What This "Raw Vegan" Eats

This Is Our Last Good-Bye

2010-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone -

This will be my last post on "What This 'Raw Vegan' Eats." This has been a roller coaster of a ride. What started out as a blog to document my daily diet as a high-raw vegan has transitioned into an account of my diet as a local, organic, whole food kinda thing... very far away from vegan, though I'm still incorporating a lot of the raw. I am quite thankful to those who have inspired me along the way, especially when it came to listening to my body and doing what was right in the moment.

To stay in touch and learn more about my journey with food, tune into Sweet Peas Podcast at http://ritefoodandcompany.com/Podcast/index.html.

Thanks to everyone for reading.

Love,
Lisa Marie

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-02-22T20:19:00.003-05:00

What are the signs that an old habit is ready to be let go? Do you recognize the signs and abide them? Or do you try to ignore them and hope they'll go away? Change can suck. But sometimes not changing can suck even more.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 142

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate and Frank's Finest Cosmic Chai with raw cream and stevia
cup of Spicy Herbal Blend (my own concoction of rooibos, carob pods, cinnamon, and stevia... I think) tea; one of my Salvaged Brownies (chocolate candy-making nightmare that was saved by inventing another recipe)
handful of corn and flax chips; Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
cup of Chaga brew
cup of cold horsetail and nettle tea
big green salad (mixed greens, yellow bell pepper, cucumbers, black pepper, balsamic vinaigrette); bowl of Beatrix Potter Soup (cannellini beans, carrots, celery, onions, leeks, mushrooms, water, Bell's Seasoning, black pepper, sea salt) ladled over brown rice and raw butter; two Salvaged Brownies; spring water
spring water

Today's Observations
Weird food day. Was really thirsty today and not hungry so much. Hmm.

Hot-Headed

2010-02-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

I had a dream that I was standing alone in the middle of a forest of birches. The animals were all making a ton of racket. I stood there with my hands over my ears. "Quiet! Damn!" The animals quieted down. The forest got unbelievably silent. I closed my eyes to listen. The Divine filled the middle of my head with a hot white light and spoke: "The chaga has been put here at this time for a reason. It eats all the viruses the humans have created and uses them for nutrition. When we consume the chaga, we have the antibodies it has created for us."

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 141

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, walnuts, sesame seeds, chia seeds, dried apricots, raisins, cinnamon, ginger powder, homemade raw goat's milk kefir, honey)
small cup of Chaga Brew; few pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
lunch out at a salad bar (big salad with various veggies and 2 boiled eggs); bottle of spring water; Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
baked acorn squash with raw butter; brown rice with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; Veggie Frittata (eggs, raw goat's milk kefir, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, Tabasco, black pepper, sea salt); spring water
cup of hot Thai tea; 2 pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates

Today's Observations
Gotta spend some time re-evaluating my relationship to sweet foods.

Stupid Dream

2010-02-18T08:10:00.007-05:00

Sometimes your dreams are stupid. And that's o.k.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 140

cup of spring water
bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, raisins, chia seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, homemade raw goat's milk kefir, honey)
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
few pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
small cup of Chaga Brew
cup of hot ginger and mint tea with honey; samples from teaching a friend of mine how to make raw vegan food (nut cheese; salsa; blueberry-raspberry sorbet; zucchini hummus)
take-out from Thai Dish: 2 fresh veggie spring rolls; 1/2 portion of veggie Pad Thai with tofu and extra veggies (though I ended up giving half my tofu to Jim); spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia

Today's Observations
GREAT day listening to my body's portion needs today. Really feel good.

I'm So Excited!

2010-02-17T08:22:00.007-05:00

How often to you say, "YES!" to the idea of preparing food or consuming food? Folks, we gotta get a little more thrilled about what's going into our bodies. What we put into it is what we get out of it. I mean, if you're looking for survival, then just eat. But if you're looking to thrive, then let's hear some excitement!

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 139

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
2 pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
big bowl of leftover Vegetable Soup (water, tomatoes, purple cabbage, onions, sweet potato, broccoli, honey, curry powder, garam masala, black pepper) with a bit of raw butter
small cup of Jim's Coffee Smoothie (espresso, Chaga Brew, spring water, ice, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, sprouts, oats, lucuma, maca, cacao powder... I think this is everything...)
sips of spring water; chocolate-covered caramel (BUZZ!)
baked Carola potatoes from Maine with raw butter, homemade raw goat's milk chevre, black pepper, and sea salt; baked onion; kale salad (kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, sea salt); spring water; more of my chocolates

Today's Observations
OK. I don't think Lisa Marie should be doing the coffee. I had that coffee smoothie and that chocolate-covered caramel back-to-back and my skin was literally CRAWLING! LOL! So funny. Good lesson though. Yeesh.

Streaming Thoughts

2010-02-16T04:54:00.009-05:00

There is so much freedom in thinking that our lives, our food choices, our friends... everything... is all on a continuum. If we get too attached to one way of thinking, to one idea, to one person, then we tend to lose the plot. Stay in the flow and keep it moving all downstream, as Esther Hicks/Abraham would say. Life is so much more fun when it's easy.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 138

cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
cup of spring water
2 pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
apple slices dipped in tahini
2 pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
1/2 of a baked Delicata squash with homemade raw goat's milk chevre
cup of Chaga Brew
mug of Miso Soup (miso, spring water, brown rice, black pepper)
quinoa (quinoa, raw butter, garlic, chives, black pepper, sea salt); Vegetable Soup (water, tomatoes, purple cabbage, onions, sweet potato, broccoli, honey, curry powder, garam masala, black pepper); few more pieces of those lovely Raw Chocolates dipped in tahini; spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia

Cooking my pot of vegan Vegetable Soup. Look at that crazy stock colour! Beautiful!

Today's Observations
Chocolates dipped in tahini? Ooooh, YEAH! My new favourite. Kind of like a peanut butter cup... but better. : )

Try This for Sighs

2010-02-15T05:43:00.007-05:00

Expectations have simultaneously destroyed and saved. How do we figure out which ones are which?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 137

cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
cup of spring water
small bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, raisins, dried cranberries, chia seeds, banana, cinnamon, homemade raw goat's milk kefir)
small cup of decaf Earl Grey tea with honey
Veggie Fritatta (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, water, black pepper, sea salt) topped with homemade Sauer Kraut
few pieces of my Top Secret Raw Chocolates
cup of Chaga Brew
brown rice with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; baked Delicata squash with raw butter; kale salad (kale, tomatoes, sprouts, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, sea salt); few bites of homemade raw goat's milk chevre; spring water
cup of Chaga Brew

Today's Observations
Kefir, butter, eggs, and chevre all in the same day... Phew. I think this was a bit much for me. Felt like a ton of rich food! Tomorrow... Let's go lighter, shall we?

Looking Up From the Bottom of the Barrel

2010-02-12T20:07:00.010-05:00

Ha. I love this. This has happened to me so many times... especially in judging myself.

"Anyone who has declared someone else to be an idiot, a bad apple, is annoyed when it turns out in the end that he isn't." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 136

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
2 little homemade Sprouted Spelt Biscuits with raw butter; 2 scrambled eggs with black pepper and sea salt; homemade sauerkraut
2 bananas; a couple of walnuts; a couple of almonds; a few dried cranberries
big honkin' glass of Bunny Juice (carrots, green leaf lettuce, apple, ginger)
2 homemade raw Crispy Mint Truffles
a little homemade Sprouted Kamut Biscuit with raw butter; Choco-Nana Shake (frozen bananas, spring water, dates, mesquite powder, cacao powder, maca)
2 gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies; cup of cold horsetail-rooibos tea
bowl of Pea Soup (split peas, carrot pulp, sweet potato, onion, celery, water, marjoram, black pepper, sea salt); 2 little homemade Sprouted Kamut Biscuits with raw butter

Today's Observations
I am all OVER the map today with cool homemade food! WOW! So much fun eating today! I am so fortunate to have the creativity, the joy, and the resources needed come up with exciting new recipes!

Daniel's Word: SurThrival

2010-02-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

If the economy collapsed and you had no access to electricity or grocery stores or restaurants, could you survive? Could you thrive?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 135

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
2 homemade raw Crispy Mint Truffles; cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
small bowl of oatmeal (oats, spring water, dried apples, honey, cinnamon, sea salt)
big bowl of air-popped plain popcorn
few little homemade Sprouted Spelt Biscuits with raw butter
handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts; bottle of spring water
cup of hot vanilla rooibos tea
take-out from Thai Dish: 2 fresh veggie spring rolls; 2/3rds of an order of Vegetable Pad Thai with tofu

Today's Observations
YAY! More sprouted breads! These are rockin' my WORLD! I'm going to have to get into a routine of having sprouts available all the time for breads. Crazy good.

Ask and Receive

2010-02-10T05:36:00.006-05:00

Can you listen hard enough to really hear what your body is asking for? How good are you at listening? And maybe more importantly... how good are you at honouring those requests?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 134

cup of spring water
Banana Mash-Up (bananas, walnuts, cordyceps powder); cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
two homemade raw Crispy Mint Truffles
mug of Carrot Ginger Juice
very small bowl of Rabbit Poop (raisins, dried cranberries, tahini, cinnamon)
cup of Chaga-Fo-ti Brew
lunch at a friend's: 2 eggs fried in butter; green salad (mixed greens, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas, avocado) with Balsamic Vinaigrette (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, tarragon, black pepper); 2 decaf Earl Gray teas with honey
few bites of Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, sea salt)
bowl of sushi rice with raw butter topped with lentils, homemade sauerkraut, and hot sauce

Today's Observations
Yep, I broke out the juicer today. I've been craving juices. Don't know why. I've never really been into them, but ginger-based juices are calling to me. More experimenting to come.

Pride (In The Name of Love)

2010-02-09T19:52:00.008-05:00

What is the value in pride, humility, vanity? They each totter those fine fines: going to far to the left or right and you'll be mocked or pitied or canonized. If applied to your outlook on your health, that could be precarious as well. There is value in recognizing your self-worth. How much do you need to be reminded?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 133

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia; a homemade raw Crispy Mint Truffle
brown rice (raw butter, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, black pepper, sea salt); cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
bowl of Superfood IceScream (ice, almonds, walnuts, 2 homemade raw Crispy Mint Truffles, cold dandelion tea, honey, cacao powder, lucuma, mesquite powder, maca, sea salt)
cup of hot rooibos tea
Guacamole (avocados, garlic, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, sea salt) with cucumber slices and celery sticks
few bites of Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, sea salt); cup of Chaga-Fo-ti Brew
dinner out at Bruce's Burritos: chips and salsa; Veggie Burrito with sweet potato
cup of hot yerba mate tea with stevia
humongous cup of spring water

Today's Observations
Because of tight timing, I had to grab dinner out. I was trying to think of where I could go that would have the least amount of impact on my digestive system with the maximum amount of satisfaction... meaning, I didn't want to feel hungry in an hour. I decided to go to Bruce's. In hindsight, I find it funny that I didn't go to, say, a grocery store or a natural foods store, but chose a restaurant instead. Habitual. Anyway, I ate the burrito in the car on my way to pick up a friend. After I ate it, I thought... Did I even taste that?!? Fortunately, it's been quite a while since I've eaten in the car. I really don't like doing it. I feel totally ungrounded. Funny that. Anyway, good (re?)lesson for me tonight.

Mind-Free

2010-02-08T07:32:00.010-05:00

Why weren't we taught about proper food combining? Why is there such an emphasis on sugar-free, fat-free, calorie-free foods? Why are there even trends in diet at all?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 132

cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
couple pieces of my super-delicious homemade raw vegan Almond and Raisin Chocolate
bowl of green salad (greens mix, carrots, beets, tomatoes, Spicy Seeds, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)
cup of spring water
few tastes of my Crispy Mint Truffles (not giving out the ingredients yet... still in test mode)
cup of spring water
cup of Chaga-Fo-ti Brew
Apple-Raisin Salad (apple, raisins, tahini, cinnamon); few pieces of Ally's raw vegan Indian Bread with raw butter and a couple of bites of Beet-Seed Pate from last week
cup of Chaga-Fo-ti Brew
2 vegan, gluten-free cookies; bottle of spring water
Veggie Frittata (eggs, sweet potato, spinach, garlic, black pepper, sea salt) topped with homemade sauerkraut; brown rice with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; piece of boiled sweet potato; spring water
couple pieces of my homemade Medicinal Mushroom Chocolates; cup of hot mint tea with stevia and honey

Today's Observations
BIIIIG dinner! Think I had too much food today. Ugh. I feel like I used to feel a year ago after dinner. This is not good.

Skin Meals

2010-02-05T07:04:00.012-05:00

Did you know that your skin absorbs over 50% of what you put on it? Holy cow, now I need to start monitoring what my SKIN eats?!? LOL! Yep. Sure 'nuff. I am really careful about what I put on my skin. I don't wear make-up, only use essential oils for scents, and "lotion up" with a homemade cream made out of coconut oil, vitamin E, and essential oils. I've heard Ani Phyo say that she only puts things on her skin that she would eat. Great rule of thumb.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 131

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
few pieces of my lovely homemade raw vegan Almond and Raisin Chocolates
brown rice with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; Veggie Frittata (eggs, onions, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, chives, black pepper, sea salt); homemade sauerkraut; spring water
very small cup of Coffee Smoothie (espresso, ice, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, lucuma, honey)
taste of our friends' Rebel-made chocolate sauce (I have no idea what the ingredients are, but I understand it's a top secret recipe!)
big glass of spring water
dinner out at Thai Dish: fresh veggie spring rolls; Veggie Pad Thai with tofu; spring water
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey; piece of my lovely homemade raw vegan Almond and Raisin Chocolate

Our lovely Frittata Brunch

Today's Observations
Oh, my! Today was over-the-top day for food. Lots of rich, lots of cooked, lots of decadent! I've just gotten so into experimenting lately. I've been having fun!

Package-Clinging

2010-02-04T04:52:00.005-05:00

What package have you been sold about your health? What packages are you defending like crazy? What would happen if you... just... dropped... those... packages? Would your health suffer?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 130

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
Figgy Pudding (chia pudding, dried figs, honey, cinnamon)
couple pieces of homemade raw vegan Almond and Raisin Chocolates; cup of Chaga Brew
few sips of Mo's Green Smoothie (spinach, frozen blackberries, frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, dates, cold dandelion tea)
small bowl of leftover beans and tomatoes with hot sauce; rooibos tea with stevia; couple more pieces of those lovely chocolates
cup of spring water
avocado with balsamic vinegar
small bag of corn and flax chips; small cup of Chaga Brew
quinoa with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; baked spaghetti squash with raw butter, black pepper, and sea salt; homemade sauerkraut; spring water

Today's Observations
I weighed myself today for the first time in a couple of weeks: 190.1. This down from 232 in April of 2009. The more weight that comes off, the more these things can occur: high energy, less need to sleep, less obsessive thinking about food, less obsessive thinking about portions, more joy from eating, less guilt from eating (and this is mainly because of WHAT I'm eating), and the ability to stand tall and take up space. The only thing that's making me crazy is that... I need new clothes. Can I have a sugar daddy, please? Or a sugar mama. I'm not picky.

The Hunger

2010-02-03T18:04:00.010-05:00

When we have a hunger or thirst, our immediate reaction is to squelch it. Even when we hear "hunger" or "thirst," we tend to associate it with negativity. I've been working to reprogram these triggers from "warning bells" to "friendly reminders." I told my kid that I forgot to feed the dog yesterday. She was shocked and told me (jokingly, I think) how cruel I was. It got me to thinking about how we've become so comfortable in our food gathering and consumption.

I would challenge you to start thinking about what happens mentally when you don't immediately satisfy your hunger or thirst. What kind of broken-record thoughts start to go around in your head? Do you panic? Is there fear attached to that lack? Do you start to obsess about the food or drink you're going to consume? This type of noticing always makes me wonder how those reactions got programmed in the first place.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 129

cup of spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with honey; couple pieces of my raw vegan Medicinal Mushroom Chocolates
cup of Chaga Brew; couple little chunks of my homemade Carrot and Raisin Sprouted Grain Bread with raw butter
few bites of oatmeal with raisins, honey, cinnamon and sea salt
cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia; couple pieces of raw vegan Almond and Raisin Chocolates (made with Bridget!)
big bowl of spinach salad (spinach, tomatoes, avocado) with Hope-Full Miso Dressing (Hope's rosemary-infused olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, miso)
handful of clover sprouts
cup of Chaga Brew; handful of Spicy Seeds
cup of hot Blackcurrant Vanilla herbal tea
weird dinner concoction of sushi rice (sushi rice sauteed with raw butter, eggs, and sea salt), adzuki beans (adzuki beans, garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, sea salt), and tomatoes

Today's Observations
All about the hot teas! Still having a hard time staying warm. Ugh. Been pining for hot baths, heating pads, and piles of blankets. I'm sure that's the nature of winter in Maine, but I'm a Southerner at the core. The spinach salad today was so lovely! I was grateful to have it. Unfortunately, it also made me pine for warmer weather and fresher greens. Alas...

