Thursday

Although cloudy and overcast, today is still brilliantly glorious. It's just shy of noon and I've had at least 1.5L of water and 1L of smoothie - the same spinach, spirulina, banana, blueberry, raspberry, etc. mix I had the other day. Yummy. I'll be rowing 6 kms this afternoon and then going to tai chi class tonight - so I'm guaranteed to sleep well. No one mentions the many other benefits of tai chi... he he he... let's just say it makes your life even more satisfying... (Now everyone should be rushing out to sign up for beginner Taoist Tai Chi classes, LOL)... If you're clueless as to what I'm hinting at, let's put it this way: When we read fortune cookie fortunes in our house, (just the adults)... we add the phrase "in bed" to the fortune. Often you'll end up laughing yourself silly over the fortune. Now go back and reread the post and add "in bed" where you want to. (Up to speed now?! lmao)

Anyways things are great; we're just at story hour at the local library for the youngest. I only have another 2 mins on this computer before it boots you off automatically so I'll have to wrap up for now.
Have a fantastic day... in bed. LOL
~n~

Find out where taoist tai chi classes are in your area at www.taoist.org

"Farewell, my Subaru"

(LOL, you didn't think I'd get rid of *MY* subaru, did you?!?!? LOL I'm quite attached to the heated seats. LMAO) You'll have to read the post to understand the title...

I've been having an absolutely grand week - it's just been going so well and I'm so content! (DD realized she has her first two loose teeth! Most exciting for her!) I've been really conscious about drinking lots of water each day - litres of water each day - and it's definitely helping. Helps keep me full, which keeps my mind off of food. I've also been trying to let myself feel hungry before reaching for food, rather than just eating "because it's time". That's a more challenging one - I think many of us have a very set belief that we should eat first thing, mid-day and somewhere around "dinner time", and it can be challenging to free ourselves from the self-imposed structure (although in some ways the structure can be helpful). Nonetheless, I feel like I'm able to still get some greens into me and also have a treat or something sweet as well... it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing.

Yesterday I had:
- 1c muesli, 1/3 banana, and 1c almond milk
- 1 orange
- 1 mug of black tea with stevia and almond milk
- 4L of water (with lemon slices)
- some flax crackers with sundried tomato sunflower herb pate and yummy homegrown alfalfa sprouts on them for lunch
- 1 oz raw clarity chocolate (goji/blue-green algae)
- 1 chocolate chip cookie & 2 mini vanilla cupcakes (see - there's the indulgence, LOL - my daughter desperately wanted to bake something with the mini-cupcake tin - she had sooooo much fun baking and decorating them)
- 1L of green smoothie for dinner (I made 2L with 1/2 bunch of spinach, 1 1/2 tbsp spirulina, 1/2 avocado, 1 banana, 1c frozen blueberries, 1c frozen raspberries, water, 1 tbsp maca powder, 1 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tbsp cacao nibs, 1 tbsp cacao butter, 1 tsp goji powder, 1/4 tsp camu camu powder) - had the other L of smoothie for breakfast this morning.

Exercising is going great. I'm focused on rowing 100 kms this month and so far I'm at 84 kms, so another 16 to go in the next 3 days. No problem. Also doing tai chi class twice a week, which while you might imagine it's not much of a workout, you'd be quite mistaken. Although you might be moving slowly... VERY slowly sometimes, you certainly get a workout. I'm often sweating by the end of the set of 108 moves. (or is that tmi?!) ;) Today I'll be swimming while the children are in their lessons - usually 1 km.

Haven't been making time to meditate although I am working at incorporating mindfulness into my daily activities - like doing the dishes, making the bed, folding laundry, whatever it may be that I'm doing. Driving - that's a big one. How many of us let our minds drift while we're driving - we call it multi-tasking - thinking about our grocery list or what to say to so-and-so when we see them next - instead of really being present while operating the vehicle. :) There's a challenge.

I just finished reading Doug Fine's "Farewell, my Subaru". HILARIOUS read. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in going 'green' or living a more sustainable lifestyle, but is worried about what that will mean in terms of losing creature comforts like the MP3 player or laptop. (that's all of us to some extent, isn't it) LOL The book is SO well-written I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in two evenings. Order it from your local library before word gets out and you're number 33 on the wait-list for it. ;)

This has to be my favourite part of the book (various excerpts from pages 186-189): "I was starting the goat ejection process when I realized something: I was happy. Happier than I can ever remember being in my adult life. I had rediscovered a childlike joy in the very real-life endeavor of living green.... I hadn't realized it (earlier), but I realized it acutely now: just by attempting to live with a little less oil in my life, I'd already won.... The promising turn my life had taken was the result of my decision, quite simply, to try.... I kissed the Pan Sisters as I herded them to their corral penalty box, and thanked them for the lesson...

"Living local and green was not an all-or-nothing proposal. Each day I had another chance to make good choices, to move toward a healthy, independent, sustainable life. My first year's effort was just an initial step.

"I was going to stay with it. Whether the green fad faded or gas got cheap again. And not just for planetary reasons, but for personal ones.... My neighbor Sandy was right when she told me that mine was a two-person task, but not because it made the chores easier. Rather becasue it made life inifinitely more joyful. Because it gave that crucial concept of home its depth. It gave me something manageable that I tangibly wanted to nurture into future generations. And I thought that's the greatest good I could do."

