Hey guys! Happy Tuesday! Hope your day is off to a good start 
Last night, I decided to attempt to make my own raw almond butter since I’m totally out and waiting on a Trader Joe’s package from my little bro and a jar my friend Jeni is picking up for me. I’ve seen Jenn, Heather, Heather and Pearl make their own, so I figured I’d try it out.
Ehhh, it didn’t quite come out as planned.
It’s chunky and sticky…not creamy at all. I got scared though because smoke was coming out the top of the Vitamix!! I would die without my beloved food processor/blender/contraption of justice, so I called it quits. I did add some maple syrup, a teeny bit of canola oil and some cinnamon so it’s tastes pretty good, but the texture is all wrong. Did anyone else have this problem?!?
I worked for a while at the gym this morning, did day 2 of the Shape Up and then came home to save the puppies.
Lunch today was particularly noteworthy:
Raw yellow squash spaghetti with marinara sauce
I used the leftover sauce from Sunday’s dinner party and let me tell you: raw marinara sauce tastes 1,000x better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. WOW. It was pretty good on Sunday night, but it was AMAZING today on the spiralized yellow squash. I added some red pepper flakes and hand-torn fresh basil.
I also tossed the squash noodles with some sea salt, garlic and lemon juice for a little more flava
An Ezekiel english muffin on the side:
In the words of Kath, ‘twas an excellent lunch
Instead of grabbing a cucaracha for something sweet, I remembered the raw persimmon pie that Megan brought over.
The bottom layer is dates and raw almonds, and the top layer is pureed persimmon.
I had about half of the little tart container’s worth, and it was pure dessert perfection
As you guys can probably tell, I’m back to my raw-until-dinner eats (with the exception of a bfast cookie every now and again because they’re delicious). My little eating experiment last week was a royal failure, I felt like garbage and now have two pimples the size of Mt. Everest on my chin. This was a HUGE sign to go back to what I was doing, as I usually have a little too much energy and no skin problems (thank my lucky stars). So I’m back to how I was eating, and how I’ve been eating for the last 8 months (consistently adding more rawness to my life). I feel like the raw lifestyle has so many benefits and any little step you can do to get more nutrients and enzymes is a good thing. I could never be 100% raw, nor do I want to be. When I first started to get interested in raw foods last summer, my friend Megan (who is a walking encyclopedia of raw foods and nutritional knowledge) told me that it’s not intended for highly active people –I teach 6 aerobics classes each week and weight train/do yoga on top of that- and that many raw foodists stick to yoga and using their rebounder (which is like a small trampoline) for exercise. For that reason, I plan to continue having cooked food at night (or during the day if the mood suits me).
Well I need to feed the puppies –Bella is barking at her bowl thinking her anger might replenish her food stash, make a spin playlist, go back to work at the gym, go to the base gym and take a yoga class (I love getting to TAKE classes!) and then teach spin. Whew!
I’ll see ya tonight with my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas
xoxo,
Gina
Congrats to the Summer Shape Up girls who got all 3 points for yesterday: Alisson, Amisha, Brenna D., Brittany, Heather K., Katie S., Lisa S., Meghan N., Piera, Sara D., Stephanie F., Megan R., Amanda Will., Stephanie L. and Kelly M.! Keep it up!!!
Some of my Shape Up superstars seem to have fallen through the cracks… don’t quit on me!!!! No day like today to get back in there! Remember, we’re repeating the workout from Week 1 this week—a PERFECT time to get that workout/clean eating fire burning again
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Gena! Thanks so much for your answer to my white foods question yesterday. I had no idea about the potatoes, so thanks again.
I had the exact same thing happen when I added maple syrup to my homemade almond butter and then tried to add some oil to smooth it out, which also didn’t work. I later read that you can’t add any sugar to the mix until the almonds are smooth and creamy. So, blend away until you get the desired consistency and then add the maple, salt, etc. You probably won’t even need any oil
) good luck!
Yummmyyyy; your squash looks delish! And what a wonderful idea for the pie! I’ll have to try that…sorry to hear your almond butter wasn’t a success—I’m sure it will taste good if you add a pinch of stevia and oil…
Have a great day…
Congrats on experimenting—it’s great to listen to your body and what it wants and needs.
I’ve had the same problem with the nut butter sitch. you can achieve the creamy perfection but it takes time. you blend for a while, and when the vitamix starts to get warm, you stop for 15-30 min (whenever it cools down) and go back to blending. repeat the blend/cool/blend/cool thing until it’s the way you like. sometimes it takes hours to get it the way i like, so i just go back to it whenever.
That’s strange about the almond butter. :/ Raw almonds (which I’m assuming you used?) take a lot longer than roasted ones. If you want to try it, roasted almonds take ~5 min. in a food processor with no added oil or anything.
i still haven’t tried making my own almond butter, but I hope you get it the texture you want!
i can’t wait to see the enchiladas
sweet potato and black beans? ay caramba.
I had the same thing happen with my almond butter. You have to let it go for a reallllllllllly long time in order to get it smooth, especially with raw almond butter. I would occasionally stop my food processor and let it chillax a bit so I didn’t burn it out. Hope that helps!
hi Gina – with the vitamix, it’s better to add the almonds little bit at a time so it doesn’t burn out. and also, you have to let it get super super creamy and WATERY (like to the point that it only coats the back of a spoon and drips right back into the vitamix) before you can SLOWLY drizzle in maple syrup. the addition of honey/maple syrup will automatically thicken the butter, so i recommend doing it in a food processor. the vitamix has been known to automatically shut off when it gets too hot, and doesn’t allow you to touch it for hours. *sigh*
I’m glad you figured out what worked for you and at least you tried an alternative to make sure you were doing what was best for you. Oh, i finally tried the bfast cookie! It’s delish! I’m making another one tonight.
