The last week has been spent in the kitchen, playing around and tweaking recipes that I will be putting in the mini Raw Challenge e-cookbook. I'm SUPER excited about how it's shaping up.

I'm so feeling these foods. 

Chocolate Avocado pudding tarts, Marinated Portobellos with spicy cashew cream, easy tomato salads and other goodies. I have been immersing myself in this new way of un-cooking. It's so funny how different food tastes when you don't cook it. The way you choose to slice and dice a vegetable or fruit has the power to change the entire dish. I have rediscovered that simple is actually really yummy. I never would have been excited about a few almonds stuffed into a date for a snack before now. 

I started out with a lot of preconceived notions about raw food. I thought it was extreme and preachy. I thought it was fussy and hard to make. I thought I would need obscure ingredients. I thought it would taste bland. I thought it would be boring. I was thinking "there is no way this stuff will fill me up". It CAN be all of those things, but I have been working my ass off to disprove those notions. 

I won't lie, when I started researching techniques and recipes it was a little frustrating and defeating. I would read these recipes that sounded and probably DO taste amazing but then I would get to this part...Dehydrate for 8 hours. Ummm, no thank you.  When I want a cracker, I want them now and with that amazing hummus I just whipped up (which is why you get to pick your % of raw food intake in the challenge...Hello chips and dips!). 

I thought it was time to make raw food for the rest of us. Easy, beautiful and delicious. Stuff that you will actually want to make again. Stuff that makes you even more creative in the kitchen. Stuff that you can make WITHOUT a spiralizer, dehydrator or an industrial strength blender. I wanted to teach you want I learned from all over the place and put it in one spot so you can enjoy it and then get on with your life.

I also wanted to create a program that reflects my philosophy on food and coaching. There is no "right way" for everyone. I'm big on freedom and flexibility to figure out what feels good for you. That is why I'm leaving it up to my participants to decide how much raw they want to incorporate into their day. Trust me, even if it's only one meal a day, you are going to be in a better place than when you started.

We hear all the time that we should be eating more raw fruits and vegetables... "It has enzymes"! "It help your digestion"! "It makes your skin look great"! but we don't actually do it. Now that it's getting warmer out, it's a bit more appealing to get on board with raw eating. I have already been feeing the effects of increasing the raw in my life. I have more energy, foods taste sweeter and more complex than I used to give them credit for. Don't get me wrong, I'm still cooking food too (you know, with heat) and enjoying it immensely but there is a little bit of magic in this raw food thing.

I would be honored for you to come and join me for 7 days and see for yourself.

Sign ups are open now, we start July 9th.