Corn Fed Iowa Girl Going Raw

What? No beef?!

Looking for some advice, tips, recipes to serve at dinner. This is two days new for me and I have three sons who will not be happy unless I do this right. I want them to have a wonderful transition of “rich” tasting foods so they don’t feel deprived of their normal diet.

I’m from IA and if there’s someone in the neighborhood that would be a bonus! I could use some advice on grocery stores, etc.

Comments

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    you may want to learn and transition yourself first before expecting to be able to please and satisfy others. This is a whole new way of making food, and honestly most people are not that good at it at first. Myself included. Remember that if someone likes it they will ask for more.

  • I agree! I’m going to serve them occasionally and phase other items out! My rule is that they have to try everything but they don’t have to like it. My sixteen year old is not too mobile so he will enjoy raw once he starts.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I agree with chriscarlton – I am MUCH better now (3 1/2 years later) at making raw food, than I was at the beginning – and still I often have a hard time making food satisfactory to people who aren’t used to eating raw. If you are going to have them try things you make, I think that maybe if you let them know it’s an experiment for you, too, it might be more fun for all of you. Say “Let’s see what this is like” or “I’m curious about…” I think that if you are willing to admit that the food may or may not taste good, it puts less pressure on others to think they have to eat “weird” food. It also gives you space & time to figure it out. :)

  • mjmackeymjmackey Raw Newbie

    Some HyVee stores in Iowa have a Health Markets (ex Edgewood Rd HyVee in Cedar Rapids, IA) in them where you can find all sorts of fun raw/ organic stuff. You might want to check with the staff, and see if they have any raw recipes or raw books. Somtimes they have raw speakers that come and visit the stores.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Is your family warm to the idea of fruits and vegetables? That’s your first obstacle. Getting them to try new produce items and eat a little variety. If you’re transitioning, your family will probably appreciate some of the heavier stuff that makes them feel full the way their SAD diets do. Also, making the raw meals look like cooked ones will help them wrap their minds around this new concept. You can gradually get simpler and simpler, but I think really attractive plating wins newbies over to the raw concept faster than a whole carrot, some pepper slices, a few green leaves and an apple on a plate. They might prefer that later. I’ve seen a gorgeous photo of a raw burger on a flatbread with typical burger toppings, plated with seasoned jicama un-fried fries. Your family will get a kick out of your fun-loving approach to meals.

    One of the first meals I made was falafel balls with tahini dip. I served big leaves of green leafy lettuce for wrapping, finely chopped veggies and the sauce in a side dish. We assembled our own leaf wraps. They were delicious. I made mine in the dehydrator, but I’ve seen a sunflower seed version on this site that doesn’t even require the dehydrator. Blender soups and interesting salads have gone over well, even with my non-raw friends. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t take to dehydrated flatbreads and crackers with seed or nut pates/cheezes. I’m sure your kids will love any desserts and snacks you concoct.

    Don’t make a big deal about everything being raw. Emphasize how delicious it is instead. They’ll follow your example only if the taste appeals to them.

  • I am going to start w/ the easy recipes like a cabbage mango slaw etc. We love fruits and veggies, I also can and dehydrate to preserve. We’re going shopping for the Sabbath so we’re going to splurge a little on some new ingredients. I let my 15 year old look thru this site and he kept saying “yum, look at this!” and he ended up book marking some things to try. He’s more excited than I am right now so I’m going to go with it! I’ll let them select the recipes and then they’ll have a big part in it!

    Sweetpea, I will emphasize the goodness of God and the flavor of our Sabbath dinner! I think my mom is concerned but it’s not like I’m going to refuse a nice warm bowl of minestrone this winter.

  • You can go to meetup.com and find a great raw food group in your area (or close to it) I joined one in the Kansas City area and it’s great for support! Good luck!

  • I’ll check it out, thanks!

  • Aaron (my middle son) is excited to start. He chose two recipes off of this site. The boo-nanners and a savory sweet and sour. As long as I let them pick the recipes it’s fun for all of us!

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Sounds fun! :) I’m going to have the kids in my son’s class make the boo-nanners for the class Halloween party (I’m the room mom). My son is picky & doesn’t like bananas, but I will let him just make one for me and he can eat the dried fruit, or maybe if other kids are eating them, he will want to try it, too? Enjoy your adventures! It’s cool that your son is excited about it. :)

  • Good idea Angie! I was thinking of making some for the daycare kids down the street. I was trying to think of another festive treat. There was a recipe called “Rotten Eggs” which consisted of 1/2 a peach laying on vanilla pudding (colored w/ green food coloring) and then a dash of cherry juice. I was looking on this site and I could use 1/2 peach (fresh instead of canned) and then this green pudding recipe: http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/2570-Key-Lime-Pi… with a touch of red fruit juice. It’s very gross looking, but my kids would enjoy eating “rotten eggs”.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    That’s hilarious! I might just have to include “rotten eggs” in our Halloween diet. ;) My son is excited about the boo nanners, since I showed him the picture. It doesn’t seem to matter that he doesn’t like to eat them. :D

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