Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw Apple pie
Made this with the usual date-nut-flax seed crust. Chopped 3 honey crisp apples with agave, cinnamon, juice of 1/4 lime and a capful of alcohol-free vanilla.
1 cup coffee (non-raw, half-decaf)

Lunch: huge salad of red leaf lettuce, carrots, celery, tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, onions and mushrooms, topped with Raw Warm Currant dressing

Snack: smoothie of strawberries, pineapple, coconut water, dates & spinach

Dinner: apples, raw cheeze

Strawberry Shortcake

Here's the photo I promised for Strawberry Shortcake.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw cereal of dates, walnuts and apples, topped with banana mylk

1 cup coffee (1/2 decaf)

Lunch: Raw tacos Lovely Boyfriend prepared these romaine leaves filled with a blend of sun-dried tomatoes, onions and avocado. We agreed that the recipe, from Carol Alt's book, needs tweaking.

Snack: Raw cheese

Dinner: Salad of spinach topped with tomatoes, a small spoonful of roasted veggies and Raw Warm Currant Dressing

The roasted veggies keep coming up because of all the winter vegetables in my weekly CSA basket. The family wants roasted squash and zucchini and onions, but I want to stick to mostly Raw food (for myself). Even though I sometimes use these things raw in salads and Raw recipes, I don't use enough of them, and I can't stand the idea that they'll go bad and be thrown away. Argh!

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw apple pie with date-nut topping
1 cup coffee
Although I don't think my coffee drinking is a huge problem, I don't care for the physical withdrawal symptoms (horrible headaches) I get when I skip the morning beverage. Lovely Boyfriend has kindly agreed to prepare it with 1/2 decaf, so I can start to wean myself from dependence and just enjoy a cup when I feel like it.

Snack: 1/2 bottle kombucha

Lunch: salad of mixed greens, celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, avocado and Warm Currant Dressing


Snack: 1/2 bottle kombucha

Dinner: 1 ambrosia apple
I'd never had this particular apple before, but it was pretty good--nice and crisp, though not as sweet as I'd hoped. The honey crisp apples, which I normally love, have been pretty bland around here.
a bit of raw cheese

Through Thick and Thin

The majority of African-Americans and Latinos in this country have generally allowed for a standard of beauty which says that a woman doesn't have to be stick-thin to be beautiful. Feminine curves have been appreciated by these groups, while the larger American culture screams from the front pages of magazines, from the casting of televisions shows and commercials and from movie star-studded red carpets, that a woman can never be too skinny.

You think those models and actresses look thin on television? You should see them in person. I've seen TV stars on stage and been repulsed by the knobs of their spines or the sharp angles of their collar bones sticking out. It would be one thing if these were their natural shapes, but some of these same actresses have complained that they have to choose between eating and working.

Sometimes Black or Latina or other women choose to embrace a standard of beauty that allows them to avoid endless dieting, hours in the gym everyday, and constant "do I look fat in this" worries. Sometimes we take it too far and insist there is beauty in a physical standard that's clearly unhealthy, and that kind of thinking desperately needs to be corrected. But so too does the standard that says we should live off of coffee and cigarettes, implant bags of silicone in our breasts, and inject ourselves with toxins in order to be beautiful. Let's be real. It's not only possible, but all too common to be too thick or too thin.

The Air We Breathe

All week we've been breathing in smoke and ash as wild fires rage around us. Local schools closed down and canceled football games because of poor air quality. Joggers took their workouts inside to treadmills. Parents nixed their kids usual outside play, and our mailman wore a protective mask on his route.

We're located between Irvine and San Diego, two sites of this week's major wildfires. Though we could see flames from the hilltops, our own neighborhood was never in danger. Naturally, we're reminded how fortunate we are when we see the number of homes destroyed climb over 1,000 and even worse, the number of directly related deaths at 7.

After we make our donations to the Red Cross or drop off an air mattress for the evacuation center, our thoughts turn to our own homes and families. Those of us who don't have personal air filters worry about our kids complaints of headaches and sore throats, then convince ourselves that there won't be any long-term effect, all while studying the hazy sky for some sign it might clear up soon. Where are those high winds when we need them to dissipate the clouds of smoke and ash that hang over us?

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw cereal of chopped almonds, pecans and dates, topped with banana mylk
1 cup coffee (non-raw) with almond milk

Lunch: Sea weed chowder with marinated & dehydrated mushrooms

Snack: 1 large Raw apple-currant cookie


Dinner: 1 huge salad of mixed greens, topped with sea weed, pickled ginger and ahi

Breaking up with Joe - The Saga Continues

Yesterday, I had tea instead of coffee. This was an easy sacrifice to make, because Lovely Boyfriend was out of the house by 6 in the morning, and I'm clueless with the coffee pot. I didn't miss the stuff, until late evening. That's when a tiny drill began boring its way through my forehead, pierced my right eye and made it's way down the side of my head to my tongue and jaw.

