day 6

i do not like broccoli in my green smoothie! why is it that when i happen to not like the smoothie...it yields greater quantities than when i really like it. the little thingys that make up the broccoli florets don't blend away.

i had the most wonderful pineapple and i put it all in the smoothie. i'm a little upset about that. no i'm pretty pissed. but i will suck it up...literally.

what a day day 5 has been. i awakened this morning feeling pretty drained and tired. sort of like i was coming down with something. a little congestion and a headache. i felt more energy after my green smoothie.

my day was spent mostly on the computer catching up on some work, researching, and paying bills. this afternoon was pretty packed with stuff. guitar lessons then boxing.

boxing was awesome today. i had been feeling like i was not eating enough. today was the day of reckoning. tuesdays are for conditioning with coach portia. an ex army drill sergeant. my daughter was looking at me with fear in her eyes. coach portia is not some one we want to piss off. yes coach...no coach...sorry coach.

jogging in place, then jumping jacks ( 3 jumping jacks = 1 count), then jumping jacks again in all directions, then push ups, ( 4 different way) then abs... it was right at the beginning of abs that i felt a little woozy. there is no way i am going to be the first to sit out. i go to the bathroom mainly to sit and catch my breath. i feel a little better so i return. i missed partner match ups so now coach portia is my partner. laying down on the floor doing crunches while coach p is sitting on my feet so i push hard cuz that just how i do.

now it's time to switch and i have to stand so that she can hold my ankles. i am thinking why is she talking so much. i feel really weird like the floor is rising to meet me because it knows i need to sit down. i let her know i am a little dizzy and like a wuss i sit out the rest of the class. there is a nurse in the class and she gives me jolly ranchers and they are not raw. i was about to tell her no thank you but i figured what the hell. i am in no condition to argue. the raw spinach i had in my pursue wasn't really going to help me here.

i finish two jolly ranchers and eat three bites of my daughter's subway sandwich (that's not raw either). so i was pretty pissed. i sucked in the first class. i was out done by the kids. and i screwed up my regiment.

ok so i have forgiven myself.... i bought more fresh produce after class.

ps this one hour class lasted 2.5 hours!

went to see julie and julia today. pick up some fresh and dried fruits with some raw nuts. nothing seemed appealing after smelling the aroma of the popcorn popping. i persevered and went into the theater quickly. after the movie, i rushed home to change clothes and headed off to a dentist appointment. before you know it is 4:00 pm and i am at trader joes picking up cookies (my favorite the triple ginger snaps) for my sister-friend. while i am aware now that i have not eaten since the snacks at noon, i am noticing my thoughts. i think that a raw lifestyle would be very difficult and too much work. i think about all the cooked meals i would never experience again. i am thinking of making brownies with my daughter (by this time i am looking at all the chocolate as i wait in line at the check out stand). it was cool to be able to stand and be aware and not really participate but to know what's really going on.. i know i need to eat something as i was feeling deprived and already loosing my mind. i drop off the cookies and head home. i make another raw chocolate and banana smoothie and life is good again. this time i have the official taster at hand and she loves it! she was pissed that i did not evenly distribute the contents of the pitcher. yes, i did pour me more...it was an emergency. (God helps those who help themselves). it was so good she told the kids outside and they all want to try it next time...as she did share when she was relating how good it was. that gave me time to put salads together for dinner. i just sliced all the vegetables and put into containers so she could pick what she likes...certain foods still must not touch. i am fed. i am pleased. i am back on track. ps no... seeing all the food in the movie did not make we want to eat it...however it did heightened my love for Paris..

confessions

confession time: soy creamer

picked up the munchkin this morning after my walk (no not run). she had not had breakfast. i am somewhat challenged by this dilemma. we could either go home where there is nothing desirable to her or go out. we headed to new season's market. i can trust we can find something for her breakfast to please us both.

i pick up a few veggies and fruits. I can not find my tea stashed in my purse so i buy another box of yerba mate. as my daughter enjoys her biscuit and gravy. as i plan to sit and watch her eat, i realize where I am...produce heaven! i grab a few of the most beautiful tangelos and prepare to enjoy breakfast. i did put a little soy creamer in my mate. (just a little as the canister was empty...shear coincidence)

picking up a few items to create a raw snack for the movie. what would compliment these tangelos?

