Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 182

Choosing Raw, Day 14 — Dining Out!

Quick post tonight. I basically had leftovers or repeats of meals on the Choosing Raw Challenge for almost every meal and snack today. It just worked out that way, and it was a good thing because today was a busy, busy day!

It started with an easy run and a Vega One whole beet smoothie, which I shared a pic of on Monday. And then for my morning snack, I had some raw cauliflower with lemon-turmeric dressing for dippin'.

I had my physical therapy session for my hip bursitis at 11 a.m., and it was WAY out east. Lucky for me, the physical therapy place was right down the road from Cosmic Coconut, an all-vegan juice/smoothie bar. And I was done with my session just in time for lunch. Since I'd already had a smoothie for breakfast,  I was craving something solid. I don't get to visit Cosmic Coconut often because it's so far from work and home, and it'd been ages since I'd had their Black Bean & Quinoa Burger.


Since I'm allowing sprouted grain bread on the challenge, and the burger is homemade with whole foods (quinoa! black beans! avocado!), the burger part was totally challenge-friendly! But I'd forgotten their sandwiches come with tortilla chips. And man, I have been CRAVING chips.


While I wouldn't typically allow chips on my diet, who am I to turn down chips when they're on my plate? It's like the universe was telling me I needed to eat those chips. So I did! Definitely hit the spot. And they serve this awesome nut pate for dipping. It tastes like raw queso or something. YUM!

The rest of the day was more of the same, stuff y'all have already seen — sweet 'n' savory trail mix, pumpkin quinoa risotto, salad, and dark chocolate ganache. But I'll be back after the weekend with a whole new set of meals! This will be my last weekend on the challenge, so wish me luck!

Choosing Raw, Day 13

Another fabulous day on the Choosing Raw Challenge! For 21 days, I'm eating a mostly raw/partially cooked diet from Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook.

This morning started off with a short, indoor cross-training workout at home — 10 minutes on the squat machine, 10 minutes of resistance band and free weight arm stuff, five minutes of abs, and skosh of yoga. Then I had Avocado Toast!! This time, I spread a thin layer of Marmite under the avocado and topped with hot sauce and black pepper. Marmite and avocado were made for each other!


My morning snack was more Sweet 'n' Savory Trail Mix (roasted chickpeas, raw almonds, and raisins). I made a ton of this stuff, so I've been eating it a lot lately.

Lunch was last night's Raw Ratatouille served on a bed of romaine, which was tossed with herbs de provence dressing. And the whole salad is sprinkled with nooch because nooch. I really loved this ratatouille. It was so flavorful, and I thought it was equally good served cold on a salad today as it was served warm over quinoa last night.


In the afternoon, I snacked on a Pink Lady Apple (my fave!) with Love Bean's Sea Salt Caramel sauce. I'll be doing a full review of Love Bean after the cleanse, but man, this stuff!! I forgot how great apples and caramel were together. It's been so long!! And this caramel is made with really clean stuff like coconut milk, pureed coconut, and coconut sugar.


Dinner was a quick and easy new dish from Gena's book — Pumpkin Quinoa Risotto with Pomegranate Seeds.


Risotto can be such a pain to make, all that stirring. Ugh. But this quickie version is made with healthy quinoa and doesn't require any standing over the stove time. The pom seeds add a lovely twangy bite. Who knew that pumpkin and pomegranate would complement one another so well?

On the side, I had a bowl of Steamed Collards, which I tossed with Bragg's, Liquid Smoke, and hot sauce for a quick and healthy spin on slow-cooked Southern-style collards.


I had a small square of the Raw Girls Dark Chocolate & Almond Butter Ganache for dessert!

Choosing Raw, Days 11 & 12

I'm halfway there! On January 2nd, I embarked on a 21-day high-raw meal plan using Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook (and supplementing with my regular Vega One morning smoothies). Plus, I'm limiting refined sugar, booze, and gluten. Unlike in "cleanses" past though, I'm not putting any restrictions on caffeine this time. And man, that has saved my ass. Going on a healthy diet with coffee is so much easier than trying to eat healthy sans caffeine. I highly recommend never giving up coffee.

