Raw in Minnesota

Making a change

2008-03-04T08:56:00.002-06:00

Hello fellow Raw Foodists & anyone else who finds this blog! I have decided that focusing on Raw Foods isn't right for me at this time. I have had so much going on the past couple months that I haven't even been focusing on ME, much less what foods are raw & what aren't. So, with that, I am not going to be posting on this blog anymore. I have started a new blogger site that I'm going to use to find out what I need to do to be a Healthy Nikki. If you want to join me over there, come on over. If not, good luck with your journey & I hope you live a happy, healthy life!

Cheers ~ Nikki

Green Smoothie Challenge!

2007-12-18T10:56:00.000-06:00

I'm participating in the Raw Diva's Green Smoothie Challenge this week & I'm LOVING it! I was able to convince my boyfriend, mom, brother, and a couple friends to join me in the challenge. Green smoothies are new to some of the group & not so new to others. Since Chris & I have been enjoying green smoothies for months now we decided to mix up our recipes a bit & try something new.

Today for breakfast we had the Green and Gone Smoothie(on the right in the picture) from Gone Raw and it was delicious! I haven't taken many risks with my smoothies this far, but this one has convinced me that there are so many possibilities! It has so much flavor that I am only able to sip it, which has forced me to really enjoy it...yay!

Lunch is going to be a banana/raspberry/celery combo which is on the left in the picture. It doesn't look like a green smoothie to me but I know it's good for me and it's going to be very tasty!

I'm so excited to be participating in this challenge with my family and friends. I am not pushing raw foods on anyone (except my bf occasionally), but I think that having a green smoothie for breakfast can help EVERYONE. I hope that once the challenge is done everyone has found at least one favorite variety and can try enjoying a green smoothie once a day or so.

Traveling & enjoying raw foods

2007-12-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

I am in Nashville this week for a seminar and decided to plan ahead so I can eat some or most raw at least. I was able to make some Walnut Hemp Crackers & Cranberry Granola from Raw Food, Real World as well as some Apple Cinnamon Cookies from RAWvolution before leaving on Monday. I also talked to the hotel last week to make sure that I could get to a grocery store. They said their shuttle would take me so I didn't have to call a cab which I thought was very nice!

So, I ate lunch at the hotel today but one of the women at the seminar had a car so she drove us to the grocery store after we were dismissed. I think we both did a great job picking out healthy foods, although I'm not sure what her normal diet is like. I got bananas, apples, grapes, carrots & grape tomatoes! I also got some Naked Juice & granola bars because I think realistically I won't be able to stick to the fruit & granola and I don't want to end up at the vending machine. I am happy with how this is all going so far...we'll see if it continues to go well.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to get up & workout because we don't have to be at the conference room until 8:30. Good Night!

My Transition Plan - Take 2

2007-11-30T10:10:00.000-06:00

I just completed my first week of transitioning back to Raw Foods. I decided to take a less drastic approach this time, making one change at a time. Hopefully that will allow me to develop good habits as I go & not overwhelm myself. I am going to be vegetarian at a minimum for my food choices, but otherwise these are the guidelines for the next 4 weeks. Week 2 will mean following weeks 1 & 2 and so on.

Week 1 - Green Smoothies for breakfast every day
Week 2 - Raw Lunch...fruit salad, green salad, green smoothie, etc
Week 3 - Exercise 3x/week
Week 4 - Raw Dinner 3x/week

That's it for now...once the new year has started I plan to re-evaluate and make another plan.

What was your raw transition plan? Did you switch to raw foods overnight? Was it a many year journey? I'd love to hear other people's stories because switching overnight didn't work for me & this may not either so having other ideas would be great!

Less icky already & a plan for the future

2007-11-28T08:27:00.000-06:00

It's amazing to me how much it can help just to drink a ton of water. :) I'm definitely feeling better already...after just 2 days of being conscious about what I'm eating & planning my days. Yay!

It helps a lot that the raw foods community is so amazingly supportive. There are 2 programs that have come to my attention at exactly the perfect time. If you’re interested…sign up & join me! If you do, post a comment here so we can share our experiences.

Raw Holiday Survival Guide

I have already signed up for the Raw Holiday Survival Guide that Heidi from Raw Food, Right Now! has gifted to the raw community. On top of the great blog she and her husband, Justin, publish, Heidi is offering tips, tricks, recipes and general happiness in a daily email now through the New Year! As a gift from Heidi it’s free...what a sweetheart!

From the first email today:

Last year, Justin and I had our first truly successful raw holiday season. What do I mean by successful?

We felt happy.
We didn't binge or pig out on cooked food.
We didn't feel forced to eat foods we didn't want to eat.
Our family was happy.

And most important - WE HAD FUN. We really did!

I am going to talk about our Christmas and New Year's festivities that happened last year in upcoming emails, but the main thing to remember is that we had fun. It was a positive experience. And after we had great holidays last year, I just wanted everyone to feel the joy!

Want to join the email list? Click here.

Green Smoothie Queen Challenge

I am still working on recruiting people for this 3 day green smoothie challenge…but I plan to sign up by Friday so I can get my new Green Smoothie jug in time! The Raw Divas are fantastic. They have multiple programs designed to help people at any stage of their raw journey. I participated in the Body Enlightenment System this fall and plan to attend another one in January because the community is so fun.

Anyway, back to the challenge at hand. It is for EVERYONE…men, women, young, old, those who haven’t ever heard of the raw foods way of living and people who are 100% raw. As far as I know at this point there is one male Diva…his name is Bob. (I think that might change after this challenge!) Bob & his wife, Keely, are serious supporters of the Raw Divas and I think it’s great that they can enjoy the journey together. Check out their blogs by clicking on their names. Keely was the one who brought this challenge to my attention earlier...so THANK YOU KEELY!

I was introduced to Green Smoothies earlier this year by my friends Jeff & Heather and the book Green For Life. Green Smoothies are a GREAT way to get tons of vitamins in a very easily digestible way (once you get past the color). Information in the book says that as humans we are not able to chew the greens to the point that we’re getting all the nutrients they have to offer, but that by blending them the greens are broken up enough for us to get the whole benefit.

Want to join me in the challenge? There are a couple ways to join. If you treat yourself to a fun new Green Smoothie Jug, you get free admission to the challenge & you can even bring a friend! If you aren’t interested in a new, super cool, green (to hide the fact that the contents are green) jug then you are invited to join that way as well. For all the information & to sign up go here.

I feel icky

2007-11-25T21:56:00.001-06:00

I'm back & I can't believe it's been over 3 weeks since I've posted. I have to admit that I got a little lazy, then went on vacation and ended up taking a huge break from taking care of myself. Now my clothes are fitting more snug than I'd like and I feel bloated. The problem isn't that I don't know what to do...the problem is taking the time to focus on ME and I plan on getting better at that.

This week is very, very busy for me already with plans each night except one...but I am prepared to take whatever time I need to make sure I am taking care of myself. I need to drink LOTS of water. I need to eat fruits & vegetables. I need to have green smoothies. I will probably eat some cooked foods, but it will definitely be vegetarian at least. This, I promise to myself. I deserve it! :)

I'll be back sooner rather than later & hope to report that I'm back on track to the happy, comfortable, raw me. I am not going to try forcing myself to 100% or even 80% this week - I'm just going to try eating better foods...fresh, raw foods. Who knows, maybe I'll hit 70-80%, but if I don't, I'll just aim for a higher number next week! Happy Day!

Two wolves

2007-11-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

I know, you don't expect to see a title with animals in it on a raw blog! However, this story I just received from my mom seemed to hit home & so I wanted to share it. Recently I've noticed that when I'm eating nutritious, delicious, colorful raw foods my whole mood is better. Things that I used to get upset about don't bother me as much and I'm generally happier. That's just another reason to keep working to make raw foods the biggest part of my life possible!

Here's the story...

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

So, I say...feed your Good wolf with happy thoughts and delicious, nutritious foods!

Dessert for Breakfast?

2007-10-15T09:12:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about a raw diet is that smoothies are fair game any time of the day. This morning for breakfast I had a banana/cranberry/apple/strawberry frozen smoothie and it was SO TASTY! Fresh and frozen fruit is such a treat it seems, which is a shame. Yes, it may take more work to clean fresh fruit for a snack than to grab a granola bar or crackers, but oh my goodness is it delicious! One thing the BES has taught me is that fruit is filling enough to be a complete meal. I have found that after a meal of fruit I will be hungry again within a few hours, but then I just have MORE fruit & I'm set. I expect that I'll be eating more frozen fruit as winter approaches but I plan to keep fruit in my diet all year round so it's not so much a "treat" anymore but just what I enjoy eating.

So, while I hope to keep green smoothies as my breakfast staple, venturing away from them every so often is not only A-OK, it's fun!

A Raw Celebration with Family

2007-10-02T22:23:00.001-05:00

We usually have a family dinner to celebrate birthdays and originally I told my mom she could just make whatever she wanted and that I would be bringing my own food. Then I started thinking about it and I realized that it is MY BIRTHDAY...so everyone should eat what I want. Well, once I started coming up with the menu & planning, it was a crazy idea, but it all turned out to be a success. I might have stressed out a tiny bit about getting ingredients for 10-12 people, but my amazing boyfriend went to the grocery store & co-op with me and we found what we needed.

As the only raw foodist in my family, I was in charge of the menu. It was easy to start because as part of the BES we had some delicious sounding Nori Rolls scheduled for dinner on Saturday. I just moved that meal up to lunch & found a couple salads to go with it. It took a bit of work to get everything put together before lunch, but as people arrived they always offered to help and pretty soon the entire meal was set. Everyone tried all of the new recipes and even asked for a couple of them so I consider this adventure a huge success!

The first salad was an Asian Noodle Salad from the G Living website. The "noodles" were made up of different types of cabbage, bok choy, and bean sprouts. There was a little kick to this recipe, although Chris says he didn't double all of the dressing ingredients so I can't imagine what it could have been like! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of this salad but believe me - it looks like any normal cabbage salad that could be found at a Thai or Chinese restaurant.

The second salad was a Pineapple Cucumber Peanut Salad that I found on about.com. This salad was very yummy & also very easy to make. The list of ingredients for the dressing wasn't something that I had on hand, but now I do and I can see myself making this salad for gatherings and other events. It was a bit on the spicy side, but I'm used to mostly bland (definitely not spicy) foods and it wasn't too much for me. We also doubled this salad.

The Nori Rolls were filled with carrot/almond pate, shredded zucchini, sprouts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Chris became a master at filling & rolling them and I did the cutting. For first-timers I'd say we did a pretty good job. :)

Oh yea, and dessert...Raw Frozen Cake! I found a recipe that called a layer of sliced almonds in a bunt cake and then blended bananas mixed with blended raspberries on top. The final ingredient is more almonds and then the whole thing should be frozen overnight. Mmm. It was very refreshing!

Dinner at Ecopolitan for my Birthday!

2007-10-02T13:57:00.000-05:00

I had a super fun Birthday weekend and I got to try a bunch of new raw recipes as well!

Friday night (my actual birthday) Chris & I went to dinner at Ecopolitan, a 100% Organic Vegan Raw restaurant in Minneapolis. I had heard of the restaurant from my friends Jeff & Heather but had not made it up there yet. I'm so glad we went...all the food we had was delicious! The menu had many interesting options on it. We made sure to order different items so we could taste both since this was a fun adventure!

We decided to start with the Pate Sampler served with flaxseed crackers and the Strawberry Shortcake smoothie. I think of the Pate's, the walnut celery one was our favorite (the light pink one) but I know we both enjoyed the crackers. I need to find a recipe to try out in my dehydrator!

Next came the main dish. Chris selected the Spicy Thai Noodles which was a huge mound of yummy-ness.

Julienne carrots, zucchini, daikon radish & bell peppers, dressed in a tahini cayenne sauce, topped with chopped almonds, pineapple, coconut flakes, fresh cilantro & a spicy jalapeno-cucumber sauce, served on baby greens.

It was so good! The pineapple flavor really came out in the salad. Another fun tool I'd like to invest in at some point is a saladacco or spirooli because you can make "noodles" out of zucchini, carrots, etc.

I ordered the Eco-Burger which was also delish. It was served with a spinach salad on the side and I was not able to finish either of them!

Mushroom walnut patty on a sprouted & dehydrated buckwheat-herb bun, with tomato, red onion,
raw ketchup & mustard
a baby green salad.

Unfortunately we were not able to stuff ourselves any further so we passed on dessert. Chris and I plan to return some day, even if it is just to give the desserts a try. It was super fun to eat an entirely raw, gourmet meal and not have to prepare any of it. :)

Pate Sampler

Spicy Thai Noodles

Eco-Burger

If you're ever in Minneapolis, I definitely recommend giving Ecopolitan a try!

Salty McSalter

2007-09-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

One week under my belt on the BES and I feel great! I enjoyed most of the meals on the menu from week 1 and noticed that I don't feel bloated or "icky" as much as I used to. On top of that the scale went down 4 1/2 pounds and now I remember how I felt the first time I went raw. Yippee!!!

Sunday afternoon was the last home game of the 2007 season for the Twins and I was there to see them beat the White Sox and avoid being swept the last home series of the year! It was a green smoothie day for Body Enlightenment so I had a huge smoothie before heading down to the Metrodome...but somehow, it didn't keep me full for the length of the game. So I had a decision to make -

1) hold on for the rest of the game enjoying the carrot sticks I had brought with
-OR-
2) get myself a 'treat' from the concession stands.

From the title of this post you may guess that I didn't stick with the carrots! I decided (that's the key word here...it was a conscious decision) to have some nachos and they tasted pretty good! I originally thought Chris & I were going to share the nachos, but it turned out that he wanted Macho nachos (they have lettuce, tomato, extra cheese, & meat on them) while I just wanted the regular chips & cheese. So off to the concession stands we go and then we return to our seats where I proceed to completely clean the tray of chips out. :)

Almost immediately, and for the following 36 hours, my lips felt different. You know that feeling when you are swimming or snorkeling in the ocean and your lips start to feel a little numb? Well, I had that feeling along with a slight taste of salt until I went to bed Monday night. It was weird! I guess that's what happens when you don't eat any salt for an entire week and then you eat enough in one sitting to last a month! I think that was the only side effect I noticed. I'm actually glad for that because it reminded me that I really don't need that much salt - I wonder if it would have lasted that long if I had only eaten 1/2 of the chips?

I'm not sure how I got to the place that I'm at right now, but I honestly feel no guilt at all after eating those chips. I think that's a good thing! I would like to stick to this program as much as possibly and be as close to 100% raw for these 30 days as I can, but I think in the long run my goal is 80-100% raw. I'm comfortable that I can maintain that and continue living my life as I would like, enjoying the occasional vegetarian cooked meal with my boyfriend, family, friends, co-workers, or whoever!

I'm in this for the long haul & I think it's going to be a fun, exciting journey!

Temptation Island

2007-09-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Temptations are all around us, right? And they can make change difficult, especially on this Week 1 detox. Well, tonight I had tickets to go to the Twins game but decided against it because my boyfriend & I used to have dinner there and then go out for drinks and more food afterwards. Rather than tempt myself, I recommended that Chris take the tickets and go have a good time with one of his friends. So, that's where he is right now.

What did I do instead? I went to my parents house to hang out and watch Band of Brothers with my dad. Sounds great...well, that house is filled with sweets & food & oh my GOSH it was hard to stay away from it! Ever since I moved out of their house I have had a difficult time when I was back there. I have a list of things that I don't buy because I'll eat too much...potato chips, cookies, oreo's specifically...and they always have at least one of those items. Well, luckily I had my dinner ingredients with & I mixed up my soup to enjoy while my dad had a sloppy joe. Then, while he had some popcorn during the show I cut up an apple. I have to admit I had a few kernels of popcorn, but after that I didn't want any more, so I'm happy about that.

This time, I won over the temptation. I hope I can continue to be strong!

Mono-Fruit Meal

2007-09-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

The first meal after our 24 hour fast is a mono-fruit meal. What is a mono-fruit meal? Just what it sounds like - a meal consisting of only one type of fruit. There are a couple reasons to choose a mono-fruit meal including easier digestion and the fact that it is more difficult to overeat. If you eat only apples think about how many you could eat versus if you were eating apples, watermelon, and bananas together. All one taste makes it more difficult to keep eating after you're full.

My choice for dinner tonight was watermelon and it was tasty! They recommended that we eat something like melon, apples, or pears and Chris had a watermelon left over from last weekend so I decided this was a good time to eat it! I ate close to half of the watermelon and I feel much better than I did before I began eating. I was having a tough time with the fast this afternoon. I felt a little nauseous so I ended up taking a nap for a couple hours, but I survived.

As I said before, I'm not going to write about what I eat every day. That's boring. But the idea of a Mono-Fruit meal is new to me so I decided to document it. I have 2 more mono-meals tomorrow before mixing foods for dinner. I sort of hope that I enjoy the mono-meals because just think about how easy it is to shop for meals like that!

So far, so good

2007-09-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest...last night was tough. We were at a friend's housewarming party and there was TONS of food and it all smelled really good. Granted, even if it wasn't a fast I wouldn't have eaten a lot of it...but still, it was not easy. Plus, there was my boyfriend who decided to drink enough for both of us. ;)

Anyway, it's 10:35am and now I'm down to 8 hours left of my fast. After surviving the event last night I know I can make it until 6:30 tonight. I've got a start on my scrapbooking and I've got some movies to watch. If I get super hungry I'll drink a big glass of water & take a nap. Today is a day for ME!

Let the fun begin!

2007-09-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well, 7:07pm...it's official. I have begun the 30 day Body Enlightenment System! I have to admit that I was eating dinner around 6:30 so I got a little bit of a late start, but maybe tomorrow night I can hold off on eating until 6:30 in which case I'll still get the 24 hour fast in.

Day 1 is a 24 hour fast! I guess I should have expected it when I signed up for the program, but I didn't. I was surprised but I think I'll do fine. Tonight will be the most difficult as I'm going to a housewarming party where there's bound to be tons of beer & snacks. I'm going to take my water bottle with me and keep it full.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to set up my scrapbooking stuff and get working on it. I figure that while I'm fasting I shouldn't be really active, so sitting in front of the TV sounds perfect. :) Plus, I'll be productive so that should make me feel extra good while doing the fast.

BES - My Binding Commitment

2007-09-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

BES = Body Enlightenment System

I am on page 9 of the first document we have been given to prepare for the 30 day program and it is asking for My Binding Commitment. Is that a little cheese-y? Probably...but will it remind me that I have agreed to do this program for my health and my body, YES! Here's what I wrote:

I, Nikki, will follow the program to the best of my ability. I will complete 90%+ of the fitness schedule and I will make time for myself. In addition I will communicate clearly with Chris, my family, and friends to let them know if/when I need their support.

I think the fitness part is actually going to be the best for me. I always feel better when I work out...it's just making the time for it that is difficult.

A new direction

2007-09-12T18:16:00.000-05:00

Well, eating raw was easy (relatively speaking since I'm new at it) while Chris was in Ireland. Not so easy once he returned. Don't get me wrong, he is definitely supportive of whatever choices I make as far as food goes. In fact, I was able to create at least a couple raw meals that he enjoyed. However, I just slid right back into my old habits while enjoying his return to Minnesota.

