February Raw Challenge 2009 Archives

[CarolJ]

Hi. I am new here and it is day 4 for me and my hubby. I have done a juicing diet before but they are hard for me to stick to. I find this easier. You all have been an encouragement to stick with this and cheat. I did alot of fast foods and eating out. So re-learning to eat has been a challenge. I need to find a co-op close to home to make life easier. I wish I had a Raw Food place close to me.

[TanjaJo]

Sorry been MIA for a few days. I've been obsessed with finding a new pet bird for the family, so I've been surfing the web for that and spending a lot of time IM'ing my nephew who's fiance just broke up with him.

I need some inspiration tonight and I'm baaaack! had a salad for breakfast and my banana ice cream tonight. I just don't really have the energy right now to fix anything fancy....and Rawchick...thank you, I made some banana leather the other day, and totally forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder, now I have to go find that stuff, lol....gee whiz, where did I put that stuff? Good-night...Tanja

[bowie]

welcome to day 12

[muddskipper]

Thanks for yesterday's encouragement- it really helps.

Today is my day 4. Yesterday I was detoxing something awful (I had a lot of medication, caffeine and sugar to get rid of). I felt SO horrible that I did not think I would be able to make it up to my bed. Yesterday was not productive at work, and to avoid another day like that (it's crunch time here at work), I decided to slow it down. I did so by having a small end piece of some bread. :-/

It worked. However, in the past this would have made me feel like I have failed the challenge and stop altogether. Knowing what I know now, I realize that sometimes we have to just do what we can to get through it. Today will be 100% raw again and I will continue pushing forward. Oh, and I stopped my birth control pills last night, thinking that was part of the problem (those things make me feel awful anyway- I only take them to deal with ovarian cysts).

I'm open to any 'raw' suggestions to slow detox a bit for those of us having trouble. I've read that eating solid food versus juicing helps (but I haven't juiced a thing yet). Could it be the contrary?

Congrats to the rest of you who are holding strong and feeling great! I am looking forward to this so much and woke up feeling pretty good this morning. Hope everyone's having a nice start to their Thursday!

[mattshor]

muddskipper! That's awesome that you were able to see that just because you made a change doesn't mean that you need to throw the whole project out the window! Good luck with the rest of the detox and I hope that the worst is over.

Today I had a green smoothie with parsley, coconut, banana, strawberry and almond butter. I am hoping that the added fat and protein will help put off the hunger that I'd been feeling around 10am. For lunch I am having portobello mushroom caps topped with sunny pâté, a slice of onion, and tomato. I also packed a couple of bananas and an avocado.

Yesterday I discovered a hidden mini supermarket next to the Au Bon Pain at Northeastern (I have night classes there on Monday and Wednesday). They sell all sorts of fresh produce cheap! Way better than the sad pathetic salads I'd been getting at Chicken Lou's, or the way overpriced ones at ABP.

Lastly, I had a great moment this morning. I grabbed a belt that I hadn't worn in about a week and as I put it on, I kept having this feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't find the hole...well, It looks like I have lost an inch or so off of my waist because the belt is a little too big now!

[MiahTay]

Good morning! I’m dealing with a headache this morning (it started yesterday afternoon). I’m just riding it out and taking it easier. My wonderful son (12) just got done making carrot juice so I will be enjoying a glass of that soon. The eggplant pizza (Alissa’s recipe) was good but not great (it was not a hit with my children). However I also made a side of her marinara sauce and we all really liked that and will be having that for lunch over spiralized zucchini. I could see where the topping for the eggplant pizza would be good in other recipes like to stuff mushrooms or in a zucchini lasagna type dish. My hubby also suggested that the eggplant might not have such an eggplant flavor if I salted and soaked it first so I may try that. I did leave a couple of the pizzas in the dehydrator over night to see what they would be like thoroughly dehydrated – I’ll let you know.

TanjaJo – I’m so glad you’re back. Let us know what you decide on your new family member (bird), there are quite a few of us bird owners on this board. We currently have a Blue and Gold Macaw and a Lovebird.

Muddskipper - juicing will indeed speed detox. I would just suggest to keep doing what you are doing and it will pass. One of my favorite lines from Shrek ... better out than in, I always say! Detox is part of the process, I personally try to embrace it realizing it's my body doing exactly what I want it to do, getting rid of all the stuff that is making me feel less than great. Sleeping a little extra certainly helps. Or make yourself an appointment for a massage ... ohhhh, that sounds so good right now.

Food for today looks like:
Carrot juice
Small GS
Zucchini Pasta w/ marinara
Large Salad
Maybe a Chocolate Shake somewhere in the mix :D

Blessings,
Heather

[muddskipper]

Mattshor and MiahTay, thanks so much for the encouragement! I'm really nice to have you here to talk with. Sorry you're having a tough day MiahTay, but it sounds like you have great help around : )

I feel much better today- still some GI discomfort. But I find that when I'm low on energy I mix a little agave nectar with some sea salt and juice from 1/2 a lemon and I'm good to go. It's a nice treat, too!

My diet today is something like:
-----------------------------
3 bananas, a navel orange, and some of the agave mixture
about 1/2 cup of mock salmon pate for a mid-morning snack
Salad from Whole Foods for lunch
2 Apples, 3 dates, cashews and almonds to snack on
A couple of clementines
Mock fettuccini alfredo for dinner

[muddskipper]

I'm really nice to have you here to talk with.

hehe, that sounds odd and should have read "It's really nice..." : )

[missberry]

Well, I'm back to Day 1. I'm going through a break-up and the past two days I think I was doing some emotional eating that was non-raw. I'm ready to start anew though. Luckily I didn't eat too poorly either. I had a really delicious GS for breakfast this morning - banana, a whole orange, a handful of red clover sprouts, 2 stalks of celery, some Kombucha and water. I'll probably have some soup for lunch and a raw cucumber pasta with veggies and herbs for dinner.

You all are doing so great! Happy raw day!

[rawchic]

This morning I'm having a big bowl of cherries, blueberries, goji berries and mango. It was all fruit that I had frozen, and I poured it in a bowl and let it defrost.

I'm going to have some zucchini pasta for lunch. Then tonight I'm going to a raw restaurant...not sure what I'm going to have. Maybe the tomato soup and a salad. Or maybe the teriyaki kelp noodles. I'll see what I feel like when I get there.

[gritsnla]

Real quick, gotta get out the door, breakfast banana and a raw cinnamon roll. GS with me on the road. And I need to finish up some coleslaw in the fridge for supper. Will snack on kiwi and raisins, or maybe some cashew fudge.

Have a good one!

[MiahTay]

Oh MY! Our new love ... Alissa's marinara sauce on spiralized zucchini - like angel hair pasta. My kids LOVE it! I will totally be having this on hand for lunches! SO GOOD!

Blessings,
Heather

[rawchic]

my lunch changes from zucchini pasta to an asian style salad. I stopped by the asian market and got some fresh water chestnuts and tamarind. Yum - so good!

I also got a bunch of kumquats. Is anyone else loving these right now? They are sour but sweet at the same time. I think they are great!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat

[contessa20]

So far today I've had a stuffed breakfast apple, 2 oatmeal raisin cookies and a Mexican style salad. I'm thinking I'll probably have another cookie and maybe a banana or pear for dinner. I'm just not all that hungry at the moment.

[muddskipper]

So for dinner I ended up taking some collard leaves I had left from earlier in the week and made little rolls with mock salmon pate, alfalfa and radish sprouts, and sprayed a bit of liquid aminos on there before rolling them up... quite satisfying and a good way to get rid of leftovers (made the 2nd half of the mock pate recipe tonight since veggies were already cut up).

I find that Alissa's recipes make way too much for one meal for me personally so I started cutting the recipes in half. I agree that the marinara over zucchini is awesome! That's definitely one of my favs. I also love indulging on the date nut torte. mmm...

What a fun way to eat :)

[green jeanie]

I"m in all the way but i can't say i am happy about it

i am tiiiiiiired and have been since we started. i have lost my work-out ooomph and for the last 2 weekends have done nothing but lay around....taking my self for a hike is miserable....i am dragging


no detox symptoms, just exhaustion.

yesterday i finally ate way too many almonds and felt a whole lot better today in everyway...(except my gall bladder!!)
I ordered some sunwarrior protein powder yesterday...i'll let you all know how that goes!


today

Breakfast: 4 shredded little zucchini's covered in tomato/bell pepper/ basil sauce

Lunch: walnut pate on collard green and celery sticks

Dinner: romaine hearts with cherry tomatoes and 1/2 cup of walnuts

hopefully i can get something going for the gym tonight:rolleyes:

[MelissaO]

I also got a bunch of kumquats. Is anyone else loving these right now? They are sour but sweet at the same time. I think they are great!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat

I saw these when I took Dad shopping earlier this week but have never eaten them before so I did not purchase them. Maybe I will pick some up if they still have them next week. They look really cute.


Let's see today:


Breakfast :
Banana water


Lunch:
Dad wanted to go out to eat. The places my family normally likes to eat doesnt really have alot to pick from for me when it comes to raw foods so I ordered a ceasar salad without the dressing or cheese and what I got was a hodge podge of stuff that was nothing like any Ceasar I have ever had. It consisted of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, celery and black olives served on a warm plate .... very odd combo that I squeezed lemon on and pretended to be happy about.

Snacks:
a few clementines and some pineapple

Dinner:
Raw carrot curry soup - it was delish!

[CarolJ]

What is tamarind and how do you eat it? I seen it tonight at the grocery store and bought some.

I had a good day and am beginning to have more energy. I took sweet potato chips out of the D and place cookies into it.

I had a green drink upon awaking

B- banana
s-Almond
L- Banana/strawberry salad
s- almonds and banana
D- pistacho nuts, raisins and orange

Have a good day tomorrow.

[TanjaJo]

Maih Tey...what is it like to own a macaw?! Amazing. You are on either side of the size spectrum with those two. I am definitely leaning towards an Indian Ringneck at the moment...but we are supposed to look at a white capped pionus hand fed baby this week, or the beginning of next!

Had salad for breakfast (finally got some pumpkin seeds yesterday so I could make my favorite dressing...raw ceasar dressing). Had a couple of potato pancakes that are getting pretty tough to chew by now. Had zucchini pasta with marinara for supper. Tonight was bumming because I didn't have any bananas to make the raw ice cream. So I found the last two medjool dates I had, and the banana leather and wrapped the medjool dates, raw cacao nibs in the banana leather and snacked on those. Really decadent!

