I'm On a Roll!

OMG isn't this hilarious!!?  I want all these fruits.

I have so much to write about! 

I noticed this morning on my walk, (that's right I started walking! It has been weeks and weeks since I have done any exercise. Today is day 2 of walking), anyway I noticed on my walk this morning that things seem to have started to coming together a little for me..  

Like for instance DH and I are going to Miami in a couple of weeks and I want to do a lot of walking on South Beach one day.  There is also a beautiful Botanical Garden we are going to go to and spend allot of time walking.  There is also The Coconut Grove Organic Farmer's Market!!!

I have been wanting to go here for a couple of years!  It's a Raw Foodist Extravaganza with lots of different types of tropical fruits and a couple of pretty famous Miami Raw food companies have tents here.  I love JakFruit (above).  It's the fruit that "Juicy Fruit" gum was based on I can't wait!!!

So I decided I need to start walking now so I have at least built up a little stamina in a couple of weeks.  It is the excitement about Miami that has really spurred me to start walking. 

It is amazing how incredibly out of shape I am. I walked about a mile yesterday and I had to pretty much sit on my ass the rest of the day. My feet hurt, my back hurt and  my sciatic nerve pain down the front of my thighs started acting up. In the past that would have really saddened me because it's very scary to me when that happens. Normally I would have been so depressed and said to myself "Oh great all I've done is hurt myself" but I am so excited about Miami and getting out and about and walking and enjoying ourselves that's my mind didn't even go there. 

I think Raw food is really also helping my mental depression which needs to be an entire other post!... but I will say that I have to desire to move.. and to be outside occasionally and the last couple of days I actually went outside the last few days and laid in the sun and was surprised how glorious it felt.  The heat on my body felt so indulgent to me.

REWARDS:

Having something to look forward to really helps me and DH and I were this morning talking about last time we went to Sanibel Island how we saw absolutely everybody out riding around on a bike. The entire Island was full of hundreds of people riding bikes. We commented to each other then that we really have got to get our bikes out, air up the tires and get back on them and get some exercise. 

He said this morning we will do that soon and plan another trip to Sanibel! So there there is another thing worth looking forward to and I am so excited.

WEIGHT; I am out of the 230#'s forever!!  

RE: MY WALKING, I have been loading podcasts on my little iPod Shuffle and listening to them the last two days on my walk.  I found a couple of raw foodists that I really like and I've been listening to them.  I am excited to have found them.

FOOD lately:

I have been doing mostly fruit till dinner.. a couple of raw dinners and a couple of cooked Vegan meals.  I have been eating beans a couple of times a week at lunch time when I need something a little more satiating.

Last night I made pumpkin seed and sunflower seed pate and made collard wraps with lots of raw veggies.. it was so yum!  a few nights ago I made Nori rolls with avocado and lots of veggies and I bought some pickled ginger from "The Ginger People" at Whole Foods and had some good Wasabi paste that DH's brother sent us from Japan.  I think that was my favorite meal in just about forever!  I am absolutely making that more often.. and also Summer rolls.. even though the celephane noodles are cooked it's such a great way to get tons of raw veg!

So I am feeling very well.. happy even!

Yuck! Broccoli Sprouts , a NSV and Raw Nori Rolls

I had struggled for a couple of days but yesterday was one PERFECT day. 

Bunches of perfectly ripe honeydew melon (my very favorite fruit when perfectly ripe in season) and luscious papaya.. and a couple of banana until dinner.

Dinner was SO GOOD!!! 

I made raw nori rolls and shredded a jicima for my rice (be sure to press out excess water from shredded jicima, I used a tea towel)  I made 4 rolls and used an entire very large jicima for my rice.  I added avocado, red and orange bell pepper, green onion, seeded zuchinni slices, shredded carrot and baby mixed greens.  I served Raw kimchee on the side.

I had ordered some real, premium wasabi and it's such a treat!  I want to learn to make my own pickled ginger but in the mean time I am using pickled ginger from "The Ginger People" from Whole Foods and it's good quality, not loaded which any chemicals.

I think one way I can be more successful  eating high Raw is by making things that lend themselves to more Raw veggies that I used to love to make.. like Summer Rolls and Nori and Pad Thai.  I just make substitutions where I can (like Raw jicima rice) and don't worry if it's not 100% Raw..  like for instance the rice noodles in Summer rolls.  I find myself stuffing them with tons of veggies and fresh herbs and using much less rice noodles anyway but not being militant about it is KEY for me.

WEIGHTLOSS MOJO!
I had really let my momentum start to slide but I am working on getting my weight loss MOJO back up and running..  it's always hardest the first few days.  I have got to quit with the self sabotage.

A couple of days ago I went to the grocery store for my normal shopping and bought a few Vegan micro meals.  One a new brown rice and nut "meat" taco meal I had never seen (amazing by the way).. I was so excited to try it I over ate it at lunch and that set me off..  I ended up eating cooked Vegan the rest of the day.

Also wanted to report that sprouted broccoli seeds are yuck!  I started them 3 days ago and loved watching them sprout... I had high hopes and they were fine at first tastr, sort of taste like broccoli but have a bitter..sour after taste and I was careful to rince often so they had definitely not turned bad.

NSV!!!
Well I have a non scale VICTORY!

Yesterday i pulled an old, hardly ever worn (was really seriously too tight when i bought it but so cute and WAY on sale)

It's a sheer little flouncy over shirt that I bought in st. Augustine several years ago. It has never fit. It is gorgeous with shaes of greens amd blues on a white see thru background.  I wore a black tight cami underneath it. 

