Its Do or Die Time

I’m at my highest non-pregnancy weight ever… 160 lbs.  I have no energy.  I’m pretty pooped and irritable all the time.  I don’t feel good about my body.  I’m pissed at myself for getting this big.  I know I could look smoking hot if I could just get the discipline and eat raw and work out!

I think I might be there.  I know that raw is the solution.  People eat this way every day and they THRIVE!  They live beautiful lives.  They don’t starve.

Here’s the game plan for tomorrow.  Its going to be a busy day, so hopefully I’ll be able to do what I intend which is to eat all raw until dinner.  Not sure what dinner will be yet.  Probably Raw corn chowder…

Upon rising: Lemon Water

Breakfast (8:00am): Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal (courtesy of Ani Phyo… this is a raw oatmeal using raw oat groats.  Its pretty dang good.  I’ve had it before.  I’ll be using up a few of my really raw almonds that I bought a while back…)

Lemon water

Snack: Green smoothie… haven’t had one of those in a looooooong time

Lunch: Giant salad with some kind of homemade dressing

Lemon water

Snack: Nuts… maybe I will make these or these if I can bring myself to spend waaaay too much money on Nutiva Coconut Oil (the best cheap coconut oil out there that isn’t coconut butter like the delectable Artisana which I’m going to eat STRAIGHT from the jar for a snack tomorrow instead of my smoothie I think…)

Dinner: Raw corn chowder, also courtesy of Ani Phyo.  The fam will have some kind of meat, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Okay, the baby woke up.  More tomorrow.

Dessert Mylk- OMG!!!

Any Phyo is a GENIUS!  I made Prailine Mylk from her book tonight.  It will be gone before I go to bed tonight.  Here’s the recipe:

1/2 c pecans

1/2 dates

1/2 vanilla bean

pinch of salt

1 T. coconut oil

3 c water (she says 5, but I like a creamier mylk)

Blend and strain.  What am I going to do?  This stuff is frakking incredible!!

Raw Snobs and how…

they keep me from becoming a raw foodist.

Most raw foodists that I encounter are awesome, incredible people. They care about health. They care about people and they care about the planet. Most raw foodist could care less about how much raw food you have to eat to call yourself “raw” or a “raw foodist.” The general consensus seems to be that you need to eat at least 75% raw to call yourself a raw foodist. Hooray then! That would be me.

And then, there are the raw snobs. They are the folks who seem to take great pride in the label “raw” and berate anyone who doesn’t eat 100%. I hear lots of the following:

“Don’t say this diet doesn’t work for you if you don’t eat 100%”.

“If you’re not 100%, you’re not raw”

“OMG, raw cashews aren’t really raw! Raw agave isn’t really raw! You can’t eat those things!”

“Cooked food is not allowed in our house.”

That kind of stuff drives me crazy and I think it keeps me from going raw. Its silly, I know… but ANY amount of increase in raw foods is going to help you. It may not make you a “healing junkie”. It may not make you a supermodel. It may not lower your cholesterol to zero… but it will give you more energy. It will help you drop pounds depending on what you cut out. It will help the planet.

In other words, there are benefits to increasing your amount of raw foods without going 100%.

And lets face it- the 100% raw lifestyle is expensive! Raw products are expensive. Its a fact that raw agave is more expensive then regular agave. Raw nuts are more expensive then roasted nuts. Making raw nutmilk is more expensive then drinking the stuff in the box. Organic bananas are significantly more expensive then their conventional counterparts. I straight up can’t afford to be 100% raw, but I feel guilty even thinking about buying conventional agave or almond milk in a box (although I tried it today for the first time and it was goooood!).

Who knows? Maybe this frustration is more about me. Maybe I’m the one who is obsessed with labels. IMHO, cutting dairy and eggs out of my diet is just as important if not MORE important then what percentage of raw food it is that I’m consuming… but if I buy almond milk, then I’m not really raw!! (Just kidding). But who the frak cares?

In the end, I have to ask myself the all-important question: What is my intention? Is my intention to be 100% raw so I can say I’m a raw foodist? I sure hope not. What an empty pursuit. Is my intention to gain optimum health and to change the way my family eats so that we can decrease our risk of all kinds of disease? Absolutely! Is my intention to tread more lightly on the planet? Heck yeah!

Okay, that’s enough ranting and raving for now. I think I’ll stay away from snobby raw food sites and stick with the ones that are encouraging and cool.

