I want to plan ahead and have ideas (and maybe even supplies), recipes etc. that I can turn to when I am having a heavy cooked food craving.

I know I can eat cooked food if I really want to but I want to have ideas for raw that I can use instead.

I have found the idea of doing several veggies in a nama shoyu and herb/garlic marinate and using the dehydrator to warm them for a few hours and semi dehydrate them. The pix I saw really looked like good oven roasted veggies (one of my fav).

What did you do when you first started Raw and had a hard time say, one night? (I am sure it will be night time that will be issues for me later).
Did you have a plan? did you just eat a large handful of nut/seed/dried fruit?

What helped you get thru?

I have had a good amt. of success so far this year with weight loss (35# as of today) and always being prepared for an emergency has been key for me but I am having a hard time knowing just want that would be for a Raw lifestyle.

I think I will have a few Amy's organics meals in the freezer but want Raw ideas.
Thank you so much my lovely Raw food gurus.

For those hard times when I hadn't gotten over eating heavy meals, I got by with lemon chia seed pudding. I soaked chia seeds first and then added lemon juice and honey (although a date slurry could be used to sweeten it instead, since honey isn't vegan). It is filling and seems like a decadent dessert.

Another emergency "go-to food" for me is a sort of pudding of finely chopped apple, mashed banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon or all spice, and a few walnuts, chopped. Quick. Easy. Sweet. (Warning: Many people don't like combining fruit and nuts in the same dish, but it doesn't bother me.) If I am not feeling super needy, I put dollops of it in lettuce leaves for a guilt-free wrap.

Dehydrated fruit helps in a real pinch, too. Mmmm.. mango.


My favorite raw vegan

Thank you,
I do want to have some dehydrated fruits and veggies maybe stocked in the freezer even (beats cooked IMO) and Chia I am really interested in as I have never used it. The chia tapioca sounds interesting!

I love lemon anything so I will be trying the your pudding also.

Dates! Easy to get, heaps of sugar in em for high energy so you stay away from junk/high fat meals etc.

Blend em with water to make 'datorade'

Dates are great for real emergencies or hunger 'emergencies'.

I eat up to 6lbs a day.

What exactly is a "heavy food craving"..

great ideas

Six POUNDS of dates a day?! Ooh, my teeth hurt just thinking about it! I can eat maybe 2 dates and that's my limit. If you use medjool and replace the pit with a nut like cashew or pecan you've just made a luscious carmel candy, they work super well for sweet cravings.
I soak (5 hours is sufficient) some small seeds like sunflower, pumpkin and sesame to use in the food processor with veggies and herbs for pate/neatloaf/neatballs. You can have it dehydrated or fresh and can flavour it any number or ways. It's very filling.
Nut and seed mylks are very nice as well, there are many recipes for those. They satisfy a craving for a rich, creamy drink.
Dehydrated kale chips are supposedly incredibly tasty, even to SAD eaters, they fulfil that craving for crispy crunchy snacks. I will try those soon, we have a large bunch of kale in the fridge right now.
Sprouts are awesome, lentil are my fave. If you always have a jar of them on the go you won't run out. I could eat sprouts on their own but they're a great addition to salad or wraps to bump up the nutrition and add some variety of texture and flavour.

I bought tons of pre-made snacks & sometimes meals. It really helped. I had bulk raw supplies for when I needed to make something-like nuts/seeds, butters, sundried tomatoes,etc. I've always had quick, simple foods I can throw together to make something, since the last thing you want to do is worry about making anything. Taco wraps, gourmet salads, cucumber w/spread, pasta, tomato slices w/cheese, banana ice cream, etc. were some of the easy things I'd make.

Cacao powder blended w/dates (brownies) is the quickest gourmet snack that really helps any chocolate cravings. Or you can stir the cacao with sweetener & a couple other ingredients for a fudge sauce.

Simple Raw Recipes & Health Tips

for emergencies:

band aid
5 gal water
needle n thread
blanket
flashlight

and such

Hmm, doesn't sound all that tasty to me Ver...

BackAgain,

Craving for heavy foods for me is foods that are dense, literally heavy (as in filling), fatty, cooked, rich, etc.

Hi Gilmore girl.

I just wanted to thank you for your helpful post.

I guess emergency was not the best word, and maybe some of you don't remember or never had issues with food, I sure do. I struggle every day.

I have had binge eating problems for several years and have really learned that being prepared helps, thus wondering what some of you did when you first started to keep the focus and faith in yourself.

I am almost 100# over weight and really want to find a place I can get support and encouragement.

hi Daisy

if emergency is your word then it is perfectly fine for you to use it

i find i can duplicate jusst about any taste sensation that i have ever missed in some vegan way or another

what is it that makes you binge in the first place and are you addressing those issues

i am where you are and have been there done that , dont feel you are walking alone

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Coco,

Yum.. I love the idea of the neatballs. I think having a good supply of these concentrated foods and maybe wraps for veggie sandwiches will help!

I just put in some nuts/seeds to soak. I think I will add sundried tomato. Wonder about raw garlic in these too.

Thank you again.

Careful with the garlic, raw it is VERY strong. Onion too. I'd follow a recipe to begin with, there are a few here on the board in the recipe section. Trive has a thread full of wrap fillings that all look amazing.

Jennifer Cornbleeth's chocolate pudding recipe which is avocado + dates + agave + cacao + vanilla, has gotten me through some rough times.

I sprout mung beans on my counter and I find wrapping up them in a nori paper with avocado (like sushi but sprouts instead of rice) is a very dense and fulfilling meal.

Sundried tomatoes pack a good flavor-punch, too.

What works for me is following this logic: If I'm craving sweet, my body needs vitamins (fruit). If I'm craving salty, my body needs minerals (greens).

Good luck!

DaisyHair,

In my first year of raw, in oder to be able to fill up my tummy urgently, I carried nuts or made various recipes that I kept in the fridge. Later on I discovered banana smoothies and that really was a big thing for me, as I found smoothies very filling and felt better on those than on heavy recipes. Later still I discovered that sweet juicy fruit is even better for the wanting times.

So anyway, perhaps select a handful of recipes that you really really like and keep those foods in your fridge, along with some other options (juicy fruit) so that when hungry times come, you have some options to choose from.

regards,
Gosia


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

CJJ,

I love your thinking on cravings "craving sweet, my body needs vitamins (fruit). If I'm craving salty, my body needs minerals (greens)."
That really resonates with me!

Rawgosia,
I have watched you on Youtube!
I just had a nice green smoothie for lunch along with some crackers from my dehydrator. I was VERY hungry and this really did the trick! I used a banana and kale and raw cocoa and hemp powder. (Just got my green smoothie book in!).

Thank you both of you.

easy does it
celebrate every success
and take advantage of its delicious momentum
if you enjoy the process ( which you seem to be doing)
you have already arrived