Today:
-- 1 qt water
-- green smoothie w/ 10oz mango, 1 bunch spinach
-- 2 apples
-- 2 avocadoes
-- 1 mango
-- marinated salad w/ 1 head purple kale, sprouts (alfalfa & crunchy), handful of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cucumber, red onion, a drizzle of balsamic & EVOO, sea salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and a drop of honey
-- middle eastern feast! (including but not limited to: tabbouleh (parsley, diced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, cumin, sea salt & pepper, EVOO, lemon juice); sesame seed pate (sesame seeds, cumin, sea salt, pepper, curry, cayenne, red bell pepper, lemon juice); salad (red bell pepper, green leaf lettuce, balsamic, lemon juice, EVOO, red onion, sprouts), DATES!
I made dinner for Abdul tonight and totally tricked him into raw vegan goodness! I told him to bring some pitas (just in case...I didn't want him to leave for work starving!), and served up delicious tabbouleh, salad, and hommus pate...of course he had no idea it was raw, and kept going on about how good everything was! Haha, good times. I ended up making a ton of food so I have enough to take for lunch tomorrow...yaay.
Hm. I'm finding that post-feast I'm starting to get some breakouts. I definitely overdid it on fat today. Meh. I'll be green juicing it up here in a couple of hours or so, for sure. I also need to get going with the running thing. I'm going to try to get into bed by 9:00 or 10:00 tonight so that I can go tomorrow before school.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Snow Day!
Ah, we're having a steady snow here in Brooklyn. I think its the first snow to really stick, which is pretty exciting. I've noticed that I'm feeling a lot more resilient when it comes to the weather lately...I'm not sure whether to attribute that to solid food or the extra fats I'm consuming.
I feel like I ate a lot today! Even my co-teacher commented on it, haha. I definitely didn't "overeat," I think I just had an appetite. I overslept today and never had a chance to throw together a green smoothie. I feel like I've been looking pretty beat lately, and its definitely due to a lack of sleep and the fact that I'm not getting in the green juices I was before. I'm going to have a nap, then make myself a quart or two when I wake up. Also considering a more strict sleep schedule that involves more...sleeping.
Teh Yummies
-- 3 apples
--massaged salad: 1/2 bunch kale, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cuke, a few slices of red onion, handful of crunchy sprouts and a handful of alfalfies, drizzle of EVOO & balsamic, 1/2 bunch rocket, 3 tbs hemp seed
-- chamomile tea w/ 2oz honey
-- 2 mangos
-- 2 avocados (one was small)
-- 10 oz figs
-- small handful of blueberries
-- 1.5Q celery/kale/apple/ginger/cuke (1 heart celery, 1 head kale, 1 cucumber, 2" chunk ginger, 2 of the biggest candycrisp apples I've seen in my life)
I feel like I ate a lot today! Even my co-teacher commented on it, haha. I definitely didn't "overeat," I think I just had an appetite. I overslept today and never had a chance to throw together a green smoothie. I feel like I've been looking pretty beat lately, and its definitely due to a lack of sleep and the fact that I'm not getting in the green juices I was before. I'm going to have a nap, then make myself a quart or two when I wake up. Also considering a more strict sleep schedule that involves more...sleeping.
Teh Yummies
-- 3 apples
--massaged salad: 1/2 bunch kale, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cuke, a few slices of red onion, handful of crunchy sprouts and a handful of alfalfies, drizzle of EVOO & balsamic, 1/2 bunch rocket, 3 tbs hemp seed
-- chamomile tea w/ 2oz honey
-- 2 mangos
-- 2 avocados (one was small)
-- 10 oz figs
-- small handful of blueberries
-- 1.5Q celery/kale/apple/ginger/cuke (1 heart celery, 1 head kale, 1 cucumber, 2" chunk ginger, 2 of the biggest candycrisp apples I've seen in my life)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Salt & Scheduling
Hm. So I've got about an hour here before I have to head off for the co-op. I think I missed another shift I was supposed to work yesterday. Ha! Such is the story of my life. Now that I hooked it up with a fancy-pants Samsung Blackjack, I should be able to keep all of my affairs in order. Should.
So, I've got a plan for what I plan to do now that I'm transitioning out of my juice feast...since I can no longer bear to wake up at the crack of dawn to get my juice on (at least for now), I am going to do all of my juicing in the afternoon/evening.
This works to my advantage in two ways: Not only does it free up my morning for a solid run and/or pilates routine, it also means I'll be juicing in the afternoons/evenings instead of eating. This means my digestive system will be done doing its thing by the time I go to bed, which will result in maximum healing & rejuvination. Woo!
