HAPPY SUMMER!!!
Today is the first day of our raw foods cleanse. So far I'm actually surprised that I've stayed satiated from breakfast all the way through lunchtime. I am also loving taking pics of my food in my office...the lighting is much better than my kitchen!
I am feeling great about this cleanse, granted I'm only a day in. Brandon, I'm afraid, has not been so lucky. If you read about eating raw, you'll find that many people go through a period of serious cleaning out, to put it nicely. I'm talking poop, vomit, acne...the works. I was spared all that in our last cleanse, but Brandon felt some of those effects. Unfortunately, this is a case of same smell, different day.
Here's what I'm eating today:
BREAKFAST green smoothie: frozen mixed berries and bananas, 1 piece of kale and a few spinach leaves, almonds and almond milk. all blended together in my magic bullet.
LUNCH salad: mixed greens courtesy of Woolf Farms with strawberries (also Woolf Farms), peaches, avocadoes and almonds. dressing: balsamic, olive oil and dijon mustard with oregano and basil, all mixed together. cherries on the side
DINNER raw creamy corn chowder topped with corn kernels and sprouted sunflower seeds
SNACKS/DESSERT apple with raw almond butter (thank you Trader Joe's!), mung bean sprouts, dried apricots and a spoonful of honey (because my throat is feeling itchy)
I have a little how-to for you today: SPROUTS! Sprouts are a raw food essential for me for so many reasons
- you can eat them, just as they are, they make an awesome snack
- you can dry/dehydrate and grind them (specifically wheat berry sprouts) and make a nutritionally packed flour
- you can add them to just about any meal to add flavor, texture and a nutritional BANG
Sprout People is probably the best sprouting resource ever, and it's where I learned to sprout on my own. For the most part, sprouting is similar for all grains, seeds, beans, etc. But there are a few that require different soaking or rinsing times. So I usually check Sprout People before I sprout anything new. I am going to talk about sprouting mung beans, but if you want to try something else, check out their directions first.
what you'll need...
- a jar
- a rubber band
- cheese cloth
or
- a sprouter
and don't forget your
- mung beans (you can get them at almost any grocery store)
method...
- put 1/4 cup of mung beans into the jar or sprouter
- cover the beans with anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cup of water
- let soak for 8 hours or over night
- IF SPROUTING IN A JAR: cover jar with cheese cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Flip the jar over and let all the water drain out. Then, rinse the beans and place the jar (with the cheese cloth cover ON) upside down so any excess water can drain out
- IF USING A SPROUTER: just rinse the beans
- rinse 1-2 times a day (I usually do it before and after work) until your beans have sprouted to your liking (i.e. sprout length or flavor). Tasting a few every time you rinse will help you decide when you want them to stop so you can eat them up
- store in a jar in the fridge, they will keep for about a week
What is your favorite type of sprout? What dishes do you use them in?