The Times They Are...

2010-02-02T06:40:00.002-05:00

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 128

cup of spring water
2 eggs fried in raw butter; chunk of my homemade (!) Carrot and Raisin Sprouted Grain Bread with raw butter; small cup of Chaga Brew
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts; cup of ice water
couple pieces of my raw vegan Medicinal Mushroom Chocolates
cup of Butternut Spiced Soup (butternut, onions, tomatoes, miso, water, honey, garam masala, black pepper, cumin); scoop of Smashed Potatoes (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, garlic, raw butter, black pepper, sea salt); small chunk of my homemade Carrot and Raisin Sprouted Grain Bread with raw butter; small chunk of my homemade Cinnamon Date Sprouted Grain Bread with raw butter; spring water
cup of hot yerba mate with stevia

Today's Observations
I need greens. Tomorrow: salad!

Durian-Headed

2010-02-01T20:25:00.003-05:00

Sit in silence, let the top of your head crack open like a durian, and just be with that for a moment. What kinds of things slide in and out? Information? Fears? Old habits? Persuasive words? ... ... You?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 127

cup of hot Chaga Brew
cup of spring water
2 leftover (from last night's raw vegan potluck) Cinnamon Rolls
little chunk of my homemade (!) Cinnamon and Date Sprouted Grain Bread with raw butter
cup of hot decaf chai tea with honey
lunch out at Mehkong: vegetable soup; crunchy things with that spicy sauce stuff; 1/2 portion of Vegetable Pad Thai
few pieces of my raw vegan Coconut Goji Medicinal Mushroom Chocolates; spring water
dinner was a weird layering thing of brown rice, scrambled eggs (eggs, raw cream, chives, black pepper, sea salt), homemade guacamole, homemade salsa; spring water
few more pieces of my raw vegan Coconut Goji Medicinal Mushroom Chocolates with a small cup of hot Chaga Brew

Today's Observations
Today was all about the portions. I was SO PSYCHED that I stopped eating when I'd had enough. For all those that have this down pat, just go look at something else. For all those that don't, I have to admit that this was a physical challenge. I got about halfway through my Pad Thai and looked down at my plate. My friend was talking about something and I was listening to her while trying to process this huge mass of food still left on my plate. I thought, If I eat this, I will feel pain in my stomach and sides and then will feel like crap emotionally. I sighed and pushed the plate away from me. It was tough because it tasted great. I could have kept going on that alone. But I made a different choice. I feel like Mel Gibson in Braveheart: "FREEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOM!"

I Am Superwoman

2010-01-29T03:44:00.005-05:00

Mo dedicated this song to me. Made me cry.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 126

small cup of hot yerba mate with honey
small cup of hot yerba mate with honey
bowl of Chia Pudding (chia, water, banana, walnuts, honey, cinnamon, sea salt)
veggie salad (cucumbers, carrots, red bell peppers) with Hope-Full Miso Dressing (Hope's rosemary-infused olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, miso)
Superfood IceScream (ice, cold dandelion tea, almonds, goji berries, cacao nibs, honey, maca, lucuma, mesquite powder, sea salt) topped with yacon syrup
some Lil Lad's popcorn; cup of cold dandelion tea
Millet Scramble (millet, eggs, mushrooms, purple onions, chives, black pepper, sea salt) with hot sauce and homemade sauerkraut
cup of hot yerba mate with honey

Today's Observations
Drink yerba mate much?

Self-Violence

2010-01-28T21:27:00.004-05:00

All that chastising yourself? That's a form of violence. Is violence too harsh a word? Well, maybe that's the light we need to put it in to stop us from doing it. Cuz it ain't gettin' ya anywhere doing it. It's just making you feel worse and worse. And who wants to implement any kind of change from that place?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 125

cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
leftover quinoa with raw butter, chives, black pepper, and sea salt; Spicy Chickpeas (chickpeas, garlic, raw butter, coriander powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, sea salt); spring water
small cup of hot yerba mate with honey
small handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
Apple-Fig Bowl (apple, figs, tahini, cinnamon)
bottle of Summit Springs water
Smashed Potatoes (white potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, sea salt); green salad (romaine, scallions, red bell pepper) with Hope-Full Miso Dressing (Hope's rosemary-infused olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, miso); few bites of the leftover Chocolate Pudding (avocados, coconut oil, honey, cacao powder, sea salt); rest of the Summit Springs water

Today's Observations
OK. That Apple-Fig Bowl was rockin' my world. VERY nummy and satisfying. Mo looked at it suspiciously, asked to try it... then asked me to make her one. Too funny. I made it for her and she looked down into the bowl and said, "Nice presentation!" I know, Heidi, I should have taken a picture of it. Will soon. ; )

Mirror Time

2010-01-27T04:47:00.006-05:00

Facing your fears is scary as shit. Just sayin'.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 124

cup of hot yerba mate with honey; few pieces of Super Secret Recipe Raw Vegan Chocolate Candy (nice breakfast!)
Butterscotch Banana Shake (frozen bananas, raw cream, spring water, dates, maca powder, lucuma, mesquite powder, sea salt)
cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
Vegetable Frittata (eggs, raw cream, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, chives, black pepper, sea salt) with homemade sauerkraut; spring water
small bowl of frozen blueberries
spring water
lovely large glass of fresh carrot-ginger juice from Whole Foods
tastes of things made in my raw vegan class: banana slices with Raw Vegan Chocolate Sauce (honey, coconut oil, cacao powder); Chocolate Pudding (avocados, coconut oil, honey, cacao powder, sea salt)
quinoa with raw butter, chives, black pepper, and sea salt; kale salad (kale, olives, olive oil, black pepper, sea salt); Spicy Chickpeas (chickpeas, garlic, raw butter, coriander powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, sea salt); dandelion tea

Today's Observations
Whoa! Waaaaaaaaaay too much candy, dairy, and eggs. Wow. I feel really ugh. Just like I've had too much food, not like any of it sat weird on me. The carrot-ginger juice though really spoke to me. I want to start incorporating more of that in my diet. The ginger was so perfect! Nummy!

Eye of the Storm

2010-01-26T19:25:00.004-05:00

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
- Lady Gaga

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own - except when they're the restaurant's.

Day 123

cup of hot yerba mate with honey; few pieces of Super Secret Recipe Raw Vegan Chocolate Candy (nice breakfast!)
cup of hot Mate Dark Roast herbal tea
cup of spring water
Superfood IceScream (ice, spring water, Brazil nuts, honey, cacao nibs, goji berries, maca powder, lucuma, mesquite powder, sea salt) drizzled with yacon syrup
cup of hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with cinnamon
few Savory Chia Crackers with raw butter; dried figs; spring water
dinner out at Tandoor: Mango Lassi; Tomato Soup; Vegetable Samosas; Shahi Paneer with basmati; water

Today's Observations
I've been doing so well with portions lately. I wonder if that panic is something from a past life...? Did I starve or have to fend for myself? A number of years ago, I remember eating something and someone asked me for a bite. I mentally heard a little click in my head and felt like I immediately had to protect my food. I don't think that's anything from this life. I was raised an any child, so it's not like there was any competition around eating. Over the past few years, I've been trying to reassure that side that I will always have enough to eat... and that there's enough for others. It's like taming a wild beast - sometimes unpredictable, but I think it's learning to trust me.

R.I.P.

2010-01-25T06:14:00.004-05:00

Sometimes in the middle of eating dinner, a little panic settles in my chest. I wonder, Will there be enough food for me? Recently, I've been just watching that panic come up... acknowledging it... and putting it to rest. There always seems to be enough. I think I'm finally starting to get that.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 122

cup of spring water
few pieces of Super Secret Recipe Raw Vegan Chocolate Candy; a pear; a few Savory Chia Crackers with butter; spring water
cup of Rehmannia-Chaga Brew
small cup of Jim's Coffee Smoothie (get ready for this ridiculous list of ingredients: espresso, spring water, ice, walnuts, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, goji berries, dates, raw cream, honey, maca, milk thistle seed powder, mesquite powder, cacao powder, vanilla bean, sea salt)
big bowl of green salad (red leaf lettuce, celery, broccoli sprouts, seaweed flakes, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, Hope's rosemary-infused olive oil, black pepper)
cup of hot jasmine green tea with stevia
Veggie Frittata (sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, Hope's cheeken's eggs, raw cream, chives, black pepper, sea salt); barley with nutritional yeast and sea salt; buttercup squash and acorn squash with butter, black pepper, and sea salt; few more pieces of Super Secret Recipe Raw Vegan Chocolate Candy; spring water

Today's Observations
Oh. My. GOD! I feel like my world is totally turning upside-down with regard to food. I feel like with the raw vegan diet I was able to clean out a lot of toxins (mental, physical, and spiritual) and break ground for some new ways of thinking through food gathering, prep, and consumption. Lately, we've been adding raw cream and raw butter. This has been working really well on my stomach.... surprisingly. Or maybe not. Today I cooked eggs for the first time in years. It was really magical for me because they were from Hope's Cheeckens(tm). I'm not saying that we're not going to continue eating a high raw diet, but I am appreciating the importance of incorporating more local, organic whole grains and dairy products. Don't think I'm quite ready for meat, though. That's gonna take a while, if ever....

Building an Army

2010-01-22T06:08:00.007-05:00

What are you using for your health support system? When I started thinking about this today, I was positively floored at how much of a system I'd built around me. Here are some tools I use: family, well-chosen friends, books, videos (some delivered to me daily via email subscription), podcasts, email subscriptions, the classes I teach, the monthly potlucks I hold, and my writings. Wow! So much encouragement from so many fronts! Bring it on, world! I got me some back-up! LOL!

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 121

cup of Rehmannia-Chaga Brew
Banana Mash-Up (bananas, walnuts, cacao powder, cordyceps powder)
cup of Rehmannia-Chaga Brew
handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
few bites of Mo's super-thick smoothie (frozen bananas, frozen raspberries, frozen mangos, frozen strawberries, cold rooibos tea)
bowl of green salad (romaine, carrots, celery) with Spicy Miso Vinaigrette (apple cider vinegar, olive oil, miso, honey, garlic, Frank's Finest Smokey Southern Spice)
couple of my Top Secret Recipe Medicinal Chocolate Candies
few oat crackers with Almond Punkin Pate (almonds, pumpkin seeds, carrots, celery, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sea salt)
cup of Rehmannia-Chaga Brew
tried a few bites of our first successful batch of sauerkraut (cabbage, carrots, hot peppers, salt)
brown rice with butter and sea salt; baked butternut squash; (very lightly) sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, and onions in balsamic vinegar and nama shoyu; cold rooibos tea
a piece of my Top Secret Recipe Medicinal Chocolate Candies

Today's Observations
So, I was feeling all loopy on the top of my head again today and realized... too late, maybe... that I was dehydrated again! I always forget to drink just straight water. Technically herbal teas are considered a food and that's all I've been chugging down. Gotta do better at that. It's just that I'm usually a little chilly and always want to go towards the warm stuff. Alas... But the good news is: I finally got my cacao order in! 5# of cacao powder, 5# of cacao butter, and 5# of cacao nibs! That should last us, oh, a week or so. LOL! So nice to have my lovely candies back in the house. ; )

Clearing the Path

2010-01-21T05:20:00.002-05:00

I think it's funny that people look at me askance when I tell them about different things I am trying on my health quest. People are so committed to the lock-and-load response to others: "Wait - I thought you were vegan!" or "But that's not raw!" or "Why didn't you test that spring water before you drank it?" When I began to listen to my body, a whole new world opened up. I started hearing things that surprised me. I changed portions, I changed food types, I added things, I subtracted what wasn't working.

But, to be fair, I need to watch how I sell myself, so to speak. Do I introduced myself as a raw vegan chef? What am I touting? Am I trying to push a particular thing in a conversation? I've been noticing that when I'm talking to people, I've been talking more and more about my ideas around intuitive and intentional eating and less about shoulds and shouldn'ts. I think my friend, Michael, would tell me that's a very good thing indeed. ; )

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 120

cup of spring water
Chia Pudding (chia seeds, water) with banana
medium baked sweet potato and teeny baked white potato with butter, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and sea salt
2 gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies; spring water
cup of hot Mate Chai
Green Smoothie (frozen bananas, frozen raspberries, sprouts, cacao powder, cold nettle and Pau d'Arco tea, stevia)
few oat crackers
baked white potatoes with nutritional yeast, black pepper, and sea salt; kale salad (kale, carrots, sprouts, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, nutritional yeast, black pepper, sea salt)

Today's Observations
OK. I've gotten my freakin' fill of baked while potatoes! Ugh! I've been comparing what affect white potatoes has on me versus sweet potatoes. Totally different animal. White potatoes make the top of my head all loopy, like I'm drunk. How weird is that?!? So, I'm sticking with the sweets. They sit so much better on me and they're actually more fun to eat. I don't know why. Maybe it's because of the butter? Probably it's because I'm eating them with Mo... who looooves sweet potatoes. LOL!

Next Step on the Journey

2010-01-20T06:24:00.001-05:00

The time for me to beat myself up over my food choices, to guilt myself out about how things could have been done differently, to chastise myself for not being good enough... that's done. I don't want to regret that that side of me was once there, rearing its ugly head; that side of me got me here.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 119

cup of Chaga Brew (chaga, coconut flakes, cinnamon sticks, cordyceps powder, vanilla bean)
2 small baked sweet potatoes with homemade raw butter; cup of cold cat's claw and nettle tea
bowl of Superfood IceScream (ice, hazelnuts, mulberries, honey, raw cream, carob powder, maca, mesquite, sea salt)
cup of cold nettle and Pau d'Arco tea
apple; half of a Coconut Cream Larabar (raw! cool!); bite of Mo's Peanut Butter and Jelly Larabar (not raw, but vegan and unbelievably delicious!)
take-out from Bua Thai: veggie and tofu Pad Thai; spring water

Today's Observations
I haven't been doing too much with greens lately. I need to pay more attention to that. BUT I am psyched about the snack choice at Whole Foods today! Mo and I were wanting a snack and I remembered the last time we were at Whole Foods (candy, headache, blech), so I decided to get an apple and a Larabar for us to share. Mo got a Larabar for herself, too. VERY good choices... and no headache! Go, me! LOL!

Prioritizing

2010-01-19T07:15:00.002-05:00

Do you trust yourself to make the best decisions possible about your health? Or do you look outside yourself for the final answers? Learning to listen is tough - especially since most of us were never taught how. I've found I've had to learn how to listen by forcing stillness. My head goes a million miles an hour, I've got a thousand projects to do, attention being pulled in a hundred directions... so it comes down to putting myself as the priority. Sometimes I have to do a little pep talk. Whatever works as a good brake... make it happen.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 118

small cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
Green Cream Smoothie (green leaf lettuce, frozen raspberries, bananas, cordyceps powder, raw cream, spring water)
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
small bowl of Superfood IceScream (ice, almonds, mulberries, honey, cold cat's claw and nettle tea, lucuma, mesquite, maca, carob powder, sea salt)
small cup of decaf Earl Grey tea
big honkin' green salad (green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, carrots, sunflower seeds, seaweed flakes, black pepper) with Jim's Miso Vinaigrette (miso, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Frank's Finest Smoky Southern Spice)
cup of Chaga Brew (chaga, coconut flakes, cinnamon sticks, cordyceps powder, vanilla bean)
baked onion with nutritional yeast and black pepper; roasted garlic cloves; sweet and white baked potatoes with homemade raw butter, nutritional yeast, and sea salt; spring water

Today's Observations
Since I've been paying more and more attention to only eating when I'm hungry, I'm finding that I've gotten into some really bad habits. Yesterday Mo wanted me to make her some ice cream and I said I'd make it later. What I was really doing was waiting until I was hungry. That way, I wouldn't have to make it twice. But that's silly. I realized that I was ignoring her hunger so that we could sync up. I ended up making her some ice cream and didn't have any myself. Sounds like such a simple solution, but there was so much emotional baggage around it. When I pulled myself outside the situation and looked at what was really happening, I quickly rectified it. Nice to have that ability. : )

Questioning the Question

2010-01-18T19:16:00.005-05:00

Make sure the questions are right. If the questions aren't right, the answers will be all wrong.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 117

cup of hot yerba mate with stevia
Oatmeal (oats, raisins, homemade raw butter, honey, cinnamon, stevia, sea salt); spring water
big bowl of Miso Soup (spring water, miso, woodear mushrooms, garlic, seaweed flakes, black pepper, sea salt); small scoop of Almond Pate (almonds, carrots, celery, garlic, Bell's Seasoning, nama shoyu, sea salt) with wasabi powder
piece of Blueberry Lime Cheez-cake (crust was almonds, dates, sea salt; filling was cashews, blueberries, lime juice, coconut oil, honey, sea salt)
cup of hot yerba mate with honey
apple
handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts; spring water
Mexi-Mass (following in layers: spinach, brown rice, homemade guacamole, homemade salsa, jalapenos, nutritional yeast); spring water
small cup of Wysteria's Warming Woo-Woo tea (blend of roses, rooibos, cardamom pods, and fennel seeds! Mmmm!)