Now that Chris has been home a month I have fallen almost completely off the wagon. I still have green smoothies many mornings, I rarely drink pop, and I am almost 100% vegetarian so I think that is a good first step. In fact, a lot of the Raw Foods blogs I've read are vegetarians/vegans who have taken their diet to another level.

I realized that I need more support - direct support in regards to eating raw. I have been receiving the Health in High Heels weekly news letters from The Raw Divas for a while now and I decided that their Body Enlightenment System was just what I needed so I signed up! It's a 30 day program that is designed to detox your body before beginning healthy eating habits along with a fitness program. Menu plans for the 30 days are included as well as daily inspirational emails and fitness information. Everything I've read makes me really, REALLY excited about this month long experience I'll be having with many women from around the world. Yep, the world...the last program had people from Germany & Scotland and I know there's at least one person in my program from Costa Rica!

So - here we go again. I'm sure I'll have a detox period again since it's been a whole month of cooked foods. Last time I had headaches & felt tired, maybe it won't be AS bad this time? Instead of writing about my daily food intake, I'm going to try using this space to write about my experiences and how the raw food lifestyle affects how I live. Come along with me on this journey if you'd like. :)

Day 37 - 8/21

2007-08-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

Even though I may not try to be 100% raw, I'm still going to continue journaling and counting days because it's a healthier me even if I'm not totally raw.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Salad w/tomato, cucumber, gr pepper, carrots
Snack - Birthday cake, 2 raw cookies
Dinner & evening...crash & burn. That metrodome is a horrible place for me!
Philly steak sandwich, beers, 1/2 southwest ckn sandwich & fries

Day 36 - 8/20

2007-08-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

8/20/07
5 weeks raw
Weight: -.2 lbs. (total -9.6)
Chest: +.75 in. (total -1.5) - that can't be right
Waist: no change (total -1.5 in.)
Hips: no change (total -1.75 in.)
Thigh: no change (total -.75 in.)
Arm: no change (total -1.25 in.)

Well, Chris is home & as I feared...I've lost some of my will power. I'm not going to give up entirely, but I think I may switch to the less restrictive vegan or vegetarian when we're eating together. He's definitely on board with trying out some raw foods which is great. I also think that he's more willing to try vegetarian himself which will make both of us healthier. We'll see how it goes.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Chicken Fried Rice & egg roll, Salad w/tomato, cucumber, carrots
Snack - Twix (first chocolate craving in over a month...I think it's from the Pei Wei :( )
Dinner - Grapes, Chips & cheese, beer

Wow - looking back, not a great day. I didn't feel well in the morning & I think that's the aftermath of a bad weekend again. It's like, as soon as I decide to eat something cooked I just go crazy & eat everything. That's not good at all...so I think a vegetarian approach is more realistic for long term life.

Day 34 - 8/18

2007-08-18T16:19:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh - it was so wonderful to see Chris yesterday and wake up next to him today!! I'm so happy he's home...he might be tired of me telling him that. ;)

So far so good - I know Chris supports me 100% with my new lifestyle, but I also know it will probably be tricky getting our two diets to mesh together. Lunch today went VERY well and I think (hope) it might have opened his mind to the fact that I'm not going to be eating just plain old boring foods all the time. He enjoyed the wrap and the smoothie and was full afterwards. Woo!! In fact, I think we'll be having the wraps again tomorrow...and I know he'll be good about finding other veggies that we could try as well. I'm so lucky to have someone who is accepting & supportive even if he's not going to make the big leap with me.

Breakfast - Banana, Apple
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap with raw hummus, cucumber and tomato, kiwi
Snack - Nut milk/Banana/Cocoa smoothie
Snack - Beer (it's a celebration weekend, right?!)

Smoothie Recipe:
14 oz Vanilla Brazil Nut Milk
2 frozen bananas
1 1/2 Tbsp organic cocoa powder

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy - this made 2 servings for us. It's very rich and the coconut flavor of the milk comes through strong and clear. Mmm.

Day 33 - 8/17

2007-08-17T08:17:00.001-05:00

Friday!!

Breakfast - Green smoothie
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Salad w/tomato, cucumber, carrots
Snack - raw cookies, grapes, kiwi
Dinner - carrots, cucumber, gr pepper, raw dip, 1 beer

Chris came home tonight!! Unfortunately, his luggage didn't make it from Atlanta to MN at the same time as he did but at least we know it's in the US. Luckily he wasn't too hungry so we just stopped at a liquor store and headed home. That way I was easily able to stay raw the first meal we had together. :)

Day 32 - 8/16

2007-08-16T09:55:00.000-05:00

Thursday - My boyfriend comes home in ONE DAY!!! I can't believe it's been 5 weeks since he left (and 5 weeks since I started with this new lifestyle). Wowzers.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
Snack - Apple
Lunch - Salad w/tomato, carrots, cucumbers & a dressing I didn't like
Snack - Grapes, Raw Cookies
Dinner - Ezekiel wrap, tomato, cucumber, raw hummus
Snack - Miller Lite

One thing that I think is super cool is that after trying that dressing (it was Goddess Dressing, definitely not raw) I knew right away that my body didn't like it and therefore I'm not going to eat it again. I was talking to my raw friend Jeff and he said it's amazing that I can already tell what is good and what isn't after only a month or so but I think it's pretty easy when you feel great all of the time. Once you don't feel great, you know that you ate something that wasn't welcome. :)

Laundry & "cooking" night tonight. I just love these raw cookies and the hummus and I made both tonight as well as some nut milk. I'm hoping to use the nut milk in some shakes with cocoa powder and/or frozen bananas. I was going to make the Macaroons in the Raw Food, Real World cookbook but I didn't pick up enough coconut flakes...darn. Hopefully next week.

Day 31 - 8/15

2007-08-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Hump Day!

Breakfast - Green Smoothie (FINALLY!)
Lunch - Apple (wasn't hungry yet, but took a break with everyone)
Snack - Salad w/tomato, cucumber & carrots
Snack - Raw cookies
Dinner - Pizza rolls at Old Chicago, Blue Moon

Unfortunately, I wasn't even hungry at Old Chicago but the idea of those pizza rolls were enough to make me order them. Luckily I shared them so I didn't eat the whole order myself. Oh well...I'm definitely making progress but still not strong enough.

Day 30 - 8/14

2007-08-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

Ok - I seriously need to get groceries! I haven't had a green smoothie in 3 days now & that does not make me happy. I was SO tired yesterday and I think that is partially to blame. I'm planning on running home over lunch to get some groceries and make myself a delicious smoothie. We'll see if it happens.

