Friday, September 28, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: strawberries topped with almond mylk & raw granola

Snack: leftover Raw tamale with heirloom tomato & avocado

Lunch: 2 raw taquitos & 1/2 mango

Snack: smoothie or spinach, apples, ground flax seed & dates

Dinner: a terrific salad of spinach, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, leeks, carrots & red peppers

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: leftover peaches and cream from 118 Degrees
coffee: non-raw

Lunch: Topaz Pizza, by Jenny's Live, with a side salad of mixed greens


Snack #1: a bit of a smoothie of strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kale & coconut butter
This had become rather gelatinous after a couple of hours in the fridge, so I dumped most of it.

Snack #2: coconut milk blended with a bit of raw cacao
I try to limit the cacao. It seems to be a mood elevator of sorts, but also to play with my energy levels a bit.

Dinner: 1 large mango, 1/2 large heirloom tomato & 2 raw taquitos
Today felt like a lot of food, but looking back, I guess it wasn't.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: smoothie of kale, strawberries, blueberries, bananas and coconut butter
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Snack: 1/2 personal watermelon

Lunch: thinly sliced turnips topped with Raw ricotta made from 1 cup soaked cashews, a bunch of fresh thyme, juice of 1/2 lemon and salt

Dinner: We had a wonderful dinner at 118 Degrees, a new Raw restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA--more about this great place later. I can't say enough good things about this spot.
Appetizer: taquitos
Entree: corn tamales
Dessert: cappuccino creme brulee
peaches and cream

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Berry Porridge topped with banana mylk

The porridge recipe from Juliano's Raw, the UNcook Book consists of oat groats (soaked overnight and drained), dates and blueberries. Instead of the 1 serving the book indicated, it made about 6! It's very filling and takes time to chew. The recipe indicated the groats could be soaked for as little as 30 minutes, but I find them tough and odd tasting unless they've been soaked for hours.

1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Snack: a couple of carrots

Lunch: 1/2 cantaloupe

Snack: Smoothie of kale, strawberries, peaches, bananas and coconut butter

Dinner: corn salad on a bed of spinach

Today was a good day for healthy eating and working out. This week's CSA basket had lots of goodies including: garlic, onions, nectarines, peaches, oranges, kale, apples, potatoes, lemon basil, thyme, carrots, string beans and other goodies --all local and organic.

Eat well yall!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Cooked Pitfalls

An article appeared on Raw Food Right Now! today encouraging readers to support their fellow Raw Foodists who are having trouble staying on the wagon. I happily went to the blogs they linked to and left what words of encouragement I could. I hope they helped whoever read them, in what little way they might.

I don't aim to be 100% Raw, because I'm a rebel! Well, not really. I just don't like the sense that I have to eliminate a whole class of food in its entirety. Most days, I'm all Raw, with the exception of coffee or tea, and I'm very satisfied. I enjoy my Raw meals, all the while knowing that I can have any cooked food, should I desire it. I don't doubt that 100% could take me to another level in many ways. I've experienced it before, but I'm fine with not having it right now.

Yesterday, Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager was baptized. (Congratulations, Fierce One!) In celebration, lunch was her choice, and she chose Mexican. I indulged in cooked veggies and black beans, and I can't say that it was tasteless or made me horribly ill. However, it did sit heavily in my stomach, and I found the meal much less appetizing than I used to. Directly thereafter, I crashed for an unplanned 2 hour nap! Coincidence? I think not.

I don't regret the meal, or feel any lasting harm was done to my 90% Raw diet-style. It didn't leave me craving the next cooked dish, quite the contrary. Next time, I'll think twice about splurging on something that can't live up to the taste of a fresh peach, grapes from the local farm, or a thick mango smoothie.

Juliano's Raw


Looking for a Raw dining adventure, something to please the palate and inspire you to dust off your dehydrator? Juliano's Raw, in Santa Monica, California, provides just such an experience. I was initially reluctant to patronize the restaurant, purely because I've been disappointed by the food at other restaurants with celebrity chefs. Sometimes it becomes more about the personality than the food. That's not the case with Juliano's.


