A Busy Day

This morning I woke up at 5:30. I was so excited to get some work done in a still and quiet house, I grabbed my current project, headed downstairs, and settled in on the couch. After my early morning water, I headed to the kitchen to put on some tea. It was 4:45 am! Apparently my fancy schmancy satellite-updated alarm clock thought it was Daylights Savings Time today. Go figure. I stayed up for another hour or so and went back to bed.

The last week has been incredibly busy, and we're having about 10 people over for Easter dinner tomorrow, so the rush continues for a while. It's the good kind of rush, but I'll look forward to the normal calm of my life again. Melina brought her friend, Blaire, home from college for a few hours today. They wanted coconut-banana smoothies, but I was out of open coconuts and not up for cracking more, so they had wheatgrass shots instead. It was Blaire's first. Here's to the green!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Nutritional Excellence with Raw Veggies

This clip is called What You Ate as a Kid Can Give You Cancer, but it's really about how switching to a raw vegetable based eating-style in adulthood can protect us against cancer. Dr. Joel Fuhrman is promoting diet for disease prevention, and he's doing so convincingly. Not a bad video to share with friends and family.

Vegsource is a great resource for articles and videos about health and nutrition.

Life is Good!

Good times, but I've missed the Raw food world terribly! The summer has been incredibly busy for me and the fam, as I'm sure it's been for many of you. I haven't even had time to drop in on Bunny Berry's 100 Day Raw Food Challenge forums. I read the emails, but I know I've been missing out on the fun. (Sorry for the fuzzy pic above, but blogger doesn't want to let me delete it. )

Fierce-as-in Fabulous Teenager is safely off at college. We spent a lot time talking about how she'll survive in the dining hall. She's a veggie, but not Raw. They have a pitiful salad bar, but usually have vegetarian stir-fry options, and a bit of fruit available at breakfast. The bummer is that they can't have a fridge in their dorm room, so I couldn't leave her with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. She'll make it work though. Leaving her 3000 miles away from her mommy was tough!

My baby in her 1st dorm room!

Travelling while remaining High Raw turned out to be easier than I expected. We ate out a lot, so I typically ordered salads, hold all meats, cheeses, bread-like products and dressing. If it had lots of juicy fruit (sweet or savory), or yummy avocado, it usually didn't need dressing. I kept a small bottle of really good olive oil in my purse just in case! I did find myself eating quite a bit of steamed asparagus. For some reason, I just couldn't get enough of it.

While we were traveling, I was also working really hard to take my business online. I've set the initial web page up for Every Kid Fit . Check it out, and tell me what you think. It's still a bit rough, but Lovely Boyfriend is helping me get it going. I'm really hoping to do some good on a broader scale. Little kids deserve to run and play! It's fun!

I've missed reading all the Raw blogs. I haven't even been over to giveittomeraw or goneraw lately! I know I'm leaving out some wonderful Raw foodies, but I just want to say hey to some folks. Shout-outs to:

HiHo Rosie

Isle Dance

Yard Snacker

Disa

April (Rated R for potty mouth, and sinful desserts!)

Sarah

Pixywinks

Kristen

Connie

Michelle J

TheWriterStuff (Raw is not required, and I hope you're doing well!)

Penni

Bunny Berry

There are lots of other Raw blogs that I've missed as well! I hope everyone is having the bestest summer!

Yesterday's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw Strawberry Fields cheesecake from Earth Cafe
5-6 fresh figs (happiness in a box!)
1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
I'm not doing coffee everyday any more, but I do still have it on occasion. Since I was working in my neighborhood coffee shop, I felt I should buy something. Tea would've been a better choice!

Snack: watermelon

Lunch: Salad of romaine, broccoli, mushrooms and onions; topped with fresh salsa and guacamole

Dinner: more fresh figs, and raw breakfast crusts topped with raw peach preserves (fresh peaches blended with Raw agave and dehydrated) Delish!

