Sleepy. I feel sleepy. I ate some cooked food with the family yesterday when we went to Leku Ona for dinner. Jeff couldn't stop talking about the roasted peppers so we went to eat roasted peppers along with a slew of other cooked appetizers ~ like croquets! All of the food was delicious - but today I am feeling the remnants of my decision. I am one tired momma. My body seemed to digest it all well - and business as usual this morning - but I can definitely tell a difference in my energy level and my clarity of mind.
This week I have done a lot of milling over in my mind about being completely raw. The original plan was to be 75-80%. I have managed to be 100% (minus two ears of cooked corn and a bite of chocolate on Thursday night) up until yesterday and I have come to the conclusion that in the future I will maintain a 75-80% status. There are just too many things in life that I like to eat and I will be OK with that. For now - or for another 45 days I am going to do my best to be as close to 100% as possible.
It is not convenient to be raw. It takes a lot of work. And I am American afterall... I've been spoiled by convenience. I will take the time though - to spoil myself with love.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Raw Treat
I experimented and followed a recipe from Ani Phyo's Raw Dessert Cookbook. I've been eyeing multiple recipes from her book titled, Ani's Raw Food Essentials and decided to test one of her recipes. Making a raw dessert is NOT cheap ~ especially when you can't find alcohol free pure vanilla extract ~ and have to purchase whole vanilla bean ($11 for 2 beans). The cream base is composed of cashews, vanilla bean, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil and water. You can use lecithin as a thickener but I am also steering clear of soy and lecithin is a soy derivative. The
crust is made up of almond meal and moist dates. I used dates from the bulk bin that seemed to do the job - I just had to increase the qty to have more moisture and binding capability. ( I again did not have the patience to look for medjool dates)Lastly the strawberry topping consisted of strawberries and agave nectar. The dessert satisfied my sweet tooth. In fact - going almost two weeks without anything too sweet - a small slice was more than perfect. Te and Jeff both enjoyed it and we came to the conclusion that if you had a nut allergy it would be tough to be completely RAW.
I also experimented with another one of Ani's recipes. I whisked me up some teriyaki noodles. Noodles being zucchini spirals. Once I've been on this raw road for awhile there is no doubt I'll be able to come up with my own creative recipes. I know what I like to eat - it's a matter of figuring how to imply the flavor into a raw state. I do look forward to being able to incorporate grains again one day. And honestly I probably won't be a 100% raw all the time - just most of the time. I love ethnic food - mostly my momma's cooking and of course Japanese cuisine. I also like
Mexican and Chinese and it all comes in moderation. Paying attention to the innuendos of my body and listening.
crust is made up of almond meal and moist dates. I used dates from the bulk bin that seemed to do the job - I just had to increase the qty to have more moisture and binding capability. ( I again did not have the patience to look for medjool dates)Lastly the strawberry topping consisted of strawberries and agave nectar. The dessert satisfied my sweet tooth. In fact - going almost two weeks without anything too sweet - a small slice was more than perfect. Te and Jeff both enjoyed it and we came to the conclusion that if you had a nut allergy it would be tough to be completely RAW.
I also experimented with another one of Ani's recipes. I whisked me up some teriyaki noodles. Noodles being zucchini spirals. Once I've been on this raw road for awhile there is no doubt I'll be able to come up with my own creative recipes. I know what I like to eat - it's a matter of figuring how to imply the flavor into a raw state. I do look forward to being able to incorporate grains again one day. And honestly I probably won't be a 100% raw all the time - just most of the time. I love ethnic food - mostly my momma's cooking and of course Japanese cuisine. I also like
Mexican and Chinese and it all comes in moderation. Paying attention to the innuendos of my body and listening.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Raw BBQ
Sunday was a BBQ birthday bash for my brother-in-law. It was hosted at his sister-in-law's. Not everyone knows I've made the switch to raw and I obviously do not expect anyone to accommodate my current food choices. So - par for the course - I packed myself a meal to be certain I would have something to chew on, including pineapple for dessert. You cannot imagine my glee when it was time to eat once Mindy realized she forgot two salads in the fridge. When she set them on the counter one was coleslaw the other was a zucchini salad. I asked a handful of questions about the ingredients and learned only vinegar, herbs, and lemon & lime squeezes were used for flavoring. I filled my plate! I filled my plate with a watermelon wedge, some unbuttered corn on the cob (not raw I know), pickled cucumbers, purple cabbage coleslaw, and zucchini salad.
Around me everyone was eating pulled pork & beef, BBQ beans, cranberry jello salad, and more. On top of that there was a table full of desserts that included: cake pops, margarita cupcakes, pina colada cupcakes, peach cobbler, Reeses cake...the desserts went on and on. Funny thing is - I would of loved a piece of Reeses cake (I love PB & chocolate) - but I had absolutely no undying desire to break my routine. I don't even have to measure the difference between how I felt before and how I feel now. I am amazed by how much lighter I feel.
It is always par for the course that after we go out to eat we more often then not have to hurry home for Jeff to relieve himself. You see, Jeff has a very efficient metabolism, every time he eats he has to poo. When we got in the car to head home he was stinky, mind you. I was farty too - and the realization came that I don't stink! Eating clean means less bulk, less stink, less discomfort...
I started my Essiac routine finally about 4 days ago. It's a process since you have to brew it and can it. I had to make room in the fridge to fit 7 quart jars of tea. It's best kept refrigerated. It's a highly detoxifying tea. Next in line is learning to suck down the GotuKola/Holy Basil blend. I might have to add stevia just to get it down.
