My 1st RAW Recipe

I made the "zesty cheez dip" I learned at the RAW class last weekend. I am not sure if it really tasted the same as the one made in class, but I still liked it. I need to learn more about herbs and spices so that I can play around with the recipe to tailor it more to my taste. But for the first time, it was still good!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 14

Today would have been my official last day but I since I skipped one day, I will continue until tomorrow. Actually, I will continue to drink smoothies every day. I noticed today that after a typical SAD meal for dinner, I felt yucky. I was really craving a smoothie. So tonight, I made a batch and drank about 20oz. I have about double that ready for tomorrow.

The entire time of this challenge, I am intended to drink only smoothies, eat only lean protein and salads. I wanted to somewhat detox from SAD to get the maximum benefit of the challenge. But SAD as a strong hold and it has not been until today that I craved a smoothie (a salad would have been good too) and felt bad after a meat and pasta dinner. Before today, I just wanted to make sure I had at least a smoothie a day, without, worrying about any other diet changes. Today, I craved it and really didn't want anything from SAD.

Is this a break through? Is this what I needed to get to in order to start eating in a way I know will make me feel better? Maybe so. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 13

Today went well and I drank the rest of what I had made two nights before. I probally had close to 32oz. I have now gotten to the point that I want my smoothies everyday as opposed to doing it for the challenge. I am so glad I stared this!

A friend saw me for the first time in a while and told I looked really good. She asked how much weight I had lost. I haven't lost any weight to speak of. Actually, I had gained almost 10 pounds from our last trip from not eating as good. In the last month, since we have been back, I have about 4 of those 10 pounds. But the last D had seen me was before the trip so weight should have been a negative. So I chalked it up as looking better from the inside out due my intake of fresh, RAW, live fruits and vegatables!

I have my RAW nuts soaking tonight and I will attempt the "neatballs" and "zesty cheesey dip". I will let you know how it goes.

Being super positive!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 12

Today, I had about 34oz of my smoothie, which leaves about that for tomorrow. The Green Smoothies Challenge said better to have 48hr old green smoothies than to have none at all! So I am still feeling good about what I am doing, as far as green smoothies go.

Yesterday and today, the boys and I went shopping for chickpeas again. I found them fairly cheap at Fresh and Easy, so I couldn't pass them up. I also found the RAW nuts I need to make some of the recipes from this past weekend's class. I was glad they were cheaper too at Fresh and Easy.

The chickpeas have to soak for several days and today is day one. So hopefully on Saturday, I will have a batch of "neatballs".

I have also been on the look out for a dehydrator. I am wanting to make cookies and I have found several recipes that I think I will like.

So as the challenge winds down, I feel fairly confident that I will continue my RAW and smoothie journey.

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 11 con't

Tonight I will finish my 55oz of smoothie with ease. Even though it is late now, I will make another batch for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will be starting my day early again and I was glad I had a batch prepared!

The boys and I got the H1N1 nose mist. I am not one who is normally scared of vaccines but I have mixed emotions with this one.

We also went to Whole Foods so I could look for RAW cashews and dried chickpeas. I now have the ingredients for my chips and dip and hopefully will be able to make it this weekend. I would also like to the "neatballs" so I will have to get some RAW almonds and pecans. I wish I had gotten them today if I had been thinking about it. At least the nuts do not have to soak as long as the chickpeas.

I am so happy that I can say I have had fruits and vegetables 10 out of 11 days in a row!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 11

This is a quick update. I have enjoyed drinking my smoothies throughout the day today. Waking up and doing things at a decent hour makes a world of difference!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 10

Due to certain circumstances, I have had a horrible schedule the last week and a half. As I mentioned in a previous post, it was fun for a while but now it's old but hard to get out of the routine. So, again, I didn't make my smoothies until very late in the evening. I did not want to go another day without drinking one, so I had about 16oz. I bottled up the rest for tomorrow.

Hopefully, if I can get on a routine of making my batch at night for the next day, I will be more apt to drink all through the day instead of cramming what I can late at night.

I also decided to have the kids take a swallow of it everyday and work their way up to 8oz and so on. The boys are not gaggging or putting a fight when I ask them to take a swallow, so that is a good sign!

The boys are also interested in "good" RAW and bad raw. They know the "good" RAW is healthy while bad raw, i.e., raw chicken, is will make you sick. They weren't too keen on the RAW brownies but I think they would like the mint chocolate melt-aways they had the class. I liked them!

I have talked at length with Jason about this whole RAW thing and he seems very supportive of the family eating better. I don't think he could enjoy the different RAW things but he all for the family eating more fruits and vegetables not just as snacks but as a mainstay at meals. I know that sounds like a "duh" thing but remember, I didn't grow up on fruits and vegetables, so it's a big leap for me. I am slowly learning that the kids will eat what I have and if I have baby carrots and no cookies, they will happily eat baby carrots. Again, a "duh" kind of thing but I don't like carrots, unless they are in a smoothie and I can't taste them. So I get other things to snack on and therefore the kids snack on the junk I bring home. Maybe now with me having a large bag of baby carrots on hand for my smoothies, I will be less likely to bring home cookies. I guess that can be one of my goals.

