yoga class

well, this new class I started leaves a little to be desired. It was a 75 min class and we probably spent the entire last 20 minutes in "restorative poses" aka sleeping. I am hoping it will get a little more intensive in the next few sessions. I am going to try to get thursday morning off so I can go to both sessions a week, I don't know if that will happen. I payed for the series so I am going to stick it out at this studio for the session, but I may switch to another studio if I don't find what I am looking for at this class. The instructor did say that she would try to give me a more open option for more "heat" in the future... That may be enough. It is a hatha class, which I have found to be a good workout when i have taken them in the past.
I am just so used to and satisfied with the bikram series that anything else I do doesn't feel like it is as corrective or as much of a workout. I wish there was a bikram studio in my neighborhood.
In more satisfying news I mixed a cup of young coconut juice into three cups of filtered water and brought it to class. It feels so refreshing and healing.

It's so easy eatin raw...

when you have ice cream sundays for dessert...

I forgot to take a picture until I was half way done eating it. On the left is banana soft serve with sliced strawberries, in the middle you'll see fruit sorbet consisting of strawberries, raspberries, and mango, and to the left is my coconut ice cream I made earlier today, topped with a raw chocolate sauce. I put it all on top of sliced bananas for a true banana split.
A champion juicer pays for itself within a couple weeks of ice cream. I may get an ice cream maker someday, but it is so easy and versatile to use the juicer. The best part is it was all completely raw, well other than the agave, but I didn't use much of that. Next time I could probably substitute dates for the agave I used in the coconut Ice Cream. I was just out.
Tomorrow morning at 6am I am going to see if I can get into this am hatha class near my house. The yoga studio has all these drop in classes but the only class they have that the time is convenient for me is this early morning series that is on tue and thurs. Unfortunately I can't make it thursdays and it is a pay in advance series not a drop in or pay as you go. I am going to explain my dilemma and see if we can work something out... Usually these yoga people are pretty flexible... HAHAHA (not really funny)

ice cream splits

Did my grocery store shopping today and finally put the first ripened bananas of the case in the freezer. I am having a banana split tonight and it is going to be awesome!!! I bought some young coconuts at whole foods today and blended three with a banana and a little bit of the coconut water. I ended up using a bit of agave as well because it didn't taste quite sweet enough to be ice cream. I put it in an ice cube tray in the freezer and tonight is going to be frozen bananas and strawberries/mangos/raspberries and the coconut ice cream fed through the champion. I may also make some chocolate syrup to drizzle on top. yum!!!
I will probably take some pictures :)

BBQ's on a raw diet: my synopsis

Being that the 4th of July seems to be the national BBQ holiday I obviously was invited to a vegan BBQ. I make most of my food at home or go to a raw restaurant if I eat out. Yesterday was the first day at a food related social gathering since joining the cult.
I was smart in that I prepared burger patties (PECAN-CARROT BURGERS from GONERAW, DELICIOUS!!!) and made myself my own little burgers to take... However I only brought 2, I probably should have brought 3 and then waited to eat them until everyone else was eating instead of gobbling them all down when I first got there.
I also brought a little fruit..
Maybe I am used to having the luxury of being a vegan with almost exclusively vegan friends, but I am completely accustomed to being able to eat everything at the table. I pretty much couldn't eat anything. I brought some coconut spears, there were some carrots and broccoli, that's about it. The salsa was packaged and had citric acid in it, so even if it was otherwise raw I couldn't eat it, the guacamole had some salsa in it (I ate a little anyway, please don't call the raw police on me!) there was vegan ranch dip, fancy lemonade punch (with sugar), salads with cooked rice and pasta in them, BBQ'd veggies, strawberry shortcake with ice cream... None of that I could eat.
What I missed the most was potato chips, which I only ever ate at bbq's... There are really no raw substitutes I have found. You?
It wasn't a total wash as I did bring enough that I wasn't hungry, but I learned my lesson. Next time I will be prepared because a raw diet isn't one of sacrifice. There are ton's of wonderful things to eat, I just didn't have them on hand.
Next time:
Delicious Beverage
Save the burgers until burger time
Tasty dip and something to dip in it
A fruit salad
A green snack
Sweet dessert

