Been feeling pretty good. No sugars or processed foods for more than 2 weeks. Haven't had a headache or a migraine for 17 days either!! That alone is worth it, cause it sucks when you're popping thei ibprophen every six hours and leaving work early beacuse of migraines... I sincerely hope it's not the chocolate that was causing it! THat would make me really sad. I haven't had chocolate for more than two weeks either. And I'm not dead! (who would have thought...) :) I just feel happier and calmer. And I feel like going for walks (too bad it's been raining every night...) :
Well, I had been doing good this week, until the convention that is.... That was pure torture! All the desserts were chocolate and they had chicken and roast beef and ham piled on top of all the salads they fed us. The meat didn't look at all appetizing and even when I tasted a bit of it, it just tasted really salty and gross. (what happened to my tastebuds???) It was all the chocolate. I was going to go crazy, but I didn't have any. I did eat mash potatoes, even though raw foodists aren't supposed to eat anything cooked. And I did eat a roll (which was yummy). And right away I could feel it making my stomach turn. I suppose when you feed it nothing but nutritious foods for a week it doesn't want anything but that! Alot of people say that once they go on the raw diet their bodies adjust to it and they can no longer tolerate any other cooked, processed, or sugary foods. Because you can tell right away the effect that it has on your body when you eat it, that right now - while you're still eating those things, your body is kind of numb to it, I suppose. The last two days I've really been craving veggies and salads. Today I ate a whole muskmellon by myself!
I find that when I do want to snack, I'm reaching for something salty now rather than sweet - I grab the sunflower seeds. And last night I noticed it and I realized why I was doing it (I was bored and watching the TV) and now I feel kind of guilty when I do it so I put them down and went out and got some frozen fruit juice and ate some of that instead. I did it again today, took a second to consider why and realized I was really hungry, so I ate a handful of the seeds, then got up and cut the rest of that melon up. I decided that if I do need to eat - I can't reach for the seeds and nuts, I need to grab some fruit or veggies - often I just want something to chew on. It's just nice to notice when and why I am snacking, usually I just do it out of habit and don't even think about it.
And then after the banquet tonight (when I was extremely worn out and just wanted to be by myself)they wanted the young women reps to gather for a devotional, when we got there one table was completely laden with junk food and chocolate. I wanted to just cry! It was like someone told them, "'melia bohm can't eat any chocolate, so let's make every single one of our desserts this weekend delicoiusly scrumptious looking and full of nothing but that! mwhahahahaha"
And all I could do was pray - Please Lord, find some way to get me outta this!
Two seconds later someone came in and said there was another tornado watch and we were supposed to go downstairs and wait in one of the rooms. So I um...slipped away, drove through the storm (still praying) and went home. I didn't care if there was a tornado on main street! I was getting out of there!!! :) ANd now I am safe from junk food and chocolate for the rest of the night! Whew. hehe.
So in conclusion -- tonight's tornado warning might have been my fault. ;) Unless there was actually a tornado, then it is not my fault...I don't know what you're talking about.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Temptation!!!
Well, today was a hard day... ;) Had the LWML convention today and I've been worried all week what they were going to feed me for lunch. It was a salad though, but they had a bunch of meat piled on top of it, which I scooped to the side. Basically I just ate lettuce since they had nothing good for dressing, that was all. And a few cucumber slices. I was scared that I'd cave, I wanted some bread as it went by, but I passed on it. And of course there was a plate full of chocolate stuff. If it wasn't chocolate I woudln't have had a problem, but they were all brownies and rich chocolate stuff... My mouth was watering. I tried not to look. :) But I didn't eat one! I talked to Lisa a bit about the raw foods thing I'm doing (I had told her about the fast I was on last week). And when we went to look at the displays they had chocolates sitting on all the tables to eat! AHhh!!!!! It's like they know and are trying to thrwart me!!
Actually, this is always a concern that is brought up - eating out socially like that is more of a challenge for raw foodists, and now I believe it!
In conclusion -- I'm starving now!! :) Might have a 'real' salad, with veggies on it this time. And sunflower seeds. mummm.... :) And some fruit. mummmm.... I wasn't very impressed with the lunch they fed us though - I wouldn't have paid $11.00 for it, that's for certain. Tomorrow I'm going to take some fruit along with me to eat. I can tell that I'm low on energy!
Oh man, last night I could really taste the metal toxins in my mouth. It was driving me bonkers! I even brushed my teeth twice and drank lots of water, nothing would help. It's gone now though.
Well, I'm starving, I'm gonna go fix myself something to eat before I die or something.
Actually, this is always a concern that is brought up - eating out socially like that is more of a challenge for raw foodists, and now I believe it!
In conclusion -- I'm starving now!! :) Might have a 'real' salad, with veggies on it this time. And sunflower seeds. mummm.... :) And some fruit. mummmm.... I wasn't very impressed with the lunch they fed us though - I wouldn't have paid $11.00 for it, that's for certain. Tomorrow I'm going to take some fruit along with me to eat. I can tell that I'm low on energy!
