Juko Resting on a hot day

Do you ever wonder what your baby animals do while you are gone? Well, here is an image of our cat while we were busy. She took up a large portion of the sofa and was sleeping like this... crazy!

Tuesday July 30th

I'm sure by now everyone is thanking that I am not a celebrity blogger or something of the sort, Reason being that I am always forgetting to do the work, writing on the blog. This last weekend was a whirl wind of emotions since it was hot and sticky - might I remind you that we have no air conditioning in our house. That has to be corrected sooner than later, I might melt. So, anyways this weekend I had a deep craving for everything that was no raw food. Thankfully I am not in the raw vegan cult and do not have a fear of eating cooked food at least once in a week. It is all about moderation and eating what your body needs for energy. So, my husband bought chicken nuggets and french fries from McDonalds. Talk about cheating! Those are my two comfort foods that if I could I would eat all the time. I know better though, do not worry.

After my cheating episode, I went directly back to eating raw vegan. It was a blissful day when I started to eat healthy again. For those of you on the raw vegan diet I know you can understand my bliss after starting up again. Eating raw to me is all about feeling good inside and out. I am a compulsive overeater - I love food!. Raw food just helps bring my hungry under control so that I can feel food. If eating cooked foods I can eat for days and not feel full.

So, today I am back into things and I am feeling full of energy and actually rather chipper. This morning I woke up around 5A.M. because of a nose problem. Yes, raw vegan's do get sick also. I have had this issue just about everyday for the last two weeks. I wake up and can't breathe out of my right nostril. It is very annoying. My husband just tells me to use my mouth for oxygen however that makes your tongue all dry and gross feeling. This morning I was tired of feeling sick so I jumped on the computer and researched my issue at hand. I think it has to do with my sinus infection that I had a few weeks ago. It wasn't a serious one however with all the heat and allergens in the air, I am sure it was a sinus infection. The medicine cleared up my sinus infection however this issue is a result from it. According to WebMD.com some sinus infections can cause irritations in the back of your nose in the soft tissues located there - this can happen for weeks without any other symptoms of sinus irritations. So, I am back on sinus medication and am starting to use XClear for my nose issues. Hopefully that works.

Despite my early rising though, I feel wonderful. Before my husband woke up, I was able to surf the internet, make breakfast and make some coffee. Then, when I personally woke up my husband, we both were able to take a gentle walk with our cavalier king charles before eating breakfast. It was a great start of the morning and back into raw!

For breakfast we had Flax Seed Mock Pancakes, Cantalope and some iced coffee.
Lunch consisted of leftovers from last night and some watermelon and cantalope.
Dinner is going to be Italian Wraps. I will share next time.

Wednesday 7/25

Wow! It has been such a long time since I have been on here to chat with everyone about, well, me! Things have been going really good lately, my diet is working and I am having a good time with the adventures that I am getting into. Plus, God has been answering my prayers, so I feel so thankful and truly blessed. I would feel the same way, even if I weren't getting my prayers answered, it is just the cherry on the top for me.

So, on to being raw. Things have been going really good. I have been craving salty foods however I have found that raw olives are fantastic!!! They are sea salt cured and have a fantastic taste!! By eating one or two of these a day, I have gotten rid of my cravings that were pushing me off the healthy lifestyle. Thank goodness for olives!!!

As for new recipes, I am kinda stuck in a rut. I love to drink smoothies for breakfast or just grab a delicious Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit. Since they are in season, the taste is unbelievable!!! I suggest getting one this next shopping trip and tasting it - even if you don't like grapefruits. Plus, I have been getting sweet watermelons. It is rather funny because my husband hates watermelons however he has started to enjoy the sweet, juicy flavor of the ones in the stores now.

For now, I am on a quest for tahini. I have heard it is wonderful and can be placed on apples and etc for a little extra flavor. Looking forward to the day I can find it in the stores - I prefer not to order online since it is expensive that way. Don't want to lose my pocketbook just for food. hehe

So, I hope to write here more often when things get a little less busy. Leave me messages, thanks.

Weight Concern

Since I started the raw food diet about a month ago, I am happy to state that I have lost about ten pounds. It should have been a little better however I have not been 100% raw, thanks to cravings and my husband. haha Gotta love him anyways!