Today I actually got it on and it fit absolutely perfect! If I was two pounds  heavier it would be too tight. I was so happy it made me smile.

It's really cute and very flattering on.

Yeah!!!!

Fruit, Yummy Raw Slaw and Cooked Vegan

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I do really well until about 2 or 3PM on just fruit but then my body starts craving heavier foods.  I hope as time goes on I will change.  I have read that the longer you stay Raw the more your body wants light, water rich and less heavy, dehydrated, fatty gourmet style Raw.

In the mean time I am looking into a few more substantial Raw meals for late day and dinner.  Here are a few things I am working on creating:

Stuffed mushrooms.

Raw Vegan burgers in the dehydrator

Nut and Seed Pate

more Crackers.. I have several I have made including some corn zucchini crackers I love with guacamole.

I am sure I am eating too many nuts and that it will slow down my weight loss but I am doing the best I can to eat as Raw as I can.  I am also intuitively aware that this need for heavy food in the afternoons is my addicted mind seeking that tranquilized, numbed feeling..

DINNER LAST NIGHT:
Raw slaw with shredded carrot, brocoli, celery and raw organic pumpkin seeds and raw organic raisins (I ordered both of these from NaturalZing).  Dressing was juice of two fresh limes and 3 T Raw honey.  This stuff is so good and I will have it for lunch today to... it's even better the next day.

Last year I made an amazing Vegan Paella with artichoke hearts and green English peas.  I want to make it again soon.  I am still eating cooked for the occasional dinner and working toward more 100% Raw days.

Learning to simplify RAW sometimes

I am doing better today.

Yesterday I was Raw till dinner and I had a cooked Amy's organics Vegan, Gluten free meal.. just about as good as I can do without eating Raw.

I ate lots of fruit yesterday.  For me fruit makes it so easy.  I love a good salad but when I am struggling and need EASY peasey it's fruit.

One thing that occurred to me a little too late to help the last week but I know now, is that when I start struggling and really am too stressed to do all the prep work and menu planning and stuff I think I need to do to keep it interesting that for a few days eating fruit only is OK! 

That is sort of what I am doing right now.. till dinner for a few days. 

Tonight we are closing on our refinance for our mortgage and I won't go into it allot but we are saving enough to be able to afford even more RAW!

I will be so glad when this is finalized and also when TAXES are done holy damn. 

We are planning a mini vaca in Miami at the end of the month to unwind and I am so exited and READY.

Doing a post on that soon.. 

Having a microwave cooked Vegan dinner again tonight to make it easy on me since our notary will be arriving at the house around dinner time and I don't want a messy kitchen.  

Tomorrow I am making one of my all time favorite Raw meals for dinner.  Carrot, Broccoli Raisin slaw.  It's EASY to make and easy to clean up after. 

It's just lots of peeled, organic carrots, celery and broccoli shredded in a food processor.. A dressing made of Raw honey and fresh lime juice and raisins and sprouted sunflower seeds mixed in...

It's best made a few hours ahead of time.  The raisins get all plump and juice and I usually make a double batch and eat on it or two days.

More Later~

Hubs Favorite Smoothie Right Now

This morning the hubs said "babe can you make me that Raw chocolate cherry smoothie for my drive to work?"  Well yes! Yes I can. I am so thankful he enjoys allot of the Raw meals I make.. he watches the documentaries and Youtube vidoes with me.. he is so encouraging and I don't bitch when he eats whatever he wants when he's away from hoome... because he always eats and enjoys what I prepare at home.

This one has Raw cacao powder, frozen organic cherries (can't wait till fresh cherries are back in season!) a few fresh raspberries, Raw honey and 3 T Raw hemp seeds.. SO yummy!

Pretty Much Said Screw It The Last Few Days

The last few days have been freaking ridiculous.   I've eaten pizza and pasta and junk food and these apple fried pies TWICE from Pizza Hut... one of my old favorite comfort food desserts.  Gross.

So much going on right now, tax season (I have a home based jewelry design business and do my taxes myself), we are refinancing our home and have had appraisers and notaries come to the house so I have sent HOURS each day working on cleaning the house so it looks apsolutely as good as possible.

Lastly my jewelry sales really picked up the last couple of weeks.. I am not sure what the increase was.. maybe women on Spring break shopping for cool Summer jewelry which I specialize in.  I know several sales were anklets.  I make all the jewelry by hand and I just lost my shit.  Something had to give.   Unfortunatly it was my raw diet.

I told myself raw is too hard when I'm stressed out and can't stay organized and I got pulled back into cheap and easy.

I have caught myself and managed to only gain a couple of pounds back and am back on High Raw today.

I have made a decision to put my jewelry biz on the back burner for a while.  There is so much work that is involved.. with social media, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, my Jewelry blog.. etc. that has to be kept up in order to be somewhat successful and I have been doing jewelry for 25 years so I have a good following but I am stepping back and just letting my jewelry sell that might sell in my store and not making new pieces.. which involves shooting, picking best photos.. photoshop work, new listings.. etc.  It's like 10 hour days and I can't do that and stay Raw the way I need to right now... I just lose my focus.

When I have Raw underway and am well organized again and am in the groove and if I have time I will get back to my biz but Raw is FOR OUR HEALTH and just HAS TO BE priority.

My focus HAS GOT TO BE HEALTH AND RAW FOOD. I was feeling so grounded and starting to lose weight..  sure it's not easy but I know anything WORTH ANYTHING is not easy.  I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH time in a day and I have to have my priorities STRAIGHT. ..so it's been hard and I lost my way... temporarily.

I am back to High Raw.