Today's Observations
I've really been watching myself when I'm feeling called to eat. Most of the time, it's not when I'm hungry. Today I only ate when I was hungry. Weird! What's funny is that Mo and I were getting a little peckish while shopping and chose the candy. Why we didn't choose a piece of fruit or something is (almost) beyond me. About 30 minutes after eating it, I got really flushed and felt nauseous. Then... it passed. Good lessen for me: eating something that has a strong emotional tie (candy = fun times! ; ) may not always bode well physically. It also helped me redefine "convenience foods."

Heart Revolution

2010-01-15T08:13:00.007-05:00

"If you take the responsibility for your life you can start changing it. Slow will be the change, only in the course of time will you start; moving into the world of light and crystallization, but once you are crystallized you will know what real revolution is. Then share your revolution with others; it has to go that way, from heart to heart."
- Osho

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 116

Superfood IceScream (ice, Brazil nuts, cold nettle and cat's claw tea, honey, goji berries, carob powder, maca, mesquite powder, lucuma, cordyceps powder, sea salt)
cup of Reishi and Chaga Brew (reishi, chaga, coconut flakes, goji berries, vanilla bean)
2 bowls of kale salad (kale, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, seaweed flakes, black pepper, sea salt); 2 Seed Crackers with butter
Yumpot (coconut oil, honey, lucuma, sea salt)
big glass of cold nettle and cat's claw tea
cup of hot blueberry white tea
handful of chocolate-covered cranberries
baked delicata squash with butter; brown rice with butter, (very lightly) steamed broccoli

Today's Observations
Mmmm... lovely Maine butter. Love it.

Change in Blog Entries

2010-01-15T08:11:00.002-05:00

I've been having some problems with my arms again. Too much time on the computer. So, I'm having to change up my computer usage. For a while, I will only be posting blog entries Monday through Friday. I know, I know. Dry your eyes. But wish me a speedy recovery. ; )

Head Games

2010-01-14T07:08:00.009-05:00

If you're in your head while you're eating, you won't be able to enjoy the other sense experiences.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 115

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
Banana Mash-Up (bananas, sesame seeds, cordyceps powder)
cup of hot rooibos tea
small serving of Almond Pate (almonds, carrots, celery, garlic, Bell's Seasoning, nama shoyu, sea salt) with homemade Seed Crackers
Green Smoothie (frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, frozen mangos, spinach, spring water)
snack from Whole Foods salad bar: seaweed and sesame salad
Yumpot (coconut oil, honey, cacao powder, lucuma, maca, sea salt)
brown rice with butter; Kidney and Mushroom Stew (kidney beans, mushrooms, red bell pepper, onions, oregano, black pepper, sea salt)
2 cups of Reishi and Chaga Brew (reishi, chaga, coconut flakes, goji berries, vanilla bean)

Today's Observations
Lots of wonderful numminess today! I'm so loving the direction of our food choices lately. We're putting more intention into where we're choosing to get our calories and nutrition from. Lovely!

Between a Rock and an Apple

2010-01-13T22:01:00.007-05:00

When we spend more time thinking about what we're eating and less about enjoying the food itself, we get out of balance. In other words, if you're caught up in working through your emotional baggage around food issues and not spending time learning how to enjoy your food, you're missing the crucial component to reprogramming. Reprogramming our thinking around food involves not only uncovering those places of pain and shame, but also making opportunities for and taking great pleasure in joyful eating. I get that it's not easy, but it is essential.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 114

handful of chlorella nuts
Blackberry Pudding (frozen blackberries, avocados, bananas) topped with coconut flakes and homemade granola
cup of Reishi and Chaga Brew (reishi, chaga, coconut flakes, goji berries, vanilla bean)
small serving of Almond Pate (almonds, carrots, celery, garlic, Bell's Seasoning, nama shoyu, sea salt) with carrots, celery, and homemade Seed Crackers
Superfood IceScream (ice, Brazil nuts, cold nettle and cat's claw tea, mulberries, cacao nibs, honey, maca, mesquite, carob poweder, sea salt)
celery with Olive Sesame Dressing
cup of water with Watch Your Back flower essences
cheese and flatbread sandwich from Dunkin Donuts [hard admission... be gentle]
take out from Bua Thai: veggie spring rolls; veggie and tofu Pad Thai; cold nettle and cat's claw tea

Today's Observations
OK. The Dunkin Donuts. While driving to teach my raw vegan class (LOL!), I realized that I was hungry. I also was craving cheese - which is really rare for me. So, I tried to think of what I could have that was low-impact, but also I knew I needed to get to my class quickly. So, it wasn't the greatest choice. I get that. I'm trying to not beat myself up over it. I'm actually more frustrated with myself for choosing that particular establishment than I am for choosing that particular food. Dunkin Donuts isn't known for their organics. ; ) Tomorrow: lots of chlorella.

Sidenote: I actually debated not putting that Dunkin Donuts foray in the list. I really did. Then I thought, you've never excluded anything on this blog and to start not would lead you down a slippery slope. So, I really had to work through some serious baggage to be able to type that in.

Turning Off and Tuning In

2010-01-12T21:58:00.006-05:00

When you compartmentalize your foods, you miss the whole experience. If I think in terms of where I'm getting my calcium, my vitimin C, my fiber, I'm not listening to my body. If I turn off my Talking Self and turn inward and listen to what I need, I find the answers. There's no need to do all that Food Math.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 113

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
Banana Mash-Up (bananas, walnuts, cordyceps mushroom powder)
small bowl of Lickety Split Pea Soup (water, split peas, carrots, potatoes, celery, liquid smoke, marjoram, sea salt); Seed Crackers (my homemade dehydrated seed crackers... can't remember ingredients) with butter
mini Yumpot (butter, coconut oil, honey, cordyceps powder, maca, lucuma, cacao powder, sea salt)
couple of big handfuls of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
big glass of spring water
made a wooooonderful dinner for my friend, Larry: green salad (romaine, carrots) with Olive Sesame Dressing (sesame seeds, date, olives, olive oil, water); roasted spaghetti squash with Pesto Cream (fresh basil, garlic, hazelnuts, olive oil, sea salt); baked potatoes with Garlic Butter (roasted garlic, butter); spring water
2 cups of Reishi and Chaga Brew (reishi, chaga, coconut flakes, goji berries, vanilla bean)

Today's Observations
Goooooooooo, medicinal mushrooms!!! Goooooooooo, butter!!!

Help!

2010-01-11T07:38:00.007-05:00

When people don't want to take you up on an offer to help, let it go. The energy you've put into the Universe just by offering alone is as important as the help itself.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 112

grapefruit with honey
brown rice with butter and guacamole (avocado, garlic, chili poweder, cumin, sea salt); spring water
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
few pieces of my not-so-great chocolate candy experiment from last night
big cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, horsetail, Pau d'Arco, carob pod pieces, vanilla bean)
small packet of roasted and salted cashews at Starbuck's
bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, chia seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, mulberries, coconut flakes, banana, Brazil nut mylk)
dinner out at some unpronounceable Thai restaurant... like Srjeworj9iegnfio or something: fried sweet potatoes; vegetable and tofu soup bowl; water
glass of spring water

Today's Observations
I want 4500 hot homemade chocolate chip cookies. Just sayin'.

Naked Empowerment

2010-01-10T21:18:00.008-05:00

If you let your fears fall to the side, you will be left naked and vulnerable. The next step is to decide what you will pull to you. Sometimes that pulling towards you can be vulnerable, too: can I handle the energy of this new thing that will empower me and make me more authentic?

I encourage you to read this quote out loud with fiery joy each day... until you believe it in your heart.

"Everyday Grace" by Marianne Williamson

My deepest fear is not that I am inadequate.
My deepest fear is that I am powerful beyond measure.
It is my light, not my darkness that most frightens me.
I ask myself, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who am I not to be? I am a child of God.
My playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around me. I am meant to shine, as children do.
I was born to make manifest the glory of God that is within me.
It's not just in me; it's in everyone. And as I let my own
light shine, I unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As I am liberated from my own fear, my presence automatically liberates others.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 111

cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, horsetail, Pau d'Arco, carob pod pieces, vanilla bean)
big bowl of kale and spinach salad (red kale, spinach, carrots, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, dried cranberries, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, sea salt)
cup of jasmine green tea with honey
16 oz. Katalyst schizandraberry kombucha
banana with peanut butter
handful of sunflower seeds, handful of Spicy Seeds
Green Smoothie (beet greens, spring water, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, cacao nibs, maca, lucuma, sea salt)
dinner out at a friend's: outstanding egg and veggie frittata (with pickles!); cabbage soup (with lovely chickpea miso!); spring water; weird and wonderful reishi brew (I think it had reishi, chaga, coconut, and vanilla in it); homemade chocolate candy attempt (made with nasty-ass cacao paste!)

Today's Observations
Written in the morning: I've decided I need to start working towards drinking more spring water (straight and not just in teas) and incorporating more fermented foods/drinks. Written at night: Well, good intention! I did just that today! : ) Outrageous dinner at our friend's tonight. I really loved the frittata. I could tell it was made with such love and I so appreciated that. : ) xoxo

New Work Ethic

2010-01-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

"We either make ourselves miserable or make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."
- Carlos Castenada

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 110

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
bowl of leftover brown rice with butter mixed with some of the leftover Spicy Chick Peas
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, horsetail, Pau d'Arco, carob pod pieces, vanilla bean)
bowl of leftover brown rice with butter mixed with some of the leftover Spicy Chick Peas topped with hot sauce
Superfood IceScream (ice, hazelnuts, Brazil nut mylk, goji berries, cacao nibs, cacao powder, colostrum, maca, lucuma, mesquite, sea salt)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, horsetail, Pau d'Arco, carob pod pieces, vanilla bean)
roasted delicata squash with butter; kale and spinach salad (red kale, spinach, carrots, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, dried cranberries, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt); water

Today's Observations
Now why would I get lightheaded after my breakfast this morning? Could it have been the caffeine? The honey? I can't imagine the food would have anything to do with it. Strange. Been doing too much cooked food lately. Feeling bloated. Also, I've been craving green smoothies. Think there's a connexion? ; )

Swimming Trunks

2010-01-08T20:30:00.008-05:00

When I lost weight, naturally my clothes got baggier. But I haven't replaced them yet with smaller versions. I'm still revelling in the swimming around.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 109

cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
Blueberry Pudding (avocados, bananas, frozen blueberries) topped with coconut flakes, Hunza raisins, and homemade granola
cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
plate of the following in layers: spinach, brown rice, Spicy Chick Peas (chick peas, garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, sea salt), guacamole (avocados, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, sea salt), Nik's homemade salsa
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
Superfood IceScream (ice, hazelnuts, Brazil nut mylk, mulberries, honey, lucuma, maca, mesquite, stevia, sea salt)
2 vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
small bowl of Smoky Veggie Soup (onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, raisins, water, miso, honey, Frank's Finest Smoky Southern Spice, smoked paprika, tarragon, sea salt)
small cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, horsetail, Pau d'Arco, carob pod pieces, vanilla bean)

Today's Observations
Lots of cooked today, but some great choices in cooked. The cookies were a bit over the top. I mean, the first one was o.k., but I ended up finishing off the second one just because it was in the package... and not because I wanted another one. I know you can relate... ; )

Gourmet Defined

2010-01-07T20:05:00.008-05:00

Take away the dogma and the complexity and you have gourmet food.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 108

cup of spring water
Coffee Elixir (espresso made with Reishi Brew instead of water, spring water, coconut oil, hazelnuts, honey, vanilla bean, maca, colostrum, stevia, cinnamon, cayenne, sea salt)
bowl of Smashed Taters (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, sea salt) slathered in hot sauce
cup of spring water
Superfood IceScream (ice, hazelnut mylk, Brazil nuts, mulberries, irish moss, honey, carob powder, fo-ti powder, lucuma, mesquite, maca, sea salt)
an orange
16 oz. bottle of water; celery and peanut butter
20 oz. bottle of water
kale salad (red kale, sprouts, tomatoes, Jim's Vinaigrette, nutritional yeast, kelp flakes, black pepper, sea salt); steamed veggies with local butter
mini Yumpot (coconut oil, honey, lucuma, sea salt)
a taste of Jim's weird-ass tea (spring water, St. John's Wort, yarrow, mandrake root, splash of homemade mead, honey)

Today's Observations
I have been crazy hungry and thirsty today. What's up with that? Maybe I need more minerals? More calories? More fat? Experimenting around with different combinations to see what helps.

You Are The New Exhibit

2010-01-06T12:56:00.007-05:00

I made a new friend today named Lauren Michelle Kinsey (http://laurenkinseyraw.wordpress.com). She calls herself a "Health Exhibitionist." Makes me wonder what I should be doing to fall into that category. After all, some boxes sounds more fun to play in than others. ; )

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 107

cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (hazelnut mylk, oats, banana, Hunza raisins, figs, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds)
Yumpot split between Edgrrr and Mo (coconut oil, honey, sea salt)
bowl of brown rice mixed with guacamole, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, and sea salt
Coffee Elixir (espresso made with Reishi Brew instead of water, spring water, coconut flakes, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, dates, vanilla bean, maca, colostrum, cacao powder, cinnamon, cayenne, sea salt)
bowl of Smoky Veggie Soup (onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, raisins, water, miso, honey, Frank's Finest Smoky Southern Spice, smoked paprika, tarragon, sea salt) with a little brown rice in the bottom
taste of my Inebriated Banana Chip Ice Cream (frozen bananas, cacao nibs, homemade vanilla rum extract)

Today's Observations
This is the first time I've had a pot of caffeinated espresso in YEARS! I totally expected to be jacked, headachey, and OCD-triggered (caffeine usually triggers my OCD symptoms), but... nothing. I just felt good. It tasted amazing. Thanks, Jim, for turning me onto these! This was the first time I've tasted the homemade vanilla rum extract. Yowza! Nice!

Eating Awake

2010-01-05T19:06:00.007-05:00

Dinner doesn't have to be an elaborate affair. Eating foods as they are, without sauces or spices, is a wonderful way to reacquaint yourself with the true taste and qualities of the food. As I eat more meals with fewer ingredients, I am aware of perspective changes on all levels: who am I when I eat this? What are my expectations around this food? How is this food changing me?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 106

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
cup of homemade spicy herbal tea (rooibos, carob pod pieces, cinnamon, stevia)
banana
lunch out at Silly's: falafel and veggie vegan wrap; sweet potato fries with spicy vegan dip; spring water
cup of hot nettle tea
cup of hot decaf vanilla nut tea
Superfood IceScream (ice, cold horsetail tea, walnuts, hazelnuts, mulberries, honey, lucuma, mesquite, maca, colostrum, sea salt)
several pieces of romaine dipped in Olive Sesame Dressing; about 30 chlorella nuts; a couple of handfuls of homemade apple chips (Mmm!); an Energy Ball (almonds, dates, sea salt)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, Pau d'Arco, elderberries, vanilla bean)

Today's Observations
Ate too much at lunch. Damn Silly's makin' good food. They'd better knock that shit off. ; )

More Inspiration

2010-01-04T20:26:00.003-05:00

Inspired again.

"Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone left the puzzle undone
That's the way it is

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...

No matter what we do
(no matter what we do)
No matter what they say
(no matter what they say)
When the sun is shining through
Then the clouds won't stay

And everywhere we go
(everywhere we go)
The sun won't always shine
(sun won't always shine)
But tomorrow will find a way
All the other times

'Cuz we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today

Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 105

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
cup of hot jasmine green tea (using previous tea's leaves)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, Pau d'Arco, elderberries, vanilla bean)
1/2 cup of hot coca tea
bowl of Mo's Garbage Cereal (hazelnut mylk, banana, oats, coconut flakes, goji berries, Hunza raisins, sesame seeds, chia seeds)
lunch out at the mall: steamed white rice with steamed veggies; water
handful of Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
cup of water
bowl of green salad (romaine, red bell pepper, sunflower seeds) with Olive Sesame Dressing; Smashed Potatoes (white potatoes, sweet potatoes) with a little Olive Sesame Dressing
Superfood IceScream (ice, cold horsetail tea, walnuts, few pieces of my Mulled Berry Chocolates, mulberries, honey, lucuma, maca, mesquite, colostrum, sea salt)

Today's Observations
I miss my usual homemade chocolates. I can't wait til my cacao butter and cacao powder order comes in.

