enlightened.

Let me just start by saying that I am sorry to my blog and readers that I neglected you so long. Frankly, by the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is type and stare at a computer screen (I would much rather stare at a tv screen or a magazine). 


So what has been happening, one may ask? 
A LOT OF DELINQUENCY! 

Adam (the parent) is out of town and I (the friend) can not yell at this cute little guy, even if he just sneezed in my glass of water...

Seriously, though, raw food has been out the window. Not because of a lack of fresh produce. Not because of limited time to cook. But because I have wanted anything but raw food. Can you say ice cream, pizza, sushi (eh, kind of raw), etc.? 


Creating a new lifestyle does take time, and maybe some failures. That being said, don't get too cranky at me yet. This week was raw week (besides the poached chicken or greek yogurt for protein). Here is what I have been eating today: 
Smoothie (a custom creation)

• 1 c blueberries and blackberries
• 2 inches ginger (which made this smoothie quite a zinger ;) )
• about 3 c spinach 
• about 1 c fat-free plain (sour cream tasting) greek yogurt

Blend the berries and ginger first with a little water. Slowly add the spinach then the yogurt. 

Marinated Mushrooms with Spinach (and I added some happy chicken)

• 3 Tbsp Nama Shoyu
• 2 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp chili-garlic sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 c button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 c spinach leaves
• 1 c corn kernels (surprisingly delish raw)
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 3 tsp sesame seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Marinate for about 2 hours. Toss the other ingredients together in a large bowl and add the mushrooms. Eat! 

"Tuna" Salad

Salad:

• 3 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 3 hours, drained and processed in a food processor
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 bunch scallions, sliced
• 1/4 c dill 

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 c coconut water
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 c lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 1/2 c pine nuts, cashews, or macadamia nuts (i used a combo of cashews and pine nuts)
• 1/2 c stone-ground mustard

For salad, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix. For the dressing, combine in a food processor and blend until combined. Pour over salad, mix well and serve. I added sprouts (alfalfa, that I sprouted myself), too! 

Now that the food talk is over...Why is the title of the post enlightened? 

Well, I have been in a very happy and content mood because I finally figured out how to mesh everything I like into a career. And, I found a new passion, that I know deep down in my heart is right for me. And it is...Farming. 

Filming this movie has made me realize the beauty and huge reward in being able to nurture a little seed into a huge tomato plant. I want to be a part of that. 

That's all I'm sharing until I organize how to make that dream into a reality (and hopefully a career). Have a good night, friends! 

Time flies...

 even if you are not having fun. :) 

That comment was slightly cynical. All has been well, just busy, like stupid busy. Between microbiology and this film I have hardly been able to get in my afternoon, the-heat-has-beat-me-to-a-pulp, nap in. No nap just means more coffee, and I am okay with that. :) 

The local food film is going great, and I am getting a bit obsessed with it. We have started taping interviews and seeing it all come together is cool. There is still plenty left to do though. 

Other things that have happened in the past month:

• My super, awesome, wonderful brother, Tom, graduated from SCAD and won a few awards in the senior film festival (can we say outstanding artistic achievement?!?!). I felt kind of old during the whole thing, since I remember pretending our hockey sticks were light sabers and battling out in the lawn when we were younger. And, my pansy-ass may have gotten a bit teary, too. So proud of him, and I hope he is able to grace me with his presence in July before he moves out to LA to make the big bucks. :) 
• Our vegetable/herb garden is growing at a disgusting rate. I swear everyday I look outside they have grown INCHES overnight. It's sick. The herbs have been yummy in plenty of dishes and dressings, and I can't wait until we get our first veggie from the garden! 
• Adam drank, slept, and DJ'd his way through the month of may. I'm happy he gets a break. 
• The bass pumping duo (Ashley, Adam and myself) went to Starscape in Baltimore, MD. Craziness ensued. 
• Lilly and Cliff slept. A lot. 
• Duh, I cooked. 

Here are the pictures:

Tom getting his award. 

Starscape. 

