Musings

So...I haven't yet left for my trip (I was supposed to leave 6 hrs ago >.<) so to pass the time I went through some of my other blog posts because I had forgotten a lot of the things I wrote. It's kinda like reading back through a journal and some of the things I said made me go "what?!" lol. I suspected they would though, since all of us are constantly changing, especially me (and my ideas). So I was reading one of my old posts where I said that I would "probably still eat molten chocolate lava cake once in awhile, because there was truly no raw version that could taste that good". The funny thing is, as of now I am not even craving that cake whatsoever! The thought of eating it just makes me cringe almost because my body can no longer easily handle that much sugar. I could probably take one bite and I'd be through. Now I'm sure that there is no raw version that would be exactly like the original, but why should it have to? When I break this down I think, "why do I want to eat molten chocolate lava cake?" and the answer is "chocolate!!!...and the compliment of ice cream on the side". Now, I've never been a huge ice cream fan (or dairy fan in general), so raw ice creams completely satisfy me. And I have seen some magnificent looking raw chocolate desserts which look even better than the lava cake. It's so funny how I hold on to certain cooked foods because somewhere deep down I feel like I need them, when really it's just the sugar addiction talking. On that note, I wanted to share another recipe from Russell James that looks to satisfy even the most rabid choco-holic.

Marbled Chocolate and Orange Tavoletta

For the crust

3/4c carob powder
1c almonds
1/2c dates
4T coconut butter
2t vanilla extract
2t cinnamon
1/4t salt

1. First process nuts, cinnamon, salt and carob powder into small crumbs.

2. Add dates, coco butter and vanilla extract and process again.

3. Press into the bottom of 9” square pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling.

Note: Before making this chocolate you should place the grated cacao butter in the dehydrator to melt. Alternatively you can melt it in a bowl over another bowl of hot water.

For the marbling

1c cashews
1T agave
1/4c coconut oil/butter
1/2c water
5T melted cacao butter

1. Mix all ingredients in a high power blender until completely smooth.

For the filling

2c cashews
1c orange juice
1T orange zest
2c cacao powder
1 1/2c grated cacao butter
2T vanilla
1c agave nectar

1. Mix the cashews, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and agave nectar in a vita-mix until smooth.

3. Add cacao butter and cacao powder, and blend again.

4. Pour chocolate mixture onto base and use a spatula to achieve a level surface.

5. Drizzle the marbling mixture over the top in lines using a plastic bottle or a spoon. Drag a toothpick across the top to create the marble effect.

I realize that I share a lot of dessert recipes...but hey, can ya blame me?!

Something delish!

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Bryce Canyon! We're gonna be there 2 days and have fun camping, hiking, taking pictures, all that fun stuff. I've never actually been there even though I live only about 4 hours away. I'll probably burn horribly, lol. Anyways, I thought I'd post a yummy recipe before I leave so that I can dream about making it when I get back. This trip is going to be tricky food wise, but I'm gonna make sure I have plenty of fresh fruit on hand, and maybe a couple pre-made salads. Still, I'm afraid the hotdogs and s'mores are gonna do me in! Must...resist...chocolate... Actually, my chocolate cravings are once again diminishing, because I find that carob completely satisfies me. So maybe it won't be as bad as I think. I've heard of such things as travel blenders that come with a cup so it's possible to have fresh smoothies on the road. Is that going too far?

Oh, I also wanted to share how excited I am over my new game Wii Fit. It's so fun, and cheaper than a gym membership (if you're lazy like me and don't like to leave the house much). You can do yoga, strength training, cardio, and balance exercises. It also keeps track of your weight and BMI, and helps you set goals. I'm going to play with it for a month and see if I improve any. Wii Sports is also very fun to play, and you can actually break a sweat if you get into it. I know it's hard to find a Wii, but it's worth it, even if one just uses it to improve their health! I am also doing my yoga dvds which I have been neglecting for far too long. I can't wait to feel like my spine is flexible and healthy again!

