Day 6.... I'm sticking with this.. :)

Well it's officially day six.  Starting on day 5 I did make a little change.  If I feel that I want to eat dinner with the family, I can eat a sensible dinner.  It's funny, even though I had dinner last night, I found that tonight I didn't even care to eat.  It makes it a little easier to know that you can have something to eat if you want to, but since you can, you really may not even want to. 

I am a total weirdo. 

As of right now, the juicing has me having a lot of extra energy.  I don't feel like I need to take a nap in the middle of the day and I no longer feel hungry anymore.  I'm thinking about starting to up my exercise due to my energy amounts.

Tonight I was online and found a new item that I want, so I asked my husband if I could buy it as my Christmas present....  it was a wheat grass juicer.  I've heard so many good things about wheat grass, that now I want to try it out.

I love how I feel while I am juicing...  :)

I'm at it again... Day 4

It's been awhile... :)

So a couple days ago, I started to have some pains in my side which reminded me of gallbladder pain.  It really made me freak out since I don't want to have my gallbladder removed.  I consider it a blessing in disguise because I probably needed something medically to happen in order for me to recommit myself to being more healthy.  So I decided to start to try a juicing fast again - goal...60 days..... (trying to copy Joe from FSND)

I found the first day much easier since I was in pain in my right side and it was my constant reminder that I needed to juice.  By the second day I only had pain for about 15 minutes throughout the entire day.  By the third day, my pain was completely gone, and they were having a potluck at work....  Believe it or not, I did not touch a single thing except for my juice, and I was very proud of myself.  Now on day four, I am feeling pretty refreshed when I wake up in the morning and not having very many food cravings - it is more so just having the desire to want to eat.  I relate it to the feeling a smoker may have when they want to just go through the motions and hold something in their hands.

I will admit though, that I do allow myself to eat raw fruits and/or vegetables if I feel the need.  Usually I will only have an apple or kale, though with each day, although the need for eating them is becoming less and less since the juice is filling enough.

I want to be able to weigh myself, but I haven't quite decided when I am going to do that.  The scale has been my enemy so many times with each effort since it doesn't move in increments of 20 on a daily basis... (lol...)  For that reason, I am purposely avoiding the scale until I have seen majorly noticeable results so that I can keep my focus on the other benefits of juicing. 

I have missed blogging... but I do intend to try to make it more of a priority.  Hope everyone is doing well!

So this is love....

Howdy people...

It's been awhile since my last blog post...  I first want to say sorry in advance. 

Work and school have been keeping me extra busy, but that is no reason to ignore my blog.  There is another reason my blog was ignored...  It's because I wasn't being very raw...

I'm not too proud that I turned my back on the raw stuff since I know that it is the way to go.  My problem was with my "all or none" mentality.  I either was going to eat perfect or I wasn't going to try to do good... at all...  It got really ugly.

Since then though, I have been rethinking why I do things.  I was having a conversation with a co-worker about how I thought our bodies are created to be vegan (he didn't agree, which is fine) and then it made me think...  If I really feel that way, what is stopping me? 

I'll tell you what was stopping me...  CHEESE/Dairy.

Yep, that's it.  I could totally go the rest of my life without meat, but the cheese and dairy stuff...  omg..  I'm in love with adding it to everything.  Obviously that comes with consequences though (cancer, heart disease, cheese on your nose, etc.)

So I decided to challenge for myself one day at a time.  Day one.  Vegan 100%.  Mind you, I wasn't eating 100% raw, maybe more like 45% raw.

Day one went pretty well, so I decided to carry the challenge over to another day....  Day two..  also went pretty well...

By day three though, I wasn't really craving cheese anymore.  So I didn't really think it was much of a challenge to avoid it.  So I decided I would challenge myself to make new vegan foods I have never made before (even if not raw, just vegan). 

..... I fell in love all over again....

I made a vegan cheese sauce, and had it with Ezekiel bread...  omg..forget about it.  I found it on vegweb.com and added a few little tweeks to it.

 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
(I also added a few dashes paprika, chili powder, scallions, and pepper)
 1/8 teaspoon dried yellow mustard powder
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegan margarine (I highly recommend Willow Run for this sauce)

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients, add water, whisk until clumps are gone.

2. Put in pot with margarine, and heat on medium until hick.

This is a very thick sauce as it is best suited for things like Alfredo, macaroni and cheese, etc. It shouldn't get as thick as mashed potatoes, though, so be careful. You can add more water if you make it too thick, but it's supposed to be pretty thick.

Mixing salsa with this for nacho cheese with chips is great; adding onion powder and extra margarine works great to use in a scalloped potato recipe; extra garlic, margarine and parsley for Alfredo. Try scoops of it on vegan pizza.

_____________________________

Day 4 of my challenge brought me to creating a vegan reese peanut butter cup... (not for everyday consumption, but great for a treat) YUM...

What will day 5 bring?
So yea.... it's super yum, but obviously not raw.  So why am I posting it here?  Well, because I wanted to let you know that I am going to have 2 blogs now.  This way I won't keep having my internal conflict about being a bad person if I post something that is not raw.  So without making a long story longer, here is my new page... :)

http://rockstarvegannurse.blogspot.com/

If one things is for certain....

The last couple weeks have been filled with numerous changes.  I started working part time, school starts today, my son has started school and I will soon have another son start preschool.  All of these changes had me thinking about the changes I have been trying to make this summer (raw/vegan).  Why is it when any other thing starts or stops that I forget what goals I have for my body?

I used to get so mad when I would think about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  I thought come on people, you really had to try that apple when God specifically told you not to?  As if there was not enough other options to choose from.  I had it made up in my mind that if God would have picked me as Eve, that I would have made the right choice.  I really truly believed that with all my heart.   These days however, I could only hope that I would have made the right choice.  If there is anything that I am known to make a bad choice with - it is over food.  Granted Adam and Eve didn't have the food addictions that the processed foods we now have give...  Ok, sorry, I shouldn't make excuses for my bad choices...but I was truly angry at them for messing it up for the rest of us. 

So what causes us to make the bad decisions?  I seem to think that I have more than enough time to make up for bad choices.  I try to rationalize, really, what is one more day going to make a difference...  there is always tomorrow.  Perhaps that is why God wanted us to always focus on today, since tomorrow will have it's own worries.  For me, all of my tomorrows never show up since I'm always thinking about the day after.  I don't want to look back on my life and remember all of the days that I wished away because I'm always wondering about how it will feel to be at the goal.  I want to enjoy my life journey and minimize the poor choices.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, yet we can make decisions today that would improve our chances. 

So back to the garden... I wonder what kind of apple it was?  I mean, if it was a honey crisp apple... 

A new year, a new me...

Well I am officially 29 years old now.  I decided that I wanted to make an extra effort to work on my health.  The past couple of days I have not paid any attention to what optimal things I should be putting into my body.  My body feels absolutely disgusting on the inside.  Instead of celebrating with junk food and cake, I have decided to start the 29th year of my life with healthy foods....I am hoping to be a vegan all year, but I will be content by just being rid of meats if I'm not the perfect vegan. 

This morning I had some raw granola and a banana with a big glass of water.  It was so refreshing and it gave me a few ideas on some more raw recipes that I want to try out.  It also reminded me that eating raw foods doesn't have to be all complicated since fruits and veggies by themselves are so yummy.  It's hard to believe I even was able to get off track since things were going well for quite sometime. 

I think that I feel more motivated than ever since I started having undesirable symptoms as a response to my bad foods I was eating.  Here's to the last year in my 20's....  I hear the 30's are where it's at!

What are you full of?