Isn't that just so very well-written? Speaking of being so very very happy with his life in that moment - that is where I feel I am a great deal of the time these days. Just so happy. I like to think it's partly because of my choice to eat raw. Every time I honour my self by eating raw food I really feel like I'm respecting my self. I'm giving my body live enzymes with which to heal and grow. It feels sooooooo good. And I love the part about just by attempting to live a life we believe in, we've already won. We do, simply, need to try. That's how I've lost more than 65 lbs now. And totally, it doesn't need to be all-or-nothing. We can make a new choice in each moment, each day, to either go with it, or not. And it doesn't mean we've failed if we change our minds or change beliefs or paths... it's all part of the ever-changing journey. :) And it seems that his biggest realization during the year was that having someone beside you to enjoy the process is life's biggest reward, and isn't that the truth! It seems to me that what really matters in life isn't about accomplishments (like "mastering" raw veganism or building a cob house), it's about relationships and the community that's built while doing things we are passionate about (like eating raw or building that cob house, LOL). The next book on my bedside table is Thich Naht Hanh's "Friends on the Path". Looking forward to it.

Today I am so grateful for every aspect of my life, I don't even know where to begin. :)

Had another terrific weekend with dh at home... we didn't go anywhere - stayed at home and got a little yardwork done and a little tidying up around the house... nothing major. We even spent time just sitting around the table talking and simply being together. How nice was that! The kids had friends over for hours each day and played happily and we had family over for dinner one night. I even stayed up until 3 a.m. Saturday night, which made Sunday morning come just a little too early, LOL, but I had a great, relaxing weekend overall. :)

Yesterday I had:
- close to 4L of water
- an orange and 1/4 of a key lime tart (jennifer cornbleet's book) for breakfast. yes, dessert for breakfast, LOL
- 1/4 of a bean quesadilla (cooked) and a bowl of mock potato salad for lunch (matthew kenney's everyday raw book)
- 1 oz clarity raw chocolate
- a few chocolate chip cookies, LOL.
- a banana cut up with 1/2 c of crisp or crumble topping and 1c of almond milk on it
- 1L of smoothie for dinner (green leaf lettuce, spirulina, banana, blueberry, raspberry, maca, camu camu, goji, dates)
And I rowed 6 kms/1/2 hr. How am I feeling overall about yesterday's food consumption? Well, I wouldn't say that this is the best I can do in terms of eating well, but otoh, it is simply one day; not every day has to be the ideal day, does it. I am reading Raw Emotions right now and finding it is helping me face some food issues that I really stuff down (with sweets & cooked food) usually. So that's a bit challenging coming face to face with things that you normally avoid. LOL Continuing to exercise daily is certainly helping in many ways. The half hour goes by sooo fast on the rower, and I could easily procrastinate it away and then have nothing to show for it at the end of the half hour, but it feels so good to accomplish 6 kms in that time and then know I've honoured my self through exercising. :)

On with the day!
~n~

home day

fantastic home day. still feeling super-content with everything. been having 4L+ of water daily the past couple days.... along with food. might seem like a lot, but it's actually quite manageable and water is the only thing I drink - no coffee, tea, pop or juice or anything... (well, most of the week i had 2L of smoothie each day as well)

Today I had:
- 6L water with lemon
- bowl of muesli with almond milk, and a grapefruit for breakfast
- some "mock potato salad" from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw and thai collard wraps (from Gorilla Foods in Vancouver) with this delicious chutney-type sauce.... mmmmmm
- more mock potato salad and 2 nori rolls (veggies & a little miso) for dinner
- 1/8 of a key lime tart (Jennifer Cornbleet's Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People) for dessert
- 4 chocolate chip cookies over the course of the day. although i hadn't intended on eating them when I made them, i was happy that they were homemade and i knew exactly what was in them and i'm not going to feel guilty for eating them. it's what i chose in that moment, and i'm okay with that.
- I also rowed 6 kms today. Felt great.

must get kids to bed, even if it is a saturday night house party. ;)
~n~

A week of happiness...

It's Thursday and the week is going very well. My mood is just so happy and light. It is wonderful. :) I've been rowing every day lately, 6 kms each day (~30 mins) and continue to practice (or is it practise) tai chi twice a week as well. Swimming lessons started up again yesterday so while the children had their lessons I was able to swim laps - 1.5 kms. That was awesome! Exercise DEFINITELY makes a huge difference to my mood.

Food: Also going very well this week. Very routine, though. Nothing's changed there - citrus and a bowl of muesli for breakfast with almond milk and then green smoothie around lunch - yesterday I shook it up and had 1L for lunch and another L for dinner rather than both litres at lunchtime... that's getting too filling. Trying to make sure I feel hunger at SOME point each day - learning to embrace hunger, LOL. Yesterday I had 4L of lemon water - that was a lot. At dinner I had that L of smoothie and also a small bowl of tomato & cucumber diced together with a little balsamic vinegar and salt. yummers. Have you ever tried those Clarity cacao/maca/goji/blue-green algae chocolates? I pick them up occasionally and just LOVE them as a treat. They come in a teal green foil wrapper and are 1 oz each. So yummy. realrawfood.com in naramata sells them if you want a few. :)

Made a list yesterday of things I'd like to accomplish this year. Things like "build a cob oven", "finish front deck railing, steps, path and herb garden retainer wall". And I'm aiming for rowing 100 kms a month - 5 kms a day for 20 days (I'm a little behind this month which is why I'm rowing 6 kms instead of 5 the rest of this month). And I'll continue to eat raw and hopefully at some point I'll do a 30 day juicefeast. There's more on the list, but without it in front of me, it's hard to remember. LOL ;)

Stay conscious!!
~n~

It's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shining day...