I found this recipe from The Daily Raw Cafe. It looks so unique and yummy!! This would be perfect as a dip for veggies, or if you're like me and love love love peas, you could probably just eat it with a spoon!

Sweet Pea Guacamole
3 cups fresh peas (or use a 20 ounce package of organic frozen peas, rinsed, defrosted and patted dry)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of one lime
sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 Place peas, onion, jalapeno and garlic in food processor. Process until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.

2 Transfer into a bowl, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

3 Season with sea salt and pepper.

It's been too long!

Oy vey! I know I should update my blog more but I haven't had much to say lately! Well, I should have lots to say, but I wait so long to write that I forget everything that was interesting to talk about!

So, it's been almost (1 month shy or so) a year since I first decided to try raw, and I must say that I have learned sooooo much not only about the lifestyle but about myself. I've been on a few months, off a few months, but overall I'd say this year has been about half raw, half not. I know I shouldn't get down on myself though, because I was transitioning from a fullblown SAD diet, junk food and fast food every day, to a raw vegan diet. Hello, that transition is going to be hard! The more I read about the raw diet the more people I read about who have had the same challenges. In fact, I read about 1 person who took 5 years to transition to raw. This makes me feel so much better in knowing that I don't have to be perfect, just keep trying! I may not eat the healthiest on the planet, but I certainly eat light years healthier than I did a year ago. I've come to learn that the raw diet is not a destination, it's a journey, and even if I were to master the eating part it may still take years for me to embrace it emotionally.

Lately I've been doing the best I can with making good choices, and it's funny because instead of telling myself "I'm gonna eat 100% raw, or 90% raw today" I just eat what I want, and many times I do end up eating 100%. But I've decided we live in a very complicated world, that offers many yummy tasting foods, and that most things should be taken in moderation, and some things avoided completely. My goal is to get to the point where I don't have to consciously think about what I am eating, just eat what I want - and have these "wants" be the healthiest foods. Every day is a journey! I've also decided that I am not going to weigh myself or measure myself except in monthly increments. I don't want my life to revolve around my scale. In fact, I don't even want to really know how much I weigh because I don't want it to even to be an issue. Someday I will get to this point!

So anyway, enough with my blather. I found this recipe from Russell James who happens to be an amazing raw food chef. If you go to the link it will take you to his blog, and you can even sign up for his newsletter for even more delish stuff. The recipe is kinda complex, but it looks soooo worth it - just take a look at that pic!

Pomegranate Cheesecake with Clementine Gelato

For the base

1c cashews
2T agave
1/4c coconut oil
2t vanilla extract
¼t salt
2t lemon juice

• First process cashews to flour.

• Add remaining ingredients and process again.

• Press into the bottom of 9” springform pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling.

For the filling

3c cashews, soaked
1c coconut oil
1/2c lemon juice
2T vanilla extract
1/2t salt
3/4c agave
1 1/2c pomegranate juice
1/2c beetroot juice (optional, just for colour)

• Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

• Pour on top of the base.

• Place in the freezer to set. Once it’s set, the cheesecake can be moved to, and stored in, the fridge until ready to eat.

For the Clementine Gelato

2c cashews
½c coconut butter/oil
¼c agave nectar
1t vanilla extract
1c almond milk*
1c clementine juice
2t clementine zest
Pinch salt

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

• Pour mixture into a rectangular container and place in the freezer to set.

*Almond milk is made by blending 1c of almonds with 3c of water, and straining through a nut milk bag or sieve.