I WILL be ready

produce and more

This week I wised up and got cases of produce instead of single items on all of the things I can freeze to make smoothies, and tomatoes to dry to make sauce. I am not sure how long "sun" dried tomatoes keep but I am betting on at least a few weeks in the fridge... If they last that long. I got 38lbs of bananas. That is a shit ton of bananas. Unfortunately none are ripe yet :(
I got 12lbs of strawberries and about the same of tomatoes and raspberries. Oh and 10lbs of mango. I found that you can save over 65% if you buy at the case price. Of course I did spend 5 hours the day I got my produce preparing my greens for salads, fruit for freezing, and tomatoes to dry.
I also got a coconut. It was a great one and I have gotten coconut opening down to a science.
1) refridgerate coconut overnight to firm up meat
2) using power drill make two holes in the eyes to drain out the juice.
3) using machette crack open the shell and hopefully your coconut will come right out whole because it is nice and cold from the fridge.

I spent a lot of money on food this week, but all in an effort to make things less expensive and less time consuming. I figure the 5 hours of work I did the other day will save me at least 7 in the next 2 weeks. Plus 1.40$ per mango!

mile marker 119

So this morning after the lazy dog and I took a nice walk around the lake I stepped on the scale to find I had FINALLY broken out of the 120's. It's kinda a big deal for me. Of course as soon as I have some breakfast I will be back into the 120's but I feel like it's really a big mile marker for me. I only want to loose 5 more lbs and I am down 7 already so I don't have much to go. I know maybe some people out there are going "120! you are already a stick! Call the eating disorder clinic!" but really I AM 4'11" If I make it to 115 I will still be at the high end of average weight for a person my height.
I really don't want to loose any muscle and I hope I haven't so far. It is hard to tell. I know I have lost SOME fat but I hope no muscle. Anyway, that's that. Just a little pat on my own back for sticking to this healthy lifestyle change so far.

Update

So here's what's up with me. Back pain! I don't know if i have just been stressed or if I slept funny or if it's all the baking shifts i have been doing at work after not having done them in a while, but my back is fucked. Yesterday I made an emergency massage appointment because there was no way I was going to be able to sleep and get up and work a 9+ hour day the today unless something was done about my back pain. So apparently my Rhomboid major (I looked it up) on both sides of my spine have big giant knots in them. Worse on my right. It took pretty much the whole hour for my nice massaging lady to get the right side to FINALLY loosen up a little. She said she couldn't get it all the way out without bruising me so I have to go back mid week and get another treatment. Which is expensive but worth it.

I am about to go lay down for a bit to rest my back but I wanted to update and tell about my produce box and a good raw soup I made.

The most trustworthy raw recipe site that I have found Sunny Raw Kitchen (see links to the right) has a recipe for a zucchini soup, which looked really good so I made it. I must say it was the FIRST raw soup I have made at home that wasn't disgusting. It was pretty good and I would make it again. It definitely convinces me that the next big kitchen purchase should be a vitamix... since my soups are never completely smooth. More like slushy and liquidy...

The recipe is...
Cream of Zucchini Soup
By Jennifer Cornbleet’s Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People
Serves 2

½ cup water
1 zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon mellow white miso
½ teaspoon crushed garlic (1 clove)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ avocado, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced dill, or 1 tsp dried

Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil, avocado and dill in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Add the olive oil and avocado and blend until smooth. Add the dill and blend briefly just to mix.

Serve immediately.


On thursdays I get my SPUD Grocery delivery. I get a huge produce order once a week and it is seriously like christmas for me. This is the "fruit" box, but I also got a second one that was heavier items and leafy greens on top. It makes my life easy and delicious.