day 5

even though i was up way past my bedtime, i awakened at my normal time... crack of dawn. one thing that has not changed is the fact that i am not the morning person. it takes a long time for my body to catch up to my mind.

green smoothie is already made. getting ready for my morning walk. some mornings i see myself as a runner...again. you have to see it to be it right? will a few hops and/or skips help to manifest that dream? we will see.

today's plan is to continue to keep it simple. any cooked foods today will be made by the jr chef after we have had a salad. i figure that way i am less prone to slip, my daughter can learn some tools of the trade and have raw veggies to boot! i will have her cook a few things that she can put on top of her salads. as long as i don't say it's vegan...we're good.

did you know there are some raw foodies who turn their stoves off and use them for extra counter space or to grow plants? i'm just saying... who couldn't use the extra counter top to chop up all their veggies?

i am starting the day with a glass of water...yeaaah me!

day 4 part 2

i notice that i am not tired at the end of the day. my typical bedtime is usually 10 pm. i am wide awake and not the least bit tired. the past few nights i would go to bed anyway and just lay there not the least bit ready to fall asleep. i did not make it to yoga this morning as i had planned. after a raw chocolate and banana smoothie, i was bouncing off the wall. i used that energy to clean the house. i was too wired to do yoga. today was not what i would call challenging. it was actually a good day. i was inspired to re-organize the kitchen. i felt too guilty to just throw the stuff off. i felt even worse at the thought of given food away that i wouldn't eat. i put the items in a box. i decided to share it with a family who would enjoy the food or give it to the food bank. i have mixed feelings about how much of this i should "force" on my daughter. i know she is deserving of health benefits. i know she will get traditional cooked foods while she is with her dad. i also know that it will be challenging to cook for her while it is my desire to eat only raw foods. i have some what of a vision of what i can do for her. it would be advantageous to her to take it slow. one thing i know about myself is that cold turkey is the only way for me to be most committed. i may be putting more energy into this than necessary. i am concerned as it is a gift of love for me to prepare meals for my family that are delicious, nutritious, and enjoyable. I really do enjoy seeing my family enjoy my modern day miracles in the kitchen.. i am not drinking water...i am having to consciously remind myself to drink water

day 4

sunday day 4

what i've learned is that this challenge goes by more smoothly if i address one moment at a time. no stressing about the last meal or the next. if i choose to stop and be in awareness of the moment, it is from that place that i make the best decisions.

tried a few new recipes on yesterday: raw chocolate and banana smoothie, peaches and spinach green smoothie, cashew mock chicken salad. while i enjoyed the smoothies i realized i did not have the taste for the gourmet concoctions. the mock chicken salad was not so bad...i just wanted a salad...something simple

did you really think i would accept any challenge that did not include chocolate? raw chocolate has 30x more antioxidants than green tea! the smell is misleadingly aromatic. your mind thinks milk chocolate... not. eating raw chocolate (nibs) is sort of like crunching on chocolate flavored coffee beans (no sugar added). it's a taste that i imagined can be acquired or with some stevia/ agave could be the "real" thing.

there is this guy, david wolfe, calls himself the world authority on chocolate. says chocolate is the best food ever. says to eat more chocolate. co-wrote a book, naked chocolate, "where recipes allow you to find that perfect alchemical potion that causes all heaven to break loose." and he"s a cutie! i think he may be the "one"!

what seems to work best is to keep it simple. that's today's plan. keep it simple.

ps i did find a recipe for a chocolate cake. more to come on that.

living raw take 3

day 3

not much of an appetite this morning. full of emotions. lots of them. after three trips to the bathroom, i was feeling a little more centered. i was reading lesson 3 of david wolfe's sunfood diet system. where he writes about the power of your thoughts, that our thoughts create our reality and i was about to be overcome by tears. the emotion was not really attached to what i was reading but to my awareness of particular thought patterns that i have been playing in my mind lately. did not feel much like crying so i put that book away.