It was a great eating day! I had some cooked food while my family was here for FT's graduation--not a lot, but enough to feel the difference. Generally, I avoided cooked while eating out by ordering salads with extra veggies and avocado, or by skipping the meal altogether.

Food as Fuel? And then some.

A friend recently told me, "I've finally got my eating issues under control. I realize food is just fuel for my body. It's not meant to be fun." This woman isn't a person of extremes, but she was still on a honeymoon with this philosophy (you know how it is when you discover something new that works, or seems to work), and she wasn't interested in eating for pleasure.

I'd rather be fat -- and since I used to be obese, I get to say that without offending anyone. I'd rather be fat than resign myself to food as an equivalent to gas or oil or coal. I toyed with this idea when I was going through all my lose-the-lard experiments in the past, and frankly, it didn't last long.

Food is fuel--fuel that should be savored...enjoyed...and sometimes exalted. We should bond over it, commune with it, and show our appreciation for it. Of course, modern society has to deal with the overabundance we face. It's hard to appreciate what's on your plate when it's all available 24 hours per day. Drive to the grocery store at 3 a.m. and get a pecan pie. Drive thru and get fries. Pick up the phone and get fried rice and pizza.

We're spoiled. I admit that. But food is more than just fuel. It's pleasure, and luxury, and family, and celebration, and joy, and spirituality, and love. We just need to be careful what we classify under the big "Food" umbrella. Hint: if it comes in a box, there's a good chance it might not qualify.

Fennel & Orange Salad

Fennel has a mild licorice taste. I don't love licorice, but fennel really appeals to me. To temper the unique flavor, I slice the bulbs into 1/4 inch rounds, separate the slices, and toss them in olive oil , sea salt, and balsamic vinegar. The vinegar, which isn't raw, adds a nice flavor. You can marinate without it--using Raw apple cider vinegar and other things, like Raw agave. Dehydrate at 105-degrees, for 4-5 hours, or until the desired state of chewiness is achieved. I usually leave mine in overnight.

Fennel & Orange Salad

3 bulbs fennel (marinated & dehydrated)

3 oranges (peeled & sliced horizontally)

sea salt (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

Break the orange slices into little segments. Toss everything together and allow time for the flavors to blend. LB really doesn't like licorice and didn't love this salad, but I enjoyed it. Next time, I'll serve it over spinach. Very satisfying!

Is Raw Too Expensive?

Our grocery bill has almost doubled since we switched over to Raw Foods, and it wasn't low to begin with. Part of the reason for the increase was that I stocked up on a lot of staples--agave nectar, Raw honey, coconut oil, Raw cacao, raw nuts--and these items can be expensive, especially if you don't know where to shop. Of course, you don't actually need most of them to go Raw, but I took the approach of making our meals very indulgent. It eased our transition.

Now we're bringing the grocery bill down. We receive a basket of organic produce from South Coast Farms each week, for the very reasonable price of about $35 per 30-pound basket. We shop at the local farmer's market. We buy prepared Raw dishes, then figure out how to recreate them at home for a fraction of the price. We eat simpler meals.

Does living off plant parts seem cost prohibitive? Check out this link I found through the Daily Raw Inspiration. LocalHarvest helps you find organic grocers, farmers' markets, CSA programs, and farms in your area. I found a couple of nearby resources that I hadn't known existed.

Yes, it costs somewhat more to eat Real food. I could feed my family a lot more cheaply if we ate from boxes at every meal. But you can make it work--even on a budget--if you learn to work your resources. This month's grocery bill will be more reasonable.

The Bikini Challenge

I haven't worn a swimsuit since 1994. That's right it's been 14 years since I slipped into bathing beauty wear. For much of that time, I would've felt comfortable exposing that much of myself, but I rarely vacationed or took time out to relax poolside. I'm not a great swimmer (frankly, I suck), and lounging by a body of water always seemed a little pointless to me. I'd rather lie in a hammock with a book, or go for a hike, or explore new restaurants. Then came the time when I didn't wish to be seen in anything more revealing than a burka. (I'm not kidding.)