Mudskipper .. good for you for hanging in there. YOu are very brave to continue with detox like that, and working. I don't think I would have been able to work with the detox symptoms I had.

Take care everyone! - T.

[bowie]

welcome to day 13

[muddskipper]

Today is off to a great start with a raw-licious GS!! Chard, pineapple, apple, ginger, vanilla (a little stevia and water)... yum! Today we're off to the mountains for the weekend. I can't wait to do some hiking and enjoy the fresh mountain air.

Hope everyone's off to a great start today and feeling great!

[muddskipper]

green_jeanie - Are you eating enough fruit? I find fruit to be an absolute saviour when it comes to energy. If it's tough to get much in you can always throw it in a blender and make a smoothie!

[MiahTay]

Well, it's grocery shopping day. I hate the process but love all the fresh new produce after the fact. I am finding that I am having more of a desire to exercise and be outside. So, this afternoon I will hopefully sneak a walk in. I've got my sundried tomatoes and dates soaking so I can make some more marinara sauce and have zucchini pasta for lunch - can hardly wait! I've also got some nuts soaking to make some more chocolate chewies ... I'm gonna try to put the dough through a cookie press so they are pretty too.

TanjaJo - Macaw, it's a pretty amazing thing, he is my baby. I got him when he was only 9.5 weeks old and finished the handfeeding process (only because I had prior experience handfeeding, I used to work at a pet store many years ago). I was seriously considering getting a Pionus when I got my macaw two years ago, they seem like a wonderful smaller bird from everything I read very sweet dispositions and not too noisy ... HOW I ended up with a macaw I really have no idea! I have wanted one for almost 20 years, and there he was :D. I personally have never owned a ringneck, they always seemed a bit screechy to me. I've owned amazons, and conures (before children) and now my macaw and my dd's lovebird (which are a lovely little bird), and since my macaw will likely outlive me ... this should do it for me. Sorry, everyone else ... got a little off topic.

Food for today:
GS
Zucchini Pasta
Chocolate Shake
Large Salad

Tonight I'm going to get chocolate chewies in the dehydrator and also the banana leather to make Alissa's Strawberry Crepes for the first time for our weekly dessert tomorrow.

Blessings,
Heather

[mattshor]

ugh. Today I let myself consider the valentine's day "treats" that the other teachers brought in today. I feel awful. My brain is cloudy, my stomach hurts. I just want to crawl back into bed and start over.

I have an excellent lunch that I am excited about, and the weather is decent. I am going to just take some time during lunch and treat myself to a nice walk. At least this is teaching me why I don't want to eat that stuff again. I am going to make an effort to really remember this for the next time that temptation strikes.

[Deenasmiles]

I'm glad this is still open! I was too exhausted to check in, but I stayed 100% RAW!
This was Day 13 for me!
I experienced a huge headache and a coated tongue, so I know detox is in full force.
I bought different fruits, so I ate mango, plums, peaches and made a chocolate fondu with about 15 strawberries! Mmmm! I also had a huge mixed greens salad with tomatoes and my homemade dressing. I made my first raw soup on this journey - curry coconut carrot soup! I also had a few cups of ginger-peach tea.

[Deenasmiles]

2 weeks! 2 weeks, 100% RAW!
I've made my 2nd mini-goal!
It's been an interesting 14 days for me. Today is starting off great, cuz I feel wonderful.
I plan to attempt raw chili today. I'll also eat fruits, drink a green smoothie and have a salad for supper. Oh, and I may make some raw brownies tonight for me to eat on Valentine's Day!

[muddskipper]

Deenasmiles- the chili idea sounds yummy! Let us know how that goes. I would love to know of a good chili raw-ternative!

[rawchic]

Oh my gosh, I tried dehydrated bananas for the first time - serious YUM!

You can read about tamarind here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind
it was my first time buying it, so I just got one pod. They look kind of like beans or pea pods. There is a thin brown outer layer that is sort of crispy. I cracked that open and took out the inside. It's sticky kind of like dates, and there are seeds inside. I scraped off the sticky part and threw away the seeds. Then I just cut it into small pieces and topped my salad with it. It had sort of a sweet/tart taste. I liked it.

Last night I went to a raw restaurant and had the best teriyaki kelp noodle dish and tiramisu. Wow - it seriously was just like 'real' tiramisu. I almost died!

This morning I woke up super early and was wide awake, too full of energy to go back to sleep. So I got out of bed and finished reading "The Associate" by John Grisham, and then I went to a 6 a.m. yoga class.

I bought a coconut water on my way out and then I had a big grapefruit when I got to work.

Lunch today will be the rest of my salad from yesterday.

Tonight we're going out to dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant. I'm so excited because the last time we were there, I discovered the perfect alternative to polishing off a whole bowl (or two or three) of tortilla chips. I asked the waitress for a plate of jicama, and then dipped that in the fresh guacamole. Amazingly delicious!

After that, we're going to the raw restaurant for dessert. This is our Valentine's night and I told my husband we could go to a regular restaurant for dinner, as long as we could go get raw cacao pudding afterwards :)

[mattshor]

mix tamarind with sweetener and water and you have a great beverage.

incidentally, the word tamarind comes from Hebrew: tamar hindi - Indian Date.

[gritsnla]

Never thought about asking at a Mexican restaurant if they had any jicama on-site. Sounds like a good laternative to the chips. Thanks for the tip.

Breakfast was a GS. Lunched on some homemade granola cookies. Not sure about supper. Still have some kiwi left.

Need to plan before I get in trouble.

Have a good one!

[CarolJ]

Hi everyone, day 6 for me and staying strong. I gave my chocolate away today so as not to be a temptation. I didn't even want a piece when I got a wif.

I had Barley Grass early morning
B - Banana & orange
L - nuts & cookie
S - more nuts
D - large green salad w/ Alissa's dressing

I took cucumber, celery and onion and placed in left over dressing to make a salad for later. I believe they will be good marinated.

My friend likes my potato chips and nuts. She said my skin color is improving. I went arund tday pulling my pants up. I enjy the weight loss but am thankful my health may be improving.

[TanjaJo]

Hi.....raw friends! Had a salad for breakfast....raw zucchini for supper, and am looking forward to the raw "ice cream" tonight.....

CarolJ good for you! throwing that chocolate out!

Rawchick....good for you going out for Valentine's day! It sounds like a great compromise ...your meal choices..

have a lovely week-end everyone.

[rawchic]

I'll be out of town Saturday through Monday so I probably won't post at all. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

[bowie]

welcome to day 14 and Happy Valentines Day!

[contessa20]

Day 47!

Still feeling foggy and spacey. I can't wait to be able to sleep in my own bed again. This couch thing is getting old. It's just so hard to get a good night's sleep down there.

We had a V-Day party for the kids at school today. One of the mom's brought baby carrots which I ate a ton of. I also took a few dehydrated cookies for myself but ate them long before the party. :o It was fun though and the kids enjoyed it. I didn't have any cravings either. I glanced at the cupcakes a few times and remembered how, even on SAD, I used to eat those and not love them. They taste like sugary lard... which, I guess is pretty much what they are. :::shudders:::

Food:
stuffed breakfast apple
3 oatmeal raisin cookies
sliced veggies w/mock Ranch dressing
1 portabello mushroom cap topped with avocado, tomato, purple onion, EVOO, salt & pepper

[mattshor]

Good morning everyone!
So after yesterday (there were a few more tumbles) I'm feeling back on track. My body is asking me to just clean the crap out, I think, because all I want is green juice. Having spinach juice with the juice of one lemon. Also had some homemade kombucha. All in all, feeling pretty decent. Had a very hard time sleeping last night and really weird dreams.

Tomorrow evening, Y. and I are going to Puerto Rico for the week to celebrate our anniversary. I've started thinking in advance about what are going to be the adjustments that I am willing to make and what are the preparations that I need to make in order to not have issues. The good news is that in the land of tropical drinks I shouldn't have a problem getting lots of smoothies, even if they end up being way overpriced... I am thinking that I will likely leave the computer at home and take a real vacation, in which case my posting will be limited. I'll try to keep some kind of journal so that I can update when I get back.

[MiahTay]

mattshor - enjoy your vacation, sounds lovely.

Today has been a good day so far, I just got done making Alissa's Strawberry Crepes, they look fantastic and were really quite easy. I figured they would be a good V-Day dessert.

Food for today:
GS
Pineapple
Banana
Strawberries with a spoonful of leftover crepe filling
Sm. Chocolate Shake
Large Salad
2 - Strawberry Crepes

Wow, in hindsight ... it looks like a really SWEET day. Hope you all have a great day.

Blessings,
Heather

[mattshor]

just made a big bowl of butternut squash noodles with indian spiced spinach sauce. Oh man, this is satisfying all the cravings that I didn't even know that I was having for Indian.

[cbritton]

just made a big bowl of butternut squash noodles with indian spiced spinach sauce. Oh man, this is satisfying all the cravings that I didn't even know that I was having for Indian.

Wow - that sounds fantastic. Care to share the recipe? I'm always craving Indian food!

[mattshor]

The recipe is from Alissa's book, page 306. I didn't have avocado, so I added a handful of macadamia and cashews until it got creamy.

[Deenasmiles]

Happy Lover's Day!
Today I've been loving myself, my friends and family...especially my sis, whose birthday is today!
Anyway, Day 15!!! I'm halfway through this 30 day challenge...100% raw! :)
Today I made some Romaine lettuce wraps (alfalfa sprouts, red bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, avocado, sea salt, black pepper and lemon juice wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves) that were soooooo good you guys!!! I have a friend on SAD who stole a wrap and totally enjoyed it! Today was a great day. I've had a few peaches, eating a berry mix (blueberries, blackberries and strawberries), grapes and a trail mix (walnuts, raisins and coconut flakes). Last night I made almond milk which was wonderful.

So yeah, good day all around!

[winsomehill]

So, today is day eleven for me. I just got home from a meditation retreat and while I was there was just trying to get by eating whatever fruits and vegetables were offered supplementing with some nuts. While there I discovered they had someone who was making food for raw foods! I had some great raw foods: Taboulie made with sprouted sunflower seeds instead of bulgur, Cashew cream over fruit, a yummy smoothie with spinach/banana/almonds/and a whole bunch of other delightful things, zuchini hummus with vegetables for dipping, a nut cookie of some kind, and a few other things. It was so wonderful! I wasn't sure if I was going to stick to the program while I was there. Now I need to make some new recipees myself, lay off the lara bars, and cut back a bit on the nuts if I want to be making weight loss progress. I'm still not feeling any amazing bounce of energy or healthy aha moments. I've been getting some headaches and my system is a little gassy. I'm curious about everyone's progress. Are you all feeling any different? When did you start feeling the effects? Is it really worth it?
~H

[gritsnla]

Breakfast was 4 kiwi. Later had some homemade granola cookies. Not a very good day.

