The August 30-Days 100% Raw Challenge 2008 Archives

[Emma-Liza]

Jen--that'sa gorgeous cake! It makes me want to start photographing my food, too! Raw is beautiful!

I'm going on a soup binge. I have realized that almond milk can give me the creamy tasting soups I love, so I'm playing with my favorite veggies. Slurrp. ;)

Also, planning on having my barley tonight with some marinated mushrooms, all warmed in the D. Getting some hearty foods in mind for colder weather.

Last night D--pea soup, nut pate in romaine leaf with olives
S#1--1/3 c trail mix: pecans, coconut, raisins
S#2--nut butter eaten from a spoon (Tbs or little more)
Sleep: 6.5 hrs
Water: 96 oz

Today B--banana, small handful almonds
L--salad bar salad
S--fruit, more almonds if I need them

[bellamausi]

petaltothemetal - I will have to try that modified hummus recipe, since I love buckwheat.

Jenifae - eat some of that shortcake already, lol! I want to know how you like it! It looks wonderful. My healthfood store finally received another shipment of coconuts, so I hopefull will be able to try that recipe soon. :D

[petaltothemetal]

What, you have that beautiful shortcake in your house and all you had was a banana? OMG, what self control!

Have you tried feeding your horse kelp? Kelp is a miracle worker for ruminants. I don't know what kind of sickness, but probiotics are good, too. When they're properly mineralized they don't have so many problems with worms, coccidia, swollen hocks, etc.

[MiahTay]

Jen - Oh, your strawberry shortcake looks SO good! I am hoping to try my hand at it on Friday.

Deb - Just keep plugging along you will get back in the groove.

As I was laying in bed last night (not being able to sleep) I was thinking about how when we eat SAD we are gratifying our mouth. What a small portion of our body is being satisfied. When we eat raw we are satisfying the WHOLE BODY and how much MORE satisfying that TRULY is. And if we are eating raw the way Alissa advocates we are not depriving ourselves of ANYTHING. It really doesn't make sense to eat any other way. It was one of those lightbulb moments.

I got my bulk food order yesterday. I had ordered 15 lb. of dates, and I get the box and it says to keep refrigerated. I have never kept my dates refrigerated, am I wrong? Should I store my dates in the refrigerator? I'm in trouble if I have to fit this box in my refrigerator!

I suppose that's about all for now.

Blessings,
Heather

[MiahTay]

I'm going on a soup binge. I have realized that almond milk can give me the creamy tasting soups I love, so I'm playing with my favorite veggies. Slurrp. ;)



You'll have to post what soup combos you try. I have tried a cream of broccoli and two corn chowder recipes and haven't liked either one. I did try acorn squash with jerk seasoning and that was ok (I put in too much seasoning). I would really like to get into the simplicity of soup.

Blessings,
Heather

[Bela]

I am new to raw (been eating it for 3 years but not very often) and I want to do the 30 day challenge. I have been doing 1-2 raw meals a day for the past couple months and am ready to try 100% for awhile. This my day 3 so I am jumping in a little early for the September detox.
So far I have been having low energy and headaches today and yesterday but I did have a great run this morning and I sweat out some toxins. The food I have been making is awesome and I am working toward moving to lighter raw food with less nuts etc. Any nut free recipes are appreciated as most of my raw food recipes are fairly heavy.
Hope you all have an excellent day eating raw:)

B-Green Smoothie
L-Zucchini noodles with cashew tomato sauce
D-Planning to have a big salad

[MiahTay]

Bela - Welcome! You will find much support here. Congrats on starting your journey!

Oh my, I was just craving a glass of ice cold almond milk. So, I made myself a big glass with almonds and dates - it TASTED SO GOOD! I've been struggling today and it was nice to want something that was OK to eat (drink). I will be having a nice big salad for dinner and if I get off this stupid computer we will be having chocolate/mint ice cream for dessert.

Blessings,
Heather

[Thick]

Hello,

My compter has been on all day, but I've been too busy to post. I just turned it on and walked away to (insert boring chore list here).

B-
honeydew melon
blueberries
L-
Ritz crackers w/ eggless egg salad (my first time) w/ red onions and pickles
S-
Galla melon ( was just a green honeydewish canteloupe--don't know what I was expecting, but something more exotic..)
D-
green bell pepper pizza crusts w/ pecan cheese, tomatoes, red onion, portobello mushrooms and olives

Okay, I made the "cheesy chips" and either I left them too long, sliced them too thin, used the wrong recipe and shouldve added oil, or they are just too tough and dry for me to enjoy. To me, they were like an extremely stale kettle style chip. Hard, yes, but chewy and tough. What did I do wrong, Michelle?

I have eggplant bacon in the dehydrator finally. It hasn't gotten crunchy yet, but I am more confident that this one will be good. After all, look at the pictures= http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=92&highlight=bacon

Be good!

[mmaynard]

Hi Everybody,

I had another great day being raw. My gym partner is back from her vacation so I am feeling a lot more motivated to get up to meet her at the gym.

Thick: Not sure what may be wrong with your cheesy chips... I used my spiralizer to slice the sweet potatoes, and then only let them marinate for 5 minutes. I put a ton of the nutritional yeast on them and then I think I had them in there for about 8 1/2 hours. I had 5 very non-raw coworkers try them today and they all LOVED them. I even had one person ask if I could make some for them if they bought a bunch of sweet potatoes.

Jenifae: That strawberry shortcake is GORGEOUS! It would have seriously been gone by now if I made it!

Vaclare: I'm starting to worry about you. I think you really need to force yourself to eat even if you're stressed so that you feel better. My thoughts are with you!

So... I started off with wheatgrass today, and also had a Raw Crunch bar, 2 kiwi, my cheesy chips and a chocolate truffle. I stopped at the store tonight and am planning to make a big salad. I also got some dates, watermelon and grapefruit. I was going to make a GS with my grapefruit tomorrow.

OH - over the last two days I have had three people comment that they can really see it in my face that I've lost weight. It's still not noticeable to me, but it sure made my day anyway!

Have a good night!

Michelle

[deberaw]

Thank You for the encouragement and inspiration!

Welcome Bela!

I am making the strawberry cake tonight!! Just had to try it before all the fresh strawberries are gone for the season!

Heather: I appreciate your lightbulb moment! Makes a lot of sense! Deb

[MiahTay]

Thick - I'm glad you posted about your cheesy chips, I am planning on making them this week and will be aware that they may not turn out how I think.

Deb - I'm dying to know how your strawberry shortcake turned out.

I am probably going to make myself another glass of almond milk tonight, I am craving it like crazy. I have chocolate/mint ice cream in the ice cream maker, I don't have high expectations but we shall see.

That's all for now.

Blessings,
Heather

[deberaw]

Heather: Where did you get your dates and what kind? I just love the medjool, sometimes hard to find here, but I did get a good buy today......I'm thinking maybe you can keep some out and re-package the rest in baggies and store that way? Maybe it depend how fast you go thru them?...hmmmmm

[MiahTay]

Deb - I just got pitted dates from www.bulkfoods.com. They have free shipping if you purchase $75 or over (pretty easy). I'm not overly concerned about it. I just finished my last 15 lb. box and I stored that at room temperature and the last of the dates were just fine. They are nice and soft and yummy.

Blessings,
Heather

[Vaclare79]

Hi,
Michelle thanks for your thoughts. I did make myself eat more or more variety today.. I wasn't hungry but I did stuff myself with food today.
Breakfast was apple
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
Salad & zucchini pasta for lunch
Salad for dinner :) Was good today to myself. I ate what I wanted and bought a bunch of carrots, celery, spinach, romaine, brocolli at the BJ'S CLUB... I felt better today a little bit because I ate more variety not just the same things. I was going to make a GS today like a garden smoothie, but I decided to make a salad instead. Anyone tried a garden smoothie yet? I'm sure it'd be good with some herbs.
JENIFAE Ya cake looks delicious! yummy..
How is everyone else doing this week so far??

[Jenifae]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwh, thanks for the sweet comments on my 1st Strawberry Shortcake :).

I did try some with DH this morning and it was GOOD! Even he liked it. I took some of it when I went to meet a couple of gal pals and they even liked it! ;)

Thick........your reciepe is a hit!

Kinda ate alot but, I'm doing good. Hanging in there. I took veggies (broccoli, califlower, & carrots), guacomole, & my salsa with me and at that. Then I got home and tried to take a nap. I had a long nite with my baby horse and an early mornin'. I got a call & got up and while I"m talking I start eating more of the guac & salsa with spin/corn chips (why am I eating these - I say to myself). I seem to have a problem of eating while talking on the phone. I really want to not do that anymore. How to stop? I threw the rest of the chips out.............OUT!!!!! Dang it!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm planning on only having water and tea the rest of the nite & if I have to well, fruit.

[carolv]

mmaynard, I don’t put anything except watermelon in my smoothie. The water content is so high in watermelon that it makes a wonderful smoothie all by itself, it's so juicy that I add the juice as well. It’s a great way to use up leftover watermelon.

Rufussa, I was wondering where you went. I’ll have to check out your blog sometime, it sounds like it will be very informative. I haven’t had to time to check out the blogs or many of the other threads.


Jenifae, your strawberry shortcake looks fabulous! Thick, is that pretty much how yours looked too?

deberaw, I’m sorry to hear it’s been hard to get back into this. Glad you are still hanging in there.


Bela, welcome and good luck to you. I highly recommend the easy slaw and collard rolls in Alissa’s book these are a couple of my favorites.



Breakfast: watermelon smoothie
Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 1 banana, 1 TBS flax seed, and baby spinach
Snack: chopped apples and ½ chopped mango with lemon juice
Lunch: salad with romaine, chopped avocado, sugar snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, baby carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes with Alissa’s dressing.
Lunch: summer corn salad
Snack: Lara bar
Dinner: celery and Portobello salad
Dinner: jicama spicy fries
Snack: raw organic food bar (something new I found in the store)

I got my dehydrator today. Any suggestions on what to try first? I think maybe I should definitely try crackers of some type so I have something crunchy, or maybe the corn chips? Or maybe both? :)

[Thick]

Thick........your reciepe is a hit!


It's not my recipe, it's http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1846 and before that, inspired by cafe gratitude.


Mine did not look like Jenifae's--hers is absolutely gorgeous but you can't see whats inside. Mine was a layered affair more like carmellas. I pushed the crust into 2 thin circular layers (yeah I couldve used a rolling pin) between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. I did crust-strawberries-cream-crust-cream-strawberries.

Hmmmm, now I want some more..

[Emma-Liza]

MiahTay--I posted the pea soup recipe yesterday on my blog. I loved the tomato soup from Alive in 5 cookbook. I'm going to try the corn soup from there soon.

thick--I made some plain sweet potato chips last summer and I hated them. They were hard and tough. Since they had no seasoning, I offered them to my parrot and he scarfed 'em down. Had one every day until they were gone!

bellamausi--I made barley and mushrooms tonight. I posted the exact recipe on my blog. I really loved this dish and I'll be making it again.

[Bela]

I don't feel as heavy and slow tonight as I have for the past couple days and my headache is finally gone. It could be that I ran this morning and taught a dance class tonight so the exercise is getting rid of the toxins faster, which is awesome!
I am really so excited about this raw challenge. Is there such thing as a 'raw food pink cloud'? If so then I am definitely on one;)
Looking forward to day 4!

[Rawkinlocs]

Have a wonderful day!

===============
Please remember, no mention of slip-ups (not that you're gonna have any) - just focus on raw and staying positive and most of, have FUN and enjoy yourselves!

[MiahTay]

Good Morning! Well, I have decided I'm going to post this and not pick up my laptop until at least lunch today. I have too much to get done. I had another glass of almond milk for breakfast - can I live on almond milk alone? - LOL!

Food for today looks like:

B - Almond milk
S - Almond milk
L - Almond milk ... ok, just kidding :D .

B - Almond milk
S - GS
L - Apple w/ walnuts and dates drizzled with honey and coconut oil
S - Plum and almond milk
D - Large Salad w/ jalapeno burger pate
(a little better??? :o )

Have a GREAT raw day!

Blessings,
Heather

[deberaw]

Good Mornin' my Raw friends!
I'm feeling back in the groove! Those dates sound heavenly Heather!

I made the delicious strawberry cake last night! My kids saw the photo with me online and wanted to help. We had to run around a bit to get all the ingredients and I used both strawberries and blueberries...this would be a great July 4th cake!!!

****It was good, but my frosting was not fluffy.....I had bought liquid lecithin {had skimmed the recipe and thought it might be easier to use}...so I think that was the problem....for those that have made it...do you think it was the lecithin that made it fluffy??? Anyways, one of my kids liked it and my husband who has a strong dislike for coconuts....loved it...in fact, he ate a good 1/3 of it sometime in the middle of the night!!!

So this morning: I had a small piece of the cake....mmmmmm, really good.....will have a GS later and eating up all the raw I have around...lots of produce....made a fresh batch of honey mustard dressing {I really should learn to make others, but I love it so!}......salads, fruits, smoothies, crackers and cake it is for me today! I'll start thinking of another recipe to make too....Make a Rawsome Day Everyone! warmly, Deb

[Vaclare79]

Breakfast: bowl of sunflower seeds so far lol more than a half cup soaked/rinsed.
Lunch: I haven't decided between salad, smoothie or raw spaghetti yet. I bought a bunch of vegetables yesterday which I plan to use either in salads or smoothies..
Hope everyone has a great raw day.
I'll be going to my first class at the college which I'm both excited/anxious at the same time.
:)

[Emma-Liza]

Vaclare, what classes did you sign up for? I used to teach college and I miss academia--politics and all!

Deberaw, good on you for getting your family eating healthy desserts! I think that's a true success story.

I haven't eaten anything yet today, but brought a grapefruit, some barley tabouli, and an heirloom tomato. I have a banana and an apple for later.

Last night, I made the barley and mushroom dish and it was scrummy. I posted how-to on my blog. The marinade is based on my favorite vegan gravy recipe, but as a marinade, it is not very dilute. Use sparingly!

I watched Fast Food Nation last night and found it so affecting, I posted about here (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43975).

Have a yummy raw day, everyone!

[MiahTay]

Oh my ... I just tried something HEAVENLY. I filled a serving bowl with baby spinach then tossed it in some EVOO, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a small clove of garlic minced. Topped it with some tomato wedges and put it in the dehydrator for a little over an hour. I love it AND my kids LOVED it! They ate it with me bite for bite! I love when I find something we ALL like. However since I only got a small amount of what I made I suppose I will still have my apple with walnuts, etc. Just wanted to share.

Blessings,
Heather

[nourishmeraw]

Thanks
Shari

[MiahTay]

You can just start posting. Welcome! Also, we are getting ready to start a new 30 day challenge the beginning of September.

Blessings,
Heather

[Thick]

Hi=)

I made "breakfast ice cream" this morning for me and my kids. They thought they had won the lottery=) I made it with frozen bananas and rasperries with a bit of honey.

B- raspberrry banana ice cream
S- honeydew melon
L-waldorf salad
S-red plums
D-curried walnut clusters w/ coconut curry cauliflower rice &bell peppers

I didn't use the lethicin in the whipped cream, I used the psyillium she recommended as a substitute. I know it is an emulsifier so I'm sure it would make it fluffier.

Be raw!=)

[petaltothemetal]

Now I'm gonna HAVE to make the strawberry shortcake, too! My daughter's been extremely grumpy about the food I'm buying and making, even though I still make some "normal" food for her. I still want to win her over. She's turning her nose up at even the "normal" food. I've always cooked with nutrition in mind more than most people, but I know I've "gone over the edge" in her mind! Plus I decided I wasn't going to taste the food to see if it needed any more spices or anything. I was doing that the first week I was on this challenge and not posting it (because Mama Rawkinlocs said not to :p ) but I never tasted any kind of recipe just once, not even the raw ones.

Last night I went to the gym and then came home to find one of the baby goats out, crying on the wrong side of the fence, with his mama crying on the right side of the fence. Unfortunately he was in very hilly terrain with powdery dirt, poison oak and scotch broom (which is scratchy) all over it. And I was wearing gym shorts. My back door neighbors (damn them!) admitted to watching me with their binoculars sometimes. I'm sure they enjoyed me scrambling around trying to be a human border collie and coax him through a tiny hole in the fence. I was out there until well after dark. My daughter later asked me, "Why do we even have goats if you don't eat meat anymore?" And the truth is, that is one thing I'll need to decide in the next few months. I have several milk goats I don't milk, an angora and some pygoras. I don't show any of them anymore, either. I love them dearly, even when they misbehave. One of the goats, named Aeroplane after a Red Hot Chili Peppers song (all my animals are named after music) is so incredibly sweet and smart and is softer than any stuffed animal you ever touched, with silky curly hair that glows. For a picture of what her coat looks like: http://pygoragoats.com/breed_standards_5.cfm - see type A.

My mother, boyfriend and daughter all eat meat. For years I've been raising the meat animals for them - basically all the boys except the very "best" ones (personality, conformation, etc), which I keep for breeders. I also sell excess meat on occasion and eggs quite often. I also give my mother eggs to give free to the people who helped her when she had cancer and when Dad died, and who help her around the house since she lives 2 hrs away in a big place she can't keep up. I am over run with Muscovy ducks )just type in Muscovy ducks and click images... I have ALL those colors!) So I will have to butcher a bunch of those this fall, too... again the excess males go, the females stay.

I'm president of one non-profit farm rights group and was secretary of another for four years. Somewhere in this journey to be raw I have to decide where I stand that allows me to serve honestly and comfortably without appearing as a hypocrite to anyone. I don't think I'll eat much if any meat after I leave the challenge in September (I'm doing September, too), but I know I'll still eat eggs. They digest well for me and I love them. By contrast, meat feels like a rock in my stomach and I have gas the next day that smells like meat. Kind of disconcerting. Does that mean I didn't digest it at all? Yuck!

Ok, I know I've been going on and on. It occured to me that I've been posting on a raw vegan board and mentioning my farm. So now you know my dilemnas. I got rid of all the cattle, sheep and pigs when I moved across country and I am still ruminating over what to do now a year and a half later.

Last night I ate a raw burger with tomato and "cheese" and Alissa's burger buns and one with pak choi for "buns."

How do you know you're a raw foodist? When your burger and your bun look and taste just alike!

This morning I had two bananas, was totally unsatisfied (didn't feel awake, and I like my food to fill that medicinal perk-me-up job, too) so I also ate a handful of hazelnuts. For snack I ate some pumpkin seeds and an "enchilada." For lunch I'll have a plain salad (no dressing) and another banana for afternoon snack.

[deberaw]

Heather: the spinach sounds yummy!

Thick: my kids loooovveee banana ice-cream too! Now, what is your dinner recipe???!!! It sounds divine...I love curry! I wish I could I just jump over to your place for dinner...and to Heathers for potlucks and to Petals to see the beautiful goats!...and have all of you over for a girls night out {well, Ruffasa and his wife can come too! hee-hee}!

Thank you for sharing Petal! I love hearing your animal stories...and your neighbors should have gotten off their bums and helped you! {if they were watching you that is}...........yes try the cake! as soon as you can! and let us know if it passes with your daughter!

[petaltothemetal]

Petal![/B] I love hearing your animal stories...and your neighbors should have gotten off their bums and helped you! {if they were watching you that is}...........yes try the cake! as soon as you can! and let us know if it passes with your daughter!


Deb, I actually brought three goats (including Aeroplane) and three muscovies in my truck with me when I moved. I had a special cage to fit in the bed of the pickup. I brought almost no belongings and my daughter and I slept in a tent next to my goats. I know several people closely who have animals taken from them by the government and killed for various reasons, mostly non-compliance with ridiculous licensing laws. I always said if the swat teams showed up at my house and they went to get Aeroplane, I would be heading to jail. Did you ever love a pet like that? One you'd lose your life for if it came down to it?

[Ilse W.]

Hi All,
I made it to SWA HQ in Dallas and back. I've always had fun flying SWA, it's even more fun flying for free! My son knows he'll be disowned, if he ever quits his job at Southwest. I took my home made fruit & nut bars with me along with a baggy of soaked and dehydrated almonds and some zucchini chips. That's basically all I ate in the two days, aside from a big plate of assorted melons and a couple of bananas at the hotel breakfast bar. I just drank a whole lot of water. Once I got back to Seattle yesterday evening, I had my son take me by Trader Joe's on the way home and I bought a couple of bananas and a Lara bar. I was soooooo hungry.
This morning it was back to rainy and cold. I have a fire going in my wood stove. I'm still waiting for summer, on the other hand, I'm glad I don't live in Dallas...enough said.
To warm up a little, I had warm miso soup for breakfast with just a few green onions floating in it. 1 T each of sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds ground up for thickener, and a lot of great spices and herbs.
For lunch I had my GS, and dinner will be something yummy, I'm sure. Got my new Omega juicer, finally. It should have been here ages ago. I think I will follow this 30 day challenge with a 5 day liver cleanse (from Jonbarron.org, where one can also get a fantastic FREE book: Lessons from the Miracle Doctors), followed by a juice fast the rest of September. :)

[Vaclare79]

Vaclare, what classes did you sign up for? I used to teach college and I miss academia--politics and all!

Deberaw, good on you for getting your family eating healthy desserts! I think that's a true success story.

I haven't eaten anything yet today, but brought a grapefruit, some barley tabouli, and an heirloom tomato. I have a banana and an apple for later.

Last night, I made the barley and mushroom dish and it was scrummy. I posted how-to on my blog. The marinade is based on my favorite vegan gravy recipe, but as a marinade, it is not very dilute. Use sparingly!

I watched Fast Food Nation last night and found it so affecting, I posted about here (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43975).

Have a yummy raw day, everyone!

I have declared Human Services as my major and am taking classes at the community college for general studies requirement that will transfer over to the university which I'm going to right now.. I'm trying to finish at the community college so that I won't have to take so many classes at the University & graduate sooner since have they have articulation agreement SO, my classes for this semester are:

College Algebra ( what fun )
Astronomy, lab science
humanities elective is religion
Speech ( fun fun!! )

and at the university the 2 classes I'm taking for my major are:
Human services Diversity ( dealing with different people )
Human Services Methods (not quite sure what exactly this is about, but I think the different ways of dealing with clients ? ) I'll have that class tomorrow so I'll know what's it about then..
6 classes = 18 credit hours
A lot of work huh.. I love college. :)
Just the financial aid people are just stressing me out not having sent my money yet.
I've got a class in an hour and half so I'll be leaving here soon since takes me about an hour to get there. I hope the teacher is good though like I've heard.
I want to be a teacher one day possibly, but with human services degree I could do anything and everything just about which is great for me so I won't get bored working in the same job for years.

[Vaclare79]

Hi All,
I made it to SWA HQ in Dallas and back. I've always had fun flying SWA, it's even more fun flying for free! My son knows he'll be disowned, if he ever quits his job at Southwest. I took my home made fruit & nut bars with me along with a baggy of soaked and dehydrated almonds and some zucchini chips. That's basically all I ate in the two days, aside from a big plate of assorted melons and a couple of bananas at the hotel breakfast bar. I just drank a whole lot of water. Once I got back to Seattle yesterday evening, I had my son take me by Trader Joe's on the way home and I bought a couple of bananas and a Lara bar. I was soooooo hungry.
This morning it was back to rainy and cold. I have a fire going in my wood stove. I'm still waiting for summer, on the other hand, I'm glad I don't live in Dallas...enough said.
To warm up a little, I had warm miso soup for breakfast with just a few green onions floating in it. 1 T each of sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds ground up for thickener, and a lot of great spices and herbs.
For lunch I had my GS, and dinner will be something yummy, I'm sure. Got my new Omega juicer, finally. It should have been here ages ago. I think I will follow this 30 day challenge with a 5 day liver cleanse (from Jonbarron.org, where one can also get a fantastic FREE book: Lessons from the Miracle Doctors), followed by a juice fast the rest of September. :)


Is your son a pilot ? My brother is going to airline academy in FL.. He's already licensed as a commercial pilot & trying to build his hours right now.

[Emma-Liza]

How do you know you're a raw foodist? When your burger and your bun look and taste just alike!


OMG, that is so funny!

[deberaw]

Petal......we live in a 100+ year old renovated farmhouse...used to be a dairy farm! and we've always had pets.....both my husband and I growing up and now {when I was a young teen I once collected somehow all sorts of fish and a hampster and frog and put them on a different shelf in my room....when my folks were out of town...and after they had said I couldn't get any more pets! hee-hee...but we just had a dog and cat...!}.....we have 2 cats now and 2 dogs and have had cats and dogs in the past.....all rescued from the pound or strays...all have been wonderfully loyal with their own personalities and special bonds...they truly are special......as you know!;)

[carolv]

petaltothemetal, I know what you mean about your love for pets. They can give you the greatest unconditional love and joy, just like a cherished family member.

Vaclare79, WOW! You have quite a course load. I hope they all go well for you and don’t cause you more stress than you are already experiencing.

Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 2 bananas, 1 TBS flax seed, 1 TBS coconut oil, 1 TBS honey, and baby spinach
Lunch: celery and Portobello salad with honey mustard dressing
Snack: pistachios (are these raw? the container says shelled pistachios)
Snack: Lara bar
Dinner: red Boston lettuce and romaine lettuce with pear, beet, and jicama salad topped with Alissa’s dressing

[mmaynard]

Hi -

I had class tonight so just getting home to post. For our last class, we met at a restaurant and I was a bit worried because none of the people in class know that I'm raw. It worked out because a few of the people had already eaten, so I ordered my salad with lemon wedges on the side and no one said anything except that it sounded yummy. I wasn't really tempted by the food that they had except the potato skins (one of my favorites). I found that I didn't really think about it while they were eating it and didn't have any desire to eat one. I just remember thinking, "Oh, I like those," but it was a passing thought.

Breakfast: GS made with grapefruit, spinach and agave (kept it simple today)
Snack: Rest of my hubby's cheesy chips
Lunch: Raw Crunch bar
Snack: 3 dates
Dinner: Salad with lemon wedges
Snack: 2 chocolate truffles

I am off to bed - need to be up at 4:15 to head to the gym in the morning, and then I have a massage after work, so I'll have a long day. Hope everyone had a great day. Vaclare: Hope you enjoyed your class!

[Ilse W.]

Is your son a pilot ? My brother is going to airline academy in FL.. He's already licensed as a commercial pilot & trying to build his hours right now.

My son is a ramp agent at the Seattle airport. He always wanted to be a pilot, but he is color blind, which keeps him from quite a few careers. He loves working with airplanes in any capacity. When he was a teenager, he would go to the San Jose airport and sit at the end of the runway for hours and watch planes land and take off.

[Vaclare79]

EmmaT: At least he's working where he likes to work! :)

MMaynard: Thanks, I ENJOYED my class and driving out there ( an hour away )..

CarolV: yes, a course load but the stress I am having is over the financial part of going to school.. Which I have a feeling will be ok.. As long as those people send me my loan! Yes, I'll get through it alright. I have a good feeling about my classes this semester even though I've got a load, I have really great teachers and they all want us to pass so I will be doing the best I can and passing. :)

Debraw: I used to want a house with lots of animals when I was little. I'd always wish for a bunch of animals & I've always tried to collect them. I love animals too. All I have now is a dog, but I love her to death. They are your family members.