Pesto Broccoli Slaw

Okay, this is my new favorite food.  In the back of Kris Carr’s AMAZING book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips (a fabulous book, even for those of us who don’t have cancer), she has put some recipes, one of which being pesto.  Now, pesto is pretty much pesto- basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese if you’re not vegan.  But Kris recommends putting some lime juice in there.  I made up a batch the other day with the lime and it is delicious!!

I’m a fan of raw pesto only and I generally can’t stand it on pasta, so I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.  I found a big bag of “broccoli slaw” at Trader Joe’s the other day.  Its basically a bag of shredded broccoli and carrots.  I put some pesto on that along with some fresh cracked black pepper on top.  Amazing!  Delicious!  Filling!  I’m in love!!

More Craigslist Drama

Okay, so the Vita Mix I found on Craigslist that I assumed had sold because I never heard back from the girl… well, its back!  Its almost double the price, but its back… AND I WANT IT!!  What a perfect way to start my green smoothie challenge.  I hope DH lets me get it.  Wish me luck!!  Seriously!!

Green Smoothie Challenge!!

I’ve joined The Raw Divas “Green Smoothie Challenge.”  I’m a bit light on the details, but I DO know that I’ll be drinking A LOT of greens for three days straight.  I guess I’ll have to postpone my Costco trip until I get the recipes.  I can’t wait!!

Craigslist is Bad for Raw Wannabes Too

So, I’m hoping to get a Vita Mix this afternoon for $80!!  I put the call in, so hopefully she’ll call back.  It doesn’t have a lid, but for $80, who cares??!!  I’ll get the lid on ebay or hold a towel over the top.  Say a prayer!  This is an INCREDIBLE deal!

Tomorrow’s Prospective Menu

Breakfast- Green Juice

Snack- Raw nuts and a green smoothie to go on our way to the Farmer’s Market and playgroup

Lunch- BIG green salad, Flax Crackers, Dill Dip and cut veggies

Snack- Some kind of fruit

Dinner- Hmmm…. Not sure about this one.  I may do some quinoa topped with a tomato sauce of some kind and some veggies.  I found this recipe earlier that looked good:

ITALIAN RED

3 vine ripened med. to lg. tomatoes

1 red bell pepper

4 oz.  or 1/2 c fresh basil, loosely packed
(I just used maybe 3 tbsp dry)

2 long stems of oregano de stemmed
(I used 1 tsp dry)

1 TBSP fresh rosemary

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 big cloves garlic crushed

A generous quantity ground black pepper

1/4 good sized jalapeno
(left it out this time but will try later)

1 tsp sea salt

1 c sun dried tomatoes-throw in dry

1 tsp onion powder

8 dates

1 tbs soy sauce (I use Braggs liquid aminos)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth.

Looks good.  I’ll probably use half the dates, but I think the sauce will be quite tasty.  Juicing is leaving me with less of a taste for sweets which is a very good thing indeed.

What Is the Secret?

I have a hunch that eating a mostly raw or 100% raw diet is to not make a big deal out of it. I think the secret is just doing it. I woke up this morning thinking that I wanted oatmeal or toast for breakfast, but I had determined in my mind last night that I would try to eat as much raw food as possible today. I did have my coffee, but I couldn’t even finish the cup. It just didn’t taste all that great to me. I made my juice again (the recipe is below) and I’m really loving it. My daughter loves it too. Can I do a happy dance now?

I made Tanja’s flax crackers yesterday and intend to make her creamy dill dip today to go with them. I’m not at all a fan of flax cracker aftertaste, but I’m thinking that those crackers, combined with the dip and maybe topped with a tomato or cuke will make a nice lunch or addition to the giant salad I intend to make.

I really think just doing it and not making a big production out of it may make a big difference for me. Last time, I talked it to death with my friends. I blogged about it on Raw Food Talk. I became obsessed with raw food and made others sick and tired of hearing about it. Not this time. This time, I’ll work at adding great foods in (like my juice in the morning) and eat quietly.

Oh, and I have to just say one more thing about my daughter- she LOVES my nut cheeses and dips, so if I end up not liking it, she eats it for me. LOVE THAT! I’ll make a vegan out of her yet. She doesn’t like dairy anyway, but she loves meat, so that makes me sad :-(. But, yay for her anyway!

I’m Juiced!

Inspired by Kris Carr’s new forum “Crazy Sexy Life” where she’s listed her morning juice recipe, I decided  to create my own morning juice.  This morning’s concoction was delicious:

1 Head Romaine

1.5 apples

1 lemon

1 stalk kale

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1/4 beet

I put all those through my Lexen Healthy Juicer and voila!  Delicious, detoxifying juice that even my 18 month old loves!