Oh man, last night I could really taste the metal toxins in my mouth. It was driving me bonkers! I even brushed my teeth twice and drank lots of water, nothing would help. It's gone now though.
Well, I'm starving, I'm gonna go fix myself something to eat before I die or something.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Letting Go
Had a headache today for the first time in 15 days... Just a mild one, I think it was because I was hungry maybe? I ate lunch and it went away afterwards sometime. And I do eat more veggies when I have dressing! :) That was my first taste of sugar in two weeks, but that is all organic ingredients. I was wondering if I would see any side effects from eating it again. But none so far. That is the only deviation from the Raw Lifestyle I'm doing, and it was only because it is basically the only way to make me eat more veggies right now. I did try the raw style first though before I made that decision. I did come home at lunch and have a big salad -- romaine, snap peas, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower and sunflower seeds. Pretty good. But it was way too much! I was just so excited for a salad I forgot my stomach is still tiny and can hardly hold two bitesize carrots. This salad filled half the plate and I ate it all! I shouldn't have. Man, I was overly-full and extremely uncomfortable the rest of the afternoon, I will have to watch that next time.
I made my first smoothie this morning, it was pretty good. I am very impressed with that new blender I bought -it's called the ninja. It had absolutely no problems chopping up those icecubes. And it has a little food processor with it too. Mumm, smoothie...making me so hungry now! But I think I will leave out the lemon next time, it was much too sour. (I still have a bag of lemons left, I'm trying to get rid of them before they rot!)
You know, since I started the fast I have hardly been watching TV at all. (maybe cause I'm researching all the time about this lifestyle?) But even when I do sit down to watch, it just doesn't hold my attention like it used to. I shut it off and do something else. And I also noticed that other sins I find myself trapped in have not caused me any problems for the past two weeks either. I have no desire for it, which is weird and calming at the same time. it's like while I am taking care of my body, it is also cleaning my mind. or something like that -- well, the spirit is cleaning both out I guess. I know I wouldn't have been able to do this at all if it had not been for God. If he had not been teaching me all year long and given me such an incredible desire to suddenly want to do this, I wouldn't be doing it at all. I know myself! And I know this is not normally how I react. I think that it was something that I told a friend one night -- that I know my body is broken, and I know it will never be perfect. Instead, I am excited and waiting for the body I will receive when I am in heaven. And ever since I wrote that, I think it had been on my mind - that really -- I have given up - given in to being fat because I think it's too hard - that God won't help me change that. Truthfully, being obese bothers me all the time, I can't enjoy myself like others and I have become a lazy couch potato...but I had given in to that lifestyle a long ago. I have never thought that I can be thin. I have never thought that I could lose weight. I just accepted that I am fat and can't do anything about it. And I began to realize that a couple weeks ago and it really kind of upset me - maybe not on a conscious level at the time, but it has now! Why are you giving in so easily? I asked myself -- you can be healthy while you are on earth as well. The kingdom of God is here and now -- it started when you were baptised! You don't have to be miserable and you don't have to feel like you should be. You can be happy! And when God set this master cleanse in front of me, it wasn't about the weight loss at first. It was about the detoxing. And then as I learned more about it during the course of those 10 days - and learned more about myself - I realized that I was making this harder than it should be - losing weight I mean. First I needed to change the way I though. During all of the cleanse I knew that I needed to become a vegetarian, and as I read back through each of those days I can see my thinking gradually begin to change and become more and more serious about my health. I began to see the effects of sugar on my body. I began to learn about myself. And again, God set one more thing down in front of me -- this raw food lifestyle. And it was at just the right time, when God knew I was ready to see it and not run away from it. It spiked my interest and I looked it up.
Oh man, how do I explain what I have learned over the past two weeks about this Raw Food Lifestyle?? Where do I even begin?
I discovered that it is extremely good for people who are obese - well really, anyone who is living on the SAD (standard american diet), even if you think you're healthy, you're not as healthy as you could be! If you can go 100% raw, you are getting the nutrience that your body is crying for because previously you've been eating a diet that is completely full of empty calories. Your body continously tells you to keep feeding it because it needs that fuel and you so you stuff yourself and overeat on all the wrong foods and it is just an endless cycle. But changing the way you eat -- eating as God intended you to eat -- your body is finally getting that nutrience it needs and doesn't have to work so hard at digesting things it's not meant to, it will start detox you almost immediately, the first couple days after you start. And it will start to cleanhouse big time. And if you are obese that excess weight will come off very quickly I guess, as much as 100 lbs in six months - so fast that it might cause you and others around you some concern if they don't understand what's going on inside your body during that time. And the great thing is that it's healthy weightloss - not this yo-yo dieting. Eventually your weight will even out where it's supposed to be. The weightloss isn't the only benefit -- you feel absolutely wonderful on this lifestyle - have tons of energy - your other health issues will most likely clear up, you will start to heal. Things like arthritus and diabetes clear up. And I guess it keeps you looking young.