I'll blend up a green smoothie in the morning for breakfast, and I'll also take a salad or some fruit for work. I'm going to see how that works out. My salad today was DELICIOUS: romaine, spring mix, sprouts, cukes, halved cherry tomatoes, pepper, hemp seeds, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar & sesame oil...all stuffed into a 1.5Q mason jar, no less. What can I say? I'm in withdrawal. Or just out of containers... :)
Can't be beat. I'm trying to cut salt out of my recipes entirely, to see where it takes me. The food tastes SO much better this way. I can really, really taste things in romaine lettuce, sesame oil, and all kinds of other veggies & fruits -- that I never noticed before. The food is so much more vibrant and delicious.
I feel like using salt kills all of that and everything ends up tasting the same. Who knows? I might start using it again, whatever...right now I'm really enjoying the no salt thing.
Food! (so far)
-- 2 quarts water
-- 8 oz prunes
-- Salad with 1/2 bag romaine, 1/2 bag spring mix, 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 3-6 tablespoons hemp seeds, drizzle of balsamic vinegar & sesame seed oil, 1/2 carton alfalfa sprouts, pepper
-- 3/4 green smoothie made with 10 oz mango, 1 medium head kale, 1 gala apple
-- 4 gala apples
-- 4.4oz box blueberries
-- 2 larabars (apple pie!)
-- chamomile tea w/ 2oz honey
-- 12 oz senna tea w/ 2oz honey
-- massaged salad 1/2 bunch kale, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cuke, a few slices of red onion, handful of crunchy sprouts and a handful of alfalfies, drizzle of EVOO & balsamic, 1/2 bunch rocket, 3 tbs hemp seed
So, I've got a plan for what I plan to do now that I'm transitioning out of my juice feast...since I can no longer bear to wake up at the crack of dawn to get my juice on (at least for now), I am going to do all of my juicing in the afternoon/evening.
This works to my advantage in two ways: Not only does it free up my morning for a solid run and/or pilates routine, it also means I'll be juicing in the afternoons/evenings instead of eating. This means my digestive system will be done doing its thing by the time I go to bed, which will result in maximum healing & rejuvination. Woo!
I'll blend up a green smoothie in the morning for breakfast, and I'll also take a salad or some fruit for work. I'm going to see how that works out. My salad today was DELICIOUS: romaine, spring mix, sprouts, cukes, halved cherry tomatoes, pepper, hemp seeds, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar & sesame oil...all stuffed into a 1.5Q mason jar, no less. What can I say? I'm in withdrawal. Or just out of containers... :)
Can't be beat. I'm trying to cut salt out of my recipes entirely, to see where it takes me. The food tastes SO much better this way. I can really, really taste things in romaine lettuce, sesame oil, and all kinds of other veggies & fruits -- that I never noticed before. The food is so much more vibrant and delicious.
I feel like using salt kills all of that and everything ends up tasting the same. Who knows? I might start using it again, whatever...right now I'm really enjoying the no salt thing.
Food! (so far)
-- 2 quarts water
-- 8 oz prunes
-- Salad with 1/2 bag romaine, 1/2 bag spring mix, 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 3-6 tablespoons hemp seeds, drizzle of balsamic vinegar & sesame seed oil, 1/2 carton alfalfa sprouts, pepper
-- 3/4 green smoothie made with 10 oz mango, 1 medium head kale, 1 gala apple
-- 4 gala apples
-- 4.4oz box blueberries
-- 2 larabars (apple pie!)
-- chamomile tea w/ 2oz honey
-- 12 oz senna tea w/ 2oz honey
-- massaged salad 1/2 bunch kale, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cuke, a few slices of red onion, handful of crunchy sprouts and a handful of alfalfies, drizzle of EVOO & balsamic, 1/2 bunch rocket, 3 tbs hemp seed
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Connecticut!
I went to Connecticut today to catch the grand opening of Glen's new cafe. It was packed and the food was delish. Its so incredible to watch raw food places & juice bars open up all over the place!
An accidental sprinkling of hemp seeds on my salad today made me realize that I actually *do* like them, afterall. Now I can't get enough! My taste buds have changed so much. I found myself craving parsley the other day, which is incredible, considering I used to be militantly anti-parsley. I picked some up tonight and I think I'll make some tabbouleh with it tomorrow. Yum.
I'm loving the shifts that are going on...the 40 day flood of green juice (haha thanks Anthony) has opened my eyes to so much.
