Being inspired by many of my raw compatriots lately I have been thinking a lot about my raw journey and what I am doing with my diet/body right now and why.
Being the ESTJ and Project Manager that I am I made a list of sorts to help me figure it all out...
I know some of things things are irrational and downright untrue... but these are my thoughts so I have to consider them despite their untrueness as they are affecting my overall mental picture of being a raw food eater.
I plan on breaking down each of these areas and exploring my feelings about them in later posts.
Things That Stop Me From Eating Raw
Social Aspects
1. Party's
- wanting to feel included
- not wanting to draw attention to myself
- not wanting to be a hassle to others
- being asked to bring dishes other people like that I am known for
2. Social outings/ dinners out
- not wanting to make others feel they have to go somewhere they don't like or don't want to ALWAYS go to because it is the only place I can eat
- not being able to find satisfying food at a lot of restaurants
- feeling awkward if I eat before hand and sit at the table abstaining from food
3. Dinners at home
- not cooking for my boyfriend as often
- feeling like I am not participating in taking care of our family
- not wanting to cook the favorites because I won't be eating them and I have to make my own food too
Emotional Aspects
1. Fear
- Not wanting to commit because I may decide I want to eat cooked food at some point and I don't want to break even an informal commitment
- Worry that I won't get all the things (protein, vitamins, minerals- I know totally ridiculous!) I need from my diet
- Worry that anytime I am out of my routine eating exclusively raw means I may have to feel like I am making a sacrifice
2. Guilt
- Feeling like I am not giving my bf or friends care through food like I did before
3. Feelings of Sacrifice
- Not wanting to feel that being healthy means I have to sacrifice my joy of food
- Not wanting to give up foods that may me feel good
- Not wanting to give up time with my friends or social outings because of my eating habits
- Not wanting to give up food as emotional comfort/fulfillment
- Wanting to feel full
Other Barriers
1. Not Being Prepared (and Other Excuses)
- Not having food on me when I am hungry
- Not wanting to eat what IS available that is raw
- Wanting comfort food
- Craving something that isn't raw
- Having no groceries
- Wanting something fast and Convenient
- "Treating myself" to junk
- Wanting something WARM
2. Financial
- Raw food requires more frequent shopping
- Fresh foods are more expensive
- All the raw extras I need to have and expensive
- Wanting to make sure I am not using all our food budget on my stuff, making sure there is some for bf too
With all of that you may be asking "then why the hell do you want to eat raw food anyway?"
- When I was eating REALLY high raw I felt better than ever
my energy was up, I was motivated, allergies were minimal, health was optimal, I woke up feeling rested, I was more positive, I never felt weighed down or sluggish, I was more productive, I had more focus, and I was down to a weight I felt pretty good about.
Why wouldn't I want that?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Raw Pad Thai
Got this recipe from someone on Raw Fu and have been dying to try it. Now that I have my handy zucchini noodle maker it was destined to be. I thought it was really yummy and shared with my love who thought it was good but didn't think it tasted like pad thai.
Carmella's Pad Thai Sauce
Inspired by the creations of Frederic Patenaude and Elaina Love
1 heaping Tbs tahini
1 Tbs almond butter
A few cashews
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked
2 dates, soaked
1/2 lime, juiced
1-2 garlic cloves (we love garlic!)
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
Braggs, to taste
Curry powder, to taste
Water or tomato soaking water (if unsalted!)
Blend in food processor with some water until you reach the desired consistency. (We like ours on the thick side!) Top with diced red or yellow peppers and marinated Portobellos.
Marinated Portobellos
1 Portobello mushroom
1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part Braggs or Nama Shoyu
2 parts olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp agave nectar
Cut the mushroom into bite sized pieces. Put them in a bowl with other ingredients and mix well. Spread the Portobello pieces on a teflex sheet and dehydrated them for a couple of hours. You can also serve the mushrooms non-dehydrated for an equally delicious treat!
I deviated just a little from the recipe, using garlic powder and ginger powder instead of the fresh stuff (we're in the middle of a recession!) and I garnished it with marinated (not dehydrated) crimini mushrooms, chopped almonds, bean sprouts, green onion, and lime wedges.
Carmella's Pad Thai Sauce
Inspired by the creations of Frederic Patenaude and Elaina Love
1 heaping Tbs tahini
1 Tbs almond butter
A few cashews
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked
2 dates, soaked
1/2 lime, juiced
1-2 garlic cloves (we love garlic!)
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
Braggs, to taste
Curry powder, to taste
Water or tomato soaking water (if unsalted!)
Blend in food processor with some water until you reach the desired consistency. (We like ours on the thick side!) Top with diced red or yellow peppers and marinated Portobellos.