My party of three dined on the small but cozy back patio. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and unobtrusive, my favorite combination of traits. Neither Lovely Boyfriend nor I had visited Juliano's in the past, but our friend, Lori, was visiting from Atlanta. She wanted to try raw and we wanted her first raw gourmet meal to well represent its category , so we went for the place with the best reviews.

We started with the tortilla soup, jalapeno poppers and pumpkin tortellini. I'm past the point of expecting raw food to visually mimic a cooked counterpart. It's fun when it does, but not necessary. Lori was somewhat thrown off by the fact that the appearance of some of the dishes didn't meet her expectations. The jalapeno poppers consisted of strips of dried jalapeno topped with yummy filling. They were pretty good, but not outstanding. The tortilla soup was rich, dehydrator warm and subtly spicy. I was initially disappointed that the pumpkin tortellini was such a small plate, but the slightly sweet and chewy appetizer proved to be just enough. I'd love to learn to make them.

We shared two entrees: "meat and potatoes" and the Bacon Western Double burger. Let's begin with the latter. The burger is served with a veritable salad of toppings, including pickles, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, ketchup, avocado and onion. It was difficult to find the burger underneath it all, but it was there and the whole dish was quite good. The zucchini fries with ketchup may have outshone the burger with their delicious simplicity.

The "meat and potatoes" was so good, I went out and bought Juliano's book, RAW, the UNcook book. This meat consisted of a nut and mushroom patty topped with barbecue sauce. The taste and texture were much like classic meatloaf, only much fresher. The creamy potatoes were made from cauliflower and topped with a savory gravy. It was all I could do not to tip the cup of gravy to my lips. One word: Scrumcious!

We enjoyed the chocolate parfait, pictured above, for dessert. It consisted of a chocolate mousse on top of a nutty crust. The avocado-based mousse was much lighter than any I've been able to whip up at home. I couldn't resist getting a mango/almond-milk shake to go. It was thick and creamy, like a traditional milkshake.
All in all, our dining experience at Juliano's Raw was a pleasure. Though some have complained about the prices, I found them to be quite reasonable, especially for Santa Monica. Our bill came to $75.00 before tip. Most people would likely order less food for a typical meal. We lunched at 2:00 and were so satisfied we didn't need dinner.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: smoothie of spinach, hempseed, strawberries, oranges and blueberries
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Snack: 1/2 small melon

Lunch: salad of spinach, broccoli, tomato, zucchini, yellow squash and leeks
dressing of olive oil, nama shoyu, garlic and ginger

Snack: coconut milk
Yes, again! Ever since I found out the donut shop next to my older daughter's school sells young thai coconuts AND will open them for me, I've been on a bit of a binge!

Dinner: nori rolls with ginger-guac, carrots and cucumbers (I refuse to take a picture of these until I can get them to look presentable.)
very small smoothie of figs, grapes, vanilla and cinnamon (Inspired by a recipe in Raw Food, real world, which I haven't been able to bring myself to spend 40 bucks on, though goodness knows I really want it!)

Friday, September 21, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: peace crumble

Snack: handful of mulberries

Lunch: Raw Thai Spring Rolls from Jenny's Raw and Organic
The wraps on these rolls was tender and slightly sweet. They were stuffed with a variety of vegetables and served with a thick, tasty sauce. Lovely Boyfriend thought the whole thing needed more flavor. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the meal and secretly regretted saving him a roll. I kid. I kid.

Snack: Coconut milk (Too good to be true!)

Dinner: nori rolls of carrots, cucumbers and avocado

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: strawberries topped with banana mylk, raw cereal & raw granola
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Snack: 2 dates & a few nuts & a few pumpkin seeds

Lunch: 4 dried figs
smoothie of cantaloupe & spinach
2 large carrots

Snack: a few mulberries
1/2 glass coconut milk
We used cinnamon instead of nutmeg and vanilla extract instead of almond, just because that's what we had on hand. Still, this was incredibly rich and delicious. Even Lovely Boyfriend, who's no fan of the coconut's meat or drink, enjoyed this tasty treat!

Dinner: a delicious salad (made all the more delicious by the fact that I didn't have to prepare it) of spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, red onions, celery, sundried tomatoes

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw Apple Pie
We only had a few granny smiths, so we threw in a couple of Galas. These are the times I loooong for a dehydrator. The pie filling was crying out for just a little heat. Nonetheless, it was still pretty good. Next time, I'll toss more into the filling: raisins, a few nuts and chunks of apples.
1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
Ever since I ran into that trouble spot last week, I've been back to daily coffee. Gotta start switching it out for tea again.


Lunch: Curried Carrot Soup




This soup is as easy as they come. Since my blender isn't the most powerful, I ran the carrots threw the food processor first. I also threw in a tomato that needed to be eaten today. We topped it with a sprinkle of crushed raw crackers.

Snack: smoothie of apples, bananas, coconut, pineapple, dates & flax seed



Dinner: salad of spinach, red & green peppers, avocado & tomatoes

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
2 pieces Raw Breakfast Crust w/ raw honey

Snack: smoothie of pineapple, apple, banana, coconut butter, and flax seed

Lunch: 1/2 personal watermelon

Snack: green smoothie of spinach, peaches & dates (Lovely Boyfriend suggests I refrain from telling him what goes in these smoothies. Not gonna happen!)

Dinner: spinach salad with broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers and avocado
I know. I need to start mixing up my greens more, but I bought the big boxes of spinach at Costco.

Not the most exciting food day, but satisfying nonetheless.

Eat well!

The World's First Bionic Burger

The fast food hamburger...cheap, quick and easy. Check out this video. Share it with all your burger-loving friends!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Hitting the Wall

Last Thursday evening, weeks of family drama finally caught up with me. For the next 4 days, I endured lackluster workouts, my housework went undone, and my relationships suffered from my darkened mood and waning patience. Try as I might, I couldn't begin to face the ever-increasing to do list that waited for me each morning. How much energy does it take to answer a few emails and post a blog each day? Whatever the amount, I couldn't muster it. I needed to nap, constantly.

Fortunately, my family and friends (including those I've made online since starting my Raw Food journey) were incredibly patient with me. Lovely Boyfriend, Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager, and Wonder Girl joined me for lunch at a new Raw restaurant. They allowed me space to rest, read, and be alone, while staying near. Today I was supposed to partner with a fellow Raw enthusiast, on my 1st smoothie/juice feast. She graciously allowed me to bow out without judging me as a flake.

This afternoon, I began to feel better. I wish I could pinpoint the exact cause, so I could replicate it in the future. Was it the extra green smoothie I had this afternoon? Was it the simple grace of being relieved of the pressure to perform by those around me? Was it the more arduous labor of beginning to tackle the to do list? What was it that helped get me to the other side of the wall? I can't say, but I can say with great certainty, there were many hands lifting me up and over.

Thanks yall.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: strawberries & bananas topped with raw cereal, raw granola, banana mylk and mulberries

Snack: 1 small handful of raw & sprouted pumpkin seeds

Lunch: A smoothie from Victoria Boutenko's Green For Life. The 3 main ingredients are kiwi, banana and celery.

Snack: Raw Breakfast Crusts with raw honey & coconut butter

Dinner: mango, red onion, cilantro & garlic on a bed of spinach
more of the taquitos from last Sunday

My CSA Bounty


What a pleasure to pick up my first basket of fruits and vegetables from South Coast Farms yesterday! It was about 25 pounds of organic produce for $30. I paid in advance for the last quarter of the year, so I was holding my breath to see if I'd be happy with it. The variety included: tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, broccoli, 2 kinds of lettuce, kale, basil, red peppers, carrots, melons, apples and peaches. Those are string beans and the most delicious grapes in the two paper bags on the left.

While I still have to supplement our produce at the grocery store, this will force me to include more variety in our meal rotations. The Farm sent recipe suggestions for the less commonly cooked, or uncooked, ingredients. I think this is going to work out just fine.

Mad props to Wonder Girl who washed and dried all the produce! She has her triple wash down!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Today's Yummy Food


Snack: 1 handful of Raw & sprouted pumpkin seeds.

Breakfast: strawberries & bananas topped with banana milk, raw granola, raw cereal & mulberries
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Lunch: Breakfast Smoothie with mulberries replacing half the dates

Snack: 1/2 heirloom tomato

Dinner: Green Bean Salad
I didn't have all the ingredients, so mine didn't come out so creamy looking. The dressing was still delicious. I also threw in some avocado, just 'cause I love the stuff!

Post-workout Snack: A handful of raw/sprouted pumpkin seeds

Monday, September 10, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1/2 slice Raw Strawberry Fields Forever Cheesecake from earth cafe (picked up at Mother's Market yesterday)
1/2 mango
1 cup coffee (non-raw)


Snack: small handful of mulberries

Lunch: Raw Ensenada Enchilada from Jenny's raw & organic

I couldn't find a website for this company either, though it's located in Orange County, CA. The phone number on the package is 949-295-4231. I'm definitely going to check out associated restaurant, 118 degrees in Costa Mesa.

Snack: Raw Chocolate Hemp Seed Milk (sort of experimental in the ingredients and proportions & a bit too sweet)

Dinner: A double portion of breakfast smoothie, without the green powder, but with 3x the ground flax seed.



How excited am I? Tomorrow I pick up my 1st CSA basket from the local organic farm!

Raw Taquitos


On Saturday our plans to visit a Raw restaurant in L.A. were set aside for pressing family matters, so on Sunday we made a late night run to Mother's Market to scoop up some prepared raw foods. We decided the Raw Taquitos, from a company called Foodology would make a satisfying dinner. They proved to be more than satisfying.

The tacos shells were a bit chewier than the cooked version of the same, but in a pleasant way. The filling tasted like something greater than the sum of its ingredients and had a meaty-mouth feel without trying to pose as meat. The mango salsa served as a wonderful counterpoint to the spiciness of the dish.

I couldn't find a website for this company, but if you can find these products in your local health food or specialty store, I highly recommend you give them a try.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Morning Snack: 3 dried figs

Breakfast: bowl of acai blended with banana, topped with raw granola, hemp seeds and strawberries


Lunch: salad of romaine, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado, dressed with EVOO, garlic and lime


Snack: 2 dried figs & a handful of mulberries

Dinner: Raw Taquitos

Saturday, September 8, 2007

The End...A New Beginning

Today is officially the end of my commitment to Raw. I vowed to eat 90% Raw for 30 days, and as of this writing, I've done just that. Lovely Boyfriend dared to brave this adventure with me. Wonder Girl and Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager ate many of my Raw concoctions, told me what was good and what needed tweaking, and jumped in with their own ideas.

For the first week, I enjoyed the food, but felt restricted. I held the idea that when I reached this point I'd want to celebrate with a large portion of cooked food. I'd imagined I'd still want to eat a mostly Raw diet, but with a lot more wiggle room for cooked oatmeal in the morning, pizza, creme brulee and truffle oil macaroni & cheese.

Here's the thing though. At some point, my thinking changed from one of sacrifice and deprivation, to one of pleasure, contentment and gratitude. Thus far, I love being Raw. It's led me to interact with groups of people I'd never have met otherwise. It's given me enough energy to be awake, alert and typing this at almost midnight, when I used to start winding down around 9 pm. It's opened my eyes to new tastes, flavor combinations, and opportunities for optimal health and nutrition. It's led me further into the world of organic and local food than I'd imagined I'd go, so that I'm now supporting a local organic farm as a member of its CSA.

Oh, yeah, I've also lost about 15 pounds of excess fat. Maybe it's 14 or 16. I thought that would be so important to me, and it is. I know I'm healthier without excesses of toxin-storing fluffiness. I know the improvement lowers my risk for all kinds of overweight-related diseases. It feels better to fit my clothes well. Yet, it's not nearly as exciting as having the energy to work out up to 3 hours in a day--if I want to and have the time--and still feel like I could go longer. Caring more about the purchase, preparation, and presentation of the food my family and I eat is a greater reward than sliding into that old pair of jeans. The quieter, more present way I'm learning to experience a meal--whether it be 1/2 a watermelon or an elaborate burger at a Raw restaurant--is revolutionary. I have more patience, even moods and clarity of thought. I'm happily Raw.


Raise your smoothie glasses, everyone. Here's to a long and happy future of High Raw. To your health.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: leftover cole slaw from yesterday

Snack: Raw Breakfast Crusts with raw honey and coconut butter
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Lunch: smoothie of spinach, mango, an orange, coconut butter and frozen blueberries
2 dried figs

Dinner: Raw California Rolls--cucumber and avocado wrapped in raw nori. These were my 1st attempt at sushi rolls. Let me just say, it is important to wet the nori before you fill it with yummies. They were still good, just hard to slice and chew.

Post-workout snack: a smoothie of 1 apple, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup water, 4 dates, 1.5 teaspoons ground flax seed. It was based on a recipe for a Breakfast Smoothie, on the fabulous Gone Raw site. I left out the green powder, for no good reason. Next time, I'll use it. This was my 1st green smoothie that actually stayed green (no brightly colored berries to cover it up). I think Wonder Girl, Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager, and Lovely Boyfriend will love it despite its grassy color. I should've taken a picture, but I couldn't wait to drink it!

Friday, September 7, 2007

Today's Yummy Food


Breakfast: slaw of mango, red pepper, cilantro, jalapeno, green onions, cabbage and carrots

Snack: 1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
1 piece Raw Breakfast Crust with Raw Honey
Lunch: 1 smoothie -- Let's not even talk about the ingredients. It was not so yummy. Perhaps because I was in a highly stressed state when I prepared it.

Post-Workout Snack: 3 dried figs

Dinner: Raw Corn Salad, prepared by Lovely Boyfriend, who took pity on me, as I was still in the aforementioned stressed-out state. I know we're probably overdoing the corn, but we want to enjoy it while it lasts.
Eat well yall.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Local Organic Food - A Great Source


This morning I slipped into the traffic flowing south on the 5 freeway and visited a local organic farm in San Juan Capistrano. South Coast Farms has a great stand, selling their own produce alongside fresh fruits and vegetables brought in from 5 other farms with which they're affiliated. They had almost everything I'd normally buy in my grocery store, but all organic. As I checked out, the cashier pointed out that one of my mangoes had a bad spot. "I won't charge you for that one," she said.


I went over to the farm office, a small red building with its entrance curtained by the fronds of a huge palm tree. The women there were as friendly and helpful as the cashier had been. I signed up for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. A CSA allows consumers to prepay for their produce for a certain period of time. For the next three months, I'll get a 25lb box of produce every week, for $30 per week. It's mostly local and in season and all organic.

Many communities have CSA programs; some even deliver the produce to you. I didn't know the programs existed, or that there was one so close to me. Check out this CSA Directory to see what you can find in your own town, and support the organic farmers and get the freshest foods.


Today's Yummy Food




Breakfast: strawberries, blueberries, raw granola from Kookie Karma and banana mylk
1/2 cup of coffee (non-raw)

Snack: Raw Breakfast Crusts with raw honey

Lunch: romaine wraps with heirloom tomatoes & avocado
1/2 mango
Snack: 3 dried figs


Dinner:the peel of a peach used in a smoothie
salad of marinated asparagus (which I didn't expect to be good, but was quite tasty), baby spinach, tomatoes, red onion, avocado--dressing of EEVO, garlic and salt
a taste of Wonder Girl's smoothie: peaches, berries, water & coconut butter

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1/2 personal watermelon
tea (non-raw)

Lunch: 2 heirloom tomatoes
Last bit of raw peach cobbler from yesterday
1 dried fig

Dinner: smoothie of raw cacao, spinach, coconut butter, hemp seeds, water & ice
(should add frozen berries next time)
1 Sesame Raisin Fudge ball (almost--We had to make major substitutions. And, for whatever reason, grinding the sesame seeds blew up my spare coffee grinder!)

Post Workout Snack: TBD

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

The Downside of Raw



While the list of benefits of a Living Foods lifestyle is quite long, there are some downsides.

