The Holidays Simplified

Though we missed our families, who were 1000s of miles away, we didn't travel over the holiday season. While it's always worth it, traveling home is a hectic ordeal, and this year we avoided that stress.

In addition, we created a spreadsheet to keep track of what we bought, for whom, and at what cost. That way we were able to stay within our budget, avoid charging anything, and finish the season without that sick what-have-we-done feeling that comes from spending more than you should or buying gifts no one will remember. Every present we purchased was something we thought the recipient needed or wanted. We called some friends and said, forget gifts. Let's get together and enjoy each other's company instead, and we made dates to do just that.

What does this have to do with being Raw? Well, for us part of the beauty of Raw Food is it's inherent simplicity. While I'll never give up the occasional Raw gourmet dish, a bowl of apples and figs is a simple pleasure I can't resist. It's wonderful to find that more relaxed and appreciative attitude touching other parts of our lives.

A Raw Christmas?

No, we didn't have a Raw Christmas at our house. My girls (and LB and I) are very big on tradition, so it was cooked pancakes for breakfast. We had dinner with our friends and neighbors, who prepared absolutely everything for us. They know we're mostly Raw, and they made an amazing salad, but the rest of the meal was definitely cooked. I have to say honestly, it was all delicious.

Lately our Raw eating has been down around 75%. I was okay with that for the short term, but I definitely felt the difference: lower energy, needing more sleep, a loss of the feeling of lightness that comes with High Raw. I'm moving the percentage back up starting today.

I've tried a few Raw recipes that I haven't had time to post, including onion bread, zucchini bread and Raw granola. I loved them all, so I'll post more about them now that the holiday rush is behind us.

Hope everyone's Christmas was as much fun and as relaxing as ours was!

Let Your Food Be Your Medicine

A week or so ago, one of my closest friends (okay, he's my ex-husband) called. He sounded incredibly bummed out, which isn't like him. Usually, we spend the first 5 minutes of a call joking around and teasing each other, but this time he was all business. My first thought was that one of his parents wasn't well. After all, they're getting up there in years and have suffered various ailments.

I wasn't too far off. He'd called to tell us his doctor had diagnosed him with diabetes. He's 44 years old. My mother and stepdad didn't get it until they were in their fifties, but my Ex is at least 75lbs bigger than he was when we married 17 years ago. And of course, all that extra fat is concentrated in his gut, the prime spot for feeding diseases of obesity. He told me that his doctor identified him as pre-diabetic last January and gave him a diet to follow, including a list of foods to eliminate. The list included bread and rice. He's from Honduras. They have tortillas and/or rice with EVERY meal! When I made spaghetti for this guy, I had to include a plate of starchy white rice on the side.

The doctor's orders seemed unrealistic, so he chucked the list and kept on doing what he was doing. The result was a fasting blood sugar level of 351. (Normal range: under 100) He's promised to test regularly, to exercise and to start eating better. If he didn't live on the other side of the country, I'd stick my nose in and start feeding him Raw foods (not sure his wife would like that). From here, all I can do is nag and make suggestions and hope this is the only wake up call he needs.

The Trouble with Dehydrators

I've been using my Excalibur a lot lately--to hasten the marinating of greens and broccoli and onions and mushrooms, to prepare breads and crackers, and to try out new recipes that wouldn't be possible without that box hulking on my kitchen countertop.

So what's the problem, you ask? Almost everything I prepare in the dehydrator is too delicious to wait out the long dehydration times! Every couple of hours, I find myself taking off the cover and reaching in to sneak a pinch. Worse yet, the girls have developed the habit of doing the same. (Okay, that's really a terrific thing, since it means they're snacking on healthy stuff.)

At this moment, a batch of Kristen's Chewy Bolder Boulder Granola is just about ready to flip. The question is: how much of it will survive the process without meeting my greedy fingers?

From the Mouths of Babes

Wonder Girl was feeling less than wonderful, so she spent the day lying on the couch watching videos. The last couple of weeks have been really busy for her, so she deserved a bit of R&R.

When WG asked for lunch, I wanted to give her something yummy that would support her immune system and help her feel better. I settled on Raw marinated collard and mustard greens with onions. (Some Raw folks think of onions and garlic as toxic, but I buy the data that says they have antiviral and antibacterial qualities.) Though she likes lots of my concoctions, she's not a mostly Raw kid, so I was happy that she didn't approach the meal with skepticism.