Something is happening to me

Yes, something strange is happening to me and I don't really know how to explain it. I was thinking about all the horrible things going on in Darfur right now, and how much crap is going on in the world today. I know that I really shouldn't dwell on the negative all the time, and I know that all I can do is make a little difference, but I know that if we all made a "little difference" then we'd make a big difference, especially if we stopped caring less about celebrities and more about our worldwide brothers and sisters who are in danger. Now, I really don't think society is so far gone that we just don't care about these things happening, I just feel like we don't know what we can do about them, and we have our own busy lives to worry about, our own families, our own sets of problems. Lately I have been likening this to the way we treat our bodies, and the responsibility we should take for our own health. I think that it's easy to chalk it up to everyone just not caring, but really, we do care, even if we don't realize it until we are sick. I think that the main problem is that we just don't know what we can do, we don't know how to change our habits, and we have been so indoctrinated by people who care more about the bottom line than they do our health, that we believe what we are told and have these total misconstrued ideas about health and nutrition.

So, like I was saying, I feel like something is happening to me, and I can't stop it. The more I try to deny or ignore the things I've been learning the more sensible and apparent they become. The more I learn the more I see around me, and the more I worry about those who wonder why they are sick, and just don't know enough about what they can do to heal themselves without taking truckloads of meds. Tonight I was reading a book, New Choices in Natural Healing, and it was talking about how heart disease is really a 20th century disease. It quoted Thomas Edison as saying "the doctor of the future will give no medicines but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause of disease". Even Hippocrates said "let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". As I'm reading this book I'm getting this burning feeling in my chest, like my heart is so full and wanting to burst out of there! I know it was the Spirit talking to me and finally giving me answers to my prayers as to what I should do with my life. I want to educate people and help them. I want them to be able to see past what they think they know, and give them facts. I want to shout it from the rooftops, it's that important! And I know that the 1st step is making sure that I have my own life in order, so that I can be an example, and practice what I preach.

Ok, so enough about me and my blabbering for today. I'll try update soon! Ta-ta for now.

Summer = Produce Heaven

I went to Macys foodstore this weekend, and yipee!! I am starting to see the first beginnings of summer based on the beautiful produce on display and the beautiful prices as well >;). Giant avocados, 4 for 5 dollars! Giant juicy pears, perfect tomatoes, giant pineapples...yum yum. The only drawback is...they're not...organic :*(. Now, it used to be that I got really hung up on this, because I know most raw foodists will absolutely not eat anything non-organic, but you know, I think that eating more fruits and veggies, even if they aren't organic, is still better than not. Don't get me wrong, I believe all the hype against the pesticides that are used, and I'd love to grow my own garden as soon as I can get some land, but until then I'm not going to stress over it. If the kicker is that I won't eat raw because I can't afford organic, then I won't buy organic. Still, I have found some great, cheaper organic foods that are worth the extra 10 cents per pound or so, including apples, bananas, spinach, lettuce, and sprouts. I have heard that organic broccoli is pretty cheap too, so I'll look into it.

Thankfully I live near peach country, where the hugest, most beautiful, tastiest, juiciest, most scrumptious peaches I've ever eaten are grown. This summer I am buying a box full! And I'll eat them all myself! There are also local farmers around here that grow cherries, one of my faves. I am doing what I can to find a farmer's market around here, because summer is really a raw foodists happy time (if you're like me where summer is actually a season, not a way of life). I'm sorry that I get into raptures over produce, lol. Speaking of it, I'm gonna go buy me some, and then bask in the sun...sounds like a satisfying Saturday to me :). Adios for now!

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.

New Recipes!

These past few days have been good! It's easy to eat healthy when there is a lot of healthy food in the house, but easy to eat badly when there is bad food. So I made a goal to use every last drop of the good food I have because I don't want to waste any. Also, I want to show Austin that I'm serious about it and will use it, because if I show him that it's something I'll stick with then he'll be more apt to agree that we buy a VitaMix, hehe. I also finished my recipe book! Of course it's just a fraction of the recipes out there, with all the books and online recipes, but I wanted to make something that I could share w/friends and family in case they ever want some healthy alternatives. Well, I'm almost positive now that I am indeed lactose intolerant, because I haven't eaten dairy in days, and my bloaty, gassy symptoms stopped. I was never a big dairy person in the first place, and now I think it will help me avoid things like cheese. Plus, I think that giving the excuse of "I'm lactose intolerant" when declining dairy is more acceptable than "I'm a raw foodist" lol. So I read something ironic today, along the lines of my last post. As I was coming to terms with the fact that I'll never have a figure like Nicole Kidman's, I read in a magazine that she's "wanted Marilyn Monroe curves her whole life". I guess it's true for all of us, even celebrities, that we only want what we can't have. I am for sure making my pizza bread tonight, finally! I also found this recipe for raw veggie pizza with a nut based crust that looks way good, so I'll make it soon and share it.

