Day 1: A fail and a success!

So today was RAW shopping day. Baby and I braved temps below 30 degrees to seek out ingredients I'd never heard of. Some apparently were not meant to be found in this small Wisconsin town. Of note - lucuma powder and nama shoyu. Good thing I don't know what either of those are or I would be sad that I couldn't find them. In case you're curious what a RAW foods shopping list looks like, here's part of mine:

Agave nectar

Sea Salt

Cider vinegar

Coconut oil?

frozen raspberries
raw honey

Chia seeds

Lucuma powder

Flax seeds (crushed?)

Ginger


That is about a third of what was on the list. It was EXPENSIVE. I think I will lose weight eating this way simply because I won't be EATING for the last week of the month - I'll have run out of money! 


I made two RAWcipes today. (I still feel ridiculous adding RAW to words. I wonder how long that will last. I'm going to continue typing RAW in caps just because it feels obnoxious in a "hoity toity I don't eat what YOU eat" kind of way. And I find it funny.) 
The first recipe, Green Soup, was generally a fail. My husband said, "Hm, it tastes better than it looks. It reminds me of something....wait...it tastes like grass. Nevermind, it tastes exactly as bad as it looks." Sigh. I enjoyed the first few bites, and then started gagging every time I tried to take an additional bite. Sadly, we can't afford to throw it away, so I guess I'll get used to it... Here's a picture. It's really a very nice green color. Kind of like grass clippings that build up on your lawn mower blade...






The second RAWcipe turned out much better to me; hubby still wasn't impressed, but it's only because he doesn't like coconut. 
I made Coconut Date Balls, which are pretty tasty to munch on when you've got a hankering for something sweet. Also good instead of something like potato chips when you just want the joy of eating. They even look kind of cute! 

Here's the recipe, in case you're interested: 
Raw Vegan Zucchini Coconut Balls

* 1 cup raw almonds
* 1 cup soft pitted dates
* 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
* pinch of sea salt
* 1/2 cup finely shredded zucchini
* 1 cup shredded unsweetened flaked coconut

What to do:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper.
Place the almonds in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. 
Add dates, a few at a time, processing well after each addition. 
Add vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt. 
At first the mixture will just look like bread crumbs, 
then it will come together in a ball. If it doesn't come together, 
add a few extra dates.

Remove the cookie dough from the food processor and 
mix in the shredded zucchini and a half a cup of the 
flaked coconut with your hands until well combined. 
Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the remaining half 
cup of coconut on a plate and roll each ball in the coconut 
to coat. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet 
and freeze several hours until the balls are firm. 
Remove them from the freezer and serve thawed.
Note: Store these cookies in the freezer or refrigerator. 
They taste best when served cold, but not frozen.