Paying It Forward

2010-01-03T08:30:00.010-05:00

I read Carmella's (of Sunny Raw Kitchen) post today and was quite moved while reading this excerpt:

When we were staying at Hanna Park, one particularly chilly evening a young woman and her father walked over to our site, holding Tupperware containers. She said that they had lots of left over soup and since we were camping in the cold, she thought we might enjoy something warm. Although I was in shock about her kindness and thoughtfulness, I somehow had the wit to mention that we were vegetarians. She candidly replied that the soup was made with cheese tortellinis, Portobello mushrooms, onion and chicken broth. Yep, pretty much as un-raw and non vegan as can be, but humbly and gratefully accepting her offering felt like the right thing to do. It was such an act of genuine kindness that I simply couldn’t refuse. Can you picture me telling her, “Thanks very much but I’m sorry, we actually don’t eat wheat and animal products. As a matter of fact, we usually don’t even cook our food!” How do you think it would have made her feel? Surely wouldn't have encouraged her in future to listen to the wild impulses of her generous heart!... Don and I ate the soup huddled in our tent, and you know what? It tasted delicious! And in spite of the fact that it contained three major ‘no-nos’ for me, I had zero adverse reaction whatsoever! Not even a runny nose from the wheat! Wowsers!

- http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunny-raw-kitchen-tour-adventures.html

I really appreciated the insight into how her own actions could have adversely affected the future actions of the woman giving her the soup. I am going to work to incorporate this type of forward thinking more often. Thank you, Carmella.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 104

2 glasses of spring water
bowl of Strawberry-Raspberry Pudding (frozen raspberries, bananas, avocado, coconut flakes, Hunza raisins)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, Pau d'Arco, elderberries, vanilla bean)
bowl of Jim's Bean Stew (layer of shredded romaine, layer of brown rice, layer of some black bean and veggie spicy stew stuff)
Superfood IceScream (ice, cold horsetail tea, a few of my Mulled Berry Chocolates, honey, hazelnuts, goji berries, colostrum, maca, lucuma, mesquite powder, sea salt)
cup of homemade spicy herbal tea (rooibos, carob pod pieces, cinnamon, stevia)
1/2 cup of hot decaf chai tea

Pudding and Cosmic Wimpout... the morning standard for Mo and me

Today's Observations
I don't like to weigh myself much because it tends to act as a trigger for old patterns. I have to watch that. But, that being said, after getting back from vacation, I weighed myself this morning just out of curiosity. After busting my ass to eat as responsibly - and joyfully! - as I could... I lost 1/10th of a pound! LOL! I seriously thought I'd gained a few pounds, but I guess not! So funny!

Mourning

2010-01-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

There is a time for hanging onto old patterns... but that time has passed.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 103

2 glasses of spring water
handful of cashews
couple of pieces of my Mulled Berry Chocolates
few mulberries
big, fat bowl of Lima Vegetable Soup (water, miso, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions)
cup of homemade spicy herbal tea (rooibos, carob pod pieces, cinnamon, stevia)

Today's Observations
It's so good to be back home, eating my own food, drinking my own spring water... AH! Didn't eat much, but I'm so damned tired from all the traveling. I think my body must be sleeping. ; )

Eatin' Time

2010-01-01T19:46:00.007-05:00

Eating to bide time is dumb. This is from personal experience.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 102

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
3 slices of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread with coconut oil
few sips of Mo's Green Smoothie (kale, frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, water)
bowl of vegetarian baked beans
food on the road: green salad (spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, quinoa with Spicy Thai dressing), kombucha, some raw vegan chocolate nut bar thing, apple, cashews, hot herbal tea, hummus with celery

Today's Observations
It's official: eating dairy makes me phlegmy. A couple of weeks ago I was getting really stuffy in the nose and it was running down my throat and giving me a sore throat. I thought, wow, this is weird. The last time I felt like this was ages ago. I started taking pulsatilla and ascorbic acid and that helped a bit, but didn't fix the problem. Since I've been here on vacation, I haven't eaten any dairy except for in the past couple of days. That whole phlegm thing went away within a couple days of being here. I didn't even put 2 and 2 together until now. The last couple of days I've had a few bites of conventional cheesecake (which is funny because I don't even LIKE cheesecake, but have been craving MY raw vegan cheesecake... thought maybe I could substitute one for the other... HA! ; ). I woke up this morning and am phlegmy again! Wake up, Lisa! So... I need to go back to square one. I would like to try doing the goat's milk kefir only and see how that affects me. In kefir, the lactose that causes phlegm gets eaten by the bacteria, so it becomes a non-issue for those intolerant. I did notice, however, that kefir made me gassy. Hmmm... Alas... LOL!

This Year and That

2009-12-31T22:51:00.008-05:00

It would be interesting to compare what I ate on December 31, 2008, to what I ate today. I am so very thankful for the variety of foodstuffs and for the Federal Reserve Debt Notes to purchase said foodstuffs. I am also thankful that my family has chosen to take this trip with me.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 101

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
2 slices of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread and 1 slice of Fruit and Nut Manna Bread with coconut oil
some of Jim's Coffee Elixir (coffee, Reishi Brew, hazelnuts, mulberries, honey, irish moss, maca, cacao powder, sea salt)
Superfood IceScream (ice, water, almonds, mulberries, irish moss, colostrum, honey, maca, mesquite, lucuma, sea salt)
assorted veggies with French dressing
dinner from LuLu's Noodles: 2 vegetarian spring rolls; veggie Pad Thai with tofu; 2 big glasses of water
few bites of conventional cheesecake

Today's Observations
As always, I ate too much Pad Thai. Love that Pad Thai, dammit. Jim's Coffee Elixirs are more and more astounding. I can't usually drink coffee because it makes my head whir, but in the elixirs it's good... in small doses, that is. We're just superfooding OUT over here!

Be Beautiful

2009-12-30T07:17:00.007-05:00

"Beautiful" by Marillion (off their "Afraid of Sunlight" album)

Everybody knows we live in a world
Where they give bad names to beautiful things
Everybody knows we live in a world
Where we don't give beautiful things a second glance

Heaven only knows we live in a world
Where what we call beautiful is just something on sale
People laughing behind their hands
As the fragile and the sensitive are given no chance

And the leaves turn from red to brown
To be trodden down
To be trodden down
And the leaves turn from red to brown
Fall to the ground
Fall to the ground

We don't have to live in a world
Where we give bad names to beautiful things
We should live in a beautiful world
We should give beautiful a second chance

And the leaves fall from red to brown
To be trodden down
Trodden down
And the leaves turn green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
And get kicked around

You strong enough to be
Have you the courage to be
Have you the faith to be
Honest enough to stay
Don't have to be the same
Don't have to be this way
C'mon and sign your name
You wild enough to remain beautiful?
Beautiful

And the leaves turn from red to brown
To be trodden down
Trodden down
And we fall green to red to brown
Fall to the ground
But we can turn it around

You strong enough to be
Why don't you stand up and say
Give yourself a break
They'll laugh at you anyway
So why don't you stand up and be
Beautiful

Black, white, red, gold, and brown
We're stuck in this world
Nowhere to go
Turnin' around
What are you so afraid of?
Show us what you're made of
Be yourself and be beautiful
Beautiful

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 100

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
Superfood IceScream (ice, honey, almonds, water, cacao nibs, goji berries, colostrum, maca, lucuma, mesquite, sea salt)
lunch out at Whole Foods: vegetable sushi; Synergy Trilogy kombucha
3 slices of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread with coconut oil
a few sips of fruit juice and vodka (ugh!)
Hoppin' John (brown rice, black-eyed peas, onions, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, celery, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, sea salt) with guacamole, salsa, and hot sauce; green salad (butter lettuce, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumbers with store-bought French dressing); water
Yumpot (cacao powder, coconut oil, cashew butter, coconut flakes, honey, maca, sea salt)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, cat's claw, Pau d'Arco, elderberries, vanilla bean)
few bites of conventional cheesecake

Today's Observations
I tried the cheesecake just to see what it would taste like and, nope, still don't like it. I make a great raw vegan cheesecake that ROCKS. Miss that. I'm going to have to make that soon. Also tried that fruit juice and vodka drink to see how it would affect me. I haven't had hard liquor in ages. Within about 10 minutes of drinking those sips, I got a headache. I'll stick to Jim's home brews, thank you very much.

Joy in Variety

2009-12-29T05:32:00.006-05:00

I have to keep variety in my food choices. I have a friend who eats the same type thing almost every day of his life. And though what he's eating really seems to work for him nutritionally, it would bore the pants off me. I've got to have a lot of textures, colours, flavours, and (visual artistic) movement on my plate throughout the day. But this is where I choose to put my creativity. I know this won't work for everyone. One thing I've noticed though: the people who put more effort into preparing their food are the people who feel more joy while consuming it. What about you?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 99

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
2 slices of Fruit and Nut Manna Bread with coconut oil
Superfood IceScream (ice, almonds, cacao nibs, honey, mesquite, maca, lucuma, colostrum, irish moss, sea salt)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, Pau d'Arco, elderberries, vanilla bean)
bowl of Savory Rice leftover from last night
an apple
baked potato topped with Bean Stew (kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, onions, red bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, sea salt), guacamole (avocado, garlic, lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, sea salt), and Walnut Sauce from last night
glass of water
Choco Banana Frosty Thang (frozen bananas, ice, water, coconut oil, cashew butter, honey, cacao powder, sea salt)

Today's Observations
I've really been having fun with trying to find dinners that work for my omnivorous 'rents and my family. I've been coming up with some interesting combinations, but everyone seems happy! The potatoes and the Frosty Thang were a big hit!

KISSING Your Food

2009-12-28T07:09:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you've heard the KISS theory: Keep It Simple, Stupid (though I prefer "Sweetheart" ; ). Keep this in mind with food prep as well. I used to go way out and create this elaborate meals every day. I found myself getting stressed to out-do the last creation. Too much work and not enough joy. When I sat down at the table, it was more of an opportunity for me to just relax instead of enjoying what I'd just prepared. So, now I focus on less. I try to keep my salads under 4 or 5 ingredients, have just a piece of fruit as a snack, or eat just a baked sweet potato as a small meal. Making too much out of food takes away from the food and puts the emphasis on the process. That's out of balance for me.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 98

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
3 slices of Fruit and Nut Manna Bread with coconut oil
an apple
lunch out at Bangkok Bistro: Drunken Noodles with extra veggies and tofu; vegetable spring roll; hot tea; water
Superfood IceScream (ice, almonds, cacao nibs, honey, mesquite, maca, lucuma, colostrum, irish moss, sea salt)
glass of water
bowl of green salad (Butter lettuce, grape tomatoes, cauliflower with a homemade honey mustard vinaigrette); Savory Rice (brown basmati, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, black pepper, sea salt); Spaghetti Squash with Walnut Cheese Sauce (walnuts, roasted garlic, fresh garlic, red bell pepper, olive oil, water, black pepper, sea salt)
glass of water
Yumpot (cacao powder, coconut oil, cashew butter, honey, maca, sea salt)

Today's Observations
Lovely dinner tonight! I made a wonderful dinner for the 'rents. Ironically, I was trying to keep it simple, but still impressive. I think it worked. The rice and cheese sauce seemed to be the big hits!

Did I mention food?

2009-12-27T04:50:00.004-05:00

People tell me I think about food too much. I don't think I do. I call it staying in the moment, being aware of each breath, each movement, each bite.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 97

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
cup of hot jasmine green tea (using previous cup's leaves) with honey
bowl of oatmeal with mulberries, goji berries, coconut oil, and stevia
lunch out at Whole Foods: veggie combo sushi; cup of hot yerba spice tea with honey
Yumpot (cashew butter, coconut oil, honey, cacao powder, coconut flakes, maca, stevia, water, sea salt)
bowl of Banana Mango Ice Cream (frozen bananas, frozen mangos, honey, water)
dinner out at Taj Mahal: couple of veggie pakoras; couple of paneer pakoras; a samosa; Nav Rattan Korma over basmati rice; water
couple of handfuls of peanut M&Ms

Today's Observations
Dude! LOL! My first dairy and sugar crap in a while! Too funny. I really think that all the sweet I had today was a bit much - refined or no. But I didn't feel like I overate, which was good. At the Indian restaurant, Jim got some naan - a huuuuge personal favourite - and I didn't even want it. I was really happy with what I got. I never thought I'd see the day...

Out With The Old, In With The New

2009-12-26T08:59:00.002-05:00

I heard somewhere that it takes 14 days to create a new habit. I think that's crap. I think it takes a lot longer than that. Not only are you having to make the new habit a reality, but you have to mourn the old habit, honour that old habit. Those lovely old habits helped you hobble through some tough times. They're like the favourite mixing bowl that finally broke after 20 years. You know it can be replaced, but there's still sentimentality attached to it. And this new upstart wants to replace it?! My new habits can sometimes take months and months to stick. And that's o.k. because I want to usher the old ones out in a way that is grateful... no matter how odd or unhealthy that old habit may be.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 96

glass of water
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
3 slices of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread with coconut oil
20 chlorella nuts
big bowl of bok choy salad (bok choy, portabello mushrooms, Spiced Seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, sea salt); Apple Pie a la Mode (serving of yesterday's Flat-Bottom Apple Pie topped with Banana-Peach Ice Cream made from frozen bananas, frozen peaches, cashew butter, water)
dinner at a party: carrots and celery with my Walnut Pate (walnuts, onions, scallions, carrots, celery, dried cranberries, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sea salt); green salad (romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, Spiced Seeds, balsamic vinaigrette); 2 cups of hot herbal tea with honey
some leftover veggie fried rice

Today's Observations
I am just ROCKIN' this party scene! OK, admittedly, today I had some help. The big family gathering today did have the usual fare of cheese-ridden appetizers (there was actually some kind of cheese dip there that was neon orange! yeesh! LOL!), but the cool thing was that the dinner was a salad bar! I was in heaven! Also, I must say that I've been SOOOO missing my homemade chocolates! They don't carry cacao powder and/or cacao butter in my favourite store here, so Mo and I are going to try to find some at Whole Foods tomorrow.

The Honorable Path

2009-12-25T15:14:00.008-05:00

How invested in not thinking are you? Are our actions rooted in cognizant free will or are they coming from a place of denial? Are your actions all about uplifting and supporting or are they about suppression and fear? Understanding where your actions come from is the first step to honoring yourself.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 95

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
small bowl of Strawberry Pudding (frozen strawberries, banana, avocado)
2 slices of Cinnamon Date Manna Bread with coconut oil
bowl of brown rice with avocados, red bell pepper, scallions, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, sea salt
dinner at party: assorted sliced veggies with guacamole; a taste of this lovely black bean and corn salsa; small pie of my Flat-Bottom Apple Pie (crust was walnuts, almonds, raisins, sea salt; filling was apples and cinnamon coated with a syrup made from dates, orange, vanilla bean, water); cup of hot decaf tea
small bowl of Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas, cashew butter, water) with walnuts on top
glass of water

Today's Observations
During the 24th, 25th, and 26th we are visiting several family and friends. There are snacks and drinks galore. I'm feeling inclined to reach for food just because it's there. It doesn't matter what it is: candy, meat, dairy, eggs, breads... whatever. And it has absolutely nothing to do with hunger; it has everything, however, to do with habit. Ironically, there is NO thinking involved in this habit. Now that I am thinking about my food and drink intake, I enforce the lapse between reaching and grabbing. Now it's become an observation... instead of an action. Go, me. ; )

Love Thy Self

2009-12-24T21:16:00.005-05:00

Jim once told me that he heard that the reason that we don't make changes we need to is because we don't love ourselves enough, that we don't think we're worth it. If this is true, this sucks. How can I love myself more? Is it just a matter of getting more massages? Eating the right foods? Hanging out with cool people? Or is it something deeper?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 94

1 slice of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread with coconut oil and cinnamon
big mug of Nut Nog (hazelnuts, water, dates, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sea salt)
2 honkin' bowls of kale salad (kale, red bell pepper, Spiced Seeds, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt); 2 slices of Cinnamon Date Manna Bread with coconut oil
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, cat's claw, astragalus, elderberries, cinnamon)
Superfood IceScream (ice, water, Brazil nuts, almonds, goji berries, cacao nibs, honey, maca, mesquite, colostrum, sea salt)
cup of Reishi Brew
bowl of vegan chili
carrots and celery with peanut butter

Today's Observations
I am SO proud of myself for not eating ANY of the holiday foods that make me feel like crap. This is fucking HUGE. Seriously.