I might not be so high on Raw if I didn't have a dishwasher! I kid. I kid.

(The hammer was used to crack a coconut.)

Raw Oreo Smoothie


This groovy smoothie tastes like Cookies & Cream, but is super good for you. I made this for Lovely Boyfriend and myself for today's lunch. The recipe is one of the many delicious recipes from goneraw.com. There are several ways to open a coconut. Here's one. If you can't find a young coconut, you could probably use water or raw almond milk or some other substitute. Though you'll lose some of the nutritional benefits, the taste will likely be just as good.


I left out the almonds, threw in some coconut flesh and coconut butter and added some water to stretch it out a bit. Delicious & nutritious!

Today's Yummy Food


Noshed on raw spinach for much of the day.


Breakfast: Peace Crumble
1/3 cup coffee (non-raw)

Snack: 1 stalk celery
1 spoonful hemp seeds (I've never tried these before. My 8 year old and I both love them!)


Lunch: Raw Oreo Smoothie (Darn tasty!)



Lovely Boyfriend, my 8 year old Wonder Girl & I all loved this recipe. We wanted more cranberries, so we tossed those in. In the future, I'll likely have mine without the almonds, like the tree nut-allergic Wonder Girl. Lovely Boyfriend, on the other hand, thought the almonds added a satisfying crunchy element.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: strawberries & bananas topped with raw granola & banana mylk
1/3 cup of coffee (non-raw)
(The banana mylk recipe varies. Today it consisted of a banana, water, enough ice to chill the liquid without thickening it, a splash of alcohol-free vanilla, a heaping teaspoon of coconut butter and a wee bit of agave.)
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Snack: 1/2 personal watermelon
tea (non-raw)
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Lunch: corn salad on a bed of spinach
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Dinner: smoothie of spinach, water, oranges, mango, blueberries, strawberries and coconut oil

Yesterday's Yummy Food

Day 2 of the horrible headache, so I napped and snacked a lot. This was a coffee-free day, but I don't think it's a caffeine headache, as I had lots of tea and the headache started yesterday.
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Breakfast: bowl of strawberries and blueberries, topped with banana mylk & raw granola
tea (non-raw)
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Snack: 1/2 personal watermelon
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Lunch: spinach salad topped with fresh corn, tomatoes, onions, lime juice & olive oil
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Snack: Raw Breakfast Crusts with raw honey
tea (non-raw)
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Dinner: smoothie of spinach, mango, strawberries, blueberries & coconut oil
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Post-workout snack: tea (non-raw, no caffeine)
last bit of Raw Breakfast Crusts with raw honey

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Spicy Mango Slaw
1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
1 pear


Lunch: Spicy Mango Slaw
tea (non-raw)
1 piece of Raw Breakfast Crust with raw honey
(These are yummy. I'll tell you more about them later.)

Snack: 1/2 personal watermelon

Dinner: more SpicyMango Slaw

Post-workout snack: more tea (non-raw, no caffeine)

This was kind of a boring food day, but I had a headache all day and couldn't put in much effort.

Durian Tart & Apple Pie


Well, we tried the durian tart and apple pie that we purchased at Good Mood Food. I'm sorry to say, neither of them thrilled us. The apple pie lacked flavor. I didn't enjoy the texture of the shredded apples either. I had one bite and turned it over to Lovely Boyfriend to finish. He described it as "okay, but bland." It seemed to be missing the flavor and spices that make apple pie such a treat.

I know the durian is something of the darling of the Raw Food world. I'd never had the opportunity to taste the fruit itself, so I was excited by the opportunity to try it in a tart. Even before I opened the container, the smell hit me, but they say, "It smells like hell, and tastes like heaven." Who wouldn't want a little taste of heaven? I would. I still do, but I didn't find it in the durian tart. I even tried holding my breath while I ate it, all to no avail. It wasn't something I wanted to eat. Lovely Boyfriend had never heard of the durian. His response to a small sample of the pastry was to proclaim it pungent and leave it to me to attempt to enjoy.

I love the idea of Good Mood Food Cafe. I'm really hoping my next visit there won't be the last. It definitely won't include dessert.