Learning the Essentials

The past couple weeks I haven't been making many recipes as I found myself just making things without knowing if we were getting all the essentials our bodies need. So I've been researching and found a book called "Becoming Raw" it teaches you the necessities and is packed with facts such as when you cook broccoli it looses 50-70% of it's nutrients! I wanted to share the essentials that I've recently added to my kitchen and share some tips that will help you gradually transform your diet. Any book that I've picked up tells you to add raw into your diet a little more and more each day. You don't need to start everything all at once, just add something new or pick up a new ingredient from the store and get creative.

Adorable French Grocery List Tote from Etsy - Visit HERE

Essential Grocery List, Fill Up Your Tote!

I purchased all below at Mother's Market. Also available at other health food stores or online. Don't be frightened by the prices on some, a little bit goes a long way.

Manna Bread - This is heaven sent! Organic sprouted grains baked at very low temperatures. It's so addicting and so good for you. Comes in many different flavors, I love most the cinnamon date flavor for breakfast or snack, it's so moist as if it were straight out of the oven. Find in freezer section - you'll LOVE it.

Nama Shoyu - An organic healthy soy sauce. Almost every recipe calls for it.

Raw Tahini - Sesame Seed Butter/Spread. I love adding lemon to this for a sauce on veggies or adding smooth & flavorful texture to any dish. High in calcium & iron.

Raw Coconut Oil - Great for desserts and amazing in shakes. Adds healthy fatty acids.

Nutritional Yeast - Loaded with nutrition, makes a great thickener adding a cheesy nutty. flavor.

Soy Lecithin Granules - Loaded with benefits for your body and memory. Makes a great thickener as well. I've added this to smoothies, raw cookies, and raw nut cheeses.

Agave - Just like honey but with less sugar.

Raw Carob Powder or Chips - Yum! It's a great sweet to add to trail mixes, or just to snack on. High in minerals and B vitamins.

Raw Cocoa Powder - I love how much chocolate is included in raw recipes! Add this to anything in place of regular cocoa.

Raw Chia Seeds - Nature's most powerful food. 5x more calcium than milk. These are tiny little seeds with so many benefits. I add these to just about everything.

Raw Hemp Protein Powder - Packed with healthy protein. Great for smoothies or snack bars.

Spices & Herbs - Pick up the basics: Italian, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, turmeric, coriander. You'll notice there's a lot of seasoning in recipes to create an authentic familiar flavor in meals.

Raw Nuts & Dried Fruit - I'm amazed how much nuts have grown on us. Get your favorites to start and watch the variety grow. For fruit, stay away from sulfur & preservatives.

Essential Supplement - Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is found in meat and fish. I learned that most raw, vegans have Vitamin B12 deficiency. Without Vitamin B12 blood cells become abnormal and start to malfunction. Take a trusted source of vitamin B12 daily. Sushi is a great raw alternative~

Lots of Hues

The more colorful your plate is, the more variety of nutrients you'll get. This is the easiest way to plan on getting all your essentials of calcium, iron, protein, and healthy carbohydrates.

Up until now I've been using a blender and small food processor for everything. Mike and I are getting a juicer and dehydrator next week. I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

~Enjoy~