Anyway, here's what I ate on Monday (Day 11). The day began with a 5K tempo run followed by a Whole Beet Smoothie! This is a recipe I found on the Vega One website, and it literally calls for a whole beet, greens and all. It's a good thing I have a Vitamix now because my old blender would have just died if I'd tried to stick a beet in there. Besides the beet, this has blueberries, chocolate Vega One protein powder (the new formula, full review post coming soon!), coconut water, coconut butter, and lemon juice. Odd combo, but it works!


My morning snack was my favorite one on the challenge thus far — Zucchini Ranch Chips! These are from Gena's book, and THEY ARE SO GOOD! Very thinly sliced zucchini is coated in olive oil and ranch seasonings and then dehydrated.


Lunch was Collard Wraps with Sweet Pea Hummus, Tempeh Bacon, and Yellow Bell Pepper. Gena's recipe called for the hemp hummus from the book, but I still had some sweet pea hummus leftover from last week. It also called for tempeh, but rather than add plain tempeh, I made the tempeh bacon from my own cookbook, Cookin' Crunk. Also, when I make collard wraps, I blanch the leaves for five seconds to zap out the bitterness and make them easier to roll.


On the side, I had a Salad with Romaine, Yellow Bell Pepper, Brown Rice, Carrot, Avocado & Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. Salad dressing is from the book. Very tangy and sweet. Good stuff.


My afternoon snack was more of the Superfood Trail Mix I've shown here before. And dinner was leftovers, which I ate while reading the Memphis Flyer (the newspaper I work for). Apricot Quinoa Salad with Mint & Pine Nuts and Kale & White Bean Caesar Salad. 


Oh, and for dessert, I had more Coconutty for Chocolate Chip Cookies! These raw walnut-date cookies are flecked with crunchy cacao nibs.


This morning — Day 12 — began with another cold outdoor run! And then I had this Vanilla Latte Smoothie — French Vanilla Vega One protein powder, instant coffee (the concentrated liquid kind), cashew milk, and a frozen banana. Yum!! So glad I'm allowing caffeine!


My morning snack was another liquid treat — Green Lemonade Juice from Choosing Raw. Apple, lemon, cucumber, celery, ginger, kale, and parsley.


Lunch was a new dish from the book — Sweet Potato Salad with Miso Dressing. I'd never think to combine miso and sweet potatoes, but it works. It lends them a fun Asian flair. The recipe also called for chives, but I didn't have any, so I added parsley instead. On the side was a salad with black beans, brown rice, romaine, and apple cider vinaigrette.


My afternoon snack was leftover Tempeh Bacon. I just ate it cold at my desk. Love cold tempeh!


Dinner was so coloful! Raw Ratatouille Over Red Quinoa! Gena is such a genius. This recipe was just so full of flavor. Basically, you toss veggies (zucchini, tomato, carrots, bell pepper) with olive oil, herbs, garlic, and some other seasonings and you dehydrate them for about an hour to warm them and remove some of the liquid. Chickpeas are tossed in after dehydration. Then it's served over warm cooked quinoa, which I seasoned with veggie broth. I'm so glad I have leftovers for tomorrow!


Finally, I had more Coconutty Cookies for dessert! Still have a ton left!

A Winter Night's Tea Party

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Choosing Raw Challenge post for a CHEAT DAY!

If you've been following along, you know that for 21 days, I'm doing a mostly raw (but with some cooked food) diet exclusively making recipes from Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook. Every January, I do some sort of 3- to 4-week reset diet, and this is one I've chosen for this year. I've also added a rule for no refined sugar (raw sweeteners, fruit, coconut sugar, and maple are fine), no beer or liquor (red wine is cool but in limited quantities), and very little gluten (only the gluten found in sprouted grain breads).

But every year when I do these diets, I always work in cheat days! Because three weeks is a long time! And when social events arise, I'm not gonna be that girl who passes up the cookies because she's on a cleanse. Ugh. Eyeroll. Anyway, when my friend Leslie said she was hosting a tea party on Sunday and making vegan cookies, I said "Count me in!"

We gathered around 4 p.m. on Saturday at Leslie's place way out in the 'burbs. She had this spread waiting for us! Not everything on this table is vegan, but most of it is. Leslie is vegetarian, but she used to be vegan, so she's sensitive to our needs.


For the teas, there was Earl Grey, a Winter Night Tisane that Leslie blended herself, and Leslie's homemade Vegan Chai. Leslie makes the BEST chai!


I tried all the teas several times!