Spiritual Eatin'

2009-12-23T09:38:00.009-05:00

What does health have to do with spirituality? Is there a relationship between what you eat and drink with how you practice/activate your spiritual life?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 93

3.5 slices of Carrot Raisin Manna Bread with coconut oil and cinnamon (NICE!)
glass of water
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
big mug of miso soup (miso, portabello mushrooms, carrots, garlic, water); 3 olives
baked sweet potato with Walnut Dressing (from last night's bok choy salad)
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, cat's claw, astragalus, elderberries, cinnamon)
Superfood IceScream (ice, water, Brazil nuts, cacao nibs, goji berries, irish moss, colostrum, lucuma, maca, mesquite, stevia, sea salt)
few pieces of cauliflower dipped in Walnut Dressing
dinner out at Taj Mahal: bite of a veggie pakora; bite of some potato thingy; some of the vegetarian samosa special; cup of lentil and spinach soup; Bhindi Masala with basmati; hot tea
another cup of Reishi Brew

Today's Observations
I have been in the weirdest body space today. I've unbelievably hungry and kind of headachey. I think it's because we aren't on spring water here. (We're on vacation... far, far away from home.) I've been drinking the Reishi Brew to see if that would help. Also took a bath with epsom salts to pull out the toxins. Had some insight today to ramp up the chlorella while I'm here, too. My task: increase defenses, but don't lose sight of enjoying myself while on vacation.

Standing in Judgement

2009-12-22T21:27:00.009-05:00

How invested are you in other people's eating habits? I find it's much easier to focus on other people's than my own. Besides... who likes judging themselves? That's boring. ; )

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 92

cup of hot Throat Coat tea
a few tastes of some raw organic Tuscan-flavoured goat's milk chevre
a few of Duane's homemade sweet and sour pickles (MMM!)
handful of my Candied Spicy Pecans (pecans, honey, spices)
Superfood IceScream (ice, water, hazelnuts, cacao nibs, goji berries, mulberries, honey, lucuma, maca, mesquite, sea salt)
carrots with guacamole; 2 figs; an apple; 3 olives
mug of Squash Soup (butternut, acorn, sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, miso, black pepper, sea salt, water); bok choy and red pepper salad with Walnut Dressing (walnuts, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, honey, black pepper, sea salt); 2 slices of Manna Bread; glass of water
small bowl of Raspberry Strawberry Sorbet (frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, honey, water)

Today's Observations
Today is the first day at Mom and Dad's house. We're here for 2 weeks. I've brought my Vitamix, my food processor, and 2 huge boxes of foods (superfoods, superherbs, nuts, etc.). I feel really confident about my ability to stay on a good path, but I am concerned about my judging Jim and Mo around their choices. I'm really trying to just focus on me and trust that all that I've taught Mo will have made an impression. I'm also struggling with not making snarky comments to either of them. Bad habit of mine. This blog is keeping me honest though. I'm really happy I have it during times like these.

Traveling Light

2009-12-21T05:35:00.005-05:00

When traveling it's a great idea to look up natural foods stores or bigger chain grocery stores along the way. Use these as your "fast food" restaurants.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 91

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
a piece of my Mulled Berry Chocolate
Smoothie (frozen bananas, frozen mangos, frozen strawberries, spring water, honey)
Elixir (walnuts, spring water, lucuma, maca, cinnamon, cayenne, sea salt)
dinner out at Whole Foods salad bar: green salad, tomato soup, vegetable korma
cup of hot Throat Coat tea

Today's Observations
Running around like crazy today. Getting ready to travel and then hitting the road!

If You Build It...

2009-12-20T12:27:00.006-05:00

Whatever food you have available will be the food eaten.

I hear people say all the time that they could never get their kids to eat [veggies, fresh fruit, raw, vegan, vegetarian]. And yet they never consider that the kids are eating what you are offering. For example, at our Yule celebration, we had tons of fresh fruit and veggies available and they were scarfed up by every single kid there. As I looked around the room at what each kid had chosen, I saw vegan soups, chunks of cheese, veggies, fruit, and... well, lots of Yule candies. Not too bad!

If you offer kids - and adults! - healthy options, that's what's going to be consumed. My family isn't eating Little Debbies and Ben and Jerry's because I provide raw vegan dessert options for them to have instead. This isn't about denial; this is about better choices.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 90

cup of Holiday Not/Nut Nog (coca tea, spring water, hazelnuts, dates, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg)
cup of spring water
bowl of Smashed Taters (red potatoes, raw goat's milk feta, black pepper, nutritional yeast, sea salt)
piece of some raw vegan crazy coconut chocolate pie I brought home from last night's party
couple cups of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, elderberries, carob pod pieces)
dinner at the Yule celebration: Ancestor Peanut Soup, brown rice salad, clementine, veggies with hummus, hot chamomile lemon tea with honey
an apple

Today's Observations
So, I'm sitting here trying to remember all I ate at the Yule celebration and as I'm typing it, I'm mentally making my way around the potluck table. It was so nice to see the huge veggie tray, the equally huge fruit tray, and the big stack of clementines, apples, and bananas. There were also beautiful vegan soups, chilis, and rice dishes. There were hardly any desserts; the only things I remember seeing were Peg's brownies and some homemade chocolates. I've been going to this particular Yule celebration for years and have noticed the food options slowly change. Mo also said on the car ride home last night that she noticed that the quantity of food had changed - which I found intriguing. Are people truly eating less? Really great night for me food-wise.

Me Masks

2009-12-19T08:19:00.004-05:00

No matter where I am, I try really, really hard to be who I am, authentically. I was encouraged at a younger age to change with the company I was keeping. This is a mask-making process and, I've found, incredibly unhealthy. I've been in company recently where I watched this schism in action and it was a real eye-opener.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own - except when they're the restaurant's.

Day 89

one of my homemade raw vegan Mulled Berry Chocolates
cup of spring water
celery and veggie chips (those types of chip things that are slices of root veggies that are flash-fried) with red pepper hummus
celery and peanut butter (ugh... haven't had PB in ages... yeesh)
cup of hot decaf chai tea with honey
cup of hot decaf chai tea (reused bag) with honey
lots of sampling at a lovely potluck: celery and jalepenos dipped in raw organic goat's milk chevre, local Brie and Camembert, some bulghur salad, some mixed veggie and tempeh (I think salad), a couple of my Mulled Berry Chocolates, local blueberry wine and mead... ugh... that's all I can remember!

Today's Observations
Lisa has learned that drinking is no longer in her repetoire.

Daring

2009-12-18T06:54:00.004-05:00

and god help you if you are a phoenix
and you dare to rise up from the ash
a thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
while you are just flying past

- excerpt from "32 Flavors" by ani difranco

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own - except when they're the restaurant's.

Day 88

cup of hot coca tea with honey
Elixir (spring water, ice, sesame seeds, psyllium husks, irish moss, lucuma, maca, mesquite, colostrum, cacao nibs, sea salt)
lunch out at Whole Foods salad bar: green salad with lots of veggies and a falafel patty, small bowl of vegan carrot ginger soup
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, elderberries, carob pod pieces)
couple of big handfuls of Lil Lad's Herbal Popcorn
bowl of green salad (romaine, golden beet, red pepper) with Jim's vinaigrette
baked spaghetti squash with raw organic goat's milk feta and black pepper
tastes of my homemade chocolate candy

Today's Observations
That spaghetti squash with the feta was unbelievable. Period. Nuff said.

Zoning Out

2009-12-17T02:49:00.010-05:00

How far outside your comfort zone are you willing to go to achieve health?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own - except when they're the restaurant's.

Day 87

one of Jimmy's Warming Elixirs (Reishi brew, spring water, coconut flakes, hazelnuts, irish moss, lucuma, maca powder, mesquite powder, cacao powder, colostrum, dates, goji berries, vanilla, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt)
bowl of 3 Squash Soup (acorn squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash, celery, carrots, onions, turnips, water, sea salt) with homemade raw goat's milk kefir cheese with Frank's Finest Southern Cajun spices, all served over brown rice
1/2 of one of my raw vegan Chocolate Orange Mousse Cup (crust was hazelnuts, dates, sea salt; mousse was avocados, cacao butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, honey, lucuma powder, sea salt; topping was cacao nibs and dried powdered orange rind)
cup of hot coca chamomile tea
cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, elderberries, carob pod pieces)
some chocolate-covered ginger (not raw, not vegan, so don't get excited)
dinner out at Thai Dish: 2 vegetarian spring rolls; vegetarian Pad Thai with tofu

Today's Observations
OK. The coca tea is rocking the free world. Ate too much at dinner tonight. Ugh. Old habit. Jim's elixirs continue to impress me. He's really got those down, man.

Mercy/Merci

2009-12-16T21:03:00.009-05:00

"Mercy and Merci are very CLOSELY related. " - Livingstone

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 86

one banana
Strawberry Pudding (bananas, frozen strawberries, avocados) with homemade Seed and Goji Granola and hunza raisins
one cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, honey, cinnamon, sea salt
2 carrots with Olive Sesame Dressing (olives, sesame seeds, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spring water)
big bowl of 3 Squash Soup (acorn squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash, celery, carrots, onions, turnips, water, sea salt) with homemade raw goat's milk kefir cheese with Frank's Finest Southern Cajun spices, all served over brown rice
one of my raw vegan Chocolate Orange Mousse Cup (crust was hazelnuts, dates, sea salt; mousse was avocados, cacao butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, honey, lucuma powder, sea salt; topping was cacao nibs and dried powdered orange rind)
one cup of Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, pau d'arco, elderberries, carob pod pieces)

Today's Observations
Niiiiice food day - especially that soup with the cheese. MMMMMMMMM....

Reclaiming the Happy Meal

2009-12-15T22:33:00.002-05:00

Getting out of the meal concept may take some time. My family's been working on it for over a year now. I noticed when we began this journey, there was still a lot of emotion tied into whether we did or did not eat together. Not eating together was taken as a personal affront. Now, I just focus on making food when I'm hungry and, if others want to partake, making enough for them, too. This has not only freed up my time, but my energy flows better. I have more time to be creative and am less pressured to put on a show at meal time. I also notice when I'm not making a family meal that I am eating less. I need to unpack this one. Lots of interesting insights here....

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 85

Green Smoothie (sprouts, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, spring water, maca powder, yacon syrup, sea salt)
cup of hot Gingerbread Spice herbal tea
cup of hot Blackberry Sage herbal tea with honey
bowl of Smashed Taters (Yukon Gold potatoes, raw goat's milk kefir, raw butter, garlic nutritional yeast, red pepper chili flakes, black pepper, sea salt)
cup of cold rooibos tea
cup of hot Blackberry Sage herbal tea with honey
big bowl of Superfood IceScream (ice, mulberries, goji berries, mesquite powder, lucuma powder, cacao nibs, yacon powder, cold rooibos tea, sea salt)
2 bowls of green salad (romaine, red pepper, broccoli, Buckwheat Crispies, black pepper) with Olive Sesame Dressing (olives, sesame seeds, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spring water)
cup of hot decaf chai tea with honey
spoonful of some honey and cacao mixture Mo made

Today's Observations
What wonderfully powerful food! I loved eating today! Kefir is still giving me gas. Alas...

Timely Occurences

2009-12-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

Synchronicity only happens in conjunction with other events.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own - except when they're the restaurant's.

Day 84

a cup of hot Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, horsetail)
bowl of Fruit 'n' Kefir (homemade raw goat's milk kefir, hunza raisins, walnuts, apple, honey, cinnamon)
lunch out at Genji: bowl of veggie and udon miso soup
cup of spring water
handful of M&Ms from the mechanic's waiting room (gee, wonder why THOSE were there?)
piece of my homemade raw vegan chocolate
dinner out at Chia Sen: vegetarian Chop Suey with brown rice, steamed vegetarian dumplings, hot tea
sweetie from Starbuck's: Peppermint Brownie, cup of hot African Redbush Spice herbal tea

Today's Observations
Not a good day, but I must say I made some pretty damned decent choices in spite of it.

Watery Selves

2009-12-13T08:00:00.008-05:00

Are you a glacier, a river, a hurricane, a snowflake, or a teardrop?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 83

cup of hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with stevia
warm Elixir (hazelnut mylk, goat's milk kefir, irish moss, dried ground orange peel, cacao powder, honey, sea salt)
a cup of hot Reishi Brew (reishi, astragalus, cat's claw, horsetail)
raw vegan samples from Aimee's Open House: assorted veggies with zucchini hummus, date roll thingies, seasoned nuts
lunch out at the mall: steamed rice and veggies, maki roll, water
Hunza raisin samples
cup of cold rooibos tea
bowl of Creamy Winter Soup (delicata squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnip, onion, pepper, sea salt, water) with a couple of my Seed Crackers with raw butter
bowl of Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas, hazelnut mylk, carob pod bits, yacon syrup)

Creamy Winter Soup... so thick!

Today's Observations
OK. Hunza raisins are my new food. YUM! We ended up putting some of the soup on top of the buttered crackers... WOW! So good!

The Food Continuum

2009-12-12T07:54:00.005-05:00

My food choices are always on a continuum - as well they should be when moving from a SAD diet to a more conscientious one, one that involves a rewilding of the self. But there is comfort for me in the boxes of "vegan" or "raw foodist": I don't have as much explaining to do. I can just go to a restuaurant and say I'm vegan and know that I'll get a certain meal. I can put myself in the raw foodist box and ask an old co-worker to meet me at the local salad bar. There are also times when I bring my own food and don't explain anything at all. Sometimes it's more important for me to get sustenance or visit with my friend than to try tell my whole story. Maybe all these maneuvers are just steps on the continuum as well. Maybe in my future the restaurants I choose will serve foods that are prepared the way I prepare them at home. Maybe in my future all my friends will eat similarly and we won't have to discuss food at all. Maybe in my future there will be no boxes.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 82

cup of hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with stevia
Green Smoothie (raw goat's milk kefir, raw goat's milk, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, cacao nibs, cold horsetail and nettle tea)
cup of hot green jasmine tea with honey
couple pieces of candy leftover from last night
big bowl of kale salad (kale, carrots, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, pepper, sea salt)
avocado with sea salt
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream (2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. cold horsetail and nettle tea, 1/2 c. walnuts, 1/4 c. yacon syrup, 1/4 c. lucuma powder, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. mulberries, 1.5 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt)
4 teeny baked Yukon potatoes with olive oil, nutritional yeast, pepper, and sea salt
more chocolate candies
cup of cold horsetail and nettle tea
small cup of hot rooibos tea

Today's Observations
Oh, my! That's goat's milk gave me GAS! Was it the kefir or just the goat's milk? I want to continue having a bit of kefir everyday though and see how it sits with me. Also, what is it with me and sweet foods?

Faith

2009-12-11T06:37:00.006-05:00

Can you have faith that you will make the best decisions you can around food? If not, what's stopping you?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 81

cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
cup of hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with stevia
cup of hot rooibos spice tea
lunch out at Whole Foods: bowl of vegetable and udon miso soup, few French fries, water
chocolate chip cookie (yeee!)
cup of water
cup of hot Reishi Brew (reishi, pau d'arco, cat's claw, astragalus, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, spring water)
cup of spring water
raw vegan potluck feast: kale salad, "meatballs" with zucchini pasta and red sauce, another kind of salad with all kinds of veggies, walnut pate-stuffed mushrooms, Susanne's Figgy Fingers, chocolate truffles. my Sesame Orange Secret Recipe Chocolates, some peppermint tea with yacon syrup
10 chlorella nuts
another cup of Reishi Brew

Today's Observations
Nice day. Loved all the different kinds of teas I had today! Yummo!

The Yes, Man

2009-12-10T22:51:00.009-05:00

Put your hand on your stomach and say "YES!" 12 times. Put your hands on your hips and say "YES!" 32 times. Put your hands on your heart and say "YES!" 27 times. What happens when you do this? What happens when we allow our body to take up as much space as it needs? What happens when we allow our body to function at its highest potential? Who would we be if we allowed ourselves to stop the separation between body and spirit?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 80

1 big mug of Super Hot Cacao (hazelnut mylk, coconut oil, cacao powder, honey, vanilla bean, sea salt)
handful of sunflower seeds
bowl of kale salad (kale, carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, sea salt, black pepper)
cup of spring water
2 vegan, gluten-free shortbread cookies
dinner out at Thai Dish: 2 fresh vegetarian spring rolls, veggie Pad Thai with tofu
cup of spring water
cup of hot Reishi Brew (reishi, pau d'arco, cat's claw, astragalus, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, spring water)
cup of spring water

Today's Observations
Still focusing on quantities. I really love starting out the day with some type of elixir (today was hot cacao!). I satisfied. These and Mo's Garbage Cereals are good for me in the morning. Maybe it's the nut mylk?