The Deliciousness:
-- 2 quarts water
-- 12 0z soaked prunes
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 2 pears
-- 3 coconut macaroons :)
-- 3 cups romaine lettuce with 1/4 avoado, a few slices of cucumber, a few grape tomatoes, hemp seeds, and raw ranch dressing
-- 11oz blueberries
-- 1/4 cup goji berries
-- 16 oz watermelon
-- 1/2 bag romaine lettuce with 1/2 cucumber, a few grape tomatoes, drizzle of sesame seed oil & balsamic vinegar, lots of hemp seeds
I was really hungry all day! Probably because I didn't have any green juice/green smoothies. I'm making that a priority for tomorrow.
Also went on a 20 minue sprint/walk through my neighborhood. Fantastic! Totally forgot that you can't run immediately after consuming food (I'd been nibbling on prunes all morning), hence the "walking" part. I got about .75 miles of a pretty strong sprint in before absolutely having to stop, then walked the rest of the 1.25 of my regular route. Heh. Good times.
An accidental sprinkling of hemp seeds on my salad today made me realize that I actually *do* like them, afterall. Now I can't get enough! My taste buds have changed so much. I found myself craving parsley the other day, which is incredible, considering I used to be militantly anti-parsley. I picked some up tonight and I think I'll make some tabbouleh with it tomorrow. Yum.
I'm loving the shifts that are going on...the 40 day flood of green juice (haha thanks Anthony) has opened my eyes to so much.
The Deliciousness:
-- 2 quarts water
-- 12 0z soaked prunes
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 2 pears
-- 3 coconut macaroons :)
-- 3 cups romaine lettuce with 1/4 avoado, a few slices of cucumber, a few grape tomatoes, hemp seeds, and raw ranch dressing
-- 11oz blueberries
-- 1/4 cup goji berries
-- 16 oz watermelon
-- 1/2 bag romaine lettuce with 1/2 cucumber, a few grape tomatoes, drizzle of sesame seed oil & balsamic vinegar, lots of hemp seeds
I was really hungry all day! Probably because I didn't have any green juice/green smoothies. I'm making that a priority for tomorrow.
Also went on a 20 minue sprint/walk through my neighborhood. Fantastic! Totally forgot that you can't run immediately after consuming food (I'd been nibbling on prunes all morning), hence the "walking" part. I got about .75 miles of a pretty strong sprint in before absolutely having to stop, then walked the rest of the 1.25 of my regular route. Heh. Good times.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Feast Breaking, Day 1
Hm. I wound up breaking my feast today at Union Square. I did the prunes, but added too much soak water to them last night so they wound up being absolutely disgusting. I don't think I'll do any prunes tomorrow, or at least not a full day.
I started today with a quart of water, and had a quart of celery/apple with 1/2 of the prunes for breakfast. I did a bit of journaling (nothing too crazy) today before breaking the feast, then continued with my day.
In the evening I hung out with Najib & Abdul, and really felt like a salad. Even though it was only Day 1 of the feast breaking, I followed my instincts and had "The Hummus Platter" at Caravan of Dreams. I didn't eat the carrots, radishes or celery as they were heavier/harder to chew thoroughly. I had a couple of flaxseed chips, and ended up leaving most of the almond hummus (which they brought out on the side) Not only was it too heavy, but after a conversation with a certain chocolate lady, I realized it tastes like marzipan. :) I used to love their hummus. Sadface.
On the plus side, Najib & Abdul LOVED Caravan, which I thought was super because they both really like meat. I didn't tell them it was a vegan place (I only told them it was vegetarian), and neither of them happened to notice the difference between the types of entrees (live vegan/cooked vegan). They ordered a veggie burger, and cooked veggies w/polenta. Najib told me he were surprised they didn't leave the restaurant hungry, and they both kept talking about how good the food was all night. Yaay! They also really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, which is a definite plus.
Anyway, my dinner was definitely not the best ever. I left with a really weird taste in my mouth (I'm assuming from the salt?), and feeling pretty foggy. I probably won't eat there again for a while. I really really thoroughly chewed everything (something I'm working on), and in doing so, realized the food was actually really bland. There just wasn't much there. Merh. Maybe because it wasn't organic? It might be, I don't know.
Even though my feast is over, I'm going to continue keeping track of what I'm taking in each day.
Today's Yumminess:
-- 2 qts celery/apple/cucumber (2 hearts celery, 4 apples, 2 medium cukes)
-- 8oz PRUNES!
-- 2+ qts water
-- tea w/honey
-- Live Hummus Platter from Caravan (sans radishes/carrots/celery, only about 1/4 cup almond hummus, several flax chips)
So, not as much juiciness as I would've liked for today. I'm going to try to work a shift at the co-op tomorrow so that I can stock up on leafy goodness before the opening.