[bowie]

welcome to day 15

[contessa20]

Yesterday was an unpleasant and emotionally draining day for the most part. I ate well though, even at the SAD party we went to in the evening. I wasn't even tempted by all the Italian food they were serving which is a pretty big deal given that Italian is probably my favorite type of food. I was perfectly satisfied with my green salad and melon salad.

Saturday Food:
stuffed breakfast apple
some carrots dipped in raw ranch
green salad w/raw ranch
melon salad

[winsomehill]

Today I am playing with my blender and food processor. I'm trying to recreate some of the recipees I had at my retreat/conference. I made some sunflower seed tabouli, a smoothie with spinach/apples/frozen strawberries/bannana/and a few almonds, I'm also going to make a zuchini hummus..... I'm going to eat well today. And, I'm looking forward to a good workout. I've missed the last four days due to my conference thing. Have a good day everyone!
~winsomehill

[gritsnla]

Starting better today. Cinnamon roll for breakfast. Last one, may hold off making another batch till next week. Made a carrot raisin salad yesterday and had it for lunch today. Yummy. Hmmmm....not sure about supper. Still some carrot raisin left. And some fruit.

Have a good one.

[contessa20]

Day 49!

I feel like I've done nothing but eat and sleep all day long. It's been all raw, of course, but :eek:.


Breakfast
3-melon salad

Lunch
green salad w/raw ranch
1 persimmon
1 banana

Dinner
carrots w/raw ranch
strawberry banana ice cream

[winsomehill]

I had a great day today. My tabouli was fabulous. I made the zuch hummus super easy and delicious dipped red peppers into it. The only fruit I had all day was in my green smoothie this morning....that's a first. I went for a jog. I just feel fantastic!
I had ordered a champion juicer, it's supposed to be here on Tuesday. I'm rethinking it, however, I might return it. I'm considering a vita-mixer instead.
I saw some great videos online that were really interesting. Here's one for other nubies like me:
http://rawfoodhowto.com/video-intro-to-raw-food.cfm
It was very informative.
~Heather

[Deenasmiles]

Day 16! Let's keep it going guys!
My friend made a huge salad for me with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and a homemade dressing. So good. Other than that, I've had loads of fruits (peaches, grapes, bananas, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries) and some nuts. I'm really satisfied.

[bowie]

welcome to day 16

[muddskipper]

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed the holiday. My trip to the mountains was so nice. Very serene, fresh air, outdoor jacuzzi... just awesome. I made almond milk for the first time and enjoyed that over nuts and raisins for breakfast with a smoothie for a mid-morning snack. Other than that, lots of fruit and salads galore.

Had some hummus and baba ghanouj (not raw) when we went out for dinner on the way home. It was the only thing on the menu w/o meat and happened to be vegan (fortunately). I felt sluggish last night as a result. Back home now and back on track!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday so far!

[muddskipper]

I don't have a dehydrator and won't be getting one until after taxes are paid :-/

There are some delicious treats I'm missing out on here and I'm wondering how long I'll be able to continue w/o a dehydrator. Anyone here in my shoes? If so, I'd love to know of a good recipe source to keep me going (lots of Alissa's call for a dehydrator).

[MiahTay]

Mudskipper - Na, you can be happily raw without a dehydrator. I don't use mine nearly as much as I thought I would and I did several months without one. Here is another site that has quite a few recipes and a lot of them do not require a dehydrator http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/03/this-blogs-recipe-index.html

Blessings,
Heather

[MiahTay]

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, the day just got away from me but it was all good :) ... plum and strawberry crepes for breakfast, zucchini pasta for lunch and a large salad w/ guacamole for dinner.

Today, I'm having a hard time getting rolling, I am definitely not experiencing any increase in energy yet. Food for today looks like:

Plum
GS
Celery with guacamole
Chocolate Shake
Large Salad

Have a GREAT raw day!

Blessings,
Heather

[muddskipper]

MiahTay- you rock, thanks for the great link! : ) I'll get one eventually to increase versatility, etc. but it's great to have some good recipes for now!

[sarahrjm]

hi guys! im poppin in smack in the middle! I am breaking my fast today, and figured the fasting thread was a good support system for me, so why not get to know everyone in this challenge!

I have been raw for about 7 months now, however, with many "eating issues", I still dont have things completely under control. Im an extreme overeater...trying to overcome that! I am going to work hard to post my daily intake here, ALL of it. I need to be honest with myself. HOWEVER, since I am breaking my fast today, i will be eating watermelon and juice, and will gradually work my way up to other things! ...........

:) looking forward to getting to know everyone ......Miahtay is the only one here I recognize!

[winsomehill]

I keep eating. Today is not such a good day. All raw. But, still too much I'm just anxious or something so I keep looking around for something to help me out. I had a yummy green smoothie, cashew cream over fruit, a lara bar, and an apple with peanut butter....not bad you say? It's only 1:30! Ugh. I'm going out for a run maybe I'll feel better after.

Mudskipper-
I don't have a dehydrator either. I think it's probably not an entirely bad thing for me to not have one, because the reality is my life is so busy I'm not sure I'll have that much time for doing things with it anyway. Let's both find a good recipe we haven't had yet try it out only using a blender or food processor (do you have both of those?), and compare notes sometime this week (no pressure).

~winsomehill

[muddskipper]

winsomehill- sounds like a great idea. I have the basics (blender, food processor), plus a Champion juicer! So I guess I'm not terribly deprived. Looking over some yummy recipes now!

[Deenasmiles]

Day 17! Just had a huge salad with mixed field greens, tomato, cucumber and alfalfa sprouts & homemade dressing (garlic, onion, almond pulp, olive oil, coconut oil, cucumber peel, sea salt, black pepper, chili pepper and agave nectar). <~ AWESOME

This morning I ate an entire cantaloupe for breakfast. It was so juicy and such a treat...my first melon on this raw journey. I also snacked on grapes, bananas and my trail mix (walnuts, raisins and coconut flakes) today.

I'm feeling pretty full, but I may eat some celery dipped in cashew butter and drink some almond milk later this evening! :)

[gritsnla]

Much better today, a good attitude helps. Breakfast was apples, raisins, honey and sun.seeds. Had dark cacao square. I banana and a handful of cashews. Looking at fajitas for supper. And if I need something sweet, still have some homemade granola cookies left.

Have a good one!

[green jeanie]

hi I am still in and going strong

gs this morning with hemp protein and celery and romaine
MACRO GREENS and stevia

Lunch was pretty gross actually

I blended cauliflower, cilantro, pecan nut butter, and garlic in the fp before i left for the gym

gross but a 12 hour day at work means I eat it anyway:rolleyes:

my workouts have been much better and i am feeling energetic again since I added more protein based meals

still not dropping any weight but I know i need to drop my calories before that happens for me

[Bela]

I am on day 5 of my second MC and just wanted to put out my intention that I will be joining the 30 day raw challenge as soon as I am done. I did several months of 100% raw before, but then the holidays came...then a 5 week work trip...pizza 3 times a week (damn those new yorkers and their fine tasting thin crusts!) so, needless to say, I am back and getting on track.
I'll see you all after my juice days are done.
Enjoy all that wonderful raw food!:)

[nHisTYME]

Still 100% Raw Living Foods here since Jan 1st 2009.

I enjoy...

Green smoothies - Fav is Mango/Banana/spinach

Raw food bars (Especially the yummy Hallelujah Arces Survival bars) (also Raw crunch bars) etc....

Enjoy fruit....Today had kiwi, strawberries,blueberries, pineapple, Rasberries, grapes, etc.. snacked on that all day during work.

I enjoy yummy RAW Chessey "Kale Chips" also can make them in Ranch or Spicy Habinario (Spelling?) Great for snacking!!! Crunchy and so tasty!

I enjoy a 100% Raw Sandwhiches made with Onion bread (100% Raw and made with dehydrator) and put on the Onion bread some slices of tomato, cucumber, italian spices on the tomato, a "seed" cheese spread made from seaseme seeds (taste like cheese) and spinach.... makes an AWESOME RAW sandwhich!! So so good!

Also enjoy some Pizza chips... 100% Raw chips with a Pizza taste (all made w/ dehydrator) and can make something like a tasty potato skin too all 100% Raw using a dyhrator.... You can make soooooo many good yummy foods with a Dehydrator, (I never knew this before!)

Sometimes I have a Chocolate pudding (100% raw) and sooooo god!

I do not even feel I am on any diet or RAW! I have Cheeseburgers, Blueberry Ice Cream, salads, Sandwhichs, Kale chips, Raw Cakes and cookies, Many different various Smoothies, Trailmix, fruits, raw bars, Raw spagetti, raw snacks, and so much more I can not remember.....

I have 2 very good friends, one local and one out of state (we keep in touch all the time) and they will make things and send to me, the local friend drops by my work often and brings me different things they make (I let them use my 9 tray Excaliber Dehydrator) They LOVE to prepare Raw foods and I do not have the time working 80 - 100 hrs a week, so it really helps me to keep raw until things slow down and I can learn to prepare some of these on my own.

I'm down to 165 lbs, just bought 4 pairs of new jeans (size 33 waist) last month and already they are becoming loose. Glad I didn't buy too many, in a few months I may need to buy again as I tone up and continue to loose more weight. It is coming off slowly and steadily. I have SO MUCH ENERGY!!!!! More than I had doing 85% Raw... Going 100% makes a big difference...PLUS I think I was eating ALOT more cooked than 15% if the truth were know.

[bowie]

welcome to day 17

[muddskipper]

Today is a good day so far, although I feel I'll crash at some point on the 6.5 hours of sleep I got last night (I usually require more), but I guess we'll see! Yesterday's meals didn't go as planned but were still yummy. I had planned on marinara over angel hair zucchini pasta and then realized I had no tomatoes. I made a salad instead, quickly, and sliced up an avocado on top. It's amazing how much meatier and satisfying a salad can be when you add avocado!