I guess learning all that - it was kind of scarey those last four days of the cleanse - but I started to get excited about it. I knew that it was a drastic change to my diet, but I had also read that if you start this right after you've done a juice fast like the master cleanse it will be much easier, because you have already detoxed from all those terrible foods that you have been eating for years. You will no longer crave it. So I gave it a go. :) And honestly, it hasn't been too hard. I love being able to eat and listen to my body. I fully expect that God will help me through this. I know that it won't be easy, but I think that I'll eventually begin to see the effects that it has on my body and I will stick with it because that will make me all the more excited. I have started imagining myself being a thin person. I have never really done that before. I already feel like I have a lot more energy than before, and I can't believe that I am not craving sugary sweets and bean burritos or pizza and crap like that! No desire whatsoever! I am extremely happy about that.
Today I learned something cool -- you know how we're convinced that we are supposed to be taking vitamin supplements? Well, it's hard for your body to digest and actually use those pills. They're not in a form that is easily assimilated by the body. But -- fruits and veggies have all the vitamins and minerals you need and it's in a form that is easiest for the body to digest and use them! I guess that is probably why God told us we could have every fruit-bearing tree and plant for our diet -- he had already planned it to work like that. ;) It just amazes me that we try to do things in our own ways and methods, but it's never as good as the way that God intended to begin with. That goes for anything!!
I made my first smoothie this morning, it was pretty good. I am very impressed with that new blender I bought -it's called the ninja. It had absolutely no problems chopping up those icecubes. And it has a little food processor with it too. Mumm, smoothie...making me so hungry now! But I think I will leave out the lemon next time, it was much too sour. (I still have a bag of lemons left, I'm trying to get rid of them before they rot!)
You know, since I started the fast I have hardly been watching TV at all. (maybe cause I'm researching all the time about this lifestyle?) But even when I do sit down to watch, it just doesn't hold my attention like it used to. I shut it off and do something else. And I also noticed that other sins I find myself trapped in have not caused me any problems for the past two weeks either. I have no desire for it, which is weird and calming at the same time. it's like while I am taking care of my body, it is also cleaning my mind. or something like that -- well, the spirit is cleaning both out I guess. I know I wouldn't have been able to do this at all if it had not been for God. If he had not been teaching me all year long and given me such an incredible desire to suddenly want to do this, I wouldn't be doing it at all. I know myself! And I know this is not normally how I react. I think that it was something that I told a friend one night -- that I know my body is broken, and I know it will never be perfect. Instead, I am excited and waiting for the body I will receive when I am in heaven. And ever since I wrote that, I think it had been on my mind - that really -- I have given up - given in to being fat because I think it's too hard - that God won't help me change that. Truthfully, being obese bothers me all the time, I can't enjoy myself like others and I have become a lazy couch potato...but I had given in to that lifestyle a long ago. I have never thought that I can be thin. I have never thought that I could lose weight. I just accepted that I am fat and can't do anything about it. And I began to realize that a couple weeks ago and it really kind of upset me - maybe not on a conscious level at the time, but it has now! Why are you giving in so easily? I asked myself -- you can be healthy while you are on earth as well. The kingdom of God is here and now -- it started when you were baptised! You don't have to be miserable and you don't have to feel like you should be. You can be happy! And when God set this master cleanse in front of me, it wasn't about the weight loss at first. It was about the detoxing. And then as I learned more about it during the course of those 10 days - and learned more about myself - I realized that I was making this harder than it should be - losing weight I mean. First I needed to change the way I though. During all of the cleanse I knew that I needed to become a vegetarian, and as I read back through each of those days I can see my thinking gradually begin to change and become more and more serious about my health. I began to see the effects of sugar on my body. I began to learn about myself. And again, God set one more thing down in front of me -- this raw food lifestyle. And it was at just the right time, when God knew I was ready to see it and not run away from it. It spiked my interest and I looked it up.
Oh man, how do I explain what I have learned over the past two weeks about this Raw Food Lifestyle?? Where do I even begin?
I discovered that it is extremely good for people who are obese - well really, anyone who is living on the SAD (standard american diet), even if you think you're healthy, you're not as healthy as you could be! If you can go 100% raw, you are getting the nutrience that your body is crying for because previously you've been eating a diet that is completely full of empty calories. Your body continously tells you to keep feeding it because it needs that fuel and you so you stuff yourself and overeat on all the wrong foods and it is just an endless cycle. But changing the way you eat -- eating as God intended you to eat -- your body is finally getting that nutrience it needs and doesn't have to work so hard at digesting things it's not meant to, it will start detox you almost immediately, the first couple days after you start. And it will start to cleanhouse big time. And if you are obese that excess weight will come off very quickly I guess, as much as 100 lbs in six months - so fast that it might cause you and others around you some concern if they don't understand what's going on inside your body during that time. And the great thing is that it's healthy weightloss - not this yo-yo dieting. Eventually your weight will even out where it's supposed to be. The weightloss isn't the only benefit -- you feel absolutely wonderful on this lifestyle - have tons of energy - your other health issues will most likely clear up, you will start to heal. Things like arthritus and diabetes clear up. And I guess it keeps you looking young.