I started today with a quart of water, and had a quart of celery/apple with 1/2 of the prunes for breakfast. I did a bit of journaling (nothing too crazy) today before breaking the feast, then continued with my day.
In the evening I hung out with Najib & Abdul, and really felt like a salad. Even though it was only Day 1 of the feast breaking, I followed my instincts and had "The Hummus Platter" at Caravan of Dreams. I didn't eat the carrots, radishes or celery as they were heavier/harder to chew thoroughly. I had a couple of flaxseed chips, and ended up leaving most of the almond hummus (which they brought out on the side) Not only was it too heavy, but after a conversation with a certain chocolate lady, I realized it tastes like marzipan. :) I used to love their hummus. Sadface.
On the plus side, Najib & Abdul LOVED Caravan, which I thought was super because they both really like meat. I didn't tell them it was a vegan place (I only told them it was vegetarian), and neither of them happened to notice the difference between the types of entrees (live vegan/cooked vegan). They ordered a veggie burger, and cooked veggies w/polenta. Najib told me he were surprised they didn't leave the restaurant hungry, and they both kept talking about how good the food was all night. Yaay! They also really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, which is a definite plus.
Anyway, my dinner was definitely not the best ever. I left with a really weird taste in my mouth (I'm assuming from the salt?), and feeling pretty foggy. I probably won't eat there again for a while. I really really thoroughly chewed everything (something I'm working on), and in doing so, realized the food was actually really bland. There just wasn't much there. Merh. Maybe because it wasn't organic? It might be, I don't know.
Even though my feast is over, I'm going to continue keeping track of what I'm taking in each day.
Today's Yumminess:
-- 2 qts celery/apple/cucumber (2 hearts celery, 4 apples, 2 medium cukes)
-- 8oz PRUNES!
-- 2+ qts water
-- tea w/honey
-- Live Hummus Platter from Caravan (sans radishes/carrots/celery, only about 1/4 cup almond hummus, several flax chips)
So, not as much juiciness as I would've liked for today. I'm going to try to work a shift at the co-op tomorrow so that I can stock up on leafy goodness before the opening.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Days 39 & 40
Well well. I'm officially finished with my Juice feast, as of 2 hours, 7 minutes ago. I haven't had anything solid. I'm about to throw my dried fruit into the soak water, and will eat a breakfast of prunes and a quart of juice around 11:00 AM (or whenever I wake up and feel like it -- I'm sleeping in!) I don't really...want to end the feast right now. Meh.
Day 39:
-- tea w/ honey
--- 2 quarts apple/celery juice (8 apples, 1 head celery)
-- 2 quarts watermelon juice
-- 1.75 quarts apple/cuke/kale (1.5 lb kale, 2 green delicious apples, 3 gala apples, 3 kirby cucumbers)
Day 40:
-- tea w/honey
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 2 quarts celery/apple (1 head celery, 6 gala apples)
-- 2 quarts cucumber/kale/apple (5 kirby cucumbers, 1.5lb kale, 5 gala apples)
Yay! Questions from my readers!
What is MSM?
From about.com:
MSM is a naturally occurring sulfur compound found in fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, fish, and grains. MSM is therefore found in the normal human diet, but as foods are processed, MSM is destroyed. MSM is an odorless, tasteless, white, water soluble, crystalline solid in its purified form.
http://affairsoflife.com/msm.htm has a very extensive list of the benefits of MSM...
Day 39:
-- tea w/ honey
--- 2 quarts apple/celery juice (8 apples, 1 head celery)
-- 2 quarts watermelon juice
-- 1.75 quarts apple/cuke/kale (1.5 lb kale, 2 green delicious apples, 3 gala apples, 3 kirby cucumbers)
Day 40:
-- tea w/honey
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 2 quarts celery/apple (1 head celery, 6 gala apples)
-- 2 quarts cucumber/kale/apple (5 kirby cucumbers, 1.5lb kale, 5 gala apples)
Yay! Questions from my readers!
What is MSM?
From about.com:
MSM is a naturally occurring sulfur compound found in fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, fish, and grains. MSM is therefore found in the normal human diet, but as foods are processed, MSM is destroyed. MSM is an odorless, tasteless, white, water soluble, crystalline solid in its purified form.
http://affairsoflife.com/msm.htm has a very extensive list of the benefits of MSM...
