Another week of expensive taste! Where did we go wrong again? Well, after analyzing more into our diet, suddenly a lightbulb went off. The majority of the recipes we made were based out of the book Raw Food/Real World. A quick look into this book’s index sheds some light on the situation. The couple who wrote it based all their recipes off the menu of a restaurant located in New York. Like any dish in a restaurant they are usually bursting with flavor and ingredients. That is great and all, but also very pricey. Cameron and I decided we had enough of the 12-inch receipts from Whole Foods, it was time for a change. Not to mention I told everyone at the start of this thing they could eat for about $10 a day. I don’t want egg on my face (that’s so not vegan!)
Being the little life student that I am, I rewound to a documentary I had watched a few months back, The Future of Food. Although it paints a scary picture of the food world we live in, with terminator seeds, genetically modified animals and frankenfoods galore, it ends on a bright note mentioning CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). Excited about the idea, Cameron and I surfed the web and found a local organic farm that was taking new subscribers for a whopping $140 every four weeks. Divide that into two parts and out comes a gorgeous sum of $17.50 a week per person. We could not wait until week six was on our doorsteps.
Though we were super stoked to save, I have to admit some of the recipes we made were amazing! Take for example the raw organic vegan sushi. I don’t know about you guys, but I heart sushi so this recipe resonated a sweet song in my mouth. Ok, ok and I also do have to admit that Cameron totally had his chef hat on this week and made the sushi rolls for me. Which leads me into my next idea in week five.
Raw vegan sushi, eat your heart out tokyo!
Sunday holds much meaning for many cultures. Some go to church, others visit the farmer’s market, some clean their house, for us though, this was our day to bond with our food and prep it the entire day. Unfortunately for Cameron, I took a last minute shift at a local boutique. This was extremely straining on him. For two people, the process of food preparation takes at least five hours. Alone? Much longer, needless to say. Yes, I heart Cameron more than the sushi he made for me that evening. After discussing the strains of doing the majority of the food prep alone, we both decided to do the work together from then on.
Sometimes you just have to give in and buy pre-made food. Yes… its still raw vegan.
Building on that idea, we also allowed ourselves an eating out budget. Luckily San Diego is home to some pretty health conscious foodie places, like Nature’s Express. They provide an all vegan menu with a cute selection of raw foods. This is where we got to try some o-so-delicious raw vegan granola giving us a chance to mix up our mornings oat groats.
Oh, week five, you brought us so much! In fact, week five included our 1/3 mark. My friend Christina, who remembers all, gave me a call and reminded me that we had hit day 30. Wow, really? I had gotten so comfortable with eating raw vegan I totally forgot how long it had been. Christina also promptly reminded me of the commitment of celebration we agreed upon for day 30. We were to indulge in dining out at a local restaurant that prides itself in veggie and vegan Mexican food.
Two delicious vegan burritos, please. Happy 30 days!
Cameron and I took the reward of eating a vegan burrito graciously and happily stuffed our pie holes. I am looking forward to the next 60 days, because even though we have reward meals set up every 30 days, the benefits of the diet are far more rewarding for me.
jay kiley
April 18, 2009
You should not call yourselves Organic Raw Vegan.
Your advertising a false lifestyle by eating many things that aren’t Organic Raw Vegan. I think if your promoting health in this way, you should stay true to the game.
I’m 100% Organic Raw Vegan. I spend up to 30 dollars per day.
Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts & Seeds only.
Lukas Volk
April 19, 2009
hey jay,
thanks so much for your feedback! rock on with your bad self going 100% raw vegan. keep up the good work.
Johanna Björk
April 20, 2009
I think one of the basic tenets of health and good living is listening to your own body. A strictly organic raw vegan diet may not be right for everyone, and instead of putting blame on those who may not be completely perfect, maybe we should encourage everyone to take baby steps on a path toward a healthy sustainable diet, be it omnivorous, vegetarian, raw or vegan.
Thank you Lukas for sharing your inspiring, slightly imperfect journey down this path.
Collin C.
April 21, 2009
I just found these posts & find them very interesting.
One question….
How do you feel after 30 days of raw vegan? Any noticeable change than before?
Christina
April 22, 2009
Lukas,
You are an inspiration for me every week! Keep up the great work!
Lukas Volk
April 22, 2009
what up collin!
after 30 days i felt great! a noticeable outside change that everyone could see was my weight lose. i lost about 15 pounds in 30 days. this was quite a surprise for me as well being that i would jog four miles a day and still keep on the pounds. i also feel that eating right for your blood type, whether it be vegan or not, is a big factor in how your body handles the nutrients you are giving it. with anything in life, it should be balanced.
mentally, i have never felt better. i relate it to my college days when i would have idea after idea pop into my head. my energy, drive and focus is all there.
these all came into play around week 3. the first two weeks were more about getting over cravings and detoxing. hope this helps 🙂 !