So the other day by accident I made a shake that tasted just like an Orange Julius! It was sooo good. I also made some chocolate pudding, and some raw spaghetti!:

Orange Julius

half a banana
juice from 2 oranges
8 oz almond milk, or vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using van alm milk)
ice

It comes out very nice and frothy, just like a "real" orange julius. Scrumdidlyumptious!

Chocolate Pudding

1 avocado
1/4 C carob powder
squirt of agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
water to blend

Ok, so I just put all this in a blender, adding water as I went...but...I'm pretty sure this recipe would be TONS yummier if instead of water I used almond milk, and used an electric mixer to make it creamier instead of my crappy blender. I could also substitute cacao powder instead of carob, but for me, that would be way too chocolaty.

It doesn't look very creamy but that's my blender's fault.




Raw Spaghetti

sauce:
1 tomato
dash of oragano
dash of garlic powder
drizzle of olive oil

noodles:
zucchini strips

Just pour sauce on top and eat! I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a huge fan of zucchini, so I didn't eat much of this. I am thinking of trying butternut squash next time instead. The sauce was good though.

Recipe book

I have amassed so many recipes online that I've decided I'm going to make my own, personal raw food recipe book! I figure I'll have around 30 recipes or so, and I can put them in a 3 ring binder so that I can continue to add to it. All the recipes I've found are free and are just shared throughout the world wide web, so if there is anyone who is interested in getting a copy of my book just let me know and I'll print you a copy for free (when it's done of course, which may take awhile, who knows!)!

I also recommend Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food as that has many, many great recipes!

Update!! NO more diets!!

Ok, it has been TOO long since I've written, what is wrong with me? Well, the 100% raw challenge hasn't gone super well...I've been about 60-80%...but, I learned something about myself. Well it's pretty obvious to me that I'm an emotional eater, but I never realized how much so. First of all, I really need to stop the whole "diet" mentality, it's what causes me to fail every time. I thought that I was strong enough to do the raw challenge for 30 days, but I realized that once I start to challenge my body it challenges me right back...and it always wins! The stupid thing is that it's all in my head too. I know that if I just told myself "ok, you can eat whatever you want for 30 days" then I'd probably choose yummy raw things that I love and know are good for me. But if I tell myself "ok, you are only going to eat 100% raw foods every day" then those cravings start to pop up, and I slip. So ya know what? NO MORE DIETS FOR ME! Forever!!!!!! From now on, I'm taking the knowledge I've gained (and hope to gain lots more continually) and I'm just going to make the healthiest choices in regards to what I put in my body. Since I believe that raw foods are the best for me, I will be eating mostly them. I realize now that eating raw foods is not a "diet", but an ideal, a lifestyle. It's a conscious choice, every day, to nourish my body in every way. Since today is March 1st, and I just got back from grocery shopping, I'm going to get my mentality back on track, and start to eat as healthy as I possibly can, because I love my body, and I'm grateful for it. I've found that when I'm tempted to hurt my body, if I repeat this phrase - "my body is a gift" - over and over I feel better, and I realize the truth of it.

On a different note, it's almost spring, and that makes me want to jump for joy. It rained today, and I didn't even mind it - I like rain. But then it turned to snow...BLAH! Oh well, it was 50 degrees there for awhile, and that is warm, so I can't complain!