[Rawkinlocs]

Have a great day!

===============
Please remember, no mention of slip-ups (not that you're gonna have any) - just focus on raw and staying positive and most of, have FUN and enjoy yourselves!

[Bela]

Vaclare, I am a full time college student and I totally relate to the start of school jitters. I hope today went well for you!
Day 4 has been great; I even went to a restaurant (a healthy one) and managed to order their organic raw salad (resisting so much yummy cooked food) while my friend had tacos!
I am traveling tomorrow but I already made my lunch so it should be fairly simple.
I'll try to check in tomorrow and I hope you all have a beautiful sleep tonight...

[Jenifae]

I was doing good and still am 100% raw today...........but, ate too much tonight.

I felt emotional and I think I'm menopausing. ANyone go throught this? I felt all insecure tonite. Man, I just dont' like that.

B: 2 Bananas 1/2 raw nugget w/goji berries
L: Nice Medium Salad w/strawberry shortcake for desert
S: Sunflower seeds, 1/2 grapefruit, cashews & macadamian nuts, and an apple
Yicks! Too many nuts!

[deberaw]

Good Mornin'!

Hi All! I stayed up late last night creating lunch and meal menus for the next several weeks as my kids start school and I do so much better with planning...just don't always like or do the planning!.....I also listed several Raw meals so I actually have them or the ingredients on hand...and off to the grocery today!

So, big GS
and flax cereal with brazil nut milk

will bring apple with cashew butter inside to the store

corn salsa with avo later and crackers and we'll see what else!

*also was able to order the BLessed Herbs colon cleansing kit today...I will be doing this sometime next month, along with Parastroy. I feel the need to try these cleansing products after much thought and others experience with them.....the Blessed Herbs is expensive and it is my understanding that one can buy bentonite and psyillium at the hfs for wayyyyy cheaper and make ones own shakes....but, for the first time, I wanted all the instructions etc., if I do it again...I will just get the supplies from the hfs!...........

Make it a great day! love, Deb

[raw4u]

Good morning everyone. Finally back from taking my daughter to college in Oregon. Nice thing was I was able to stay RAW the whole time I was gone. It's nice being home and not living out of a hotel though.
B-mango, banana and ginger smoothie
L-gs
D-watermelon
S-key lime lara bar and pumpkin seeds

Hope everyone has a great day:D

[Thick]

Gotta be quick today-

B- some curried cauliflower rice casserole
S- honeydew
L- salad
S-nuts
D-probably more casserole

Bye=)

[Jenifae]

Good Morning All :)

I feel like I have a hangover but, my food yesterday was okay....I did eat a bunch of nuts late at night..........and didn't get much sleep.

Today I have to go down the hill and take care of mail, groceries, etc. I wanted to stay home and get stuff down here. BUt, oh well.

So far today I"ve had a Banana w/ 1/2 cacao nugget w/tsp goji berries for lunch I'll either have a salad or a GS

[Ilse W.]

Good Morning!
Since I have the Omega 8003 juicer now, I started my day with carrot/apple/cucumber/lettuce juice. It's such an easy juicer to use, and clean up is a snap. I come from a Norwalk Juicer ($2,295), and juice from it was DEFINITELY NOT $2,060 better! Should cancer ever recur, which it will NOT, I would be absolutely confident that the Omega juicer would help me heal as well as the Norwalk did. That's it for the soap box/infomercial.
Lunch will be zucchini pasta (homegrown) with marinara, and dinner most likely will be a GS, I wouldn't want to miss out on that. If I'm hungry in between, I will make another juice (5 minutes from start - cleaning/cutting veggies - to finish - cleaned up juicer). Can you tell I love my new juicer?:D

[Emma-Liza]

raw4u--I hope you're doing well "on your own." :)

EmmaT--So glad to hear you like the Omega, as that is juicer I picked for when I get a "real" one. Think I'll probably go for a dehydrator first. If my old Vitamix keeps holding out....

I made Alissa's corn tortillas last night, but they didn't turn out well. They have the texture of corn leather. It's my "toy" dehydrator, I'm sure, not the recipe. My birthday is next month and well, I know what I want, is all I'm sayin'.

About the barley, I need to warn y'all, it's a gut-bomb. I had it Tuesday night and wasn't hungry till noon the next day. I had it again at lunch yesterday and I think it's still in my system! If you want to eat heavy, and you can handle the loggy feeling, it's a great appetite suppressant! Frankly, I think next time, I'll only soak enough for one serving.

Last night D--green smoothie: mango, peach, tons of spinach, almond milk
For some reason, it was extra yummy last night. I made a double batch to share with Mr.Liza and he thought so, too.
Sleep: 6.25 hrs
Water: 90 oz

Today B--grapefruit (super sour on one side; why is that?)
L--salad bar: spinach, little bit of iceberg heart, tomato, red onion, broccoli
S--the usual apple and/or banana and/or almonds

[petaltothemetal]

Good Morning!
Since I have the Omega 8003 juicer now, I started my day with carrot/apple/cucumber/lettuce juice. It's such an easy juicer to use, and clean up is a snap. I come from a Norwalk Juicer ($2,295), and juice from it was DEFINITELY NOT $2,060 better!

While we're reviewing juicers, I have two. My mom gave me a juiceman and it's ok, but it's permanently stained orange and leaves a mess on the counter. So it's my back up juicer. I bought a rebuilt Waring for 33.00 that was all black and stainless steel except for part of the grater portion, which is metalized plastic. It is neat, easy to clean, easy to take apart and put together since there are only 3 parts that disassemble. It makes about 1 Mason jar full of juice before it needs to be emptied. I found it on Amazon.com. They also have a model that takes WHOLE APPLES, which I am kicking myself for not getting because I have a tree full to do. But I don't need three juicers, so I won't spend the extra money.

Last night (between fence repair and catching the same little goat) I made the strawberry shortcake except I made it into a pie and did not use any agave for the frosting. I used a dash of stevia and a tsp of lucuma powder, plus put in more vanilla and thickened up the coconut milk with extra coconut. I didn't really want it to taste like frosting. One piece and I was FULL. My daughter didn't try any. I ate another piece for breakfast.

Brought my last "enchilada" with me, a salad, tomatoes and two bananas to work.

[Bela]

Emma T congrats on your new juicer! I have the same one and I love it so far although I haven't figured out how to slice veggies in it yet. The manual it comes with does not explain much of anything which means I have been fairly creative with it so far; I made almond butter when I meant to make almond milk! Does it even make nut milk or did I make that up in my head?:o

B-Cherry, strawberry, banana, cacao smoothie.
L-Apple, young coconut, veggie soup.
D-Leaf 'Fortuna' roll (to take on plane)
Snack-Mango

I wonder if I am eating too heavy or too much food. I definitely don't need to eat as much quantity when I am eating raw but I feel like I am eating in almost the same quantities anyways (out of habit/security). Did anyone else go through a stage where they were eating more than they needed when they switched to raw? I would love to know how/if you cut back because I think the food is so much richer and sustaining that I am may need to ease up a little for the sake of my waistline.
Any thoughts?
Oh, and what do people think of hot, herbal tea? I know it has been heated up so it is not 'raw' but it is also not food and I don't think it needs to be digested. Am I wrong? Is there any reason why I should avoid it health wise, or do people avoid it who want to be perfectly raw?
Thanks in advance for help; I'd really appreciate finding out what you think.

[mmaynard]

Hi Everybody,

I had a really good massage tonight and I am sooooo ready to just go to bed for the night. I need to eat something first, so I think I may just have some peaches tonight since I'm too lazy to make anything.

Here's what I had today:

Breakfast: Banana, spinach, coconut smoothie
Lunch: Watermelon
Snack: Raw Crunch bar
Snack: 3 Dates

Hope everyone has a great night!

Michelle

[petaltothemetal]

Oh, and what do people think of hot, herbal tea? I know it has been heated up so it is not 'raw' but it is also not food and I don't think it needs to be digested. Am I wrong? Is there any reason why I should avoid it health wise, or do people avoid it who want to be perfectly raw?
Thanks in advance for help; I'd really appreciate finding out what you think.

There are times when I really feel like I need some kind of remedy and I use hot herbal tea to take care of it. It may not be "raw" but I think if it keeps me from hitting the aspirin bottle or pepto bismol, who cares? I like Traditional Medicinals best for both quality and price. Gingerade for stomach issues, Chocolate Smooth Move, Breathe Easy and Throat Coat are the ones I use the most. I make peppermint sun tea, too.

[Ilse W.]

Bela,
I eat like a pig! Just now I once again had one of my favorites: a huge plate of spiral sliced zucchini with marinade made of 3 tomatoes, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1/4 onion, 2 celery stalks, 1/2 a lime, at least a tablespoon of olive oil. I used one whole zucchini, and it wasn't a small one. My GS normally consists of 3-4 bananas and other fruit, along with 2 huge hands full of spinach or other greens. I totally fills my Kitchen Aid blender, those aren't small. My snacks are 2-3 mini avocados (about the same as one big one). And on and on. I've been mostly raw for 2 months, 100% raw since the beginning of this month's challenge. So far I have lost 20 pounds. I fit into clothes that i haven't worn since I had cancer 6 years ago, when I had lost all the weight because of that. Difference is, then I looked sick...today I look great! Don't worry about eating too much raw food, as long as you make sure it's not ALL avocados, nuts, and coconut oil.