Raw Tobouli

This is something rather famous among raw foodists however I have never heard of it. Strange! I am hoping it has a good taste, I will tell you tomorrow along with a photo I hope.

1 1/2 c. Bulgar Wheat
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. filtered water
4 cloves garlic, minced (love garlic!!)
2 tbsp Nama Shoyu
1 bunch parsley (stems removed)

Mix everything together, marinate for 8 hours and serve! Enjoy!!!!

Wonderful Kale Salad

Here is the Kale Salad that I promised. I can not remember where it is from just now, I will keep you updated on that information.

1 large Kale, finely chopped
2 c. carrots, shredded
1 pint tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. soaked nuts
1 onion cut into thin rings
juice of one lemon
1/4 c. olive oil
crushed garlic as desired (for me lots!!)
sea salt, cayenne to taste

Mix all together and refrigerate overnight. It is important to not eat this right away though since it will not be soft enough. I am not a fan of just plain Kale since it is slightly hard, unlike lettuce.

Thirsty Thursday

(Thanks Mounsey for the cute photo!)

Finally, my insomnia was beaten by a cold Illinois night and I was able to sleep away my tiredness. It was really nice to be able to get the sleep that I was designed to have each night. The cold night allowed us to close our windows and actually not have to listen to the airplanes buzzing our house (by the way we live around 20-30 minutes from the airport). Crazy Aero-bums!

So, today I am feeling really energized - not only because it is cooler but because I feel healthy. One thing that I noticed while being on the Raw Food Diet is that with the correct sleep, I feel so energized. It is not like I am going to go run a marathon, oh please, but rather just feel free of heavy food so that I can think and move freely.

So, wow I say "so" way too much.... Let me start again...

Eating has been a great destiny today:

Breakfast:
Raw Donuts (ani phyo style)
I would love to give the recipe however I could never do that to Ani. Check out this video:

I am not sure what I would do without Ani. Before I started the raw food diet, I was not sure what to do with my low sugar levels. Not being one for shots, I was not about to give myself glucose shots to bring up my sugar level. Eating raw has changed the way I feel each day, I have not fainted since I started from being low on sugar. Yay!

Lunch:
Leftover Crunchy Taco Recipe from www.living-foods.com. See the next blog enter for the copied recipe.

Dinner:
This hasn't occurred however I am planning a Kale Salad with Raw Tabouli. These are two new recipes for me so I am really excited! Yes, it sounds like a lot of food however I have never been one for small amounts of food. After all, isn't that what most of us raw foodists have in common, we love food! Unfortunately I can not remember where I got these two recipes however if I remember I will fill all of you in.

So, ( I go again with the "so") I just wanted all of you to know I am having a much better day. Sleep is a wonderful institution to feel better mentally. Mixed with raw food, I could do anything! Watch out world!

Wednesday

Sorry everyone that it has taken me three days to get back into the swing of writing on my blog, things have been a little crazy. My husband and I are looking into rearranging our lifestyles, so it takes a little bit of planning and etc. At least our marriage is stronger than ever - gotta love being married! So anyways, today I am feeling rather tired and irritable. Last night there were huge T-Storms breaking through the skies last night and into this morning. Along with that, our local UPS airport had planes buzzing our houses (much less than the 1800 feet I swear) every three minutes. Our dog, a cavalier king charles spaniel is quite afraid of the loud crashes. She is not really afraid of T-storms however doesn't like the house shaking for some strange reason. So, she entered our bed last night, which is something of a rarity. Our cat preferred not to be bothered with getting out of her kennel. Anyways, I didn't get more than two hours of sleep last night.

This morning:
Blueberry Smoothie (same as the other days) I seem to get stuck on things I believe when I am eating an American diet or raw food diet. The last few days I had mango smoothies, yum!

Sunday July 14th

Konnichiwa! Today is one of my favorite days of the week, Sunday! Many people I hear moan at the thought of Sunday however I personally love it! It is the day for repenting and loving! To start the day off, my husband and I get to sleep in late. For a lifestyle that demands waking up around 6A.M. every weekday, anytime that we get to sleep in is like a dream come true! Then, as a Sunday normal, Bob and I get to make breakfast together - thrilling! Usually I make all three meals a day without help, so Sundays are a simple treat of talking while cooking.