Well, I said that I would post my measurements for March 1st, and I'd better do it. I hope I haven't done too much damage these past 2 weeks! My digital camera is stupidly dead (again!) so I can't take a picture, but I'll try to post one soon. I'm only going to measure the parts of me that matter, however, because some things like my neck, wrists, ankles...those aren't going to change, lol.

Bust - 40 3/4 - 3/4 gain
under - 34 - same
Waist - 34 1/2 - 1 3/4 in. loss
Hips - 40 - 3/4 gain
Butt - 39 3/4 - 1/4 gain
Thigh - 18 - 1 1/2 in. loss
Calf - 15 - same
Bicep - 11 - same

Ok so overall, since Feb 1st, I lost 1 1/2 inches, lol. Weird how I gained on some parts and lost on other parts? I am hoping that by Austin's birthday, May 6th, I will be a lot closer to my ideal size, because I want to look good for him! I have finally embraced my body shape, and I realize that I'll never be a statuesque beauty like Nicole Kidman or Uma Thurman, it's just ain't happening. I think it's ok to be short and curvy! Look at Salma Hayek, she looks dang good! She's 5'2", and will always be voluptuous. She happens to have around the same body type as me, with bigger than average hips and bosoms for her height.












I only wish I could look that good someday! But with my own face :P. Ya know, I'm sick of thinking that I "shouldn't" wear this or that, because I'm too chubby, or my legs are too muscular, etc...I've decided that I just don't care anymore! As long as I'm healthy I am going to wear what I want, what I think looks cute, because I like the clothes more than what the clothes look like on me. I'll never be a supermodel, but why should I have to miss out on wearing cute things just because they might not look AS good on me? It's stupid! I'd still only wear what is flattering though, no tube tops or anything crazy, lol. I've realized that I can only be what I am - nothing more, nothing less. Here's to women of every shape and size embracing their unique bodies! Cheers!

The REAL Day 2 of raw challenge!!

Wowzers, tonight I made the raw burritos from the video that's posted on this blog, and they were seriously so good I ate 4 of them!! I modified the salsa to my liking though, using just tomatoes, a bit of onion (I am slowly trying to learn to like them raw), and fresh parsley. I've decided parsley is a great alternative if you hate cilantro (like me). It gives food a nice flavor, reminicent of cilantro, but without the overpowering blast of kick in the face. I also used some black olives (which aren't really raw but oh well), and the mock cheese from the video (the miso makes it tasty!) and wrapped all it up in a giant romaine leaf (didn't use the cabbage). Mmm scrumptious! The only thing that would have made them better would be to add guacamole, and I couldn't because my avos aren't ripe. I've had some bad luck with avocados lately - either they're too ripe and nasty or too hard and green! These burritos were so good that I actually am FULL from them! I haven't really had that "full" feeling at all since I've been eating raw, but tonight it was like I ate too much before I realized how full I was, and then it hit me! Still, feeling full on veggies isn't such a crime eh?

So, I've been 100% raw (besides the olives and miso but seriously...i'm not THAT obsessive) for 2 days now, and I can tell you that I certainly feel a difference between being 100% and 90%. I wouldn't think that 10% makes a difference, but I have more energy than I did in January. I also have less cravings. Er..make that NO cravings, really...except for raw pizza! I want to start my dough but I haven't yet! It's amazing, so I'll see how I feel after 30 days and modify my diet accordingly. Today's fixins were:

apple
2 bananas
5 cookies
4 raw burritos

It doesn't seem like much but I ate a lot of nuts today, which are very filling, and I don't feel deprived of food at all.

Also, I shared some of my raw cookies with some co-workers and they ALL liked them! It was amazing, I felt so proud, lol. I feel sooo much happier today, which is a complete contrast to this past weekend. Oh, and I also resisted getting anything from Taco Bell when hubby stopped there, even though I was very tempted to buy some pinto beans in a cup to add to my burritos. I am happier now knowing that I stuck with 100% raw today. Well, more tomorrow!