As I served up her second helping (at her request) Wonder Girl spoke up. "Mommy, I challenge you to make Raw onion rings."


Oh, innocent youth! Doesn't she know I have a small library of Raw "cook"books, not to mention the links to all the best sites for Raw recipes? Soon, and very soon, we shall feast on Raw onion rings!

Keep It Moving

I'm fortunate to be one of those people who enjoys working out. Even at my fluffiest, I worked out most days, going for walks or jogs, riding my stationary bike, or enjoying the ache of muscles slightly sore from weight training. Still, Lovely Boyfriend and I both have careers that lend themselves to sedentary days. Working from home, we could easily limit our movements to the steps it takes to get to the coffee pot and back.

Recently Connie over at Naked Food Cafe posted the link to an article about a recent study which concluded that being sedentary has more negative effects than simply minimizing calories burned. The bottom line according to this research, is that the enzymes responsible for burning fat quit working when we sit down. They don't kick back in until we get up and moving.

My trusty old treadmill has been rigged to allow me to work without sitting down. With a cheap piece of shelving from the hardware store and a few zip ties, I've set it up so that as I'm typing this, I'm walking at a slow pace on an incline. I don't use this feature as often as I should, and it certainly doesn't replace my focused workouts, but I have to believe every little bit counts.

Progress Report

Lovely Boyfriend is safely home (Hooray!), and I landed somewhere near my goals while he was gone. While I didn't cut coffee back to every other day, I did completely switch to decaf. I planned to get in 8 twice-a-day workouts. I managed to do 5 of those, and I'll definitely mix them into my weeks in the future. Less easily quantifiable, I did manage to eat more simply, but I probably had a bit more cooked food than I usually would.

I discovered something: it's easier for me to be more Raw when LB's around. He acts as my sponsor when I want to eat something really bad, reminding me of my priorities (health and fitness) and encouraging me to eat the less than healthy stuff in moderate amounts. That's all great, but even more important, it's just more fun to prepare meals for someone besides myself. Even a simple meal of apples and dates, or figs and Raw cheese is more enjoyable to prepare and to consume when I'm not doing it alone. Sure, the girls will indulge in some of my Raw foods, but they don't always have levels of interest or enthusiasm that inspire.

If you're trying to lock in healthy habits, consider partnering with someone, even if all you're doing is exchanging recipes and meal plans by email, or checking in to see who's getting their workouts done. It might give your efforts the boost they need.

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 3 large oranges
1 small handful Raw Granola


Snack: 1 apple & 2 dates
1 and 1/2 cups coffee (DECAF, non-raw)


Late Lunch: salad of cucumber, onion, garlic tomato & avocado, drizzled with olive oil
1 glass kombucha

Snack: small bowl of marinated broccoli
This was supposed to be my dinner, but I made the mistake of offering the girls a taste, and they devoured most of it. Fierce Teenager said, "In a normal American house, this would be steak we're fighting over...or cookies." To which I replied, "Well, I'm not exactly known for being normal." Both girls nodded in matter-of-fact agreement!


Dinner: 1 apple, 4 dates, Raw Breakfast Crusts with Raw Cheese

Progress Report

Today, I definitely met my goal of eating more simply. I also got in 2 workouts: 70 minutes on my stationary bike, and later, a session training abs, biceps and triceps. Unfortunately, I've barely been sleeping over the last week. LB's been travelling, and knowing he's not downstairs in his room, where he should be, makes it nearly impossible for me to sleep soundly. I drift off later than usual and then wake up every 1-2 hours. Most days, sleeping-in isn't an option either.

Predictably, I can feel myself fighting off some kind of sickness, as always happens when I don't get enough rest over an extended period of time. My throat is scratchy, my head aching. Hopefully, my body's defenses will be strong enough to fend off the assault. I have a long list of projects to tackle in LB's absence, but it's hard to get to them in this state. For now, I'm happy just to meet my day-to-day responsibilities.

We can only do what we can do. Right? Tell me I'm right!

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1 glass kombucha
1 very sweet, dense and satisfying cantaloupe


Snack: 1 and 1/2 cups coffee (DECAF -Yeah!, non-raw)
1 large sheet of carrot & flax bread. Yesterday, I had an idea to make a Raw version of my girls' favorite, carrot souffle. I didn't bother measuring-just processed some carrots, threw in ground flax seed, some vanilla, cinnamon & agave. I loved it. The kids not so much. They still want Raw stuff to be very much like cooked counterparts.