Breakfast:
Smoothie composed of three Manilla Mangos (little yellow ones), 1 tray of frozen ice and two tsp. of agave syrup. Yum!!!! It is the perfect treat, especially on a warm day! We also had made some pudding (ani phyo recipe) and had sliced a watermelon. The pudding wasn't something that my taste buds were seeking today, so I just had the delicious smoothie and watermelon.

So, after breakfast we get ready for church. Being that I work from home, it is a nice treat on Sundays to actually dress up nice for once. If I really wanted to, I could dress up on other days however what would be the point - my computer screen can't tell the difference as of yet. So, we went to church which was really a nice celebration. We are Episcopalians. Then, I darted off to a quiet house.

You may be wondering what happened to my husband. Do not worry, I did not forget him at church. Rather, he is flying in the skies with a friend from church today. He received the offer right before church service, Bob accepted. So, I am home alone today again. Guess I can get to those dirty kitchen floors? Yeah, right... haha

Today, I had planned on going to a large wine tasting at a local spirits store however I believe that will have to be canceled. Usually Bob and I go to these classes however since he chose a different route today, I believe we will have to wait until another time comes around that the wine tasting is being hosted. Hmmm.. I think I will sit down and study some Japanese (as I haven't done in a long time) and start some more gardening. It is not my dream to clean the floors today, so I better at least do some gardening.

So, Ciao for now. See ya tomorrow!

Friday the 13th!!!

Yes, today is Friday the 13th! For those of you who are unaware, that is a superstitiously unlucky day in America. It is a day that throughout history people have feared for some strange unknown reason. I guess, according to Wikipedia.org it is the same for American, German, Polish and Portuguese speaking countries. Oh, I also learned if you are afraid of this date, then you have paraskevodekatriaphobia. What would we all do without Wiki! If you haven't seen the site, come out from underneath your rock that you currently live under and check it out. So, anyways, this is the first day of my blog and I am thrilled! Since I started to work from home, I get a little nag to talk to more people than just my dog, cat and occasionally my husband. So, all of you can read my babble and get to know my world better. Aren't you lucky folks! At least you can get some free raw recipes out of it!

So, in the tradition of raw foodist bloggers:
My day of food:
Breakfast: Blueberry Delish Smoothie
Lunch:
Spinach Salad:
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cucumber diced up
1 bunch of dill (chopped)
2 tbsp raisins
dressing- couple tbsp balsamic vinegar mixed with cider vinegar
Dinner: Not sure just yet however thinking Rainbow Chard Salad by Ani Phyo

Today was a strange day because I decided that I would not eat any nuts today. Don't worry though, I ate protein-rich bananas in my smoothies. I feel great actually, there is no heavy feeling in my stomach which really helps me out. Eating raw is so uplifting and freeing to a person that is forced to sit in front of a computer most of her day. If you are not on the raw food diet, try it a few times and see what you think for yourself. I personally love the food and feel better most of the time. Don't get me wrong though, I have not been 100% raw all the time. For instance, last night (which is the main reason for no nuts today) my husband and I went to an Indian Food Restaurant in my area. I absolutely love strong food, no dull food for me thank you! Yum!! I'm just changing my lifestyle so that I can enjoy those "cheating days" and not feel guilty or jeopardize my weight lose success.

See, I told you I would start to babble. There is a reason why my pets run when I start talking on certain days... ha ha just kidding.

So, anyways, I hope that nothing happens with the rest of the day however good luck with the historically bad day. Good Luck and stay away from black cats and ladders!

Blueberry Delish Smoothie

Guten Morgen! As you all may already know, I am trying a new lifestyle objective as a raw foodist! It is so exciting to start a healthier lifestyle free of preservatives, chemicals and et cetera that represses my energy level. So, in the light of my new life, I am starting this blog to share my experience, as so many other raw foodists have already done.

So, today, I am thrilled to let everyone know that I made a wonderful shake of scrumptious fruit!
1 banana
3 dates
1 cup water
1/2 cup frozen Michigan Blueberries (picked by me!)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean guts

Blend everything together and drink like a smoothie! It is so delicious and cheap to make! Yay!