Raw Vegan Tips for Your Family

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Are you trying to get your family (and kids!) to eat more Raw Vegan foods? Here are 10 fantastic and easy tips to help you accomplish that!

1. Show your family great Raw recipes from books and the internet. Then, let them take turns picking out which recipes you make for them to try. This will really get their taste buds overflowing with anticipation.

2. Make one Raw dish at every dinner (or every other dinner), and don’t even mention it. They probably won’t even realize they are eating so much Raw food. It could be starting the meal with a salad or raw soup that is blended until slightly warm or it could be a side dish of pureed veggies flavored with herbs to go alongside the rest of the meal. And… have a Raw dessert (more on that below)…

3. Introduce your family to Raw with Raw desserts. When kids get to eat dessert after every meal, that is exciting, especially when they can have second helpings of it. Heck… I still get excited about that! Plus, Raw desserts can even be eaten for breakfast! Who wouldn’t get excited to have dessert for breakfast?!

4. Make certain meals all Raw. The easiest way to do this is to make breakfast 100% Raw. You can start by drinking fresh organic smoothies for breakfast or having creamy cinnamon nut milk with crunchy Raw granola. It’ll greatly help if you let your family take part in choosing what flavors to make. So, the night before you make a smoothie, ask your kids which flavors they would like. Make it fun by talking about the different colors, too. I love getting my nephews excited about drinking Green Smoothies. I give it a much cooler name, however: “Dragon Smoothies,” or, make a strawberry and banana smoothie and call it “Pretty-In-Pink Smoothie.” Trust me…these things help! Or… maybe lunch a Raw meal by having big fresh salads loaded with plenty of satisfying fixins (dried fruit, nuts, sprouts, veggies, and a yummy Raw vegan dressing). If the salad isn’t enough… add a Raw soup or some flax crackers with Raw hummus spread on top. Follow the meal with a nice little Raw dessert. Yum!

5. Give your kids choices so they don’t feel forced to eat just one thing. You can do this by offering them something really tasty compared to something that might not be as tasty, thereby making the tasty option seem that much better. For example, offer your kids a choice between blueberries and celery. They will probably pick the blueberries and be happy about it because they had a say in the matter and blueberries taste good (and better than celery). Or, make it a choice between carrots and zucchini. They’ll probably pick the carrots and be happy about it because of the alternative.

6. Another super tip is to cut your children’s fruit and veggies into fun shapes and sizes using inexpensive kitchen tools. They’ll be sure to show these off in school! And… turn veggies into a fun playground (broccoli as trees, tomato slice as the merry go round, etc. Or, make a face on a plate using spiralized zucchini for hair, blueberries for eyes, red bell peppers for lips, etc). Make it fun and let them play with their food!

7. Include your children in the experience of shopping and preparing the food. This helps them feel more connected to the food and it makes them feel proud to have helped. Have fun while you’re doing it and be sure to thank them for their help.

8. Here is another great way to get children excited about eating fruits and vegetables. Tell them that they get to eat a “rainbow of colors” each day. Get a piece of construction paper for every color of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Then, have your children cut out a big, fun shape for each color. On one side of each shape, write the word “DONE” and draw a smiley face. Stick them on the front of your refrigerator door with the word “DONE” side down. Each day, as your children eat a fresh fruit or vegetable that is a color of the rainbow, flip over that color’s shape so the word “DONE” is face up and you can see it. It’s a great way to motivate your kids and get them excited about eating all the colors of the rainbow because they get a challenge and a sense of accomplishment.

9. Always have Raw snacks on hand when you’re out running errands. For example, having a bag of yummy Raw trail mix in your purse can work wonders on growling tummies when waiting in line at the DMV (or where ever else you are). Other ideas are raisins, granola, or taking a cooler with you when you’re out and having fresh fruit in it or yummy fruit smoothies or green smoothies.

10. Keep Raw snacks on your kitchen counter all the time, especially before dinner. Many times family members are hungry for dinner and impatient while waiting for you to prepare the meal. By having a platter of carrots, red bell pepper strips, and other veggies, along with some creamy Raw dip… they’ll start munching on the Raw foods, which will help fill them up (perhaps they won’t even want all the cooked food when it comes to meal time). Keep snacks like dried fruit and nuts in little bowls or cute jars around the house (kitchen counter, your desk, the coffee table) to encourage filling tummies with Raw goodness instead of reaching for something unhealthy.

Fermented Veggies – Oh Me, Oh My!

Fermented veggies (Raw, Organic, and Unpasteurized) are a staple in my diet. They fill my body with delicious nutrition, and I can’t image my life without them. Fermented veggies include things like sauerkraut (kraut is the southern German word for cabbage) and kimchi (a korean dish of fermented veggies and spices). They are amazing for your health. AMAZING! These foods are extremely popular, and they’ve been staples in people’s diets all over the world for a very long time. I can’t help but wonder why it’s not a staple in ours? Well, I’m changing that! Every few days (and sometimes daily), I gobble up fermented veggies. I love them!

Nutrition!

The benefits are numerous. Fermented veggies have enhanced nutrition. They’re reputed for helping fight disease. For example, they can help with candida, help boost your overall immune system, help prevent constipation (yay for poo!), and help prevent colon cancer. They’re AWESOME for your digestion… Basically, they add friendly bacteria (a.k.a. probiotics) and enzymes to your body. These things help digest the fermented veggies themselves, as well as helping you digest the other foods you’re eating (total score!). They’re filled with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. And… get this! They can help you lose weight! They’re low in calories, contain dietary fiber, and known for helping reduce hunger and cravings for sweet foods. Do I really need to say anymore? Are you on board with (raw, organic, unpasteurized) fermented veggies yet?

I’m not the only one loving up these tasty guys. Fermented veggies have been used for natural healing for years (and I mean LOTS of years). More specifically, the Chinese have been fermenting cabbage for thousands of years! In fact, according to the book, Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home, the earliest recording of fermented cabbage occurred in 200 BC. Moreover, there are parts of the world where a meal is just not complete if there are not some fermented vegetables on the plate. It’s written that Captain Cook (in the 18th century) was able to keep his crew alive and well (fighting off scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency), because he had them chowing down on sauerkraut while on their long, 3-year voyage. Isn’t that cool?

How Does It Taste?

For me, the taste and experience is total zing. Each bite is refreshing and energizing. You can buy (or make by yourself) different flavors. For example, it can be spicy with hot peppers, savory with garlic or herbs, or just plain. Some people, like me, love it right at the start, while some people say it’s an acquired taste.

There are many ways to eat it. If you’re not a fan of having it by the spoonful, then you have other options. Some people top their salads with it. Others eat it between two slices of bread (raw or not, it’s up to you). Some people eat vegan pizza by eliminating the cheese, and, once the pizza cools a bit after cooking, they top the pizza with sauerkraut. You can also top veggie burgers or veggie brats with it, too.

Getting Sauerkraut

You can make it yourself. There are videos and websites online showing you how (using a glass mason jar is a popular method). Recently, I decided to get the Harsch Gairtopf Fermenting Crock Pot. Apparently, this thing is fool-proof (sign me up!). It received great reviews on Amazon (all the sizes). I bought the 7.5L size a couple of weeks ago, and I made my first batch of organic sauerkraut at that time. I won’t be testing it for another week or so. The directions I read in a couple of books said to wait at least 3 weeks before opening the pot. Fingers crossed!!!

Meanwhile, since I don’t have homemade sauerkraut (yet!), I buy it online through Gold Mine Natural Foods’ website. Sometimes you can find it at Whole Foods, along with Rejuvenative’s (raw, organic, unpasteurized) sauerkraut and kimchi. They’re both good, but I prefer the texture of Gold Mine Natural Foods. If you buy it at the store, be sure that it’s Raw – Organic – Unpasteurized.

Happy Fermenting,

Kristen’s Raw

Raw Vegan Lifestyle Tips

I’m often asked how I make my Raw vegan lifestyle seem so easy. Here are 7 things that help me…

1) Weekly Variation, Not Daily

I don’t make a bunch of different raw vegan recipes on a daily basis. I keep it simple. For the most part, I pick out 3-5 recipes I’ll make for the week and end up eating the same thing a couple days in a row. Boring? Heck no! The food is so fresh and delicious that I can’t imagine only having one meal from a recipe. I want multiple meals from it!