Lunch: salad of marinated collard & mustard greens, avocado and tomato
1 glass kombucha


Dinner: 2 cups broccoli
2 tbsp hummus (non-raw)
1 Raw burger patty (I forget the brand, but I buy them at Mother's Market.)

Eating on Autopilot

Have you ever found yourself picking the crumbs off your plate, not knowing where the slice of pie went? Ever caught yourself with a mouthful of doughnut and wondered, how'd that get there? Ever reached into a bag of chips only to discover you've already polished off the all the contents?

Today Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager brought home a plate of birthday cupcakes. (Happy Birthday, Fierce Teen!) Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing should hold no sway over me, since I'm not a particular fan of the dark brown stuff. I can leave it more often than I take it. Had they been Red Velvet or German Chocolate Cake, I would've committed fully to eating and enjoying one. Instead I found myself engaged in a heated phone conversation and wondering how the plate of leftover bits of cupcake ended up in my lap! I mean, it was only chocolate, after all.

Oh, well. At least I got in two workouts today--45 minutes on the stationary bike and an hour on the treadmill. Finished the day with a yummy kale salad, reminding myself to eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and be aware of how much I enjoyed the meal.

Where Did All the Candy Go?

So here in the U.S., we've made it through Thanksgiving, the one day a year that it's socially acceptable, even expected, that we'll release our inner gluttons. Christmas is just around the corner, and everywhere you go there will be pretty tins of cookies, and chocolates and even old-fashioned hard candies. But speaking of candies, what's happened to your kids' Halloween candy?

Are they still munching a piece here and there every day? Packing some in their lunch box? Begging you for just one more lollipop before bedtime? If your kids trick-or-treat, how do you handle the bucket of sugar they bring home?

This year, Wonder Girl was allowed to keep exactly 1 pound of the candy of her choosing. Tough trade-offs were made, but she managed. Out of that pound, she's shared with friends and family, so that she doesn't eat it all. She's also been limited to 1 piece each day. The additional 3.5 pounds, I bought from her at $3/pound.

Yes, I threw it out. Yes, some would consider it wasteful, but I'd rather it be wasted in the garbage than on her teeth, and in her belly. I suppose I could've just forbidden her from making the rounds with her friends, but it seems a bit extreme to take from her something that only happens once a year and which will be a shared childhood experience with most every other kid in the nation. She's homeschooled, which means she won't have 1st day of kindergarten pictures, or field trips on the big yellow bus to remember. I'm glad I let her have trick-or-treat with the other neighborhood kids. Still, I'm even happier that the highly refined and processed, lab created, "treats" are just about gone.

A Happily Quiet Thanksgiving

Most years we return home to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving. My extended family has a very traditional meal in a house filled to overflowing with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. There's always too much food, most of which isn't great for you. We love it!

This year the girls and I stayed home. Since LB's traveling, it was just the three of us. The house seemed exceptionally quiet. We watched a video of Fly Away Home, a film about a girl and her dad rescuing a group of baby Canadian geese, as well as a mini-marathon of Run's House, which I love, because it's a silly reality show, but totally appropriate for all ages. We even played Wonder Girl's current favorite board game, CashFlow for Kids. The girls spent as much time in the kitchen as I did, and we prepared many of the foods we love, a few Raw, most not. This year, we only made enough for one round of leftovers, and in some cases, made healthier versions of favorite dishes.

It was a quite, modest Thanksgiving celebration. I loved it!

Meeting Goals

Yesterday, I ate all over the map, snacking on such a wide variety of foods, I could barely keep track. It was mostly Raw, but the grab-and-go method wasn't very satisfying. In the early afternoon, I spent an hour powerwalking on the treadmill at its highest incline and worked abs and shoulders. (My treadmill is over 10 years old, and if I try to run on it, it shuts off!)

After a busy day, I got home at 9:45 at night. I was tired, but I wanted to achieve my goal of two-a-day workouts. Luckily, I had recorded The Biggest Loser. (Okay, so reality tv can be pretty hokey, but beyond the competitive aspect, this show inspires.) I jumped on my stationary bike and pedaled 20 miles while I watched. Mission accomplished!