Marinated Portobellos
1 Portobello mushroom
1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part Braggs or Nama Shoyu
2 parts olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp agave nectar
Cut the mushroom into bite sized pieces. Put them in a bowl with other ingredients and mix well. Spread the Portobello pieces on a teflex sheet and dehydrated them for a couple of hours. You can also serve the mushrooms non-dehydrated for an equally delicious treat!
I deviated just a little from the recipe, using garlic powder and ginger powder instead of the fresh stuff (we're in the middle of a recession!) and I garnished it with marinated (not dehydrated) crimini mushrooms, chopped almonds, bean sprouts, green onion, and lime wedges.
update... spirooli
oh, I kinda look like skelletor in that picture but I am not. I am just enjoying the last of my groceries in juice form. We are out of all greens and all fruits officialy. I had planned on grocery shopping yesterday after I went to the Raw Vegan Source Store in redmond last night but unfortunately I was stuck in traffic FOR AN HOUR... Seriously NOT MOVING. How can people do that every day? It is the reality of a lot of peoples commutes and I just can't imagine that. I would go imsane. Or at least take the bus so I could read or compute or SOMETHING. I saw so many single occupancy vehicles. Anyway... I ran out of time and had to get the Zipcar back. As it was I ended up extending the reservation to make it back in time. It is ok though because I spent all my money at the rvs as usual. I wouldn't have been able to buy groceries anyhow. We get paid again today so maybe this evening I can shop for food.
Also, I got my veggie spiralizer and it is awesome. I haven't quite figured it out yet but I am getting there. Once I have it down smoothly maybe I will do a video demo illustrating why every kitchen should have one.
The bike is in the process of being repaired. It is nice to have a leisurly walk to work from time to time, but this day after day 2.5 mile walk is wiping me out. Mostly because it shortens my free time at home and makes me feel like my work day was an hour longer. Usually my total commuting time (by bike) is 20-25 minutes a day. Walking makes it an hour and 20 minutes to an hour and 40 minutes depending on how tiredly I am plodding to/from work. At least today I am making my way there in daylight. Makes me feel like the day isn't quite SO long if I get to spend some time outside in the daylight.
The pouring rain also doesn't help me to enjoy my 40 minute walk to work.
Summer! Where are you!!?!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Peach Cheesecake!
I made some delicious dessert tonight, a coconut based peach cheesecake. The recipe is an approximation, I kinda just threw it together.
Filling
meat of 2 young coconuts
1T vanilla
2T coconut butter
agave to taste (about 1/4 cup)
juice of 1 lemon
1 T nutritional yeast (weird, right?!)
Peach topping
1 c chopped peaches
2T agave
2T water
Crust
1 c left over almond pulp
6-8 dates pitted
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/4t salt
Process crust, pulp salt and dates until combined add whole almonds and process until whole almond pieces are small but still add texture.
Press crust into a spring form pan.
Blend filling until smooth adding just enough water to allow blending. It is good if it warms just a little while blending to thoroughly emulsify the oil.
Smooth filling on top of crust
Blend peaches and agave and pour on top of filling.
Refridgerate a few hours and run a knife around the edge of your pan while loosening the band.
EAT and ENJOY!
Just said goodbye to some friends who have been staying the last few days. Including our friend Andy seen below ;)
And our friends in Abandon an awesome vegan straightedge band from southern california.
I think blanche will miss them most <3
Filling
meat of 2 young coconuts
1T vanilla
2T coconut butter
agave to taste (about 1/4 cup)
juice of 1 lemon
1 T nutritional yeast (weird, right?!)
Peach topping
1 c chopped peaches
2T agave
2T water
Crust
1 c left over almond pulp
6-8 dates pitted
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/4t salt
Process crust, pulp salt and dates until combined add whole almonds and process until whole almond pieces are small but still add texture.
Press crust into a spring form pan.
Blend filling until smooth adding just enough water to allow blending. It is good if it warms just a little while blending to thoroughly emulsify the oil.
Smooth filling on top of crust
Blend peaches and agave and pour on top of filling.
Refridgerate a few hours and run a knife around the edge of your pan while loosening the band.
EAT and ENJOY!
Just said goodbye to some friends who have been staying the last few days. Including our friend Andy seen below ;)
And our friends in Abandon an awesome vegan straightedge band from southern california.
I think blanche will miss them most <3
Sunday, January 4, 2009
sad bike...
Here is my wheel... glad it wasn't my head. Don't worry... I always wear my helmet.
My friend grabbed it today to take my hub out and rebuild the wheel. I might be walking for a few days though :(
Had a big breakfast at a friends house this morning, kinda a late christmas party. Everyone brought food or supplies to make food and i was asked to bring my "famous" cinnamon rolls. Not my words but they are damn good. Vegan desserts rule. Anyway, I ate a decent amount of cooked food with my large portion of fruit salad. I feel bad eating the cooked food despite that being my game plan. It was tasty though! I managed to eat less than half of a cinnamon roll and had NO coffee so I am doing well.
