Day Four

Today I slept late, again. This happens often, as I am a fan of dreams, especially finishing them. Sometimes they have no end and I'm woken up by things like, the doorbell, or my cell phone. 

I felt like I had a lot stored energy today, overshadowed by the still lingering feeling of lethargy. I know I'm still detoxing, but I am ready for it to be over with! 

Am: 

Slept

Afternoon: 

Cup of soup from two days ago. One and a half pieces of Genesis bread. 

Evenin:

Vegetable Juice: 1/2 head of Broccoli, 1/2 bunch of celery, 1 toe of garlic, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 beet

Salad:

Shredded purple and green cabbage, shredded carrots, shredded daikon, chopped spinach, sliced red bell pepper, and flax seeds. 

Dressing: Juice of lemon and lime, 1/2tsp of veganase (not raw, I know), flax oil, various dried herbs and spices (chili powder, thyme etc).

I'm going to eat a cooked artichoke. I bought them, I want one, they're almost impossible to eat raw. I'm telling myself it's okay. I've been craving tofu and white rice today. All day. It's been pretty difficult to abstain. I've been having chills this evening. Bleh. 

I'm going to a yoga class and do some cardio before. It's the first time I've been to the gym this week. I haven't felt up to it. Hopefully I feel up to it tomorrow. 

Update: I did eat the artichoke. It was hot, which was weird. But soo good. Shame shame on me! Then I rushed out the door to a YMCA and I ran a mile on this touch screen fancy treadmill and then did yoga for an hour.. It was a freaking difficult class! I was shaking and there were poses involved I've never done. Thanks Jenergy for inviting me!!

  I got some butter lettuce cups and some other random things like, red cherries and a tub o almonds before I came home. I can't wait to make lettuce cup creations and cherry soup!  

  I ate 1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup of blueberries when I got home, by the way. I work early and I'm going to get about 6hrs of sleep. I always do this.. 10hrs one night, 6hrs the next. Tomorrow is a raw foods demo at Whole Foods. I'm excited. Goodnight = )

Day Three

Tired, Rawr.

   I didn't get over 7hrs of sleep last night. So today I've felt really tired and also pretty hungry. Being around, looking at, and smelling food all day was difficult. I had to pretend it was plastic and not an option several times. I got grouchy around 1:00 because of it. 

   I'm definitely detoxing. I have a coated tongue. I drank almost 4 liters of water today because I'm so thirsty.. and I ran to the bathroom at least ten times while I was at work.. That's about once every 45 minutes. I also ate much much more fruit/fruit juice than I ever usually do. I know the enzymes are cleaning my kidneys right out. 

   I had a ginger shot, which I've been avoiding since it's so warming and my dosha is Pitta.. But I decided that since ginger is such a strong detoxifier, and also causes the excess copper in my muscles to be released, why not? I'm already detoxing, bring it on. I had a good bit of fresh pineapple juice today, which was so totally awesome! I'm sure that will cause more impurities to be washed away as well. Yippee for that! 

   

Am:

   Rhodiola force 300 by New Chapter. 

*The brand rep came into the store today and I told her I've been taking the 300 instead of the 100. After a brief discussion of the differences, I decided I'd be better off with the 100, as it's better for "mental clarity and not mountain climbing".

  Fruit salad: Blueberries, Strawberries, White Peaches, Grapes, Kiwi fruit, Banana, and Oranges. 

Botanic no 3 GT Kombucha

Mixed Juice: Apple, Kale, Parsley, Spinach, Carrot, Broccoli.

Lunch/Afternoon: 

Medium salad. Mixed greens, sprouts, olives, tomatoes, flax, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, purple onions, shredded carrots, blob of Avocado, flax oil, apple cider vinegar, celtic sea salt, and dried kale.

One cup of soup from yesterday with 1/2 an avocado and some of that cilantro seed cheese I made as well. 

Mixed Juice: Apple, Kale, Spinach, Broccoli, Beet, Cucumber, Celery, and Carrot. 

2oz Ginger

 

Evenin:

  Mixed Juice: Apple, kale, parsley, cucumber, carrot...? I didn't make it.. 

1/2 pineapple, juiced.. Thanks Scottie you rock my socks!!! = )

Dinner:

   So, yesterday I made a pizza crust out of some juice pulp. I dehydrated it in the oven at 130 for 8hrs. It was mostly composed of parsley, some carrot, kale, garlic, and some apple.

