Whole30:Vegan Days 4-7

Wow - it's good to chew! So glad to be off the juice.

For the rest of this first week, I decided to eat raw. For those of you who don't know what that means - in a nut shell, eating raw means you don't eat anything that has been heated to over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is that unprocessed, raw food is full of all kinds of awesome nutrients that get broken down when the food is cooked. Perhaps irresponsibly, I hadn't done a tone of research, but it's supposed to be super healthy and a good way to continue the cleansing theme for this week. Sounded good to me.

Turns out, I'm not sure my body liked this too much. I felt a little slow and lethargic. Then again, I'm not sure I can blame that on the diet. Since finding myself in the in-between period between work ending and school starting, I don't have a ton of motivators or obligations, so it's really easy to hang out, read, surf the interwebs, and do nothing ... also things that make me feel slow and lethargic if done too many days in a row.

Either way, I got a few new great recipes out of the raw experience, and surely my body is clean as a whistle now. I'll share with you my absolute favorite.

Tu-nut Salad Wraps

When I was very little I hated canned tuna fish. The smell grossed me out. The texture was repulsive, and the worst, my baby brother loved it - so, I figured it must be awful. As I grew up some, I began to appreciate the occasional deliciousness of a mayonnaise laden tuna salad on soft white bread with the crusts cut off. How's that for healthy?  Crusts cut off were an especially special treat. My mother rarely did that. Anyway, as I grew older and more health conscious, I ditched the mayo and the white bread for balsamic vinegar and Wasa Crackers. Much better. Since becoming vegan, I have not had the pleasure of this treat, and I was absolutely shocked and thrilled with the results of this recipe inspired by Happy. Healthy. Life. I think this was one of my most favorite lunches in a very very long time. 

Ingredients

1 cup of almonds (soaked overnight)

1/2 cup - 1 cup water from almonds

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp caper liquid

Juice from 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Kathy at Happy.Healthy.Life recommended adding some chopped celery, which would have been a delectable addition. I was out, so I skipped it and went for chopped tomatoes instead. 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency is reached. The more liquid added to the mixture, the creamier the tu-nut becomes. 

This delectable dish can be served in lettuce wraps, on sandwich bread or as a tasty side. Use your imagination and enjoy some happy nostalgia! 

What are some of your favorite childhood lunches? 

Eewie, Gooey, Chewy Bars

I am a power bar fanatic. I have a little bit of a fear of hunger - I blame my mother - and power bars are an awesome way to keep hunger and my fear in check. I always have at least one on me and a few around the house, but man, are they expensive! I was perusing the ingredients list on the label of one of my go-to bars trying to figure out what all the weird unpronounceable, no-no-food words were, when it occurred to me that I could make myself a power bar at home. I could save myself from ingesting some weird-o ingredients and save my wallet from thinning. So, I got in the kitchen and started concocting. What I ended up with was like a Larabar, but cheaper and yummier due to it being filled with homemade goodness. 

Plus, these babies are raw, vegan, gluten free and paleo!

How about that!? 

These days, it seems like everyone has special diet requirements (me included), and these delicious, energy filled bars can be made to satisfy just about any dietary regimen that someone may follow. Woopie. Here's to eating good food for not too much money no matter what our needs are!

I literally eat them all the time. 

Ingredients:

1 pound of dates pitted

1 Tbsp nut butter (I used almond)
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp coco nibs
1 Tbsp hydrated chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts this time)

Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it holds together.

Then, dump the mix onto parchment paper, and use your fingers or a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula (though your mix may stick to the tools) to press the mix into a rectangular shape (you could use a casserole dish as a mold, but it's not necessary.

Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. After they set a little, you can cut them up however you like: lots of mini sized bars, a few big-daddy sized bars, or maybe some mama-bear sized bars.

Store in the fridge. 

Eat and enjoy as desired!

You could easily alter this any way you like. You can add in more nuts or seeds (or take them out), dried fruit, coconut flakes ... The sky is the limit! Also, not hydrating the chia seeds would make them a little firmer.