I've started some wheatgrass and some alfalfa sprouts this week. It's so easy growing sprouts; I don't know why I don't do it more often (other than the twice-daily rinsing; that can be a bit of an inconvenience sometimes). And I'm planning on repotting the aloe vera and getting some cut-and-come-again lettuce going as well. The recent glorious sunshine is reminding me spring is just around the corner. :)

I'm finding it easiest to stick to a routine as far as food goes - or at least having a plan for how much I'm going to eat each day - makes it far less likely I'll overeat or fall off the raw food wagon. LOL So I've been starting my day with a piece of citrus fruit and having a bowl of muesli and almond mylk/milk/LOL ;) Drinking more water than I had been, which helps tremendously - yesterday I had almost 3L and by 10:30 this morning I'd already had 2L. Having 2L of smoothie for lunch the past couple days (1L at a time): begin by blending your greens (for example today I put 1/2 head of green leaf lettuce (8 large leaves) in the blender and blended it down; it made about 3/4L of liquid), add fruit (1.5 bananas, 1.5c each frozen blueberries & raspberries), added in maca powder, camu camu berry, goji berry powder, cacao nibs, powder and butter and enough water to make 2L of smoothie. The VitaMix really blends it smooth. I like the smoothie as lunch b/c it's portable and really alleviates hunger for HOURS. If I had some, I'd add a couple tbsps of hemp seeds as well. High in protein. So smoothie around lunchtime and then something lighter for dinner; last night I made myself veggie 'california rolls' - nori, miso, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, carrot, sweet pepper, cucumber with some nama shoyu and pickled ginger. Soooo yummy. My kids even liked it (alright, they like most of what I eat. LOL)

I picked up some more spirulina powder today as I'm right out of E3Live, Chlorella & Spirulina. I have grown to really LOVE blue-green algae and really miss it when I don't have it near-daily. E3Live is probably my favourite; when I was on the juice-feast I swear it was the reason my hair was regaining its natural colour!! LOL Anyways, try it... seriously.

We've been thinking of getting chickens - 'we' being the kids & I, LOL. Looking at heritage breeds: Marans, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds and Sussex (maybe 3 of each?). I'm hesitant because I don't want to have to deal with the inevitability of them dying. We had chickens when I was growing up. I actually didn't mind collecting eggs, or feeding them and checking their water each day. Hanging out with them. That part was fine. It was the part when my dad decided 'it was time' and *I* (why me, anyways) had to be the one holding them as he 'did the deed'. I think I was all of about 10 or 12 at the time. Sorry if that's tmi (I edited out the gory details!), but you can understand my hesitation at getting some of our own. It's sort of the same with getting another dog. Soooo hard to let ourselves get attached to and love our pets/animals and then dealing with the inevitability of their passing on. Ahhh well.

Off to the library now and then on to Aikido class for ds. Have a great evening and I'll try and get our computer fixed soon so I can blog more often. I am grateful for your patience. :)

Rut?

I tried posting from the computer at the library yesterday but the R key was sticky, so I decided to wait. It's been a busy week... we have been housesitting and the owners have been delayed on their trip home b/c of weather concerns, so instead of 4 days it's turned into 7. No big deal. They're really great to housesit for.

Classes are starting up again after the holidays. I taught my first Tai Chi class earlier this week and ds had his very first Aikido class, which he REALLY seemed to enjoy. Next week we go full throttle with classes every day. I don't usually structure our week like this - I'm more likely to arrange two classes on the same day so we can minimize our car use. It's rather unfortunate we'll be driving into town every weekday for the next several weeks. I packed up all the holiday decorations this week and the cleaners were here today, so it's like the house has had a good spring cleaning. There is still a decently-sized pile that needs to be decluttered, but progress is being made!!!

otoh, I'm feeling like I'm in a rut this week with raw food. Because of housesitting we are driving a lot between the two homes - feeding pets here and also there; it also means I haven't had the time to spend thinking of and planning raw meals. So I go for simplicity. Raw muesli nearly every day for breakfast with almond mylk (and usually for a snack as well at some point during the day) and then something simple at home for lunch - a salad or zucchini noodles with pesto and a little red pepper and avocado on top (I had made little jars of raw pesto in the summer and put them in the freezer; i'm finding them great for quick meals), and something simple for dinner - green smoothies the past several nights, because they're quick and portable (1L canning jars). And partly because of hormones or partly because I haven't made the time to exercise, I feel like I'm gaining weight (even though the scale insists I'm not... much. LOL). Since Dec 1st when I ended the 45 day juicefeast I've put on ~10 lbs, which for post-feast isn't unheard of, I'm told by others, especially since I easily dropped 30 in 45 days. I'd really like to get back into drinking juice each day - starting the day with juice was really nice. And I REALLY need to exercise each day. It's such an important part of the equation for me. 25 or 30 minutes on the rowing machine makes such a HUGE impact on my mental (and physical) health. No worries. I *am* drinking water each day and I *am* REALLY enjoying the sunshine yesterday & today... like Aleesha I've been missing it dearly (not realizing how much so until it shone brightly yesterday!).

LOL my 4 yr old is rowing right now - playing the Fish game on our rower... what a good role model she is for mom!!! :)

Have a great weekend! Rawk on!

Terrific Tuesday!

Today, everything seems to be coming together maaahhhhhh-velously. I'm having a terrific day. Instructed my very first beginner tai chi class - 10 students, yee-haw!! - and it was soooo much fun. Great times! The kids went to a friend's and had a lovely time over there. The afternoon has been flying by - I've been sorting through tai chi paperwork and cleaning out the pantry shelves - (I still need to exercise & it's already 4:30) and ds goes to his first Aikido class this evening.

Started the day with a bowl of 1c muesli and 1c almond mylk. Had a huuuuuge salad for lunch (nice crisp greens, a little green onion, 1/2 avocado, 1/4 red pepper, a solid 1/2c of alfalfa sprouts, some sliced cucumber, & a sprinkling of goji berries, dried cranberries and cashews on top) and a bowl of sliced banana with 1/2c 'crisp' topping and 1/2c almond mylk afterwards. Haven't had much water, nor have I had as much greens as I'd like... I'm thinking of making a smoothie with celery as a base. mmmm But actually I'm not as hungry as I'd've thought by now.

