Simplicity.
Ah, simplicity.
It seems that everywhere we look, we’re being encouraged to simplify our lives: to streamline our to-do lists, to downsize our list of obligations, to clean out our closets. I can think of at least four yoga classes in the last two months that have begun with the injunction to simplify, simplify, simplify.
We all want lives that are simple and streamlined: lives in which all of our priorities have magically been distilled from needless anxieties or obligations. But of course, it’s easier said than done. These days, for example, there’s nothing I’d like more than a simple and streamlined existence. But I can’t have one–and I can think of a whole lot of women who have far more obligations than I do!
The one area of my life in which I can have simplicity, though, is in what I eat. Now as always, nothing makes me happier than food that is prepared as simply and as minimally as possible. And it seems that, the busier and more hectic life is, the more I crave simple, nourishing foods.
The following recipe is a perfect example of culinary simplicity. Vegetables, lemon, sea salt: does it get any better–or more simple than this?
Stuffed Napa Cabbage Leaves (serves 2)
4 Napa Cabbage leaves
1 large avocado, cubed
2 large steamed/baked beets, cubed
1 carrot, grated
1 cup pea shoots, chopped
1 tbsp flax/hemp oil
2 tbsp agave
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Mix all ingredients except for the cabbage together in a bowl. Scoop into 4 cabbage leaves, and savor.
I shared this recipe with the amazing women who participated in the Choosing Raw + Spark Wellness January cleanse (which is almost finished, and had amazing results!), and they all loved it.
We can’t always simplify our lives. But if we can’t make life less complicated, we can certainly un-complicate what’s on our plates. Today, tomorrow, and always, let’s all return to the basics: vegetables, juices, fruits, legumes, grains. Enjoy them with as little fuss, as little stress, and as little work as you can. Bon appetit, everyone!
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.
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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.
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