WARNING: Be careful when you clean your mandolins and/or spiral slicers. I just cut off the top several layers of the juicy flat part of my thumb. I hope it will stop bleeding soon.:(

[deberaw]

yikes EmmaT! I hope your finger is better!! I recently ordered a new spiral slicer {I had the dome kind, broke}...I ordered the spiroolli or something like that...I'll be careful!

Tonight I made a lovely summer salsa with fresh corn cut from the cob, cilantro, cukes, tomato, bit of red onion and dash of sea salt...ate on a bed of greens...so juicy and flavorful I didn't need any dressing....also had another GS...and have the ingredients for several recipes from 'Purely Delicious'...does anyone get that magazine? I LOVE it! beautiful recipes and articles...check out their website too!.......'night everyone! Deb

[carolv]

raw4U, Welcome Back! And Congratulations on staying raw during your trip. That is quite an accomplishment, especially when you are just starting out.


EmmaT, I’m glad to hear the Omega 8003 juicer is easy to use and clean up. It’s on my wish list after a Vitamix.


Bela, personally I’m not concerning myself with how much raw I am eating. I know my body is healing so I eat whatever I want to keep me satisfied. I think over time I will become satisfied with smaller amounts of food. I would think this would occur naturally though. My advice would be to pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you and keep it satisfied.

Also, I agree with petaltothemetal concerning the herbal tea. I would much rather take herbal teas than to take commercial medicinal products.


Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 2 frozen bananas, 1 TBS flax seed, 1 TBS coconut oil, 1 TBS honey, apple juice, and baby spinach
Snack: pistachios
Snack: 2 small red apples chopped with ½ lemon juice
Lunch: kale salad and cucumber, onion, fennel salad
Dinner: romaine lettuce with marinated greens (escarole), pear, beet, jicama salad, veggies marinated in Alissa’s dressing, and summer corn salad
Snack: fudge balls

Deberaw, I LOVE the summer corn salad. I am so glad you mentioned it, I never would have known about it as soon as I did. I find it very refreshing and delicious.

[Vaclare79]

Hello everyone,
I had a class last night which ran late and didn't get home until close to 11pm, then a class this morning and this evening. I'm tired although I did stay raw today. I ate
Fruit & half cup of sunflower seeds for breakfast
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: salad

Usually when I make the raw spaghetti I used at least 3 or 4 zucchinis not just one and 2 or 3 tomatoes :)
I've not been hungry at all this month on raw. I don't crave raw foods and now it's getting easier for me to watch/smell people eat SAD foods without wanting any of what they're eating.

One question though is a half cup of sunflower seeds enough for a day's fat ?? I guess I'll just eat more if I want it and let my body tell me how much I need.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Congrats to everyone who stayed raw today! <3

[Jenifae]

WEll, today was interesting. I have been feeling alot - all over the place. I really think I"m entering menopause - eeeeeeeeeecks!

Food:

B: Banana, 1/2 raw cacao nugget w/tsp of goji berries
L: Lrge handful of nuts and a tiny apple
D: Green Smoothie: Spinach, apple juice, strawberries, banana, coconut oil, pineapple, spiralina
S: Sunflower seeds
S: 1/4 apple, 1/4 cup of watermelon, Pumkin seeds

[Rawkinlocs]

Have a RAWesome day!

===============
Please remember, no mention of slip-ups (not that you're gonna have any) - just focus on raw and staying positive and most of, have FUN and enjoy yourselves!

[Vaclare79]

Hello all.
Hope everyone has a great raw day. I've been invited to the beach with cousins.. I don't know yet if I'm going to go because it's a ways away from my house to the part of the beach that they're wanting to go to. Also, I have to fix my food that I normally fix at home where I can wash, cut and all that and don't want to have the hassle of getting sand in my food or whatever there.
I also have to grocery shop today. Get some more food stuff here, ran out of sunflower seeds which are SO good. I've got to buy them in bulk here. I might just stay home, take care of my body by eating right and just do my homework for the classes I have. :)
The classes were fun this week and I didn't have the anxiety going to them like I've been having. I was so excited and happy that I've started classes again I feel more productive and progressive that my anxiety is going away thankfully.
Breakfast: fruit
Lunch: not sure yet but has to be a salad most likely with celery, spinach, lettuce, carrots, brocolli

[petaltothemetal]

Hello all.
The classes were fun this week and I didn't have the anxiety going to them like I've been having. I was so excited and happy that I've started classes again I feel more productive and progressive that my anxiety is going away thankfully.

Good for you Vaclare!!

Last night I walked the entire fence line, which is a bigger job than it sounds like because the ground is erroding so badly (which is why I keep having to patch the fence) and it is extremely steep and hilly. Even the goats with four feet go skidding down the hill sometimes. I patched some holes in the fence and came inside the house and it occured to me I wasn't winded! Unbelievable. I've been really tired every other time I've walked the fence line. So I went outside and walked the dogs, picked some fruit and tomatoes, caught some ducks and moved them and THEN came inside again, all proud of myself when it was dark.

Of course that meant I ate dinner too late, and I always pack on the pounds when I eat late. I had a jalapeno burger with one of Alissa's buns, some strawberry pie and some cherry tomatoes.

Today I packed: a pineapple/banana/lime/ginger/cayenne smoothie (I like sweet and hot together), another jalapeno burger with a bun, another slice of strawberry pie and a few carrot sticks.

Yesterday the biggest squirrel I have ever seen came racing into the garage where I work, ran down to the wrong end and tore around in circles trying to find a way out so I went down there and sprinkled some pumpkin seeds, which he did not eat. He just turned around, raced back the way he came out the door and took off at top speed down the alley past some homeless looking person brushing his teeth next to a dumpster and kept on going. Hey, at least the guy was brushing his teeth!

[raw4u]

Morning everyone, having a hard day today. Starting to really miss my daughter today and finding that all I want to do is eat, so once I'm finished here I'm going to go workout and get out of the house.
B-mango, ginger, banana smoothie
L-watermelon
D-gs
S-key lime lara bar or maybe celery sticks with almond butter

Okay I'm off. Have a great day everyone!

[Emma-Liza]

I posted on my blog that I am having ongoing problems with nausea. I think it's related to the sinus trouble of the last 3 weeks, drainage and all the lovely :rolleyes: attending stomach upset it causes.

Jenifae and monk suggested just sticking with fruit for a bit and I think that's a good idea. I've been being careful not to eat too much fruit, for the sake of my teeth more than anything, but it's easy to juice on the weekends and then, I'm at home, so I can easily brush my teeth. So, I'll probably do more fruit/juice/smoothies than usual over the 3-day weekend.

Last night D--romaine, avo, yellow tomato, flax cracker
S--handful pecans and raisins
Sleep: 7.5 hrs :)
Water: 96 oz

Today
Skipped breakfast; ate an early lunch at 11:30.
L--salad bar: lot of spinach, little bit of iceberg, purple cabbage, carrots, tomato, onion
S--planning on banana + almond butter
D--thinking about a cream soup--tomato, most likely. I have more yellow tomatoes (they're really more orange-y). Doesn't that sound like it would make a pretty soup?

[Emma-Liza]

Vaclare--Way to put yourself first! As a fellow anxious person, I think we can prevent some of our anxiety by not putting ourselves in overwhelming situations. Some days, I feels strong and I go and do. Other days, I just throttle back. It's a very good thing to be good to yourself.

Petal--Totally off-topic, but do you read the blog "Chickens in the Road (http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/)?" It's by the author Suzanne McMinn. She recently got her first (dairy) goats and had both her and her goat's first milking! She writes really well --and amusingly-- about a city girl who moved to the country.

raw4u--Good job getting out and about. I like to go "shopping" when I'm in a certain lonely mood--dont' want to be alone but don't want to really interact much, either. There are a couple of antique malls near me and I just browse, look at books and stuff. Maybe buy an early Christmas present or two.

[deberaw]

Hi everyone!

Busy busy busy today!

I like how you anwered your own question of whether to go to the beach or not Valclare! Good for you for listening to yourself!

Blessings and caring thoughts to you Raw4u and Emma-Liza....and what an evening for you Petal!......

Big GS......this mornin'....then off I went to the Mexican market...such yummy avos there! and also got a deal on discounted bananas!

lunch was more corn salsa, greens, avo and some fermented carrot and dill that my hfs carries....been running here and there getting things we need in the house and etc. feels good........

For dinner...if time allows, I'll make a dehydrated wild rice stuffed mushroom recipe that was in the latest edition of 'Purely Delicious'...I'll report! warmly, Deb

[Vaclare79]

Hello again.
Lunch was a HUGE salad mainly broccoli, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, ACV & garlic. My smelly breath is driving people away LMBO. Oh, well it's still good! Well, cousins decided to possibly swing by here & see me later after the beach so I'm happy I didn't go although it's nice day and I haven't been all summer.
Dinner will be sunflower seeds & salad or GS.

