Two more weeks. That’s what I kept thinking about week 12. I was longing for another vegan burrito on day 90 to celebrate. Luckily, my good friend Deniz came down from Montreal to help out with some much needed IT work, and also brought some fresh ideas to our recipe list. For some reason, our recipes became stagnant when we sat on an idea for a long period of time. Deniz helped remind us of some of the great ingredients we put aside such as mustard and dill. This was especially delicious because our CSA had provided dill in the last two boxes.
After conjuring up some new tasty dressings based on the dill and mustard we added them to some of our super foods of the week. Going raw we made sure to get a good grasp on some of the superfoods. Some of our favorites included broccoli, avocado, blueberries, kale, apples, bee pollen, dark chocolate, flax seed, pumpkin, quinoa, walnuts, sweet potatoes, maca and finally oat groats (just to name a few). If you don’t already know the term superfood, it refers to foods with high phytonutrient content such as antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese and fibers.
Along with new alternative recipes this week Cameron and I also tried several different sweeteners. In fact, after Cameron’s dental visit his hygienist was telling him about a sweetener alternative called Xylitol. This sweet little extract has the benefits of inhibiting the ability of bacteria to attach to the tissues of the mouth, nose and throat. In fact, this sugar replacement helps reduce tooth decay. Really…. a sugar that is good for you, what’s the catch? That’s what I was thinking the entire time. Well, it turns out the only catch is that it isn’t quite mainstream yet and this makes it more costly. Xylo Sweet comes in small 1lb packages that average about $8, although the yummy white granules are worth every penny.
This journey has definitely taught me that the three meal a day tradition can and should be broken. In all the species in the world, where, other than in Homo Sapiens, do you see such behavior? It only makes sense to me now that eating smaller meals boosts energy, reduces food waste, is better for my health and helps me loose weight. What more could I ask for? And, just because you are bringing your lunch to work that doesn’t mean you can’t partake in the social aspects of going out to lunch. I’ve brought my plastic containers along for the ride several times while my coworkers eat their chunky steaks and burgers. Yes, eating organic raw vegan can still be a social event. You don’t have to be a hermit just because you aren’t eating what everyone else is eating.