  I made sauce from a small beet, 3 small tomatoes, thyme, oregano, celtic sea salt, and olive oil. It was a beautiful deep red color. Pureed in my food processor, of course. 

  I made the 'cheese' from soaked sunflower seeds, fresh rosemary, fresh tarragon, celtic sea salt, ground pepper, flax oil, and 3 toes of garlic. Pureed in the food processor.

I layered the sauce, then a large handful of shredded zucchini and squash (2:1 ratio), then the seed cheese. I warmed it at 120 degrees in the oven until it was, well, warmed.. About 30 minutes. 

To serve I sprinkled nutritional yeast.. which it totally optional because it was good enough without it. I also had a diced serrano chili, which was almost overly spicy and I could have done without it. I thought it almost looked like real pizza! Pictures are kinda lame. You get the point. 

Slice

This is the sunflower seed 'cheese' in the bowl

Yum

  I also made a salad to go with it.. 

The picture is terrible, sorry. It was dug into while we waited on the pizza to finish uncooking.

Salad:

Spinach, purple and green onions, shredded carrots, baby portobellos, asparagus, and tomatoes.

Dressing:

3 lemons, juiced.

3 toes of garlic, crushed

handful of fresh tarragon, chopped

1/3 cup flax oil, I use barlean's highest lignan oil

The RAWr Supplies

So, I went to the produce stand and grocery store yesterday and stocked up. This is what it looked like once everything was unpacked. I'll take another picture to update in about 3 days.. Just to show you what's left. 

Peppers of all kinds, Celery, Beets, Ginger, Broccoli

Evamor water, a must! Lemon Water, Grapes, Artichokes, Green Onions, Baby Portobellos, Okra, Cucumber, Zucchini, Tarragon, Strawberries, Blueberries, Asparagus, Fresh Corn, Cauliflower, Lots of Cilantro, Juicing and Shredded Carrots, Cabbage, Shredded Broccoli, Lots of lettuces, Massive Amounts of Spinach! Actually, there is pretty much massive amounts of everything.. 

Counter Top Collection!

Lemons, Oranges, Tomatoes, Limes, Kiwi, Grapefruit, Plums, Avocado, Bananas, Apples, Ginger, Peaches, and a Pineapple in a Pear Tree. 

hors d' oeuvres for Mum, not raw

Several weeks ago my poor tired Mum was sipping some Cabernet and got the munches. So, I got in the kitchen. I made this platter for her, and then I helped her eat it. She was astonished how simple it was to make, but how good it was.

Artichoke Dip: One can artichoke hearts, pureed in food processor with "S" blade. Add in olive oil, fresh tarragon, dried tarragon, pinch of cayenne pepper, lots and lots of black pepper, and lemon juice until smooth.

I spread various things out onto the plate.

Wasa crackers, Wheat thins (she loves them), and I made some sprouted corn chips.. Brushed olive oil on some sprouted corn tortillas and forgot them in the oven for about fifteen minutes. 

I used green and kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, raw almonds, greek peppers, and a bullet of bleu cheese because she loves it.. Grrr, I know, not vegan! She actually didn't even eat it, because everything else was so good! That big blob of green was the fresh tarragon I had leftover. I used it as garnish. It ended up in the artichoke dip. I love tarragon! 

Mothers Day, not Raw

So, it's a little late.. But seeing as I didn't have a food blog then, I figured it's alright. I made this appetizer on Mothers day as part of a 5 course french italian fusion dinner. 

Sourdough wasa crackers, halved. 

In layers:

Sundried tomato/roasted garlic puree.. Soaked sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic, olive oil, celtic sea salt, pureed with "S" blade in food processor. 

Oven roasted eggplant.. Thin sliced and heavily coated in olive oil, some agave nectar, cetlic sea salt, thyme, and black pepper. Roasted at 350 for a little over an hour. 

Soaked sliced sundried tomato.

Roasted yellow and red bell peppers (350 degrees for one hour)

 and a leek mousse to top.. Fresh leeks, washed and chopped. Pureed in food processor with olive oil, one large tablespoon of veganase, salt and pepper. I use grapeseed veganase. 

Garnish:
Fresh Marjoram, Green Onions, and thinly sliced leeks. 
Everything from scratch and totally vegan, of course. 
Um, Yum!

Day Two

I slept until noon today because I stayed up too late and so there was no "AM" to be had. I'm lazy and I love my bed. haha!

I felt like I really needed the sleep, as my body is readjusting to not eating cooked foods. I felt really great on day one, but I do expect to feel crappy soon. I await it. 