I had one of the best massages ever on Friday too. I have never had my face & scalp worked on and my chest has been in serious need of being worked out for years. I came out of the massage room tingling from the waist up since we didn't have time for my legs. It was great to feel the blood flow. She was so worth the drive to Nampa. I can't thank my friend Angela enough for the complimentary massage. Deborah was the best!
Around me everyone was eating pulled pork & beef, BBQ beans, cranberry jello salad, and more. On top of that there was a table full of desserts that included: cake pops, margarita cupcakes, pina colada cupcakes, peach cobbler, Reeses cake...the desserts went on and on. Funny thing is - I would of loved a piece of Reeses cake (I love PB & chocolate) - but I had absolutely no undying desire to break my routine. I don't even have to measure the difference between how I felt before and how I feel now. I am amazed by how much lighter I feel.
It is always par for the course that after we go out to eat we more often then not have to hurry home for Jeff to relieve himself. You see, Jeff has a very efficient metabolism, every time he eats he has to poo. When we got in the car to head home he was stinky, mind you. I was farty too - and the realization came that I don't stink! Eating clean means less bulk, less stink, less discomfort...
I started my Essiac routine finally about 4 days ago. It's a process since you have to brew it and can it. I had to make room in the fridge to fit 7 quart jars of tea. It's best kept refrigerated. It's a highly detoxifying tea. Next in line is learning to suck down the GotuKola/Holy Basil blend. I might have to add stevia just to get it down.
I had one of the best massages ever on Friday too. I have never had my face & scalp worked on and my chest has been in serious need of being worked out for years. I came out of the massage room tingling from the waist up since we didn't have time for my legs. It was great to feel the blood flow. She was so worth the drive to Nampa. I can't thank my friend Angela enough for the complimentary massage. Deborah was the best!
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Movement
So much for posting daily. My life is too chaotic and random Internet connections make for empty promises. I will just refrain from treading that road. Posts will come when posts will come.
No caffeine. No flesh. No dairy. No grains. No sugar. Eight days in and we're rocking and rolling this raw thing. My days consist of smoothies and spontaneous salad combinations. If I can - I shoot to get all my different therapeutic herbal teas down. Two more weeks and I will have my special tincture to add to my arsenal. Fortunate for me I am not a big meat eater. I AM a big coffee drinker and am now realizing big cheese-eating-kefir-drinking-loving fool. Kefir is still permitted on occasion because of it's kickass probiotic qualities buut I have a slight ache for cheese in my salads. I love stinky cheeses. With eating more mindfully I am again reverting to actually chewing and enjoying each bite like food should be. And imagine how delicious a bit of stinky cheese would be...
Up until Day 6/7 my daily movements were averaging about 1x per day. I knew there would be a shift in my bowels I just imagined they would be far more looser (sorry! With the amount of greens and berries I eat every day you would think I'd be working from the porcelain chair. Not the case. Still not the case - but it appears yesterday was the day when my body finally decided to "let 'er rip." Yea I was a little gassy and was letting them go, funny thing is, they don't stink. So no silent creepers now. Just loud odorless ones instead! My body it appears is finally eliminating, almost everyone time I sit on the pot there is movement. The great thing is - I am not running to the restroom for fear I'll mess my pants. I'm just eliminating and detoxifying regularly like I should be as I work towards homeostasis. Finally got the Essiac tea brewed up and canned. We'll see how these detoxifying herbs affect my body next.
I feel really quite good. No bloat, no edge of dehydration because all I want to do is drink coffee as my drink of choice...In fact I think my sinuses are less congested. Now contemplating how I will feel in another 7 days - even more clean and more pure? I bet.
No caffeine. No flesh. No dairy. No grains. No sugar. Eight days in and we're rocking and rolling this raw thing. My days consist of smoothies and spontaneous salad combinations. If I can - I shoot to get all my different therapeutic herbal teas down. Two more weeks and I will have my special tincture to add to my arsenal. Fortunate for me I am not a big meat eater. I AM a big coffee drinker and am now realizing big cheese-eating-kefir-drinking-loving fool. Kefir is still permitted on occasion because of it's kickass probiotic qualities buut I have a slight ache for cheese in my salads. I love stinky cheeses. With eating more mindfully I am again reverting to actually chewing and enjoying each bite like food should be. And imagine how delicious a bit of stinky cheese would be...
Up until Day 6/7 my daily movements were averaging about 1x per day. I knew there would be a shift in my bowels I just imagined they would be far more looser (sorry! With the amount of greens and berries I eat every day you would think I'd be working from the porcelain chair. Not the case. Still not the case - but it appears yesterday was the day when my body finally decided to "let 'er rip." Yea I was a little gassy and was letting them go, funny thing is, they don't stink. So no silent creepers now. Just loud odorless ones instead! My body it appears is finally eliminating, almost everyone time I sit on the pot there is movement. The great thing is - I am not running to the restroom for fear I'll mess my pants. I'm just eliminating and detoxifying regularly like I should be as I work towards homeostasis. Finally got the Essiac tea brewed up and canned. We'll see how these detoxifying herbs affect my body next.
I feel really quite good. No bloat, no edge of dehydration because all I want to do is drink coffee as my drink of choice...In fact I think my sinuses are less congested. Now contemplating how I will feel in another 7 days - even more clean and more pure? I bet.
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