I'm Going Raw

Remember that time I told y'all about my "30 before 30" list? Remember reading #9: Eat a raw diet for 3 days straight? Remember how I looked back at 'said' #9 and thought "What a terrible idea!"

Well...it's happening. Whether I like it or not.

That's right folks...next Monday, April 22 I am officially going raw...but it's not for just 3 days...it's for an entire friggin' week. (Genius idea, Stephanie. Genius.)

Believe you me, this is NOT going to be easy. (Have I told you about the time I did a vegan challenge and didn't even make it 4 days? Oh ya-it happened.) In saying this, I'm making it a group effort because it's obvious there is no way in HELL-O I could do something like this on my own and there is NO way in HELL-O Beau is doing this with me. Granted, I do eat healthy about 85% of the time but a raw diet is 100% healthy 100% off the time. (Good lord what have I just gotten myself into?) I need you, your help and your sanity starting next Monday.

What I'm saying is I need you to do this with me. (Picture me in full-on begging mode...) Come on...it can't be that bad. Just raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds for 7 days. Yes? I know all of you are looking down at your thunder thighs hoping they'll magically shrink themselves. I know you're all dreading walking into Victoria's Secret and trying on that first bikini of the year. And I know you're all wanting to find a way to get that layer of winter flab off your belly. OK, so maybe I'm talking about myself here but you get the idea.

Here's what will happen.

I provide you with a food list and a yummy recipe and you participate with me. Capiche?! I encourage you to blog, tweet, pin or Instagram your raw journey because God knows I will be too...you know...for accountability purposes. Let's hashtag it up while we're at it with  #RAWWEEK2013.

I'm not going to even ask you if "you're in" because I'm going to assume you all are. ;)

As promised...here's your food list:

Save it. Print it. Pin it.

Here's a small list of what a raw diet can do for you:

• rid your body and gut of harmful toxins
• absorb essential nutrients to help you feel and live your best
• improve digestion with enzymes found naturally in fruits in vegetables
• lose weight
• clear up brain fog
• improve complexion
• cleanse the body and mind
• heal your body from years of harmful food ingestion
• break your unhealthy relationship with food

I'll take ALL of the above.

I fully believe that food is a source of fuel for our bodies. The more colorful your plate is, the more colorful your life will be. The idea behind a raw diet is to feel alive, just like the food on your plate. When you heat food, whether it be on the stove, grill, oven or microwave, you cook out all the important nutrients that your food once stored. By following a raw diet, everything you eat is fresh, colorful and vibrant, and is exactly how you can feel once you've rid your system of "the junk".

One of the main reasons people have a difficult time sticking to a 100% raw food diet is because they don't eat enough food throughout the day and find themselves starving. (Umm hello...no meat?!) In an effort to help you succeed, I've done extensive research and put together a sample meal plan for ya. (You're welcome.) I've also decided my juicer is going to be my very best friend next week. Keep in mind these are just ideas so feel free to get creative and if you have any raw meal ideas, please leave them in the comment section below for the rest of us to see!

Breakfast:
• Fresh juice (kale, pineapple, cucumber, lemon, celery)
• Fruit salad (mixture of melons and berries)
• 1/2 avocado with grapefruit

Lunch:
• Lettuce roll ups (romaine lettuce stuffed with avocado, cucumbers, sprouts, carrots, tomatoes and onion-have fun with this!)
• Veggies dipped in fresh guacamole or guacamole salsa
• Salad in a glass
• Salad topped with fresh veggies and mango salsa

Dinner:
• Large spinach salad loaded with fresh fruits and/or vegetables topped with fresh lemon/lime juice, fresh salsa, or guacamole salsa
• Cucumber salad with large side of fresh fruit
• Grape tomato and avocado salad (using a cold-pressed olive oil)

Snacks:
• Raw nuts/seeds
• Dried fruits
• Banana with almond butter

Dessert:
• Cocoa-nut banana slices
• Pecan pie bites (recipe below)

***

Raw/Vegan Pecan Pie Bites

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pecans
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp fresh orange juice
• 2 cups Medjool dates

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine pecans, cinnamon and orange juice and pulse into small chunks.
2. Add dates and mix well.
3. Roll dough into golf ball sized balls and place on parchment paper.
4. Refrigerate and enjoy!

***
Remember! The key to a successful raw diet is to EAT ENOUGH FOOD! This is your excuse to eat all day, ever day, as long as you're consuming nothing but raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds!

If you're looking for a few great raw resources, here are some of my recent faves:

• Rawfully Organic
• Fully Raw
• Raw Foods Diet Center
• Raw on 10

Whew! Ok. That was a lot. I know. (Actually-I think this is the longest blog post I've ever written.) But this is why you have a few days to mull it over and get yourself prepared. I fully expect to see your hashtags all over the social media world and can't wait to see how many of you are in for the challenge!

Like I said...it's only 7 days!