Yesterday:
----------
2 bananas, 6 clementines
snacked on nuts and dates
very large salad for lunch (Whole Foods salad bar)
apple
salad with romaine, red bell peppers, shredded carrots and avocado
banana soft-serv with Alissa's strawberry topping (I added crushed raw almonds on top and a little agave nectar)

The dessert was such a wonderful treat! And the cool part about this new way of living is how it influences others in the household (I try very hard not to push my beliefs on people but appreciate the support I'm getting). My meat-eating boyfriend is suddenly asking for large salads, fresh fruit and veggies. And his 11-yr. old daughter (we all live together) gets so excited and always asks for fresh veggies when I'm preparing something and gets very excited about banana ice cream. Last night they had a chicken dinner and she said "no fair! I want fresh fruit and vegetables too!!" I told her she could have all of the fresh fruit and veggies she wanted : ) So great to see kids wanting to eat well. It's a refreshing change from the candy she usually craves after dinner! She's now eating fruit instead, every night!! : )

[MiahTay]

muddskipper - you are welcome for the link. It is fantastic that your bf and his dtr are trying and liking raw! Kids loving it is so inspiring. My children are currently cleaning the juicer ... they just cleaned out the fridge and made juice for breakfast ;).

sarahrjm - Welcome and good to see you. I have fasted successfully several times but have yet to successfully break a fast. I fight eating issues also. Raw is the only thing that works for me.

Food for today:
Whatever was in the fridge juice (I'm sure it's all fruit since the kids made it)
Contessa's Fajitas
Small smoothie for snack
Large salad
Maybe some banana ice cream with strawberry topping (if the kids didn't just use all the berries!).

Blessings,
Heather

[Deenasmiles]

Hey all! Day 18 for me!
Today I had a big glass of water with some ACV to cleanse.
Ate a few bananas. I also just finished off a nice bowl of homemade raw cereal w/ berries and almond milk. My SAD friends were moaning over how great it looked and tasted.
I'm not feeling very hungry, but I think I'll make some more Romaine lettuce wraps later.

eta: so I just ate 4 romaine lettuce wraps (alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado, black pepper, chili pepper and sea salt, with lemon)
Those were fantastic.

I'm still feeling peck-ish (not hungry tho) so I may make a fruit salad (strawberry, blueberry, kiwi, apple and banana), drink some tea and call it a night.

[muddskipper]

Wow, MiahTay- sounds like you've got some great help!

OK, so... I just went to Whole Foods to pick up a few items during my lunch hour and can I just say YUM to the flax krisps I bought (100% raw of course). The flavor is herb garden. My goodness, it's amazing how delicious these are and how many vegetables I can pick out in the flavor.

Which is interesting. I shared a few of these crackers with some coworkers and they thought they had a funny after-taste. At that point I realized just how much my palate is changing. With each bite I could taste bursts of sun-dried tomato, celery, carrots, parsley. No after-taste whatsoever for me, just blissfully delicious.

Anyway, I thought I would share that. Amazing how quickly the palate adapts.

Drinking some Kombucha now but I bought some wheat berries so I can try my hand at Rejuvelac soon.

[Ravani]

Day 57 for me and it's all getting easier. I learned (after VERY much practice) how to make and cut nori rolls. Now I know I can stay 100% raw forever! No joke -- it was really getting to me that I couldn't cut them and I had to try to rip it apart with my teeth like it was beef jerky. I usually was doing this while with customers in the SAD cafe I work at.

I also made Alissa's rye bagel and I REALLY liked it. It's the first bread thing I made that came out with bread-like consistency.

For today: fruit smoothie
nori rolls with veggies
salad
maybe corn chips and salsa for dinner
raw hazelnut truffles (yum!)

Have a great day everyone!

Ravani

[gritsnla]

Into the second half and all is well! Breakfast after workout was a banana and two palm-fulls of cashews. That's all I was in the mood for. Lunch is some more Countessa's fajita mix....which seems to be making the rounds..why?because they are yummy! May be doing a GS for supper due to work schedule. And of course, some homemade granola cookies.

Have good one!

[rawchic]

good morning! I had a great weekend, but I am glad to be back at home now. I love to travel, but it always feels so nice to be home :)

This morning I had a big bowl of grapes and for lunch I'm meeting a couple of friends at a juice bar. Not sure what kind of juice I will get...I'm thinking some kind of green juice. maybe cucumber, celery, spinach & apple.

tonight I'm making zucchini noodles & mushrooms w/ sun-dried tomato sauce

Have a great day!

[MiahTay]

Contessa20 - The fajita marinade is FANTASTIC, we only let ours sit for less than an hour and it was still great, I can hardly wait to taste it later! Both myself and my children loved it. My ds and I rolled ours in a cabbage leaf and my dd rolled hers in a Green Leaf lettuce wrap. SOoooo good. Thanks.

Blessings,
Heather

[MiahTay]

Into the second half and all is well! Breakfast after workout was a banana and two palm-fulls of cashews. That's all I was in the mood for. Lunch is some more Countessa's fajita mix....which seems to be making the rounds..why?because they are yummy! May be doing a GS for supper due to work schedule. And of course, some homemade granola cookies.

Have good one!

Care to share your granola cookie recipe?

Blessings,
Heather

[gritsnla]

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=47040

hope the link works. If not, the thread title is "Juicing pulp granola bars".

[muddskipper]

:) I'm all of a sudden very happy. My first burst of utter bliss. No idea why but not complaining. Hoping to pass some of it along to you all!

[contessa20]

Contessa20 - The fajita marinade is FANTASTIC, we only let ours sit for less than an hour and it was still great, I can hardly wait to taste it later! Both myself and my children loved it. My ds and I rolled ours in a cabbage leaf and my dd rolled hers in a Green Leaf lettuce wrap. SOoooo good. Thanks.

Blessings,
Heather

I'm so glad you're all enjoying it! :) It's one of my favorite dishes too.

[winsomehill]

I need some of Mudskippers positive energy today. Feeling a little like I need something, not sure what. I'm having wicked cravings at the moment. I found a raw food meetup group nearby, and might be attending a potluck this weekend. I'm looking forward to connecting with some other raw foodies. I'm playing with the idea of doing a pesto something for dinner. We'll see....

[green jeanie]

yeah yeah yeah!!!

my sun warrior protein came today!!!!

bye bye fatty nuts and gritty hemp!!!

hello gorgeous tone muscles!!!:D

[muddskipper]

I wanted to make Alissa's marinara for dinner and I left the book at work!! Can anyone quickly pass along that recipe? I've got it all out and ready to go : (

[muddskipper]

nevermind... maybe it's not a good idea to post those recipes here since it's in her book. I'll improvise!

[MiahTay]

Oh my! We ended the day with banana "soft serve" out of the champion juicer with strawberry sauce and chocolate sauce ... MMmmmmm.

Blessings,
Heather

[bowie]

welcome to day 18

[muddskipper]

Last night's dinner was tasty. The marinara I came up with wasn't half bad. The smoothie I had after dinner, however, was delicious!


1 frozen banana
Handful of raspberries
2 clementines
1T agave nectar
½ cup water


It was very simple, but very yummy. Also, I got some wheat grass from the store yesterday (I'll start growing my own today) and juiced a handful with my mortar and pestle this morning. I've heard such great things about wheat grass so I decided to integrate this into my diet. Any thought/comments or experiences with wheat grass are welcomed. I'm totally new to this.

Had a lovely seaweed bath last night that put me right to sleep! figured it would help with the whole detox process. Did a dry-brushing beforehand.

Today's food is looking like:


wheatgrass juice (~1/3-1/2 cup)
handfull raspberries, a kiwi and banana
flax crisps
angel hair pasta with marinara
clementines, apple
large salad
banana ice cream


Hope everyone's having a great day so far! This is day 11 for me. Wow. I can't believe how fast time is passing!!

[winsomehill]

Today I start my work week so I'm going somewhat simple.
Green smoothie
kiwi
lara bar
left over tabouli
salad
more or less that's it.
Tomorrow I won't be posting but it will resemble today less the tabouli add an apple with peanut butter.
Have a good couple of days.
~Heather

[gritsnla]

Everything's going well! Started off with some cantelope this morning. The plan for the day is a GS and the coleslaw I made yesterday.

Short but sweet!

Have a good one!

[muddskipper]

So my friends are excited and intrigued by this 'whole raw thing I'm doing'. So, I'm going to have them over for a raw dinner in a couple of weeks. Working on the menu now (will include dessert). They'll bring some organic wine.

I'm open to any 'crowd-pleaser' suggestions! I may just make the date nut torte for dessert (so good).

[Deenasmiles]

Day 19!
Just woke up and ate a banana, kiwi and a mini-larabar.
I really don't know what I'm gonna eat later. I'm not craving anything in particular.
I'm out of fruit, so I may go out and buy some mango and clementines.

I'll come back and edit later tonight with what I consumed.

ETA: I had a bit of a slip up in the evening.
I had a huge salad (romaine lettuce, mixed greens, cucumber, onion, tomato, red bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper)
*Ate some cooked food from a potluck - not a full meal, but still not raw
Then I ate a banana, a few kiwis and a few apples.

So for the 1st time on this challenge, i think I was 90% raw...not the full 100%

[rawchic]

I got my new juicer yesterday so I made apple/pear juice. Yum! then I blended the pulp w/ a banana & dehydrated it into fruit leathers. Also yum!

This morning I had a smoothie with banana, orange, blueberries, spinach and parsley.

for lunch I'm having a salad w/ asparagus, sunchokes, mushrooms and snow peas.

tonight I'm going to make juice w/ apple, pear, spinach & parsley.

[green jeanie]

happy human!!!!!!!!!!!

got my sunwarrior protein yesterday. and i feel soooooo much better. This has always been the raw deal breaker for me....the protein. I know I have read it all believe me but for MY BODY protein works wonders

and i am feeling wonderful. even did my short after-work work-out last night for the first time since this vegan mission. My craving for nuts is gone. I am not over-eating.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

so today,

green smoothie with celery, cilantro, stevia and protein

lunch red cabbage with spirulina and protein and a handful of walnuts

dinner cauliflower cous cous with tomatoes, parsley and peper



I had been skeptical there for a minute if i could make this work and the whole "just go raw" attitude but it's true...I am over the hump of craving my dairy yogurt and kefir and have dropped the sugar madness and now balance seems to reign again

love to you all:D

[contessa20]

Day 52!

I haven't been posting on the challenge threads much this week but I'm still here. I've been posting everything on my RFT blog though to keep myself accountable.

This morning I woke up feeling totally alive and ready to meet the day. I was up at 5am sharp (didn't even hit the snooze once) and had my email checked, 2 loads of laundry done, last night's dishes washed and some yoga done before the sun had even made an appearance. Usually, while I love my early mornings, I'm pretty slow to acclimate to them. It was such a great feeling!

