If I thought day one and two were rough, I had no clue what day three would be like!! I am convinced that my body was trying to break out of itself from a lack of junk food and caffeine. My headache started as soon as I woke up in the morning and by lunch I wanted to drill a hole in my skull to release the pressure. Advil did nothing. Cold compresses did nothing. And my kids sure weren't helping either with all their screaming and jumping and fighting and craziness. Rough day, but I mad it 90% raw! The evening of day three we went to a local baseball park and they were handing out free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. Can you say temptation? I didn't even get one for myself, but when the kids and I sat down so they could eat I think the devil knew I was at a week spot and my toddler refused to eat hers. I couldn't just let a perfectly good sandwich go to waste, could I? I mean, an innocent little chicken suffered and DIED for that sandwich. Shouldn't his/her suffering at least not have been in vain? (Oh, the things we tell ourselves to justify our actions!!). So I took a bite. And you know what? It didn't even taste all that great. I was imagining this juicy, greesy, wonderful deliciousness and it was just chicken. Nothing special. I didn't even eat all her sandwich - just that bite of chicken and her pickles. The rest ended up getting wasted afterall.
Honestly, I think that moment was a turning point for me. Where things started to go the right direction. It was the moment I realized I didn't *need* food like that. In fact, I didn't even WANT food like that. I'm done with the junk and the unhealthy. I'm done feeling sick and tired. More than junk food, I want my life back!
After that, day four seemed like a breeze. I spent more time than I'll admit on the computer stalking Pinterest for some new raw recipes to try. I snacked happily on apples and fresh juicy peaches. And for dinner I tried out one of those new recipes - Raw Pad Thai with Raw sushi. The pad thai was made with zucchini noodles and some veggies (Find the recipe here: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2013/05/07/raw-pad-thai/). Sushi was made with cauliflower "rice", carrots, avocado, cucumbers, and red peppers in the seaweed wraps. My four year old DEVOURED the sushi. He was upset that there wasn't more. After dinner I also tried out some raw banana ice cream. Basically you freeze some banana slices and then blend them up with a pinch of cocoa powder. My toddler loved it, but I was less than thrilled. I think I need to play around with it a little bit and I don't think my current blender is strong enough. What I need is a new food processor.
Which brings me to today, day five. It's been a great day today! I feel wonderful. I woke up before the kids. I had the house cleaned by 10am (that NEVER happens). I didn't have my afternoon crash. I had a delicious lunch - veggies and leftover walnut taco meat wrapped in a collard green leaf. Before today, the only collard greens I'd ever eaten are the ones my southern Mother-in-law makes drenched with some vinegar. I think I like the raw wrap version much better. To reward myself of five days raw (okay, well 95% raw those five days at least!) I'm going on a shopping spree this afternoon. If I'm going to be successful with this and at least continue somewhat past my 30 day challenge, I'm going to need some new equipment. So I have permission to go find a new food processor and a spiral veggie slicer! I'm counting down the minutes until the kids wake up from nap to go shopping and pull those bad boys out to make dinner! Tonight's menu is going to include a raw stir-fry using parsnips for rice (Recipe here: http://www.rawmazing.com/broccoli-mushroom-stir-fry/) and I think I'm going to try out a recipe for raw brownies for desert (Recipe here: http://trinigourmet.com/index.php/raw-vegan-brownies-recipe/)
My mouth is watering for chocolate brownies! Wake up kiddos, momma needs to shop!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Day 1, Fail. Day 2, ROUGH.
I was so super psyched to start my raw challenge. Saturday night my family and I went to one of our favorite restaurants - Golden Corral. Hubby likes the meat. My four year old likes the chocolate fountain. My baby likes the fruit (hey, at least I got one kid on my side!). I binged. I ate anything that looked good to me. I filled my plate THREE times with food that won't be crossing my lips for 30 days. And then I came home and felt awful. I felt so heavy and gross and lethargic and just overall gross. It made me even that much more excited to wake up Sunday morning to a raw lifestyle.