What Goes In... Comes Out

2009-12-09T11:18:00.011-05:00

If you are what you eat, then what's going on when we poop?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 79

a piece of my raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
cup of Jim's Green Smoothie (oats, walnuts, dates, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, colostrum, goji berries, cacao powder, cacao nibs, maca powder, lucuma, sea salt, spinach, sprouts, spring water)
10 chlorella nuts
one Cara Cara orange
more chocolate candy! : p
cup of Reishi brew (reishi, fo-ti, cat's claw, cinnamon sticks, spring water)
cup of spring water
bowl of Holiday Spaghetti Squash (baked spaghetti squash, raw butter, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, pepper, basil, chili pepper flakes)
one raw olive
some of my seed and flax crackers with guacamole and tomatoes on top
one cup of hot rooibos tea with stevia
3 dates

Today's Observations
Weird food today, but really tried to just follow what I wanted. Hmm....

It's All OK.

2009-12-08T08:24:00.008-05:00

Yes, sea salt is OK. Fats (as in nuts, seeds, coconut oil, and raw butter) are OK. Now... will you freakin' relax?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 78

a piece of my raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy
cup of Reishi brew (reishi, fo-ti, cat's claw, cinnamon sticks, spring water)
cup of hot jasmine green tea with honey
a couple piece of my raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy
bowl of Surf and Turf Soup (spring water, carrots, wakame, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, green beans, sesame oil, miso, Chinese Five Spice)
Elixir (cold nettle and horsetail tea, irish moss, cinnamon, cardamom, ground coriander, frozen banana, honey, bee pollen)
10 chlorella nuts
sampled a bit of colostrum and honey mixed together
couple of handfuls of spiced punkin seeds, pistachios, sesame seeds, and figs
spring water
Cara Cara orange
cup of hot yerba mate tea
dinner out at Silly's: cup of hot herbal tea, 1/2 an order of sweet potato fries, falafel wrap with lots of lovely veggies

Today's Observations
Wooo! Too many bee products! I am BUZZING!

A Food Awakening

2009-12-07T21:42:00.007-05:00

I think I'm going to have to rename this blog. I started out calling it "What This Raw Vegan Eats" because I wanted to give people some idea of what a higher-percentage raw vegan eats. But here's the thing: the more raw you eat, the more clean you become from the inside out. The cleaner you become, the more aware you become of your spiritual life, the more focused you become on your True Calling. (I'm saying "you," but maybe this is only my journey...?) The world starts to look a little different... what you thought was important just isn't... and things begin to shift.

It's exciting, too, to be on this journey with Jim because we are both waking up together. And we are really riding this for all it's worth. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... or, hell, the next five minutes!

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 77

cup of decaf chai tea with honey
a couple pieces of my raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy
bowl of Black Bean Stew (black beans, tomatoes, onions, celery, dates, garam masala, sea salt)
1 grapefruit with honey
cup of Reishi brew (reishi, fo-ti, cat's claw, cinnamon sticks, spring water)
Sprout 'n' Seed Salad (sprouts, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar)
1 Butternut Bar (recipe in November somewhere)
bowl of Surf and Turf Soup (spring water, carrots, wakame, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, green beans, sesame oil, miso, Chinese Five Spice); kale salad (kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, basil)
cup of Reishi brew
several pieces of my raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy
samples of Jim's medicinal brews, colostrum, and butter-honey-salt yumpot

My beautiful raw vegan Secret Recipe Chocolate Candy!

Today's Observations
We were just rippin' it UP today with Daniel! Whew! Man, talking about stepping outside the raw vegan box I've built for myself. Yikes.

Happiness is the Road

2009-12-06T22:22:00.000-05:00

You're a slave to your mind
But you are not your mind
You are not your pain
Say it again
You are not your pain
Say it again
You are not your pain

Happiness ain't at the end of the road
Happiness ain't at the end of the road
Happiness IS the road
The road

HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD

- from "Happiness is the Road" by Marillion

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 76

spoon o' Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, honey, coconut oil, maca powder, sea salt)
hot Blueberry Yerba (yerba mate, cacao nibs, dried blueberries, stevia)
Jimmy's Sproutin' Green Smoothie (spring water, sprouts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, dates, honey, oats, cacao nibs, cacao powder, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, mulberries, maca powder, mesquite powder, colostrum, sea salt)
Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, chia seeds, sesame seeds, goji berries, raisins, mulberries, Forelle pear, cinnamon) with hazelnut and Brazil nut mylk
potato chips
Black Bean Stew (black beans, tomatoes, onions, celery, dates, garam masala, sea salt) over brown rice
spring water
cold horsetail tea
spoon o' Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, honey, coconut oil, maca powder, sea salt)
hot horsetail and nettle tea

Today's Observations
I've decided to not include measurements anymore. Too much of a pain.

Optimal Health

2009-12-05T03:39:00.009-05:00

"I'm searching for optimal health. 100% optimal health is what I'm looking for, not 100% raw food." - Kevin Gianni

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 75

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1 c. hot jasmine green tea (with previous tea's leaves)
Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, walnuts, coconut flakes, chia seeds, sesame seeds, mulberries, goji berries, raisins, banana) with Brazil nut mylk
1 raw vegan Aphrodite chocolate
lunch out at Silly's: 1/2 an order of sweet potato fries, falafel wrap with all the veggies, hot herbal tea
2 c. spring water
10 chlorella nuts
2 c. of Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas, hazelnut mylk) with Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, honey, coconut oil, maca powder, sea salt)

Mo's Garbage Cereal... and cards... our morning ritual...

Today's Observations
Today was all about the comfort. Periods do that to a woman. And that is... OK.

Elemental Eating

2009-12-04T22:28:00.002-05:00

Take the time to appreciate the 4 Elements (Air, Earth, Fire, Water) in each bite. Once you've found them, you may find the Divine.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 74

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, chia seeds, sesame seeds, goji berries, raisins, Forelle pear) with Brazil nut mylk
1 c. hot yerba mate with stevia
1 Odwalla bar
4 c. kale salad (kale, Swiss chard, zucchini, carrot, sunflower seeds, olives, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutrional yeast, black pepper, sea salt)
2 c. hot Reishi Brew (reishi, fo-ti, vanilla bean, astragalus root, schizandra berries, goji berries)
1 c. spring water
1/2 c. Sunspire chocolate-covered peanuts
2 c. Split Pea Soup (water, split peas, parsnips, carrots, onions, thyme, liquid smoke, sea salt, black pepper) with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top

Today's Observations
Welcome, period.

A Quotable

2009-12-03T10:26:00.009-05:00

"In general, mankind, since the improvement in cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires." - Benjamin Franklin

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 73

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
16 oz. Jim's Sproutin' Green Smoothie (spring water, oats, sprouts, kale, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, Brazil nuts, maca powder, mesquite powder, cacao powder, cacao nibs, colostrum, goji berries, soaked goji berries, goji juice, bee pollen, dates, honey, sea salt)
2 c. Surf and Turf Soup (water, miso, wakame, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, onion, green beans, Chinese 5 Spice, sesame oil)
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream (2 trays of ice, 1/4 c. cacao powder, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. honey, 2 T. lucuma, 1 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt)
1 c. spring water
2 c. cold horsetail tea
1 oz. corn and flax seed chips
dinner out at Thai Dish: 2 fresh vegetarian spring rolls, one order of veggie Pad Thai with tofu
1 c. hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with honey
2 c. spring water

Today's Observations
I feel so much better eating more superfoods and superherbs. What a difference they make!

Lite Brite

2009-12-02T22:05:00.002-05:00

If you shine your light, be prepared for others to flock... including the bugs. ; )

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 72

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1 c. hot jasmine green tea (using previous tea's leaves) with honey
Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, goji berries, raisins, chia seeds, sesame seeds, banana, coconut flakes) with hazelnut mylk
1 c. hot Reishi Brew (reishi, fo-ti, vanilla bean, astragalus root, schizandra berries, goji berries)
1 apple
1 c. spring water
lunch out at mall: white rice with steamed veggies (damned good choice, if I say so myself!); handful of dark chocolate-covered almonds; water
Mexi-Mass (in layers: kale, brown rice, nutritional yeast, Jim's Salsa, guacamole)

Today's Observations
Pretty good day overall. I had an emotional moment in the car today where I found myself talking to Mo about how I'm making good choices around my eating (quantities, food types, etc.) and started to well up. I looked at her (for just a second, of course... I was driving, after all) and said, "You know, I never take time to celebrate my accomplishments. I work so hard to be the best person I can that I never just stop and celebrate." This is hard for me to do. I need to focus on that more often.

Steps on the Journey

2009-12-01T20:32:00.007-05:00

Mo and I are always talking about good-better-best in terms of choices. It's wild to me how much these lines of demarcation move as our food preferences and options change. 10 years ago, a pint of Ben and Jerry's frozen yoghurt for dinner was a good choice. 5 years ago, a veggie burger with homemade fries was a good choice. 2 years ago, homemade vegan burritos (complete with homemade tortillas, salsa, and guac) was a good choice. Now it's Surf and Turf Soup (see below), homemade sorbet (see below), and Reishi Tea. Wow. I'm really excited to see where this journey will take us next.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 71

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1 c. hot jasmine green tea (using previous tea's leaves) with Stop Yer Swinin' and Bee Well electuary
1.5 c. Not Nog (hazelnut mylk, Medjool dates, coconut oil, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper)
4 c. kale salad (kale, red bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers, olives, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, sea salt, black pepper); 1/2 c. brown rice with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, garlic, and sea salt
1 medium Yerba Mate with honey and an Odwalla bar
2 c. Surf and Turf Soup (water, miso, wakame, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, onion, green beans, Chinese 5 Spice, sesame oil) served over sweet potato noodles
1.5 c. of Strawberry-Raspberry Sorbet (frozen strawberries, frozen raspberries, frozen bananas, water) with Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, coconut oil, honey)

Not Nog... mmm... so perfect for today! It's freezing!

Today's Observations
Tonight's dinner was ROCKIN'!!! Mo and I found these sweet potato noodles at the Asian grocer. They look like greenish rice vermicelli and taste like vermicelli, too. Very wild. They only had sweet potato, water, and salt as the ingredients. Interesting. I was looking for a wheat-free alternative and the Asian grocer is chocked with them! And those wood ear mushrooms?!? They SO look like human ears floating around in your soup. Had to get used to that one... The other thing I wanted to mention was that Mo and I were out shopping today and both of us got hungry. I really need to stay away from wheat, so I found a good alternative: Odwalla bars. I know they aren't the most healthy choice, but better than the Cappucino Mousse I was eyeing. ; ) Seriously though... I was proud of myself.

Eating in Half-sies

2009-11-30T06:11:00.012-05:00

Have you tried only eating half of what you'd normally portion out for yourself? I recently made a half-sized bowl of cereal to see how much it'd fill me up. While I was making it, I reassured my panicking self by saying, Hey, if it's not enough, you can always make another bowl. After eating what seemed like the world's tiniest portion (it was actually quite normal-sized), I was... fine. I felt like I'd gotten enough to eat. Which really made me wonder: how often am I doing this? I thought I put the quantities in this blog to see what it takes to fuel my current body. But I don't think this is accurate. I think these amounts fuel my current mindset.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 70

1 c. hot Reishi Brew (reishi, fo-ti, vanilla bean, astragalus root, schizandra berries, goji berries)
1 serving of Apple Crisp (crust was hazelnuts, dates, sea salt; second layer was a sauce made from apples, dates, chia powder, cinnamon, and ginger powder; third layer was apple slices; topping was hazelnuts, dates, oats, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger powder, sea salt)
Banana Mash-Up (2 bananas, 1 T. sesame seeds, 1 T. chia seeds, 1 tsp. bee pollen)
1 c. spring water
lunch out at Bruce's Burritos: spinach and sweet potato burrito, chips with guacamole and salsa, water
1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
3 c. kale salad (kale, sunflower sprouts, red peppers, carrots, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dried basil, sea salt, pepper)
1 c. cold Pau d'Arco tea
1.5 c. of Banana Chip Ice Cream (frozen bananas, hazelnut mylk, cacao chips)
1/3 c. baked acorn squash with cardamom

Today's Observations
Have really been paying attention to quantities lately. I've also tried to be in Observer Mode (tm) when I eat smaller portions. Panic seems to creep to the fore, like I'm worried about not getting enough. Where's that coming from? Did I starve in a past life? Hmm....

Halfway Authenticity

2009-11-29T05:51:00.011-05:00

Is it authentic for you to meet someone halfway? What do you feel like as you approach them and step further from your own side?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 69

1 c. spring water
Superfood IceScream (1 tray ice, 1/3 c. Brazil nuts, 1/4 c. goji berry juice, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. honey, 1.5 T. soaked goji berries, 1.5 T. cacao nibs, 1 T. mesquite, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1 tsp. colostrum, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/4 tsp. sea salt)
1 c. hot decaf chai tea with stevia
2 c. brown rice with nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, and hot sauce
1 c. spring water
World's Smallest Yumpot (1 T. cacao powder, 1 T. coconut oil, 1 T. honey, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, a splootch of water)
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
1 c. hot Reishi brew (reishi, fo-ti, vanilla bean, astragalus root, schizandra berries, goji berries)
10 chlorella nuts and 1 tsp. bee pollen
dinner at a friend's house: vegan lentil and vegetable stew, green salad with oil and vinegar, variety of nuts and seeds, my (second and better attempt at) Apple Crisp (crust was hazelnuts, dates, sea salt; second layer was a sauce made from apples, dates, chia powder, cinnamon, and ginger powder; third layer was apple slices; topping was hazelnuts, dates, oats, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger powder, sea salt), water

Apple Crisp (second attempt ; )

Today's Observations
Our friends had a big beautiful loaf of wheat bread, a couple different kinds of cheese, and a local mustard on the table to go with dinner. I looked at the bread and thought, OK, Lees. You know that you'll have a massive headache if you eat wheat... and that was easy enough to pass on. The cheese, for some odd reason, wasn't really an issue at all. I didn't really want any. I was so thrilled that they were thoughtful in their offerings though! We don't see these friends often and you could tell they put a lot of thought into the meal. My Apple Crisp seemed well-received, too. ; )

Hydration

2009-11-28T07:24:00.005-05:00

What does hydration mean to you? How much water can you drink in a day. I never really pay attention the "supposed-tos" of eight 8 oz. glasses or whatever it is currently. There's so much debate around what's the appropriate amount. There's also a lot of debate as to what counts as a hydrating item. Some say the waters found in your fruit and vegetable intake count; others say it's only water; some say it's water and herbal teas; some say only spring water counts. How do you feel when you aren't hydrated? I never knew I was dehydrated until I started drinking spring water... and then I couldn't get enough! Once I was hydrated consistently, my daily headaches disappeared, my skin was less dry and more vibrant-looking, and my urine was more clear. It was such an easy fix! The alarming thing is that our culture doesn't teach us about proper hydration. We're taught that when you're thirsty you should reach for Kool-Aid or a Lipton Iced Tea or a Coke. There's a lot of baggage associated with those choices: chemicals, refined sugars, caffeine... not to mention the emotional baggage! What changes can you make right now to address hydration? Can you stay present enough to make more conscientious choices about what drinks you choose to ingest?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 68

1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
1 serving of my Apple Crisp (Thanksgiving leftover)
1 c. hot Aztec Fire herbal tea with honey
1 oz. corn and flax chips
2 apples
1.5 c. Berber Vegetable Soup (tomatoes, zucchini, onions, sweet potatoes, red pepper, chick peas, dates, water, Berber seasoning, oregano, sea salt) topped with nutritional yeast
1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
dinner out at Genshi: 1 avocado and cucumber roll, 1 bowl of vegetable noodle miso soup, green tea
1 small piece of chocolate
2 c. spring water

Today's Observations
I was really proud of myself today. I got the chocolate bar for Mo and I to split. I took a small piece and thought, you know, all I really wanted was a little taste. I felt how it felt in my body and knew that eating more than that would give me a headache. I told her she could have the rest of it (which, of course, pleased her to no end... LOL). Now, I'm saying this like it was nothing... It wasn't. This was hard as shit because my head wanted the rest... the same head that would get a headache if I ate more. I kept thinking, I could just ask her for one more piece! A great internal battle ensued. And the cool thing was that I tried to just Be The One Who Watches and not play into it. I let the battle go on without getting emotionally tied to it. Nice.