Leslie made it so that, if I wanted to be good, I could have. She had herbal tea and homemade coconut date balls, so it wasn't necessary for me to cheat. But um, there were Vegan Scones with blueberry preserves, so ...


Here were Leslie's homemade Date Balls and her Indian Tea Biscuits. The biscuits were light and flaky and perfect for dunking. Definitely my favorite cookie of the night.


I also brought along some raw cookies. I made Gena's Coconutty for Chocolate Chip Cookies from Choosing Raw. These are walnut-date cookies flecked with little cacao nibs. Here's the recipe. Loved these and I had a ton leftover for snacking on all week.


There was Turkish Delight, and my, was it delicious! This was the pistachio kind, which I like better than the rose flavor.


No tea party is complete without Biscoff Cookies! On the scale of accidentally vegan cookies, Biscoff is tops (yes, better than Oreos in my opinion)!


These were one of the few savory snacks — Indian-Spiced Spring Roll Bites. They provided a nice relief when the sugar seemed like too much.


The party was lovely, and I couldn't think of a better excuse to cheat. And surprisingly, I felt just fine after eating all that sugar. Or so I thought ...

About three hours after the party, after I'd had my kale caesar salad dinner and was preparing for bed, I started feeling weak and shaky and just uncomfortable. It was totally weird, like I was having a sugar crash. And I had problems sleeping, which never happens. I'm wondering if my body, after eating such a clean diet for almost two weeks, just didn't know what to do with all that sugar. I've certainly gorged on sweets at potlucks before, but I'd never noticed that feeling. Then again, at potlucks, I'm usually also having wine, and that might offset any weird sugar crash feelings.

Anyway, I don't regret my tea party cheat. Totally worth a few hours of sugar crash discomfort! But I'm back on the wagon today, and I feel great. I'll be back tomorrow with a regular recap post of what I ate today (and what I will eat tomorrow).

Choosing Raw, Days 8, 9, & 10

I made it through another weekend on the Choosing Raw challenge, my commitment to eat a high-raw, whole foods diet for 21 days using recipes from Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook. I'm also abstaining from booze (except for red wine) and sugar (except for one special cheat day ... more on that in a few), and I'm limiting gluten.

Friday morning started off with one of my all-time favorite breakfasts and common morning go-to — Avocado Toast!!! Avocado smashed with lemon juice and sriracha sea salt on sprouted grain toast. I added hot sauce after this pic was taken.


My morning snack was more Sweet 'n' Savory Trail Mix, which I shared of picture of in my last post, so I didn't take another. It's made with roasted chickpeas, raw almonds, and raisins.

For lunch, I was supposed to have a Brown Rice Wrap with Kale Slaw. I had one Ezekiel brown rice wrap in the freezer, and I thawed it out to use. But sadly, it had been in the freezer too long, and it had that nasty freezer taste. So I dug around in my pantry and found some spring roll wrappers, and I used that to wrap my kale. The white rice wrappers probably weren't the best cleanse choice, but hey, you do what you gotta. And they were super tasty and fun to eat! The kale slaw was made with raisins, bell peppers, pecans, and sunflower seeds.


My afternoon snack was a super-hearty one! And that was perfect since I had to run a couple errands after work. This half of a Baked Sweet Potato with Vanilla Almond Butter and Goji Berries kept me full until my later-than-normal dinner.


That dinner was pretty damn delicious — Zucchini & Carrot Pappardelle with Kale-Pistachio Pesto, Black Beans, and a Salad with Bell Pepper, Cauliflower, & Lemon-Turmeric Vinaigrette. The pappardelle was supposed to have green peas too, but I forgot them!


Dessert was the rest of my Raw Vanilla Macaroons, which I enjoyed with some kombucha while watching Boyhood.

Saturday morning started off with an 7.3-mile run! Had part of a fruit & nut bar before the run and another Mocha-Carob Chip Vega One Smoothie afterward. I'll share that recipe in a Vega One review post very soon.


I didn't have a morning snack on Saturday since I had my breakfast smoothie around noon. I just had a late lunch of Jicama Fiesta Rice Salad around 2-ish, on a break from cleaning my house. This is a raw "rice" dish made from jicama, and it's tossed with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, cucumbers, bell peppers, and tofu. The tofu is an add-in that Gena suggests in the recipe. I used tofu that had been previously frozen, and I lightly sauteed it with Bragg's before adding to the dish. LOVED this dish. Maybe one of my faves so far.