Sunday morning I woke up energized. Ready for a fight. I even stepped on the scale to give myself more fuel for the raw fire. I fixed the kids and I breakfast (fruit salad for me!) and off we went to church. By the time we got home I was HUNGRY. I'm not talking the typical lunch hungry. It was a I-Hope-People-Don't-Hear-My-Stomach-Growling hungry. I made myself a huge salad - greens, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, sesame seeds, and a vinaigrette dressing. It was tasty but although my mouth was exhausted after eating the last bite, I didn't feel full. So I had a banana. And then a peach. Then the kids and I went to the grocery store to stock up on more fruits/veggies to fill my bottomless pit of a stomach. Came home and had more fruit. Some guacamole with carrot chips. Another banana. By this point I was feeling like that little caterpillar from that Eric Carle Book and I was STILL hungry. Dinner was some peanut butter (I know, not really raw) mixed with some oats and some unsweetened coconut flakes. By this point not only was I hungry, but I had a killer headache from not having any caffeine for 24 hours and I felt weak. I took one look at my four year old's chicken tortilla and caved. I shoved the whole thing in my mouth and savored it. And then I ate the one I made for hubby that he hadn't eaten yet. And then I ate two ice cream bars. Day one = total fail.
Now, normally at this point I would tell myself that this is pointless. That I'd rather eat whatever I want and be fat/happy/sick/whatever. That if I can't get through day 1, I'll never make it. But you know what? I didn't this time. I got up today and started over again. I want this. I want to win, dammit. My spirit IS stronger than my body. I CAN do this. I WILL do this.
And I did it. Today, I was 100% raw. I had a rockin awesome smoothie for breakfast that kept me full almost until lunch. I had a huge salad for lunch. Guac/carrot chips for a snack. And I tried a new raw recipe to make a "real" meal for dinner. It was DELICIOUS. You soak walnuts for a couple hours and put them in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) with some Mexican spices and use it like taco meat. The original recipe was for a taco salad, but I put mine in lettuce wraps with bell peppers, carrots, more guacamole, and topped it with some homemade cashew sour cream. It was something I'd eat even if I wasn't doing this raw challenge. Hubby even got home from work and asked why there was ground beef in the fridge - it even looks that much like it! (Find the original recipe here: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2013/01/11/raw-taco-salad/)
I am still a little hungry and as I type this I have a massive I-Think-My-Head-Might-Explode headache. Caffeine is an evil little "harmless" drug. I've gone through caffeine withdrawal before, and it is rough but I just keep telling myself it only lasts a few days and then I'll be better for it. I will survive this. I can do this today. I'll be honest, 30 days seems incredibly daunting and impossible right now. But today I did it. And if I did it today, I can do it tomorrow.
Sunday morning I woke up energized. Ready for a fight. I even stepped on the scale to give myself more fuel for the raw fire. I fixed the kids and I breakfast (fruit salad for me!) and off we went to church. By the time we got home I was HUNGRY. I'm not talking the typical lunch hungry. It was a I-Hope-People-Don't-Hear-My-Stomach-Growling hungry. I made myself a huge salad - greens, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, sesame seeds, and a vinaigrette dressing. It was tasty but although my mouth was exhausted after eating the last bite, I didn't feel full. So I had a banana. And then a peach. Then the kids and I went to the grocery store to stock up on more fruits/veggies to fill my bottomless pit of a stomach. Came home and had more fruit. Some guacamole with carrot chips. Another banana. By this point I was feeling like that little caterpillar from that Eric Carle Book and I was STILL hungry. Dinner was some peanut butter (I know, not really raw) mixed with some oats and some unsweetened coconut flakes. By this point not only was I hungry, but I had a killer headache from not having any caffeine for 24 hours and I felt weak. I took one look at my four year old's chicken tortilla and caved. I shoved the whole thing in my mouth and savored it. And then I ate the one I made for hubby that he hadn't eaten yet. And then I ate two ice cream bars. Day one = total fail.