Yes, I've been a life long anxious person. I don't know why but I have had obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, depression & some paranoia/phobias ( I think ) about some things. I think a lot of times that my problems were caused by food as well as the events in my life because the more I read about food healing your body the more I'm convinced that SAD had a bad effect mentally especially for me.
Today started out ok and now I'm feeling a lot of feelings about a guy I used to talk to who I really liked a lot & I keep looking at his picture online his myspace wanting to talk to him & having all kind of emotional feelings now. About how my life has gone, what I've accomplished or how good whatever guys think of me... ex: am I good enough for them. Why do I do this to myself ?

I think I'll go to sleep for a while, hopefully I'll feel better later. I always feel better in the later part of the day.
I wished I'd had known more about RAW a long time ago. I would have made more progress sooner in life if I did because I was taking antidepressants one after another & they weren't helping all that much. I like this forum. It's helpful a lot for not only eating raw, but other problems associated with life in general as well. :)

[petaltothemetal]

I posted on my blog that I am having ongoing problems with nausea. I think it's related to the sinus trouble of the last 3 weeks, drainage and all the lovely :rolleyes: attending stomach upset it causes.



I'm not sure it qualifies as raw (see yesterday's post) but if it helps you not need pharmaceuticals, Breathe Easy and Ginger Aide teas by Traditional Medicinals are great for both the drainage and the nausea. The Ginger Aide is sweet and pleasant, too.

[Vaclare79]

I posted on my blog that I am having ongoing problems with nausea. I think it's related to the sinus trouble of the last 3 weeks, drainage and all the lovely :rolleyes: attending stomach upset it causes.

Jenifae and monk suggested just sticking with fruit for a bit and I think that's a good idea. I've been being careful not to eat too much fruit, for the sake of my teeth more than anything, but it's easy to juice on the weekends and then, I'm at home, so I can easily brush my teeth. So, I'll probably do more fruit/juice/smoothies than usual over the 3-day weekend.

Last night D--romaine, avo, yellow tomato, flax cracker
S--handful pecans and raisins
Sleep: 7.5 hrs :)
Water: 96 oz

Today
Skipped breakfast; ate an early lunch at 11:30.
L--salad bar: lot of spinach, little bit of iceberg, purple cabbage, carrots, tomato, onion
S--planning on banana + almond butter
D--thinking about a cream soup--tomato, most likely. I have more yellow tomatoes (they're really more orange-y). Doesn't that sound like it would make a pretty soup?

Sorry you feel so bad lately :(
Try using a straw for the fruit juices if you have to for your teeth. That's what I do when I'm drinking lemonade or something acidic.
The yellow tomato soup sounds really yummy & would look good too like a squash soup. Maybe use some yellow squash in it to thicken it? That's an idea I just had.. Maybe I'll try that one sometime. :)

[petaltothemetal]

Today started out ok and now I'm feeling a lot of feelings about a guy I used to talk to ...
I wished I'd had known more about RAW a long time ago. I would have made more progress sooner in life if I did because I was taking antidepressants one after another & they weren't helping all that much. I like this forum. It's helpful a lot for not only eating raw, but other problems associated with life in general as well. :)

It's sad, isn't it, how much women base their opinions of themselves on how they look and relate to men? (Me, too!) I absolutely believe we are all in here bolstering each other's egos and making each other feel good, and that is almost as important as the food healing our bodies. I'm glad we can help, Vaclare, and glad to see you're in the September challenge.

[Vaclare79]

It's sad, isn't it, how much women base their opinions of themselves on how they look and relate to men? (Me, too!) I absolutely believe we are all in here bolstering each other's egos and making each other feel good, and that is almost as important as the food healing our bodies. I'm glad we can help, Vaclare, and glad to see you're in the September challenge.

Yes, I am so grateful & happy I found this forum to chat with people & learn about raw foods to help my body/mind/spirit heal & grow like it's supposed to instead of being malnourished by SAD/cooked foods. I hope that being raw will help me to feel better mentally as well. :) I hate how I relate to men that way too. I guess all people feel inadequate sometimes when they're trying to impress the person they like. :)

[petaltothemetal]

Vaclare - you look like a movie star in your picture, so it is hard to imagine you being unsure of yourself!

[carolv]

Petaltothemetal, it sounds like you are definitely making some progress. Isn’t it amazing how the improvements sneak up on you?

Emma-Liza, I’m sorry to hear you are still aren’t feeling well. I hope it passes soon for you.

Vaclare79, I’m glad your classes are helping you feel more productive and helping to boost your mood. Good for you for staying focused on being healthy!


I didn’t feel as hungry as usual today, which is probably a good thing. I only ate half of the amount of salad for dinner that I usually have.

Now that I have my dehydrator I wanted to make something crunchy so I tried to make flax crackers and corn chips from Alissa’s book. I didn’t spread the flax crackers thin enough so they took FOREVER to dry but they still taste okay. The corn chips are still in the dehydrator, I think I’m going to have to toss them as they are so sticky and gooey still.:( I did a search on corn chips in this forum and think I found some other alternative recipes that may come out better. I’m planning on trying the jalapeno burgers tomorrow that several of you have mentioned. I hope they taste as good as I think they will. I’m also going to make the banana cream pie tomorrow.

Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 2 frozen bananas, 1 TBS flax seed, 1 TBS coconut oil, 1 TBS honey, apple juice, date water and baby spinach
Snack: pistachios
Lunch: kale salad and summer corn salad
Snack: almonds
Dinner: romaine lettuce with marinated greens (escarole), pear, beet, jicama salad, veggies marinated in Alissa’s dressing with flax crackers
Snack: fudge balls

[Ilse W.]

Today I had to go to Seattle. So I had a huge GS this morning and bought some bananas over there to keep me satisfied until I got back home late this afternoon. I had some jalapeno burgers in the dehydrator, which I ate for dinner after a huge bowl of green salad. Now I'm munching away on dates, nice dessert. Two more days in this challenge, then it's going to be colon detox, liver detox, and juice fasting for the entire month of September.:p

[Vaclare79]

Vaclare - you look like a movie star in your picture, so it is hard to imagine you being unsure of yourself!

lol.. thanks for saying that. I appreciate it. :) I have a disability & several bad things have happened in life as it does sometimes to people so I am still unsure of myself in some areas although I know that I am pretty. :) The picture of me here is of me at 206lbs... Hope I look even better & healthier at whatever is my best weight.

[Vaclare79]

Petaltothemetal, it sounds like you are definitely making some progress. Isn’t it amazing how the improvements sneak up on you?

Emma-Liza, I’m sorry to hear you are still aren’t feeling well. I hope it passes soon for you.

Vaclare79, I’m glad your classes are helping you feel more productive and helping to boost your mood. Good for you for staying focused on being healthy!



I'll be so glad when I finish school too and yes, the classes help me feel more productive because I'm not working right now. I'm glad I'm raw vegan too because I believe that has helped my body because I did raw vegan because of a health issue that came up at the end of spring semester... I'm not in pain anymore *knock on wood* and I think its because I eat raw foods. :)

[Rawkinlocs]

Have a terrific day!

===============
Please remember, no mention of slip-ups (not that you're gonna have any) - just focus on raw and staying positive and most of, have FUN and enjoy yourselves!

[mmaynard]

Good morning,

I was really tired last night and ended up going to bed at 8 pm, so I didn't have a chance to post yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Wheatgrass
Snack: Watermelon
Lunch: Raw Crunch bar
Snack: 2 chocolate truffles
Dinner: GS with peaches, spinach, hemp powder, coconut

I feel much more refreshed this morning and am planning to make some grapefruit juice in a few minutes once I'm completely awake. :) I'm looking forward to the long weekend and feel like getting some things done around the house that I've been putting off. I feel like I'm space clearing today.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Michelle

[Thick]

Hi=)

I have to spend the day away from home, so Im packing supplies=)

B- GS blueberry/spinach/banana
S- black plums
salty cucumbers
grapes
pumpkin seeds
L- corn salad (not exactly THE summer corn salad) w/ scallions, red bell pepper, tomatoes, yellow onion, garlic
D- Ritz cracker sandwich--avacado, lettuce, tomato, basil (packing ingredients separately)

O, I'd better go make that corn salad before I have to go!

[Ilse W.]

I had "jalapeno burgers" for breakfast. I love eating raw. It throws out all the SAD rules, so I can throw out all the rest of the rules for eating, like eating "breakfast foods" for breakfast. Then again, it's just walnuts and vegetable matter anyway, so whoever said that couldn't be breakfast?
The rest of the day, I'm pretty sure I'll have zucchini pasta with marinara or pesto. The garden is overflowing with zucchini. I'll also make some vegetable juice, either for dinner or snacking between "meals", and there are avocados in my future!. If it wasn't so cold this morning, I'd strip and get on my scale. That's what I normally do on Saturday. I don't care, though. I know I'm now in the high 160s. Not bad, considering I started in the high 180s a couple of months ago. Health? Never better and improving daily.
One more day in this challenge. We did great, didn't we. Have a beautiful weekend everybody!:)

[MiahTay]

I'm still here ... been having trouble with my internet connection. I can't believe it is day 30. I am very pleased with how this 30 days has gone and will be signing up for September as well. I see so many benefits to eating this way. Anyway ... I made the Strawberry Shortcake recipe yesterday and it LOOKED beautiful (I really took my time to make it really pretty) ... I took a pic but I don't know how to get it from the camera to you all. The taste was OK, it was good but it didn't taste as good as it LOOKED (if that makes any sense).