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Day 38
The Juices:
-- 1.5 quarts apple/cuke/kale/spinach/ginger (1 bunch kale, 1 bunch spinach, 4 gala apples, 1 green delicious apple, 1 cucumber, ginger)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- tea w/honey
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 1 qt water
-- 1.5 quarts apple/cuke/kale/spinach/ginger (1 bunch kale, 1 bunch spinach, 4 gala apples, 1 green delicious apple, 1 cucumber, ginger)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- tea w/honey
-- 32 oz orange juice
-- 1 qt water
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Day 37
Hm...I know its uber cliche, but I really feel like I don't have enough hours in my day. I simply can't believe how quickly things fly by when you're busy. I have SO much to do, and no time to freaking do it.
I know that I'm just now delving into this whole time management thing, so hopefully things will smooth out after a solid weekend of planning. Haha, hello Saturday morning. I'm going to take a few hours to enjoy my feast breaking, then its off to lesson plan for next week.
Another reason I'm excited for the feast breaking is that I'll be spending less time preparing food...giant batches of salad every few days, a quart of juice every morning, a smoothie, and fruit = not much time in the kitchen. I can't wait!
I'm really excited to go to Glen's grand opening in Connecticut on Sunday. Catch A Health Habit Cafe --> Go check it out!
Today's Feast:
-- 2 quarts celery/apple (2 celery hearts, 9 macintosh apples)
-- 1.75 quarts kale/spinach/apple/cucumber/ginger (1 bunch ginger, 1 bunch spinach, 5 fuji apples, 1 chunk ginger, 1 cuke)
-- 2 quarts water
-- tea w/honey
I'm really liking the green juices with less fruit. B is really onto something here!
I know that I'm just now delving into this whole time management thing, so hopefully things will smooth out after a solid weekend of planning. Haha, hello Saturday morning. I'm going to take a few hours to enjoy my feast breaking, then its off to lesson plan for next week.
Another reason I'm excited for the feast breaking is that I'll be spending less time preparing food...giant batches of salad every few days, a quart of juice every morning, a smoothie, and fruit = not much time in the kitchen. I can't wait!
I'm really excited to go to Glen's grand opening in Connecticut on Sunday. Catch A Health Habit Cafe --> Go check it out!
Today's Feast:
-- 2 quarts celery/apple (2 celery hearts, 9 macintosh apples)
-- 1.75 quarts kale/spinach/apple/cucumber/ginger (1 bunch ginger, 1 bunch spinach, 5 fuji apples, 1 chunk ginger, 1 cuke)
-- 2 quarts water
-- tea w/honey
I'm really liking the green juices with less fruit. B is really onto something here!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Day 36: Solid Plans for Solid Food :)
Woke up today a little late...had a few minutes to throw together a quick kale/cuke/apple before running out the door. I'm excited to break my feast. I feel like I've gained everything I set out to gain when I began. Having feasted also makes the raw food lifestyle seem so much easier! (and cheaper, lol)
All kinds of craziness is happening around me and it will be so great to not have such restrictive eating habits...grabbing a piece of fruit/pre-made and running is really where things are headed. :) And I'm a million times more grateful for raw food restaurants, and hope to be more conscious of keeping things interesting in the kitchen.
Hm. :)
Today's feast:
-- 2 qts kale/apple/cuke (2 bunches kale, ~2.5 lb apples, 1 huge cucumber, ginger)
-- tea w/honey
-- 1 qt romaine/apple (5 mcintosh apples, 5oz baby romaine lettuce)
[Tuesday, 1:06 AM]
Woo! I'm really stoked about breaking my feast. Despite a year-and-a-half of a raw lifestlye, I feel like I'm experiencing raw foods for the first time! I've seriously never been this excited about salad before. I'm determined not to get into any "ruts," and I'm excited that I'm focused more on mixing up incredible salad recipes than cranking out nut meat burgers, raw bread, and other heaviness.
I'm definitely not saying that these types of foods are bad by any means. They can certainly have a place in a healthy raw vegan diet, particularly for those who are transitioning...but I'm into maximizing my intake of fresh, raw, leafy goodness! I'm also craving parsley for...the first time in my life! I used to hate it so so much. I can't wait to make some delicious raw tabouleh with a smidge of raw humus and a great big salad! Perhaps some raw falafel... :) Yum! The week after my feast breaking is going to include a dazzling array of various salads. Cabbage salad...salad with salsa and delicious Mexican flavors...middle eastern stuff...ginger salad and raw stir fried veggies...asldkflaskjf! Greeeeeeens! Tomatoes and cucumbers!