More Starscape. 

Hard groovin'.

 No joke: I walked out of the bathroom to these two hard loafers.

Lilly's new morning routine. Yep, thats the top of the kitchen cabinets.

Cliff's new hangout. I WILL be investing in a padded kitty helmet for him. 

Last night was a MAJOR cooking extravaganza. Here's what was made:

• Sushi because that was the bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb. 

Corn, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

• 6 ears of corn ($2 for 3 ears at Weaver Street!), cut off the cob, raw
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• Olive oil, to taste
• Garlic, to taste
• About 10 basil leaves, chopped 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. To my surprise, the raw corn was AMAZING. It tasted cooked, even though it wasn't. Score! 

Raw Kale Confetti Salad

• 1 giant head of kale, ripped into bite size peices
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• lemon juice, lime juice, and salt, to taste

Put kale in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, ginger, and salt. Massage oil and salt into leaves and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add onion, pepper, carrot and toss. Drizzle lemon and lime juice over salad and mix. 

Sweet Brown Rice with Leeks (or in my case, green onions), Ginger, and Garlic

• 1 1/4 cups brown rice
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium veggie sock or water
• 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast
• 1 large leek (or 1 green onion bulb), chopped
• 3 tbsp ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp mirin (in the asian aisle at the grocery)

Place rice in pot with water (stock) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, cook until liquid is absorbed. In a large skillet, saute leeks, ginger and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and continue sauteing until leek is soft. Add chicken (and I added some extra veggie stock) and cover. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Toss with rice. This has very good flavor, considering there is not a lot of ingredients. :) 

Seared Tempeh with Dried Cherries and Pine Nuts over Arugula 

• 8 oz tempeh
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cups arugula (since that is not in season, I am mixing chard and kale instead) 
• 1/2 cup pine nuts 

Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• orange zest
• salt and pepper

Slice tempeh in 1/4" strips and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside. In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add cherries, mirin, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Put tempeh in skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Drizzle 1 tbsp vinaigrette over tempeh and saute 2 more minutes. Flip tempeh and saute 2 minutes. Then drizzle with vinaigrette. Remove from heat and set aside. Put arugula in a bowl and top with tempeh mixture and pine nuts. :)

Daikon Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Peanuts

• 2 cups of julienned daikon
• 2 cups of julienned carrots
• 2 cups sliced napa cabbage (local at Weaver St :) )
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and julienned
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup dry roasted nuts 

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (I didn't have this, so I used more sesame instead) 
• 2 tsp brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp ume plum vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• sea salt 

Add salad ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Add over salad and toss to coat. 

Seared Lemon Pepper Tofu

• 1 pound of tofu, cut into 1/2" fillets
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp mirin
• black pepper
• lemon zest
• crushed red pepper flakes 

Wrap tofu in towel and press out extra liquid. Heat skillet and saute garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp mirin and black pepper (to taste). Stir to combine and put tofu in skillet. Saute for 4 minutes, flip, add another tbsp of lemon juice and black pepper (to taste). Saute 4 minutes, flip, add tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp mirin. Saute 4 minutes. Flip, add left over lemon juice, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper. Saute 4 more minutes or until evenly browned. Serve. Pretty okay in the corn/tomato salad or the daiko/carrot salad. :) 

Cliff just brought me his bracelet to play fetch and is meowing/bitching at me to throw it...So, adios! 

My absolutely amazing and delicious lunch!

I am at school and I just finished eating some yummy, homemade (or should I say lively-made) sushi! 

It is raw and fabulous! 

Super easy recipe and perfect for this ungodly hot weather! Nori sheets wrapped around matchstick carrots, cucumbers, mung bean sprouts, avocado, and leeks. There is a sesame-tahini sauce in there too. It helped hold the Nori sheets together, but I don't have the recipe since I'm not at home. You could easily make any type of sauce to put inside the rolls. 


Alright, now I need to go work on this film... 
Stay cool (if that is even possible). 

Wow, this is embarrassing...

It has been a month (exactly) since my last post. Eeek! Sorry, guys! 


Here's what I have been up to in the last month:

1. School, school, school, and more school. 
2. Moving (only down the street), but we still had to pack up all our shit. So, it counts. We are actually still in the process of finishing the new place up, but we (Adam, Lilly, and myself) love it so far! Now, Cliff is a different story. It took him a good 3 days to get his wimpy ass out from underneath our bed. Oh, and did I mention he barely ate that whole time? But, after 2+ weeks at the new he seems to be relaxing. Thank God. 
3. Making a Local Food Film called 'Seed' for my practicum project for school. This film business turns out to be a wee bit more complicated than I naively thought...Although it is A BOATLOAD of stuff to learn and do, it is completely opening my eyes (even more) to local food and farmers' markets. So that is awesome! 
4. I turned 25. Adam turned 25. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary, too! May is a busy month for celebrations! 
5. Speaking of Adam, he finished his last in school year of pharmacy school! One more year of rotations, then 2 years of residency, and poof! He is a pharmacist! That merits another Thank God! 
6. Cooking. Eating. Cooking. Eating. ANDDDD fiddling with my diet. Good results so far!
7. Last thing, but perhaps the one I am most excited about. We started a garden!!! HELL YES! Adam and I have been toying with the idea for a few years, but our old place's balcony never got enough sun. Enter, new house with a back patio that gets the good ol' morning sun!  An innocent trip to the nursery (at 54 and Barbee) to get a tomato post thing turned into a civic-full load of new plants, soil, and pots! It all started with a friend giving me an heirloom tomato plant and some parsley. Then, at the nursery we got 4 cucumber plants (for $1.50!), 4 zucchini plants, 4 cute little ruffly lettuce plants, cilantro, basil, chives, and oregano. Plus, with the lemon thyme purchase at the Carrboro Farmers' Market, the generosity of a friend at school (a a tomato plant that has the VERY BEST tomatoes EVER), and some red pepper plant donations from the Meredith College garden, we have quite a spread! Everything seems to be thriving too. :) 

Now onto the FOOOODDDD! 

Currently, breakfast smoothies are on the back burner right now and eggs are on the front burner (literally). I have been using green garlic from the farmers' market, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and about 4 egg whites (from a farm in hillsborough-at Weaver St, these puppies were only $5 for 2 1/2 dozen! What!?! What!?!?!). Sometimes, I add a slice of Ezekiel bread for good measure. Here is the finished product: 

Next up: Lunches and Dinners! Now, I have been trying to eat mostly raw, with some non-raw recipes sprinkled in. I'll talk about Raw Recipes first, because they all turned out quite FABULOUS! 

Ambrosia (from The Raw Food Detox Diet book by Natalia Rose) 

• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced into matchstick pieces (FYI-I had some carrots to burn, so I added about 5 instead of just 1)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into matchstick pieces 
• 1 large beet, sliced 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup apples, sliced or diced, however you like it 
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, diced 
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced 
• 1/2 cup dried, unsulfured cranberries 
• 1/2 cup sliced sunchokes (aka Jersulem artichokes) 
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint
• 1/2 cup fresh basil 
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro 

As usual, mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve! Now, if you really want a SPECTACULAR dressing to go on top, make this: 

Liquid Gold Elixir (from the same book) 

• 2 cups fresh lemon juice 
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp minced ginger
• 3 tbsp Nama Shoyu (aka soy sauce)
• 3 tbsp raw honey
• 1 1/2 cups cold-pressed olive oil 

Put all ingredients except the oil in a food processor and process. Slowly add the oil, until its completed blended. Put in jars and store in the fridge for up to a week! 

The finished product. 

Apple Raisin Dream (from the same book as above)

• 1/2 pound romaine lettuce (its LOCAL at Weaver Street in Carrboro!)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 fuji apple, chopped
• 3 tbsp scallions, chopped
• 2 tbsp chives, chopped (from the backyard garden :) )
• 1 yellow bell pepper (or any color bell pepper you are partial to), chopped
• 1 english cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil (from the backyard garden, again) 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve. 

Quite refreshing on a summer day. 

Tomato Gazpacho (from the same book-notice a trend?) 

• 5 large tomatoes, quartered (Local and pesticide free at Weaver Street for $1.99/lb (I think)) 
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• black pepper 
• 1/4 cup basil 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until pureed. Now, the black pepper and basil were added for extra flavor, so you can modify that if you want. 

Serve cold. Unless, if you are Adam and don't know what a Gazpacho is and heat it up in the microwave. BTW, he said it was still good warm... 

Last raw recipe:

Crunchy Sprouts and Veggies (from Becoming Raw by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina)

• 3 cups chopped Napa Cabbage, chopped (this was also Local from Weaver St)
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup lentil sprouts (I have lentils to sprout, but I didn't have them finished in time, so I omitted them from this recipe)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 5 stalks of celery, cut into matchsticks
• 15 snow peas, quartered
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1/2 to 1 avocado (I omitted this, too)
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts (or whatever sprouts you like, pea shoots are in season...)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and serve. If you are using avocado set that aside, and use as a topper. 

Here it is. I packed this for Adam's lunch yesterday with some Shittake Ginger dressing (store bought, not homemade) and it got good reviews. 

On to the not so raw, but still healthy and delicious! 

Mostly Not Potato Salad (from Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson)

• 4 small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
• big handful of green beans, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped dill 
• 1 leek, trimmed and chopped
• 6 stalks of celery, trimmed and diced
• 1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and cut into cubes
• 6 oz extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp chives

Bring a pot to a rolling boil, add potatoes and cook until tender (about 10 mins). Add green beans to pot and cook for a super-quick 30 seconds. Drain and set aside. Make the dressing by whisking together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt in a bowl. In a skillet saute the dill with a splash of olive oil and stir in the leek. Saute until slightly crispy (4 minutes). In a big ass bowl, toss potatoes, green beans, celery, cucumber, tofu, chives, leek and dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

This recipe has been one of my favorites this week! 

Kale Salad (from the Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson)

• 1/3 cup olive oil (or if you are like me, spray with pam)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Nama Shoyu
• 3 1/2 cups Kale, stems trimmed, ribs removed (local and organic at Weaver St for $1.89-ish/bunch!!!)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened large flake coconut
• 2 cups cooked whole grain (optional-I did not include this) 

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, and Nama Shoyu together. Put the kale and coconut in a large bowl and spray with pam to lightly coat. Then toss with the oil mixture (in my case, since I used pam I just sprinkled Nama Shoyu on top). Spread kale mixture evenly on two baking sheets and bake for 12-18 minutes, until slightly browned. You can toss the finished product with a whole grain of your choice if you want. Serve warm. 

Right: Kale. I didn't even get to try it because Adam woofed it down. Guess it's good...
Left: Arame Saute (see below)

Arame Saute (from Clean Food by Terry Walters)

• 1 cup dried arame
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil (C'mon, who has this? I used olive oil, and the recipe turned out fine)
• 2 small cipollini onions (Ok, don't know what those are either, so I used these tiny onion bulbs I got from the farmers' market)
• 4 carrots, julienned
• 1 cup peeled and julienned jicama (I had to be a super sleuth to find this, Harris Teeter had some) 
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed (from farmers' market :) )
• 2 tbsp mirin (Another mystery ingredient, so I didn't use. I just got some teriakyi sauce instead)
• 1 tbsp brown rice syrup (see mirin comment)
• 1 tsp Nama Shoyu
• 1/2 tsp ume plum vinegar (see mirin comment)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Place arame in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a skillet, saute onions in oil until soft. Add carrots, jicama, and snow peas and cook until al dente. Add arame and (in my case) teriakyi sauce and heat through. Remove from heat and toss with sesame seeds. 

Whew! That was a long one! Most of these recipes were made earlier in the week, so I will be cooking more today. Stay tuned! 

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!