I also made sure to start my day with a green smoothie and a pear. That probably helped :)
My friend grabbed it today to take my hub out and rebuild the wheel. I might be walking for a few days though :(
Had a big breakfast at a friends house this morning, kinda a late christmas party. Everyone brought food or supplies to make food and i was asked to bring my "famous" cinnamon rolls. Not my words but they are damn good. Vegan desserts rule. Anyway, I ate a decent amount of cooked food with my large portion of fruit salad. I feel bad eating the cooked food despite that being my game plan. It was tasty though! I managed to eat less than half of a cinnamon roll and had NO coffee so I am doing well.
I also made sure to start my day with a green smoothie and a pear. That probably helped :)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Thrive restaurant review and more
Well first I have to say that my dinner was dampened by being hit by a car on my bike ride home. I am ok, my bike is not. Maybe I will post a picture tomorrow of its sad smashed front wheel.
Review:
4.5 outta 5 carrots
I betcha didn't know I was a food critic! Well informally anyway...
So I went to the thrive gala of pure decadence which was a fund/intrest raising event they did about 2-3 months ago. Very delicious. I have been eager since then for the restaurant to open, and to eat there.
They have it set up as a restaurant/cafe with a small seating area and a little store section. The interior is well designed with a very "warm" earthy color scheme and presents a casual upscale type environment. The coolest thing about the store section is a wall of bulk bins that they are going to fill as they grow with all sorts of raw nuts and grawnolas and other great treats I would otherwise have to buy online. Right now it is sorta slim pickings but I can visualize the future bounty.
I went with my lovest alex and he had the hummos plate and the "shine" smothie. I had the pasta pomodoro. We also treated ourselves to the mochalatte pie for dessert.
The hummos was good but a little mustardy tasting and the server gave us some flax crackers to go with it. Without the flax crackers I may have felt the dipping selection (celery, carrots, zucchini, and bell peppers) to be a bit lacking. Good flavor and alex said very filling for an appitizer.
The shine smoothie was awesome. Alex said the best smoothie he ever tasted. Of course when I make him smoothies I always spike them with vitamineral green, spirulina, spinach or some other healthy additive. This one was just the fluff. Coconut water, coconut butter, pinapple, vanilla bean and from the taste of it some agave. Sweet and delightful.
My pasta was spiralized zucchini with a great tomato basil sauce on a bed of romaine (odd but I happily munched away on my lettuce). Our server, again, gave me a complementary addition of almond ricotta. Without the cheese the sauce may have seemed a little thin, it should just be part of the dish.
I had had the mocha pie at the tasting so I already knew how amazing it was. Didn't let me down. Although not completely raw as it has a shot of espresso somewhere in it, it tastes decadant and was worth the price considering I couldn't have eaten the whole thing myself. It was a two person dessert. Almost too sweet for me but alex said perfect for him.
Portion sizes were about perfect, not so much I had to take it to go, just enough to feel satisfied as I was taking my last few bites.
It is definetly a higher price point than what I can afford on a regular basis, which is too bad or I would probably go more often and end up spending more overall. Two people for dinner with one drink, one appitizer, one entre, and one dessert was over $40 with the tip. I am more of a $25-30 for two people kind of diner.
Good attentative service, very aware of when we needed attendance. The owner (or one of them?) was there and introduced herself as she had seen us around before.
Overall a very good experience.
Only change I would make is to label the few non raw foods they serve as not raw on the menu. I was a little confused as to what was and what wasn't raw.
I would love to go again and try more delicious food, but maybe in a few paychecks.
Review:
4.5 outta 5 carrots
I betcha didn't know I was a food critic! Well informally anyway...
So I went to the thrive gala of pure decadence which was a fund/intrest raising event they did about 2-3 months ago. Very delicious. I have been eager since then for the restaurant to open, and to eat there.
They have it set up as a restaurant/cafe with a small seating area and a little store section. The interior is well designed with a very "warm" earthy color scheme and presents a casual upscale type environment. The coolest thing about the store section is a wall of bulk bins that they are going to fill as they grow with all sorts of raw nuts and grawnolas and other great treats I would otherwise have to buy online. Right now it is sorta slim pickings but I can visualize the future bounty.
I went with my lovest alex and he had the hummos plate and the "shine" smothie. I had the pasta pomodoro. We also treated ourselves to the mochalatte pie for dessert.
The hummos was good but a little mustardy tasting and the server gave us some flax crackers to go with it. Without the flax crackers I may have felt the dipping selection (celery, carrots, zucchini, and bell peppers) to be a bit lacking. Good flavor and alex said very filling for an appitizer.
