Family Barbeque Today

[qfmother]

My in-laws invited all of their family over today for a swim in the river followed by hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. I brought broccoli salad, tomato-cucumber salad, and raw brownies with chocolate frosting. I ate all of those things and nothing else except for a couple of canteloupe slices someone brought, but I am coming here tonight to get my fix of raw food support - some days are harder than others especially when I feel so alone in my choices.

I've pretty much figured out how to handle the weekly church potluck meals in the last 4 months. But this is the first barbeque I've been to, and it was harder than I thought. My own family eats high raw with me here at home, but they were all eating the SAD food at the barbeque as well, so I really was alone. And then when everyone tasted the brownies - the comments were very half-hearted and a couple of the children wouldn't even eat them. I know their taste buds are all tainted by sugar, etc. and they had just eaten a chocolate cupcake before trying my brownies. So I really didn't expect them to rave over my recipe, but I guess I was still hopeful.

I just had to vent a little and say thank you so much to everyone on this board for the support you give to me in this journey. I'm only about half done with the weight I want to lose, but I'd really like to get to a point where I truly WANT to eat this way for the rest of my life. I know it is better for me, and most of the time I love it - but then I have days like today and I start allowing myself to feel a bit deprived. I'm sure I would have regretted eating any cooked food, especially the junk they were serving tonight. I should be thankful that I feel great and don't have a stomach ache!

Thanks again for helping me feel not so alone!

[Myca]

Well I want to try your brownies...
How did you make them please?

I don't know what to tell you about the barbeque other than..
"Congradulations on staying the course.'

[commoncents]

You did great and you should congratulate yourself on staying Raw in the face of so much temptation!!!!!

The items you bought sound great and it was very wise of you to prepare foods to take with you.

One day at a time and you did wonderfully today!!!!!!

[Mary Kay]

I would have gladly shared your food with you! LOL

Mary Kay

[Springtime]

Applause! You stayed raw! Jeez, they even tasted the raw food you offered! That's a wonderful success!

Great job!

I too wanna know about the brownies, how did you make them?

[spicyfull]

Looking at your "Stats" at the bottom of your Post is reason enough for you to be encouraged to Run this RAW Journey. Whatever you attend, dress So Cute and hold your head So high and everyone will want what you are having.

I would Not have wasted My Food on those Children, unless it was just a taste to see if they did like it.

YOU ARE NO.1, always remember that........

[Jenifae]

Woo-Hoo, Good For You!

You Rawk, gfMother! Social Gatherings seem to be the most difficult and you succeeded with Flying Colored Rainbows! :D

[T-Bird]

some days are harder than others especially when I feel so alone in my choices.

I am so with you this weekend. We went to my mother's yesterday - everyone ordered out chinese. I had my food, but kept looking at DD's General Tso's Tofu.....It looked sooooooooooooooooooooo delicious! My food tasted like cardboard.......

Been in a funk for a few days now, wanting "other" food and since today marks 4 full months at 100% raw and I've never gotten anything great happening, it's all seeming pretty pointless to me.

I'd definitely have fallen "off the wagon" if it wasn't such an ingrained habit by now. It just takes too much mental work to make the decision to chuck it in right now....so I continue with the habit of it....

[StephieJo]

I also find that family gatherings with food are difficult. We took my Mom out for dinner last night and I had salad bar. I'm lucky there was at least a salad bar!! But everyone else's food looked quite tempting. I'm also avoiding my in-laws house now because they don't serve anything that I can eat. Last time was Easter and luckily I brought my own salad...I couldn't even find any fruit in the house!!

But after I succeed at defeating the temptation, I feel pretty good. Then I get home and I give myself a yummy raw treat!!! :)

You should feel good, too. You overcame some pretty big hurdles!! And you are making others aware of healthy eating habits, that may one day rub off!! :)

[sprouts2go]

WTG!!!! I have a company meeting to go to myself as well as a 4th of July picnic. I will take some food I can eat and if they choose to try they can otherwise IT"S ALL MINE!!!
The company meeting will have salad and I plan to bring a side of guac with me. We can make this work.

[RawHeaven]

You are amazing QFMother. Your feet are firmly planted in your goals and you let your family be where they are. Not taking where they are personally. That takes strength and a deep inner awareness. You inspire as well...thank you for sharing!

[ruffsongraw]

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! that is really awesome! you didnt cave in....great that you brought several things instead of just one.

as for not seeing results in 4months. i can relate. but hang in there. i am told that those that see results slower have more healing to do but it WILL come. it WILL be worth it.
take comfort in the fact that you are feedling your body what it was meant to eat. so few ppl do. take heart and encouragemt in that.
my husband has lost weight (about 10 pounds, not that he was overwt really), his beard hair is growing back in dark instd of gray, his sense of smell is flickering on and off after a bad MC crash that lost it completely for the last 17 yrs, he has more enrgy and isnt WIPED out after he shoes a horse, he has daily/healthy BM's.... and more i cant think of. guys always see results faster, why is that?

my results are less dramatic. but altho small, they DO add up to something to build and continue on.

jen

[The French One]

Wow, that was really something hard you managed to achieve: staying 100% raw in that sort of family event!
I'm supposed to return to my parent's home for a few days at the end of the month and I'm already afraid of facing their SAD food (and they have planned a barbecue with friends of them and the family). I'll try to remember what you've done!

[T-Bird]

Thanks Jen!

Sometimes it's hard when others blip on and "OMG I've been raw for 10 days - at least 90% - and I've lost 15 lbs, my skin looks great, I feel fantastic and I have loads more energy!"

I feel like the kid trailing behind and at each door of trick or treat - all the goodies are gone! They've all been passed out and 'no soup for me!', lol! Or getting the rock like Charlie Brown~

Luckily - I'm past the point where it's easy to quit, isn't that odd? I've got my fridge and pantry stocked with everything, wheat grass and sunflower greens growing on the kitchen table, I've got greens up to my butt needing to be smoothied up today, and literally hundreds of dollars invested in "really raw" nuts, seeds, nori, etc.

I'm too far down the rabbit hole to climb out easily.:o

Luckily, I'm a real cheapskate. The thought of this all going to waste is too much for me!

Been in this funk for about 4 days now.....hopefully, I'll come out the other end soon.

Thanks again for the encouragement!

[qfmother]

Thanks so much for the encouragement everyone - just what I needed of course. I know each occasion like this will get easier.

My brownie recipe is really good, but not quite as good as the one I was trying to copy that I had at a raw food potluck recently. I'll try to remember the ingredients:

Brownies
3 cups walnuts, not soaked
3 cups dates, not soaked
3/4 cup cacao powder

Process all above ingredients in food processor. I don't think I processed mine fine enough, it would have been better if the nuts weren't really noticable as nuts anymore. I pressed this into my large springform pan oiled with olive oil and refrigerated it overnight.

Frosting
I used Alissa's chocolate mousse recipe, which has an avocado, 1/4 cup cacao powder (she uses carob), 2/3 cup dates (I think) and I added a little bit of agave nectar because it wasn't sweet enough. I used the food processor, but a good blender might have worked better to make it very smooth.

I frosted this just like a cake and put a candle in it, because my baby is going to be 1 year old on Saturday and this will be her only birthday cake. Of course she could care less about it, but at least we will have a picture to show her someday. Everyone oohed and aahed over it at first, and I wish they could have tasted it without knowing it were raw first. But my mother-in-law told them of course, so they were already a bit biased even before their first taste.

I'm not worried about them not liking it - we are enjoying the leftovers today!