As I end this post, I am happy to say that I didn't skip today and I am fully prepared with 55oz of green smoothies for tomorrow!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 7,8 & 9

Saturday went well. I had my 16oz ready for the morning and that was nice. Later in the day, I made my regular batch and again saved 16oz for the next morning.

Sunday, I only drank the one bottle I had saved. But I didn't feel bad because I got my daily allowance at the RAW food class I went to Sunday afternoon! I happened to sit by a very nice lady who had been eating RAW for several years and comes to the the class every month to get the recipes. This was the best seat to have because she gave me helpful hints all through the class.

This class was all about appetizers for holiday parties. I thought this would be good for me because I would be the only one in my family trying to eat this way when I made RAW things (unless I can get some kids to try it) and they would be easy enough to make only half of a recipe to start out.

The teacher should us how to make "neatballs", chips and dip, chocolate, "ravioli" and a few other things that I was surprised that I like. The only thing I didn't care for was the ginger candy. I am not a fan of ginger and it was way ginger-y. But I still ate it. ;)

The ravioli was good and the "pasta" was made out of a thinly sliced turnip. I could not believe I was eating a turnip!

Most of the food that was made was mainly made out of chickpeas and nuts. I was so surprised at how good it was and how adding different herbs, spices and other vegetables or fruit changed the taste.

My diet has been so limited my whole life. I was embarrassed at the fact that I did not know the names of some of the food or herbs or spices.

I have to confess that after talking about how I have enjoyed my smoothies, the one I had taken with me didn't taste as good after the class as it did before the class.

I now have cashews soak in water so I can make the chips and dip tomorrow. I plan to purchase a food processor tomorrow!

Today, I did not have a smoothie or anything RAW. I was worrying myself to no end because I did not do anything today. Oh well, I will start again tomorrow.

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 6

Guess what...I made my smoothies late in the evening, again.

I think I will purposely not drink on of my 16oz bottles tonight and save it for the morning. Maybe if I have a bottle ready to go first thing in the AM, I will be more inclined to make a pitcher of it earlier in the day. Plus, tonight, I plan on retiring earlier than 2am in hopes of getting up about 8am. Even my sons have grown weary of late nights and late mornings. It can only be fun for a little while, and we have reached our limit.

I also want to start feeling the good effects of my smoothie efforts and I am sure a good night's sleep can only help.

This evening, I forgot to put kale in the smoothies but I still used the old standbys of spinach, celery and carrots. I added an apple and lots of berries. I topped it off with a generous squeeze of my RAW honey. It turned out to be a pretty color of maroon. I have been able to taste the celery each time, and not being a big celery fan unless I have heaping helping of peanut butter on it, I am surprised that I the taste doesn't bother me. I am mainly glad I don't taste the carrots. Yuck-ola. I can't stand carrots. Tonight, my smoothie had a nice sweet taste due to the honey. I knew it was honey but my smoothie taste like it has prunes in it. Fortunately, I do like prunes.

So today, this has been the best smoothie I have made to date.

Green Smoothe Challenge ... Day 4 & 5

Yesterday and today were better days even though I did not have the entire 70oz, I had 34oz. Still pretty good for a beginner!

Last night I found a RAW cafe online. So today I tried a little extra something for fun. The boys and I tried a traditional RAW pizza and RAW brownies. I really liked both but the boys, not so much. I was proud of them for even trying a bite.

Again, I am not trying to go 100% RAW but I am exploring RAW foods. I have still been eating what ever, though not as much. To be honest, in just a few short days, SAD items, especially fast food, just doesn't taste as good.

Spelly said she is surprised that I am not feeling better physically yet. Right now, I can attest to fact of me feeling better mentally. Maybe if I was on a better sleep cycle I would see a difference physically and that is something I will work on. But now, mental is fine with me.

I am also excited to make my smoothies for tomorrow. I had to get more fruit and vegatables this evening and while at the RAW cafe, I got RAW honey.

The cafe is also having a RAW help class this Sunday for a couple of hours. Hopefully they still have an opening.

Being very positive! :)

Green Smoothe Challenge ... Day 3

Today did not go as well as the first two, only because I was lazy. I had 17oz of smoothie left from yesterday, so that is all I "drank" today. I did have a 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli at dinner tonight. But, yes but, it is still more fruits and vegetables (F and V) than I had 4 days ago!

According to my age (36 and 11/12) and the fact that I am female, my goal should be 4 cups of F and V per day.

Day 1, I had a total of 5 and 3/4 cups of F and V. On day 2, I had a total of 4 and 1/4 cups. Today, day 3, I calculated that I had 2 cups.

Even though the amount I have taken in has decreased each day, I am still happy to report that I had F and V, fresh, all 3 days. On an even more positive note, I exceeded my daily allowance 2 out of the 3 days!

How am I feeling? Physically, no different. Mentally, I feel great because I know I am eating good.

I am still amazed that I don't mind drinking green smoothies. It actually quenches my thirst for water.

Being positive!

Green Smoothe Challenge ... Day 2

Yesterday went well. I drank all 70oz of my green smoothie. It took all day but I did it! I still had about 16oz left at 10:30pm and I kept thinking I could use it as my breakfast in the morning but I decided to stick to my plan and have all my fruits and veggies I allotted for the day. I am glad I did. I ate soup and salad for dinner which made me feel that much better, mentally (too early for physically). Even though I am not aiming to go 100% RAW, I would say I was about 75% RAW for the whole day for day 1.

Today I got a very late start and almost tried to make half of what I did yesterday. But as I was counting the amounts of each fruit and veggie I was putting in Montel, it quickly came up to 70oz again. And again, I easily went over the minimum I am going for in this challenge.

Today's smoothie included the same veggies as yesterday, blueberries again, a few strawberries and mangoes and an apple.

Today's color is a brown color with a hint of purple. Why this matters...well it doesn't but I find it interesting how just a slight change in food combinations changes the color.

I forgot to put in some honey (I have a bunch of sweet teeth) but it came out tasting the same as yesterday. It isn't like drinking a smoothie from a hip happening smoothie bar yet I don't mind drinking it. It tastes like fresh fruit and veggies, plain and simple. For me, this is an accomplishment. I am a carb craver and chocoholic. I didn't grow up on veggies and I can't say that fruit was a mainstay either.

I won't be able to say I had a high RAW day today, as for lunch I had a helping of Hamburger Helper. But I did drink my smoothie with it! Normally I would have crescent rolls with my HH. Actually, I would have more rolls than HH. Today I am can say I had fruits and vegetables with my HH.

Being positive!

Green Smoothie Challenge

After getting on the scale the other day AND tired of feeling tired AND knowing that when I ate a low/good carb lean protein diet this summer made me feel good AND just having purchased my Montel (I named my new blender "Montel"), I decided to take the "Green Smoothie Challenge".

The challenge is just encouraging you to drink a green smoothie a day for 14 days. It is not saying you have to replace all your meals with a smoothie but you could "up" the challenge by replacing one meal with a green smoothie. I going to be very optimistic and ambitious. I am starting today with green smoothies all day long along with Medifast drinks as needed.

I enjoy Medifast as much as Slimfast. No, they don't taste quite the same but Medifast gives me the chocolate fix. It is only 90 calories and filled with vitamins and minerals. Medifast also works well with my PCOS and IR. I enjoyed supplementing my diet with it this past summer, especially when I needed something quick or a snack when I was just a little hungry, so I wouldn't go off the deep end.

I digress. I am going to be positive about my ambitious start because I think it will be harder to make a small smoothie once a day than to make a pitcher full of my daily allowance of fruits and veggies and drink on it all day. Today I made a full pitcher which included 1 small apple, 1 cup of rasberries, 3/4 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of baby carrots, 1 cup of celery, 2 handfuls of spinach and 2 leaves of kale, 32oz of water and a good squirt of honey. I had about 16oz right off the bat and then refilled the two 16oz water bottles with the smoothie and refilled a washed out bottle of wine about half way. This smoothie is well over my 1.5 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of veggies for the day!

I have drank about half of it at this point in the day. It isn't the all time best tasting smoothie but it doesn't taste bad. It tastes fresh and healthy. #2 said it wasn't too bad and with it turning out a deep purple instead of green, that helped it go down.

I will let you know how tomorrow turns out. Be positive!

Another new adventure...

After reconnecting with a childhood friend from elementary and middle school, I learned she had gone from a SAD diet to a RAW diet. In reading her posts about how her health and outlook has dramatically improved since going RAW, she has convinced me to at least try to go partially RAW.

Maybe I shouldn't say partial RAW, as that may a little ambitious. My goal to begin with, is simply to add fruits and vegetables into my very SAD diet. I want to have the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day as opposed to one day's worth of fruits and vegetables spaced out through the week.

After deciding to try some type of RAW, I started saving up for a blender, oops, I mean an emulsifier. I don't have the money for a Vita-mix, so I did the next best thing, Montel Williams Healthmaster. I read several reviews and some of them were not that good. The main complaint was that it started leaking or broke after about 3 months. But I decided to get it anyway. It seemed that it started not working right for those who used it for heavy duty blending. I plan to start out using fruits and vegetables so I thought good or bad, at least I am starting a better diet. If I don't stick with it, at least I didn't waste $500.

But I am going to stay positive! There is no waste here regardless of the outcome! So tonight is the maiden smoothie with Montel. It will consist of blueberries, blackberries, bananas, pineapple, strawberries and a heaping helping of spinach.