Believe it or not, there are many qualities I have that I am proud of.  I have a record of being very good at goal setting (in the academic and business world).  If I have set my mind to completing something, there is a force inside me that pushes so hard even when I want to give up to keep going.  Recently I was told that I have a "bulldog mentality" by a person who I care about - who was complimenting me on how hard I work towards achieving what my mind is set on.  I always was proud of buying a house at 19, starting a business at 21, starting a family at 23, and now graduating college and starting a second career at 28.  I never felt I was destined for great things, but I knew how to make things happen.

I have never been able to figure out this food nonsense though.  Notice how I called it nonsense.  In reality, food makes perfect sense.  I've studied it so much to the point I know what I should be eating yet once I have a setback I have a hard time getting back on the boat and become even more discouraged by how quickly I find myself back at square one.  It's simple, the crap that is on TV is typically bad for you and the stuff that grows out of the ground is what God intended for our bodies.

I once read that you can know who you really are by an analogy of a glass of liquid.  The story goes on to say that you may feel you have things under control when your glass doesn't spill over from being too full.  The part that I found significant was when the story said that you truly find out what you are made of when your cup becomes too full and you discover what spills out.  Lets just say that lately my cup has been spewing out all over the place and I'm not to excited about what the contents of my cup are.  I recently was offered a job, that I will be starting in the next few weeks and I can honestly say that I am kind of nervous.  With me accepting this job, there will be many changes in my home life and it has caused me have an attitude of fear that I am not enjoying.  Then throw in the staggering strep throat running through this house and the major scrub down of the house (which was well needed, though still not finished). 

We have all heard the term "emotional" eating.  I have never been able to relate to this concept because I have always considered myself a happy person.  I have always thought that I just ate when I was bored and never tied that into emotional eating.  I always thought that it meant that you had to be some crazy person who is always crying while shoving things into your face.  If there have been moments of sadness with me, I find that I don't want to eat at all. 

So how does this tie into my glass of liquids spilling over?  I have found that as my glass has been overflowing some of my negative traits that I am not proud of are now being displayed.  I have so many thoughts of the unknown swimming around in my mind.  I even asked my husband to stop talking last night about the millionth thing that he wanted to buy that would make our life "easier."  I explained to him that right now I need to avoid thinking about anything new until I have started working and some of my thoughts are straightened out.  He went on to discuss other tasks that need to be done including the lawn.  Needless to say, the lawn is not where my thoughts are.

I eventually talked to my husband once the kids were in bed and apologized about how short I have been with everything around here and explained my fears and disappointments with the upcoming job and food choices as of late.  He was kind enough to understand, but must have quickly forgot by this morning when he was talking about the lawn again and briefly mentioned his desired "purchase" then asked me why I was so crabby.

My response to him was, well....  less than kind.  I told him that part of the reason I appreciate him working outside the home was all I need to do is look at the clock to know when his talking will stop.  That didn't go over too great and now I am getting the silent treatment.  I am wondering if it is a pun to consider his silence well deserved by me. :)

My poor husband. 

I don't mean to air dirty laundry to the world, but I couldn't help but reflect on how much of a toll changes play on our attitudes.  This post has gone on a bit of a tangent, but my point was to say that I typically appreciate who I am as a person.  When it comes to food though, I find that my cup spills over very quickly.  I can only assume that it comes from my inner disappointment and feelings of inadequate-ness for not being able to just "figure it out."  I remind myself that I have a choice in the matter yet continually make the wrong ones.  I don't get it...  and I don't like it....

I found that when my glass spills over, I have been full of fear and anger toward my lack of self control.  I can only hope that the spilling over is getting the bad parts out of my glass and I am left with a glass full of positive traits that I admire and model for my kids.

Now I need to go call my husband....  :)

Being Sick...and Setbacks...

Wow!  I first would like to say sorry for not posting in a long while.  I came down with strep and was knocked down quite a few notches.  I've never had a strain of strep that was so tough on me, but I was down for 3 or 4 days.

During that time my husband and my Dad were extremely helpful with making sure the workings around the house and kids were taken care of.  I feel extremely blessed that I had help!  I found myself feeling bad though since I am the one to normally make dinner.  I felt even more guilty since we needed to go grocery shopping before I even got sick. 

Needless to say, since Dustin was in charge of the cooking, the family had a little setback in the food department.  Once I was able to pick up a few things from the store, Dustin also mentioned that he wants to have more of "his foods" in the house....  great...

So, we did get some of his foods.  Not nearly as much of it as what used to be in the house, but I feel like my sickness was a major setback to our lifestyle.  I keep trying to rationalize it in my mind since we are still in the transitional phase that setbacks are to be expected.  So why does it bother me so much?

I can only assume that its so difficult on me because it requires me to have self control...  With all of the old junk I used to enjoy in the house, I find myself having a little bit of it myself.  I try so hard not to get mad about it all.  If I am being perfectly honest, I know I have even thought about how much easier changing my eating/exercising habits would be if I was single without children!  But then I quickly come back to reality and realize how miserable I would be....  Healthy physically, but an emotional disaster with out my family.  So, I'm thinking that's not a legit option worth pursuing..lol..

There is a part of me that does not even want to post this particular blog, but I feel its only fair to share the ups and downs with you.  Changing any habits are going to have roller coaster experiences with some having more loop-de-loops than others.  I've also noticed that I receive more feedback from people who are able to relate when I do post about my shortcomings.  We are human.  We will make mistakes.  The ultimate goal is to make less and less, but I promise that my mistakes will ever make it all the way to zero.

I am deciding that instead of feeling sorry for myself about our setback, that I really need to dwell on what wonderful health my family has even with our less than perfect eating. 

Now if you will excuse me, I have a banana calling my name... 

Humbled...& my favorite lunch...

I've been getting some very nice feedback from you guys.  I just want you to know that I very much appreciate it.  I don't claim to know everything, but anything I am learning, I love to share it with you.  I've been told that I am inspiring people which is awesome, but I can't help but feel inspired about how receptive people are to hearing about real nutrition.  We all grew up with varying ideas about what nutrition was and now some of us are learning it all over again.

Pat yourself on the back for being so brave.  It's so easy to just give up.  Learning all of this new information is quite the task, but our bodies deserve it.  Please also give yourself a break about the speed in which you are giving up old habits.  We all have them.  Just focus on how many more nutrients you are putting in your body than what you were before.  Your body wants to thank you!

I love you guys :)

So, to avoid being considered a cornball... I'll change the topic.  Remember the other day when I posted a recipe for that salad dressing?  I thought...for as much as I love this stuff, I really need to make a video to show how easy it is.  So as we were getting ready to leave, I whipped out the camera.  It has quickly become my favorite lunch!  Please do try it... it is so yummy...especially if you have tried the oriental chicken salad/wrap at applebees. 

One ingredient that I use for the dressing is raw honey.  There has been some research done that shows that many people benefit from having about 1 tbsp of raw honey that is local to their area.  So if you have seasonal allergies, this might be something you want to consider.  If you don't have seasonal allergies, you will still benefit from eating it, because it's super yum.  The health food store I live near by has a big metal cooler full of honey that you can serve up in a little bear bottle.  Or if you are really motivated, you can become a beekeeper.  (How cool would that be to wear one of those suits?  Maybe cool isn't the word...)

mmmm...hummus...

Hummus is readily available in stores, but did you know it is really easy to make yourself?  This way you know what ingredients are really in it, and you can customize it to your specific tastes. 

Here is my favorite recipe of hummus, it is really strong tasting but a person could tame it down if they didn't add so much garlic...  I sure love garlic though...

Let me know how you like your hummus!

Wrap it up....

Wowzers.....  Just got done eating dinner.  So yea, that was pretty yummy!  I have always loved applebees oriental chicken salads.  I don't like having to pay for the salad though (especially if I am not going to eat the chicken)  So I found a recipe online that has a dressing similar to applebees.  Here's the recipe for the dressing

3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used grape seed veganaise)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

blend with a wire whisk until smooth.

