Raw fruit and veggie preparation

[Lauxa]

I want to add more raw fruits and veggies to my diet, but there is a little problem. I don't feel motivated to prepare them.

If they are placed in front of me, all washed and cut up, then I will eat them. But when I cruise into the kitchen looking for a snack and my choices are to wash some grapes or make a sandwich, the sandwich wins.

Does anyone else notice this? What are some strategies you use to motivate yourself to go for the "health food"?

[Dimond]

Unless you use a complicated washing method, I can't see how washing grapes is more work than making a sandwich. You can wash most produce in advance. You can also cut up a lot of it. Green leafy veggies are one of the only ones you shouldn't wash in advance because it'll go bad quicker.

[spazgirl]

This was a problem for me as well when I started eating more raw produce. I found that having baby carrots around was very helpful, especially if I had a yummy raw dip or salad dressing to eat them with. Sugar snap peas are also good to have at hand. I now like eating apples whole, but a few months ago, I wouldn't want to eat them unless they were cut up. So I got an apple corer/slicer (I like the OXO brand), and that made things much easier (and dipping them in raw honey made things much tastier!). Clementines are good to have around because they are so easy to peel and so sweet. Always have bananas on hand, and when they turn, peel them and freeze them in chunks - they are great for smoothies. Grape tomatoes are also good to have on the counter for snacking.

Wash your produce in one big produce-washing session, or live on the edge and don't wash it (if it's organic - I'll eat organic grapes and berries without washing them if I'm really hungry...) and then have another food-prep session so you can have things like slices of red bell pepper handy when you want a snack.

It takes about the same amount of time to spread some raw almond butter onto some celery sticks and top them with honey or raisins as it does to make a sandwich. Same goes for making a smoothie, or better yet, a green smoothie.

Good luck!

[ellie]

ah yeah I did my big raw food shopping tonight. I washed and cut-up all my veggies and popped them in containers, so I can graze for the next few days

I will be interesting to see how long veggies last, being cut-up.

[Lauxa]

Okay, that's good advice, I'll just pre-wash and/or pre-cut more produce.

I think I was worried to pre-wash in case it would make the produce go bad faster, but if I'm not eating it because it's too much work to wash when I'm hungry, then it goes bad anyways.

@Dimond - when I bought green leafys for smoothies, I'd always cut and wash it in advance and it would last about a week. The pre-washed salad containers you can buy also last about a week.

[Rose of Cairo]

Yes, pre-washing is an excellent idea. Sometimes I'm lazy when it comes to washing greens too, especially field salad... So I just do it immediately when I come back from shopping. I wash everything I bought and store it. When I'm hungry later, I can just eat right away.

[Rawvolta]

I strongly believe that we should wash ALL products, no matter if they organic or not.
They were shipped in trucks and some handsome or not handsome truck drivers were putting hands on them maybe.

Unless it is local product from somebody I know - I wash.

Prepare the sink with water + Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide ( not the one in brown bottles at the Wallgreans store! -- please, ask me if you need guidance about H2O2, it might be dangerous )and wash as much products as I can at one time.

Beside this, I hear some addictions coming out of the.. sandwich yelling : EAT ME! EAT ME! and probably reaching for a sandwich is a matter of habits and..well..addictions.
We already agreed that making a sandwich and washing grapes takes same amount of time - if not less for the grapes!

Maybe THE TIME factor is just a small evil whisper of our sandwich memory..

I believe that habit/addiction is ONE thing and MEMORY that we have about it is a SECOND one. We need to somehow work on both of them.
Cheers!

[Lauxa]

Yes, please give me some guidance about hydrogen peroxide because I have been hearing about it for years but never been sure what to get. Is it something you have to order online or are there actual stores that carry it (Whole Foods perhaps?)? What are the best brands and why?

Just posting here has given me a motivational boost -- I had my green smoothie for breakfast (okay, I "cheat" and mix it with organic milk) and I plan to buy and wash a bunch more yummy raw produce today.

[Rose of Cairo]

Originally Posted by Rawvolta

Prepare the sink with water + Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide ( not the one in brown bottles at the Wallgreans store! -- please, ask me if you need guidance about H2O2, it might be dangerous )and wash as much products as I can at one time.

What on earth is hydrogen peroxide? Do you seriously wash your food with chemicals??

[Dimond]

Safe cleaning solutions include white vinegar w/water, baking soda, lemon. And use a good veggie scrub brush.