I've been liquids fasting all day and I'm still feeling amazing. So far I've had a little bit of a spinach/berry/persimmon green smoothie, the water from one young Thai coconut and a lot of water. A couple of hours ago I had started to feel kind of light-headed and hungry. I decided to listen carefully to my body and determined that what it wanted was the coconut water. Almost immediately after drinking it the light-headedness and hunger went away and my energy skyrocketed. If I can find a place to buy the young Thai coconuts by the case I'm going to try a coconut water fast.

Food today:
little bit of a spinach/berry/persimmon green smoothie
water from 1 young Thai coconut

[green jeanie]

hey contessa

up to you if you are fasting but otherwise

one of my favorite favorite favorite drinks is coconut water and meat with spirulina.....blend for a few minutes and it will get really thick

it will give you that same happy high:D

[contessa20]

hey contessa

up to you if you are fasting but otherwise

one of my favorite favorite favorite drinks is coconut water and meat with spirulina.....blend for a few minutes and it will get really thick

it will give you that same happy high:D

Hm... that sounds like an interesting combination.
I don't have any spirulina and I've never tried it but I plan to at some point. When I do finally get some I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the tip. :)

[green jeanie]

when i first discovered it i used to bring friends into my kitchen to stand next to the blender in excited anticipation of the ambrosia we were about to drink

stevia is a good addition as well

cheers!

[Everchanging]

Green Jeanie-You can juice wheat grass with a mortar and pestle? That's so awesome! Do you need to get a really heavy gritty one?

[bowie]

welcome to day 19

[muddskipper]

Everchanging - that was me with the wheatgrass. And yes, you can use a mortar and pestle. It doesn't have to be gritty, but the heavier, the better. I imagine the gritty ones would speed up the process.

I just put a small handful in there and add a little water, just enough to cover, and pound away! Mine is not really gritty, but if you have one that is, you can also scrub it into the grit a bit. I pour the juice through a sieve, return the greens to the mortar, add a little more water and pound again until the grass begins to lose its color.

[muddskipper]

Hope everyone's having a great day so far.

House is on the market so we went to Sweet Tomato's last night b/c of a house showing. I had a very large salad with some herb vinegar.

Today's meals are looking like:


wheatgrass juice upon waking (~1/2 cup)
sliced banana, crushed mac. nuts, chopped dates and raisins, all covered with almond milk (I added some agave nectar when making the milk)
Apple and some nuts
small salad for lunch (department lunch today)
clementines
large salad with avocado for dinner
banana


I'm feeling better each day. Still tired in the mornings and at the end of the day. Hopefully this will go away soon. I should start exercising, hopefully that will help.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

[Ravani]

Feels so awkward to write on here that I usually don't. And yet, I so enjoy and need to see many posts here. I better take responsibility for my part....

For today:

orange smoothie (not very sweet oranges)
banana bread with walnut butter and raspberry jam
large salad with avacado
corn chips

I think that's how the food looks today.

Best wishes for your day --

Ravani

[MrsJ]

Can I join in mid-month? (=

Today's meals:
Smoothie with almond milk, fruit/veggie juices and ice
2 grapefruits + agave
Salad with vinegrette
Cereal bar
@#$% and veggies

[rawchic]

yep, you can join anytime! Welcome :)

after work I made a juice with apple, pear, spinach & parsley. Then I took the pulp and mixed it with flax seed and dehydrated it into crackers. I had those for Breakfast this morning - really good!

last night for dinner I had kelp noodles w/ asparagus, snow peas, orange pepper, and sunchokes.

I'm going out to lunch w/ some coworkers, so I'll be having some sort of salad.

I get my CSA box tonight, and I have cucumbers & celery coming - I'm excited to put them into a juice.

[muddskipper]

What are sunchokes? I seem to hear a lot about these. Are these like artichokes left in the sun or something?

[Deenasmiles]

Day 20!!! Ten more days :)
I think my body is craving sweets.
I ate 2 kiwis followed by at least 6 apples so far.
I don't really want anything else. But I know I must get my greens in, so I'll be eating a large salad later.

ETA: OMG, I just made the most awesome Nori rolls! I made my version of Ani Phyo's Almond Ginger Nori Rolls. I just uploaded a video about them to my raw youtube channel.

YUM!

ETA (again): just warmed up some of my coconut curry carrot soup in the dehydrator. Along with that, I've eaten about 10 or so clementines and a handful of goji berries.

[rawchic]

sunchokes are also called Jerusalem artichokes. They are nothing like regular green artichokes at all. They look kind of like mis-shaped potatoes. They are crisp & juicy and have a little bit of a nutty flavor. I had never heard of them until they came in my CSA box a while ago. I'm hooked on them now!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke

[green jeanie]

feeling great!!!

woke up at 4 am and mediated for an hour and then slept in til 9am

lucky!

woke up with lots of energy to exercise but instead did house projects and ate waaaaaaaaay to many brazil nuts.

i am loosening the knot but look forward to the day i don't do this addictive stuff anymore!!!

otherwise, i am grateful and so thankful to be 100%

[gritsnla]

A good day! Early work this morning so made my GS first. Had a Raw Organic Cinnamon Raisin bar. Two palms of raisins. Two T. cashew butter fudge. Fajita mix for supper tonite with gauc. If I'm still hungry maybe some of the almost gone homemade granola cookies.

Have a good one!

[czpinky]

today was pretty good food-wise.
B-GS w/ spinach, mango, 2 bananas, and coconut oil
L-2 apples, almonds, and another banana
S-2 oranges and some pineapple
D-avocado, tomato, red pepper, and some mushrooms
I also had like 10 dried figs after! o well, i'm a growing girl! lol

[bowie]

welcome to day 20

[muddskipper]

So last night I had a HUGE salad for dinner (red-leaf, romaine, dandelion greens, red onion, tomato, carrot and sesame-ginger dressing). It was de-lish. I made a small (1/2d Alissa's recipe) date nut torte. So yummy. I only ate half of the half-recipe. Eating the other tonight after dinner.

Today I'm not really hungry this morning for some reason. My meals are looking like:

2 bananas, water
large salad for lunch
2 apples, 3 clementines
? not sure about dinner yet
date nut torte

As a sidenote, I'm wearing jeans today (that actually have room to spare) that I could not even pull on (with all my might) 2 weeks ago!! I tried them on just to see... and they slide right on! They fit better than ever : )

[MrsJ]

Way to go Skipper!

Last night my husband picked up fast food. This is DEFINITELY going to be a transition. \-:

But this morning is great, I'm having a smoothie and then I'm going to pick up some grapefruit and bring it over to my aunts. She's probably going to make us a REAL GS, since she has a VitaMix.

I have to run to the store and get some things and as soon as I get my paycheck, I'm going to order some Cacao and other fun Raw stuff!!!

[rawchic]

last night I had a citrus salad for dinner: spinach, grapefruit & orange sprinkled with flax seed.

Then after dinner I made banana ice cream (just put frozen bananas in the food processor with a tiny bit of water and some cinnamon) and topped it with fresh blueberries. So good that I made a second bowl. Sadly, I ate all the blueberries so none for today.

This morning I had two apples and some coconut water for breakfast. For lunch I'm going to have another citrus salad.

not sure what is for dinner tonight...I'm thinking apple/carrot/beet salad (just put all those in the food processor and then put on a bed of spinach).

have a great Friday!

[MelissaO]

I have been terrible at my posting lately. So busy with my neices and the family but I am still here and still raw. Today I have a little time to myself so I can try and catch up on my computer stuff.

Breakfast:
Personal sized watermelon

Snack:
Drank 1 young coconut and tried to eat some of the meat however it was pretty thick and hard to get out (normally the meat inside is pretty thin but this one surprised me)


Lunch was the most awesome mango/avocado salad I have ever had - recipe is from a wonderful women on facebook Solla Eiriks (I always like to post credit were is it due). Here is the recipes if anyone cares to try it. I did not have any jalapeno so I used a dash of cayenne pepper. I am not a fan of avocado but in this dish I could not even taste it.

4 mangoes, cut into cubes
2 avocadoes, cut into cubes
1 cucumber, cut into cubes
½ red onion, minced
½ cup cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp lime juice
½ small jalapeno chili, minced
Dash sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.




Dinner will be a salad made up romaine lettuce, my mung sprouts are ready so I will add them and tomato.


I hope eveyone is having a wonderful day!

[gritsnla]

Sounds like everyone is doing great! I love reading the posts of what others are having....puts ideas in my head. Like mango-avo salad, sounds delish.

Running low on things. But from breakfast up to and including lunch I had 5 bananas. Had some coleslaw with sun.seeds sprinkled on top. Later 3 brazil nuts. And yet later some cantelope. Not sure about supper yet. Still some colesalw left or haven't had a GS yet. But going to keep it raw!

Have a good one!

[green jeanie]

lovin it raw

green smoothie for breakfast with celery parsley and kale, and raw protein powder with stevia

spinach salad with tomato and zukes and walnuts

lost 3 lbs!!! yeah

[Everchanging]

Was in Chicago visiting my Mom, took a little hiatus. Went to a raw restaurant there, Cousins, which is really awesome. Posting what I eat was helping before so I will start again now :)

B- 2 bananas, 2 Tbls almond butter, some raisins and gojis
Snack-Juice with cucumber, red pepper, carrot
L- salad with pumpkin seed dressing, sprouted rye sticks
D-? Really liked the pumpkin seed dressing, may eat that again with more veggies

I'm dehydrating soaked pumpkin & sunflower seed and almond with apple granola. It smells so good with the apple. It looks good too, I chopped it all in the food processor and put salt and cinnamon on top.

[TanjaJo]

HI raw friends...still here...seems like I get on here so late all of the time I don't bother even posting. I am running out of salad dressing ideas. I will have to look thru Alissa's book...seems to be my favorite thing still, just the salads.

I juiced tonight my favorite green cocktail - celery, cucumbers, green apples, and parsley.

Green smoothie for breakfast, as usual. Hmmmm...nothing much more exciting to report...I'm getting stale here.

Will probably take oranges, and the raw cheese nips for work tomorrow and have a green smoothie for breakfast.

Take care everyone, have a great day tomorrow....T.

[ladyg]

As a sidenote, I'm wearing jeans today (that actually have room to spare) that I could not even pull on (with all my might) 2 weeks ago!! I tried them on just to see... and they slide right on! They fit better than ever : )

Wow, congratulations! Is that ever encouraging to read!!