I've also been really craving soups, hot teas, smoothies, elixirs... another liquid-based. And I originally thought it was just the colder weather coming on, but I'm not sure that's all of it. I've been noticing that my body appreciates less to process at time. For example, the Berber Vegetable Soup did not sit as well on my stomach as the vegetable noodle miso soup. I think this was because of the chick peas. I ended up lapping up the broth and veggies in that Berber soup and loving it, but the chick peas weren't working for me. Foods that are easy (like veggies, fresh fruits, nut or seed butters) work well and blended foods work well. When I ate the Apple Crisp this morning, I had a small piece - and that was good. I knew that if I had a bigger piece then my stomach would start hurting. And that was because of the nuts in the crust. Hmmm... I'm really loving the simplicity though!

The Shocking Truth

2009-11-27T21:45:00.007-05:00

It's funny to me that several of the raw food movement movers and shakers are coming out as not 100% raw or not 100% vegan. There is such a great misunderstanding about the raw food movement. Yes, there are some people that are 100% raw and 100% vegan, but I am finding those few and far between. Most people I've encountered are simply on a high raw (at least over 50%) diet. BUT this diet could also include raw dairy and raw meats.

The key here is to not get hooked on one way of eating. It's not about finding a box and stepping into it. We need to, firstly, start listening to our bodies. Secondly, figure out if we're enjoying what we're prepping and ingesting. And, lastly, develop a way of eating that works best for us, that increases our health, vitality, and happiness. I would argue that eating French fries and hot fudge sundaes every day won't do this.

Can you be honest with yourself? Are you willing to break the habits enough to listen? What's in your food? What is it sourced from? What type of life do you want to live? Do you believe that the quality of your life is directly affected by your diet?

Some things to ponder...

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 67

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with stevia
1 c. Pear-Cranberry Pudding (Forelle pears, dried cranberries, banana, chia seeds, Irish moss)
1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
1 serving of my Apple Crisp (Thanksgiving leftover)
4 c. Green Fennel Salad (green leaf lettuce, fennel, avocado, dried cranberries, pecans, sesame seeds) with Apple Cider Vinaigrette (apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, garlic, sea salt, black pepper)
a piece of Lisa Marie's World-Famous Chocolate Candy (cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, my Third Eye Blaster cordial, carob powder, cacao powder, maca powder, goji berries, hazelnuts, sea salt)
dinner out at Saeng Thai: 1/2 an order of Fried Sweet Potatoes (appetizer), 1/2 of an order of Fresh Vegetarian Spring Rolls (appetizer), an order of Vegetable Noodle Soup Bowl, Thai tea, water
1/2 of a medium Starbucks soy hot cocoa

Today's Observations
So, Mo and I were out window-shopping tonight and we thought a hot cocoa sounded good. Both of us got a medium soy hot cocoa. We realized about halfway through that we couldn't really drink the whole thing. It was odd because it was soooo sweet. It's been an incredibly long time since we've had refined sugar. Weird. Also, I am so glad that Hope turned me onto the soup bowls at the Thai restaurant! What a fantastic alternative to the usual rice or noodle dish! I've been so into soups lately. I want to eat them daily! I'm addicted!

Thanksgiving Revelation

2009-11-26T21:45:00.003-05:00

I had a startling revelation today with my Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is usually my favourite holiday. I look forward to it every year, brainstorming about different recipes I can make starting in September. And I thought this year would be no different. The build-up was the same, but when the day came... it was nothing like I thought it would be.

Driving home I realized that the reason it was always my favourite holiday was because it was a license for gluttony. And that's just not where I'm at now. My relationship with food is changing radically, so it would make sense that this holiday would be the one where I'd see that the most.

Admittedly, it was a little sad to see this change, kind of like growing up in a way. But it was also very freeing: it validated all the work I've been doing on myself and my relationship to food.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 66

1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
10 chlorella nuts
1 Rye Pumpkin Cracker (sprouted rye, sprouted pumpkin seeds, ground flax, sea salt, chili pepper flakes, Bell's seasoning, parsley, sea salt) with some of my Mushroom Pate on top (mushrooms, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, carrots, celery, jalepeno pepper, balsamic vinegar, parsley, Bell's seasoning, sea salt)
a couple pieces of Lisa Marie's World-Famous Chocolate Candy (cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, my Third Eye Blaster cordial, carob powder, cacao powder, maca powder, goji berries, hazelnuts, sea salt)
1 c. Smoothie (frozen bananas, frozen blackberries, frozen strawberries, frozen mangos, Brazil nut mylk, honey)
Thanksgiving feast (small samples of...): seitan, smashed potatoes with gravy, squash, monkey bread roll, steamed broccoli, fresh carrots, fresh grape tomatoes, mushroom and rice dressing, beet salad, olives, cranberry-orange sauce, my Apple Crisp (this was surprisingly good... my first attempt!), vegan punkin pie, my Miso Mushroom soup, my Pear-Cranberry Pudding (another first attempt surprise!), water
1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
couple more pieces of above chocolate
serving of my Apple Crisp

Today's Observations
Oh, my land. So, we have our Thanksgiving over at a friend's and within 20 minutes of eating dinner, I got a raging headache. The seitan is straight wheat gluten and then, of course, the rolls. Wheat always gives me a headache.

True Celebrations

2009-11-25T03:35:00.006-05:00

We had a special ritual today for a friend to celebrate a cool life transition. Very beautiful foods, lovingly crafted. The dinner was so simple. It totally reminded me of how celebrations should be: conversations full of laughter interspersed with tears... with some food to nibble throughout. So magickal. Really a good reminder for me - especially with Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 65

1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
2 c. Chia Banana Pudding (chia seeds, Brazil nut mylk, banana, bee pollen, honey)
1 Rye Pumpkin Cracker (sprouted rye, sprouted pumpkin seeds, ground flax, sea salt, chili pepper flakes, Bell's seasoning, parsley, sea salt)
a couple pieces of Lisa Marie's World-Famous Chocolate Candy (cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, my Third Eye Blaster cordial, carob powder, cacao powder, maca powder, goji berries, hazelnuts, sea salt)
2 c. Miso Mushroom Soup (spring water, miso, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger powder)
ritual feast (some of each): Nik's Beet-Carrot-Kholrabi Salad, Hope's Apple-Pomegranate-Sesame Seed Salad, my (cooked) Spaghetti Squash with (raw) Olive Tomato Sauce, my Ritual Chocolates, hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea

Today's Observations
OK. 2 cups of chia pudding is... erm... a bit much. Let's just take that down a bit, shall we? I've been tootin' all day!

Exercise

2009-11-24T06:23:00.008-05:00

I know this blog is supposed to be about food, but I think it's important to mention exercise in conjunction. Sometimes my food choices are related to my exercise. For example, I have a daily yoga routine that I do that includes some exercises my chiropractor recommends for my lower back and shoulders. If I don't do my exercises, I'm more prone to eat when I'm not hungry. I think this is because I'm out of balance. When I do my exercises, I am motivated to do more of them and am also more aware of my body, of how I move within my body, and am listening better to my body.

This can't be all about food. My relationship to food is contextual.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 64

1 c. hot decaf Earl Grey tea with stevia
1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
10 chlorella nuts, 1 T. bee pollen
2c. Sweet 'n' Spicy Cabbage Slaw (cabbage, olives, scallions, sunflower seeds, goji berries, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dill weed, parsley, chili pepper flakes)
1 c. hot Reishi-Fo-ti-Vanilla tea
2 c. Smashed Potatoes (white potatoes, sweet potatoes, olive oil, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt)
1 c. spring water
1.5 c. Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas, Brazil nut mylk) with Chocolate Sauce (cacao powder, coconut oil, honey)
3.5 slices of conventional veggie pizza with 2 c. kale salad (kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, nutritional yeast, sea salt)
2 c. cold Pau d'Arco tea
1 c. spring water

Today's Observations
Had a moment tonight where I realized that I'd been making a lot of emotional food choices recently. Very intense moment.

Gentle Permissions

2009-11-23T19:42:00.002-05:00

I recently had a friend of mine tell me that she's not ready to give up comfort eating. I really had to respect her for that. She's working through so many issues right now and that's just not one of them. I think this is a huge sticking point for people - especially women. We berate ourselves because we're not doing enough. There are some that truly aren't, but what if you're one of the ones that is busting your ass to take care of your family, working, participating in social events, AND trying to work on yourself. Maybe just one issue at a time is all you can do. Maybe just one piece of the puzzle is all you can work on.

If you can't be gentle with yourself on your own journey, you'll never be able to heal. Healing only happens through an admission of gentleness.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 63

Chocolate-Banana-Hazelnut Smoothie (frozen bananas, hazelnuts, spring water, honey, cacao powder, mesquite powder, maca powder, sea salt)
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
1 slice of White Chocolate Pear Pie (crust was walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, pear, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
2c. Sweet 'n' Spicy Cabbage Slaw (cabbage, olives, scallions, sunflower seeds, goji berries, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dill weed, parsley, chili pepper flakes)
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream (2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/2 c. Brazil nuts, 2 T. soaked goji berries, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. honey, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1 T. mulberries, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt)
dinner out at Saeng Thai: some fried sweet potato thingies for an appetizer and vegetable and tofu Pad Thai, hot Thai tea

Today's Observations
Today's lesson? Smoothies on my stomach first thing in the morning don't work. Let's just go back to the tea, shall we? And the fried sweet potato thingies... not too bad, but definitely am glad that I hardly ever eat fried food. Man, I remember eating fried food daily while I was in college. I lived on Diet Coke, pizza, and fries. Guess that begs the question of the quality of that living, doesn't it?

Medicinal Foods

2009-11-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

There are many foods that I incorporate into my diet because of their medicinal properties. (I suppose all food is medicinal one way or another... ) All the teas I drink are to serve medicinal purposes - horsetail, nettle, Pau d'Arco, ginger, yerba mate, green teas... to name a few. I've also recently begun to take chlorella - something I've been wanting to buy for a while. (They're just so damned expensive, but I decided to take the plunge and just get 'em.) They taste marvellous! I also take Reishi tincture (my own creation) to restore my Yin energies and help heal my back. Take the time to research and experiment with herbs/superherbs and teas. Teas especially are a great way to get maximum benefit for a small amount of money!

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 62

10 chlorella nuts
2 tsp. bee pollen
1 c. hot green jasmine tea with stevia
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
1 slice of White Chocolate Pear Pie (crust was walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, pear, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
1 c. Mushroom Miso Soup (miso, spring water, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, garlic, ginger powder, black pepper)
2 c. spring water
1.5 c. Barley Vegetable Soup (barley, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, honey, Herbs de Provence, Bell's, poultry seasoning, black pepper, water) with nutritional yeast, cheese breadsticks

Mushroom Miso Soup

Today's Observations
The breadsticks were a compromise. What all of us wanted was 56 huge veggie pizzas, but we decided to do just the breadsticks and eat the soup I'd already made. Go, Lisa, for making the soup this afternoon. LOL! Admittedly, I had some nausea and headache after the breadsticks.
: \

A New Education

2009-11-21T13:27:00.003-05:00

What is your food teaching you?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 61

1 c. hot green jasmine tea with stevia
1 c. (using previous tea's leaves) hot green jasmine tea with stevia
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
Mo's Garbage Cereal (oats, walnuts, goji berries, mulberries, pear, sesame seeds, chia seeds with hazelnut mylk)
1 slice of White Chocolate Pear Pie (crust was walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, pear, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
2 c. spring water
LOTS of nummy goodies at Aimee's potluck tonight: scads of Aimee's Happy Tea (reishi, chaga, vanilla! Oh, my!); some taco thingies in romaine; piece of homemade chocolate candy, beautiful kale and sprout salad; some of my Pineapple-Concord Grape-Pomegranate Salad; Aimee's Holiday Croquets with Ravy Gravy; carrot sticks with onion dip

Today's Observations
All that crazy-ass food combining at the potluck gave me gas! But the food was outrageous today! Yes! : )

When To Change

2009-11-20T21:46:00.002-05:00

"We don't make the changes we need to because we are not yet good enough at loving ourselves." - something Jim said once that really affected me

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 60

1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
2 c. Hot Cacao (hazelnut mylk, cacao powder, coconut oil, dates, vanilla bean, sea salt)
2 c. kale salad (kale, tomato, sprouts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, sea salt) with Olive Sesame Dressing
Superfood IceScream (1 tray ice, 1/3 c. goji berry juice, 1/4 c. Brazil nuts, 3 T. lucuma, 1 T. honey, 1 T. cacao nibs, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1/4 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/4 tsp. stevia, 1/4 tsp. sea salt)
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
couple bites of my Pineapple-Goji Salad
1 avocado with balsamic vinegar
dinner out at Thai Dish: hot Thai tea, water, 2 fresh vegetarian spring rolls, order of veggie Pad Thai with tofu
1 slice of White Chocolate Pear Pie (crust was walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, honey, pear, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
1 c. spring water

White Chocolate Pear Pie

Today's Observations
Pie was odd, but dang tasty. It tasted like a candy bar with pear slices... which isn't bad, just unexpected!

Challenging the Habits

2009-11-19T08:46:00.005-05:00

I've been challenging myself recently to stop eating when I'm not hungry. The other day I was standing at the kitchen counter thinking, I want to eat something. I was going through the food options when I thought, Dude! You're not even hungry! So, I made a hot tea instead and found something else to occupy my time. That day it was obvious; not all days are obvious. Though it feels tedious right now, I'm forcing myself to ask the question at every reach of food: why are you eating? what are you eating? what are you feeling? what are you trying to stifle? what do you want to feel? Powerful questions, man. Powerful questions.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 59

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with stevia
2 c. of green salad (kale, romaine, carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, olive oil, sea salt) with an avocado and Olive Sesame Dressing
1 c. of Hot Cacao (hazelnut mylk, cacao powder, coconut oil, dates, vanilla bean, stevia, sea salt)
2 stalks of celery stuffed with Jalapeno Apple Dip (walnuts, pecans, apple, carrots, celery, jalapeno, spring water, garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, sea salt)
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia
small package of chocolate-covered pretzels (read: comfort food for stress)
Beans and Rice (brown rice under bean concoction of kidney beans, onions, red bell peppers, celery, Golden Delicious apple, tomatoes, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder)
2 c. spring water
1 c. hot rooibos tea with stevia

Today's Observations
Dealing with car shit. Had the pretzels. Did the trick.

Purpose-filled Travel

2009-11-18T21:29:00.002-05:00

I used to be intimidated by vacations, but I decided to change my attitude. I realized that no matter where I am, the challenge will always be the same: how can I find food in this new locale that is healthy, fun, and satisfying? With all the grocery stores and restaurants around, you're bound to find something. Be creative! Be daring! Ask for something not on the menu! Ask the chef to come up with his/her own cool dish! And most importantly, remember the purpose of your vacation: relaxation... visiting with friends and family... having new experiences.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 58

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1 c. hot jasmine green tea (made from the previous tea's leaves) with stevia
2 c. green salad (romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds) with some dressing I found that I think Jim made
1 slice of White Chocolate Chip Pie (crust was walnuts, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, cashews, honey, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
1 c. cold Pau d'Arco tea
Green Smoothie (spring water, 2 bananas, 1 honkin' stalk of rainbow chard, 3/4 c. frozen blueberries, 1/2 c. frozen blackberries, 1/4 c. frozen mangos, 1/4 c. goji berries, 1 tsp. maca, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, 1 T. honey)
1 c. hot Candy Cane Lane (some pepperminty thang... whodathunkit?) herbal tea
3 nuts (I was cracking them for Mo and got to nibbling.)
potluck dinner: 3 c. green salad (kale, romaine, carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, olive oil, sea salt) with Olive Sesame Dressing, 1/2 c. Jalapeno Apple Dip (walnuts, pecans, apple, carrots, celery, jalapeno, spring water, garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, sea salt), Pineapple-Goji Salad (pineapple, goji berries, coconut flakes)
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream (2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. goji berry juice, 3 T. soaked goji berries, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. carob powder, 3 T. honey, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt)

Today's Observations
CRACKIN' day today! Superfoods, raw delights! Too many nuts though. Already got the gas going on. LOL! Fantastically fun day with food! Yay!

The Nice Test

2009-11-17T06:38:00.008-05:00

So, I wanted to be bitchy this morning and very consciously decided not to be. This was so unbelievably hard. ... ... Afterwards, I wanted to chew on a bagel. Interesting to notice what emotions trigger what food desires.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 57

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with stevia
16 oz. kombucha
2 c. green salad (romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds) with some dressing I found that I think Jim made
1 slice of White Chocolate Chip Pie (crust was walnuts, dates, sea salt; filling was cacao butter, coconut oil, cashews, honey, cacao nibs, water, sea salt)
1/2 c. of hot Wysteria's Warming Woo-Woo Tea
1 bag of potato chips
2 medium baked potatoes with guacamole and olives
1 c. spring water

White Chocolate Chip Pie! Loverly!

