Raw, Vegan, Simple?

I've been thinking a lot about food and nutrition. This I think is in part due to the fact that I'm attempting to be healthier and get vitamins and minerals directly from my diet and not have to add in supplements etc (check out this website: http://whfoods.com) also partially due to looking at my kids and seeing what bad nutrition they have! When I was in India, a nurse told me that the poor are often chronically constipated due to the lack of fiber in their diet. When I look at my kids' eating habits I know that must be true! So I've been thinking of creative ways that we can encourage healthy eating, get them to try new foods, and make sure that at least one meal a week (which they eat with us) is both inexpensive (for us) and nutritious. Thus far we've put our own toppings on frozen pizza, made spaghetti, and made breakfast casserole with potatoes and eggs and some veggies. I'm thinking about doing a garden with the kids... but we'll see if we can pull it off.

The thing I'm worried about and thinking about specifically is that I've been doing a lot of reading about the raw food diet. Some people think this is a fad, some don't. The really ironic thing about the diet, whether you agree with it or not is the fact that almost all of the foods require some type of gadget--food processor, juicer, dehydrator--ridiculous! Proponents of the "Raw Food Revolution" say that this type of diet has been around for millions of years and that we're the only animal that cooks their food. But apparently on this diet we're the only animals that will spend 100's of dollars on kitchen gadgets in order to get enough calories and nutrients. Crazy I think. Though I have to admit, I am going raw one day a week for health and fitness reasons, and looking at the recipes the raw carrot cake looks awfully tempting. This idea that we can eat whatever mock foods as long as they are raw sounds awesome. That is if I had a spare 100 bucks and an extra 2-3 hours a day. For now, I'm sticking with our local Mexican owned grocery, incorporating some organic sprouted grains (from which I make bread), and trying to start this garden.