I'm chomping at the bits to join you guys tomorrow for the rest of the month and then a full 30 in March. I love reading what you're eating every day!! WTG!

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/indigo_silk/1%20Smileys/smiley_two_thumbs_up.gif

[bowie]

welcome to day 21 - week 3

[rawfifi]

not my first time raw - but really enjoying it this time

I am in a total purge state of mind - selling and donating a MAJOR part of my posessions and examining relationships and things that just aren't working for me anymore

and it feels sooooooooooooooo good

it is just so great to witness myself letting go of so many things I have clung to for years and years....it is SO TRUE that our attachments to things and people are the cause of our suffering

good bye good bye good bye...it's time to make each day the best I possibly can

and free of toxic people, foods and notions!!

[MrsJ]

Yesterday was so-so, I got to enjoy to small GS's from my aunts VitaMix. Yumyum!

Today we had our own GS version with our Magic Bullet. I still have a couple of weeks left of whey proteins...then I'm going to splurge and buy some 100% raw organic sprouted brown rice protein as well as some Hemp protein.

My smoothie was green juices, strawberry, agave, ice, whey and water.

I'm planning on making a huge fruit salad for lunch with a 1/2 of an avocado.

[green jeanie]

my tight jeans are not so tight today!
:D

[green jeanie]

100% raw organic sprouted brown rice protein


where are you getting this...i have sun warrior but it is not organic

[ladyg]

my tight jeans are not so tight today!
:D

Awesome!! Work it girl.


I am in a total purge state of mind - selling and donating a MAJOR part of my posessions and examining relationships and things that just aren't working for me anymore

Rawfifi, I'm almost to that place. Funny how those things cling to tight to our hearts. And most so meaningless. I'm so happy for you!!

[MrsJ]

My bad, I thought Sun Warrior was organic. You have it? Is it good?

[green jeanie]

it is AWESOME

i just got it this week and i truly believe it is what i have been waiting for to stay thriving on raw!!!!

i have a trainer and have been lifting 3 times a week. as soon as i gave up my yogurt/kefir at the beginning of this month (otherwise, I was 100%)
i stopped losing weight and stopped building nice muscle tone

i am more energized, balanced, have fewer cravings and lost 3 lbs this week after a 3 week plateau

it blends well, tastes good, and they are a reputable company :D:D:D

[gritsnla]

The Brown Rice Protein sounds intersting. I have just started ChaLean Extreme lifting weights and am hungry all the time. Don't want to eat a lot of nut based things. I will have to check into this.

Today I had cantelope for breakfast. Raw cinnamon roll later. A GS later on. Unsure about what will be for supper. Made carrot raisin salad earlier, but it may not have marinated long enough to be soft enough for me. Will see. But whatever, I am going to keep it raw!

Have a good one!

[Everchanging]

I use the SunWarrior rice protein in fruit smoothies, but that has bad food combining side effects for me (hemp protein is fine though). Any other ideas of what I can mix in it? Maybe just a simply shake with almond milk would be good. I wonder if there is any way I can use it if for a raw soup...

B-bananas and raw granola
snack-lara bar
lunch-salad with pumpkin seed dressing
?????

[green jeanie]

I know it does seem like it would make some kind of interesting "flour" for things

i don't do a lot of fruit so haven't had that issue

today was a funny day had a smoothie in the morning with swp, celery and stevia

then made a batch of brownies for my friend who was cleaning my windows

it was my first time having sweets or chocolate in a looooooong time
whoa RICH, and DELISH!!!!!

that's pretty much what i ate for the day as well as 2 bell peppers

this thread is about to save me some regret because i just got home at 10 pm and am starting to dip my finger into the dressing i made him for his salad at lunch with ROASTED tahini

now i am accountable to 30 days again.....and it goes straight back in the fridge! awesome! thanks!

[bowie]

welcome to day 22

[Deenasmiles]

Thanks for keeping this thread open!
I did a bit of traveling for a weekend trip, but I was still 100% raw!
This was Day 21 for me!
i packed, goji berries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, apples and a crate of clementines...as well as my trail mix (walnuts and raisins). I usually carry fruits and nuts on small trips cuz they give me quick energy and a full feeling without having to rely on kitchen appliances and such.

[Deenasmiles]

Day 22!
This was the big test day!
I attended a joint birthday dinner for 2 of my friends and it was held at a very nice buffet!
People spent most of the entire dinner talking about me and my willpower to pass up all of that good-looking, good-smelling, good-tasting cooked food!!!

I kinda winced when I saw the lamb, Indian chicken and chocolate cake, but after the initial shock, I was fine...and didn't crave it at all...still don't.

At the start of the day, I ate grapes, blueberries and strawberries (by the pint), as well as my trail mix. They pretty much kept me satisfied until dinner that evening.

At the buffet, I had a large salad (romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, sunflower seeds, etc.) and a plate of cantaloupe and pineapple slices. Pretty good!

[Deenasmiles]

Day 23 for me!
Happy Sunday ya'll!
1 more week for me!

This morning, I've just had an apple so far. I've woken up late after a long Saturday night, so I'm not really hungry right now.

I'll head home this evening, after an eventful weekend trip. So I expect to have my first green smoothie in 3 days. A huge salad with all my faves will also be a nice change.

I've been snacking on strawberries and Goji berries.

I'll come back to update what I have later.

Cheers!

[winsomehill]

This is day 20 for me. I haven't posted for a few days...been really busy.
Last night I went to my raw food potluck. It was great! I met some really interesting people and compared raw food notes with them. And....got to eat a variety of really yummy raw food recipes! It was super fun. I made a recipe off rawepicurean.net. It was butternut squash ground up in a food processor with the S blade. Then mixed with onion, cilantro, walnuts, dried cranberries, cumin, coriander, and salt. It was delicious! I was so surprised that butternut squash could be so delicious raw! I'm getting ready to go on a small three day vacation with some friends and am planning my raw food survival strategies. I also just got a food dehydrator and was going to try marinated portabella's in it. Can't wait 'til I get this whole thing down enough to start experimenting. I'm feeling good now. The last three days feel like my body has finally adjusted. Thank goodness.
~Heather

[Bela]

Aloha everybody,

I just finished a Master Cleanse and am now starting the raw challenge. Looking forward to swapping stories with all of you:)
I still feel a little toxic since I couldn't cleanse for as long as I wanted to (9 days, but wanted to go 20) due to the fact that I am training for the LA marathon and have to do 15 miles runs and up every Saturday. At least I got some of the toxins out!
I am planning to get out a few more as I return to raw. I was doing great in the raw food department until finals at school (ate whatever is fast and satisfying), holiday's (pumpkin pie for breakfast!), and a 5 week work trip to NYC (pizza!!!). I am so glad to be here right now as I embark on the road to raw. For all of the food out there, raw is the only thing that feels this good, and I want that back.
Have a wonderful raw day!

[mattshor]

Hey All,
It's nice to be back from vacation, though I will say that I had an amazing time. There were some bumps and challenges on the way, and the biggest part of them was the fact that in the back of my mind I had the mentality: I'm going to let it slide, I'm on vacation.

Some lessons learned:
- taking "vacations" from eating right makes me feel worse, not better. Not worth it.
- My body adjusts to raw faster and more pleasantly than it adjusts to cooked. Retox is way worse than detox
- I really like being raw! I was excited to come back home and have a green smoothie and half a grapefruit and zucchini pasta with marinara. More excited I think than I even was for the cooked things that I thought I'd been craving on vacation. Cooked food I crave for the emotions that I have identified with it. Raw food I crave for the way it makes my body feel. I can satisfy my emotional needs without eating cooked.

[winsomehill]

mattshor-
I'm grateful for the advice (retox worse than detox) before I head off on vacation with some of my SAD buddies! Hopefully I'll stick to my program.
~Heather

[mattshor]