Breakfast - Apple, Kiwi
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap, cashew hummus, tomato, cucumber, sprouts (that I grew!)
Snack - Raw chocolate cookies
Dinner - carrots & raw dip, grapes
Snack - gRAWnola, apple

Tonight I drove to St Cloud to play BINGO with a friend and I'm happy to report that I was able to stay raw the entire night. I had the carrots before leaving for St Cloud, the grapes on the way, and the granola during intermission. The apple was a pre-bedtime snack. I wonder if it's bad to eat fruit less than an hour before going to sleep. hmmm

Day 29 - 8/13

2007-08-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

Monday Measurements
4 weeks raw
Weight: +.7 lbs. (total -9.4)
Chest: -1 in. (total -2.5)
Waist: +.25 in. (total -1.5)
Hips: no change (total -1.75 in.)
Thigh: no change (total -.75 in.)
Arm: -.25 in. (total -1.25)

Ok - It's official - I did horribly this weekend. But, the weekend is over & I'm starting over. I felt as horribly as I did eating, so now I know the price I will pay.

Breakfast - OJ (Freshly blended w/ice), grapes
Lunch - Salad w/carrots, tomato, cucumber, nuts
Snack - grapes, 94% fat free popcorn & diet dr. pepper
Dinner - gRAWnola, apple

So - that is the first pop I've had since July 14th. A whole month. :) I was so tired today (still a bit exhausted from the long, hot weekend I think) so I decided to just cave in and have the snack of popcorn & pop. It was worth it.

Day 25 - 8/9

2007-08-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Ok - here I go into another tough weekend...road trip to KC with my family for my cousins wedding. It's supposed to be SUPER hot down there (100 degrees hot) so I should have no problem drinking tons of water & I'm hoping the heat will reduce my hunger. :)

For today though, I'm still in my element:
Breakfast - Green smoothie
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap, raw hummus, tomato, cucumber, sprouts
Snack - Banana
Dinner - Greens, tomato, carrots, vinagrette, 1 cup nut milk
Snack - Grapes

Day 24 - 8/8

2007-08-08T09:07:00.000-05:00

Whew - making the stuff for the dehydrator was time consuming! Good thing it makes large quantities so it will last a while. Well, this time maybe not since I'm going on a road trip, but usually. Plus, I got up at 3am to flip the crackers which is insane...I need to work on better timing for starting foods or do this stuff on a weekend day!

Breakfast - Green smoothie
Snack - Raw crackers
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap, sprouts, raw hummus, tomato, cucumber
Snack - Grapes, kiwi, sample of gRAWnola
Dinner - raspberries, 1 miller lite
Snack - apple

I kept myself busy tonight cleaning my bedroom & cleaning out my closet/drawers. It feels good to get rid of some things - and I still have plenty to wear! I have 3 different size pants from the journey of slowly gaining weight over the past couple years so I should be set with pants for a while. :) Sometimes weight loss can be expensive when you have to replace all your clothes at once!

I have to say it out loud...I love gRAWnola! This recipe from Raw Food, Real World is DELISH!

Before & After:

Day 23 - 8/7

2007-08-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

Back to raw...

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
Lunch - Q'cumbers! Delicious salad w/ff italian dressing, fruit for dessert (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes)
Snack - Grapes, banana, raw cookies (!)
Dinner - Ezekiel wrap, raw hummus, sprouts, tomato slices, cucumber slices

Tonight I was busy, busy, busy so I didn't have any time to snack. :) I opened up my Excalibur Dehydrator and started to prepare crackers & granola. Both of the recipes I got out of the Raw Food, Real People cookbook which looks like it's a great one to have. As with much raw preparation some nut soaking is required, but otherwise the recipes seemed to be easy enough. I guess we'll see tomorrow when I can taste my first try at dehydrating! I'm hoping to take these 2 recipes with me on the road trip to KC this weekend so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

New Recipes

2007-08-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

Three new recipes I tried...

Vanilla Brazil Nut Milk (From Raw Food, Real World)
1 cup raw Brazil nuts, soaked 2+ hours
4 cups filtered water
1/2 cup agave nectar or raw honey
2 Tbsp coconut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 packets stevia
pinch of sea salt

Blend nuts & water for 2 minutes in Vita-Mix. Strain milk through a nut milk bag twice. Rinse the blender, place milk back in with all remaining ingredients. Blend to combine throughly.

My thoughts - This milk is very sweet. It's more of a treat than something I would drink with dinner or on some raw granola.

Creamy Cucumber Dressing (From Raw Food Made Easy)
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed garlic (1/2 clove)
Dash cayenne (optional)
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh dill weed or basil, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp minced red or yellow onion

Place the cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and cayenne in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add the dill weed and onion and blend briefly, just to mix. Store in the refrigerator & it will keep for 3 days.

My thoughts - I didn't like this on salad as a dressing but I think I'll try it on a wrap w/sprouts, hummus & tomato.

Almond Cookies (From Raw Food Made Easy)
1/2 cup raw almonds, unsoaked
1/4 cup raw walnuts, unsoaked
Dash salt
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup raisins or dried cherries, unsoaked
1/4 cup ground almonds

Place the almonds, walnuts, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until coarsely chopped. (Note: I used a coffee grinder) Add the dates and almond extract and process until the mixture begins to stick together. (Note: for this I put everything into the Vita-mix) Don't over process: you should still see chunks of almonds and walnuts. Add the raisins and pulse briefly, just to mix. Remove from the blender into a mixing bowl. ~~ Scoop about 1 Tbsp of the almond mixture into your hand and squeeze firmly until it sticks together. Roll into a 1-inch ball and flatten slightly, to make a cookie. Roll each cookie in the ground almonds and place on a plate. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Stored in a sealed container. Cookies will keep for 1 month in the fridge - up to 3 months in the freezer.

My thoughts - These cookies are YUMMY! The texture is almost like cookie dough...I really like them.

Day 22 - 8/6

2007-08-06T08:37:00.001-05:00

Measurement Monday
**Three Weeks Raw**
Weight: down -3.5 lbs (total -10.1)
Chest: down -.5 in. (total -1.5)
Waist: down -.5 in. (total -1.75)
Hips: down -.25 in. (total -1.75)
Thigh: down -.25 in. total -.75)
Arm: no change (total -1 in.)

