Our raw challenge has come to an end and the results? Well, to be honest, they’re mixed. Except for this chocolate mousse. No question, this pudding was delicious!
In the beginning, going raw was exciting. New and fresh, the kids and I had a great time perusing the aisles of our Whole Foods store, searching for the “never heard of” ingredients for the gourmet impersonations we were concocting, from our chocolate mousse and lemony cheesecake to our Italian pastas and Asian broccoli dishes. Eating tons of fruit, we created some wonderful smoothies, too–one of the easiest way for my kids to go raw.
But by mid-week however, the excitement was wearing thin. The kids were whining for cheeseburgers and my husband… Well, let’s just say it’s never a good sign when you pick up the scent of meat on your husband’s collar during raw week. (Oh, the horror!) Makes me suspect he might have been having a cheeseburger “fling.” Given the opportunity, the kids most definitely would have “flung” a few burgers into their mouths as well. Unfortunately for them, they’re under my watch 24/7 whereas my husband is not and alas, I must confess, I think my husband cheated. Only a little bit. Only out of necessity, driving all day long, no fast food restaurants willing to ply him with raw delicacies and fresh bliss. What about salads?
Seems they pose more hazard than sustenance, what with the risk of dressing on the chin, driplets staining his tie, smudged across the steering wheel… Better he chance the sneak of an easy-to-eat burger than face his business customers with a slew of salad and sauce all over him!
Speaking of non-raw, I think my most coveted (craved) food this past week was bread . Bread for my pasta, bread for our peppers, sandwiches, pancakes–bread is a major staple in our diet, albeit not a good one. From gluten to migraines, extra carbs to extra pounds, bread doesn’t promote a healthy lifestyle. But it tastes so good! Cookies and cakes, crackers and crusts–I think I’ve found my problem! I LOVE breadstuff.
What else have I learned?
When making ceviche, be sure to cut your fish into 1/2 inch pieces else your dinner may not be ready come dinner time. And be adventurous! Octopus makes for really interesting presentation.
My son can juice a mean dozen lemons in no time flat, all the while craving a plate full of eggs and bacon, Reuben to follow with a healthy cheeseburger for dinner. Kids. But he loves yogurt and berries. Eats them most every day. He simply doesn’t want them for every meal.
Hmph. Salads and soups will only take your husband so far as well. At some point, apparently he needs something more “meaty” to fill his belly. Go figure. And he’s the one who needs to eat healthy! Me? I’m fit as a feline and every so finicky–I mean, feisty. Feisty is what I am. After all, I am the gardenfrisk! 🙂
On an important note: When using a blender, do NOT stick your spoon inside while it’s blending to “help things along.” Yes, you’re sure you have it under control, you know the length of your spoon, you can gauge the distance quite well, thank you but don’t do it. And don’t–especially don’t–decide to school your daughter in the finer points of blending safety, advising her against doing what you’re doing, because of what “could” happen. Guess what. It does.
All over the kitchen. Last thing I wanted to do at that moment was clean a gooey mess. Not when I was so looking forward to this Lemony Cheesecake my daughter was preparing, nor when I wanted to retire to the sofa. Nope. But life throws curve balls at you that way (or sprays them across your countertops, your clothing, your floor). Then of course, there’s the husband, standing there, staring at you with that barely suppressed grin of his that says, “that’s what you get for making me eat this stuff.”
To his credit he laughed, made light of it with the kids–all at my expense, of course. Lucky for him I’m a good-natured sort of gal or he’d have a heap of trouble on his hands! The nerve of him. And to think he implied he was counting the days until our raw challenge was over. Like father like son…
Some of our successes? (You mean, besides the 5 pounds I lost?) Our red sauce was excellent as was the Alfredo.
The zucchini pasta needed to be spiraled for the illusion to be complete, though this passes for Pappardelle quite well, if you ask me. Gazpacho made for a delightful summer soup. Combined with a salad, it was definitely enough to satisfy my appetite.
And this Asian style broccoli was another unexpected winner. My daughter is a broccoli fan and chose to make this dish one night for dinner and the sauce was really good. Had a nice spice to it. We skipped the parsnip “rice” and enjoyed it as a side.
All in all would we do it again? For a whole week?
Maybe not every dish, every day, but we did learn how easy it is to incorporate raw dishes into our normal diet for a healthy living lifestyle. And healthy we do want to be!
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