I then took a organic flour tortilla (from the health food store...  granted I would have preferred a whole grain one) added chopped spinach, arugula, onions, carrots, sprouts, and chic peas and added some dressing.

Then, roll it up and chomp it down..... :)

Super yummy!!!  Remember, you are not limited to these ingredients... if you don't like something, don't add it.  If you'd prefer to eat it with something else add it!

As always, let me know if you try it!

Oh, I just wanted to add a little note.  Normally I won't even weigh myself anymore because I am afraid if the scale doesn't move fast enough.  It was down 5 lbs today from the last time I weighed myself (3 weeks ago).  I haven't been exercising as much as I should, so even though I was hoping for more than that, I can't ask for much more.

In the past if the scale didn't move fast enough, I'd get mad and eat something bad.  Well... Now I don't want to do that since I crave more whole foods than the junky stuff I've been known for.  I feel great mentally and physically.  I was just talking to my mom and sister about how my mood has stabilized and I feel a greater feeling of calmness and less stress.  I'm sold on this lifestyle... I don't feel as if I am missing out if I don't have junk food. 

Life.Is.Good....

I love you!

That's it, stick a fork in me and call me a vegan....

So I was feeling sorry for myself earlier today since I wanted some cheese but just hate the idea of having dairy.  I was thinking about all of the cheesy soups that I will never have again and while I could have some if I wanted to, I just choose not to at this time.

So...  one thing led to another.... If you know me, I don't allow myself to feel down for very long.  I went to the kitchen and started cooking some vegan soup.

I did not have a recipe I was just grabbing things from the fridge in a frenzy.....  When all was said and done...  I had the most wonderful tasting cheezy soup (and 100% vegan).  Seriously.... there are no words for how ridonkulous this soup is.  Who knows, maybe it's not that good and I was just really craving soup.  Who cares that its 90 some degrees outside...soup is YUM.

So here's what I think I added

5-7 red potatoes diced (skins on)
1/2 cup onion
2 carrots chopped (I didn't peel these either...)
3 garlic cloves
1 box of liquid not chicken broth (vegan)

3/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 green onions chopped
1-2 tsp Himalayan salt
1 1/2 tbs ground pepper
1 tsp ground mustard (spice)
1/2 tsp of peperika
1/2 cup of beer (optional)

Add the first 5 ingredients to a pot and cook over a medium heat.  Take pine nuts and about 1/2 cup of the broth (from the pot) and blend in a blender to a creamy consistency.  Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, including the pine nut blend and cover for about 10-15 minutes until veggies are soft. 

Now be very careful for the next part.  If you have a hand held immersion blender, you can use that to blend the soup.  If you are like me and don't own one then put half of mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  Repeat this step for the other half unless you like a chunky soup.

Then put mixtures back into pot and cook for a couple minutes.

Then devour that mass of yumminess without guilt!  So yummy!!!

Please do let me know if you make it.  I can't wait for the kids to try it when they have lunch tomorrow ( I made it when they were sleeping).

Seriously...  If you love cheesy soup....  you should like this...

Rock on people....  no need to enjoy in moderation....  Gobble it all down at one time...  SUPER YUM!!!

Since I came up with this recipe off the top of my head, I really have a boost of confidence for making new recipes.  Although, I may not have time since I might just eat this all day everyday lol...

Easing the transition

It's funny really, how I came across the whole idea of being raw.  I believe I was just watching recipes online of people making things and I came across kale chips.  The girl in the video talked about tid bits about the raw lifestyle and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  That next morning I checked out every book they had on raw "stuff" at 3 different libraries.

At the end of that same week, I was going on a trip to FL with my middle child.  My Dad dropped me off at the airport (May 10, 2011) and as we were hugging and saying goodbye, there was a woman sitting on a bench outside just watching me say goodbye to my other two kids.  She seemed really delightful and continued to smile the entire time.  Of course I quickly forgot about her as we walked inside to get our plane tickets.

Zachary and I were so excited about going to FL.  We were going on a D23's scavenger hunt.  Boarding the plane we were talking about how excited we were.  All of a sudden I noticed a passenger sitting down next to us at the end of our row.  It was the same lady that was at the front of the airport when we were dropped off.  She said, "Oh, I'm so happy to see you, I wondered where you guys were going!" 

Long story short, the plane ride went really fast since I was having such a wonderful conversation with this woman.  She told me her name and what city she lived in (some small town in MN) and that she was going to visit a friend in FL who was moving due to a divorce.  I believe it was because the husband left her for a younger woman.  I'm kicking myself now because I can't remember this woman's name for the life of me, or what city she lives in.

So why would remembering her name matter?  Well...  as our conversation continued, she told me that she was a breast cancer survivor and had been cancer free for over 2 years.  She had went to The Oasis of Hope in Mexico to get raw food healing.  I was shocked she had said all this since I had just checked out raw cookbooks (that were in my carry on even...) earlier that week!  I had to show her that I had the books.  I remember telling her that I believed God had arranged the seating chart on the plane so that she could sit next to me.

At the time I was more amazed that she was talking to us about raw foods mostly because I had just became interested in it.  Now, I am amazed because I was sitting next to a woman who beat cancer with healing foods.  She even pulled out a little baggy of raw trail mix and shared it with me and Zach.  I'm really heart broken that I did not get some sort of contact information from her, but I am praying that someday I can cross her path again to thank her for being there that day.  So if anyone of you reading this blog know of someone that would fit this description, tell her I said hi!  (I know she home schooled her kids too)

Anyways, I just had to tell that story because I can't believe how many more questions I might have asked had I known what I do now...which still isn't much, but it would be more than what I knew then.

I feel as if that was God's way of easing my transition to raw foods.  Granted I am far from being 100% raw and I may never be 100% raw since I do like some cooked foods in my diet. 

It's been quite the interesting journey with transitioning my family into new foods.  I was filming another video tonight about a quick and easy dinner to make and when Brandon saw me, he said, "Mom, you are so awesome."  It makes me feel like a million bucks that the kids are making attempts to change their eating habits.  Even though the boys don't like spinach raw, they still each take a leaf when I am blending up my breakfast chomp it down and ask me if I saw them and if I am proud. 

I am super proud of my babies.  I love the sound of crunching kale chips knowing that not long ago those same sounds were coming from toxic chips or fast food.  Last night Brandon even said, "Man mom, I can't wait for morning, I keep thinking about fruit." 

My husband has been quite the trooper also.  He is my macaroni, hot dog, and pizza eating junk food man.  I have him switched to an Annie's macaroni, and I make homemade pizzas for him.  He isn't sure about the whole vegan lifestyle, but he is willing to give it a try.  Since the only veggies Dustin will do are corn and potatoes (once in awhile) it makes meal planning somewhat tricky. 

One thing Dustin loves is his super drink, which is mixed with chocolate rice or almond milk.  If you know Dustin, you would know that he cannot stand vegetables at all.  I was so shocked when he said he would even try tasting this because he knew it had "healthy stuff" in it.  He's been drinking it since the end of May (2011) and said he feels pretty good when he takes it.  About 2 weeks ago, I was a little busier than normal and did not get around to making his drink so he went without it for a good 3 or 4 days.  Dustin could not believe how quickly he was getting tired again.  So even though he could just make it himself, I think he likes to be served by his trophy wife... (hahha..jk). 

I received a text message from Dustin the other day that said, "I must have enough of that green drink in me since I'm not feeling tired at work anymore.  This is awesome!"  I find this drink to be really helpful for those who just do not want to try veggies.  It is a little on the spendy side, but I consider it extremely worth it.  We found it at whole foods, but I know it is sold online also.

Since I am trying to keep the family mostly vegan, I also found this meat replacer that actually tastes pretty good.  Now just remember, I know raw whole foods are best, but when you are transitioning people who are not as excited as you are about healthy foods, there may be some foods that are still processed, but made with better ingredients than what they were eating before.

