Thursday, April 13, 2006
I love raw, but it's a lot of work sometimes.
Date: 4/14/2006 3:05:00 AM ( 18 y ) ... viewed 1449 times
(Photo: my wonderful, dehydrated coconut strips. I'm in love!)
The macaroons I started making yesterday didn't look much different today than they did when they went in to the
dehydrator. However, they were a bit more stiff and had a harder
"shell" on the outside, and are soft on the inside, like the macaroons
we're used to. They dehydrated for about 17 hours. They are very
coconutty, which makes me happy. Felicia
likes the sweeter macaroons (from the half I made with more dates) and
says they remind her of the baked ones she's had in the past. I still
say that I would better appreciate them as macaroons if I had rolled
them in coconut. Other than that, they're all right. I don't see myself
snacking on them, but not because they taste bad; mainly because I just
don't have a taste for sweet snacks that imitate junk food. I seem to
gravitate more towards sweets that come from fruit, especially if it's
a
"mild" sweetness like with coconuts. (I have another fresh young
coconut just begging to be used in a smoothie tomorrow morning).
I'm
going through that period where I'm again tired of the food I eat. Same
'ol easy-to-make salads and variations of the salad, sometimes on
ezekiel bread, sometimes in a bowl. Being a student I just don't put
any time into coming up with new foods to try. It's not like when
you're bored with the standard American diet and can remedy things by
tossing into your grocery cart a few Lean Cuisines you never tried before.
I regret not
having a lot of experience with fresh vegetables and fruits in my life.
Eating fruits and vegetables really shouldn't be a struggle. The only
reason it is, is because society has geared us towards
industrially-processed meals. We've become used to having foods
boxed/bagged/canned/jarred up and shipped to us from all over. I'm used
to grabbing an American or Thai or Indian or Mexican or Chinese or
Italian or Greek meal and popping it into the microwave. Voila- a new
meal every day of the week. No preparation and little cleanup.
With
raw, I've had to learn a whole new lifestyle of slow-living. I plan
ahead, and I set aside preparation time for chopping things up. I've
been known to spend over an hour preparing a meal these days. Not
often, but it has happened. Chopping up herbs, fruits and vegetables,
grating garlic, etc. takes
time. Now, it may sound like I'm complaining but I really cannot
complain. I feel healthier just from the act of putting all these fresh
flavors together each day! I also love knowing what is going in my
mouth. Since January I've ingested much less sodium, no transfatty
acids, and little in the way of unpronounceable flavoring/coloring
chemicals (Ironically, I get those in my Centrum!). I don't crave or
binge any longer. How could I complain? I
just need time and money to experiment with new foods. As a student I
don't have the money to waste on a vegetable I've never eaten before-
if I hate it, I'm out some money I could have used towards gasoline.
This summer, however, I will work more hours and will also have extra
time to experiment with my menu. I'm looking forward to June!
Add This Entry To Your CureZone Favorites! Print this page
Email this page
Alert Webmaster
|