A plan to stay warm and satisfied this Winter

Now that we have headed into 2009 with a "real" winter compared to what we have had over the last few years, I have felt a need for warm, comforting foods. Sometimes it is hard to find that warmth in the recipes that are familiar to people who choose to eat "raw" most of the time. This will be my 6th winter eating raw food and I have made some very satisfying healthy adjustments to the "cooler" raw foods lifestyle recipes.
*I have found that the use of certain herbs and spices, i.e., curry, cumin, garlic and cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are very warming additions to recipes.
*I continue to buy fresh, organic plant based food, using some of it in the raw state, some of it blanched and some of it lightly sauteed either in olive oil or coconut oil (on a very low flame). If you have an electric frying pan it makes it easier to control the temperature.
*I have converted some of the raw soups to cooked soups with lots of herbs. I prefer the heated soups in the fall and winter, but love the raw soups in the spring and summer. I still used raw grated or chopped vegetables in the heated broth. (vegan of course)
* Too of my favorite raw chefs are Elaina Love and Cherie Soria. I use alot of their recipes as a guide to create my own inventions. I find this time of year a great time to experiment. (Check out my Price List for their book listings.)
*I make sure that I have enough fresh fruit, raw nuts and dried fruits for snacking, as well as spending some time in the evening or weekends dehydrating raw cookies, chips, breads and scones.
*I always have fresh greens available for raw salads and smoothies to make sure that I am getting all the enzymes that I need for digestion since I am eating more cooked food.
*Sometimes, I just want a baked sweet potato or baked white potato (organic of course), some cooked quinoa or brown rice as an addition to my meal. I do this sparingly, but, it always satisfies the need for warmth.
Winter is a time when the earth and the animal kingdom hibernate and gather energy for new life in the Spring. I have found that it is important and normal to be a part of that necessary change as the body gets ready to spring forth at the sign of our first warmer weather.
I anticipate this and will be ready for my Spring cleanse when that happens. In the meantime, I am happy staying warm and satisfied.

check out the recipes link on the blog for some of my favorite winter recipes