I guess learning all that - it was kind of scarey those last four days of the cleanse - but I started to get excited about it. I knew that it was a drastic change to my diet, but I had also read that if you start this right after you've done a juice fast like the master cleanse it will be much easier, because you have already detoxed from all those terrible foods that you have been eating for years. You will no longer crave it. So I gave it a go. :) And honestly, it hasn't been too hard. I love being able to eat and listen to my body. I fully expect that God will help me through this. I know that it won't be easy, but I think that I'll eventually begin to see the effects that it has on my body and I will stick with it because that will make me all the more excited. I have started imagining myself being a thin person. I have never really done that before. I already feel like I have a lot more energy than before, and I can't believe that I am not craving sugary sweets and bean burritos or pizza and crap like that! No desire whatsoever! I am extremely happy about that.
Today I learned something cool -- you know how we're convinced that we are supposed to be taking vitamin supplements? Well, it's hard for your body to digest and actually use those pills. They're not in a form that is easily assimilated by the body. But -- fruits and veggies have all the vitamins and minerals you need and it's in a form that is easiest for the body to digest and use them! I guess that is probably why God told us we could have every fruit-bearing tree and plant for our diet -- he had already planned it to work like that. ;) It just amazes me that we try to do things in our own ways and methods, but it's never as good as the way that God intended to begin with. That goes for anything!!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Telling People
Jeez, I keep telling people I'm going vegan! And then I have to explain why. And then I have to explain the master cleanse! :) I think that it's because I'm just so excited about it.
Anyway, I talked to Ruth and Dianne about it a little tonight. Ruth says my skin has a glow to it. ;) That gives me more motivation -- not the glowy skin thing - that fact that more people know now! It will make me less apt to turn back now because I want to prove myself right. And I will! I will! :) I'm doing really good today by the way. Had 2 oranges this morning, three bananas, honey dew melon, a handful of dried strawberries (which is good by the way), three apples, Some pinnapple, cauliflower, carrots... I think that's it. Might have a smoothie - well, it's getting late now, probably not. I know that I need to eat better though. I tried the dressing that I made last night - don't like it - to vinagary. So I bought some organic ranch dressing from the store - processed yes I know, it has sugar yes I know. But I need something to get me eating more veggies. So I decided that this will be the only allowance on this diet. I will be 99% raw. If I want to go 100% I'll figure that out at a future date. A girl I was reading about said that she still used dressings on her raw diet because she figured she didn't get fat by just eating dressing - it was everything else. Anyway, definantly have more energy and am happier tonight. Kind of quiet at work yet. More observant, I guess. Focusing on my quality and my production rather than talking. That's okay. Today I had to help with MCC work. I feel like a mindless drone now! :)
But I cut up that pinapple and juiced two pieces of it, a nectarine, and an orange, that will be the mix for my frozen smoothy in the morning. :) Maybe that will make me more energetic! I bought some kale too, gonna see what that green stuff tastes like when juiced.... :} hehe. Maybe I'll throw in a carrot for some sweetness. I also bought some cherries and more bananas - bought organic bananas - they definantly taste much better then the regular kind. Sweeter taste to them or something like that. And I bought another melon. Trying to figure out how I am going to budget for this diet - I think that I will need to go up to at least $200.00 a month for groceries??? But then again - that is taking out all the time you used to go out. THat's probably at least $70.00 right there... I think that it can be done. I just need to save that money over the entire month.
You know -- I still don't crave sweets or processed foods. I don't even feel like I want to go out to eat or anything. It's such a wonderful feeling. I just have to figure out how much I need to be eating each day.
Anyway, I talked to Ruth and Dianne about it a little tonight. Ruth says my skin has a glow to it. ;) That gives me more motivation -- not the glowy skin thing - that fact that more people know now! It will make me less apt to turn back now because I want to prove myself right. And I will! I will! :) I'm doing really good today by the way. Had 2 oranges this morning, three bananas, honey dew melon, a handful of dried strawberries (which is good by the way), three apples, Some pinnapple, cauliflower, carrots... I think that's it. Might have a smoothie - well, it's getting late now, probably not. I know that I need to eat better though. I tried the dressing that I made last night - don't like it - to vinagary. So I bought some organic ranch dressing from the store - processed yes I know, it has sugar yes I know. But I need something to get me eating more veggies. So I decided that this will be the only allowance on this diet. I will be 99% raw. If I want to go 100% I'll figure that out at a future date. A girl I was reading about said that she still used dressings on her raw diet because she figured she didn't get fat by just eating dressing - it was everything else. Anyway, definantly have more energy and am happier tonight. Kind of quiet at work yet. More observant, I guess. Focusing on my quality and my production rather than talking. That's okay. Today I had to help with MCC work. I feel like a mindless drone now! :)
But I cut up that pinapple and juiced two pieces of it, a nectarine, and an orange, that will be the mix for my frozen smoothy in the morning. :) Maybe that will make me more energetic! I bought some kale too, gonna see what that green stuff tastes like when juiced.... :} hehe. Maybe I'll throw in a carrot for some sweetness. I also bought some cherries and more bananas - bought organic bananas - they definantly taste much better then the regular kind. Sweeter taste to them or something like that. And I bought another melon. Trying to figure out how I am going to budget for this diet - I think that I will need to go up to at least $200.00 a month for groceries??? But then again - that is taking out all the time you used to go out. THat's probably at least $70.00 right there... I think that it can be done. I just need to save that money over the entire month.