Around 5-ish, I snacked on these Hummus Kale Chips! God, I love kale chips. And these were a new-to-me flavor. To make them, you basically just rub your kale with hummus and dehydrate for a few hours.


Dinner was leftover Zucchini & Carrot Pappardelle with Pesto, but I remembered the peas this time!! On the side, I had the leftover Kale Slaw from Friday's wraps. I ate a LOT of kale on Saturday!


On Saturday night, we watched movies on Netflix, and for dessert, I had a little square of Raw Chocolate & Almond Butter Ganache from the Raw Girls.


On Sunday morning, I watched an episode of Homeland and had Avocado Toast in my PJs! And then later, around 11:30, I headed to Imagine Vegan Cafe, where I was meeting Stephanie and Pam for brunch. We brunch there almost every week, but Pam and I are both doing this high-raw diet thing. So I brought us some food to eat while Stephanie had Imagine's tofu quiche and hash browns. Pam and I had Quinoa Apricot Salad with Mint & Pine Nuts. And we also both ordered Imagine's Side Salad. We're so lucky that we can bring our own cleanse food in there. Imagine's staff are basically family to us, so they don't mind. I will admit that I had a REALLY hard time not ordering a slice of the Banoffe (banana-toffee) Pie that Stephanie delivered to Imagine this morning. It took all of my willpower to resist. All of it!


But I resisted that pie because I knew I had a special cheat coming up in a few hours. My friend Leslie had a lovely tea party, and there were lots of sweet treats. And yes, I allowed myself to have one of everything! But I'm saving the tea party for a separate post tomorrow because I have a ton of pics.

After my sugar splurge, I came home and had a proper healthy dinner of Kale & White Bean Caesar Salad. The dressing on this salad was insanely good!! It was made from cashews, hemp seeds, celery, and nooch. Man, I'll definitely be making more of it to enjoy on salads all year long!

Choosing Raw, Day 7!

Wow. I can't believe a week has passed already on the Choosing Raw Challenge, my commitment to follow Gena Hamshaw's 21-day meal plan (with modifications for my schedule) from her Choosing Raw cookbook. This whole foods-based, mostly raw (but partly cooked) "cleanse" has been the easiest January diet I've ever tried! I've only had a couple of cravings (for potato chips), but I don't miss sweets since I get to have healthy raw desserts daily. And I haven't even missed beer that much. I'm allowing myself to have red wine, but I haven't had any yet.

I do have a good cheat planned for this weekend when my friend Leslie hosts a tea party. There will be cookies there, and I will eat them. But other than that, I plan to be good. Lots of great weekend meals planned!

Thursday morning, I woke up for my planned outdoor run at 4:50 a.m., and it was 10 degrees outside! 10 DEGREES! For those of you who live up north, that's probably just another winter day. But in Memphis, the world might as well be ending. But I could not skip this run, and even though I have a treadmill, I refuse to use it for more than my usual 10-minute warm-up. So I bundled up.


I did about 10 minutes on the "dreadmill," and then I hit the street. It was cold. Damn, it was cold. But it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. After my run, I warmed up (okay, not really) with a cold smoothie! I'm working on a recipe for a Vega One Mocha Carob Chip Protein Smoothie, but it's not quite perfect yet.


I had a doctor appointment this morning to get some hip issues checked out. Turns out, I have IT band bursitis. But no biggie. It won't affect my running. But I will need some physical therapy to learn the proper stretches. After the appointment, I had a Fuji Apple in my car.


I got to work just in time for lunch — Ginger Almond Pate Nori Rolls with Bell Pepper and Cucumber! These were so much fun! The slightly spicy almond pate stands in for rice to make these totally raw. I had mine with wasabi, of course.


On the side, I had a Side Salad with Chickpeas, Sprouts, Carrots, Shiitake Mushrooms (which I ended up picking out because I didn't like them), Romaine, and Ginger-Sesame Dressing.


I almost forgot to photograph my afternoon snack before I ate it all! This is the Sweet 'n' Savory Trail Mix —roasted chickpeas, raw almonds, and raisin. I loved the combo of tangy chickpeas, crunchy almonds, and sweet raisins.