This morning, I awakened to find the pain hadn't subsided even the slightest bit. I went for my morning walk/jog with my friend and came home ready to hit the weights. At least, my mind was ready. My body said, h*ll no! I hit the shower instead, then tried to wait patiently as Lovely Boyfriend finished his workout. When he came into the kitchen to brew a pot of the black stuff, I tried to play it cool, preparing breakfast rather than shoving him aside, coffee mug in hand.

Yes, I am that pathetic. After about a half cup, my headache was completely gone. It's seriously annoying to be a slave to anything, much less something I'm paying good money to consume. Some people, like Kristen from Kristen's Raw, have been kind enough to give me their strategies for breaking the habit. Looks like its time I put some of them into action.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw granola topped with strawberries, dates & banana mylk
2 cups coffee (non-raw) Egads! That's double the normal amount I drink!

Snack: a bit of Raw breakfast crust with Raw honey

Lunch: a huge salad of mixed greens, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots & pumpkin seeds, topped with Warm Currant Dressing

Snack #1: Raw cookie dough from the apple-cinnamon-currant-seed cookies Wonder Girl, Lovely Boyfriend and I made today. These are supposed to take around 24 hours to dehydrate. The mix itself was so delicious, WG and I ate quite a bit of it from the bowl. Can't wait to taste the finished product.

Snack #2: a smoothie of spinach, ground flax seeds, strawberries, blueberries and oranges

Dinner: a medley of roasted squash, zucchini, potatoes, onions and garlic
Yes, I'm afraid dinner was cooked tonight.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1 honey crisp apple, 1 orange
1 cup herbal tea It has half the caffeine of coffee. Let cool & sweeten with raw agave.

Lunch: Raw cereal of chopped dates, pecans and apples, topped with banana mylk

Snack: salad of mixed greens, carrots, cukes, red peppers & pumpkin seeds, topped with Warm Currant Dressing

Dinner: 5 dried figs
1 large piece Raw Breakfast Crust with Raw honey & coconut oil

Today's Yummy Food

Pre-workout Snack: 1 tomato

Breakfast: Raw pear pie
This is basically the peach cobbler recipe made with pears.

Lunch: salad of mixed greens, yellow tomatoes, cukes & red onions, topped with Warm Currant Dressing

Dinner: Raw meatloaf with a salad of mixed greens topped with a spoonful of green beans (the beans were sauteed with onions & garlic)and Raw Warm Currant Dressing

Dessert: 2 dates
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Post-workout snack: 1 orange

1 in 6 Black Women Morbidly Obese

"While we're all generally getting fatter, the real burden of morbid obesity is falling disproportionately on one group of Americans: black women. According to a 2002 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), women in general are about twice as likely as men to be morbidly obese, but a sobering 1 in 6 Black women is that overweight--"
--from microtrends, the small forces beind tomorrow's big changes , by Mark J. Penn, with E. Kinney Zalesne (emphasis mine)

My sistahs deserve better. While I've always appreciated and benefited from the African-American cultural admiration of the classic coke-bottle figure, as a group we've gone way beyond that. This is no longer about a subjective standard of beauty. This is our health and happiness we're risking. We are the fattest group of people in one of the fattest countries on the planet, and we have black female celebrities telling us to embrace our obesity. Am I the only one who thinks that's crazy?

Should we embrace being out of breath from a walk around the block? Should we embrace avoiding stairs because our knees ache from carrying the extra bulk? Should we embrace a future tainted by diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression?

How surprised I was to look at a BMI chart and find out I qualified as obese! At just over 5'4" and 176 lbs (that's where I stopped weighing myself, but I'm pretty sure I added a couple after that), it seems ridiculous that the discovery could come as a shock. I knew I was fat. That was obvious, but I had never applied a medical term, like "obesity" to my state. Fortunately for me, I made the necessary changes, and the term no longer fits.

Looking around at social events, or at a local mall, or a predominantly black church, I can't help but notice it. We're outpacing everyone in growing wider. The good thing is, it's preventable and reversible. If you're in shape, reach out to someone who isn't. Invite them over for a healthy meal or out for a walk. Be the one who brings a delicious but healthy dish to the next family dinner. If you're a little out of shape, decide if you're satisfied, but if you're just plain fat, be real about it. Take a serious look at your habits and address the ones that got you there. Forget the fad diets and other extreme solutions, but seek out help if you don't know where to start.

Life is too short to spend it avoiding dressing room mirrors, so we don't have to face our hips and thighs, or crashing on the couch because getting up and doing something takes too much effort. Black women, believe me, you deserve better.