You know -- I still don't crave sweets or processed foods. I don't even feel like I want to go out to eat or anything. It's such a wonderful feeling. I just have to figure out how much I need to be eating each day.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Six Months
Yay - made it through another day of being on a Raw Food Diet. I've just been in a pissy mood all day, not because of anything. I just am. Hopefully that will be gone tomorrow. I don't think that being on this diet will be that hard - i have no desire for sugary sweets (the fruit takes care of that) and no desire for processed foods at all right now. I was telling Joshua that and he was kind of astounded. Okay- maybe some chocolate, but not so much that I go out and get some or make some yet. It's just so wierd. I guess I really did need to detox first. I think the only thing that will get me on this diet - maybe the money for the food. I might try hitting up the farmers market or the market in St. Peter next time. And maybe boredom? I could see myself getting a little bored if I can't find a good substitute for dressing!!! I think once I can find that I will be okay. Also might try to look up some dinners - there was a raw spaggetti recipe using squash and tomatoes.
Anyway, for breakfast I juiced two apples, two carrots and one stalk of celery. Can't say I really liked the celery and really - this combo is quite sweet. Ate a banana on the way to work. For lunch I had four baby carrots, a nectarine, and a few pieces of cauliflower. I just can't get that stuff down without some kind of dressing. ANd plus I seem to get full fast. Gonna try making that ranch dressing tonight, the cashews are soaking in water right now. And then I had another banana for break and then juiced three more apples when I came home. I'll probably cut up that pinapple later and eat it around seven or so. I don't know how much I'm supposed to be eating on this diet, so I've just been eating whenever I get hungry. It doesn't seem like that's enough. I am wondering if that is why I am so quiet at work or something? It's not like I'm tired really, in fact I've still been getting up at 7am or so. It might just be 'that time of the month' syndrom. :)
I see my taste for bananas has somewhat changed - I am ok eating the older ones. Usually I can only eat the green ones. So I can see that my favorite fruits are bananas, pinapples and apples. Orange juice is okay but not as good as that apple juice! Don't get anymore mangos or nectarines, I don't like them enough to merrit the costs. Strawberries are ok, when I get tired of eating htem I can throw them in the dehydrator. Oh - I made some strawberry applesauce when I got home and put that in the dehydrator to make into fruit roll-ups. That would also be a good snack - just eating the applesauce without drying it. Threw some strawberries and bananas in too. I can snack on them tomorrow when I'm hungry I figure.
Anyway, still doing a fair amount of research on this lifestyle. And most anywhere I go it tells of the amazing changes it instigates. I just have this great feeling about this - in six months I am going to be half the size I am now. I can control myself. I can do this. God is helping me.
Anyway, for breakfast I juiced two apples, two carrots and one stalk of celery. Can't say I really liked the celery and really - this combo is quite sweet. Ate a banana on the way to work. For lunch I had four baby carrots, a nectarine, and a few pieces of cauliflower. I just can't get that stuff down without some kind of dressing. ANd plus I seem to get full fast. Gonna try making that ranch dressing tonight, the cashews are soaking in water right now. And then I had another banana for break and then juiced three more apples when I came home. I'll probably cut up that pinapple later and eat it around seven or so. I don't know how much I'm supposed to be eating on this diet, so I've just been eating whenever I get hungry. It doesn't seem like that's enough. I am wondering if that is why I am so quiet at work or something? It's not like I'm tired really, in fact I've still been getting up at 7am or so. It might just be 'that time of the month' syndrom. :)
I see my taste for bananas has somewhat changed - I am ok eating the older ones. Usually I can only eat the green ones. So I can see that my favorite fruits are bananas, pinapples and apples. Orange juice is okay but not as good as that apple juice! Don't get anymore mangos or nectarines, I don't like them enough to merrit the costs. Strawberries are ok, when I get tired of eating htem I can throw them in the dehydrator. Oh - I made some strawberry applesauce when I got home and put that in the dehydrator to make into fruit roll-ups. That would also be a good snack - just eating the applesauce without drying it. Threw some strawberries and bananas in too. I can snack on them tomorrow when I'm hungry I figure.