My dinner was leftover Acorn Squash & Brown Rice Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Vinaigrette and Toasted Hazelnuts. Yesterday, I made this with spinach, but I was out. So I used romaine instead. I think I like this best with romaine.


I went to my friend Shara's house after dinner to catch up on the latest episodes of American Horror Story: Freak Show, and I snacked on leftover Chocomole (no picture, sorry!).

Choosing Raw, Day 6!

For 21 days in January, I'm making meals from Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook! Her high-raw meal plan is helping me reset my system after the not-so-healthy (but delicious) holidays. I'm following the meal plan in the book as much as I can, but sometimes, I go a little rogue.

Like today, for example. The meal plan has breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dessert. But I knew my work schedule was going to be busy around the time I'd typically have my mid-morning snack, so instead, I had my mid-morning snack as a pre-breakfast to fuel me for a 30-minute cross-training session (squats, abs, free weights). This Blueberry, Kale & Mint Smoothie was loaded with avocado, so it had plenty of calories to fuel my workout.


About an hour after my workout, I sat down for real breakfast — leftover Chickpea Tofu Tahini Scramble and Steamed Kale with Ginger-Sesame Dressing. This was the last of my scramble leftovers, which makes me sad. It was really yummy!


Lunch was leftover Raw Portabella "Steak" and Raw Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" and a Side Salad with romaine, bean sprouts, and radishes. Oops. I broke my mushroom!


For my afternoon snack, I had more Roasted Chickpeas, but I forgot to take a picture. But you saw a pic of them yesterday anyway.

Dinner was something new! Acorn Squash, Brown Rice & Spinach Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Vinaigrette and Toasted Hazelnuts!


Man, I have never had a salad like this before! Blew my mind. The greens, hazelnuts, and rice are tossed with this homemade, dreamy-creamy dressing that has lots of avocado, turmeric, and lemon. Plus, it has a touch of sweetness from bee-free honee (recipe called for agave or maple, but I'm partial to bee-free honee!).

The roasted acorn squash was great! And omg, TOASTED HAZELNUTS! I think that's my new favorite snack. I'd never toasted my own, but they're so flavorful. One note: The salad actually calls for frisee, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I went with baby spinach because that's what I had.

Dessert (I love that this challenge lets me eat dessert EVERY DAY!) was Chocomole! Yep, raw chocolate avocado pudding. So creamy and rich!


Well, I'm off to bed. Gotta get up and attempt to run in 18 degree weather at, like, 6 a.m. Ugh.

Choosing Raw Challenge, Day 5

Just in case you haven't been following my blog over the past couple days, I'll fill ya in on what's going on. For 21 days in January, I'm challenging myself to eat a whole foods-based, high-raw diet using the meal plan in Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw cookbook. Gena's recipes are awesome! Plus, they're super-healthy and usually only made with a few ingredients (and that makes it more affordable!).

This morning, I went on another short tempo run, so I skipped the meal plan breakfast in favor of a Vega One protein smoothie. It's the same smoothie I had on Saturday — Wild Berry Banana — so I'll spare you the picture.

My snack was another meal made from leftovers — Sweet Pea Hummus with Celery. Lots of green!


Lunch was leftover Carrot & Millet Pilaf from Monday night's dinner, plus a side salad with radishes, hemp seeds, and leftover tahini dressing (from last Friday's raw falafel). I love how this meal plan accounts for leftovers! Since I don't cook for anyone but me, I always have leftovers, and I don't like to waste.


My afternoon snack was Roasted Chickpeas from Choosing Raw. Gena offers several variations, but I kind of went with my own seasoning route. I coated the chickpeas in ponzu (citrus soy sauce), rice vinegar, Bragg's, and a mix of dried herbs before crisping them in the oven.


Dinner was a new dish, and it was so much fun to eat! Raw Portabella "Steak" with Raw Rosemary Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" with Nooch Gravy, and Steamed Kale with Dijon Vinaigrette.


The portabella is marinated overnight in a savory-sweet mix, and then you just eat it cold. Just like that. Since it sits overnight, the mushroom gets all soft and saturated, and even though a cold, raw portabella sounds kind of weird, it's actually amazing! And I've long been a fan of raw mashed "potatoes" made with cauliflower. They're made in the food processor with cashews and rosemary. As Gena suggests in the recipe, I topped my taters with a little nutritional yeast.

