Recipe for a Nearly Unprocessed Diet

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Recipe for a Nearly Unprocessed Diet
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In July's issue we discussed all the unnatural additives that go into our food. The processing of our foods could well be the biggest dietary threat of all to our health. Yet the fact remains that we are a busy society and few of us have the time to prepare healthy meals from scratch. In fact, it takes a bit of planning to come even close. But let's see what we can do. We'll make it doubly challenging by planning one weeks worth of menus that would work for vegans as well as vegetarians.
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Breakfasts:
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Most people don't require a different breakfast seven days a week but these suggestions should at least give you some quick and easy ideas.
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(All with fruit juice and herbal tea or naturally decaffeinated coffee)

Day 1	Granola with fruit (sliced peaches, dates, etc.) and plant milk (soy, almond, rice)
Day 2	Bagel with fruit spread and a piece of fresh fruit
Day 3	Banana-seed breakfast (See recipe in July, 2000 issue)
Day 4	Shredded Wheat with fresh strawberries and plant milk
Day 5	Toasted Ezekiel bread* with peach or apple butter and a banana
Day 6	Oatmeal (made with organic quick oats) with raisins, fresh peach or nectarine
Day 7	Whole wheat English muffin with honey or fruit spread.

* Ezekiel bread is a sprouted grain bread that comes from a "recipe" in the Old Testament,
Ezekiel 4:9. This incredibly nutritious bread is available in health food stores and one slice is practically a meal in itself.
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Lunches:

Some of these lunches will require some pre-preparation, like the soups and the potatoes. The two soups are easy recipes that can be made on the weekends. The white and sweet potatoes can be baked the night before and easily heated up. Cooked sweet potatoes are actually quite good unheated, by the way. Salads can also be made ahead in enough quantity for a couple of days (no more).
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(All with vegetable juice and fruit salad or fresh green salad)

Day 1	Baked potato with broccoli and non-dairy sour cream
Day 2	Pureed carrot soup (See this month's recipes.)
Day 3	Peanut butter and fruit spread (or banana) sandwich on multi-grain bread
Day 4	Vegetarian hoagie on whole wheat roll
Day 5	Gazpacho (See this month's recipes)
Day 6	Baked sweet potato with a little maple syrup or honey
Day 7	Leftover vegetarian chili from the night before

Dinners:
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(If you haven't had a raw salad yet, you should have one with dinner).

Day 1	Whole grain pasta with tomato and veggie sauce*
Day 2	Brown rice and veggie stir fry*
Day 3	Vegetable pot pie (See this month's recipes)
Day 4	Vegetarian pizza on whole wheat pizza crust
Day 5	Brown rice and veggie stuffed peppers
Day 6	Vegetarian chili
Day 7	Vegetable kabobs, quinoa salad and fresh corn on the cob

Recipes for Vegetarian Pizza, Brown Rice and Veggie Stuffed Peppers, Vegetarian Chili and Quinoa Salad can be found in previous issues or by visiting our Recipes index.
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Vegetables for the pasta dish, the stir fry, pot pie, pizza and stuffed peppers can be sliced and diced ahead of time and stored in special vegetable bags or air-tight containers, to be used as needed. The sectioned storage containers work nicely.
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Snacks:
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Fresh or dried fruits, Nuts and Seeds
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Now here's the shopping list to cover this one-week meal plan.
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seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower )
unsalted cashew nuts, tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers (variety of green, red and yellow, if possible), celery, garlic, apples, grapes, bananas, broccoli, peaches, zucchini, strawberries, lemons or lemon juice, sweet potatoes, white baking potatoes, corn on the cob, raisins, raw honey (should not be given to young children), granola (all natural, if possible), Ezekiel bread), peach butter, herbal tea bags, all natural peanut butter, 100% fruit spread, shredded wheat, whole wheat pizza crust or French bread, rice, soy or almond milk, butter or canola spread, spring water, mozzarella or soy cheese, kidney beans, organic tomato sauce, organic canned diced tomatoes, vegetable juice, nuts in shells, mustard, quinoa, brown rice, whole grain pasta, quick oats, English muffins, bagels, cornstarch, vegetable soup base and spices (as needed).
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As much as possible, your fresh fruits and vegetables should be organic or, even better, biodynamic*. Breads, pasta and grains such as rice and oats can also be purchased organically, as can canola spread and peanut butter, but you will probably have to go to a health food store to find them. Most of the soy milks I'm familiar with are grown from organic soybeans. They are now available in most grocery stores.
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Now here's a plan. Do your shopping on Friday evening or Saturday morning. Slice and dice your vegetables for the first few day's menus. Make your soups, the stuffed peppers and the vegetarian chili over the weekend, or whatever your days off happen to be. You can freeze the stuffed peppers and take them out the morning of the day you plan to eat them. The soups and chili should keep fine in the refrigerator but can also be frozen, if you're more comfortable with that.
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This is just a sample plan and, as stated, not all the ingredients are totally unprocessed but it comes pretty close. Try it out if you're so inclined, or use it to develop your own ideas for more natural menus.
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*Biodynamic foods can be ordered from Spiritual Food for the New Millennium. Visit their website at www.biodynamicfood.net for more information, or refer to Cornucopia News, Issue No.3, August 1999
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This article is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this publication is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis and advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or health-care provider before starting any new diet or procedure involving your health. Prompt professional medical guidance is recommended for any health problem.