So, I would say the biggest thing I've learned this month is the value of the green smoothie. I can feel such a huge difference on days when I don't have one. Well, got to run ... I will touch base later.

Blessings,
Heather

[Emma-Liza]

I had a half day yesterday, so I took myself to the international market--like an indoor farmer's market combined with a Mexican market. Produce is mostly cost-effective and there's a TON of it. Lots of imported food from Latin America and Viet Nam/Thailand/other Asian places. I always see things I've never seen before. Among other things, I saw a sugar apple (http://image38.webshots.com/39/4/42/78/517444278BVzRQn_fs.jpg). An Asian lady told me they get soft and delicious and you eat them raw, but I was askeered. ;)

Then, whilst I was pondering the SEVEN varieties of bok choy they offered, another Asian lady looked at me incredulously and asked, "Do YOU eat this stuff!?!" I explained that I had cooked the two types of bok choy I was familiar with, but I was looking for something to eat raw. She looked puzzled, so I said, "make a salad." Immediately, she chose a bundle of what was labeled "sweet bok choy (http://theheirloomgardener.com/images/bcpc3.jpg)." It had paler, broader leaves than what I'm used to buying. She told me to shred it and mix with onion and tomato. So I'm going to!

I also got some flor de jamaica to make "tea" or whatever that tincture would be called. Punch? I'm not planning to sweeten it. I've had it, but never made my own. I'll probably consult my Rick Bayless books.

I picked up some fava beans and ate a couple last night, but I am underwhelmed. I offered to cook the rest (just 5 pods) for Mr.Liza, but instead of saying yes or no, he made numerous comments in a Hannibal Lector voice, so this is just a wash. :rolleyes: Would they hurt the birds if I set them outside?

Supper last night was creamy tomato soup. I pureed all the veggies and took part out before adding the almond milk. The part I kept out, I used as a pasta sauce for Mr.Liza. This is definitely one of those "double duty" recipes! He slurruped it up, and no bad jokes!

Today, I've made orange, grapefruit, and pineapple juice (huge, delicious produce from yesterday's shopping trip!). I soaked some almonds and think I will use half to make beanless falafels and I'm not sure what for the other half. I'm planning on eating fruit or smoothies during the day. Dinner--we'll see which recipes turn out!

[Vaclare79]

Hello,
Today so far I ate a cup of sunflower seeds & rearranged furniture so now I'm going to get some more food to make..

Lunch Salad OR smoothie I haven't decided...

I will check back to add more later. Surprised the month has gone by now. :) Gone fast.. Sad that summer is over. I didn't really get to enjoy it, but lucky for me summer weather here has not gone. Sometimes we have 80-90degree weather in winter time. :)

[deberaw]

Hi everyone!!! I too have been having computer glitches but all okay now! good to be back online!

Heather: How did you make the frosting for you cake? Did you use lecithin and what kind? Did it make it fluffy etc.???

I too feel the green smoothies get me going right for the day.....I made some wild rice stuffed mushrooms that were just okay...I added some Braggs to spice it up...but they were a bit bland {not Alissa's recipe though}......been doing stuffs with coconut: made delicious chocolate macaroons {recipe on this forum} and a coconut crumble {recipe from this months Purely Delicious magazine}......mmmm yummmy......feel pretty well stocked up, though we are going thru a bunch of avos from the Mexican market fast....so yummy...lots of produce in the house...plan on making a jicama salad tomorrow.....off to catch up on e-mails! love, Deb

[Vaclare79]

I have eaten all raw good food this month. Yay for me & everyone else who has stayed raw with me.
I had a cup of sunflower seeds for breakfast.
Grapes for snack
Salad for lunch
more salad for dinner which was good.. shredded carrots, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, acv sea salt..

[carolv]

Emma-Liza, I am sooo jealous! LOL I wish there was an international market close to me. Fortunately, I do have a small store in the town where I work which has a lot of international foods. The bad thing is there aren’t very many fresh fruits or vegetables for sale there, mostly just canned and other packaged foods. It sounds like you have a LOT of wonderful varieties of things available to you.

I’ve never heard of flor de Jamaica before, I’ll have to check it out. I saw fava beans for the first time at a grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never had them before so I don’t know what all you can and can’t do with them.

Deberaw, I checked out the website for Purely Delicious and it looks fabulous. I am definitely going to subscribe. Thanks for mentioning it.


Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 1 frozen banana, 1 fresh banana 1 TBS flax seed, 1 TBS coconut oil, 1 TBS honey, apple juice, date water and baby spinach
Lunch: romaine lettuce with marinated greens (escarole), pear, beet, jicama salad, veggies marinated in Alissa’s dressing (this is the rest of my salad from last night)
Snack: Lara bar
Snack: red grapes
Dinner: a bunch of corn salad (wiped out what I had left), flax crackers, 2 slices of tomato
Snack: one jalapeno burger fresh out of the dehydrator (yummy)
Snack: banana cream pie (also yummy)

[Rawkinlocs]

Well done and congrats to you for completing our August (RAWgust) 30-day (well, 31-day) raw challenge!

Be sure to join in on the September challenge starting tomorrow!

Have a good one!

[deberaw]

Hi All! Have an Awesome Rawsome Day! Congrats for finishing up this challenge! It's been fun and I look forward to Sept's challenge!

Busy day today but I'm enjoying a GS and some delicious choco macaroons!!!!

Jicama salad today among other things......kids calling....have a great one~Deb:D

[Vaclare79]

Hi,
I'm doing homework this morning.. On a holiday weekend. It's raining here so I'm sure not many are having outdoor plans.
Breakfast I ate sunflower seeds about a cup or more.. Those are so good & addicting. So easy to get out and eat especially when you're lazy like I am. Hope everyone has a good day and stays raw for september!

[Ilse W.]

Cold and cloudy here. I think I'll give the wood stove another workout. I am going to start a fast tomorrow, so today I will eat whatever cannot be juiced. 100% RAW!

[Thick]

Hello=)

I'm going to have smoothies all day today. I don't feel very good, and I have been really struggling lately.

--spinach, blueberry, almond milk and banana smoothie
--spicy Vaclare (spinach, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, salt)
--green apple/kale (a bit afraid of this one)
--indian spinach dip soup (yes this counts as a smoothie=)
--tomato basil

I'm going to stay home today, clean in bursts and reread Living on Live Foods all afternoon in a clean house.

Remember Starfire's Dr.Phil analogy about making a u-turn if you get off track instead of continuing down the wrong road? Well, I've got the u-turning down pat, but I've been going in circles so long I'm in danger of running out of gas.

As DavidZaneMason says, you need to have really crystal clear goals. Beyond not wanting to get depressed and angry again, I'm not sure what my short term/medium term/long term rawgoals are. Do you have any I can copy?=)

[Emma-Liza]

carolv--Flor de jamiaca is hibiscus. If you've ever had red zinger tea, you've tasted it! Tea made with it is a very common drink in Mexico. It also makes a good fabric dye, I recently learned on DIY tv! Although, you can't dye things that you plan to wash, cuz it will come out. Makes a gorgeous deep pink color!

Kudos especially to you posters today! I think some people take day 31 "off." That's cool, but I didn't think it would be helpful to me! I'm very suggestible/distractable, and I might just keep eating! :p

Last night, I made a mock chicken salad. I used 1/3 sunflower seeds and 2/3 soaked cashews. I wish I'd used all cashews, cuz it is crunchier than I'd hoped. Taste is great, tho! Mr.Liza had some on crackers. He's really interested in all the raw recipes I make--I'm so lucky!

Last night D--salad plate: bed of leaf lettuce, tomato cut into 6ths, scoop of cashew "chicken" salad
S#1--seed cracker with little bit of honey
S#2--cilantro lime mojo pistachios (gone nuts raw brand)

Today D--juice of a grapefruit, orange, and pineapple quarter
L--probably a smoothie
S--"chicken" salad on a cracker
D--hope to have the energy to make walnut tacos with homemade pico

[Emma-Liza]

(((thick)))--sorry you are not feeling centered. I have short term goals / rewards in the form of no heartburn, no arthritis pain, and clearer, better skin. These things started within 24 hours of going raw. Medium and long term goals are lower cholesterol, weight loss, and peace of mind. Ever since I read The China Study, I've felt that the revelation of that research was something I HAD to respond to, even though I didn't, right away. After watching Fast Food Nation the other night, I was utterly relieved to be exactly where I am food-wise. I don't know if any of these things will matter to you, but maybe it will help.

My best advice is to follow your heart. Go towards something you want instead of living in resistance to things that are tempting you. Do whatever it takes to find your balance. Raw living will always be part of you now (wow, hasn't this been an illuminating summer?!), but only you get to decide how and what that means.