I'm switching up my raw vegan approach, this time as well. I think every couple of days I'm going to make a huge, giant, ridiculous batch of some kind of marinated deliciousness (be it kale or cabbage salad, etc) and keep it in a giant container in the fridge...this way I'll always have something green and wholesome and delicious ready to eat. This way, I'm not always going for nuts/seeds/heavy stuff, or too much fruit, when I'm starving and feel the need to eat immediately, or if I'm leaving the house and want to bring a snack with me quickly.
(My whole idea before was that the sooner I chop up the salad, the more quickly it would deteriorate, resulting in nutrient loss. My thoughts on this now are: 1. that the leaves are better off chopped up in a sealed environment than they would be sitting intact in a plastic bag in the fridge, 2. Even if nutrient loss does occur, I'm better off eating a marinated salad while out and about than I am eating a raw bar/snack food/trail mix, 3. Plus, the overnight marination of dark leafy greens [ie, cabbage & kale] is just delicious. I mean, who are we kidding?)
Back in the day, when I would run out I would just bring lots of nuts, a raw bar, fruit, or trail mix...or end up spending $15 on nasty Whole Foods salad bar, lol. If I bring some marinated salad instead, I will feel so much more balanced. My mom has these great silicone sealing food storage containers that even keep avocados bright green overnight, they're so airtight! I try to steal them from her when I can, but she always, always catches me. Immediately. Its uncanny. S'pose I'll be ordering them off of Amazon then. :)
I was anti-grain for a while after I sprouted some buckwheat groats into a huge batch of crunchy cereal that tasted delicious but wasn't so kind on the tummy. Perhaps it was the dehydration. I'm going to sprout quinoa this time around, as it will help with my cooked starch cravings. I'm also thinking its more balancing than lots of fruits. I'm so excited to really experiment with raw food again and figure out what exactly makes me feel my best.
I know I mentioned "occasional cooked foods" earlier in my feast...but raw foods are the real deal. Why the hell would I put cooked food in my body, ever again!? AFTER 40 DAYS OF LIVE, FRESHLY PRESSED, CHLOROPHYLL RICH, HAND SQUEEZED-WITH-LOVE-AND-I-HAVE-THE-FOREARMS-TO-PROVE-IT, JUICES!!?
Seriously! What the hell was I thinking!? I could be the laziest schmuck in the world, and not want to prepare anything ever again, and I could STILL stay happily 100% raw in NYC. On gourmet freaking food, no less. The selection that is available to me boggles the mind.
I'm so incredibly grateful (even more so than before) for the raw vegan community since undertaking this journey. Its not even about the food anymore. That part is secondary. Interacting with people who are operating on the same frequency as you is just..indescribable. After trudging along from day to day (okay, so I really don't hate my job *that* much), yelling at angsty 12-year-olds in Bushwick, I'd honestly forgotten what it felt like to have authentic, inspiring conversations with like-minded people. Particularly when these interactions occur over fresh coconut water and leafy deliciousness.
My feast feels radically different now that there's an end in sight. I'm going to spend some time reviewing my intentions and working hard to stay focused. :)
All kinds of craziness is happening around me and it will be so great to not have such restrictive eating habits...grabbing a piece of fruit/pre-made and running is really where things are headed. :) And I'm a million times more grateful for raw food restaurants, and hope to be more conscious of keeping things interesting in the kitchen.
Hm. :)
Today's feast:
-- 2 qts kale/apple/cuke (2 bunches kale, ~2.5 lb apples, 1 huge cucumber, ginger)
-- tea w/honey
-- 1 qt romaine/apple (5 mcintosh apples, 5oz baby romaine lettuce)
[Tuesday, 1:06 AM]
Woo! I'm really stoked about breaking my feast. Despite a year-and-a-half of a raw lifestlye, I feel like I'm experiencing raw foods for the first time! I've seriously never been this excited about salad before. I'm determined not to get into any "ruts," and I'm excited that I'm focused more on mixing up incredible salad recipes than cranking out nut meat burgers, raw bread, and other heaviness.
I'm definitely not saying that these types of foods are bad by any means. They can certainly have a place in a healthy raw vegan diet, particularly for those who are transitioning...but I'm into maximizing my intake of fresh, raw, leafy goodness! I'm also craving parsley for...the first time in my life! I used to hate it so so much. I can't wait to make some delicious raw tabouleh with a smidge of raw humus and a great big salad! Perhaps some raw falafel... :) Yum! The week after my feast breaking is going to include a dazzling array of various salads. Cabbage salad...salad with salsa and delicious Mexican flavors...middle eastern stuff...ginger salad and raw stir fried veggies...asldkflaskjf! Greeeeeeens! Tomatoes and cucumbers!