Good luck! And no matter what, remember that it is a process--whatever happens learn from it. If there are challenges don't let them make you miserable. Do your best and enjoy your vacation.

~~~~güd råw møjø~~~~

[contessa20]

Day 56!

Yesterday we went to Lancaster to see CATS live and I had a blast!!!!! Initially I was a little concerned about what I would eat since it's not an area known for healthy options but it all went just fine. Because I wasn't hungry in the morning I didn't have anything for breakfast. At lunch I had an okay but not great dry salad from the salad bar plus a banana that I had in my purse. For dinner I had a green salad with a little oil and vinegar plus a lara bar. Dinner was hard since it was at Cracker Barrel (a former favorite restaurant) but the salad, despite being plain, was actually really good.

Today I went to the Asian market and found a durian. It didn't smell nearly as horrible as I've heard and the taste wasn't terrible either. I ended up blending some of it into a vanilla custard and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

As of this morning I've released a total of 19 lbs. on raw. :eek::):D I've noticed that I've been eating pretty simply... lots of whole fruits. I haven't had much of a desire to make any recipes, which is actually great for a lot of reasons.

Food today:
2 bananas
kiwi
durian custard
open-faced portabello sandwich (portabello, 1/2 avocado, sliced tomato, purple onion)

[green jeanie]

salad for breakfast

amazing hike!!!!!


salad for lunch


amazing life!!!!!!

[bowie]

welcome to day 23

[mattshor]

Morning everyone!
Started off the day with a GS of Kale, Avocado, Pineapple, and Coconut. Was going for a green Piña Colada type flavor. Well, the creaminess and texture could not be beat, but I think next time I need more pineapple and a little less greens. It is more lawn-with-piña-colada-aftertaste. Not exactly decadent, but yummy.

Lunch today is angel hair summer squash with marinara, some of the pineapple sundae with shredded coconut on top and I threw in a banana, apple, and blood orange in case I get peckish.

I think I may start making it a point to always have a container of some pâté on hand. Spread on celery sticks it does a great job of satisfying any cravings that I have for savory, and it really "sticks to your ribs".

Other than that, going through a massive detox mucus dump. My nose is runny, my ears are congested and I'm coughing up a lot of gankiness. Well, get it on out then! Fenugreek is really helping pull it all out. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be back on my a-game.

[muddskipper]

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty busy, so I didn't really have any time to post. I ate a lot of salads this weekend and made Alissa's spinach dip for the first time- yum! If only I had a dehydrator so I could make some tortilla chips...

Also, I tried my hand at sprouting this weekend with some barley and sunflower seeds. It's so easy!! I'm using the barley in my morning cereal (with almond pieces, apple, banana, sunflower seeds, chopped dates and almond milk). I made enough almond milk to last a few days.

Today's a good day so far, getting back into the swing of things at work.

Mattshor- sorry you're not feeling up to par but it's great to hear you're clearing all of that gunk out!! I'm sure you'll feel great after that's over with. Also- I totally agree with keeping pates on hand, etc. I'm finding that I am quite the snacker!

[tvillemom]

Hi everyone!! I'm still in the challenge! I just wanted you all to know that I'm on a 14 day MC and then juice and smoothies for another 7....so a total of 21 days of cleansing!

Please forgive me for not reading everyone's posts. I don't want my mind to start thinking about food! I wish you all the best! Keep up the good work!

Have a Blessed day!!

[MrsJ]

B: Smoothie with banana, fruit juice, flax and PP

L: ******, 2 grapefruits, 5 strawberries and 1/3 of a cuc.

S: planning on having a GS

D: ******* and a huge salad.

KISSES! Have a great day!

[rawfifi]

I think this is my seventh day of re-rawing and I have SO MUCH ENERGY!!

amazing! I am not really hungry. funny enough. had a GS with spinach and pear today and it was so lawn-like...more fruit next time

for the past few meals I have only wanted summer squash spaghetti, guacamole and tomato sauce

I guess that won't kill me...I have never been a sweet fruit person

I find this really easy to do and the physical and emotional cleansing is outstanding! More than my posessions have been sold or given away this month-the raw lifestyle is so clean and simple...I'm psyched!

[MrsJ]

Fifi, I find that my GS are much sweeter with a banana and some agave/stevia.

[rawchic]

I had a good weekend - Saturday I mostly had juice. Carrot, apple, beet, ginger and spinach. Then cucumber, celery, fennel, spinach, cilantro, apple and lemon. The second one I made two jars of and then had one for b-fast on Sunday.

I then blended the pulp with some ground flax seed and dehydrated it into crackers. I had some left, so I put it into lettuce wraps with some tahini and topped it with diced red peppers and sunchokes. That was dinner both Sat & Sun.

Sunday I was at a family gathering for lunch and had a nice big salad. I took a raw strawberry/apple crisp with me for dessert. Everyone loved it!

Today I am water fasting. It wasn't really planned, but all of a sudden last night I had an urge to water fast today. I don't know where it was stemming from, but I'm listening to my body.

[bowie]

welcome to day 24

[mattshor]

Morning folks!
Really blah morning, had a very hard time getting out of bed. Things are somewhat improving though! I had a big bowl of Alissa's buckwheat porridge. I mixed in some raisins and shredded coconut. Delicious and super filling. If it had been oatmeal I would have inhaled it, as it was I ate maybe a cup in the car on the way to work and was very satisfied.

Lunch, I expect to have a green smoothie, and for dinner I think that I am going to make Pesto Lasagna.

[MrsJ]

B - Smoothie with mango juice, PP, 1/2 banana

S - 2 grapefruits with agave

[rawchic]

yesterday I water fasted during the day and then after work I went to yoga. It was an especially tough class, so when I got home I felt like I needed some nourishment. I had 2 bananas, 1 date & 1 pear. I was really proud of myself for only having 1 date. My body wanted some quick sugar, but I didn't need a lot because it was evening. I love dates, but they are addicting for me. Normally once I have one, I have 5 or 6 more. I made a conscious decision to only give my body how much it "needed," not what it "wanted."

Today I'm having juice - this morning is carrot, apple, beet & ginger; and then later I will have carrot, orange, beet & ginger. Almost the same...just oranges instead of apples.

[muddskipper]

The past 24 hours have been quite hectic! Last night I didn't have time to prepare dinner, so I just had 6 or 7 flax crackers with Alissa's spinach dip on them (yum). I had some Kombucha after that and an orange and some goji berries as a late snack.

Today:

Smoothie - banana, blueberries, almond milk
Larabar
kumquats
salad (with many veggies and sprouted sunflower seeds)
avocado (planned)
apple, orange (planned)
Alissa's gnocchi (planned)


I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! It's nice to hear how everyone's doing : )

[muddskipper]

Can anyone here share their detox experiences as they pertain to skin? I've had eczema my whole life, on and off, and all I've noticed was a little flare up (which hasn't happened in years) and then it went away completely.

As for my face- it seems a bit redder than normal (almost as if my skin is irritated- but it feels fine). Just curious to see what others may have experienced on the skin-side of things.

[gritsnla]

Just a quick check-in to log the intake.
Breakfast was a raw cinnamon roll and a banana.
GS for lunch.
Carrot raisin salad for supper.
I've got kiwi handy for snacking.

Have a good one.

[mattshor]

all in all my skin has improved. Before my little slip up last week all the little black heads on the side of my nose that have always been there since forever. They were gone! I've been having some little flare-ups here and there on my arms but nothing worth writing home about.

[Bela]

Doing well so far back in the raw! I am so in love with this way of eating, and am also excited about future results (trying to stay in the moment though:) I went off birth control pills 4 months ago (after being on them for 15 years with only one 3 month break in there) and ever since then my skin has been detoxing (yuck) and my food addictions have been stronger than my will. I am pretty sure that taking synthetic hormones for years is not good for the health:o so I am trying to get it all out of my body.
Here's to finding balance in life!

So far today:

B-GS with kale, romaine, banana, nectarine, macca, cacoa nibs, maple syrup
Lunch-Lara bar

[Deenasmiles]

Day 25! 5 more days for me!
It is 5pm and I'm just eating and drinking (a banana and a cup of tea) for the first time today. I feel neither hungry nor thirsty...which is very weird. I'm basically forcing myself to eat something just so that I don't get gas or a headache tonight. I have a meeting to attend.

I made some celery/cucumber soup that is chilling in the fridge now. That will be my supper after tonight's meeting. Nice and light and great-tasting!

[Deenasmiles]

Day 24! This was a VERY green day for me! I loved it!
I ate very little fruit.
For breakfast, I had a mango and 2 apples.
For lunch, I had 40 ounces of green smoothie (baby spinach, pint of strawberries, 2 bananas, grapes)
For supper, I ate 2 heaping salads with homemade chili dressing.

[bowie]

welcome to day 25

[muddskipper]

OK, so yesterday I had my first young thai coconut. It was AMAZING. I can see that I will have to keep these on hand quite regularly. I found them for $1.99 at the Asian market. I was almost able to eat all of the meat. What I could not finish I scraped out and put in my smoothie this morning (with pineapple and some almond milk).

I had Alissa's gnocchi for dinner last night and it was awesome. It really does taste like potato, with the texture of the avocado. I'm guessing that the acidity from marinara overrides any avocado taste, so you just get the texture. I'm having the second half tonight for dinner.

Last night I had an empty nest so I decided to give myself a spa night! I showered, gave myself a mani and pedi (minus polished- buffed my nails instead), facial (finishing with essential oil blend) and a fango mud bath. After that I watched the 2nd half of The Sound of Music by the fire and fell asleep. It was so serene! I think I'm going to do this once a month, if possible : )

Today's meals are looking like:


Pineapple / coconut smoothie (with almond milk- wish i had coco water here!)
Orange
Salad with lemon tahini dressing
Larabar
kombucha
kumquats
gnocchi with small side salad for dinner


Hope everyone's day is off to a good start!

[muddskipper]

I just saw all of your youtube posts- awesome and very inspiring! Keep it up : )

[mattshor]

Hey everyone!
Good start to my day. Got myself out of bed on time, had the time to have my breakfast and do a sudoku in the paper. It felt downright luxurious.
Still managing my somewhat grumpy mood, but it is improving a little bit.

breakfast:
Buckwheat porridge - sooooo filling
Lunch:
Kale, tomato and avocado salad
banana
blood orange

[rawchic]

last night when I got home from work I made a green veggie dip - in the food processor I just put an avocado, a handful of spinach, some broccoli, kelp, dulse, garlic, & shallots. It was really good!

For dessert I chopped up a banana, and added buckwheat grouts, dates, bee pollen, and pumpkin seeds. I ended up having a second bowl, which I really didn't need - but oh well.

This morning I had a bowl of grapes, an apple w/ spinach and flax seed, and a banana. (not all at the same time, spread throughout the morning)

For lunch I'm going to be at an offsite work meeting. I'm not sure what they are serving, but I'm assuming I won't want any of it. That's okay, there is a raw restaurant nearby that I will go to after the meeting. Yay!

When I get home I'm going to make a salad with my alfalfa sprouts that are done growing. I'm so excited - it's my first time growing sprouts, so I can't wait to try them! I have some fennel, orange pepper, cucumber & celery that I'll have them with.

Have a great day!

[MrsJ]

Breakfast: Smoothie with coconut oil, flaxseed, 1/2 banana, almond milk, PP, stevia, water and ice. Soo good!

Snack: planning on having 2 grapefruits in a little bit.

[gritsnla]

Things are going good. Breakfast was raw cinnamon roll and a banana. Think I will have my fajita mix for lunch and move my GS to supper time. Made some brownies, but didn't get the nuts ground fine enough, a little "gritty" and they look awful, but still pretty good. Hope to get a bigger and good quality food processor for my birthday next month.

Have a good one!


To edit: Had fajita mix again for supper. Didn't feel like a smoothie, maybe tomorrow.

[czpinky]