Fast forward to 2008. One of our friends sent out this challenge:

Let's schedule a date with a professional photographer and take a group swimming attire photo. Bikini, tankini, trunks, speedos -- your call. Deadline: June 2008

Her purpose is to inspire us all to maintain our commitments to health and fitness. We're spread out all over these united states, so the plan is for us to gather in Atlanta for the group photo. This includes men and women, mostly in their 30's and 40's, with a few husband and wife teams. Everyone's taking their own diet and exercise path, but we're sharing our ideas via email.

Normally this type of thing would make me feel a bit desperate. Since choosing a Raw eating-style, I just feel like I need to keep doing what I'm doing. After all, it works! LB and I are back on track since the holidays. In fact, I think that little eating detour was beneficial for me, as I quickly saw the return of some health issues when I increased my percentage of cooked foods. That motivated me to stay Raw even more than this bikini challenge could. This is my type of competition though--one in which I'm competing against myself.

I'll be ready for the photo shoot. And I'll be wearing a two-piece....no....seriously! Stop laughing!

Raw Food Reverses Diabetes

Somehow, link by link, I ran into a trailer for a documentary-in-the-making called Raw for 30 Days. The film follows several diabetics who live in a medically supervised retreat and follow a raw food diet for 30 days. For those who stick with it, excess pounds of fat fall away, insulin dependence is no more and the disease that once controlled their lives is no longer an issue for them. It's not an easy journey, and not everyone makes it, but the results are remarkable. Haven't figured out how to get the video formated on my blog yet. Until I do, here's the link.
Raw for 30 Days

Toss those D*mn Starbursts

I can never remember the name of that fake sugar our bodies can't process for energy and so must store as fat. Today I needed that name, so I asked my daughter to grab one of the bags of candy her grandpa had given her on a recent visit and read me the ingredients. I was sure Twizzlers would have it, but to my surprise that turned out to not be the case.

She grabbed the happy-yellow bag of Starbursts donated by the aforementioned, indulgent grandpa. Lo and behold, after the 1st two sugar ingredients, the 3rd ingredient is HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL. For those who don't know: that's TRANSFAT, people! You know, the stuff that raises bad cholesterol, helps plaque build-up in arteries and sets us up for future heart attacks.

On the package, Starburst lists the amount of Trans Fat as 0g. They're allowed to do that as long as each serving contains less than .5g of those life-shortening oils. But kids can eat a lot of little candies, not to mention all the fried foods, cookies, crackers, chips, pastries and snacks that have 0g Trans Fat in this formula where 0=.4 or less.

Do yourselves and your kids a favor. Toss anything with the words "Hydrogenated" or "Partially Hydrogenated" or "Shortening" listed in the ingredients. Toss the Starbursts. I did. Sorry, Dad.

What I Ate Today

a handful of grapes
1 banana with strawberries, blueberries, raw granola and almond milk
1/2 cup coffee (cheat)
1 date
a handful of cherries
Corn Salad over baby spinach
2 french fries (cheat) They weren't floppy or I might've eaten more!
2 small pieces salmon jerky (cheat)
About 1/3 cup of Raw Chocolate Pudding

What I Ate Today

Below is an example of an almost-raw day for me.
It doesn't seem like a lot of food, but it was very satisfying--no moments of feeling like I might kill someone if I don't eat soon. My hunger seems very mild between meals, and easily quelled, when I'm consuming mostly raw foods.

1 banana, strawberries and blueberries, topped with almond milk and raw granola from Kookie Karma
2 dates
coffee (my cheat)
Curried Collard Green salad
banana-corn porridge (much better than it sounds!)
1 roma tomato
micro-greens salad with avocado and tomato
1 date shake

Cheating on the Raw

1 cup coffee
1 slice Ezekiel bread
About 1 ounce smoked salmon
1/2 slice pizza

It was all tasty enough, but no more so than the raw concoctions we've been whipping up. Are they still cheats if my goal is 90% raw and I'm meeting that goal?