The shine smoothie was awesome. Alex said the best smoothie he ever tasted. Of course when I make him smoothies I always spike them with vitamineral green, spirulina, spinach or some other healthy additive. This one was just the fluff. Coconut water, coconut butter, pinapple, vanilla bean and from the taste of it some agave. Sweet and delightful.
My pasta was spiralized zucchini with a great tomato basil sauce on a bed of romaine (odd but I happily munched away on my lettuce). Our server, again, gave me a complementary addition of almond ricotta. Without the cheese the sauce may have seemed a little thin, it should just be part of the dish.
I had had the mocha pie at the tasting so I already knew how amazing it was. Didn't let me down. Although not completely raw as it has a shot of espresso somewhere in it, it tastes decadant and was worth the price considering I couldn't have eaten the whole thing myself. It was a two person dessert. Almost too sweet for me but alex said perfect for him.
Portion sizes were about perfect, not so much I had to take it to go, just enough to feel satisfied as I was taking my last few bites.
It is definetly a higher price point than what I can afford on a regular basis, which is too bad or I would probably go more often and end up spending more overall. Two people for dinner with one drink, one appitizer, one entre, and one dessert was over $40 with the tip. I am more of a $25-30 for two people kind of diner.
Good attentative service, very aware of when we needed attendance. The owner (or one of them?) was there and introduced herself as she had seen us around before.
Overall a very good experience.
Only change I would make is to label the few non raw foods they serve as not raw on the menu. I was a little confused as to what was and what wasn't raw.
I would love to go again and try more delicious food, but maybe in a few paychecks.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009 1st quarter goals
I can't really make a plan for the whole year... but I think I can come up with the first three months
January:
Diet: Eliminate Coffee (how I love you), refined sugar (how I hate you even though you are so delicious!!!) and refined grains from my diet. Go to one cooked meal or less a day whenever possible. Allow myself to eat above 3 foods in VERY small quantities on special occasions if they arise. Start everyday with a raw green smoothie.
Exercise: Start running again. Even though it is cold and rainy :( And it sucks. At LEAST 6 miles a week by end of January.
Work: Hire some people. Redefine my job description with my boss so I know what I am doing.
Money: Make lots save lots
February:
Diet: Green smoothie every day, leafy green salad every day... listen to what my body is telling me about cooked food and act accordingly.
Exercise: Average at least 9 miles a week running... add 10 miles to my average biking mileage per week (20, so 30 miles per week)
Work: ??? Who knows. Be less stressed and feel productive.
Money: Get back tax returns. Complete emergency savings fund and begin saving for something fun.
March:
Diet: Continue to eat a mostly raw diet with lots of leafy greens. Base my cooked food intake on my bodies response.
Exercise: Consistently run 4 days a week even if my mileage is low. Make it a habit. Continue adding extra mileage beyond commuting to my bike rides. Check out pools for swim lessons for increased efficiency.
Work: Know what is happening in San Diego and have a plan for the next 6 months regarding my future.
Money: Have enough saved to take a vacation
Vacation plans:
Go down the coast with Alex, Blanche, and Joe and visit all our California friends. Eat lots of great live foods! Pick up tons of beach glass. Relax!
January:
Diet: Eliminate Coffee (how I love you), refined sugar (how I hate you even though you are so delicious!!!) and refined grains from my diet. Go to one cooked meal or less a day whenever possible. Allow myself to eat above 3 foods in VERY small quantities on special occasions if they arise. Start everyday with a raw green smoothie.
Exercise: Start running again. Even though it is cold and rainy :( And it sucks. At LEAST 6 miles a week by end of January.
Work: Hire some people. Redefine my job description with my boss so I know what I am doing.
Money: Make lots save lots
February:
Diet: Green smoothie every day, leafy green salad every day... listen to what my body is telling me about cooked food and act accordingly.
Exercise: Average at least 9 miles a week running... add 10 miles to my average biking mileage per week (20, so 30 miles per week)
Work: ??? Who knows. Be less stressed and feel productive.
Money: Get back tax returns. Complete emergency savings fund and begin saving for something fun.
March:
Diet: Continue to eat a mostly raw diet with lots of leafy greens. Base my cooked food intake on my bodies response.
Exercise: Consistently run 4 days a week even if my mileage is low. Make it a habit. Continue adding extra mileage beyond commuting to my bike rides. Check out pools for swim lessons for increased efficiency.
Work: Know what is happening in San Diego and have a plan for the next 6 months regarding my future.
Money: Have enough saved to take a vacation
Vacation plans:
Go down the coast with Alex, Blanche, and Joe and visit all our California friends. Eat lots of great live foods! Pick up tons of beach glass. Relax!
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