Here are a few blogs to check out:
http://aleeshasrawlife.blogspot.com/
http://rawreform.blogspot.com/
http://rawmom.blogspot.com/
http://rawtoddleralex.blogspot.com/
http://beautyofexpression.blogspot.com/
http://holymotherofgod.blogspot.com/

Oh, and in case you were wondering (like I was) when Chinese New Year falls this year (it's the 2nd new moon after the winter solstice), here are the dates for upcoming years:
January 26th, 2009 - Year of the Ox (dh is an ox)
February 14th, 2010 - Year of the Tiger (check out that date!! wink wink - & no, it's not just b/c it falls on Valentine's Day, that date is extra-special in our house)
February 3d, 2011 - Year of the Rabbit (I'm a rabbit, in case you were wondering)
January 23d, 2012 - Year of the Dragon (ds, mil & great-grampa are all dragons)
There ya be. I'm hoping to continue our annual tradition of heading downtown to Chinatown for the New Year's Parade (Lion Dancing, firecrackers & excitement) and then off for lunch (sometimes we've gone for dim sum or to the noodle box, but hopefully this year we can go to Mo:Le's or Cafe Bliss for some raw loveliness).

I was watching tv last night - not common as we don't have cable or satellite at home... I was out... anyways, I was watching Tim Gunn's Guide to Style or whatever it's called on Slice. I have to say that I was actually surprised at one point that I had a bit of an aha moment. The young woman whose wardrobe was being revamped on the show was trying on couture dresses and the designer was there watching her try these gowns on, and the young woman said, you know, there is something about trying these gowns on, you can FEEL THE LOVE that went into their creation and THAT is what makes you feel so special when you're wearing them. It was at that second that I went - WOW, that is EXACTLY how I feel when I'm eating at Cafe Bliss, and I can see the love and intention that goes into the making of the food I'm about to nourish and honour my body with and it really makes me present to what I'm about to do - eating raw food becomes such a spiritual awakening - that we are HONOURING our bodies with live food... It was such a huge flash for me. Really made me realize that it's not about putting food on the table QUICKLY, it's about what you're doing when you're preparing the food. (Made me think of a recent meal, when we were all together as an extended family, and I just got the sense that it was really overwhelming for the host to have taken on hosting that dinner - it seemed more to be about getting everything over with quickly, not about connecting with each guest, not about making food with loving intentions, not about creating memories). And so I ask you - when you are preparing food, are you angry? Are you resentful? Are you distracted? Or are you happy, fully present, and grateful for the opportunity to create something healthy and nutritious for those you love? And how does that play over into all aspects of your life - are you grateful for and present when you're brushing your teeth, when you're driving and stuck in traffic, when you're running errands, even when you're going to the washroom?! Might sound a little crazy, but truly, are you grateful for your life?! ARE YOU EVEN HERE FOR IT?!

Mediocre Monday

Even though I had a good sleep last night and am pretty energized, something about today is kinda, well... blah. Probably just the routine-y-ness (no, I don't think that's a proper word) of the day is a little mundane, ya know. Since at our true essence or core we are all radiant beings it seems like I ought to be doing something more exciting than just washing the dishes or folding laundry. It's like I'm raring to go, only I have no where to be just yet... only here, in this moment! Which is probably just where I'm meant to be, right - to get past the mundane-y-ness (there I go again making up words) of Monday, all I probably need to do is be fully present in this moment... bring my shining energy into the moment and infuse the dish-washing with some radiance... and really SEE each dish being washed and connect with the whole experience. (It's like Thich Naht Hanh is in my head redirecting my thoughts to greater happiness, LOL). The grey skies of January often take their toll on our psyches. We're feeling funky, and not in a get-up-and-dance kinda way, more like a 'in a funk'. Staying positive can be challenging, but is vital to our overall health. Sometimes it can feel like we're just plodding along, going through the motions of making good food choices and daily exercise, but this is what life is made of - little moments all connected together. If, in this moment, I can make a choice that I *know* is the right one, then it'll all come together later, right? :)

Speaking of making good choices, I feel great about the food choices I've made so-far today:
a bowl of green grapes for breaky (probably 2c or maybe even 3)
a green salad with chopped apple and avocado on it mid-morning
a banana for a snack
lots of water with fresh lemon juice (I confess I've been using bottled organic lemon juice for quite a while now; we'd got a case from the food co-op and although it's pasteurized, it's convenient to just pour a snitch into your water without having to juice fresh lemons on the citrus reamer thing, but today I'm using fresh lemons)
and 3 spring rolls with mock peanut sauce (from the Raw Food Made Easy book) - I used savoy cabbage leaves for the wrap, filled them with mung bean sprouts, orange pepper, carrot, cucumber, cilantro (mmmm yummy) and the peanut sauce). Very filling (I probably coulda stopped at 2), but a nice lunch
2 medjool dates and maybe 6 soaked almonds

I made some marinated veggies in lemon herb dressing for later or another day and also more almond mylk, although I'm nearly out of almonds. The next month or so might be tight for the budget so I guess I'll have to acquire a taste for sesame mylk since I have lots of sesame seeds (probably 4 lbs). I have a growing list of raw food items I've run out of that I'd like to replenish as soon as I can. If you're looking for affordable raw food items, try real raw foods in Naramata, BC. Excellent service and great quality food. Or if you're in the capital city, head to Cafe Bliss on Pandora which also has a selection of items available.