Afternoon Time: 

1,500mg Vitamin C (Garden of Life whole C)

Rhodiola force 300 by new chapter

Green Juice: Massive amounts of Parsley and Spinach, two carrots, one toe garlic, One green apple, one red apple. I'm making curried flat bread out of the pulp from this juice, can't wait to see how it comes out!

A handful of trail mix (I'll post this recipe later)

1 Banana

Dinnerish: Soup: Pureed: 1 beet, 5 tomatoes, 1 jalapeno, 1/5 of a white onion. Mixed with shredded: zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, dakion radish. 1 ear of whole corn kernels. Celtic sea salt, thyme, lime juice. 

Garnish: 1/4 avocado, sliced okra rounds, sliced yellow bell pepper, green onion, parsley, 1 sprouted corn tortilla cut up, and cilantro seed pate (Cilantro, soaked sunflower seeds, 1 garlic toe, celtic sea salt, cardamom seeds, olive oil.. pureed)

Side: Asparagus with cilantro seed pate, lengthwise sliced okra, and yellow bell pepper. 

Juice: 1/2 Cucumber, 1 apple, parsley, 2 carrots. 

 

So, the cool cucumber apple juice went sooo well with the spicy and flavorful soup. The Cilantro seed pate was an unexpected addition to the meal and was astoundingly good! I wanted to just eat it by itself, so, I did.. The soup would have been most excellent with some delicate alfalfa sprouts on the side for added astringent and mild flavor. Also, I wanted to add a few strawberries to the pureed base of the soup, but I was in a bit of a hurry, and I forgot, dang.

Guess I'll just have to make a fruit salad instead. Oh, and I drank about 2 liters of carbon filtered water all day.

I still feel really good today, but I feel more tired than I should. Perhaps, because I slept so much.

Here are some pictures I took in a hurry because I was pretty much starving. They didn't come out that well, there's always next time!

Day One

Monday 5/25

Mornin': Fruit Juice: 1 Grapefruit, 1 Apple, 1 Lime, 1 Orange. GT Kombucha Botanical no 7 2 Liters of Evamor water Veg Juice: Carrot Celery Afternoon: Small Salad: Spinach, Sprouts, Tomatoes, shredded carrots, Purple Onions, Olives. Flax Oil and Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, celtic sea salt. Green Smoothie: 1cup blueberries, 3 Large Leaves of Kale, 1 Massive handful of Parsley, 1/4c Water, 2Tsp Agave nectar, and Hemp/Chia/Pea/Rice protein powder. 1ltr h2o 2,00mg vitamin C Kava Kava Evening: Green Mixed Juice: Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Carrot, Celery. Large Salad: 1 whole zucchini marinated in Hemp and flax oil with Lime juice and tarragon vinegar. Wakame and Arame sea vegetable. Spinach and Mixed romaine lettuces. Sunflower Seeds. Celtic Sea salt. More water Later..

A large glass of Petit Syrah and a Kashi pumpkin flax bar...

and four bites of Dhal..

At least I didn't get into the hummus.. Aite?! 

For the first day to be almost 100% raw, I'm proud of myself = )

Starting Raw Again!

It's that time between semesters where I can eat as perfectly as possible! So today, I went back raw. Raw Raw Raaawrrrrr!!! I already feel better and it's only day one.. I don't have any idea how long this will go on. Until, it ends.. Indeed. Hopefully for all of my countless numbered days (Iron and Wine, anyone?)

I'll be keeping a food blog, it's something I've been meaning to do for a while. It's great because people always ask me "What's in that?", "How'd you make that?" and "What the hell does a raw vegan eat!!?".. I get the "What the hell" question quite a lot, as I live in Louisiana.. There's not much general public knowledge about health, let alone raw or even just vegan food! No, I do not live on lettuce, but thanks for asking!

Also a food blog is going to be great because I can keep track for myself what I've been eating and creating. It's almost like, publicly writing my menu. Everything is leading up to the day I open my restaurant "Ahimsa" which translates to "No Harm". It's all really quite exciting!

You may assume everything I list or talk about is raw, unless otherwise specified, including supplements which are all from whole food sources and not synthetics. All juices are freshly extracted using my Breville juicer.

Feel free to comment/question/suggest on the subject. I'm quite excited and hope to keep it up for a while, the only weakness I have is Guinness.. Save me, please. I'll be listing everything I eat and drink.. Including supplements to the best of my recollection. I'm so excited and I'm so super cereal!!