gabriel cousins is a medical doctor, author, rabbi, and raw foods advocate. he will be speaking tonight at the john's landing bikram yoga studio. http://www.bikrampdx.com/ i am contemplating attending his lecture. i started reading his book a cure for diabetes. reads too much like a medical journal for me to really get into it. i would like to meet him in person just to get a feel for how "real" he is. i would also like to meet some other raw foodist as i am sure many will be there.

thought a lot this morning about the meaning of this challenge. beyond the health benefits to be gained from eating live foods; i desire a connection with Spirit in every facet of my life. if you are what you eat then what am i if i have lived a life consuming dead beings and processed foods. i desire to be more compassionate. that compassion extends to mother earth and animals as well (i'm a work in progress.. as for any cat who has crossed my path would agree i'm not there yet).

my plan for today is to do what i need to do knowing that all my needs are met. beautiful, nutritious, and delicious live food is always available to me when my body needs it. more greens today... i am taking some colorful veggies with me on my outing.

ps i tossed the rest of yesterday's smoothie...was not appealing in the least today. i need to consciously hydrate today for yoga in the morning.

today was a much better day. i do feel that my energy is replenishing after weeks of feeling drained. i feel pretty good.

allowing myself to eat all day long is a challenge. all the portion control conditioning has been playing nonstop in my head. had wonderful salads, watermelon, and lots of nuts...did i mention lots of nuts: brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, pecans. well i did have lots of vegetables too.

had my first smoothie mishap. apples + blender = applesauce. i blended apples, blueberries with romaine lettuce and parsley. to my dismay it was very bland. i added a peach, some cashews, and a little avocado to make it more palatable. i can drink it but it's still applesauce. 1/2 quart to go

i did achieve culinary success in making a salad dressing. very simple mixture of tahini (ground sesame seeds), lemon juice, Bragg's, garlic and water. simply wonderful.

someone asked if i was enjoying my raw adventure...not yet. no major transformation in the first two days.. no euphoric moments. i told her that i was excited about the creative element of the journey. i have planned creative kitchen time for sunday.

time for the real stuff. today i craved meat. fried chicken and cheeseburgers...stuff i don't normally eat. i did my best to stay in the house with the tv off so that i would not yield to temptation.

i searched for raw recipes online. i found comfort in the many possibilities...cupcakes, cookies, mock chicken salad, unfried rice and many others. my project is to create a raw meal with desert to celebrate my soon to be eleven year old birthday. as if my chosen challenge was not daunting enough.

it's day 2!!!

"and God said, behold, I have given you every herb...upon the face of all the earth... to you it shall be for food." Genesis 1:29

woke up this morning with a slight headache and an appetite. which is quite unusual as on most days i don't have either.

smoothie made with peaches, kale, coconut water, cashews, and a little avocado and cinnamon. although i would prefer fresh; it has helped to make a smoothie in the evening and have it available for the morning.

i am not feeling the run at the moment. i will see how it feels to get out and move around anyway.

today's plan is to go with what i know i like. not to much experimentation today other than creating a salad dressing mixture that i like (it must be awesome...mediocre just won't do). eat more vegetables.

today's inspiration in print comes from 12 steps to raw food by Victoria Boutenko and the sunfood diet success system by David Wolfe.

here's to having the best today ever.

PS thanks richard for the bag of chips on fb...LOL!

is it friday yet?

almost made it through day one. and yes i am hungry! maybe not really hungry but desiring some food of substance...i want my stomach to feel full.

so the creamy curry dressing i was looking forward to was not worth looking forward to. i was really disappointed with the results and skipped lunch. skipping lunch was not such a big deal as i ate well as i was shopping for greens. ken in produce at the orenco new seasons was the bomb! i told him about what i was doing and he commenced to cutting into random fruits and vegetables (sponge carrots) so that i could try them out. he was a angel! he was wearing a yerba matte t-shirt too.

so now i am hot, bothered, hungry and irritable to say the least. i will make a smoothie when i can stop complaining long enough. did i mention i have a slight headache as well.

i made an apple, blueberry, and macadamia nut fruit salad...which was very good. i sprinkled a little pumpkin spice on top.

i will need to intake more food on tomorrow.