OH! And before I go, I want to say what a fantastic, awesome, thoughtful, caring partner I have! (No brown-nosing; he doesn't read my blog, LOL) He, on his own volition, went to Gorilla Foods downtown after work on Friday and picked up a piece of pesto pizza and a couple wraps with this delicious chutney-type sauce and brought them home for later (we're talking a 6 hr commute home)!!! I was so TOTALLY surprised. It was wonderful and the food was deeeeeeelicious! :)

I'm going to stop procrastinating now and go and exercise. Must..... go..... exercise.... (I really don't want to. Totally forcing this one, even though once I'm going I'll be right into it. LOL) We humans are really funny creatures. :)

Evening Update: Had 2 bowls of salad for dinner (basically the salad greens with 1/2 avocado, some cherry tomatoes and a carrot sliced up) and then a bowl of muesli and almond mylk for dessert. Yes, I did get my rowing done - 6 kms - which felt great. Really, it was a pretty fantastic day overall.

Raw "Cook"books...

Wondering what others fave raw "cook"books are (mine are in bold here)... I just got Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw out from the library and after perusing it, it seems to me that many of the recipes require t.i.m.e. and it looks like often there are quite a few steps in preparation. And in this regard I admit to favouring Jennifer Cornbleet's book, Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people, as you will easily see, reading the blog. Portions are the right size when I'm mostly making raw food for myself, or the children as well, and recipes are SIMPLE. Very simple. Common ingredients, easy preparation. A perfect match. I also have an Uncook Book by RawRose which was my very first raw 'cook'book and I do like many of the recipes in there, as well as a cracker book by Abeba, I think (LOVE the almond/brazil nut/red pepper crackers), and one of the Boutenko family books which has some of their recipes in it (the book that tells the family's story of their transition to raw foods) - love the burger & raw fries & raw ketchup! Other faves I've had out of the library are Fresh by Sergei & Valya Boutenko, and Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo.

So today I ask: what is your favourite raw 'cook'book?

Raw Food...

I've been logging my food intake the past couple days (something I should do far more often, I know). The one thing I haven't been keeping track of is the water, but I know just being conscious of it has made me drink more. I'll give you an idea of what I ate today so far, for example:

a bowl of muesli (1/2c oats, 1/2 tbsp almonds, 1/2 tbsp walnuts, 2 tsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp raisins and 2 tsp sucanut) with almond mylk - added 1 tbsp buckwheat crispies and 1 tbsp goji berries to it, and a sprinkling of cinnamon - recipe from J. Cornbleet, of course
the most delicious organic local Ambrosia apple I've ever tasted, mmmmm
1/2 an orange
a banana
a bowl of zucchini 'noodles' (1 small/med zucchini spiralized) with 1/2c mock peanut sauce (call it Thai Noodles) - recipes are once again in Jennifer Cornbleet's book.
2 medjool dates
1/6th of a 5" flourless chocolate cake with about 1/2c raspberry sauce (recipes in... you guessed it, Jennifer Cornbleet's book, LOL - what would I do without that book!). yummy.
water - I'd guess I've had about close to 1.5L so far.

One thing you'll notice is the lack (so far) of dark leafy greens. I'm having a hard time with this lately. We are heading out to family's for pizza tonight (ask me why I'm going to force myself to come face-to-face with the devilish temptation that cooked pizza is for me. good GRIEF) - I'm hoping to whip together a green smoothie before I head out and then take an extra-large green salad with me to share. And yes, this WILL be a delicious and healthy alternative to pizza, and I will love honouring my body through eating it. :) (I can just hear family around me saying, "Just keep tellin' yourself that." as they scarffle - yes that's a real word - as they scarffle down another piece of pine, pep, mush) LMAO I feel like a recovering alcoholic attending a function where alcohol is the primary focus of the occasion.

And I've exercised (rowed 5 kms) already today - that's 20 kms so far this week. I feel much better and really do think the icky, heavy feeling the other night may have been from the high fruit intake later in the day. 2L of smoothie IS a lot to consume in one sitting, as delicious as it is. :)

p.s. the flood waters have receded completely and things are 'normal' around here, for the time being. there is another storm brewing, apparently, so the local emergency coordinators are gearing up for a busy weekend with their sandbags. :) lots o' fun. the road is passable into town with the shoulders washed away in some places and some major reconstructive work to be done, but all in all, it's quite alright. the 10' deep washout on the neighbour's road is still there, isolating 3 homes, but the road crews are working on it.

Flood waters receding...

Most of the last 24 hrs we have been without phone (& internet) at home. Not a huge deal - we still had electricity & heat, after all. Yesterday morning it was still raining heavily and there was a lot of water around the yard, and the creek was raging in the back. The crawlspace was, indeed, under some water - probably 12" at least. I turned the hotwater tank breaker and heater breaker off for down there, just to be safe, until this morning. After a night of little rain (and the gutters cleared), the water level appeared to drop by close to 8" in the crawlspace, so I turned the breakers back on, and all seems well down there (not that I've gone & looked, myself, LOL). The puddles around the yard are mostly gone and the sun even shone brightly for a few minutes. Driving into town (25 kms), there are several spots, both minor and major, where the road has been under water... and like I say, a few major spots. Looking at the news online it appears the road west of us is closed at the moment... indefinitely.

Rowed again today, which felt great. Exercising earlier in the day (as opposed to after dinner in the evenings) is SOOOO much easier, in regards to motivation. I'm aiming for rowing on weekdays this month, and taking weekends off.