I'm switching up my raw vegan approach, this time as well. I think every couple of days I'm going to make a huge, giant, ridiculous batch of some kind of marinated deliciousness (be it kale or cabbage salad, etc) and keep it in a giant container in the fridge...this way I'll always have something green and wholesome and delicious ready to eat. This way, I'm not always going for nuts/seeds/heavy stuff, or too much fruit, when I'm starving and feel the need to eat immediately, or if I'm leaving the house and want to bring a snack with me quickly.
(My whole idea before was that the sooner I chop up the salad, the more quickly it would deteriorate, resulting in nutrient loss. My thoughts on this now are: 1. that the leaves are better off chopped up in a sealed environment than they would be sitting intact in a plastic bag in the fridge, 2. Even if nutrient loss does occur, I'm better off eating a marinated salad while out and about than I am eating a raw bar/snack food/trail mix, 3. Plus, the overnight marination of dark leafy greens [ie, cabbage & kale] is just delicious. I mean, who are we kidding?)
Back in the day, when I would run out I would just bring lots of nuts, a raw bar, fruit, or trail mix...or end up spending $15 on nasty Whole Foods salad bar, lol. If I bring some marinated salad instead, I will feel so much more balanced. My mom has these great silicone sealing food storage containers that even keep avocados bright green overnight, they're so airtight! I try to steal them from her when I can, but she always, always catches me. Immediately. Its uncanny. S'pose I'll be ordering them off of Amazon then. :)
I was anti-grain for a while after I sprouted some buckwheat groats into a huge batch of crunchy cereal that tasted delicious but wasn't so kind on the tummy. Perhaps it was the dehydration. I'm going to sprout quinoa this time around, as it will help with my cooked starch cravings. I'm also thinking its more balancing than lots of fruits. I'm so excited to really experiment with raw food again and figure out what exactly makes me feel my best.
I know I mentioned "occasional cooked foods" earlier in my feast...but raw foods are the real deal. Why the hell would I put cooked food in my body, ever again!? AFTER 40 DAYS OF LIVE, FRESHLY PRESSED, CHLOROPHYLL RICH, HAND SQUEEZED-WITH-LOVE-AND-I-HAVE-THE-FOREARMS-TO-PROVE-IT, JUICES!!?
Seriously! What the hell was I thinking!? I could be the laziest schmuck in the world, and not want to prepare anything ever again, and I could STILL stay happily 100% raw in NYC. On gourmet freaking food, no less. The selection that is available to me boggles the mind.
I'm so incredibly grateful (even more so than before) for the raw vegan community since undertaking this journey. Its not even about the food anymore. That part is secondary. Interacting with people who are operating on the same frequency as you is just..indescribable. After trudging along from day to day (okay, so I really don't hate my job *that* much), yelling at angsty 12-year-olds in Bushwick, I'd honestly forgotten what it felt like to have authentic, inspiring conversations with like-minded people. Particularly when these interactions occur over fresh coconut water and leafy deliciousness.
My feast feels radically different now that there's an end in sight. I'm going to spend some time reviewing my intentions and working hard to stay focused. :)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Day 35
The juices so far today:
-- 2 qts kale/apple (8 apples, 2 heads of kale)
-- 2 qts water
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 1 qt red chard/apple (1 bunch red chard, 4 apples)
-- tea w/honey
-- 2 qts kale/apple (8 apples, 2 heads of kale)
-- 2 qts water
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 1 qt red chard/apple (1 bunch red chard, 4 apples)
-- tea w/honey
Day 33 & 34, Feast Breaking :)
Day 33:
-- 1.5 quarts kale/apple (1.5 lb kale, 11 apples)
-- 1 qt kale/apple (1 bunch kale, 4 apples)
-- 16 oz tangerine juice
-- 16 oz orange juice
-- 1 quart water w/MSM & lemon
-- tea w/honey
Day 34:
-- 1.5 quarts green lemonade (1 head red chard, 1 head celery, 4 apples, 1 lemon)
-- 12 oz bottle coconut water
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- (2) 12 oz bottles organic orange juice
-- 24 oz orange juice (non-organic)
-- 1 quart water
-- tea w/honey
Today was quite unlike anything I've ever experienced. I met up with the WLIR squad (including fellow juice feaster Philip, of lovingraw.com ), Carrie & Raw B, Nancy, among many others! I met several new people...its so exciting to know that there are highly motivated people who share many of my visions. There was so this incredible flow of energy in the room.