Anyway, still doing a fair amount of research on this lifestyle. And most anywhere I go it tells of the amazing changes it instigates. I just have this great feeling about this - in six months I am going to be half the size I am now. I can control myself. I can do this. God is helping me.
Raw Chocolate Cake
Well, I had to find something chocolate... :)
Raw Chocolate Cake
Serves 10
Ingredients for the crust:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup carob
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/3 cup agave sirup
1/4 cup coconut or cacoa butter
Pinch of sea salt
For the chocolate filling:
2 cups cocoa powder
1.5 cups agave sirup
1 cup coconut or cacao butter
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract (optional)1 tablespoon Lucuma Powder (optional)1 teaspoon Maca Powder (optional)
For garnishing:
Strawberries, raspberries, or oranges for garnishing.
Crust:
Combine and mix all ingredients. You can best do this by hand or standing mixer). It should have a dough-like consistency. Press the dough evenly into a 7 inch tart pan. (A removable bottom, a plastic cling wrap lining or one of these new flexible silicon pans are easiest.) Chill in the fridge for at least an hour if you have time.
Filling:
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Poor into the cake crust. Put the cake back in the fridge and chill for at least another hour.
Before serving, decorate the cake with the berries, orange or other nice looking fruit.
Raw Chocolate Cake
Serves 10
Ingredients for the crust:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup carob
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/3 cup agave sirup
1/4 cup coconut or cacoa butter
Pinch of sea salt
For the chocolate filling:
2 cups cocoa powder
1.5 cups agave sirup
1 cup coconut or cacao butter
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract (optional)1 tablespoon Lucuma Powder (optional)1 teaspoon Maca Powder (optional)
For garnishing:
Strawberries, raspberries, or oranges for garnishing.
Crust:
Combine and mix all ingredients. You can best do this by hand or standing mixer). It should have a dough-like consistency. Press the dough evenly into a 7 inch tart pan. (A removable bottom, a plastic cling wrap lining or one of these new flexible silicon pans are easiest.) Chill in the fridge for at least an hour if you have time.
Filling:
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Poor into the cake crust. Put the cake back in the fridge and chill for at least another hour.
Before serving, decorate the cake with the berries, orange or other nice looking fruit.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Ease out -- Day Three
Well, today's been a down day... due to the fact that I am so overly tired. So far I have juiced 2 carrots and apple for breakfast (quite good actually, carrot juice is very sweet) I had 4 strawberries, carrots and snap peas for lunch, almost didn't eat the last strawberry because my stomach gets full so amazingly fast! I guess that's what happens when you live on juice for 10 days, huh? And instead of overindulging like I would have in the past, I stop when I feel full. Ate a banana around five and I just juiced 3 more apples (about 2 cups) right now and downed that glass! And oh my gosh -- apple juice tastes so amazing!!! It's almost like it's apple cider -it has such a rich taste to it. It's completely different than bottled juice! And I'm just using red delicious apples. Might have some carrots for a snack in about an hour - over the last 10 days I noticed my stomach goes on a 2-3 hour cycle - saying feed me, feed me! And then - Ok stop, stop! :) But I see that I am eating mostly a fruit diet... :) Which -- okay, I need to bump that to about half and half instead. I will when I can make some raw ranch dressing. I'm trying to find out a way to stay 100% raw but I really REALLy want ranch dressing, other wise I don't like salads! So I was looking up some recipes for the raw version --
and I'll at least try that. Otherwise I was thinking of some kind of guacamali dip. I need something so I can eat lettuce and those snap peas. I should have gotten the beans instead. I'll try those next time. Anyway, even though I'm a little down today (mostly because of the dressing issue, hehe) I'm going to get through this. One day at a time. In ten months I will be glad that I did. Heck - by the end of the month even! Everytime I go past the tomatoes I think about getting one. I don't know though. Maybe I could slice them and salt them and throw some cayenne pepper on them and stick 'em in the dehydrator or something. Maybe --- I'll just have to try it once. I did slice up some potatoes tonight with BBQ seasonings on it, I'm gonna see what those taste like in, let's see --- 23 more hours!
Anyway -- bowels are kind of normal again. (kind of) That's nice.
So I didn't really follow the ease out very well-- I do feel ok though because I have been eating only fruits and veggies mostly. And I didn't eat that much yesterady. Still prone to drinking juice (just not the lemonade!), it just seems more natural to drink my meals now. haha.
Creamy Ranch Dressing
soak time 1-2 hrs --- 5 Minutes to Prepare
*makes 3 cups
1-1/2 c nuts (cashew or mac or combo) soak them for 1-2 hr, then drain)
3/4 - 1 c water for blending
3 T lemon juice (approx 1/2 lemon)
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T agave nectar ( or 3 soaked dates)
2 cloves garlic
1 t garlic pwd
3 t onion powder
1 t dill
1 T sea salt
1/2 t basil
and to add after it's done:
1/4 c finely minced parsley
1/2 t dill, minced
Directions: high speed blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth except the last 2 (parsley & dill) then once blended, stir in the last 2 ingredients. Thickens in fridge.