Yesterday I felt really bloated in the later evening. Took a few minutes to go over in my mind what I'd eaten all day and I came to the realization that dark leafy greens have gone by the wayside in my diet lately. Easy to tell because my hair is noticeably gray-er (to me, anyways) and I'm obviously eating more nuts and seeds this winter season (my cheekbones aren't as slender as right after the juicefeast, something only I'd notice). Yesterday I had a bowl of raw muesli (with a little cinnamon sprinkled on it) with a banana cut-up on top and some almond mylk for breakfast, an orange for a snack, california rolls with 'not tuna pate' for lunch (with red pepper, alfalfa sprouts, grated carrot, avocado, and a little miso) - used toasted nori as I don't have any raw nori and I have another package of toasted nori to get through before I indulge in buying raw nori (especially at $30 a package). So the california roll recipe makes two sheets of nori, or about 12 slices. yummers. Another bowl of muesli for a snack in the afternoon (with another banana sliced on it, and almond mylk on top). I actually had a mug of herbal tea in the afternoon - mint and rose, from the local organic farm. And for dinner I had 2L of smoothie - the meat and water from a young coconut, 2 bananas, a grapefruit, some E3Live (1/4 cup?) and a bag of cranberries, with a dash of agave nectar. Delicious, but VERY filling, and when I reflected on the day, I realized I'd had 4 bananas - which is probably too many. That's a lot of fruit in that smoothie, and 2L is a LOT of smoothie, especially to consume later in the day. I think it's probably easier to ingest 2L of smoothie earlier in the day, when you're going to be more active (note to self: I don't lead an overly active lifestyle!!!)... but the great news is that I feel really committed to raw food in this moment - making a menu/eating plan for the week has helped so tremendously. :)

The recipes for muesli and california rolls are in Jennifer Cornbleet's book Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People (LOVE that book). I added a tbsp of buckwheat crispies to the muesli recipe; buckwheat crispies are a recipe from Ani Phyo (probably found in Ani's Raw Kitchen book; can't remember).

Anyways the overall lesson there was that I'm probably taking in too many calories and definitely not getting enough greens. And my water intake is considerably lower than when I was feasting. I just felt so sluggish and bloated and heavy last night. So today I'm making a conscious effort to drink more water and eat lighter foods - I had a lovely salad for lunch. More dark leafy greens. Definitely.

The monsoons continue...

Got an email from the local emergency team that the road into the big city is closed due to flooding, as well as a few other local roads. Woke up this morning, the gutters/eavestroughs were STILL overflowing, so I bundled up and got the wooden ladder out and managed to clear all the gutters on the house. Yay for me! So at least now the water is going through the drainage system like it ought to have been doing. HOWEVER, that being said - our crawlspace appears to have about 1' of water in it. It has a dirt floor, so that's not an issue, but what could be a problem is that our hot water tank is down there (I have since turned the breaker off to it; I'll just have to make-do without h/w until the water recedes and I can get into the crawlspace to check it out - can't even get into it right now without swimming, LOL) dh's hockey equipment and drum set are also in the crawlspace, and presumably, soaked in water at the moment. That can't be good (although maybe the water will wash the hockey gear?, she says hopefully). I'm contemplating going and renting a pump to move the water somewhere else on the property. We have a creek through the back of our property; it's usually a cute little stream - this morning it's a raging torrent. It's far enough from the house it won't wash us away, but still a sight to behold.

In the greenhouse, the plants are actually DRY. crazy. I had unhooked the watering system when the temperature got so low a couple weeks ago and hadn't hooked it back up. With a plastic roof overhead the plants are showing signs of thirst. Funny when there's so much rain coming down! Maybe I should just lift the sides up for a few hours and let them drink.

So it's rain, rain and more rain here. I'm grateful to have a functioning roof over my head and dry clothes on. I'm grateful the road into the nearest town is clear (don't need to go into the city anyways). I think I'll take the kids outside to see the creek and then down to the ocean to watch the waves. Good times.

Monsoooooon Season...

Okay, it's the West Coast. At *some* point each winter we get 'rains'. But just yesterday, ds and I were marvelling at how GREEN everything in the yard looked as it all glistened in the winter sun, with the snow having finally melted. It was beautiful. Tree branches sparkling with dew. Varied thrushes, black-capped chickadees, stellar jays, hummingbirds at the feeder. It was spring-like... It was trickery, I tell you.

Well, today it's been monsooning. Not just raining, but continuous torrential downpour. Now I'm not complaining, it's just that I'd apparently blocked out the memory of these rains. They are glorious to behold... just so long as you don't have to go out in them! I'd already set my mind on running errands today, so I stubbornly packed us all into the car and off we went, but we got drenched running from the car into stores and back. It was nuts. And fun. Fun to feel alive, to feel the rain splashing on your face, fun to watch the kids splashing in puddles in the parking lots, fun to share in their wonderment at the streams of water forming across the pavement, heading towards the drains, to stand over the drain (in the torrential downpour) and just watch it all streaming in, oblivious to the time - to try and block the water with your rubber boot and divert it around. So much fun! Reminded me of being a kid and delivering newspapers on my bike in the rain - at first it would be an "eww, ick" kind of thing when you were first getting wet, but by the time you were drenched from head to toe, it didn't really matter what speed you went at... so I'd stop and gaze at the stream here and just toodle along at my own pace, in my own world. Ahhh, life, eh. Sighhhhhh.

But now that we're home and I'm feeling SOOOOO grateful to have a house with walls, windows and a functioning roof over my head, my attention is drawn to the overflowing gutters that obviously need unplugging desperately (even though it's now dark). It wouldn't be bothering me, except that they (a) our extension ladder is broken so I don't have a safe way of getting up there, and (b) they appear to be overflowing into my herb garden and eroding the soil a little. But stop. I don't need to go there, do I. Breathing in, I'm filled with gratitude for the fresh rain. Breathing out, I'm letting any worries surrounding it go. Ahhhh that's better. LOL

Today I rowed. It's been 15 days since I last did, and wow, it felt sooooo good to exercise again. I really missed it over the holidays. It was funny because dh and I were having a conversation about how scatter-brained I can be... and I had to defend myself because while he's not here I manage just fine - I row daily, I feel a stronger commitment to raw food, I get the children (& myself) to classes and such on time and manage to run the household quite efficiently (to my way of thinking, anyways; LOL). But then as he was home over the holidays, I had a HECK of a time staying committed to all those things, and I couldn't remember what we had to do each day to save my life. It was quite comical. "Who phoned?" "Geez, I can't remember." "Didn't you just hang up the phone?!" "Well yes, I guess I did. Oh, it was so-and-so. Can't remember why they were calling, though." Okay, not quite THAT bad, but still, my memory was less than sharp the past couple weeks. So now that he's out of town again (dh that is) I have the opportunity to get back into my routine - caring for myself through daily exercise, nutrition and mindfulness. And also spending time examining why it is that I have this pattern of 'falling off the wagon' when he's home. What's THAT all about?! hmmmm, something to think about.