Today's Observations
OK. I got the chips because I think something's going on with my blood pressure. I didn't even think of salted nuts or seeds until much later or I would have gotten those. I've been getting really lightheaded and dizzy and for some weird reason... salt helps. That and water. Low blood pressure? Dehydration? Who the hell knows. I'm been feeling like this for days now. Very odd. The pie I totally made up on the spot... and it was a total hit! So proud!

The Paramount Issue: Edgrrr

2009-11-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

Saw "2012" tonight. All I kept thinking was, OK, could Edgrrr (our 13-pound poodle) fit into the big red backpack? Cuz I'd need my hands a lot til we got on that ship.

(Not that this has anything to do with food, mind you. But I did think about how we'd feed him his raw diet. Does that count?)

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 56

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
2 c. Warm Nutty Nana Elixir (water, coconut, banana, chia seeds, vanilla bean, stevia, ginger powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg)
about 10 dehydrated Golden Delicious apple slices (homemade! YUM!)
2.5 c. kale salad (kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt)
1 c. of Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Soup (water, black-eyed peas, canned tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, raisins, dried Golden Delicious apple bits, smoked paprika,garlic powder, oregano, nama shoyu, sea salt)
2 c. spring water
1 c. apple cider
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. mulberry juice, 1/2 c. Brazil nuts, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. goji berries, 1 T. soaked mulberries, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
dinner out from Federal Spice: Tofu Burrito with a few of their chips (BLECH!)
snickies from movie theatre: 1/2 c. hot green tea, handful of Milk Duds, handful of Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites

Today's Observations
It has been SO LONG since I've had conventional candy. I must say: I really haven't been missing anything. The taste that was oddly predominant was salt - not sugar. Very weird. Only got a little buzz from the candy - which was less than I expected. Also, Jim and I got an order of Federal Spice's homemade chips and salsa to split to accompany our lovely burritos. The first couple were OK... and then I bit into the next one and, I shit you not, got about a teaspoon of grease. UGH! It totally tripped my gag reflex. I am just not getting the fried food thing anymore. Sheesh.

Go Easy

2009-11-15T07:09:00.007-05:00

Take it easy on yourself. You can either realize the mistakes, fix 'em, and move on or you can realize the mistakes and chastise yourself and feel like shit. Be gentle.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 55

1/2 of this recipe, Strawberry Pudding (2 avocados, 1.5 frozen bananas, 1.5 c. frozen strawberries, 4 dates) with coconut and granola topping
1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1.5 falafel patties from the Whole Foods salad bar
1 c. hot green fruity tea
1 c. spring water
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. mulberry juice, 1/2 c. hazelnuts, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. cacao nibs, 2 T. goji berries, 2 T. soaked mulberries, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1.5 c. of Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Soup (water, black-eyed peas, canned tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, raisins, dried Golden Delicious apple bits, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, nama shoyu, sea salt)
1/2 c. Marinated Mushies (portabello mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, nama shoyu... marinated and then dehydrated... MMMM!)
sips of Jim's Breathe the Ale medicinal homebrew
A Little Summin: 2 T. almond flour, 1 T. coconut oil, 1 T. honey, 1 T. cacao powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, scant 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
The past couple of days I've been getting light-headed. I feel better after water and greens. Dehydration? Iron deficiency? Keeping my eye on this.

"Transitional" Foods

2009-11-14T18:41:00.002-05:00

There is this category of foods in the raw food world that people call "transitional foods." This category subsumes that people are wanting to move from a SAD (Standard American Diet) to a 100% raw food diet... without the shock of doing it overnight. This category usually contains cooked vegan foods like whole grains (i.e., amaranth, quinoa, oats), beans, and seasonings (i.e., nutritional yeast, Bragg's). I've even seen some lists that include raw cheeses and raw milk yoghurts.

I think this category should be broadened and taken in context. For example, I have a friend who is an omnivore. She was starting from a SAD diet and now wants to start making healthier choices. She's begun buying local produce, grain-fed local meats, and owns chickens for producing her eggs. This is an excellent choice for her. I'm starting from a high raw diet and my goal is (most days) to better listen to my body's fuel needs. So, if I'm grocery shopping at Whole Foods and want some nuts, then I'm going to have to buy them pasteurized because that's all they have there. Pasteurized nuts would fall into that "transitional foods" category.

My family eats a high raw diet. The non-raw things that are included in our diet are the occasional going out (where we eat either vegan or vegetarian), quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, cooked vegan soups, air-popped popcorn, and baked potatoes (trying to stick to non-white). Also, we use balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce quite often. But does this mean we are "in transition"? I think our diet has always been in transition. As we have done research and increased our abilities to listen to our bodies, we've added or subtracted foodstuffs as necessary - and tried to do all of that without guilt or shame... something that I'm finding is lacking in the raw food community.

I've seen self-proclaimed raw foodists eating "transitional foods" while making excuses about how they are "still in transition." Their faces are filled with shame and regret. What is that? Is the label "raw foodist" putting unnecessary pressure on us? If we can't eat your food with joy and abandon, why are we eating it? Transitioning to a healthier diet also means transitioning to a healthier attitude, to healthier habits. While we're working on what goes in, we also have to work on how we process, and what comes out. And this isn't just about transitioning to a raw foods diet; this is about transitioning to that better version of yourself... whatever that may be.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 54

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
2 T. mulberries and 1/4 c. homemade dried Golden Delicious apple bits
1 c. hot Wysteria's Warming Woo-Woo herbal tea
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/2 c. pecans, 1/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 c. of Carrot and Beet Quinoa (2 c. quinoa cooked, 2 carrots, 1 beet, 3 garlic cloves, hemp seed oil, apple cider vinegar, dill weed, sea salt)
4 c. plain, air-popped popcorn
1 c. spring water
2 c. spring water
2 c. bok choy salad (bok choy, sprouts, carrots, olives, hemp seeds) with Hemp Balsamic Dressing (hemp seed oil, balsamic vinegar, spring water, honey, garlic, basil)
1/3 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/2 c. hazelnuts, 1/4 c. honey, 2 T. mulberries, 2 T. goji berries, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. mesquite powder, 2 T. carob powder, 2 T. cacao powder, 2 tsp. maca powder, 3/4 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Carrot and Beet Quinoa... Beautiful!

Today's Observations
The quinoa was amazing. That and the bok choy salad totally worked for me today. Interesting, too, how the weather is getting colder and how I've been oscillating between hot teas and ice cream. LOL!

The Difference A Year Makes

2009-11-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Me and Mo, Atlanta, GA, July 2008

Me, New Gloucester, ME, September 2009

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 53

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 1.5 trays of ice, 3/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/2 c. hazelnuts, 1/4 c. soaked goji berries, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. carob powder, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 T. hazelnuts
1 carrot with Olive Sesame Dressing
1 c. hot herbal ginger tea
1 Butternut Bar
3/4 c. sushi rice with 2 c. chickpea stew over it (chickpeas, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes, chat masala, garam masala, Bragg's, nutritional yeast, hot sauce)
1/3 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/2 c. hazelnuts, 1/4 c. soaked goji berries, 1/4 c. honey, 6 T. lucuma, 4 T. mesquite powder, 3 T. cacao nibs, 4 T. mulberries, 2 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1 tsp. stevia, 3/4 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
Need more greens!

Definition Dilemma

2009-11-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

So, I'm compelled to revisit this issue of what makes it o.k. to claim oneself as a raw foodist. I've been claiming that my definition of it is someone who believes that a primarily raw food diet is one of the healthier choices and someone who also eats a primarily raw diet. Is this workable though? Some people think it comes down to percentages, but I'm unclear about the number: 50%? 75%? 85%? 100%? I'm not sure where the lines are drawn.

Of course, all this debate begs the next question: is it important to call oneself a raw foodist anyway?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 52

1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 1.75 trays of ice, 3/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/2 c. Brazil nuts, 1/4 c. soaked goji berries, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. hot decaf chai tea with stevia
2 c. salad (romaine, spinach, sprouts, cucumbers) with Olive Sesame Dressing and Tabasco hot sauce
1.5 c. Smashed Potatoes (1 part white potatoes, 2 parts sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast, sea salt, black pepper)
1/2 c. of malt-sweetened carob-coated raisins
dinner from Thai Dish: 2 fresh vegetarian spring rolls, 3/4ths of an order of veggie Pad Thai with tofu
1 c. hot decaf chai tea with stevia
2 c. spring water

Today's Observations
I had an emotional day and was not in the mood to pull together a dinner. I'm very happy to live in the boonies and still be able to get decent Thai food inside a half-hour's drive. Love that Thai: vegan, low-impact food. Of course, if they'de stop serving it in those nasty styrofoam and plastic/tin containers...

Lisa Marie, Super Gen-i-us

2009-11-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

"If you don't bring forth the perfect genius within you, it will destroy you. If you do bring forth the perfect genius within you, it will transform you." - the beautiful Rob Brezsny

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 51

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. goji berry juice, 1/3 c. pecans, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Smoothie: 2 frozen bananas, 1 c. frozen blueberries, 1 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/2 c. frozen mangos, 1/2 c. goji berry juice, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 Butternut Bar
3 c. salad (romaine, spinach, sprouts, tomato, cucumber) with Olive Sesame Dressing
1 small baked white potato and 2 small baked sweet potatoes with sea salt
1 c. spring water
Superfood IceScream: 1.25 trays of ice, 1/2 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/3 c. Brazil nuts, 3 T. lucuma, 2 T. honey, 1 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
Actually really proud of myself for making light choices.

Head-Stoned

2009-11-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

Do you think your fork is a shovel? Sometimes... I do. What does that make my mouth then? A grave?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 50

1/2 c. Stop Yer Swinin' and Bee Well (one of my electuaries!) tea
2 c. spring water
Banana Mash-Up: 2 bananas, 2 T. sesame seeds, 2 T. chia seeds
1.5 c. (but one teabag) herbal Sweet Cinnamon tea
1/2 c. Maine Sea Vegetables Nori Sesame Cashews
4 c. kale salad (kale, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, black pepper)
1/3 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. goji berry juice, 1/3 c. Brazil nuts, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. spring water
Veggie Mex: (layered in this order) brown rice, nutritional yeast, veggies (sauteed only for a few minutes... broccoli, onions, mushrooms, red peppers, corn with spices), guacamole, hot sauce, sea salt
1 c. spring water
Little Summin': 2 T. almond flour, 2 T. cacao powder, 1 T. honey, 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
Focused on listening to my body today and only eating when I was hungry. I feel like I made some good choices. Dinner was especially good... especially since I was thinking about hot dogs a lot today. LOL!

Monkey Mind

2009-11-09T20:35:00.000-05:00

So, today I called Jim after having my Indian food and was bitching and moaning about how I'm so damned tired of hearing myself bitch and moan over food choices. I started to process with him about my food choices and he stopped me and said, "Look. You can't process mentally and process your food at the same time. So, the first thing you're going to do is to enjoy the fact that you had a good meal, let your body get all the goodness out of it that you can, poop it out... and then we can talk about it, o.k.?" I tend to get on this wagon of negative self-talk - so popular among us women - that doing something positive is a stretch. I'm working on this. I think I'm just going to have to keep doing it to get into the habit.

The other thing Jim and I have been kicking around is this idea of toxifying our bodies while we're trying to detox. If we are so DONE with the level of toxicity in our bodies, why would we choose to slow down the detoxifying process by continuing to eat foods that we know are contributing to that toxification? I'm not saying I have an answer yet... but I'm working on it.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 49

1/2 c. Stop Yer Swinin' and Bee Well (one of my electuaries!) tea
2 c. of Pineapple and Clementine Salad (pineapple, clementine ; )
lunch out at Tandoor: 1 c. Darjeeling tea, 1 c. water, 1 naan, 1 order of Mutter Mushroom (no rice), 1 samosa with cilantro chutney, 1 pakora with onion chutney, 1 papadam
shared a 16 oz. bottle of mint green tea with Mo
2 bites of a Pudding Pie Cup (crust was pecans, walnuts, dates, sea salt; pudding was avocados, coconut oil, honey, carob powder, cacao powder, sea salt)
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. goji berry juice, 1/3 c. pecans, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. lucuma, 3 T. mulberries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
Am still noticing lots of sweetness in my foods. Kevin Gianni says that if you're craving a lot of sweets that you might be needing more sweetness in your life. Overall, still walking the tightrope of detoxing and habits.

Endurance

2009-11-08T17:58:00.008-05:00

"Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes." - Buddha

Every minute I am working on enduring, every minute on bettering. Who am I to call my actions failures?

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 48

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1/2 c. Stop Yer Swinin' and Bee Well (one of my electuaries!) tea
2 c. elixir (horsetail tea, spring water, sesame seeds, coconut, dates, goji berries, maca powder, sea salt, vanilla bean, Stop Yer Swinin' and Bee Well)
1. 5 c. of kale salad (kale, tomato, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt)
4 pieces of cheese pizza
1 c. spring water
2 c. cold horsetail tea
1 clementine
1 Pudding Pie Cup (crust was pecans, walnuts, dates, sea salt; pudding was avocados, coconut oil, honey, carob powder, cacao powder, sea salt)
2 c. kale salad (kale, tomato, avocado, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt)
2 c. cold horsetail tea

Pudding Pie Cups... as prepared by Mo, Bridge, and me... Mmmm!

Today's Observations
Sugar buzz this morning! AGH! Pizza this afternoon! What am I becoming? Who am I?! Also, I'm eating more sugar and not necessarily when I'm hungry. Be careful, Lees... possible downward spiral.

Self-Kindness Comes in All Colours

2009-11-07T07:08:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you need comfort. No blame, no guilt, no negative self-talk. Just take the comfort and move on.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 47

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
1/3 of a medium-sized cup of hot decaf chai with almond mylk and honey from Whole Foods (Uck! This was really not good. I think it was just the brand of chai. Ended up chucking it. Blech!)
1 olive roll
16 oz. Poland Spring lime-flavoured seltzer
a spoonful-sized taste of my pecan pie filling made for my class
2 c. of Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas, spring water) with walnuts and cacao nibs
1/2 c. spring water
3 c. of kale salad (kale, tomato, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt)
4 pieces of cheese pizza
2 c. spring water
2 clementines

Today's Observations
Look, here's the hard truth: If it's the first day of my period and I want cheese pizza, I'm having cheese pizza. Dammit.

The Hard Truth

2009-11-06T09:41:00.005-05:00

When I am trying to control others' food choices, it is because I am trying to control my own.

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 46

2 c. (but one teabag) hot jasmine green tea with honey
Banana Mash-Up: 2 bananas, 2 T. sesame seeds, 2 T. chia seeds
1/2 c. hot decaf chia
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 1.5 trays of ice, 1/2 c. goji berry juice, 1/4 c. honey, 1/4 c. walnuts, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. soaked goji berries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, scant 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 oz. of Cajun Sesame Sticks from Axis bulk aisle
16 oz. mango kombucha
dinner made by Jim: some kidney bean and veggie thing on brown rice and a bed of spinach topped with fresh jalepenos and Tabasco!
Little Summin' Summin': 2 T. almond flour, 1 T. coconut oil, 1 T. cacao powder, 1 T. honey, 1 tsp. lucuma, 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Today's Observations
Need more greens! Tonight's dinner was scrumptious though! MMMM!

Choosin' the Booch

2009-11-05T10:11:00.005-05:00

Just have to go with simple today... "Is there a healthier choice you can make right now?"

Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.

Day 45

1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
Banana Mash-Up: 2 bananas, 1/4 c. pecans
1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 1.5 trays of ice, 1/3 c. sesame mylk, 1/4 c. honey, 1/4 c. pecans, 3 T. cacao nibs, 3 T. mulberries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, scant 1/2 tsp. sea salt
16 oz. berry kombucha
take out from Thai Dish: 2 fresh veggie spring rolls with peanut sauce, Pad Thai with veggies and tofu
1 c. spring water
2 c. cold horsetail tea

Today's Observations
So, the last thing I'd had before I went to Whole Foods and Hannaford was the ice cream. I had to do a big grocery run and was really hungry. I looked at and rejected the following: Sunspire Peanuts (mmm... chocolate-covered peanuts!), goat's milk yoghurt, olive roll, falafel from the salad bar, cookies, soup, and sushi. I keep thinking of Kevin Gianni's recent video: "Is there a healthier choice I can make right now?" I stopped and stood still for a moment. I opened my eyes and saw the kombucha display and then remembered that Whole Foods now has kombucha on tap. I got a large one and drank it - and immediately felt sated. What a hard moment! I don't think people realize all the babble that a food addict has going on in his/her mnd 24-7.