There is no better time in the year than summer to eat more raw, fresh, abundant, and delicious fruits and veggies.
Without a doubt, getting more raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds into your diet will make a huge difference in how you feel. And don’t think you have to go 100% raw-food purist (I love cooked food too!)- even adding 1-2 meals or snacks that bump up your raw food intake every day will give you that energized, clean, light feeling.
Here are 6 different ways you can work more raw foods into you and your family’s diet today.
1. Green Smoothies
Oh you know me always singing the praises of my green elixer. But seriously you can’t get more delicious and refreshing (not to mention high octane energized) when you swirl some frozen berries, water and kale together. Add in a heaping tablespoon of chia seeds, a scoop of hemp powder and some blue green algae and you are ready for takeoff!
2. Cut fresh fruit and chopped veggie platter
Yes. I did just state the obvious. You can simply take out a plate. Cut up some fruits and veggies. Have it available all day. Nibble to your heart’s content and get a huge metal for being a healthy eating champion. It is just that easy.
3. Green Salads
How about for one straight week starting your dinner meal with a fresh green salad. Keep it simple if the idea of too many options feels like another chore. There is something sublime about torn romaine lettuce, raw walnuts, dried cranberries and a swirl of a basic olive oil and vinegar salad dressing. Yum.
4. Chopped Salads
Chopped salads are my summertime secret weapon. I make a large chopped salad at the beginning of the week and I have a ready made lunch, side or topping all week long. I do the prep once, but I get to enjoy it for days later. Need some great chopped salad recipes? Check out Happy Mother, Healthy Family eCookbook and Meal Planning Workshop…where I share my favorite chopped salads and a whole lot more.
5. Avocado
When I was in college, I took a poetry class. For weeks I became obsessed with writing poetry about avocados. That is how deep my love for this fruit runs. Take an avocado, smoosh it on your favorite whole grain toast, sprinkle sea salt and garlic powder on top. Divine, I tell you.
6. Raw Trail Mix
Take your favorite raw nuts, raw seeds and dried fruit, mix ’em in a bowl and set it out for a satisfying and satiating snack throughout the day.
Easier than you thought, huh?
What’s your favorite way to get more raw fruits, veggies or nuts into your diet?
Great ideas. I’m going to try those chopped salads this week.
Do you have any ideas for where to get dried fruit without all the added sugar? Everything but dried apples and apricots seem to have as much sugar as a cookie! I may try to dry my own, but in the meantime … 🙂
This may be a given for most readers, but if you slice up apples, squeezing a little lemon on them will prevent the brownness that develops over time… I love lemon.
I am a first-time visitor – directed from FIMBY (thanks Renee), and this first post I am reading is just for us!!
I try to have salad with our meals but it doesn’t always get eaten (especially when my 3 and 5 year old boys fill up on their pasta first!) But having it before the meal and adding nuts and dried fruit makes it seem so doable. Thanks for these wonderful ideas.
We just came back from a week visiting my family, and I can’t tell you how awesome it was to have a green smoothie for breakfast once more!
I missed my green smoothies while we were on vacation this past week, and boy, did I enjoy the one I had this morning! 🙂
Here’s a super-easy salad dressing — sprinkle olive oil from the bottle, then vinegar from the bottle, follow with a dash of mixed seasoning (like Greek, or whatever you have on hand) — quick & easy and no waste!
My mother used to do that with avocados on toast and called them Avocado Yummies. I haven’t tried that in years, but you make it sound scrummy.