Day 1 RAW

"Never too old, never too sick, never too bad, never too late to start from scratch and begin again. " Bikram

today is the day to hit the reset button. each day...every moment...is an opportunity to start anew with a new thought, a new attitude, a new resolve. today is mine.

red + green = brown... so my green smoothie is not so green. strawberries and raspberries with romaine actually tastes really good. it's not very pretty but delicious none the least.

i got a plan for today... smoothie through out the day. salad with a raw curry dressing for lunch. take fruit, veggies, and water when I go out. green smoothie for dinner.

there are no limits on quantity so i do not expect to be hungry. i am most concerned about the cravings and emotions that come when the toxins are released into the blood stream.

my fasting blood sugar was 101 this morning. i will be using glucose readings as one of my measurable. as i am not getting on the scale and posting my weight, i will take body measurements and post the changes (maybe). i will track how i feel, my emotions, and energy level.

i do not talk about it much...i am being treated for type 2 diabetes. my physician and i disagree sometimes about traditional and alternative treatment. she knows that i do things that she thinks not medically sound for her typical diabetic patients. i keep her up to date on my studies and she supports me by ordering the lab work. i am her "special" patient and even though i often challenge her theories, practices (and her patience) i am her favorite.

i have run a marathon, i have run from mt. hood to the Oregon coast twice (ran one year, walked the next in the hood to coast relay), i do yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees... eating raw food for 30 days ... a piece of cake...better yet a piece of carrot

PS it may not be considered raw but i am keeping my yerba matte... i will make raw nut milk for my matte lattes if need be but my tea stays !

pre-game tropical green smoothie

it is indeed a wonderful morning. up before the sun. what a perfect time to experiment before the big day. my anxiety level is not so bad. my plan is to keep it simple.

tropical green smoothie

water from one coconut
strawberries
small pineapple
raw cashews
gogi berries
kale (i used 3 leaves and removed the stem
i would have added the coconut meat if i could've cracked it open

yields just over a quart

i must say it was very delightful and green. i poured over ice as I forgot to add that in. i consider it a success if my child would drink it. she liked it more than she was willing to admit...yet it was green. if i can make it pink or purple and still add the greens i may be on to something.

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30 Day Raw Challenge

preparation has begun for my 30 raw food challenge. preparing mentally is the most challenging step for me. day 1 will begin thursday. i am working into it slowly starting today. my thought is that it will be a little less challenging if i start on my "off" parenting weekend.

raiding the pantry is the task at hand. i have been pretty successful cleaning out the refrigerator. it will be easier to rid the house of the processed items when my child is away.

i do have a few concerns as i begin this challenge.

1. what will be my metrics...(i'm not getting on the scale)
2. what will i do when i go out
3. what will i do about the detox symptoms

being the scientist that i am...of course this is an opportunity for me to design an experiment (DOE) for this process (what do you expect from a out of work engineer). choose some variables, create some tables, charts, and graphs...

good on food: apples, lemons, pineapple, watermelon, cucumber, peppers (red, orange, yellow), lettuce, kale, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, coconuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews.

good on resources: http://www.sunfood.com/ (books) http://www.aniphyo.com/ (awesome recipes)

support: that's where you come in...send me your thoughts of inspiration via email or leave a message

this blogging is a new adventure for me. im always experimenting and trying something new. a new experience for the right side of my brain..no rules...no agenda...no constraints...no boxes

i had an opportunity today to participate and fellowship with some wonderful people in Vancouver, WA. we gathered to discuss and experience living in the raw. consuming foods that have not been cooked.

as excited as i am about the potential life altering transition into raw foods. i am intimidated about the idea. excited about the health benefits. intimidated by my current limited options of vegetables that i find palatable. excited for the challenge.

i must admit that my first real concern was...if i go raw then what will i do when i go to A&T's homecoming?!?! it is truly my desire to go this year... fo real this time!

i so enjoyed the conversation and the food. the leader was awesome. the food was great. so much better than i had thought considering that everything had avocados. ( avocados did not make the short list of things i like). the green smoothies were my favorite.

the wheels are turining for the potential recipes that i can create. if i can create a raw meal that my child would eat and enjoy...i could have a cookbook on my hands!

as if i have not picked up enough weird habits in Portland already, now i have a new one to add to my list. one more thing to keep the conversations going back home.

enough words for now... see you at bikram in the am