Monday, March 28th, 2011

One of The Reasons I Love Protein Powders in a Raw Vegan Diet

Protein powders get mixed reviews from people. There are some people who don’t care for protein powders because they say they’re a “fractionated food” (i.e., not a whole food). There are other people, however, like me, who are grateful they exist. Some raw peeps love them because they want more protein in their diets to support their intense exercise regime (such as my husband, Greg, and Robert Cheeke vegan bodybuilder). Other people, like me, love them when pregnant or breastfeeding for that easy extra protein. But, that’s not the only reason I like them…

When I’m eating an all raw diet (breastfeeding, pregnant, or not), I find that there are times that I want something to eat that is not high carb or high fat. A lot of raw foods are either one of those two options. Sure, I could gnaw on some plain romaine or cucumbers, but it’s not going to really fill me up or fill this unique need I’m describing. I’m talking about those times that I feel a need for something substantial and filling, but that is not high fat (there goes nuts) or high carb (sorry, fruit). I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced that when eating all raw, but it’s something that happens to me from time to time. So, how do I handle it? I drink a protein shake. And, it’s exactly what I need! Read More »

Friday’s Raw EATS (food journal) and Adopt A Turkey

by Kristen in adopt a turkey, cheezy hemp nacho sauce, food intake, food journal, kale chips, raw vegan transition recipes, sprout living protein powder, velvet wine sauce

I have a day full of nutritious raw vegan food! But, before I get into that… I’m excited to share with you that Greg and I adopted a Turkey today through Farm Sanctuary. As you know, we’re vegan, so there will be no turkeys slaughtered to feed our bellies! Ever!

Her name is Daphne. :) Isn’t she so cute?!

Have you seen Thanksgiving’s toll on turkeys? It’s just awful.

Okay…. so on to my All-Raw-Organic food for today:

I started my morning with a large purple-ish brown smoothie. It had water, frozen cherries, banana, hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, RAW sunflower lecithin, red leaf lettuce, and probiotic powder.

I made two protein drinks with Sprout Living’s new Vanilla Lucuma protein powder to have throughout the day. It’s very good! It’s the first ever vanilla protein powder that I like. Finally! And… it’s raw, vegan, and certified organic (yay!). I mixed it with water, Greener Grasses, and pumpkin spice. They also sent me their Chocolate Maca flavor to try, as well as their plain flavor. I don’t usually drink this much protein, but my postpartum hair shedding is out of control and I’m hoping some protein will help?! I also added a little extra zinc to my diet and I’m drinking organic nettle tea. (I blogged about some postpartum issues here).

Fall Delight – this is a mixture of shredded apple, pear, and carrot tossed with a handful of raisins, sprinkling of hemp seeds, 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice, and a small drizzle of yacon syrup.

Salad – I tossed a large salad of green leaf lettuce with segmented oranges, chopped zucchini, and chopped persimmon. I squeezed a little fresh lemon juice on top. (Persimmons are one of my favorites! Read more about my obsession here.)

Zucchini Pasta with Velvet Wine Sauce – Mmmm soooooo gooooooood. I simply spiralized some zucchini pasta with my favorite raw pasta maker, added halved grape tomatoes, minced raw olives, and Velvet Wine Sauce. Lip smackin’ delicious. I’ve written about my Velvet Wine Sauce here recently, and I shared the recipe in a limited edition of a recent email newsletter (hope you were on the list when I sent it out). If you don’t have it, it’s also available in my latest book EASY Raw Vegan Transition Recipes.

Cheezy Kale Chips from Blue Mountain Organics (I raved about them here where I also taught you how you can make your own). Personally, I can’t get my hands on organic red bell pepper to make my Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce to make my own Cheezy Hemp Nacho Kale Chips. So, in the meantime, I’m enjoying Blue Mountain Organics’ Cheezy Kale Chips.

1 Chocolate Butter Truffle

I’m using a new organic produce delivery service, Nature’s Garden Delivered. It’s my second week trying them (thank you to the commenter in a previous post who turned me on to them). I’m quite happy (I love their access to local organic food). They don’t have as much variety as Boxed Greens, but Nature’s Garden Delivered is less expensive and does a better job with their packaging (they use less plastic). They don’t deliver nationwide, but they’re available in Arizona and Georgia.

High Raw Food Intake – Pregnancy Food Journal

by Kristen in broccoli sprouts, epic protein, food journal, sprout living protein powder, tofu

I started the day with about 3 cups of water. I sure get thirsty while I sleep.

Protein Shake with Sprout Living’s Certified Organic Epic Protein Powder I just mixed it with water and chugged it down

Teeccino with Raw nut milk – yum!

Organic apple

Kitchen Sink Smoothie – 1 quart
This was pretty much made with everything but the kitchen sink: water, frozen banana, frozen peaches, cinnamon, Artisana’s Cacao Bliss, hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, ground flax seeds, raw chocolate powder

Organic Tofu Veggie Salad (large portion)
Romaine, broccoli sprouts, red bell pepper, cucumber, raisins, tofu, dressing

Kaia Foods Raw Granola w/ Raw nut milk

Raw Chocolate Bar (yes, it was a Righteously Raw Caramel Cacao Bar… what can I say?)

Sprouted raisin toast (not raw)

1 cup homemade sauerkraut (1 cup seems like a lot, but I couldn’t stop eating it!)

Organic strawberries with raw frosting dip