There has been so much synchronicity the past few days thats really pointing me towards actively creating change of my own. I'm really busy with school, but things only get done when people actually do them.
I don't really have anything else to say about today. It left me quite speechless. I was in a really big hurry to leave because so much was said and I was so inspired that I felt weird just sitting there, even though I truly enjoyed my company...
So many books to read, things to do, people to connect with...I'm stoked.
Oh, and PS? Bonobos is 100% raw vegan! Who knew? I sure didn't. Its pretty awesome that they're sneaking raw food into people's lunches everyday.
Today was the first day the rice cravings went away. I hope they're gone for good. I feel like its time to transition back to blended foods & solids. I've done some thinking, and I don't know that 92 days without fiber is really best for me. Even when my green consumption is really high, I'm still thinking about solid (raw) foods a lot, probably to a point where its not healthy. Its no way to foster a good relationship with food.
Juice Feasting has been hard for me. Not in the realm of cravings, or getting the juices in...but the preparation and the fact that I have to haul around 3 quarts of juice/mason jars all day long. When I've already got all of my stuff for work, it adds up to a lot.
This has been a fabulous, fantastic experience on what is only the beginning of an amazing journey of health & enlightenment. I got so much out of my feast and have really been able to critically examine my relationship with food.
In lieu of the soaked prunes, my first "solid" meal will be a green smoothie. I'm going to follow the remainder of the feast breaking protocol to include juicy fruits for the next phase, and tender greens for the last. I'm pretty excited about eating again. :)
I will still be making regular posts to this blog, and am so very blessed to have shared this adventure with all of you.
Post Script: (Feb 3, 2008)
The above italicized text was published last night, then removed. While I haven't changed my decision to break the feast, I will be doing so after 40 days (Saturday will be Day 1 of Feast-Breaking). My first meal will be the prunes, as I will have the time to procure them after all. :)
-- 1.5 quarts kale/apple (1.5 lb kale, 11 apples)
-- 1 qt kale/apple (1 bunch kale, 4 apples)
-- 16 oz tangerine juice
-- 16 oz orange juice
-- 1 quart water w/MSM & lemon
-- tea w/honey
Day 34:
-- 1.5 quarts green lemonade (1 head red chard, 1 head celery, 4 apples, 1 lemon)
-- 12 oz bottle coconut water
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- (2) 12 oz bottles organic orange juice
-- 24 oz orange juice (non-organic)
-- 1 quart water
-- tea w/honey
Today was quite unlike anything I've ever experienced. I met up with the WLIR squad (including fellow juice feaster Philip, of lovingraw.com ), Carrie & Raw B, Nancy, among many others! I met several new people...its so exciting to know that there are highly motivated people who share many of my visions. There was so this incredible flow of energy in the room.
There has been so much synchronicity the past few days thats really pointing me towards actively creating change of my own. I'm really busy with school, but things only get done when people actually do them.
I don't really have anything else to say about today. It left me quite speechless. I was in a really big hurry to leave because so much was said and I was so inspired that I felt weird just sitting there, even though I truly enjoyed my company...
So many books to read, things to do, people to connect with...I'm stoked.
Oh, and PS? Bonobos is 100% raw vegan! Who knew? I sure didn't. Its pretty awesome that they're sneaking raw food into people's lunches everyday.
Today was the first day the rice cravings went away. I hope they're gone for good. I feel like its time to transition back to blended foods & solids. I've done some thinking, and I don't know that 92 days without fiber is really best for me. Even when my green consumption is really high, I'm still thinking about solid (raw) foods a lot, probably to a point where its not healthy. Its no way to foster a good relationship with food.
Juice Feasting has been hard for me. Not in the realm of cravings, or getting the juices in...but the preparation and the fact that I have to haul around 3 quarts of juice/mason jars all day long. When I've already got all of my stuff for work, it adds up to a lot.
This has been a fabulous, fantastic experience on what is only the beginning of an amazing journey of health & enlightenment. I got so much out of my feast and have really been able to critically examine my relationship with food.
In lieu of the soaked prunes, my first "solid" meal will be a green smoothie. I'm going to follow the remainder of the feast breaking protocol to include juicy fruits for the next phase, and tender greens for the last. I'm pretty excited about eating again. :)
I will still be making regular posts to this blog, and am so very blessed to have shared this adventure with all of you.
Post Script: (Feb 3, 2008)
The above italicized text was published last night, then removed. While I haven't changed my decision to break the feast, I will be doing so after 40 days (Saturday will be Day 1 of Feast-Breaking). My first meal will be the prunes, as I will have the time to procure them after all. :)
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