WOW - 10 pounds in three weeks! And I haven't felt hungry or deprived. This is awesome. Another thing...I didn't get cravings for chocolate last week which in the past have been (or so I thought) horrible during "that time" of the month.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
Lunch - Vanilla Brazil Nut Milk, Apple, Salad
Snack - Kiwi, raw cookie
Dinner - Carrots, celery, raw dip
"snack" - Hot Dog (why do I do it to myself?!?) at the Metrodome

That's it. Stupid hot dog...but I felt hungry and it was free. (Need to learn to let go of the freebies I guess)

Days 20 & 21 - 8/4 & 8/5

2007-08-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

Wedding Day! Liz & Casey's big day finally arrived and it was wonderful.

Breakfast - Green smoothie
Snack - apple
Lunch - Salad, tomato/basil sauce, carrots,zucchini, cookie (oops)
Snack - grapes
Dinner - Stuffed portabella mushroom with rice & a sauce, cake
I had 3 or 4 beers throughout the night and I am now paying for it. I woke up with a headache...hangover? 4 beers has never done that to me! Besides the fact that I drank a ton of water afterwards. Anyway, maybe it's just because I had such a long day.

Sunday - relax & recover day. :)

Breakfast - nectarine
Lunch - carrots, raw dip, nut & berry granola bar
Snack - nuts, apple
Dinner - 1 cup nut milk, apple

Tonight I made a bunch of new recipes...Vanilla Brazil Nut Milk, Creamy Cucumber Dressing, and Almond Cookies. I'll report back with how I like them & the recipes if they're good.

Day 19 - 8/3

2007-08-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

Let the wedding festivities begin! I'm super excited for Liz & Casey's wedding but the next two days are going to be tough food wise. Hopefully I can pack enough food for lunch/snacks and at least I know what I'll be having for dinner both days. Tonight at the rehearsal dinner, salmon, and tomorrow at the reception, stuffed portabella mushroom. Obviously both cooked, but hopefully I won't be starving when it comes time to eat and I can just have a few bites.

Breakfast - green smoothie
Snack - fruit
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap, raw hummus, tomato/basil sauce, sprouts
Snack - apple
Dinner - Salmon, veggies (double veggies instead of potato/rice), I also had 2 bites of cheesecake w/oreo crust but it didn't taste good so that's all I had

I'm happy with how today went - tomorrow will be a bigger challenge around lunch time so hopefully I can be strong!

Day 18 - 8/2

2007-08-02T08:33:00.001-05:00

Wow - so sad. Last night at the peak of rush hour (6:05pm) a major bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River. Many people were hurt as well as a few killed...I cannot believe this has happened. All of my life I've said I hated bridges. Now maybe people will understand why. Unbelievable.

I do not think I know anyone that was on the bridge when it collapsed. However, you can't go unaffected.

Food (hopefully no stress eating today)
Breakfast - green smoothie
Snack - grapes
Lunch - Ezekiel wrap, sprouts, tomato/basil sauce, raw hummus
Snack - nectarine, banana
Dinner - carrots & raw dip
Snack - kiwi

I was home starting a lunch...I don't think I was busy enough because I seemed to eat often. Well, at least it was all raw. :)

Day 17 - 8/1

2007-08-01T11:13:00.001-05:00

August 1st! Wow, time flies.

I didn't eat dinner last night so I woke up hungry today.

Breakfast - Smoothie
Snack - Nectarine
Lunch - Salad w/carrot, zucchini, broccoli, tomato/basil dressing, Grapes
Snack - grapes & raw dip, kiwi
Dinner - Ezekiel wrap, sprouts, raw hummus, tomato

I went to see Harry Potter at the Imax with my friend Liz tonight. I got bottled water (forgot to bring water from home) and that's it. The popcorn smelled like buttery yumminess, but I didn't really want any. :)

Hummus Recipe I made (from Heather & Jeff)
4 cups raw cashews, soaked 4+ hours
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c sesame tahini
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c water

Add all ingredients to Vita-Mix & blend like crazy. It took a while to get all the cashews blended up. I think next time I might put 2 cups in, blend until smooth and then add the other 2 cups one at a time.

Day 16 - 7/31

2007-07-31T12:34:00.000-05:00

OK - So I survived the crazy Monday & the scale was nice to me. I should be okay the rest of the week until Thursday when I have tickets to the Twins game and then plans to be downtown all night at the new stadium groundbreaking ceremony. Then Friday is wedding festivities and Saturday is the wedding. I better stock up on carrots & dip, grapes, etc to take with me.

Today...
Breakfast - green smoothie
Snack - grapes
Lunch - salad w/carrots, cucumber, gr pepper, tomato, nuts
Snack - orange, raw granola

That's it. I was running errands until 7:45 PM and didn't feel hungry once I got home. Weird.

I finally made it to the co-op by my house. I don't think my total bill was more than a normal trip to the grocery store & it's less than 10 miles from my house, so we'll see if I can regular the co-op (the other grocery store is Ezekiel tortillas. Jeff said he's not sure that they're raw...but I think they'll work until I am able to make my own bread type of thing.

And...I'm super excited...I ordered my Excalibur Dehydrator today! Heather shared some of her homemade granola with me and after tasting it I had to get one. This will be something that I can take places & eat to survive the tough situations. :)

Day 15 - 7/30

2007-07-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

Two Weeks Raw - Monday Measurements Day!
Weight: down 1.9 lbs (total -6.6)
Chest: down 1 in. (total -1)
Waist: down .25 in. (total -1.25)
Hips: down .75 in. (total -1.5)
Thigh: down .25 in. (total -.5)
Arm: no chg (total -1 in.)

Monday was tricky because we had a work event that lasted from 11 AM - 9PM but I did great!

Breakfast: Green Smoothie
Late morning: Salad w/nuts
Snack: granola bar (not raw, but mostly nuts & fruit)
Snack: apple
Dinner: carrots, celery, & raw dip

We were at happy hour & I stayed away from both alcohol and fried food! Woo! I think the fact that my stomach didn't feel right all weekend probably helped me want to stay away. :)

Day 12, 13, 14 - 7/28 - 7/30

2007-07-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Well, my excuse for not writing is that I didn't have internet access after about 9am Friday morning, but here's a review of the weekend (it wasn't great food wise)

Friday: b - gr smoothie, l - salad at Old Chicago, d - bbq beef sandwich, snacks - fruits, veggies, raw dip
Saturday: b - gr smoothie, l - fruit, veggies, raw dip, cheese & crackers, d - fettuccine marinara & salad bar, snacks - fruit, veggies
Sunday: b - gr smoothie, l - carrots & raw dip, d - fruit

I couldn't believe it on Saturday night. We went to a nice restaurant & they didn't have any meal size salads, just this little salad bar. I was disappointed, but I decided to go with the meatless choice so I'm proud that I did that at least.

Another weekend gone!

