The budget post

Another reason that some people decide to do Raw til 4 is also based on their financial situation.  I get a lot of comments on my IG and that of others, that sometimes, buying large quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables, is not always feasible   
That's fine, and I totally understand where you're coming from if that is your situation, so here are a few dishes that won't break the bank.  

Vegetable Stir Fry with Sweet Potato Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large carrot, sliced 
1 large zucchini, sliced
handful of green beans, chopped into about 2 cm pieces
1/3 of a medium capsicum, cut into strips
1 cup of broccoli florets
1/3 cup soy beans (I used frozen)
300 g of marinated tempeh or tofu (optional)
1/4 cup of water
1 low sodium vegan stock cube
2 TBS of coconut aminos or low sodium tamari
1 TBS of coconut nectar
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp of chilli flakes (optional)
250g of sweet potato noodles*


Method

Place a large pot of water on high heat to boil.  Once boiling, add the sweet potato noodles and stir.  Leave for 5 minutes.  Check that they are done, drain and rinse a few times.
Leave in colander to drain whilst you make the stir fry.

In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, nectar, garlic and ginger.  Taste and adjust according to taste (more aminos, more nectar, e.t.c).  Set aside.
In a medium sized frying pan or wok, add the water and dissolve the stock cube over medium heat.  Once the stock cube is dissolved, add the vegetables and place lid on top so that the veggies can steam, stirring occasionally.
Once the veggies become vibrant in colour, add the prepared sauce and tempeh/tofu. Stir, and place lid on again.  Lower to low heat until veggies are done.

Transfer the noodles back into the big pot and add in the contents of the frying pan.
Stir to combine vegetables, sauce and noodles.  Add cracked pepper to taste and season if needed.
Serve immediately with a sprinkle of the chilli flakes if using.
*I bought my noodles from the Asian supermarket.
P.S, feel free to use any veggies you have :)

Another great dish to make that is budget friendly (and raw) is nori rolls.  I've always loved sushi and going to sushi bars but if you can't get there or your wallet won't currently allow for it, try making them at home.
They are super easy, all you need is some nori sheets and a mat and you are good to go.
What I love the most about making them is that you can do just about any flavour combination that you want, like or desire.
I just love, love, LOVE them!
Here's one platter I had for lunch today, it was divine!  They are also good to make ahead of time for those of you who need to plan and prep your meals.  They keep well as long as they are refrigerated.

The platter above has 3 types of nori, here are the combinations:

• carrot, coriander and hempseed rice (process 1 carrot, 1 TBS of hemp seeds and a small handful of coriander with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cumin powder, 1/8 tsp of onion powder), apple, avocado, cucumber & capsicum.
• baby spinach, capsicum, cucumber, mango, & avocado.
• beetroot, cucumber, capsicum, apple, coriander and avocado.

If you need to learn how to roll, please youtube it, it's pretty simple though.

These little parcels of goodness taste so good, no sauce required!

Time for some sweet, sweet, deliciousness!

This here was an epic breakfast parfait.  I don't have a name for it so I'll just tell you the layers and you can make it yourself if you wish.

But before I do that, I'll just tell you that I used local hand picked and vine ripened peaches to make one of the layers.  Ok, so I've always thought I had eaten my fair share of good tasting peaches, but let me tell you, THESE peaches were out of this world!  They were so juicy and sweet, it's like nothing I've ever tasted before.  It made me a little sad too because once upon a time all our fruit and veggies tasted like this.  Now we get a watered down version of everything because things have to be picked green and artificially ripened so that they can transport well.  But, let's not dwell on the negative, the good thing is that these peaches were well, peachy!

The thing on top is not a cherry but a cherry plum.  Have never seen those before and they were also delicious!

Ok, but now for the layers:

• banana beet ice cream: 2 frozen bananas, 1/4 of a small beetroot.  Process until smooth and ice cream like.
• peach banana ice cream: 2 frozen bananas, 2 peaches.  Process until smooth and ice cream like.
• Blueberry pear sauce: 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 pitted medjool date, 1 large ripe pear, water as required.  Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, add a little bit of water at a time until you get the desired consistency.

Fruit I used to layer: kiwi fruit, cherry plums, monkey bananas.

So there you have it lovely people, some recipes to get your tummies smiling and your bodies moving.

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb