Adjusting.

One of the greatest things about life is that it is ever changing. Sometimes during you life you need to stop, take everything in, and re-evaluate. That is what I have been doing the past week. 


Fun, fun. ;) 


On a serious note, I noticed that I was splurging (and I mean SERIOUS splurging) on some of the "luxuries" included in my version of the raw food diet. AKA avocados, chocolate (and lots of it), nuts, and dates. I also have been focusing on many of the foods that are not including in eating raw. Annnnd, I have been dragging major ass lately. Tired, napping, cranky...


This. Is. Not. Good. 


I have re-evaluated my diet choice and I have come to some conclusions. Some are good. Some are bad. 


Good: 

• I have eaten more fruits and veggies in the past 2 months than ever! 
• I eat a lot less of processed foods. 

Bad: 

• Carbs only from fruit (I need bread, people!).
• Thinking and basically drooling over sweets or pizza.
• Lack of protein (I know my body doesn't like excessive protein, but it does need a bit).

What to do. What to do.

Well, my body likes balance. Anything in excess does not agree with me. Therefore, I will be changing a few things about my diet to get to a balance. But I will be sticking with raw fruits and veggies. I like those suckers. :) 

But never fear! I will be posting all my recipes still. Raw and not raw, but all my foods will be whole, natural and healthy. 

Recipes Galore!

As usual, time got away from me, and I have not been posting. BUT...I have been MAKING FOOD! So, I have lots of recipes to share. 


Sesame Kale Salad (this is my lunch today)

• 4 cups Kale (any kind)
• 10 Crimini Mushrooms
• 15 Cherry Tomatoes 

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Nama Shoyu
• 1/4 tsp each of Black Pepper and Sea Salt
• Water to taste

For the salad, put the ingredients in a large bowl. For the dressing, process all ingredients in a food processor and drizzle over salad. Serves two. 

P.S. I found this recipe and the next two on www.goneraw.com. They have a shitload of recipes, and most of them look easy and yummy. 

Risotto (had this for lunch yesterday)

• 1/2 Cabbage 
• 2 turnips
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Any of your favorite veggies, chopped

Process all ingredients in a food processor (unless you have some crazy industrial size one it will take a few rounds. Mix in a bowl. Makes about 2-3 servings. Now, this is where I strayed from the recipe. I just made one of my favorite dressings and drizzled it over the risotto. But, if you are a rule follower, here was the 'cheese' that the recipe called for. 

Cheese:

• 1/2 cup nuts, any kind
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Process all ingredients in the food processor and mix with the risotto. 

This is my version of the Risotto.

Nutty Pineapple Salad (Ladies and Gentlemen this one is a real WINNER!!!) 

• 1 cup pineapple
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 carrots 
• 1 cup peanuts
• 2-3 green onions

Dressing:

• 2/3 cup Peanut Butter
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
• 2 tsp Nama Shoyu
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp Chili Powder

Mix the salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Top the salad with the dressing and enjoy. 

Last one...

French Lunch Salad (from Raw Food book)

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 6 radishes, cut into thin wedges
• 5 snow peas, cut into small pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into rounds
• 6 green olives
• 1 Tbsp Capers

Dijon Vinaigrette: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp dijon mustard 

Mix the dressing in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the romaine into smaller pieces. Add the radishes, snow peas, carrots, olives and capers. Top with dressing. Serves 1. 

Now it is grocery time to get ingredients for this week's recipes! 

Have a great Tuesday! 

Yes, I am still alive.

Obviously, it has taken about two weeks to get back into swing of things from a weekend in Miami. Oops!


The problem has really been my refusal to return to real life. Miami was just so fun. 75,000 people (mostly scantily clad, entertaining individuals), awesome music with dir-dir beats and great bass, and 80 degrees and sunny days. It was definitely what I needed. Here are some pics:

Carl Cox Tent

Ultra Day 2=Super Pumped

Sea of People

Main Stage

The other pictures I am not allowed to post, because I *may* have been drunk snapping pictures of us dancing. Eh, drunk dancing (and thinking you look awesome) happens to the best of us.  ;)

Now, eating raw in Miami wasn't too terrible. Mostly because I didn't much. I surely didn't drink raw beverages, but I gotta live, right? 

The week back from Miami could best be described as mass chaos (think three tests, a presentation, and a few project meetings). Although that is not a viable excuse for not blogging, you probably would not have wanted to hear from me anyway. I was a bit cynical and cranky that week. 

Just one more excuse, then I will get to the raw food talk. This past weekend there were 5 parents visiting us (two from my side, three from Adam's). Adam got his whitecoat for finishing (well, almost) his third year of pharmacy school. 

It ended up being a fabulous weekend. However, not much raw food existed except salads. I did make a green smoothie one morning and I got a lot of weird commentary from family members. Oddly enough, the same family members made fun of me when I got a veggie burger at Ted's Montana Grill. I can hear it now (accompanied by smirks and laughs): "No salad, Sam? You are actually going to eat real food?"It really was very funny. I laughed my butt off.  ;) 

One important thing to note is, I did not feel guilty from ANYTHING I ate last weekend, not from the veggie burger, not from the flatbread, and not from the daisy cakes. You gotta go with the flow (and in this case, going with the flow was DELICIOUS). 

Surprisingly (or not) I felt like poo earlier this week and have been napping to my heart's content. So, I have slowly been getting back into eating raw food items, however it has been a struggle. Finally today all the junky food is out of the house and I am back on track! 

No recipes to report as of now, but I am having a cooking extravaganza tomorrow (it's on my to-do list), so stay tuned!