Day 10 - 7/25

2007-07-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

Wednesday! I've got Friday off...so only 2 more days at work. I hope I can get everything done that I need to!

Breakfast: Green smoothie (banana, strawberries, kale)
Snack: 2 Kiwi (Although one was so gross I don't think I should count it)
Lunch: Salad - greens, tomato, broccoli, carrots, green pepper, & nuts
Snack: Grapes, apple

...hmmm...don't remember what I ate between Wednesday snack & Friday. :(

Day 9 - 7/24

2007-07-24T13:53:00.000-05:00

Breakfast - Green Smoothie (blueberries, banana, kale, water, ice)
No snack today - time went by too quickly!
Lunch - Q'cumbers! Delicious salad with fruit for dessert
Snack - Raspberries, Carrots & raw dip
Dinner - 1/2 green pepper stuffed with Not Tuna Pate, apple
Snack - Nectarine

My stomach was upset tonight, so I'm a little concerned about that. I'm wondering if the Not Tuna Pate was too much since I haven't been eating many nuts. I've got another serving that I'm going to try on Thursday so we'll see I guess!

Day 8 - 7/23

2007-07-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

Monday! Normally I'm not excited about Monday's...but, I'm beginning week 2 of my boyfriend being gone and that means I'm one week closer to him coming home. :)

It's measurements day:
ONE WEEK RAW
Weight: -4.7 lbs. (AMAZING!)
Chest: no change
Waist: -1 in. (Seems like a lot)
Hips: -3/4 in.
Thigh: -1/4 in.
Arm: -1 in. (I don't believe this...must have mis-measured)

Breakfast was again a green smoothie. I'm not sure why, but I don't see myself getting sick of these things. I guess it probably has something to do with the fact that I know how good they are for me. I'm really excited because even though he's in Ireland, Chris is having green smoothies too. He has taken it upon himself to buy what he needs & make them up on his own! Woo!

Snack - Nectarine (organic fruit is smaller than non-organic, but very tasty!)
Lunch - Lettuce salad w/tomato, carrot, & snap peas
Snack - Grapes,Kiwi
Dinner - Carrots, Cucumber & dip (not raw), Fruit, Carmel Corn (not raw)
Snack - Raspberries

I'm not sure why I eat the not-raw stuff. I guess it tastes good...but then it gives me a stomach ache. Oh well. I got my veggies from the CSA today so they're here to inspire me. Oh, and I made a new recipe that I'm going to try tomorrow. :)

Day 5, 6, 7 - 4/20-4/22

2007-07-22T14:55:00.000-05:00

Wow - weekends can be tough. Friday was easy because my plans ended up getting cancelled.

Breakfast was a green smoothie. For a snack I had some grapes and then lunch was a yummy salad. I can't remember if I had an afternoon snack, but dinner was a green smoothie again. I went for a run in the evening which hurt my knee. :(

Saturday I started the day with a green smoothie. I had a salad before running out to host a Bridal Shower. While at the shower I went off raw a some...I did have a bunch of fruit, but I also had some broccoli/cauliflower salad that had dressing on it. For a drink, I had my first non-water beverage since I went raw...some punch. It tasted good, but nothing I had to have. Then we went to a baseball game. I had another green smoothie before the game, which I had made in the morning. I also had some kiwi, but that didn't prove to be enough. I bought some peanuts (not raw) which helped a little but I ended up breaking down and having a bbq beef sandwich. It tasted good, but I didn't feel well afterwards.

After the game we went to a pub where I continued to drink water, but did end up having a little spinach artichoke dip with grilled pita. I have not had any alcohol or pop since I went raw - so I'm happy about that!

Sunday...oh, beautiful Sunday. Today I had a couple projects and also started laundry. Food wise - green smoothie for breakfast. I went grocery shopping after that to get some more organic foods. I had an organic apple after that and put all the new food away. For lunch I had some carrots & hummus. I had another apple later in the day but when dinner time came around I realized I hadn't soaked any of the nuts I bought at the grocery store. Darn...beginners mistake. Dinner ended up being a few kiwi with some grapes after I started the soaking process.

Day 4 - 7/19/07

2007-07-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I think I'm going to blame the hot dog for two things today. First of all, I was SO hungry this morning after my smoothie. I'm not sure why, but I had to eat. Secondly, I had an upset stomach this afternoon & it wasn't pretty. (I'll leave the details out) Otherwise, I had a great day. :)

Breakfast was a green smoothie. I've been having Kale, Banana, & Strawberries and it's been good. My blender isn't getting the kale all blended up so I'm excited to try the Vita Mix (if it EVER arrives - just ordered it 2 days ago) to see if that works better or if I should just get used to it. It isn't horrible by any means, just a different texture. I had some grapes for a snack mid morning & then ran off to get a couple errands run before the lunch rush.

By the time I got back from my errands, I was starving. Luckily I had put together a rather large salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots which was nicely topped with dressing & nuts. Mmmm.

I didn't need an afternoon snack today which was different. Maybe because I ate lunch later than normal? Anyway, for dinner I made another smoothie but only ate about 1/4 of it before I decided to run off to try and catch an event. I decided against the event, but got some shopping done at the mall (and enjoyed some grapes) & went for a nice 35 minute run/walk before calling it a night.

It's so strange to me - I don't feel hungry very often, especially at night. Maybe it's because I haven't been as active lately. We'll see how it goes now that I'm adding activity in.

Day 3 - 7/18/07

2007-07-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

Wednesday - this week is going SO SLOW! My boyfriend left the country for a 6 week work trip on Sunday and unfortunately this week is taking forever...I hope all 6 aren't this slow!

Back on topic...breakfast was - yep - a green smoothie! I don't think I had a snack today but was definitely hungry by lunch time.

Lunch was a delicious salad with cucumbers, tomato, carrots & nuts. For an afternoon snack I had some sweet stuff - kiwi & grapes.

After work I was meeting my dad to catch the Twins game. I had prepared a green smoothie this morning so I consumed that on the way downtown. Once we got to the game I wasn't hungry so we got him some food & took our seats. I had brought a banana with me so I ate that but it wasn't enough. About 1/2 way through the game I scanned the menu board and didn't find anything that worked - so I just had a hot dog. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but now I know I need to bring something of more substance for games after work.

I can't be perfect right away. I don't know if I'll ever be perfect - but I DO know that I feel a lot better when I'm not stuffing myself with the junk included in my previous diet.

Day 2 - 7/17/07

2007-07-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

I did end up having a green smoothie last night before I went to bed, but it didn't settle very well so I'm not sure if I should have them that late. We'll see.