I haven’t tried making my own Almond Butter yet so I’m no help there.
I’m curious, with your raw pasta using squash or zucchini- do you just spiralize/grate it and that’s it or do you blanch it/use some other quick cooking process?
Hey! When making the nut butter- I just found I had to keep on grinding away to get the nice smooth texture. Takes forever- but is totally worth it! Lunch looks awesome! Glad the sauce was better after sitting in the fridge- I love when that happens with foods like chili
have a good afternoon!!
I’m about to start trying to eat more raw meals after reading a book on it and attempting the raw Wednesday’s challenge. That raw persimmon pie sounds fab! I love looking to your blog for meal inspiration
The nut butter looks like really think brown sugar!
Your food always looks so yummy and I really am continually motivated when I read your blog, I think I may try the more raw diet in the future
Hello!
I am loving your recipes! That really looks like my kind of lunch!
Ive been trying to incorporate more raw food into my diet, and have been really enjoying your blog! Keep it up
Cute title
I would die without my Vita Mix too.
good to hear you are making things work for you — everyone is different!
i had the same thing happen to me with the almond butter in the vitamix! i was very disappointed, because the video on the website made it look so easy, but it took me at least 20 minutes just to get the nuts to a ground consistency. i then put them in my cheap food processor which actually worked better, but i never got them to an almond butter consistency. i would love to know of anyone who has been sucessful making raw almond butter, because i sure am tired of wasting almonds.
You must get exhausted with the amount you fill into your days! Good on you tho!
Yikes i would totally save the vitamix! That spiralizer makes everything so pretty and pasta like, i love it! I’ve heard food processors are best for making nut butter- but I’m surprised b/c the Vitamix is super strong! Good luck next time.
PS I have a Champion Juicer and apparently THEY make the best Nut Butters. I have only tried once and wasn’t the greatest but I think I need to practice more.
Had I not read the description of your lunch, I would have thought that was real spaghetti noodles! What a great dish!!
Glad you found a style of eating that works for you AND gives you added benefits
That pasta looks delicious!!!!
Also, I have the same problem with the vitamix. I must be doing something wrong. I tried to make salsa last night and it didn’t turn out very well
That’s the great thing about experiments, if they don’t work you can just go back to what you were doing before. Hope the VitaMix is okay! I wish I had one
Hey Gina! Your lunch looks delicious…that’s good that you’re following an eating plan that feels right to you! Isn’t it crazy how little changes can make such a big change in your skin?
Glad to hear the vitamix didn’t die…that would be too sad!
you just reminded me i need to make my spaghetti squash! i love mixing it w/ lots of marinara and veggies!
and i’m glad the experimenting has led you in the right direction for your diet…i wish i could figure out mine! my face has been breaking out like made for over the past month!
I don't know if you still feed your dogs Nutro, but you had mentioned it in the past and thought I'd give you a very informative dog food website: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1588&cat=all
Nutro products receive 2/6 stars and are full of preservatives and fillers.
Can you tell us what WASN'T working? I know you mentioned you wanted to keep it private, but I would really find it interesting.
i have had a similar problem with a regular old blender in the past when making super thick smoothies. just let it rest for a while and don't rush making it. put the vita on for a minute and then let it cool down. these types of appliances aren't meant to run for any period of time so you COULD ruin it by running it straight for a few minutes. good luck!
Would you mind explaining what your food experiment was and why you felt it didn't work? I know myself and I'm sure a lot of readers would find it very helpful just as we are finding the segments of different diets you have tried helpful. Thanks!
hey anon- thanks for the link. we feed our dogs nutro ultra, not the natural choice and i couldn't find it on that website
here's the link to what we use: http://www.ultraholistic.com/sbadult.shtml
it's the best stuff we can find here in v-town (and the most expensive! ay ay ay)
to everyone who inquired about the eating- i'm choosing not to fully disclose it because in theory i was following a very healthy diet, but it was very different than what i'm used to. in a nutshell, i was using a much higher protein ratio to see if i was missing out on protein with my higher raw lifestyle. also, i didn't have any wheat flour products (with the exception of the naan) all week.
thanks to everyone for the vitamix suggestions! i guess i'll stick to purchasing it the AB for now.
I've done raw and roasted and roasted is going to be creamier! If you do the raw for a reallllllly long time it gets kinda creamy, but overally, it's still sticky and clumpy, which is okay, but not if you're looking for creamy. Maybe you could go til it somkes, take a break like others suggested.
I need to make some home-made nut butters! I noticed sometimes when I blend things in my food processor for a long time it makes a funny smell.. maybe the smoke and funny smell is normal? ha
Hi Gena,
I wanted to thank you for your constant inspiration and education! I've decided to follow my oun fitness plan, but I really appreciate the tips that you share on the blog. Thanks for being fantastic!
Mmmmmmmm! You're so creative.
My almond butter attempt kind of turned out like that too. I had to let the food processor run FOREVER and it was still kind of thick for my liking.
Anyway, I'm a fairly new reader to your blog and I love it!
Hi Gina,
Any chance you could create a page about the Summer Shape Up plan? I'm now done with school and ready to try the plan.
Thanks!
Hi Gena! I just wanted to say I tried one of your breakfast cookies for breakfast and it was amazing!
Pheebs