Hmmm... ds just brought me a Lego guy that he built... a "homeless Lego person". Now why, you may ask, would an 8 yr old build a homeless Lego person to add to his Lego city? (And what would a homeless Lego person look like?!) Well, on the radio today while we were driving, there was a news story of a homeless woman who was offered a bed in a shelter one cold night. She declined and stayed on the streets, sleeping with her belongings in a shopping cart and a tarp over her. She lit a candle to stay warm and the tarp (and everything) caught on fire and she died. I turned the radio off and talked about it with ds... what is the solution here - what could've been done - should society force people to go to shelters? (He said no) Are the homeless allowed to bring their worldly possessions and shopping carts inside the shelters right now? (I don't even know) Obviously he's been processing this for the past several hours, unbeknownst to me as he shows no outwardly signs of what he's thinking about, and there you have it... a Lego homeless person. Looks like I'll have to call up a shelter and see if we can drop something off one day and have a visit there - maybe we could make some homemade bread, or cookies, or something to take down there... interesting to see an 8 yr old wrestle with these issues... issues that we as a society haven't resolved at all.

I guess that's all for now.
Namaste
~n~

Raw Food Pics!

Raw Pizzas (dehydrated crusts, 'barbecue' sauce, peppers, olives, fresh basil):

Salad greens with Ani Phyo's Breakfast Scramble Pate on top:

Tomato stuffed with Sundried Tomato Sunflower Herb Pate (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book):

California Rolls (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - avocado, carrot, red pepper, cucumber with Nama Shoyu for dipping (and some pickled ginger):

Raw vegan lasagne (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - one alteration: I used a full cup of marinara sauce in it, not 1/2 cup (you can see it oozing out). But it was really really tasty. Zucchini 'noodles', blended spinach, mashed avocado and marinara sauce.

Allergies!!

Had a relaxing day alone at home yesterday - dh took the children out on errands for most of the day. It was very odd - wandering around the house aimlessly before getting any sense of motivation or direction as to what to do with the free time. Something many Mamas experience, I think.

When they got home, they brought in a 12 pack of Fanta sodapop among the other things. dd (nearly 5 yrs old) asked if she could have some, so her and her brother split a (355 ml) can... so she had about 150 or maybe 200 ml. (She has had the odd glass of pop; it's certainly not a regular thing in our house - I don't keep pop or store-bought juice in the house hardly ever) Within five minutes her face started getting red splotches on it... a sure sign of an allergic reaction (in her). We've already cut raw tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes, which she absolutely loves to eat, unfortunately) and mandarin oranges out of her diet... so we're pretty sure it's a citric acid allergy (she can tolerate cooked tomatoes - like pizza sauce & ketchup). Anyways, back to yesterday... she has this splotchy, itchy rash on her face & neck within minutes of ingesting this "food", and I use that term VERY loosely. She wasn't having a major (anaphylactic) reaction, but certainly this is the strongest reaction she's had to date, but then again, she's only 4. :( This morning she woke up and her face is ever so slightly swollen... face & neck still red... but she wasn't having difficulty breathing and she said it was only itchy on the outside of her neck, not the inside, and no swelling or anything unusual going on inside her mouth. But still... pretty damn scary. Ended up driving into town and speaking to a pharmacist who recommended Benadryl or something similar, so that's what she's having (although I'd prefer to avoid the food colouring & sugar that's in it). All over 1/2 a pop. The kids' cousin has pretty severe food allergies - nuts, for one - and his parents carry an Epi-pen for him (thankfully have never had to use it).

Makes you think long and hard about what it is we call "food" and why we pollute our bodies with beverages like Fanta. Which one of the food groups does THAT fit into? Mind you, here's dd who's also allergic to oranges and tomatoes - organic, raw ones at that. What has happened to our food supply? And before you go commenting about how that Fanta even got into the house.... judge not, my friends. While I am committed to eating raw, organic, vegan foods in as natural a state as possible (and from local sources as much as possible), not everyone in the house shares my opinions on the subject. dh eats meat, dairy, all manner of cooked food, alcohol, what you'd call "junk food" (in moderation) - chips, dips, pop, all that kinda stuff. So here are two parents who are eating widely differing diets, trying to raise children together (and no, we didn't start out eating so differently; it's me that's changed tremendously in that regard over the past decade). Obviously it leads to a lot of discussion and compromise, on both our parts.

I remember before getting married the person marrying us asking us if we had discussed all eventualities... what an odd question - how could you possibly know where life was going to take you? We certainly didn't talk about the possibility that I'd become vegan, or raw, or talk about different parenting strategies or values... I mean you're getting married, the details of a wedding are all-consuming in that moment. Just funny.

Anyways that's about it. I'm going to go back to reading Raw Success by Matt Monarch - great read so far - lots of things to ponder/food for thought as I'm reading it. Will write more on that once I'm farther along or finished the book.

Happy Saturday,
~n~

Celebrate good times... come on! Let's celebrate...