ugg. illness sucks sooooo much. i have a cold which came on hard yesterday and today. also, i am supposed to get my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow. i have been eating mostly fruit and drinking alot of water. i tried a remedy that i saw on here consisting of: 1 clove of garlic, 1 tbsp. honey, and a dash of cayenne...it hasn't seemed to have much effect on me so far. i think i'll take a bath soon and relax.
here's what i've eaten today:
juice of 2 apples, 1 carrot, a handful of spinach, and half a lemon
1 cup frozen cherries
1 frozen banana w/ carob+maca sauce
cold remedy thing...kinda gave me a tummy ache.
i probably won't eat much more today except some more fruit...maybe.
i'm sure i'll feel much better later today and hopefully tomorrow be near 100% for "surgery". peace!

[Conscious Midwife]

TODAY's LENT

and being the quasi PAGAN Uber Goddess Khemtic supernnatural quantum belief system RAWMASUTRA that I am I've decided to give up all foods that feel like, look like or taste like they just might kill my flesh.


Yeah so I'm RAW again, with a twist.

Added some daily rituals and a commitment to more smoochies to keep me distracted from all the unhealthy potential of junk vegetarian.


So today thus far...

Orange (the new green) Smoothie

CArrot Juice
Apple
Piece of Lemon
Frozen Bananas

Green leaf and olive salad

WATER

Will enjoy more salad and a green smothie tonight

[bowie]

welcome to day 26

[mattshor]

Good morning!
I think I am starting to come out of the massive detox that I've been in all week. This morning I finally woke up in a decent mood. Being done with my midterm certainly helps, and it wasn't the train wreck that I was expecting.

Breakfast:
Buckwheat Porridge (I LOVE this stuff!!!)
Green smoothie, but it was too strong, I'll re-blend it when I get home and have it for an afternoon snack.

Lunch:
Mushroom stuffed with mock salmon pâté
tomato, yellow pepper and avocado salad
2 bananas
some carrots

[muddskipper]

Wow- it's so amazing how time flies when you're eating well (at least for me, I can't really speak for everyone). I had just sort of stopped counting all together and just accepted that this is the new way of eating for me. I've really enjoyed it so far and can't imagine going back. I have had the occasional temptation when cooking for my boyfriend and his daughter, but it's only when I'm hungry. I find that after eating fresh good food, the cooked stuff doesn't seem nearly as appetizing.

So far today, my meals have been:

Smoothie: pineapple, coconut, almond milk, red leaf lettuce
munched on nuts and goji berries
Salad: (red leaf lettuce, red onion, carrots, sunchokes, radishes, sprouted barley and sprouted sunflower seeds.
5 flax crackers

Later:
Apple, Orange
nuts and gojis
gnocchi

Hope everyone's having a great day!

[mattshor]

Today at lunch two people asked me about my food, they were fascinated by the stuffed mushroom I was having. Then they asked me if I was a cook, and I explained that I love to prepare food, but I don't cook anymore. One of them asked me if I would bring extra so that she could try some.

I also think that I am starting to "fill" up. When I packed my lunch today I thought that for sure it would not be enough food so I threw in some more carrots and a banana. Then I started eating and I was stuffed! Or rather, very satiated. What an amazing feeling! As it is, I am starting to see that next month I will for sure be able to make less food than I was preparing this month and still do very well.

[MrsJ]

Matt,

Tell me about this porridge you speak of.

[rawchic]

this morning I had blueberries & watermelon for breakfast, then banana w/ bee pollen for a snack, then zucchini noodles for lunch.
when I get home I'm going to make some juice - celery, cucumber, fennel, apple & ginger.
not sure what dinner will be...probably the rest of my sprouts in some kind of salad. I don't have very many left; I probably ate 3/4 of them yesterday because they were so good!

[green jeanie]

hi everyone,

haven't been posting because i decided to add yogurt back to my diet in the morning

after all these years of raw i just know my body, know my goals and hate to say it i just feel so much better with an extra 30 gms of protein. that's me

i also know that taking a break from that and being vegan is helpful in detoxing etc but i am 15 years into eating all organic and 3 years into eating 95% raw

so for this climate, this high action/fitness lifestyle i am doing I am going to listen to my body and go 95%

anyway otherwise i am soooooooo excited about what has happened for me in the last 26 days. way improvement on portion control with sugary fruit and fatty nuts. way way way improvement. so that is AWESOME

had a great lunch today of dino kale with nappa cabbage.
dressing : 1/2 av0, 1/2 lemon, scallions and cayenne

awesome!!

congrates to everyone and keep on the raw trip!!!

[gritsnla]

Another morning with a yummy raw cinnamon roll and a banana. Lunch was finishing off the fajita mix. Had a gritty raw brownie. Not certain about supper. Maybe just pepper strips and tahini with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Have good one!

[bowie]

welcome to day 27

[Deenasmiles]

Thanks muddskipper for watching, and for the support!
Day 27! I missed checking in for day 26, and now that thread is locked, but I'm excited to have things wind down.
I've lost weight and am feeling energetic.
I also have a lighter period.

[Deenasmiles]

Good morning everyone!
Day 28! I'm all done on Sunday! Woot!
What's more exciting is the effect my raw food journey is having on my friends!
It's so good to see more young people interested in raw healthy food!
I now have 2 of my friends that make smoothies everyday (1 green smoothies, the other, fruit). Another friend has incorporated salads into her diet (she's not used to eating greens) and a fourth friend munches on whatever I make when he comes over (lettuce wraps, raw cereal, banana bread balls, etc.) He's also drinking some wheat grass I gave him and he says he wants to be healthier.

SCORE!
Seriously, I've experienced personal benefits, but seeing my friends make good dietary changes may very well be the biggest benefit of this 30-day journey!

[mattshor]

Matt,

Tell me about this porridge you speak of.

It's from Alissa's book, it's buckwheat with apples dates, cinnamon and a little vanilla. Delicious! You should definitely give it a try.

[mattshor]

Good morning!
The best few mornings I have been having an easier and easier time waking up and getting started on my day. It's been great.

Today I am having the last bit of porridge that I made with some raisins shredded coconut, and bananas. I really like having something to chew in the morning that tastes like grain. Green smoothies are great, but I don't psychologically feel that I have had "breakfast" when I have one. I also find that this helps me feel awake longer.

Last night I made Alissa's "no-potato potato salad". Y. kept stealing my jicama because he insisted that he loved it plain and not once it was all messed up with other stuff...well, at the end of it, I had to guard the whole salad from him, because he kept trying to eat that. He declared that it tasted like chicken, and I have to say it does have a far more savory and meaty flavor than I would have expected with the ingredients.

For lunch I think that I will be taking more of that Jicama salad with me and an apple or two...will wait and see.

[rawchic]

I had a great day most of yesterday, but then I overate nuts in the evening. This morning I'm still feeling bloated from all the nuts I had. It's so weird when I'm overfull, I have an urge to eat even more. As if it will somehow settle my stomach or something, but it doesn't...it just compounds the problem. So this morning I'm resisting the urge to start eating, and I'm waiting until my system has cleared itself out.

I have two grapefruits and an orange for later. That sounds very fresh and cleansing. I want to go into the weekend feeling good!

[muddskipper]

I had the rest of the cauliflower rice with ginger-lime dressing last night. It was good. I'm feeling a bit tired this morning and I'm wondering if I'm drinking enough water. I'm going to double-up today, to be on the safe side. Other than that I'm feeling great. Acne is clearing up a bit (my face broke out big time two days ago). Acne does not usually heal this quickly for me, and I'm grateful that it's just pimples, rather than the cystic acne I used to get in my chin area! Perhaps this is a sign that my hormones are FINALLY (for the first time ever) regulating : )

Food for today:
Cereal (banana, goji berries, walnuts, mac nuts, dates, with almond milk)
--this was way too filling.
salad with lemon tahini for lunch
nori wrap
orange, kumquats, apple
lots of water!

Hope everyone's having a happy Friday! I'm certainly looking forward to the weekend. I think I may go for a run this weekend!

[MrsJ]

Matt, can you share with me the porridge recipe? How to prepare it?

[mattshor]

Mrs. J, I'd love to, but it's Alissa's recipe and isn't in the public realm. You should really get her book, it is well worth the cost, loads of recipes and every single one of them that I have tried so far is amazingly delicious.

[MrsJ]

Okiedokeie!

[tvillemom]

I have to agree with Matt!! Alissa's book is DEFINITELY worth the price....NO, I take that back, it is worth MORE than the $$$!!!

Her book is HUGE...I have several RAW books and hers is the biggest and covers so much more than just recipes, even though is has a recipe for just about EVERYTHING you might crave!

I'm on Day 9 of the Master Cleanse. I've had several headaches and just tried so hard to drink MEGA AMOUNTS OF WATER, and get some exercise everyday.

Peace to all! Ya'll are doing great!

[mattshor]

Yeah, I have several raw books and if I had to use only one, Alissa Cohen's would be it. There is more info on it than in any other resource and it is amazingly inspiring and the food is delicious! I have yet to make a raw recipe from her book that other people, even the most skeptical did not simply love.

[Bela]

So far today I have had a green smoothie and two pieces of sprouted kamut bread that I made in my dehydrator. It was my first time making bread and it turned out pretty well. I am so excited about how easy it was!

For lunch I am going to have an orange and some dehydrated apples (I made those last night to fill up the dehydrator; a drizzle of maple syrup and some salt and pumpkin pie spice. YUM!)

Not sure about dinner; really need to shop after class...

[Bela]

BTW Matt; how long have you been doing raw for? It seems like you have done a great job of losing weight and I'd love a glimmer of hope! I feel like I am struggling to break my addiction to food (be it raw or otherwise) and I am having trouble moderating my intake of it. Any insights from you (and everyone else on this site) would be appreciated.
Thanks y'all!

[mattshor]

Hi Bela!
I have been varying degrees of raw at different times. A couple of years ago I was high raw for about 4 months or so, most recently I've been back to conscious raw for almost a month. Ever since I first started it has been something that has grown in my life. When was living in Israel I was eating loads raw just because I lived less than 100 yards from the market and would buy fresh produce all the time.

As far as advice? Dive in, make mistakes, try things out see what works and leave the rest. You'll have to learn to listen to your body and see what it tells you. For me changing my food has been the the biggest boost to my energy which helps me excercise more and that's when my weight starts to drop. You'll find what works for you!

side note: my teflex sheets came in the mail today, and I'm going to go buy my vitamix!!!! giggity :D

[MiahTay]

Well, even though I have been bad about posting for the second half of this month, this month has been a huge success for my household. My children have agreed to continue on HIGH raw and my hubby is incorporating more raw into his diet. I have started exercising and feeling better, more alive than in a long time. I am hoping to take it up a notch in March. Focusing on simplifying my diet and upping the exercise. It’s been a great month and looking forward to another.

Blessings,
Heather

[bowie]

welcome to day 28!

this is the end of the February challenge so congrats to all who completed

we will begin the March challenge on tomorrow

[mattshor]

Good morning!
Wow, I can't believe how fast this month has gone by. I am so very thrilled with the results. I'm really glad that I had all of you going through this with me. I hope that many (if not all) of you that started this month will keep going. I know that I plan on it.

breakfast: GS with kale, blackberries, banana and strawberries

Lunch will maybe be angel hair pasta with pesto.

Dinner I hope to make Alissa's enchilada. I am so thrilled to finally have teflex sheets!

[MiahTay]

Yep Matt, I'm with you! I am looking forward to March. I always re-evaluate and take stock in March so this is a natural part of it for me. Lots of fruit today:

3 Bananas
Pineapple
Tangelo
mature coconut
Large salad for dinner with cucumber/avocado dressing

See y'all tomorrow!

Blessings,
Heather

[Bela]

I am in for March for sure!
And thanks for the info, Matt. Always good to know I am on the right path.
So tired, must sleep....
See you all tomorrow (I hope:)!