Better Than Strawberry Shortcake

3-4 Servings

Berry Mix
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced
2 t coconut oil, liquid (optional)
4 T raw agave syrup
1 pinch salt
a dash or 2 of cinnamon

Topping
5-6 dried dates, pitted
1/2 cup pecans
1/8 cup ground flaxseed
1 T coconut oil (optional)
a few dashes cinnamon

Preparation
Blend Berry Mix and set aside. In food processor, combine topping ingredients until crumbly. Spoon topping over berries and enjoy!

Since peaches are hard to find right now, I decided on this twist to the Peace Crumble I enjoy so much. I ate this one before I thought of taking a photo--maybe on the next round.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Strawberry Shortcake
1 cup coffee (non-raw)


Lunch: salad of lettuce, red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery & sunflower seeds, topped with Warm Currant Dressing


Snack: 1 small piece Raw Breakfast Crust

Dinner: salad of mixed greens topped with ahi sashimi (Sorry, vegans! Not quite there!), seaweed & pickled ginger.

Warm Currant Dressing

1/2 cup water (use more if you want a thinner dressing)

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (I don't know if this is raw, but you could try subbing Raw Apple Cider Vinegar)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper (non-raw, I'm pretty sure)

1/2 cup dried currants (soaked in water for about an hour, and drained)

2 cloves garlic

Blend all, except oil and water until smooth. Blend in oil. Add water as needed to thin dressing.

I wanted to make this recipe for Tangy Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, but didn't have any cranberries. We ended up with this instead. It was slightly warm from the blender, but also had a nice warm flavor. It's quite creamy, which is a nice change from our usual oil & lemon juice dressing.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw Cereal of dates, walnuts and diced apples, topped with banana mylk

1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Lunch: salad of 2 types of lettuce, topped with celery, carrots, cauliflower, red onions & yellow cherry tomatoes

Warm Currant Dressing This was probably a perfect salad--tasty and crunchy. Lovely boyfriend put it together, while I made the dressing.

Dinner: 1 large spoonful of roasted squash & onions, on a bed of spinach with Raw Warm Currant Dressing

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: same as yesterday...Raw cereal of pecans, dates & raisins, processed to bits, topped with diced apple, sliced banana & banana mylk
This tastes a lot like caramel apples.
1 and 1/2 cups coffee (non-raw)


Lunch: Raw "meatloaf with mashed potatoes & gravy"

Snack: smoothie of spinach, banana, strawberries, blueberries & ground flaxseeds

Dinner: salad of spinach, tomatoes & pecans
4 bites of cooked sandwich

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: Raw cereal (dates, raisins, pecans processed to small pieces) topped with chopped apple, sliced banana & cinnamon banana mylk
This was based on a recipe from goneraw.com. Slightly sweet & very satisfying.
1 cup coffee (non-raw)

Lunch & Dinner: Samples from undehydrated Raw "meatloaf & mashed potatoes"
We were using a recipe from Juliano's Raw UNcookbook, but the proportions were waaaaay off, so were spent a lot of time sampling & re-seasoning. The recipe supposedly serves 2, but we ended up with enough for at least 10 people, by the time we were done. It's incredible filling!

Dessert: 1/2 piece of Strawberry cheesecake from Earth Cafe
1/2 cup coffee (non-raw)
The cold weather's really interfering with my desire to cut back on the coffee.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: salad of spinach, carrots, yellow cherry tomatoes celery, cucumbers and avocado, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice

3-4 sips of Wonder Girl's smoothie (spinach, ground flaxseeed, strawberries, blueberries & banana) This was WG's 1st attempt at making the smoothie herself. Simply delicious!

Snack #1: One half cantaloupe

Snack #2: coffee (non-raw)

Lunch: Raw Oaxac-Enchiladas

We spent the day in L.A., where a little market, erewhon, has lots of options for prepared Raw dishes. We picked this one up because we'd never tried this company's products. (In fact, I've never even heard of Oaxaca Raw, Living Foods by Sergio.)

The ingredients were mostly organic: coconut meat, almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, red & green leafs (no idea what that means), red & green cabbage, oregano, parsley, sundried red chiles, lemon juice, onions, avocado, sea salt, cinnamon, raisins, nama shoyu (which is NOT raw, BTW), sesame seeds and spices. I know. That's a looooong list of ingredients, but what are you gonna do? The tortilla was tasty on its own, and all the flavors blended well, but the meal just wasn't that memorable.

Dinner: 1/2 Raw burger with raw BBQ sauce (which I modified from a recipe in Juliano's UNcook book) and a side of heirloom tomatoes

Dessert: 1/2 apple cookie from Rawvolution and a few bites of Raw ice cream

The Best Day Ever!!!

According to Wonder Girl, the best day ever is today, her ninth birthday! A full day of celebrating has left her worn out. We went to the mall for an outfit (a rare treat, as I detest clothes shopping), played CashFlow for Kids a few times (great game for teaching financial principles to kids) and had her best friend, Erica, along with Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager's friend, Kelsey, for dinner, dessert and present-opening.

Sous Chef D, Happy 8th birthday!!!