(Remember that song? Celebrate good times, come on! Let's celebrate...) I guess that's revealing my age, eh. LOL Well, 2009 is officially here! We rang in the new year surrounded by family although it wasn't the raucous celebration you'd expect - LOL - far more subdued than that. So nice to be together, especially when you bring people together from across the country and beyond.

Just as we're settling in to having dh home for the holidays, he is gearing up to leave once again. This year he starts his new job and we'll be adjusting to long-distance commuting. Moving to a new city and starting a new job will be pretty stressful, even if it is good stress in many ways. It's been so great to spend time as a family over the holidays, but the time has just flown by. The house is a disaster; dh unpacked and now is trying to pack but there is stuff EVERYWHERE, in amidst the holiday decorations. I laugh at myself because while he was away, I (of course) had things where I wanted them, and everything in my field-of-vision was ticky-boo. Now that he's home, and unpacked all over the place, I've really had to breathe DEEEEEEP not to get upset with his stuff everywhere, even though I've found it slightly irritating, not having things exactly in the spot where I want them. One of my friends says I'm OCD (which I assure you, I'm not... clinically speaking, that is, LOL); I'm just organized, or tidy. In some respects, anyways. All about keeping up appearances, I guess... which I'm working on getting over, believe me. (Have you ever watched that show - Keeping Up Appearances - ? Sometimes I get teased that I'm a little too much like Hyacinth for my own good. Having said that, dh is like Onslow, sitting around unshaven, in his underwear, drinking beer in front of the telly. LMAO) TMI, right?! ;)

I enjoyed a pink colour bath last night - pink is the colour which is associated with the heart chakra (so is green). Pink helps release unwanted aggression and negative thoughts/feelings. It is the colour of love, compassion and kindness. I added some essential oil of rose. The pink bath helps us to feel the support of the universe that is always available to us all and also compassion for both ourselves and others. A nice intention to end the day with.

Eating raw is going well, although I'm struggling with not over-eating (probably quite common after a juice feast) and emotional eating; this is something I've struggled with for years - what IS a normal amount of food to eat in a day, anyways? Many of us have such a warped sense of appetite with the availability of super-sized portions. Another thing is the thought others have shared: 'We only live once, so why not live a little? Why do you have to be so strict/extreme in your food choices? Just have a little...' That's something I come up against regularly enough, usually from people who may feel threatened by my choice to eat raw. However, not once have I declared that everyone around me must eat raw as well. Not once have I gotten up from a table where meat/dairy/cooked food was being served and rebuked it all. It's not like I've forgotten that less than a year ago, I was eating cooked food, or not 3 yrs ago I was eating a standard north-american diet as well (and was substantially heavier and less healthier than I currently am). But I guess some people are threatened by others making different choices. I realize the raw food lifestyle is a choice I'm making and I'm certainly not trying to make others feel uncomfortable by sticking with my choice in front of them. One of the biggest challenges I've found with raw food is planning ahead when going out - not necessarily to restaurants, as they are usually quite accomodating with a salad or fruit bowl, but more often in the homes of friends and family. I guess, despite having been raw for 9 months now, there are people who have not yet realized my dedication to this choice and who go out of their way to make something vegan (and cooked) and then feel slighted if I choose to make my own raw meal. That can be somewhat awkward. (I'd love to hear how other raw vegans handle situations like that - how do you stick to a raw vegan diet when your host declares they have gone out of their way to accomodate you with cooked vegan food?).

Anyways, it's officially a month since the juice feast ended and overall, the month has gone very well. I've been able to slowly wean off of the feast and have slowly introduced solid (raw vegan) food back in. A month later, I'm up 9 lbs from the lowest point on the feast, but have maintained a very healthy, balanced raw vegan diet overall. This time of year (with the cold weather) I'm enjoying more nuts and seeds and 'warming' foods than in other seasons, but I'm able to eat raw throughout the winter, which has been a goal.

Got a book called Raw Food Celebrations out from the library (can't recall the authors); it has a 'traditional celebration dinner' menu that would rival the best turkey dinner. We were chatting about it being a milestone birthday in 2010 for me and I was asked how I wanted to celebrate; I think it would be extra special to celebrate with a special raw vegan menu (LOL of course, we wouldn't want to impose the raw vegan lifestyle on anyone coming to celebrate, so I guess I'll have to make it potluck and people can bring what they want?! LOL). We had a DEEEElicious flourless chocolate cake the other night with raspberry coulis (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book). The other 3 in the house (one vegetarian, two omnivores) all agreed it was super-yummy. You know, I don't think I've tried one recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book that we didn't enjoy?! If I had to choose one raw food 'cook'book to have, I think that might be the one. Simple, quick recipes that enjoyed by nearly all (I say that because there have been one or two things that the omnivores have balked at).

New Year's Eve I had a delicious meal of zucchini spiralized 'pasta' with raw pesto, followed by "Violet's Violent End", a recipe from David Wolfe & Shazzie's book, Naked Chocolate. It looked scrumptious, and was easy to prepare ahead of time. I should've taken a photo. We enjoyed the blueberry/chocolate filling, but I wasn't overly crazy about the crust which had oat groats & apricots in it... next time I'd probably put it on that coconut crust recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book. Anyways, it was really good, and having raw food to eat made ringing in the new year special - I wasn't tempted by the cooked food, despite being surrounded by it. I had made yam chips/crackers in the dehydrator and had those with some pates - pecan pate, sundried tomato sunflower herb pate, and 'not tuna' pate (all from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - and there was also some yummy raw salsa there, so there were lots of options. I got a few funny looks at breakfast as I had a salad with avocado and pecan pate on it, rather than the 'traditional' eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, etc.

(That's a lot of talk about food when I haven't ingested anything yet today, so you know where I'm headed now...)

A toast to you in 2009 - may it bring you health, happiness, and conscious living.
Namaste
~n~