I ended up having one of these and it is actually very tasty! I liked it even better since there is no soy in it.  Another night I made a spaghetti without the meat in the sauce and the family did just fine without it. 

It's all about progress. 

Just for a little heads up, I already have videos made for raw corn chips and raw donut holes.  I also have a video for a quick vegan dinner that takes less than 5 minutes to make.  I have a request in to make a raw Spanish rice and raw or vegan foods on the go.  I intend to tackle those and more hopefully by the end of next week.  If you have any questions or video topics of interest please leave a comment.  I find this so fun and rewarding.  Brandon also thinks it's way cool that we have a youtube channel.  He's practically famous!

I love seeing new followers each day!  You all inspire me to keep working hard at this.  :)

Make it a great day!

By the way, if you need another documentary to watch supporting the plant based diet, go to http://www.archive.org/details/Eating_2nd_Edition 

Happy Birthday Anjanette!!

I know your birthday isn't until the end of the month, but I made a special RAW cake for you early...

Hope you enjoy the video, maybe you can convince Drew to make this for you!

I love you!

By the way peeps, remember how I said make things to taste?  After trying this recipe, I would have blended the "cake" part of the mixture in the blender once all mixed since I prefer more of a smooth consistency for a cake.  You might like the texture the way the video showed...  Either way, this carrot cake was RAWsome!  Seriously for those who want a healthy alternative to real carrot cake. 

For the Cake

1 cup organic raisins
1 large or 2 medium carrots, finely grated
2 cups of whole walnuts, chopped finely (I used pecans since that's what I had on hand)
1/2 cup of organic shredded coconut
1 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup maple syrup (or less - usually just a splash will do)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

For the frosting

1 cup of cashews
Juice from 1 lemon
1/8 to 1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

(Recipe from "Forks Over Knives" book)

Don't be afraid, kale chips are easy!

Hello peeps...

A few of you out there have asked how to make kale chips.  So this morning when I was getting ready to make our daily batch, I grabbed the camera and filmed it.  Keep in mind that this was not a planned thing, and it is very much an impromptu sort of thing.

The main point I want to stress is that changing your diet from the "standard American diet" (SAD) to a plant based diet is a HUGE undertaking.  You have to relearn everything you thought you knew about nutrition.  You have to learn what foods you will even eat and you have to learn about foods and cooking techniques that you may have never used or heard of before.

It is virtually almost like learning a new language.  If someone were to pick you up and drop you off in China, would you expect yourself to speak Chinese right away?  Of course not.  But I bet you would pick up pretty quick on words you need for everyday like bathroom.

If you are even considering changing one meal a day to a plant based diet, you are setting yourself up for lifelong changes and investing in your health.  I consider myself to be an all or nothing type of person, but changing your life over night to things you don't know much about doesn't make that sort of change very easy. 

Take your time.  I started out by eating a new vegetable one time a week.  If I didn't know how to make it, I would watch a video on youtube on how to cut it, or how to prepare it, or even what other things went good with it.  Once you get the basics down and you learn that taste, you can start making your own recipes. 

Another way to do it is by jotting down foods you already eat.  For example, say you eat cereal for breakfast with cows milk.  Instead you can eat raw granola with rice milk and top it off with berries or bananas.  Or if you wanted to have tacos, type in vegan tacos on google.  I try not to let my raw recipes get too elaborate. 

For example, the other day I made raw chocolate pudding.  The ingredients, 2 avocado, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup raw honey, and cocoa powder. 

You don't have to go without the things you love, just find a better replacement that your body will thank you for.

Today my project is to hopefully make a video of a health food store and the produce section of a grocery store.

Set little goals for yourself each day.  Such as, go to the grocery store and find one leafy green you have never tried before.  Go home and watch a video on the web and find out how people use it, and decide if you want to try it.  You just might like it.

One other tip.  While raw is the best, don't kick yourself if you are in a learning stage and cook more of your foods.  Your tastes need to change from what you used to eat.  Once it does, the SAD diet doesn't seem so great. 

Rock on people, make sure to do at least one nice thing for body today, it's been with you through everything in this life.  Your body deserves respect and love.  :)

What the heck is that?

Last night as a family we went out to the park and played.  It was so hot outside that we were trying to figure out where to go next.  So my lovely husband said, "Hey, why don't we go get $1 chicken sandwiches (regularly $3-4) from X fast food company."  We have been avoiding fast food for quite sometime now.  I really didn't even want to go, but I knew that everyone would be getting hungry and Dustin needed to get this $1 purchase out of his system before he exploded.

I wasn't even that hungry, but I thought to myself, I don't even want this.... I don't have to eat this even if everyone else does.  So when it came time to order, I ended up ordering one for myself.  It wasn't my proudest moment...  I even considered avoiding blogging about it but then came to my senses.  I stress the importance of progress, not perfection.  I have made a huge amount of progress.  Granted I do not want to make excuses for myself, but if my less than perfect choices become fewer and far between that is the ultimate goal. 

So anyways...  we ended up getting a sandwich and french fries and low and behold 1 hour later I had the worst headache.  If you know me, you know I will go to all costs to avoid taking any OTC medications (or any medications in general).  I ended up taking 2 (not 1...) ibuprofen to avoid it escalating to a full blown migraine.

Not much longer than that I noticed that the left side of my neck was hurting, and when I felt it I felt a lymph node sticking out.  It could only make me think that my body was fighting the bad stuff.  When I woke up this morning, I made sure to have my juice and blended a bunch of other stuff together.  I took a walk, and then when I came back I drank another glass of the same blend I had in the morning.  The lymph node is starting to go down but it is still there.  I ended up coming to a conclusion that I am going to become more strict with myself about avoiding meat.  I'm hoping I can be just as strict with excluding dairy since I think that is a horrible toxic substance.

I prefer more of a plant based diet now and my body yells at me if I do otherwise.  I'm happy that instead of just will power to do the right thing that my tastes are beginning to adjust and my body has symptoms when I get off track.  It keeps you in line!

Well, off to make my menu/shopping list for at least the next couple days...

Happy 4th of July everyone!

So, how do you grow your vegetables?

Today has been quite the refreshing day...

I woke up and made a blended drink that consisted of mixed berries, spinach, kale, and arugula, dulce (seaweed), a probiotic, 1 tbs of almond butter, and a frozen banana.  I gave some of it to my Dad who was very reluctant to try it after he saw the massive handfuls of green leaves.  After he tried that he said, "Wow, did you add chocolate to that?  I told him nope... it's all plants dad... :)  He gulped his down faster than I did...  very funny, but hey - our bodies love it!

I made that same drink yesterday for breakfast and found that it makes me have a crazy amount of energy.  I just feel so alert when I drink huge amounts of greens.  After about 10 minutes, me and my dad went on a 1 mile walk, and then decided to go for a 5 mile bike ride.  The weather was perfect for it...  So nice and relaxing. 

On the way I found a little vegetable/fruit stand that I have been meaning to stop at and was trying to do my best not to drool all over their produce.  I asked the girl, are these plants homegrown locally?  She said, some of them were...  So then I asked which ones are locally grown?  She then pointed to about half of the selection.  Then I asked, are these organic?  Do you use any pesticides on them?  She then said the locally grown fruits and veggies were organic (no pesticides).  So my Dad said he would buy me something...  mmmm....  I never turn down free fruits and veggies... lol  So I picked some really yummy looking pea pods and strawberries. 

O.M.G.  I tell you what...  You can tell when things are organic when you eat them.  The sweetness just blows you away.  As soon as I was home I had to make myself a bowl of strawberries...  mmm...so yumm...