Thin to desired consistency if using as a dressing- or toss into wet lettuce leaves as is.
and I'll at least try that. Otherwise I was thinking of some kind of guacamali dip. I need something so I can eat lettuce and those snap peas. I should have gotten the beans instead. I'll try those next time. Anyway, even though I'm a little down today (mostly because of the dressing issue, hehe) I'm going to get through this. One day at a time. In ten months I will be glad that I did. Heck - by the end of the month even! Everytime I go past the tomatoes I think about getting one. I don't know though. Maybe I could slice them and salt them and throw some cayenne pepper on them and stick 'em in the dehydrator or something. Maybe --- I'll just have to try it once. I did slice up some potatoes tonight with BBQ seasonings on it, I'm gonna see what those taste like in, let's see --- 23 more hours!
Anyway -- bowels are kind of normal again. (kind of) That's nice.
So I didn't really follow the ease out very well-- I do feel ok though because I have been eating only fruits and veggies mostly. And I didn't eat that much yesterady. Still prone to drinking juice (just not the lemonade!), it just seems more natural to drink my meals now. haha.
Creamy Ranch Dressing
soak time 1-2 hrs --- 5 Minutes to Prepare
*makes 3 cups
1-1/2 c nuts (cashew or mac or combo) soak them for 1-2 hr, then drain)
3/4 - 1 c water for blending
3 T lemon juice (approx 1/2 lemon)
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T agave nectar ( or 3 soaked dates)
2 cloves garlic
1 t garlic pwd
3 t onion powder
1 t dill
1 T sea salt
1/2 t basil
and to add after it's done:
1/4 c finely minced parsley
1/2 t dill, minced
Directions: high speed blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth except the last 2 (parsley & dill) then once blended, stir in the last 2 ingredients. Thickens in fridge.
Thin to desired consistency if using as a dressing- or toss into wet lettuce leaves as is.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ease Out - Day Two
I'm going to change this to my 'Raw Foods Lifestyle' journal now! ;) I figured journaling kept me going through the master cleanse, maybe it will help me through the next couple months. I would like to give God one year to change me. So until next June. But I'm going to take it one day at a time! I went for a walk late last night and just talked to God, telling him that I felt really different right now, and motivated unlike ever before. And he was whispering that He knew that He needed to teach me a few things to prepare me for this first and then when he placed the idea before me, I would reach out and grab it, seeing it for its value. And at that time it would be easier to change my lifestyle. So I am trusting God right now. I am putting myself in his hands. People tell me that I am beautiful on the inside and I know that God does not see what man does - he sees straight through to the soul of a person, and a quiet and gentle spirit is of high value to him. But I began to think last night -- I want the outside to match the inside too. I don't want to be trapped in this - well - fat suit. Because it makes me unhappy and sad with myself. I began to realize yesterday after reading someone elses blog about losing weight and realizing that she could be happy while she was on earth -- I began to realize that I have never allowed myself to think that I can be happy while I'm here. I always leave that for heaven, you know. I know that isn't true either - while my life in heaven will be a thousand times better, I can still be happy while I am on earth, because he has redeemed me. I have every right to rejoice because I have such a great God. And being overweight is hindering that. So I don't want it to anymore. I am going to be happy now. And I will lose this weight. I am putting all my trust in God, I have never been able to trust him with his part of my life, I have never expected him to fix it -- kind of like my other addiction. But I have witnessed him changing me as far as that other addiction -- i have been witness to mountains moving just because I have faith that he can move them for me! This is the mountain I stand at right now. I expect it to move. Help me further take my eyes of myself - and put them on you Lord, where they should rightfully be. Amen.I know I can do this, because I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.
