Day 23

THE best smoothie EVER...
Cultured coconut milk INFUSED with probiotics and love
and your favorite fruits --(*frozen is better because it adds more lushessness to the already so smooth ie)
I like blackberries and peaches.

the raw feast has gone so well. I have been eating so much healthier and feel SO MUCH better. I've definately noticed that when I eat cooked food I feel... different. Mostly, bloated and horrible- EVEN when it's healthy stuff. Eating mostly raw keeps me feeling light and healthy! also, I have lost at least five pounds but it could have just been inflammation... who knows. MOre energy I've had for sure AND it made me focus more on the moment instead of worrying so much about what is to come! I really liked that. I lived fully in the moments present and we could all use more of the present moment. Also, when you are doing everything you can the universe has a way of providing. There is no reason to get frustrated because God doesn't give us more than we can handle at a given time. I am going to continue to strive to eat mostly raw after this "feast" is over anyway and when I get settled in a place for a while do more exciting recipes with pictures for all to enjoy. I have been pretty nomadic lately so I don't technically have a house. However, it just goes to show you that you can do raw sans dehydrator and without fancy techniques. Veggies and fruits and foraging will do the trick! Another thing I've noticed was I was colder than usual... probably becuase when you are more alkaline you tend to be colder. That is why Alkaline diets are ideal for those living in tropical-subtropical climates and more acidic  foods keep you warm in colder weather so meat would be a better choice in the tundra.

Food for thought....
"most smiles are born of good emotions arising out of doing good, or out of feeling sympathy, love, kindness or mercy. but the most wonderful way to smile is to fill your heart with love of GOd. Then you will be able to love everybody; you will be able to smile all the time. All other forms of smiles are evanescent because emotions flicker and pass away, no matter how good they are. The only thing that can last is the joy of GOd. WHen you have that, you can smile all the time. Otherwise, when you are feeling merciful toward someone and he returns your kindness with a slap, you wont be able to feel mercy toward him any longer."

Mans eternal quest Paramahansa Yogananda Volume I

I have this GREAT raw recipe book and can't wait to get that dehydrator back so I can make some people very happy... me included!

love and light

Day 10

Well... I'm finally feeling tired and lackadaisical and I'm  having super food cravings. I'm going to whole foods to look for fancy foods to keep me satisfied so I don't fall off the band wagon. I'm going to start juicing more on Monday.  I'm starting to get le tired of salad... The "false body" is starving I know it b/c I am wanting horrible things and it's hard to say no! N.O!

Day 7

I haven't posted everyday because it's gonna get kind of repetitive.

So far I've just been eating a lot of fresh fruits, hearty salads, and green smoothies. I don't really have access to my dehydrator yet and nuts should really be soaked before eating so I haven't done anything TOO intense. BUT I am not sick and tired of fresh vibrant food yet.. . so it's not really an issue.

So far, I have noticed a few minor things...
my skin is looking pretty nice- softer and clearer.
I have a TON of energy for not having ate quite as much as I usually would.
I did yoga on Monday and I noticed that usually I would be thinking all the time about what I did that day, what I am going to do the next day and sometimes even "Wow this is such a great class, I should do this more often I should practice yoga more... and so on and so forth..." but I was just IN the moment savoring the peace and I feel like I need so much less when I am keeping my life simple with the power of raw. oh, also, I smell SO much better now that I have been eating this way. I will sweat like a wild animal out in the hot hot heat and still smell like a goddess. RAW!!! It's amazing. I'm beating my cravings and feeling GREAT! I don't think I have lost any weight yet, it hasn't been noticeable anyway but I sure feel great.

this morning:

Almond milk + cacao + mila + hemp + vanilla + coconut butter + blueberries

LOTS of  high quality h2o before and after ze bikeride of downtown Clermont
1 cherry larabar
and for dinner...

hand crafted guac made with 1 diced roma tomato, 6-7 jalapenos, corn, garlic, sea salt and pep. (*add cilantro if you have it)  + 4 cups of spinach + 2 cups of arugala + 4 HUGE black olives + 1/2 cucumber +
1/2 a handful of raw corn chips on top + green pepper. Sprinkling of hemp seeds over the top ... oh yeah and very important... LOVE ... : ) the best ingredient of all...
mmm... what a beautiful day. I hope the stars are out tonight so I can go star gazing on sugarloaf MT!


FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
Gabriel Cousens stresses the importance of eating a sattvic diet in his book "Spiritual Nutrition"- whole, natural fruits, veggies, nuts + seeds, and some grains. A modern sattvic diet emphasizes foods grown in harmony with Natures bounty by organic farmers and grown on good soils, ripened naturally and importantly ... prepared with positivity and love. these foods carry a higher prana or consciousness. NOT included in this way of eating are.... extremely spicy, salty, fried foods , white flour, white sugar, and other forms of food that are absolutely refined and unnaturally stimulate blood sugar levels. Microwaved, GMO, irradiated, or anything prepared over 24 hours in advance are discluded. BEST choices are home prepared foods with love and consciousness from home or organic restaurants like... cafe 118 degrees.

"...Certain foods affect the qualities of the mind in particular ways. These qualities or states of mind are latent in everyone. In Ayurveda they are divided into 3 categories, called gunas. ANYONE who is in the physical body is subject to the subtle forces of the three gunas... called sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic."

"A sattvic state of mind is clear, peaceful, and harmonious. It is typified by the pure living spiritual aspirant. The rajasic state is active, restless, worldly, and aggressive- the mental state of warriors and corporate executives. The tamasic state is lethargic, impulsive, cruel, and morally and physically degenerate. It is typified by our stereotype of the drug addict or thief." 
"Diet influeneces the state of mind, and the state of mind influences the diet choice." Sometime, something or someone has got to give, because if it doesn't there is not going to be a change. "Members of the trad. warrior class would choose rajasic diet b/c it stimulated their minds and bodies into a war like state. Spiritual aspirants normally choose the sattvic diet and way of life." Whatever you choose just make sure you are doing it to aspire to a state of well being and harmony and not a self righteous religion that you in your own conceptions. Simply be. live, laugh and love.

Blessed be,

Steph

day two...

day two...

Today I had a green smoothie to start the beautiful day right.
3 cups of fresh spinache
Odwalla green smoothie green machine as the liquid...
coconut butter
two scoops of hemp seeds
two scoops of mila
1 grande banana
a splash of OJ
a touch of basil
and it's perfect! NO sugar needed=(^_^)=

a HUGE salad for lunch at the hummus house with Brandon Constant! I did have falafal on it, but that was my 'cooked' food for the day.

One fabulous honeycrisp apple and TONS of water!

I feel a little lethargic today. I had enough energy but I didn't get a ton of sleep last night. I've been full for the most part but I noticed I have some cravings. . . wheat mostly. But I'll stand strong! No means no! Oh, also... I have noticed I've been pooping a lot more. JUST SO you know, be prepared. This is a bare all blog btw so expect all the details.


so far so good. . . 

Day one...

Ok, so I just got back from Hawaii Yesterday FULLY inspired to do a raw foods fast. I've decided to do at least 70% of my diet raw but aiming for 70-100%. After being in the Great White North for five months it was taxing on my bod to eat a lot of the rubbish that I did. SO ... to get back on track, I really need to get clean! It's going to be stressful but it's worth it! Today is not a usual day because I'm super jet lagged but everyday I'll give a run through of what I'm eating... aka MENU! and how I feel at the end of the day so you, if you are interested can know what to expect when you are taking the challenge up yourself.
HOW TO PREPARE YOURSELF...
By making the decision to eat mostly living food is more than just a diet, it's a lifestyle. The philosophy of a mostly raw diet is pretty revolutionary. It fundamentally changes the way you think about food. hense... REVOLUTION! By partaking in this movement one will start to change the way you look at the world and interact with those in it. The theory is that the overall physical, spiritual and mental health will fit together and our eternal quest for peace will be much more attainable when this one simple change is made. Nutrients are food for our cells and what we decide to feed them with is up to us. . . it's what our entire chi depends on for life. IF we have to eat, why not do it right?  Living foods and raw foods are in fact different interestingly enough. The difference? Raw is its uncooked state and living foods have enzymes circling through them.


Today, I was jet lagged and woke up around 1:30 so my first day is probably going to look a little different than yours.

