Last year I took a seven month sabbatical. How wonderful it was to be free to create my own schedule and have time to do the things that had been on my to-do list for years. I did a humongous spring clean at home, I started an oil painting class and I experimented with raw vegan cuisine in the kitchen. I was in the kitchen at least every other day for a few hours preparing, making and dehydrating! But 2013 is a different story. I returned to my line of work as a Singing Teacher in February this year, and at the same time I began an Internship at my home church, Planetshakers City Church. Suffice to say, my schedule now looks very different! The challenge has been to find the right life/work balance without letting my self-care routine go out the window. I've had to cut back on my hours spent in the kitchen and learn to simplify my raw vegan food menu without compromising on the nutritional content of my meals.
My food lifestyle is a work-in-progress and I like to think that there will always be room for improvement as long as I'm living. However, I thought I'd offer you a glimpse of what my daily menu looks like at this present moment...
The most recent change I've made has been to increase the amount of water I drink every day. I had been drinking at least 2 litres a day but found I was still very thirsty. Your body's metabolism is in an elimination phase between the hours of 4am to 12pm, which is why I believe that eating lighter meals during the course of the morning is better for your digestive system, energy levels, cognitive processes and your overall good health. Given this information I decided to start drinking at least 1 to 2 litres of pure water before I ate anything. Now every day I am drinking at least 3 litres of water. My body was telling me something important, and when I took the steps to do it, I found my body worked on my behalf to cleanse my system and reset my health.
So, in the course of the morning, as I feel hungry I will start to snack on fruit. Yes, just fruit. Fruit is digested quickly and burns clean, which means that eating fruit will not impede on your body's ability to eliminate waste products. This is so crucial for long-term good health as a build up of waste in your body can lead to many lifestyle-related illnesses. I always make sure I wait for my food to digest before I drink again as any fluid will dilute your digestive juices and make the digestion process more difficult. Before each meal that means I am drinking at least 1 litre of filtered water. This may sound like a lot but water is the easiest thing to grab on your way out the door. All you need is a water bottle (I use BPA-free stainless steel water bottles) and access to water, preferably filtered.
I also have two main meals during the day, usually one fruit-based and one vegetable-based. If I have a very active day I will also have a snack mid-afternoon. But water is always my first preference, my first port of call. If you looked in my fridge you would be ah-mazed at the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables that are living in there. I think this may very well be the key to eating well. Always have fresh, healthy produce on hand. Be intentional about doing your grocery shopping; pick a day, make a list, and go forth!
Now that we are nearing the end of this blog post I'd better tell you what you're waiting for... this is my menu: I prepare quick meals to have on hand, which mostly includes salads, soups and smoothies, and they are all raw. There is no cooking time, so I have already cut down on my time in the kitchen. For lunch I'll have a fruit salad with some coconut yoghurt, LSA mix (ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds) or a salad with greens, grated vegetables, nuts/seeds and a homemade dip, like my zucchini hummus. For dinner I'll have a blended green soup topped with sprouts or a green smoothie, especially for the nights I'm going out. If I feel like something sweet for dessert I'll have frozen fruit or bliss balls. It's so simple it sounds boring... but I have the satisfaction of knowing I can prepare delicious food that is quick and easy, and also nourishing for my body.
brooke's green soup
3 medium tomatoes
2 cups kale, stems removed (substitute: spinach, silver beet)
1/2 cup filtered water
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 stalk green onion
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/4 cup parsley, curly or flat-leaf
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Blend well; keeps in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Enjoy!
P.S. I forgot to include that I always begin my day with a fresh, homemade green juice. Yum!
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