[Thick]

Thank you Emma-Liza=)You're right--I should find a new way to engage myself in my future rather than engage myself in battle with an enemy I do not want.

I know I don't need to emulate someone else's conclusions--I can find my own meanings and definitions.. but for now I think I need to follow in the wisdom of others. You have to learn how to speak and write Russian before you can write your own book in it,don't you?

Yes,this summer, while not as productive as I would have liked--has been a very amazing learning journey. I am still here and still trying and you guys have so much to do with that--Thank you so much!=)


Now, to think about doing "whatever it takes to find (my) balance"...

[Vaclare79]

I am feeling tired today. I think it's the rainy weather making me not feel like doing anything. blah.

What is nutritional yeast and what does it taste like?? I've heard it tastes like cheese, but I don't know since I've never tried it.. What brand do I get if I do get it..

[deberaw]

Greetings again!
Valclare: I get nutritional yeast in bulk at my hfs...it comes in one brand and is yellow/flaky. I use it in the cheese recipes here...tastes sorta cheesy....I love it on popcorn {not raw though} one of my sons loves it on popcorn too...and that is sooooo hard for me stay away from when he's eating it...but one taste and I'm a goner...

Thick...yeah, I know what you mean...but sometimes I get so tired of going in circles {i.e. raw all day and then not at night...off for a few days/on again etc.} that it is easier to stay all raw for a few days, then weeks, then the month etc. I feel so much better...sleep better, skin better, not bloated etc. I don't feel the benefits if I am on/off again though...not as clearly......I do want to lose about 10-15 pounds, but I too read The China Study, and armed with the info. about Raw....and having a family history of cancer...I feel I HAVE to be Raw...vegan for sure...but even on cooked vegan..it's too easy for me to slip into sugar etc. Transitioning is a journey though...try not to be hard on yourself...you are here! Upping my greens and veggies really helps me a lot. I am glad you are here with us.......I did a short term juice fast in the Spring, and that really helped me to jump back into Raw...results were quick and the support on the thread was great......

All for now...hot and humid here...catching up on a few things before uncooking......Deb

[bellamausi]

I'm very suggestible/distractable, and I might just keep eating!

So am I! A one-day-off day, would turn into a looooong time off for me! I eat SAD food and I just want more, that's how it's been for me. Even concentrated raw food will make me want to just keep eating, and crave sad food more.

I'm still raw today, and I'm am striving to stay raw indefinitely. I am not going to sign up for the September challenge, since I can never figure out, where to post .... in the challenge posts or my journal.

I'll still come and check in here for recipes etc, thought. :) Congrats to everyone who has made it this far, and everyone who has tried to stick with it this month! :)

[MiahTay]

Thick - I got to the end of this month and have not lost any weight and knew I "didn't do as well as I could have" and indulged in a bit of a pity party for the last two days. HOWEVER! I have realized that if I choose to encourage myself with all the amazing strides I have taken this month and to remind myself even though I fell, I got back up and dusted myself off (thanks Deb), I tried new recipes, I was a positive influence on my children and my mom, my husband is talking about making some diet changes ... all in all, it's been a successful month. You are such an amazing encouragement and cheerleader, I just want to say thank you and it has been a pleasure and an honor spending this month with you.

All of you - the sense of community has been the thing to keep me focused and I would like to say thank you to you all and I look forward to next month.

I am going to attempt to 1. drink a green smoothie every day and 2. read something to renew my mind to look at food with a healthier perspective every day.

Blessings,
Heather

[Thick]

Thanks everyone=)

See you next month=)!

[carolv]

EmmaT, good luck with your fast. I have never tried a fast before but have often thought of doing one. Maybe, I'll finally try one myself this next month.




I'm going to have smoothies all day today. I don't feel very good, and I have been really struggling lately.

Remember Starfire's Dr.Phil analogy about making a u-turn if you get off track instead of continuing down the wrong road? Well, I've got the u-turning down pat, but I've been going in circles so long I'm in danger of running out of gas.

As DavidZaneMason says, you need to have really crystal clear goals. Beyond not wanting to get depressed and angry again, I'm not sure what my short term/medium term/long term rawgoals are. Do you have any I can copy?=)

Thick, I’m sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well. I hope you feel better soon! And as far as goals, I’ve never had any specific goals in my life and things seem to turn out well for me overall. Maybe I’m just a lucky person, I don’t know (but I can’t win that darn lottery, LOL). For me, I just concentrate on what I believe will benefit me the most in the long run, I may not always be right but at least I’m trying. I really want to gain more energy and rid my body joint stiffness and aches. A plus would be to get rid of my allergies as well. I know for a fact that diet has a tremendous impact on your health. Ultimately, you have to decide what your diet is going to be, you have total control. This next month I plan to remain primarly a raw vegan, however, I am going to do a little experimenting not just with food but mainly with other forms of detox and maybe fasting and herbs.

I’m sorry I got so long winded, I wish you and everyone well on your future endeavors.

Emma-Liza, actually I never have tried red zinger tea but you have peaked my interest. My sister-in-law sent me some yerba mate tea, have you (or anyone else here) heard of it or tried it before? OOOH, chicken salad! One of my FAVORITE dishes, I will definitely check into the recipe for that. Where did you get your recipe?

Breakfast: smoothie with 1 orange, 1 frozen banana, 1 large nectarine, 1 TBS flax seed, 1 TBS coconut oil, 1 TBS honey, date water, and baby spinach
Snack: watermelon smoothie
Lunch: small salad with romaine, baby carrots, and broccoli with Alissa’s Dressing; 2 jalapeno burgers; jicama fries; and flax cracker
Dinner: banana cream pie
Snack: smoothie with ½ tomato, little bit of onion, large garlic clove, baby spinach and sea salt (HEY VACLARE79, I finally tried a savory smoothie!!) :D It was really good but needed more tomato. I added onion which I think was too strong. Also, had flax crackers with this.

By the way, I just want to mention the benefits I have noticed from being raw:

Got rid of the remaining fibromyalgia pain in my hands (now if I can just rid of the stiffness and pain, different than the other, still in my hands and other joints).

Improvements in allergy symptoms (stopped taking my allergy pills over a week ago and haven't had any problems, just a little bit of sneezing and a little congestion. MUCH better than before)

Improvement with hot flashes (had hysterectomy back in January) used black cohosh for awhile and then progesterone cream which I stopped using about 2 weeks ago. I have had fewer and less intense symptoms.

Gums a little sore when brushing, this has improved in the past couple of weeks.

No bloating or gassiness on this diet

Increased stamina (while I don't have the energy level that I would like, I have noticed my stamina is much better. I have been able to do things that would normally make me very tired and crash but now I can just keep on going)

Congratulations to everyone that made it through this month!!:)

[qnjnean]

I made through my first 30 days eating very very very raw. WOOHOO. I lost 23 pounds. SUPER WOOHOOO.

Today I celebrated at Grezzo's. (I posted a separate thread about this.)

My COMPELLING WHY to eat raw - to get my body and my life back! YES!

[Ilse W.]

Carolv,
Do you take MSM? It's amazing what it can do for your joints. You can also try Phenocane, which is a natural anti-inflammatory medicine containing Boswellia (frankincense), curcumin (turmeric) and dl-phenilalanin. It's really good for pain due to inflammation. You can get it in your health food store.

[mmaynard]

Hi Everybody,

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday but just wanted to congratulate you on finishing the challenge. I think this may be the first time I finished anything for MYSELF and it feels great!

Here's what I noticed for benefits this month:

- Sleeping much more deeply, dreaming again for the first time in several years
- Stomach doesn't hurt after eating
- Weight loss
- Reduced pain in my back and hips
- Able to concentrate much better and make decisions much more quickly
- My face is also a bit clearer than it has been - maybe 10% better

Congrats again on finishing the challenge!

Michelle

[carolv]

Carolv,
Do you take MSM? It's amazing what it can do for your joints. You can also try Phenocane, which is a natural anti-inflammatory medicine containing Boswellia (frankincense), curcumin (turmeric) and dl-phenilalanin. It's really good for pain due to inflammation. You can get it in your health food store.

EmmaT,

I have been taking glucosamine chondroitin which I believe also has MSM. When I first noticed pain in my hip joints a couple of years ago, I started using it and it definitely helped. I don't think I'm taking the full recommended dose though. I am going to check into the Phenocane, thanks for the advice!

[carolv]

Hi Everybody,

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday but just wanted to congratulate you on finishing the challenge. I think this may be the first time I finished anything for MYSELF and it feels great!

Here's what I noticed for benefits this month:

- Sleeping much more deeply, dreaming again for the first time in several years
- Stomach doesn't hurt after eating
- Weight loss
- Reduced pain in my back and hips
- Able to concentrate much better and make decisions much more quickly
- My face is also a bit clearer than it has been - maybe 10% better

Congrats again on finishing the challenge!

Michelle


mmaynard, you reminded me of a couple of other things I forgot to mention.

Lost a few pounds, not really doing this diet for weight loss as I have been happy with my weight. But it’s a nice bonus.

Remembering my dreams more

Face is clearer, always had small bumps on my forehead and chin. They seem to be gone from my forehead and now very few on my chin.