I had one large avacado this morning with salt and pepper
a quarter of a cantaloupe and two apples
a HUGE salad with hemp seeds romaine, tomatoes, and arugala
and some raw macadamia nuts FROM HAWAII!
 
It's important to get 5 - 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day for optimum health.
A serving=
veg: 1 cup leafy veggies 1/2 cup chopped veggies or 3/4 cup 100% veggie juice!
fruit: 1 apple, banana or orange, 1/2 chopped fruit or 3/4 cup 100% fruit juice!

Vitamins A, C, and E function as antioxidants. Antioxidants eliminate free radicals in the body! Foods cooked below 118 degrees help to slow the aging process.

STAY HYDRATED!!!! water keeps the body hydrated at a cellular level and provides nutrients that maintain your skins health! Silicon, a trace mineral that helps keep your skin and hair vibrantly radiant  is found in the popular and delicious apples, oranges, and strawberries and are lousy with micronutrients.

It's important to stay spiritually sound as well so when you find yourself reaching for something toxic! STOP! don't touch me there... this is my private square... ;)
read something enlightening and think about all the good that resistance will do for your soul. Practicing resistance in any situation is a good idea. If you can't even tell yourself no, how will you do it to someone else?

I'm excited to start the healing process!
Live long and prosper!

Going Green with Raw Cuisine! 30 days of Raw....

So Monday, February 7th 2011 was the first day of my "30 days of raw". I have committed to eating mainly raw foods that nourish to help me flourish. I didn't realize how junky my diet was until that day. I had some rice chips and grape leaves, which were definitely NOT raw--but some yummy raw snacks are in the making so I won't be so tempted. Basically that is the key to eating well-keep the bad stuff at bay and take a luxurious canoe trip away from them. I have a feeling that the first week is going to be very ... slow moving. I have been incorporating a lot of raw foods already, but it's overwhelming to THINK about eating only certain things whether it be only lettuce or only cheese or only fruits. I don't want to get the wrong mindset--although my goal was to become 75% raw originally, allowing for one cooked meal a day if I so desired, making it easy to be sociable. I wanted to give this goal so I could make it into a long term thing instead of sporadic. I impulse bought The complete idiots guide to Eating raw; I thought it would be fun and give me some good tips on sprouting and juicing etc. PLUS I could loan it out afterward.

Raw foods have a delicious bounty of calcium and iron and even superstar athletes are raw! People going raw are concerned about nutrients which, I think is preposterous since the s.a.d. diet constitutes the essence that is malnutrition. Protein is a key player in every cell in our bodies for energy synthesis, structure and function. Without protein our bodies wouldn't produce the proper enzymes and hormones it needs to function properly. The key to getting vital amounts of living protein requires the accumulation of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids and humans produce 11 naturally! (Thats already over half!) But we strive to get the other 9 from our foods. These 9 are essential amino acids b/c without which, we would be considered malnourished. This said, amino acids are pooling together to make a complete protein so why would we need to eat them all at once? We don't. Our bodies are smart machines we just have to give them the right stuff to do the job! Enjoy a bounty of goodness with raw nuts, seeds, vegies, fruits and sprouted grains. Eating a diverse diet is not only exciting but beneficial. The following are foods super high in protein...
NUTS
COCONUT
SEEDS
VEGGIES- dark leafies like spinach and kale, peppers, shitake mushrooms garlic and sea veggies
Fruits- apricots, peaches, currants, prunes figs avacados
Sprouted grains like quinoa and legumes like lentils and chickpeas

The recommended amounts of protein are 1.0-1.2 grams per day per kilo body weight (1 kilogram=1 pound) and potentially more if extremely physical.
Dr Colin Campbell, Ph.D --wrote the China Study and in The China Project the results showed a remarkable increase in the skyrocketing disease rate in people who consumed a higher protein diet from animal products. I highly recommend reading this book it's astonishingly incredible.
Quick info on B12...
Vitamin B12 can be present in bacteria in the soil, the only reason animal foods are high in the vitamin is because it's in their digestive tract from the foods they eat directly from the ground and we, in our society refuse to eat the natural way--washing EVERYTHING and eating more processed food.
Eating veggies from an organic garden with fertile, nutrient rich soils can help with vitamin B12 deficiency.