Anyway! Day 2-ease out. Going ok. Yesterday I wanted to eat something all day, I was one step away from eating the frozen pulp from the oranges I juiced yesterday. (You can freeze the pulp and make sorbert) But God got me through the day without too much temptation. I decided there should be one rule- no eating anything after 8:30pm. That's when I like to snack on stuff (coincedently that's when I sit down to watch tv). I didn't watch ANY tv yesterday, maybe that helped. Let's see - yesterday I ate - well, drank - five oranges and one grapefruit. By the way - don't mix grapefruit juice with your orange juice. It leaves a nasty aftertaste! :) Don't know what I'll do with the other three grapefruit I have. I know I don't like them, so I don't know why I had to have them.... :P
Also - bought some of that Kombacha tea (Synergy) because they have 1billion probiotics in them each (good bacteria for your intestines) and the No 3 flavor tastes nasty! I hope the other three favors taste a lot better. hehe. I also bought some juice that had 20 billion cultures in it. I started drinking it yesterday, then I thought - maybe I should wait until I'm eating before I drink the Synergy stuff because until then my digestive system won't be working properly. I'm excited to eat fruits and veggies today! Yay!! :)
On another note - when you juice mangos they are basically purayed into watery mush. Ew! But it tastes fine in the OJ - it's just a bit thicker. I watered it down a bit. Tastes wonderful. :) I did read yesterday that you should eat low sugar fruits, while you will still lose weight eating all kinds of fruits some fruits have lots of sugar in them (probably OJ!) so you will get to a point where you can't lose anymore weight, then you should look at the kinds of fruits your eating, and eat more veggies instead, and then you should start losing weight again. Eventually you'll get down to your ideal weight in about a year. But people are going to notice that you're losing weight so fast and may be concerned - other people being concerned - that might be the only thing that concerns me! :)
Bought a dehydrator yesterday, cause I knew that at some point I will be craving snacks and stuff. I figured I can make some dried fruit and some raw potatoe chips in it. I guess you're supposed to use sweet potatoes and not regular potatoes cause the regular ones have toxins in them if you eat them raw. Too bad I just bought a bunch of them! But I will have to buy someting called a mandolin to slice them paper thin. Anyway you put a little olive oil on them and some spices (I bought a salt blend and a BBQ blend in the organics isle) and stick them in the dehydrator for a day and you have something like kettle chips I suppose. They looked tasty - and they're not fried. But I guess they can get soggy after a while so store them in an air tight container right away and eat them within 2 days. And probably you shouldn't make very many in a batch. Anyway, I figured that'd be kind of fun. And of course I've been looking up raw chocolate recipes!! (who'd a known) That will have to wait for some time though. Although I want chocolate, I'm not hungry for it. They said that raw foodists can eat it, but it should be viewed as something for special occasions. and you might as well stay away from chocolate candy bars in the store because they will likely have processed sugar in them, unless you can find something made different in the organics isle. You're better off making your own chocolate treats. I will just have to find some cocoa butter. :)
ANyway...now I am making myself hungry. ;)
Gotta head to church soon. I'm outta here.
Anyway! Day 2-ease out. Going ok. Yesterday I wanted to eat something all day, I was one step away from eating the frozen pulp from the oranges I juiced yesterday. (You can freeze the pulp and make sorbert) But God got me through the day without too much temptation. I decided there should be one rule- no eating anything after 8:30pm. That's when I like to snack on stuff (coincedently that's when I sit down to watch tv). I didn't watch ANY tv yesterday, maybe that helped. Let's see - yesterday I ate - well, drank - five oranges and one grapefruit. By the way - don't mix grapefruit juice with your orange juice. It leaves a nasty aftertaste! :) Don't know what I'll do with the other three grapefruit I have. I know I don't like them, so I don't know why I had to have them.... :P
Also - bought some of that Kombacha tea (Synergy) because they have 1billion probiotics in them each (good bacteria for your intestines) and the No 3 flavor tastes nasty! I hope the other three favors taste a lot better. hehe. I also bought some juice that had 20 billion cultures in it. I started drinking it yesterday, then I thought - maybe I should wait until I'm eating before I drink the Synergy stuff because until then my digestive system won't be working properly. I'm excited to eat fruits and veggies today! Yay!! :)
On another note - when you juice mangos they are basically purayed into watery mush. Ew! But it tastes fine in the OJ - it's just a bit thicker. I watered it down a bit. Tastes wonderful. :) I did read yesterday that you should eat low sugar fruits, while you will still lose weight eating all kinds of fruits some fruits have lots of sugar in them (probably OJ!) so you will get to a point where you can't lose anymore weight, then you should look at the kinds of fruits your eating, and eat more veggies instead, and then you should start losing weight again. Eventually you'll get down to your ideal weight in about a year. But people are going to notice that you're losing weight so fast and may be concerned - other people being concerned - that might be the only thing that concerns me! :)
Bought a dehydrator yesterday, cause I knew that at some point I will be craving snacks and stuff. I figured I can make some dried fruit and some raw potatoe chips in it. I guess you're supposed to use sweet potatoes and not regular potatoes cause the regular ones have toxins in them if you eat them raw. Too bad I just bought a bunch of them! But I will have to buy someting called a mandolin to slice them paper thin. Anyway you put a little olive oil on them and some spices (I bought a salt blend and a BBQ blend in the organics isle) and stick them in the dehydrator for a day and you have something like kettle chips I suppose. They looked tasty - and they're not fried. But I guess they can get soggy after a while so store them in an air tight container right away and eat them within 2 days. And probably you shouldn't make very many in a batch. Anyway, I figured that'd be kind of fun. And of course I've been looking up raw chocolate recipes!! (who'd a known) That will have to wait for some time though. Although I want chocolate, I'm not hungry for it. They said that raw foodists can eat it, but it should be viewed as something for special occasions. and you might as well stay away from chocolate candy bars in the store because they will likely have processed sugar in them, unless you can find something made different in the organics isle. You're better off making your own chocolate treats. I will just have to find some cocoa butter. :)
ANyway...now I am making myself hungry. ;)
Gotta head to church soon. I'm outta here.
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