Bad, Bad Blogger.
D’oh!
Having just finished (and photographed) a lovely raw dinner that I was excited to share with you all, I realized that I left the silly connector-chord-thingy for my camera at the office. I’m so sorry! What a terrible blogger I am 
Fear not, though: I’m going to have the food up, in all its glory, tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS on a wonderful first raw Wednesday! It brought such a smile to my face to see all of your feedback and get all of your questions!! Please keep using the comments section of my last post to talk about your dinners, or anything else that’s on your mind.
A few of your have expressed some confusion about what’s raw and what’s not. Amanda asked about hummus. This is a very common question! The answer is that hummus is not raw, unless you’re using sprouted chickpeas (you can do a Google search for instructions on how to sprout chickpeas; it’s pretty easy). Other hummus recipes call for cooked chickpeas, which are of course not raw.
My favorite raw “hummus” recipes call for nuts and/or a zucchini base. I promise to make both for you on the blog! Earthmother also shared her fave hummus recipe in the comments section (thanks, Earthmother!), and Courtney made a variation using cashews, which you can see in her awesome raw Wednesday re-cap on her blog (way to go, Courtney!).
In other raw news today, Meagan made kale salad and loved it; Jess made Ani Phyo’s marinara pasta; Coconutgal made an awesome smoothie; and Christine made raw Caesar dressing. Yum!
Please read all the comments below for a full update.
And guys, way to go! I hope you all saw how easy it can be when you keep it simple. To those of you who ate salad and and apologized for it, don’t! Eating simply, at least in my opinion, is eating well. And for those of you who went a little crazy in the kitchen, I hope you saw that raw foods can also be fun and creative.
A quick roundup of giveaways in the blogosphere:
Lauren will be giving away some tasty vegan treats, and Lacey is giving away some awesome green superfoods!
I am loving all of your enthusiasm and feedback. You guys are all the best 
More tomorrow – gnite! xo
Testimonials
–Lyn D., MarylandBefore I started working with Gena, I wasn’t sure whether it would be worth it, since I knew what I “should” be doing. Her counseling, however, turned out to be a key factor in my success.
Not only does she have great advice when I am struggling, but her realistic approach helped me make major changes despite having no time and limited funds. Her recipes and ideas are for real people with lives beyond their diets, and they are great. Gena is down to earth and non-judgmental. She strikes a great balance between encouraging me to go a little father but to keep things in perspective and have fun with the process.
Read more >>
FAQ
So where do you get your protein?Ah, the million dollar question. I know that my fellow raw foodists are uttering a collective sigh of frustration with me. But it’s inevitable, so here goes:
I get my protein from a wide array of vegetables, sea vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. The notion that we need to supplement our diet with large amounts of protein, especially in the form of animal products, is mistaken: our bodies are capable of assembling amino acids from all of the foods we eat and building the “complete proteins” that we’ve all been told we need to get in a single sitting.
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Recommendations
Juicer (average $50.00 - $500.00)If you’re like me, and juicing is a crucial part of your lifestyle, then the cost of a juicer will absolutely be worth it! It will buy itself back again and again and again. The juicer I recommend is the Breville Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus. It’s the only juicer I’ve ever owned, and it has never let me down. I recommend you invest in a juicer that has at least this level of performance in order to juice leafy greens.
Some of you have asked me whether it’s wiser to buy a juicer or a Vitamix.
Read More
Girl, I’m loving this raw food challenge. Now all I need is a dehydrator. I’m like really into it =)
I’m so glad I found your blog. I have been perusing and love everything! I just added you to my blogroll so I can share the raw food lovin’ with the rest of the gang!
Thanks again!! Keep up the good work!
Hey Chica! I’m adding you, too. I’ve loved your blog for a while now.
So happy you’re into it! Isn’t it something? You never know: the high-raw thing might really stick for you:)
It’s funny: I have a brand new dehydrator to play with, but it’s the one thing I never really seem to need! We’ll see if having it around inspires me.
Thank you so much for the comment. I hope to go to the grocery store this weekend in search for some foods I can use to make more raw recipes. Yum. I had a question, can you explain to me raw nut butter? And can I buy it at a normal grocery store? Thanks again!
<3 jess
xoxo
Hey Jess,
Raw nut butter just means that the nuts were not roasted before they were blended. Artisana and Woodstock Farms both make great raw brands.
Gena
My raw breakfast was banana pudding!
2 or more bananas, mashed
1 or 2 tsp lemon juice per banana
optional vanilla and cinnamon
mash it up good and eat!
Simple and delicious
Amazing!
wow, can’t wait to check out all of your raw creations! This was a great fun challenge, I really can’t wait for next week. I think the one meal one snack was a great idea, so I didn’t get too carried away and then mad if I screwed it up. One meal and one snack was a cinch and I feel more confident
I’m so happy that the one meal + snack idea worked. And that’s exactly how I think everyone should try “going raw” — tackle one meal that’s easy for you, be it lunch or breakfast, and work your way up!
I missed you this morning (stupid work!) but I started my day with a green smoothie and some soaked oats… mmmm…
I’m loving reading other people’s ideas on here and I am so looking forward to more recipes to try!
Hope you get lots of inspiration, Amanda!
i really want to try kale!
I’m excited for today since I wasn’t able to do the challenge yesterday. I was like totally out of produce!! Just my luck that it would happen right when I want to do this haha
Your Pizza Cheese will be in my belly sometime today =)
I cannot wait to hear about it, Shel
hey this is a very interesting article!