For example, this week I’m making Hearty Garden Burgers. This will be the main component of our dinner for a couple of nights. Later in the week, I’ll make a big batch of Zucchini Pasta with Marinara, which will probably last for two lunches and one dinner. And, because the last time I made Raw hummus, I put some in the freezer, I’m taking it out for snacking with chopped veggies (carrots and celery to make it simple) and we’ll have this for a couple of day’s worth of snacking. When I have an extra busy week, I make enough Green Smoothie mixture to last my husband and me for a couple of days at a time.

2) Keep Foods on Hand

I always have delicious raw vegan crackers, desserts (cookies, ice cream, mousse, cheesecake), nut/seed milks, dips, and pate in the freezer. All I have to do is take something out and thaw it. I pick one or two days a month to make some different recipes, and I freeze them. I store many things in glass mason jars, but I also use a Food Saver, which maximizes the use of my freezer space so I can keep it filled.

3) Liquid Love Affair

I can’t say enough about how healthy, easy, and high-energy liquids can be. In my house, it’s common for us to start our day with either fresh green juice or a nice big smoothie (usually green). I often stick with liquids for a good portion of the day. This helps ensure that I have extra energy, it’s healthy because it gives my digestive system a break, and it’s EASY.

4) Getting My Greens

When I first went Raw, I found that the more greens I added to my lifestyle, the less I craved unhealthy foods. Now, my attention is naturally focused on great and healthy choices all the time. My main green go-to options are fresh green smoothies, alkalizing green juices, and big-honking salads.

And, speaking of salads… to keep them super simple, I often use the pre-washed lettuce and also dice up a cucumber and a couple of carrots (I rotate the veggies/non-sweet fruit to get balanced variety, i.e. cucumbers and carrots one week, red bell peppers and radishes the next, etc). I toss in a handful of raisins or dried cranberries along with some hemp seeds, and top it with a quick and easy raw vegan dressing. Yum! Fresh! Easy!

5) “Organized” Is My Middle Name (not really)

For the most part, I keep my daily menu planned for a few days in a row at a time. I write it down, with lots of details (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, dessert, etc). I have a special little notebook just for this, along with stickers and colored pens (I like to make it sparkly, fun, and loaded with personality). By listing everything I’m going to eat, I give myself something to look forward to, as well as a reason to stick to it. Plus, it helps motivate me to prep the food. Once it’s all planned out, much of the work is done!

6) Preparation Rocks – Snacks On Hand Save The Day

I’m known for always having food with me, no matter where I go! I keep a nice little travel cooler packed with goodies when I’m out running errands for the day. For example, I usually include a green smoothie, a couple of snack bars, fresh fruit and/or chopped veggies, dates, trail mix, dip, etc. My husband knows that we’re never more than an arm’s reach from some yummy Raw vegan snacks. This way I never let myself get famished when I’m away for the day, which would just result in me coming home starving and wanting to eat everything in sight.

If I’m not going to be gone for the majority of the day, I still pack a small cooler of snacks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out for just a couple of errands and I suddenly get hungry. Or, I mistakenly think I’m only going to be gone for an hour and end up being gone for three hours! Having snacks on hand saves the day!

7) Community Keeps Me Motivated

This is one of the most important aspects. I surround myself with others who value the same lifestyle. I have a few people close to me (husband, mom, and a couple of friends) who love the lifestyle, but I don’t stop there. I reach out into cyberspace and hook up with more people all the time. There are blogs, forums (ahem! My Crazy Sexy Life forum rocks!), social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook – all are great for meeting like-minded people and keeping you excited and on track. People make fun of Twitter being for nothing but hearing “what your friend had for breakfast.” Well for me, and my friends, that’s huge!

Kristen Suzanne (KristensRaw.com) is an accomplished Raw food chef and author with a passion for helping people live life to the fullest with the healthiest cuisine in the world. Through radio, television, books, and her popular blog and email newsletter, Chef Kristen Suzanne helps individuals live and love the Raw lifestyle.