I am beginning this blog to keep track of my ongoing (and soon to be ending) battle with food. I went raw for about 4 months in the summer of 2006. I lost a good amount of weight, looked good, felt pretty good, and then I fell off the wagon.
I can remember while I was raw hearing people say that they had fallen off the raw wagon and I couldn't understand how it could happen. Well, now I know. For me it was a mixture of the cold weather approaching and the feelings I was having that I was missing out on something. I started by saying to my husband, "I will just eat a cooked meal when we go out for dinner". Then I was at a hypnotherapy class and it was cold outside so I ate cooked food that day and by the end of the week, I was off raw.
The funny thing is I didn't just go off raw and start eating a healthy cooked food diet. I went crazy! I ate processed foods, sugar, pizza, beer, anything and everything I could get my hands on. I went berserk and in the process I have gained back all my weight and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror yesterday and it scared me. My skin is dull, my face is round and I have more than one chin. I have lost that vibrant and healthy look that I had.
OK, so I screwed up. I need to deal with that and move on! Now, what to do? I am going to ease back into the raw thing. I have decided that for right now I am going to be gentle with myself. I am not up for a heavy duty detox and after listening to Sergei Boutenko on Raw Summit 2 talking about the detox symptoms being unnecessary I have decided that makes a lot of sense.
I can remember while I was raw hearing people say that they had fallen off the raw wagon and I couldn't understand how it could happen. Well, now I know. For me it was a mixture of the cold weather approaching and the feelings I was having that I was missing out on something. I started by saying to my husband, "I will just eat a cooked meal when we go out for dinner". Then I was at a hypnotherapy class and it was cold outside so I ate cooked food that day and by the end of the week, I was off raw.
The funny thing is I didn't just go off raw and start eating a healthy cooked food diet. I went crazy! I ate processed foods, sugar, pizza, beer, anything and everything I could get my hands on. I went berserk and in the process I have gained back all my weight and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror yesterday and it scared me. My skin is dull, my face is round and I have more than one chin. I have lost that vibrant and healthy look that I had.
OK, so I screwed up. I need to deal with that and move on! Now, what to do? I am going to ease back into the raw thing. I have decided that for right now I am going to be gentle with myself. I am not up for a heavy duty detox and after listening to Sergei Boutenko on Raw Summit 2 talking about the detox symptoms being unnecessary I have decided that makes a lot of sense.
I will not rush it and I will not allow myself to feel like a frozen popsicle. I will begin by eating one cooked meal each day; something warm and comforting. I will drink tea to keep me warm. I will not punish myself for not being 100% raw. Every step I take will be a step in the right direction so I intend to take it easy and not get too freaked out about everything.
I think this is a good path for me because it isn't too radical. I tend to do things full force for a while and then I back off. This is new for me so it is an experiment. I will keep track of what I eat, how I feel and I will share any recipes I enjoy.
So here is what I ate yesterday:
For breakfast I had 2 bananas
For lunch I made a RAW cranberry cole slaw. I didn't really like it so there is no sense sharing the recipe.
I made this RAW cranberry fruit salad that was yummy. I had that for a snack. My 7 year old shared it with me.
For dinner I had COOKED Moroccan Vegetable Soup which was simply lovely.
So here is what I ate yesterday:
For breakfast I had 2 bananas
For lunch I made a RAW cranberry cole slaw. I didn't really like it so there is no sense sharing the recipe.
I made this RAW cranberry fruit salad that was yummy. I had that for a snack. My 7 year old shared it with me.
For dinner I had COOKED Moroccan Vegetable Soup which was simply lovely.
I felt good for most of the day. I ate dinner rather early because I was so hungry. I was worried that I was going to want to eat all night long but I didn't. In fact it was probably the earliest I stopped eating in a long time. I had a cup of herbal tea about 9:00 and that was it. I am feeling excited. I think this is a good move for me!
The two recipes I will share with you are ones I got off the Internet. I didn't think I was going to be starting the blog so I am unable to give credit to the creator of the cranberry salad.
Cranberry Salad (raw) -
1 orange (grate the peel and then cut up the flesh)
2 C. cranberries chopped (I threw them in a mini food processor)
2 pears chopped
1 sweet apple chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
4 ribs celery chopped (I used less cuz I am not a fan of celery)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 c raw honey (I didn't have any so I used a drizzle of agave)
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
by Kendra LaPreste, Massachusetts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 med. carrots, chopped chunky
14.5 oz can diced organic tomatoes
1 large pinch saffron threads (I didn't have this so I threw some turmeric in instead)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
15 oz can cannellini or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C. peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 lb spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and saute until softened.
2. Add tomato paste and cook additional 3-4 minutes
3. Stir in tomatoes, saffron, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and ginger and simmer uncovered for 5 min.
4. Add beans, salt and pepper and 1 3/4 cups water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 min.
5. Add peas and spinach and cook uncovered another 2 minutes, just until the spinach is wilted.
The two recipes I will share with you are ones I got off the Internet. I didn't think I was going to be starting the blog so I am unable to give credit to the creator of the cranberry salad.
Cranberry Salad (raw) -
1 orange (grate the peel and then cut up the flesh)
2 C. cranberries chopped (I threw them in a mini food processor)
2 pears chopped
1 sweet apple chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
4 ribs celery chopped (I used less cuz I am not a fan of celery)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 c raw honey (I didn't have any so I used a drizzle of agave)
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
by Kendra LaPreste, Massachusetts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 med. carrots, chopped chunky
14.5 oz can diced organic tomatoes
1 large pinch saffron threads (I didn't have this so I threw some turmeric in instead)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
15 oz can cannellini or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C. peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 lb spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and saute until softened.
2. Add tomato paste and cook additional 3-4 minutes
3. Stir in tomatoes, saffron, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and ginger and simmer uncovered for 5 min.
4. Add beans, salt and pepper and 1 3/4 cups water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 min.
5. Add peas and spinach and cook uncovered another 2 minutes, just until the spinach is wilted.
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