I will tell you what...meal planning is
time-consuming. I have been working on our Week 3 Meal Plan for a few hours now. Yes, hours!! But...in the long run, I end up spending
less time planning our meals now that I get it all done in one day. Nick and I used to just stare inside the fridge and kitchen cupboards, trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. We'd do that before just about every single meal! And then, sometimes we'd just say, "Eff it, let's go out for dinner." That simply doesn't happen anymore now that we have a basic outline of our meals, and because I make our grocery shopping lists at the same time as the meal plans, we never have to worry that we won't have a particular ingredient. So honestly? I love meal planning. (Yes, I am aware of how nerdy that sounds.)
Oh! Before I share our meal plan, I want to mention something awesome! Today is Sunday, and Sunday is the day we go to our local Publix grocery store and weigh ourselves. Remember, last week Nick released 5 pounds and I released 3. Well, this week Nick released 4 pounds and I released 2!! That is 9 pounds total for Nick and 5 for me! In just two weeks!!! This is seriously unbelievable. We are not dieting at all! We eat three large meals per day, we snack between our meals, and we walk our dog 4-5 times per week. That is it. All we've done differently is changed out all our cooked foods for fresh, raw foods. And you all have seen how yummy these foods have been! We are both loving this way of living and eating, and can't wait to see what gifts the next couple weeks will bring.
Alright, here is Week 3's meal plan!
Do you see anything different with this meal plan versus the other two? That's right, there's WAY more fruit! And the reason is this: I have been researching what some people call the Low-Fat Raw Vegan Diet and others call the 80-10-10 Diet (they are a little different, but essentially the same core foundations). I am really not fond of labels, so I just call it Lotsa Fruits! Anyway, the concept is that primates, including humans, thrive best when they eat about 80% carbohydrates (from fruits), 10% fats (avocado, plant-based oils, coconut), and 10% proteins (nuts, seeds).
The
80-10-10 Diet is actually a book written by Douglas Graham, and is a much more strict version of what Nick and I will be trying to do next week. It encourages one to eat lots and lots of one type of fruit per meal (called "mono-meals" or "mono-eating") along with
proper food combining. I have never heard of food combining until a couple days ago, and it really makes sense to me. Evidently, some foods digest much faster than other foods, and if you eat both foods at the same time, the faster-digesting foods will start to ferment in your stomach while the slower-digesting foods do their digesting thing. This leads to gas and bloating, stomach cramps, indigestion, and other stomach upsets.
Interesting stuff, eh?
So anyway, next week, Nick and I will be focusing much more on fruits and greens, and much less on nuts, seeds, and oils. Taking it one week at a time, ya know? We will see how we feel next week before deciding what to do during Week 4! :)
Sunday's Grocery Shopping List
Olive oil
balsamic vinegar
3 Avocados
1 onion
4 tomatoes
2 bunches cilantro
1 lemon
1 lime
1 head garlic
nori sheets
1 largish daikon root
3 sweet largish red peppers
Portobello mushroom cap
pecans
walnuts
macadamia nuts
bee pollen?
BANANAS!!!! At least 2 bunches!
cashews
2 small papayas
baby spinach
swiss chard
purple grapes
kiwi for snacking
plums for snacking
2 ripe pears
celery
2 avocados
2 mangos
fresh strawberries
1 small jicama
Wednesday's Grocery Shopping List
1 big yummy melon
sunflower sprouts
1 red bell pepper if necessary
baby spinach if necessary
6 little cucumbers
scallions
2 ripe avocados
collard greens
shiitaki mushrooms
snow peas
napa or purple cabbage
1 small fresh ginger root
Nama Shoyu
raw sesame oil
celery if necessary
2 large tomatoes
2 onions
2 mangos
3 kiwis
4 oranges
1 bunch kale
1 lemon if necessary
1 cup macadamia nuts
2 cups cashews if necessary
1 young green coconut
1 jar coconut butter (manna)
fresh strawberries & blueberries
My goodness, I love raw food! I'll tell ya...there's nothing like opening your fridge and seeing such amazing colors and all that fresh, beautiful food. At this point, I can't imagine any other way of eating. ♥
