It's been forever !!

Wow, it's been almost 2 months since I've written, I feel horrible!

To tell the truth, I'm still in the process of transitioning to raw, I am hitting some speed bumps on the road to health if you will. As of May 1st I have gone raw once again, and I feel better in 2 days than I have in 2 months! Despite my shortcomings, however, I have learned so much about myself, and really why I am doing this whole raw food thing anyway. I've been thinking too hard, trying to hard to be perfect, and stressing too hard over recipes! It's really easy to get caught up in the excitement of raw food, and want to create perfect, gourmet raw dishes that have an ingredients list a mile long, some of which are hard to find. I think I was starting to get caught up in this, and I couldn't see how easy it was just to modify a recipe to what I had in the house, or just enjoy something simple, like a tomato, just for the sake of it. Eating raw is so EASY, but I was making it hard!

Well, on August 1st or so, it will be the first year anniversary of me really trying out the raw food lifestyle. I hope that by then I can be fully transitioned, but if I can't, I'll keep trying. The other day, I realized something profound as I was biting into a beautiful, juicy ripe strawberry. In actuality, a perfectly ripe strawberry tastes better than pizza, it really does! The taste is sweet and yummy, it fills me with sunshine, and makes me feel light and happy. Now, when I take a bite of a piece of pizza, the addictive elements of the food go straight to my brain, and make me think "ooh this is really yummy I need more...MORE!" But in actuality, it makes me feel sluggish, fills me with grease, and makes my stomach upset and heavy. And when I break it down, I don't like cheese, bread, or tomatoes more than I like a strawberry, but it's the combination of those processed foods, the grease, the animal fats, and other addictive substances that make me believe I like it more. Food is so psychological, I really need to get to the bottom of this when it comes to me! I'm thinking of a juice fast, but I think that will come later, once I can get in solid comfort with my raw diet. I am at the point again where I'm really starting to crave fresh fruits and veggies...I dream about them!

I wonder, those who eat raw say that they look and feel younger...why is this? I have felt this way too, and I have a theory about why it works for me.

Eating raw reminds me of sunshine.
Sunshine reminds me of California.
California reminds me of my childhood.
Therefore, eating raw makes me feel younger! :)

I wonder if feeling younger inside translates to looking younger in my face?

So, last pondering of the day before I share a recipe. God has blessed me so much lately, and he's given me answers. Since I was 14 years old I've pondered the question "what I am supposed to do with my life?", and in the past 2 weeks I've gotten my answer. I understand now why I didn't get it right away, why He didn't just send down a little sticky note from heaven saying, "here is exactly what you need to do!" as soon as I asked. God knew that I had a lot of discoveries to make in regards to my body and my health, and He waited until I knew that it was right before he showed me what would make my life rewarding. I have decided that I am going to do a double major, in Health Promotion, and Art. The Art so I can become better, for myself, and do it on the side because I love it and it's a huge part of who I am...and the Health Promotion and Education so that I can make a difference by helping others make good health/food choices. I'd love to study nutrition as well. I would love to work with children, because the problem with obesity is effecting younger and younger generations. I would also love to work with prenatal care, and educating pregnant women on making the best food choices for their babies. I came to this conclusion one day as I was waiting for my husband outside the pizza place that he works at. They have an all-you-can-eat buffet there, and I saw a family with 2 overweight parents, and an overweight, sweet little girl walk in. I've never been so effected by my choice of health education as I was at that moment, because I realized that little girl was not there because she necessarily chose it, but because her parents maybe didn't know better. To think that the habits she is learning may lead to such diseases as juvenile diabetes or goodness knows what else, breaks my heart. I feel so much better now that I have a goal, and I really feel like I've found my calling. I know God answers prayers...I know that.

So, here is a great recipe that I found on the Raw Food Cafe (link on the left) that looks so yummy. I happen to have the ingredients too, I'm making it for lunch!!

Avocado Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cashews
juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 head Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 ripe avocados, cut into small cubes

1 Combine oil, cashews, lime juice, agave nectar and cumin in a blender. Process until cashews are smooth and creamy. If needed, use water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time

to reach desired consistency.

2 Combine the lettuce and cilantro with the dressing in a large bowl. Top with the avocado pieces.