Dessert tonight was supposed to be chocomole, but I've pushed that back until tomorrow night because I needed to finish off this Meyer Lemon Tart from Memphis' high-raw catering service, the Raw Girls.


It was in a box of their goodies from before Christmas, and I saved half for the cleanse. I wasn't totally sure a raw nut-based dessert would stay fresh this long. But it tasted just as new as the day I got it and ate the first half.

Choosing Raw, Day 4

I'm four days into my 21-day high-raw "cleanse"! Until January 22nd, I'll be making Gena Hamshaw's raw and wholesome cooked recipes from Choosing Raw as a way to reset my system and start the year with healthy eating habits!

Today started with a 3-mile run. I'm working on my speed, so I've been doing a couple of shorter tempo runs per week. Before my run, I had half of a (not pictured) Pecan Pie Raw Fruit & Nut Bar by Nakd. After my run, I had a Green Elvis Smoothie! This is another recipe I've created using the new Vega One formula. I'll be doing a full review post (with original recipes!) soon, so I'll post the deets there. But basically, this is a peanut butter & banana smoothie.


My mid-morning snack and afternoon snacks were from Gena's 21-day meal plan in Choosing Raw. But they were the same snacks I had on Friday, so you may have already seen these — Veggie Bowl Juice (beet-carrot-cucumber-celery-spinach-ginger) in the morning and Superfood Trail Mix (cashews, pepitas, goji berries, golden berries, mulberries, and cacao nibs) in the afternoon.


Lunch was Leftover Raw Pad Thai made with kelp noodles, cabbage, zucchini, carrot, and an almond butter-tamarind sauce. This time, I remembered to top it with peanuts. Forgot that on Sunday when I first had this dish. On the side, I had Black Beans seasoned with garlic, onion, and Bragg's.


Dinner was one new dish and one leftover dish. The new dish was Carrot & Millet Pilaf. Wow! So flavorful! I always have millet in the pantry, but I never remember to use it in anything. It's such a fun grain. The pilaf is cooked in veggie broth and carrot juice, and it's spiced with curry. On the side was leftover Chickpea Tofu Tahini Scramble from Friday's breakfast. Plus, there was a side salad with radishes, sprouts, and balsamic vinaigrette.


It's so very cold here today, so having a mostly cooked meal was a nice. Sometimes winter bones need hot food!

For dessert, Gena's meal plan suggests dark chocolate. I have lots of sugary dark chocolate bars, but I figured this should be healthier since I'm trying to be good. Luckily, I had some of this left!


That's the Raw Girls Raw Chocolate and Almond Butter Ganache! The Memphis-based high-raw catering service included it in a sample box just before Christmas, and I saved some for this cleanse. It's very, very rich, and a little goes a long way. So I just had a little square.

Choosing Raw, Days 1-3

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a few years knows that January is cleanse time in Crunk Land! Every year, on January 2nd, I start some sort of cleanse/detox/tune-up that involves lots of whole foods, little to no processed foods, no sugar, etc. Last year (and two other years in the recent past), it was Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet. And one time, I did the 21-Day PCRM meal plan.

This year, I'm using one of my favorite bloggers' new cookbooks! When Gena Hamshaw's Choosing Raw came out earlier this year, I immediately spied the 21-day meal plan. I'm such a sucker for a meal plan. I crave structure, especially when it comes to food. And I love having someone else — especially some smart, nutritionist like Gena — design a well-balanced day or week of eating for me! Plus, Gena uses leftovers in her plan, and for a girl on a budget, that's crucial.

Plus, Gena has a really practical approach to raw foods. She's all about moderation. Eat some cooked stuff. Enjoy a splurge every now and then. But her meals are probably 70 to 80 percent raw. The book contains both raw and cooked recipes. Also, for the 21 days of Choosing Raw, I'm cutting out sugar (except in my morning coffee creamer or my home-brewed kombucha). Yes, I am having coffee this year. And I'm even having red wine a few days a week, if I want it. But I'm mostly cutting out processed stuff and cutting back on gluten.

Also, just to be clear, I'm not calling this a cleanse this year. It's more of a reset. That's mostly because every time I say "I'm going on a cleanse," someone always replys, "I've read that cleanses don't really work." I think maybe I think of the word "cleanse" a little differently. For me, it's just a way to get my eating habits back in line, a way to counteract the naughty fried food-face-stuffing ways of the holidays. I don't believe I'm clearing out any "toxins" or anything. Just resetting.