I guess I haven't been as great of an example thus far BUT I am determined to make this "fast" work for me!!! I had a delicious spirulina smoothie yesterday to start-
Almond Mylk+A boatload of Spirulina+ Frozen banana+hemp seeds.
and lots of salad making goodies!
Today I had a GREEN smoothie WHICH I forgot to picture, but next time I'll take one b/c it is SO decadent! My green smoothie was:
Two cups spinache
1 cup purple kale
2 tbsp Spirulina
1 1/2 'scoops' mila soaked in h2o
A splash of almond mylk
3 strawberries
2 small slices of Durian
MMMMM>..... delicious!

This was my delicious lunch at Infusion tea on Friday! bean/chickpea/edamame salad and a vegan pesto panini! <3 It's so good I will think about it every time I'm not actually eating it! I can't wait to go back!!!!!

I also made some oatmeal 'cookies' in the dehydrator last night they are not COMPLETELY raw, because I have some rice flour i've been jonesing to get rid of, but w/ coconut flour or almond flour they would be excellent! The non raw ingredients were xanthum gum , rice flour, vegan chocolate, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar but next time I'll be a rawarrior! I'll post the decadent recipe once it's perfectious!

This is my attempt at kale 'chips' smothered in coconut oil and nutritional yest with wasabi powder.... NOT my favorite but will be delicious on salads~! The lovely room mate suggested it! I used purple kale so they turned out a little dark. But raw and delectable! And the adventure continues...

Gypsy Creme Tarte w/ Recipe.

There is nothing I love more than good food to share with friends! I have been getting really excited about the 30 days of Raw I'll be doing with some friends starting February 7th. I have been trying some new raw recipes out to see the difficulty levels and taste sensations. Recently I was trying to make some Home made almond butter in the raw and because i haven't been able to afford a BLEND TECH blender I am limited on what I can do. SO I tried my regular crappy blender and the food processor and it just didin't cut it. I had already soaked my beloved almonds so what was a girl to do.?? I decided to dehydrate the "almond butter" and make tarts. Then I decided to make some cashew creme and fruit topping to boot! after about 12 hours the tarts were done! The taste was astonishing but the texture.... well... they just wouldn't stay together. It brought a tear to my eye. I decided to make a pie crust out of my tarts so I crumbled them into smaller pieces and added some slightly melted oil (coconut in this case, but you can use anything!) I pressed it into a pie crust and let it freeze for 30 minutes. Then I took the cashew creme and spread it over the newly formed almond crust-followed by a date/plum topping spiced to perfection : ) It looked a little rough, so I crumbled some more almond 'tart' on top for aesthetic and it was ready to eat. SO EASY-actually an accident but so delicious! It was so much fun sharing with friends--and room mates' friends. Here's some pix: I call it Gypsy Creme Tarte. (it's a little french and a little ostentatious) ^_^

Gypsy Creme Tarte with it's luxurious duplectic layers

Oh, baby I'm at salivation station--heading to salivation rhythm nation!!!!

Recipe:
Crust
Raw almonds (soaked) 2 1/2-3 cups
1 tbsp sea salt
cloves
cinnamon
cardamom
water
olive oil
(all blended in food processor)
Spread onto dehydrator teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115' for 12 hours-1 day. check throughout. take off of sheets and crumble into bowl. Add to pie crust plate and melt a minimal amount of coconut oil. Just enough to saturate the crumbs. Press and freeze for 30 minutes.

Cashew Creme:
Raw cashews (soaked)
2 tbsp agave --or to taste.I didn't want it to be too sweet.
4 tbsp Nutritional yeast
Lemon juice-to taste
(I'm pretty sure thats all I put in... I kind of made it up as I went but your taste buds will lead the way!)

Date Sauce:
2-3 cups dates soaked
cloves
cardamom
cinnamon
ginger
1/2 cup plums (unsoaked)
food processor until smooth, start with dates then continue adding ingredients. Should be thick consistency but everything should be smooth.

Spread everything on frozen almond crust and top with crumbled leftover tarts.
ENJOY!
don't forget to share the love with everyone!
LOVE,
The little green vegan!