Here is a picture of my lunch, it was also very yummy...  The sandwich is Ezekiel Bread with spinach, arugula, sprouts, rice cheese and hummus.  The greens on the side are kale chips (KIDS LOVE THESE, and so do I!!) and a little more homemade hummus on the side.  You can never have enough homemade hummus...(in my world anyway)

To make Kale chips just go to any store in the produce section.  They are a really leafy vegetable and are sold in a "bunch" with a rubber band around the stems.  When you get home, tear the leaf off of the long stem (or you can keep them on, I just take them off to juice or blend them later) and add 1 tbs of olive oil.  Now massage the kale with the oil and make sure all the leaves have oil on them (make sure the leaves are DRY before you put the oil on....  if you don't, it doesn't taste right since oil and water don't mix, and the oil falls off.)  a little goes a long way.  Now you can either top them with sea salt (I use unrefined Himalayan salt).  You can also add what is called nutritional yeast which has a cheesy taste to it...  The special salt and nutritional yeast is sold at a health food store.  My store has it in a refrigerated area near the vitamins.  If you can't find it, just ask a worker, I'm sure they know where it is located.  Then you can lay out all of the kale chips on a dehydrator, and set it to 105 degrees.  If you do not have a dehydrator, and you still want to see if you like kale chips you can also make these in your oven  (it just won't be considered raw).  Just turn the oven on the lowest setting (or if you have a "warm" setting) and prop open the oven door. 

In the dehydrator the kale chips take about 6 hours, so I just set it before I go to bed.  Many times as soon as the kids wake up they are asking for kale chips.  We go through a ton of kale around here.  I think it may be my favorite veggie....

Let me know if you try it!

OH!!  One more thing.  About 8 months ago, I went to a skin doctor to have a mole removed on my arm.  (I know, ick...)  but I asked her about this thing on my face that was big and ugly and had white dots on it.  She told me it was some kind of sweat gland and that there is nothing that you can do about it and it is perfectly normal.  Back then I accepted that sort of answer.  I have had that beastly looking sweat gland on my face for about 4 years.  Guess what.... This morning I was waxing my eyebrows and was looking closer at my face and then I stopped and thought... wait, where is that "normal" sweat gland that I can't do anything about???  It's GONE people....  juicing, and blending these veggies made it go away...  That is the only thing that has changed in my world.  Yet Ms. Doctor said you can't do anything about it....  hmm....  interesting... 

I learned that if we back up our organs (liver, kidneys- that are supposed to be filtering out toxins) from a poor diet, that our skin begins to work over time to excrete toxins too..  If our organs don't have so much junk to filter out (hydrogenated oils, high fruitous corn syrup, nitrates) and you incorporate lots of fruits and veggies, many skin conditions are cleared up.  I've read about eczema and acne clearing up from a plant based diet.  I've now seen my own skin change, and I'm liking it.  I've even noticed certain age lines fading that have bothered me before.  I can't wait to see even more changes. 

Health from the inside out....  Now that's what I call "natural beauty." :)

Oh great.....

Wow...

Once you think you know something....  You learn even more.  I started receiving some more of the books that I have ordered and fly through them just as fast as they come in the door. 

The more info I read, the more I realize that I need to go vegan.  What's that you ask?  Well, it's basically a vegetarian that does not eat any animal products, so no meat, poultry, butter, milk, eggs, or cheese.  I've noticed that I don't crave meat nearly as much when I eat so many fruits and veggies and often find myself sick to my stomach if I do decide to eat them.  Cheese and milk however, is harder to cut out than meat..

One of the books I am working on right now is the book Forks Over Knives (just like the movie that is out).  It said, "Casein, the primary protein in cow's milk may well be one of the most potent chemical carcinogens ever identified" (Campbell & Esselstyn, 2011).  The author went on to explain how there was a study done on two sets rats, one that was fed a diet with 20% casein, and the other was 5% casein.  "After 12 weeks, all of the rats eating a diet of 20 percent casein had a greatly increased level of early cancer tumor growth, while the 5 percent diet showed NO evidence of cancer whatsoever."  Then the researchers switched the rats foods.  So the rats who were receiving the 5% now had 20%.  Guess what happened??  Whenever the rats were fed 20%, the tumor growth exploded.... so the rats who were now at the 5%.... showed decreased tumor growth.  The Dr. stated, "We learned that we could turn on and turn off cancer growth -  just by adjusting the level of intake of that protein." 

Pardon my lack for better language, but WTF?????  Whats with all of the commercials that market dairy products for healthy bones due to all of the calcium?  LIES!  For one thing, milk is pasteurized, which means they heat the milk up at extremely high temperatures to kill any bacteria, or living enzymes that could be good or bad for you.  Then they add back vitamins (fortified milk).  Our bodies don't even recognized this as food and isn't able to absorb the nutrients properly.  Tell you what... if you want calcium eat leafy greens!  Did you know that spinach has as much calcium as a glass of milk?  But your body can actually absorb the calcium from spinach.

So many times when I tell people things I learn, they become frustrated and don't know what to eat, so I have decided to list alternatives to the things I am discussing.

First off, I love milk.  I don't think I want to drink it anymore, so my family has been making the transition to rice milk.  There are all sorts of milks out there (Almond, soy, rice, hemp, etc.)  Of those, the only one I do not recommend is soy milk...  Let me explain.  Soy often mimics the hormone estrogen in our body and causes issues.  Not to mention the majority of soy grown in the USA is genetically modified (cancer causing).  I have decided to avoid soy at all costs because of the previously listed reasons.  So....  out with the cow's milk... save it for the baby calves.  These milk replacements have vitamins added to them too, but if you are sad about the calcium from the cows milk blend up some spinach in your smoothies in the morning, you can't even taste it.  Herbs, sesame seeds, flax, and almonds are a great source of calcium too. 

I tell you what, I get started on one topic and I get all crazy I forget where I am going.  I enjoy reading books, but I find myself getting so angry about everything I am having to relearn.  Not only that, but when I work as a nurse I don't know that I am going to be able to refrain from telling people about a nutritional cure.  Get this.... Did you know it is illegal for a doctor to treat cancer with nutrition alone?  Yep, you have to go to another country to get educated about those options.  I'm going off on a tangent again and should just direct you to watch the movies from the previous blog...  I will add this, in the book I am reading it said that these doctors "recruited 24 patients from the clinic's cardiovascular department, people who had basically been told to go home and prepare for death, and put them on a plant based diet.  Everyone of them who followed the diet LIVED WITHOUT ANY MORE incidents of heart disease."

Think about it.... these people believed that they were going to die very soon...  Imagine the sadness in those people knowing they were going to leave their kids, grand kids, friends, family behind.  By changing their diet to a plant based diet, they lived....

I don't know what to say about that.

The doctor who was probably trusted by these people is not even required to study nutrition in medical school.  This is a huge disservice to the people in this country.  As a RN, how can I go work for one of these people??  Who knows, maybe I'll just have to write a book or even make a list of books that a person could reference and give it to people for free as their nurse....  :)

Then I'll be sued and put into prison I'm sure....  You will all come to visit me right? 

I tell you what, I need to channel this anger into being more productive.  I've decided that I want to make a menu for my family that reflects more of the changes I want to make.  I plan to start with writing down meals that are favorites around here, and then modifying the ingredients to be healthy yet still tasty.  I'll have to make a slightly different menu for myself since I eat more of the fruits and veggies that everyone else around here.  Once I do that, I'll try and post it online.

Before I end this post, I'll include a pic of yesterdays lunch....  100% raw, and 100% yum....

Guacamole (1 avocado, 1 green onion, and cilantro)
Salsa
Raw corn chips (3 cups corn, 1/2 cup onion, spices - dehydrate overnight at 105 degrees)

Thanks for listening... :)

Update: Schoooool out. for. summer!