On that note, here's a rundown of what I ate on the first weekend of Gena's high-raw cleanse. I'm following Gena's meal plans pretty closely, but I'm mixing the breakfasts up a bit to accomodate my running day protein smoothies. Breakfast on Day 1 — Friday — was Chickpea Tofu Tahini Scramble with Steamed Kale tossed in herbs de provence dressing. Loved starting the cleanse with a protein-packed tofu scramble!


Each day offers a mid-morning snack and an afternoon snack. That's my kind of diet! On Day 1, I had the Veggie Bowl Juice (beets, carrots, celery, spinach, cucumber, & ginger) in the morning and Superfood Trail Mix in the afternoon. The trail mix recipe is in the book, but I cheated and bought a mix from the Whole Foods bulk bin that had most of the same ingredients.


Lunch on Friday was Sweet Pea Hummus Tartines with Homegrown Sprouts and a Salad with Spinach, Broccoli, Carrots, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. I used Ezekiel sprouted grain bread for the tartines.


Dinner was Raw Carrot Falafel with Tangy Tahini Sauce over salad and a bowl of Mixed Heirloom Lentils. The falafel is made in the dehydrator using carrot pulp from juicing and sesame seeds. Yum!


Each day also includes dessert! Score! Every day this weekend, I've enjoyed a couple of these Simple Raw Vanilla Macaroons made in the dehydrator with cashews, bee-free honee, and coconut. I never would have imagined such simple ingredients could make something so delicious. But OMG, these macaroons!! Like little balls of bliss.


On Saturday, Day 2, I'd planned a six-mile run. But when I awoke, it was pouring rain. I don't mind running for short distances in the rain, but I'd be soaked after six miles. So I stayed in and had some leftover Chickpea Tofu Tahini Scramble and Kale for breakfast.

For my mid-morning snack, I had some leftover Sweet Pea Hummus (made with both chickpeas and green peas) with carrots and cauliflower. This hummus reminds me of spring, which I really need right now. It's so stupid cold this week. I also like how it looks like a blob of wasabi! My afternoon snack isn't pictured because it was just a banana.


Lunch was leftover Raw Carrot Falafel over salad greens and some Hemp Seed Tabouli. I'd never thought to replace the traditional bulgur with hemp seeds, but it's genius and so very tasty.


Dinner on Saturday was Raw Pad Thai with Steamed Broccoli and Mixed Heirloom Lentils. What a fun dinner! The pad thai is made with kelp noodles, which are basically my favorite raw food ever. I'm not a fan of most sea veggies because I hate the fishy taste. But kelp noodles don't taste like anything! Yet they have an awesome crunchy, chewy texture.


Dessert on Saturday was more macaroons!

On Sunday, Day 3, I finally got to take that six-miler! So for breakfast, I had my traditional Vega protein smoothie. This morning, I created a new recipe using Berry Vega One, but I'm going to save it for a later review post of the new Vega One formula. But here's a pic of my Wild Berry Banana Protein Smoothie.


Almost every Sunday, my friends and I go to brunch at Imagine Vegan Cafe. And while Imagine has a few cleanse-safe dishes, I wanted to stick to Gena's meal plans as closely as possible. So I picked a lunch option (actually the one I was supposed to have on Monday) that would be good with one of Imagine's side salads. Then I made a double-batch and brought it to Imagine to share with Pam, while Stephanie and Cassi gorged on vegan chili-cheese fries and vegan potato skins (yes, they just had to rub that in our faces!). Anyway, Pam and I had Black Bean, Mango, & Avocado Salad Over Zucchini Noodles with Imagine's Side Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. I also had coffee because I can.


I skipped my morning snack on Sunday because breakfast and lunch were so close together. But I did have an afternoon snack of Sweet Pea Hummus with Carrots and Celery.

Dinner was another fantastic raw dish! Unfried Rice with Scallions, Broccoli, Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms. The "rice" is made by chopping jicama in a food processor and then dehydrating it for an hour. On the side, I had a Spinach Salad with Chickpeas, Radishes, Sprouts, and  a Citrus Vinaigrette.


I'm about to have more macaroons for dessert and get to work prepping Monday's food! I'll be back tomorrow with a full day rundown!