're into joining a raw food community, check out www.rawful.com or www.welikeitraw.com.
Other smoothie links:
- http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/green-smoothie-recipe-2.html
- http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/green-smoothies.html
- http://www.greensmoothie.com/blend/green.html
- http://gotgreensrevolution.com/green-smoothie-recipes.html
- http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2008/08/green-smoothie.html
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