Oh yea, so I finished my last paper for school...  YAY ME!  I needed a break from my studies to focus more on this food stuff.  I have ordered about 8 more books.. (I know, I'm way too obsessive about good foods now) and now I actually have time to read them!

I went through and read some of my previous posts and I can't believe what a change a month makes with making new habits.  It is starting to come naturally to me to pick healthy foods.  I'm considered a regular at the local co-op (natural health food store) because I am there so frequently. 

In the last post I mentioned that I received the movie dying to have known.  As soon as I opened it up I saw that it was so scratched that it wasn't even watchable.  So frustrating....  but....  I found it online.  I have found several things online.  In fact here is an email I have sent to a couple people that discusses some issues better than I can...

http://www.hacres.com/ <------ this is a really good site for recipies and they even have a 60 days to health eating that shows you videos on healthy stuff.  (I VERY HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS ONE... the people in the videos are a little weird...but there is a lot of educational stuff in it...)

Movies to watch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA&feature=youtu.be <---- a quick but good thing to watch about GMO's I never knew about this before.

"Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead <----- awesome to watch, about a guy who got rid of his disease in 60 days by juicing fruits and veggies

Forks Over Knives <--------- Talks about healthy food - Mind changing!!!

The Gerson Miracle http://www.hulu.com/watch/180363/the-gerson-miracle - Power of food....  healing

Dying to have known ( watch here http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=DoUl7F7dWdE&feature=mv_sr ) <---- Awesome study about the power of food and healing abilities!

The Beautiful Truth (http://www.youtube.com/movie/the-beautiful-truth?feature=mv_e_rel ) <----- another study on the power of foods healing ability.

Simply raw - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqLR9U5u6LY how people cured their diabetes just by what they ate...

This should get you started...

A good book to read is "The China Study" or "Eat to Live"

Let me know if you need more info.. :)

Love ya

I decided I needed to post that email because it has helpful videos and books to get people started. 

I found out today that my Mom comes and visits my blog too.  That made my day.  She told me to keep it up because people are listening.  Granted, I only have 4 official followers, I obviously have other stalkers out there...  (chuckle).  I found that to be true because I have had several people calling me asking me questions about eating healthy and wanting to know more. 

Hopefully my mom isn't offended by this statement but in a text she said, "trying not to feel guilty for not feeding you kids healthy foods."  I hope that this blog did not come across as blaming ANYONE for MY own bad habits.  Here are my thoughts.  When you are kids, yes, your parents dictate what you eat usually.  As adults, you can break habits and some adults learn new bad habits that their parents are not to blame for.  Here's the thing.... once you are an adult, you are capable of learning and relearning information.  Life is a work in progress and at no time should a person feel like things cannot change.  Everything can change.  We (ourselves) are in charge of our own lives and our individual habits....but it takes education.  If no one tells us, how can we know?  Certainly if I had known about soy formula, I wouldn't have given it to my baby would I?  My Mom did the best she knew at the time to feed us kids and I turned out to be a darn good cook because of it.  Now I am able to use that skill to convert favorite meals into healthy meals that still taste awesome and regular people still will eat too.

So, if there is any confusion out there... I hope that cleared the air.  Let's not feel guilty for past decisions.  Lets feel AWESOME about our current decisions.  I've decided that someday down the road if I ever write a book about healthy eating I want to call it "Give Me Reason."  Kinda lame maybe, but I really find that it is much easier to make decisions about our health if we have information to base our choices off of. 

I left out a few topics I wanted to add, but it gives me things to write about a little later...

For now... this is Jamie J, signing off... 

GMO's? Are you kidding me?

Wow....  So I just watched a film the other day called "The Future of our Food" on netflix.  With out going into too much detail it was talking about how food has been genetically modified and the links that it has with cancer, allergies, and many other issues.  I became so upset when I found out that there have been no human trials on this food and there is no labeling on food to let you know if a food is genetically modified or not.

I was so upset that I couldn't even juice that morning.  I didn't even want to eat at all.... ever.  I found myself being crabby most of the day, but then realized that I have already made so many changes in my family's diet and have mostly excluded the food that is/could be genetically modified.  What about the other families who have no idea?  How can the government let this even happen?  One could only assume that this is their way of population control.  I would bet that if people were told about GMO foods and health risks (similar to a warning that is on a pack of cigarettes) people would choose not to use these products. 

I felt even more guilty when I heard that somewhere around 80% of soy grown in this country are genetically modified.  When breastfeeding didn't go so well after the first 2 months with my son Brandon (now 6 years old) I fed him soy formula.  Brandon is the only son that I had given soy formula to and he is the only child that has these allergy/asthma problems of my 3 kids.  (Steph was breastfed exclusively for 13-14 months, and Zachary was breastfed til he was 6 months then put on regular formula) I feel extremely guilty for not looking into things more back then.  He has issues with allergies and a slight case of asthma and I feel responsible for it.  I am hoping that as my kids learn to love fruits and veggies as their mother does, that these issues for him will reverse.

I also read a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  It was recommended to me by another juicy friend who is actually starting up a challenge for this.  The low down of the book basically discusses the importance of "whole foods" being the most important for our bodies.  Lots of fruits and veggies, some beans, nuts.  I am looking forward to starting it this next week so that I can maybe have better success with that than how I have been doing with being 100% raw.  This allows you to eat much of your food raw, but also a good majority cooked.

I feel kinda weird about trying all these different ways of eating, but ultimately - how would a person know if they can stick to something if they don't try it out in the first place. 

I am really looking forward to watching the DVD that came in the mail today from Netflix called "Dying to Have Known."  I'll let you know how it turns out....  Still really looking forward to seeing the film "Forks Over Knives" but it is not even showing in MN anymore.... kinda sad that I never made it to the theatre, but I saw on Amazon that it comes out on DVD sometime in August.... 

Well all.. have a great weekend!  I have one more paper to write for my college course and then I am done with school for the rest of the summer.... SOOOOO excited!!!

Juice on peeps!

Where'd I go??

So I took a little bit of a break from the blog...  Going raw is much more difficult than I could have imagined.  As of now, I am to the point where I for sure juice for breakfast, and usually juice or eat something raw for lunch.  Dinner has been my downfall.... 

Another thing I have noticed is, while I am busy making dinner for myself (preparing raw stuff), I have been trying to cut down dinner preparing time for my family.  I got into a rut where I was making frozen pizzas or chicken nuggets for the hubby and kids.  Sounds like a raw deal right?  (sorry...not punny....)

I found that while I am making myself healthier in the process, I am still feeding poison to my family.  Not cool at all. 

So I realized that I need to find a happy medium...  At the moment, my husband refuses to eat fruits and veggies.  (Unless it is potatoes or corn on the cob with loads of butter.)  I suggested that the least I could do was prepare real foods in a healthier way without using boxes of processed junk.  So the rules (oh great... here I go with more rules...) for the house will be no trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils, no high fruitous corn syrup, and limit the white flour (hopefully using whole grains instead).  I'd like to reduce/eliminate the regular milk, and use a rice milk and cheese.  Oh yea, and no nitrates!

So the hubby agreed.  I also started him on this really awesome supplement called GREENSuperFood made by AmaZing Grass.  It tastes so much like chocolate milk, that he drinks it willingly...  Some of the ingredients include, organic: wheat grass, barley grass, alfalfa, spirulina, spinach, chlorella, broccoli, acai, maca, carrot, beet, raspberry.... with many others.....  and get this... he drinks it with rice milk! SCORE!!!

While this isn't exactly close to the goal of raw that I want for myself, it is helping me make a transition slower and easier to stick to.

I have found that while I am eating more and more fruits and veggies, that meat does not go well in my diet....  it may soon be eliminated totally.. :)  we will see.... but that's not a rule... yet..