Winter Blues

I love getting my weekly basket from the local organic farm, but as the weather grows colder, the basket includes more and more items that cry out to be cooked. I still get lots of yummy greens to eat in a salad or smoothie, and I can handle making chips from the zucchini, but my one attempt at Raw yam chips yielded less than palatable results, and no Raw food enthusiast would advise eating uncooked white potatoes.

The cool weather doesn't do anything to shore up my determination to eat mostly Raw. (Mind you I'm filing this complaint from Southern California, where the coldest temperatures so far have been in the low 50's.) I hate being cold, which is one of the main reasons I continue to pay a premium to live here! I've successfully weaned myself off caffeine, but most days I still want decaf coffee, just for the warmth of the mug in my hand and the way drinking it warms my body, however temporarily.

It's important to me that I stay mostly Raw through the winter, because I have no intention of giving up the benefits I've enjoyed thus far. But dang! A few more 70 degree days would make it much easier.

The Nonexistence of Perfection

There are some gurus and extremists out there who say you must be 100% Raw vegan or your health is damned, you're a bad person and you can expect misery for all your days. While I love Raw food and think it can solve myriad health problems, boost energy levels and simplify life, I don't tend to agree with the extremes of anything.

If you're a parent whose family eats a SAD (Standard American Diet) and you're concerned for your children, please don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to perfect their eating habits (and yours) in order to make a difference in their health, fitness, weight, or activity levels. You can make gradual changes, still rely on the occasional pizza, and improve things for your kids.

Why not start with one simple change? When your kids want a snack, they have their choice of fruits or vegetables. That's it. All you have to do is make sure there are fruits and veggies on hands, especially the ones you know they like, and discreetly dispose of the unhealthy snack foods on which they might otherwise rely. For younger children, you might also decide that, for the short term, they must ask permission before serving themselves. That way you'll be aware of what they're eating as their idea of a snack transitions from highly processed, additive heavy, boxed products, to the good stuff that God gave us to thrive on and enjoy.

Progress Report

Achieved three goals today:

2 workouts (am - 1 hour, stationary bike; pm - abs, biceps, triceps) I was very close to missing the mark on this one. At 9 this evening, after a draining day, there were many things I'd rather be doing, but the weight training went well, and I felt much more calm when I was done.

No coffee! This is significant, because I had NO headaches & will likely have decaf at the workshop I'm hosting tomorrow.

Ate very simply.

Not impressed? That's okay. These aren't the most ambitious goals, but if I manage them, they'll improve my habits in the short-term and my self-discipline in the long-term. Health and fitness can be difficult to maintain, not because they're inherently complicated, but because most of American society is constantly tempting and cajoling us away from healthful behavior. I'm fortunate to have people around me (online & a few in the real world) who are constantly learning in this area, and supporting my efforts in the process. Good luck to everyone on a similar path!

Today's Yummy Food

Breakfast: 1 pear, 1 baby Gala apple, 2 pieces Raw French Toast
1 cup tea

Lunch: same as breakfast

Dinner: dried figs, raw cheese

Cinnamon-Orange French Toast

I came up with this last night based on this recipe. The original didn't have explicit directions, so I winged it. I loved the result! Though it definitely didn't have the typical french toast texture (likely due to not knowing the exact procedure to follow) it's much better than Raw bread products I've purchased in stores, and so simple!

Cinnamon-Orange French Toast

1 cup flax seeds

juice of 3 oranges

1 handful raisins

a few shakes ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 and 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp raw agave (since the brand I buy claims not to be heated above 118 degrees, I'm considering it Raw)

Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Spread on one paraflex sheet and dehydrate at 105 for 2 hours. Flip onto mesh screen and dehydrate 4 more hours. (This last step may have been what robbed me of the fluffy texture, since the original didn't call for flipping.)

The New Deal

Lovely Boyfriend's out of town. My custom is to work on some kind of improvement project while he's gone. This time, in addition to my around-the-house list, I'm doing some self betterment.

• I will only have coffee every other day (easy to say, since LB always makes it).
• Inspired by Kristen, I'll do 2-a-day workouts 5 days/week.
• More of my meals will be simple.

To some of you, this probably all seems like easy stuff to accomplish. Maybe it will be, but I'm expecting it to help me to develop more self-discipline. Don't get me wrong; I'm no laggard, but I know I can accomplish much more, if I train myself to buckle-down further. Besides, I want to face the holiday onslaught with as much strength as I possibly can.