For breakfast I had a green smoothie. I went for a walk around the 'lake' by my office around 10:30. It's about 1.5 miles and takes us 30 minutes or so. I think that it was already 80 degrees outside so we decided to go earlier than our normal after lunch time. After the walk I had some grapes which were refreshing as I cooled down.

Lunch was a salad with some veggies and nuts & fruit (raisins & cranberries). The nuts & fruit as well as my dressing are not raw, but I don't want to waste and I figure that even though they're not raw, they're better than some other foods I was eating up until this week. This afternoon I had a couple kiwi and then had some carrots & hummus (not raw) as well.

I guess now that I see the snacks I had I'm not surprised that I wasn't hungry at dinner time. I had taken an extra green smoothie to work but didn't end up eating it until 8:30pm. For dinner I had part of a salad and some grapes. I now have determined that I do not like Arugula. I used it in a smoothie one day and had to choke the smoothie down (literally, i was gagging) but I thought I could probably enjoy the strong flavor in a salad mixed with other greens but now I know - I can't. Oh well. I ate the cucumber, tomato & some other lettuce. The grapes were delicious though. :)

Tonight I had to go to a reviewal for a family friend who died suddenly at age 24. While I still can't believe it's true, I'm happy to say that the sadness didn't make me want to break from the change. I think it's good that it's so new...and I'm quite determined!

Drank a TON of water again today. I know that's good - but I thought with all the fruit maybe I wouldn't need as much. One thing I realized this evening is that I haven't had bread, meat, or pop since Sunday. I know that's only 2 days - but for me that is a long time. I wonder if my headaches might be partially from caffeine withdrawal besides a possible detox symptom. Speaking of headache...not too bad today. I was getting one tonight & I drank up the green smoothie which seemed to help. Oh, and I got some Kale today so I'm excited to try a smoothie made from that! Wow - random.

Time for me to get ready for bed & continue reading my book: May all be Fed. It came recommended from Jeff & Heather and it has really opened my eyes to hunger around the world and how what I eat really does affect people all over the world.

Day 1 - 7/16/07

2007-07-16T18:58:00.000-05:00

Day 1...here we go!

For breakfast I had a green smoothie made up of romaine lettuce, a banana, strawberries, ice and a little bit of water. Mmm - delish! For a mid-morning snack I had an apple.

My first challenge came at lunch - I had a lunch date with 2 of the girls from work. Luckily, I requested Q'cumbers and they agreed. It's a great place to get a huge, delicious salad while other people can eat soup, hot foods, bread, etc. I used to get a frozen yogurt dessert every time but today I choose watermelon and cantaloupe instead. When they asked why I wasn't having ice cream I gave an honest answer that wasn't 100% truthful. I said that dairy doesn't sit well with me...that's true, but many times in the past I have had some anyway!

I had some raisins for a mid-afternoon snack which held me over nicely until I got home from work. Monday is farm pickup day so I came home with a box full of fresh veggies! This week we also got some raspberries and that is what I've had so far for dinner. I think I'll probably have another smoothie later tonight if/when I get hungry.

Also, today I think I filled up my 36oz water jug 4 times!

Online raw resources

2007-07-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

In no particular order, these are more of the raw sites that I've come across in my research and thought they had good information:
Beautiful on Raw
Health Freedom
Living and Raw Foods
Raw Guru
School of RAWk
Sprout People
Alissa Cohen
Raw Neener
Angela Stokes
Purely Raw
Shazzie
The Garden Diet
The Daily Raw - Recipes!

CSA leads me to raw life - part 2

2007-07-15T07:56:00.001-05:00

So, I've been enjoying the green smoothies on my way to work each morning and having a salad for lunch. Each night I had a headache. I tried giving up caffeine - didn't work. I tried drinking even more water than I normall do - didn't work. I skipped beer when Chris had people over - didn't matter - I still had a headache. Then on Friday we took the day off to hang out because Chris was leaving for Ireland on Saturday. Friday I was back on the SAD and what do you know...no headache! Those are the reasons I think I was probably going through some detox. Am I ready to go through that, knowing what I'm doing to myself? Yes. I have no idea why, but I am in the right place mentally to change my life and try this new idea out. (new to me anyway) I think the fact that Chris is gone for a while helps...I have more Nikki time and can focus on learning everything there is to learn about raw eating.

Luckily, Jeff & Heather transitioned from vegan to raw a few months ago and they are (according to Jeff) excited to help me learn and experience raw living. Thank goodness for the internet too - I've found tons of testimonials and resources online.

I'm REALLY looking forward to being healthier and knowing what I am putting into my body is actually helping it, not hurting it. Today I am meeting some friends for a Twins game and that will be my last SAD meal. Here goes, wish me luck!

CSA leads me to raw life - part 1

2007-07-15T07:18:00.000-05:00

I've decided to do it...go raw...cold turkey. It might not actually be considered cold turkey since I think I was feeling symptoms of detox last week, but the past few days I've definitely been on the Standard American Diet (SAD) and so Monday is it...raw time!

How it all began: I started working at a new company almost a year and a half ago. I work on the tech team with 10 guys, all who have their own unique perspective to life. Honestly, who knew 6 developers could all be so different?!?! Anyway, one of the guys, Jeff, happens to be vegetarian and a huge supporter of community supported agriculture (csa) and we got to talking abuot it last summer. I told him I was interested because it sounded like a win-win situation (and there aren't too many of those!) for both me & the farmer. CSA involves a local farmer selling shares of their crop before the harvest. What this does is allow the farmer to have guaranteed income regardless of the crop. What it does for me is provides tons of fresh veggies & fruit...direct from the farm fresh. If it's a good harvest, I get more. If it's a bad year, the farmer doesn't lose his farm & will be back next year to try again. Win-win. :) The farm that Jeff & his wife Heather have worked with for years is La Finca & after 4 weeks I am glad that I signed up.

So, tons of veggies means salad almost every day in order to eat most of them up before the next Monday delivery. One recommendation that Jeff & Heather had was to have a daily green smoothie, based on the information in this book: Green for Life. I read it & started making them right away. It is amazing that you can make something that tastes good out of a bunch of greens and some fruit. Now, it doesn't always LOOK the best, but believe me...it tastes good. I even got my boyfriend to eat one each morning! Why a green smoothie to start the day? Well, first of all he didn't eat breakfast so I figured anything is better than nothing. Secondly, as I read about our bodies need for greens in Green for Life I realized I wasn't getting enough. By blending them we don't have to chew through the lettuce to get to the good stuff...the blender does that for me. And thirdly, I can't think of any reason not to!