So when does this start??  Well, I agreed not to throw away stuff that is already in the house, but we can not buy more of it.....  So...  I would say that this has started already- with the intent of doing even better when all the processed junk is gone...

Juice on people.... 

Day 11: Quit eating raw, and lets go to McDonalds!

The title of this post is inspired by my 6 year old son Brandon.  He has been very good at trying various things (including my new things from Pure Market Express) and has seemed to like most of them...

When I told my husband this, he mentioned Brandon might just want the toy.  Sure enough, when I asked Brandon if he wanted the food or the toy, he couldn't help but break out in a smile and said, "well...  the toy, I mean... no... no.. MOM!!!  I want the chicken nuggets."

I was pretty close to feeling bad for him... but I found out about Brandon's motives and I'm not convinced he really wants to eat McDonalds. 

For the record, the rest of the family is able to eat whatever they want, it just can't be from a fast food place.

My Dad is no longer doing the challenge offically, but I still put a juice on his bedside table and he drank it for breakfast.

We ended up having a non-raw pizza for dinner last night, and needless to say I felt a little ill after eating it.  I felt so weighed down compared to how I feel after I eat a raw meal or my juice. 

So today I'm back to eating raw.... 

I'm trying to convince the hubby to let me make a small order for a few entrees to the raw food delivery place here in MN....  It sure is nice to have a fancy raw meal once in awhile... :)

Now I just have to check out the ecopolitan....

Day 9: Pondering assignment....Fun

I had an interesting phone call this morning.  I was discussing my new way of eating with a family member and all the good and bad things about it...
She then asked me, "so what do you do for fun?"

I paused... and didn't really know what I do for fun... I've been walking?  Hang out with the kids?  But what do I really find super fun?

Food has always my go to for fun.  I love cooking, I love cooking for others, I love trying out new restaurants, I love having dinner with friends.... 

Uh oh...  so everything I love to do is surrounded by food.  No wonder I was so miserable the first couple days...

So today I am going to spend time pondering that very question...  What do I find fun....

A few ideas already... I have fun watching a movie cuddled up with my kids or husband.  I enjoy playing tennis.  I enjoy rollerblading.  I enjoy looking up recipes on youtube for raw foods.  I enjoy going to the health food store to find ingredients for recipes.  I love tanning. 

I love knowing that I am not controlled by food.  I get to control what I eat and what I put into my body.

I may not always be perfect but it is certainly leaps and bounds better than what I was just 10 days ago....

I choose to have fun regardless of if food is going to be involved or not... 

Oh, one more thing...  I am going to have loads of fun shopping for a new wardrobe... :)

Day 8: or should I say, Week 2, day 1...?

It's been a few days since I last blogged...

I was getting pretty mad at the world, and by the end of day six I told my husband I intended to quit in the morning of day 7. 

Well, I woke up on day seven, and I was craving one of my juices really bad...  So much for the quitting idea.

Needless to say, juicing has been going pretty well and for dinners I usually have a veggie and a slice of my "special" bread.

Tonight I did have a little cooked chicken (1 oz) for dinner.  I have been craving chocolate (as I normally do this time of the month...) and I decided to make some brownies...  I know I know... I'm horrible - but guess what, plan backfired and they didn't turn out.  So needless to say, I did not have a brownie and I am happy about that.

I'm thinking that I might only post once a week unless I feel motivated to write more frequently.  I have been so bogged down with homework - since I am trying to work ahead to get done with my class sooner.  If I do that I will have more time to juice - exercise - paint the walls of my house... 

Oh yea, that's right... exercise!  Me and my Dad went on a 3 1/2 mile walk today... it felt so good.  I want to go on another walk tonight, but I am waiting for it to cool the heck down...  it's about 82 degrees outside!  It should be in the 70's tomorrow.

Well - off to go clean my van with my husband!  I love the new energy I have... :)

Day 5: Minor setback..in my own mind

My highlight of my day was when I juiced for lunch which was a combo of apples beets and carrots.  It looked just like fruit punch!  I let my 4 year old try a sip and his exact words were, "Wow Mom, This is wonderful!"  I'm not sure I have ever heard him use that expression.  It was so cute.

Earlier today I was invited to a get together this weekend and I made an excuse to not attend.  This weekend is pretty busy, but I could have fit it in...  I seem to find myself getting uncomfortable being too far away from my juicer and being tempted by anything that might be offered for food at a party.  I'd like to think I would have enough will power, but who knows at this point. 

I made the rest of the family "Italian dunkers" which consist of a sloppy joe like meat and garlic cheese bread.  Even though I agreed to eat dinner with the family; when I ate half a slice of the bread and some meat, it made me feel extremely guilty.  I just feel like it is a let down that I am not able to just go raw over night... 

There is a part of me that wants to still have some my old regular food ( at dinner) because I don't want to gain weight right back when I am at an ideal weight.

Oh well... I need to be happy with the progress I am making.  Even if I do have a regular dinner every night, it sure beats the way I was eating before.... right?  There was a part of me that wanted to eat more junk because of how bad I felt about what I already ate, but I recognized that as a old bad habit and did not act on it.

Really wanting to go watch the movie "Forks Over Knives..."

Hoping the hubby takes me out on a date to watch it soon..don't worry.... I don't like popcorn, so that wouldn't be a temptation... :)

Day 4: ....and I'm feelin' fine :)

Wow... 

I feel so much different about this way of eating compared to yesterday.  I have lost all food cravings, and as far as the new rule for eating dinner, I can decide to take it or leave it.  Tonight for dinner I plan to make the "mean green" juice and maybe a slice of sprouted bread with hummus..  It's so yummy.. :)

Not only that, but I jumped on the scale a little early and it said...  I lost 8 lbs already.  This is impressive to me for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is this is the time of the month where I normally retain water (if ya know what I mean).  Two, I have done NOTHING for exercise, except for today.  I didn't have any energy the last few days to do that, but now... I do :)  When the weight loss number nears closer to 20 lbs that will be exciting.

I wouldn't say I have a TON of energy yet, but I would say that I feel much better than I have in the last three days.  I am waiting for my daughter to wake up for her nap and then plan to take the kids on a walk to the park.

I am happy to say that I finished reading 3 chapters of my textbook last night and should be able to finish 3 more chapters tonight... (hopefully!) so I can take my first exam this semester on Saturday.

I know this might sounds gross....  But on the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," the woman who goes on the juice fast for 10 days said she spent so much time the first couple of days on the toilet.  I must admit that I was a little bit worried about that sort of mess... lol... but without going into too many details - that part of my life hasn't changed any....  Well it's changed, but the frequency part hasn't.....  I know, I know... super gross, I'm sorry, but if anyone else does this, I'd like to think they would want to know if they need to know if its a for sure thing...

I am going to try hard to start exercising regularly now that my energy has begun to pick up some.  Can't wait to keep seeing progress!!

Hey Day 2....  the motivations over here!!!

Day 3: Minor change.... For now

Well day three is coming to an end and I can say that I will have some energy remaining to catch up on some of the homework I am falling behind on.  But.... That doesn't come without some changes in the "challenge." 

Today was pretty rough at first and after my first juice I nearly threw up at the thought of having to drink more juice for lunch.  I find this "juicing" challenge extremely difficult since I am not a real "sweets" sort of person.  Granted I don't have to make all of my juices sweet but leafy greens alone might not stay down for too long. 

I find myself feeling like something is missing.  (of course all the junk food, but besides that...)  I really enjoy cooking for my family and eating with them.  I find pleasure in making sure the food is cooked just right for my husband, kids or Dad.  With as much prep that I have to do for my own juice or avocado wraps I can't make something special for the family. 

At around 4pm I asked my Dad what he was thinking about for dinner jokingly of course.  I did say to him though that I had only had one juice the whole day, and I was avoiding drinking anything else because I was just too sick.  I threw out a suggestion out making a veggie salad and using a preservative free dressing with 2 slices of Ezekiell (sprouted) bread & hummus .  Eventually, my Dad agreed as long as he could have a little chicken in his salad.  

So we ate dinner (with some guilt) but decided to amend the rules a little bit.  We still have to juice for breakfast and lunch...  We can eat a regular dinner if we'd like but I'd really like to try to stay as "raw" as possible. 

I should have only ate one slice of bread.... lesson learned...

I'm not sure I feel good about the bending of the rules, but in all honesty - there is no way I could make it to day 10 while taking care of my lil ones and college homework/reading without the potential of my husband divorcing me.  I may attempt the 100% juicing thing again in the future (early July) since my summer classes will be done by then.

I still love my juicer. 
I still intend to blog
- but really need to learn how to add pictures on to this thing...

Day 2: Where'd my motivation go? (Post for yesterday...)

Day two was tough....

The cravings were coming in full force, and fruits and veggies were the last thing I wanted to eat (drink).  I decided at the end of day one that I am allowed to eat raw fruits and veggies.  That really helped with dinner on day 1.  I really need to post a picture of what I made.  (It was a avocado, tomato, onion, and cilantro wrapped in lettuce)

So back to day 2.  At one point I had convinced myself that I needed to quit because this was not something I was going to be able to stick to.  Perhaps you remember from my earlier post that my Dad agreed to do this with me for 10 days.  At about 1pm yesterday while he was out on a walk, I sent him a text message saying, "This sucks!"

He quickly came back and was motivating me that we needed to stick to our deal to stay on it for 10 days.  Without him being on this, there is no way I was getting past day 2.  I started to get a headache halfway through the day and was about to take something for it but tried to drink a few more glasses of water to see if it would go away.  Well it didn't. 

As I was making dinner for the family (they had a nitrate free pizza from Trader Joe's) and chopping up veggies (more avocado...) my youngest child ended trying to race down the stairs and ended up rolling down and bonking her head!  Talk about having your heart stop!  We rushed up to the ER and two hours later they said she was perfectly fine and just put a little glue on her cut.  Of three children, this is the first time anyone has been hurt on the stairs - mostly because we usually have the bolted gate closed at all times.  Needless to say, I am going to be a stickler about that even more now.  That will not happen again!

Oh yea, since all of this was going on, I forgot to take anything for my headache.  My headache started to become a migraine and I was very close to throwing up.  I honestly believe that was the worst migraine I have ever had.  I don't know if it had anything to do with the new way of eating (detoxing) or what, but too many more of those would really make me want to do this process a little more gradual.

I'm falling behind in my homework because I don't have enough energy to stay awake long enough to read.  I am becoming frustrated.

I can say though, that I am extremely proud to have made it to day 3....  I didn't think I'd make it.

Thanks to my supporters out there....  I really wouldn't have been able to get through this with out your encouraging words.... 

I will post day 3's comments by this evening to given no migraines make an appearance.

Day 1....My juicer is here!!!

I knew from watching the tracking information that my juicer would be here today.  I have been extremely anxious to start my reboot, so I did not eat/drink anything until the mail got here so today could officially be my day 1...

You have no idea how excited I was to see the mailman bring up my package.  Of course with it being Monday the mail shows up much later than it does on any other day...  so it was a little after noon. 

Before the mail was here I prepared my fruits and veggies.  I was planning on making the "Green Lemonade."  I quickly unwrapped the packaging, rinsed it off, and set it up and I was up and running! 

I have NEVER juiced anything in my life so I wanted to taste what a apple juice really tasted like.  Seriously...  I couldn't believe how flavorful it was.  I could never drink a bottled apple juice again, NO LIE.  I gave a little to the kids, and they were just as excited as I was to try it...

So I did eventually make the "Green Lemonade" which is made up of:

1 apple
3 handfuls of spinach
6-8 Kale leaves
1/2 a cucumber
4 celery stalks
1/2 lemon

As I was drinking it I thought it might have even tasted great blended with ice....  maybe next time.... :)

Needless to say, so far - things are good. 

The evening is always the toughest for me, so we will have to see how pleasant my husband thinks I am after making dinner for the family, and juicing for myself...  I must admit though, I really feel like this is something I want to stick to.... 

Oh, and one other thing...  Someone suggested to me that I should take before and after pictures.... so I do have some before pictures from today..... (the official side view, front, and back...)

Later!

So why am I doing this?

It's time to get real.  I enjoy a wonderful life with my husband, kids, college, but I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food. 

I feel very fortunate that even through all of the years of abusing my body by not eating healthy that I do not have any serious medical conditions.  I will, I'm sure, run into many problems if I do not get my act together...quickly.

I'm tired of feeling like an addict.  I have always said to people that I could quit my junk food habits whenever I want, but I knew deep down it wouldn't just be that simple.  I needed to have a plan.  The light bulb went on when I was in class learning about mental health and addictions.  I think about food way more than I should, I eat when I'm not hungry, and I have avoided social situations because I felt nasty or embarrassed about my weight.

It is not my intention to discuss the topic of food addictions in this blog even though it may come up every now and again.  I know there are several people out there who do not believe that food can be an addiction and I understand the logic behind that.  Whether or not food is or is not an addiction in your opinion, hopefully my use of the word addiction is not offensive to anyone.  (If it is, pretend I am saying bad habit instead...)

I'm tired of being a poor example of eating to my children.  I need to get my act together now so that they do not have these problems in their adult years.  I want to have more energy to play!

I recently became an RN and I have been having a conflict of interest burning in my heart (no its not heart burn...).  How can I, an educated health professional go out and get a job and teach people about their own health when I am not being very healthy myself?  I know what I have to do to be healthy and even took an elective nutrition course (since knowing about nutrition isn't a requirement to be a nurse).  That course taught mostly of the food pyramid and I am not sold on as a whole either, but is a good basis for a person to start at if they need to avoid the obvious junk like fast food and other treats.

Last and certainly not least, I have the desire to look healthy.  I don't want to be a super model, but I do want to feel attractive for myself.  My husband bless his heart, responds to my comment of wanting to be a trophy wife by saying, "You already are..."  I believe I am attractive to him already, but I can imagine he won't complain to much when I am wearing the size of clothes I was when I met him - while knowing my body is much stronger and healthier on the inside.

I have the motivation I need to do this.... now... If my juicer could just get here to start the reboot... :)  MUUAHHH!

While I'm waiting....

Hello!  This is the first blog of many, hopefully!  I am a Wife, Student and Mother of three children ages 6, 4, and 2. 

So a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a youtube video where someone talked about how much energy they had from eating raw.  I flipped through a few more videos and saw that some guy said he lost 100 lbs in a couple months.  This so called "Raw" movement had my attention...

That same day I checked out every book in 2 different libraries about raw foods and decided that it was going to be my goal to eat 100% raw for at least 60 days.

Then I watched a few documentaries....

One in particular that I watched was called, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead."  It mostly talked about a guy who was overweight and became healthy by rebooting his system (juicing for 60 days - fruits and veggies). 

So I decided... I want to reboot my system first.  The next day I spent my time finding the best juicer I could find within a decent price range and found the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite Juicer Extractor.  I am now waiting for it to arrive in the mail, and intend to reboot my system for at minimum of 60 days.  I imagine this may be a little difficult, but I am up for the challenge.  My Dad, will be doing the challenge for me for the first 10 days to help me stick to it!



If you would like to join me on my juicing mission, I would be absolutely thrilled!  If you just want to know how I am doing and do not want to reboot your system, I would still appreciate any comments you have, or even any recipes you have tried or want to try for juicing or raw dishes!

Til next time!  MUUAAAH! (I learned this from my 2 year old daughter...  She blows kisses at bedtime.)