Now, normally at this point I would tell myself that this is pointless. That I'd rather eat whatever I want and be fat/happy/sick/whatever. That if I can't get through day 1, I'll never make it. But you know what? I didn't this time. I got up today and started over again. I want this. I want to win, dammit. My spirit IS stronger than my body. I CAN do this. I WILL do this.
And I did it. Today, I was 100% raw. I had a rockin awesome smoothie for breakfast that kept me full almost until lunch. I had a huge salad for lunch. Guac/carrot chips for a snack. And I tried a new raw recipe to make a "real" meal for dinner. It was DELICIOUS. You soak walnuts for a couple hours and put them in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) with some Mexican spices and use it like taco meat. The original recipe was for a taco salad, but I put mine in lettuce wraps with bell peppers, carrots, more guacamole, and topped it with some homemade cashew sour cream. It was something I'd eat even if I wasn't doing this raw challenge. Hubby even got home from work and asked why there was ground beef in the fridge - it even looks that much like it! (Find the original recipe here: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2013/01/11/raw-taco-salad/)
I am still a little hungry and as I type this I have a massive I-Think-My-Head-Might-Explode headache. Caffeine is an evil little "harmless" drug. I've gone through caffeine withdrawal before, and it is rough but I just keep telling myself it only lasts a few days and then I'll be better for it. I will survive this. I can do this today. I'll be honest, 30 days seems incredibly daunting and impossible right now. But today I did it. And if I did it today, I can do it tomorrow.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Why Raw? Why Now?
There are moments in our lives that change us instantly. Those are the moments that are forever frozen in our memory. The day my husband proposed. The day each of our kids were born. The day we bought our first house. And then there are the times when you look at yourself in the mirror and think back to where you were a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago and wonder where *YOU* actually went. You don't recognize the person looking back at you. Maybe you've gained some weight. Maybe you are more cynical or aggressive. Maybe you've seem to have lost your faith in God, in humanity, in yourself. Either way, you have come to a point in the road of life that makes you stop and want to be better. Be more of what makes you, you! That's where I am right now in my life. In a few short months I will be thirty. Where did the time go? All of a sudden I find myself wanting more of me. In many ways I view myself as a martyr for my family. I suck it up and give my time, my patience, my energy, my resources to two tiny humans and one incredibly handsome man. I cook the things *they* like to eat. I go the places *they* like to visit. It's just been recently that I've started to discover things that *I* like to do and it's time to spend a little more energy on me. By loosing myself, I am loosing what makes me a good wife and a good mother. If I want my daughter to grow up being a confident, smart, healthy, independent woman I have to be a smart, healthy, confident, independent MOM. And although I cannot instantly change my career or my home or my finances I can instantly change my diet. By focusing on this one small, but incredibly important area of my life I am convinced I can find a little more of me.
But why raw? About a year ago, I met an amazing woman who quickly became a good friend of mine. She is mostly a raw vegan. I admire her strength and her passion and she has taught me a LOT about food and nutrition. She's the kind of friend you feel guilty visiting after having eaten a doughnut for breakfast. Like she will somehow x-ray vision your gut and be disappointed that you didn't listen to her. Actually, she is the most supportive friend in the universe - but so much so that you hate to do anything that might make her not proud of you. Through her I've tried many raw food recipes and loved them. She's given me the names of books to read and documentaries to watch, which I did - and loved them. And it's from those conversations/books/documentaries that I have come to believe in the power of raw foods.
So from Sunday, June 9th until Monday July 8th I will be following a raw diet. Fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds will be my main diet. I will be drinking either water, 100% fruit juice, or smoothies. I have no misconception that this is not going to be easy. Currently I am a diet coke, bread and pasta, Snickers loving. cheese addict. I went mostly vegetarian at the beginning of the year but the past few weeks I've been even cheating on that part of life. I understand the first few days are going to be difficult. But the me I used to be was a fighter. Stubborn. Hard-headed to the extreme. The me I used to be could do this. And that woman is still inside of me somewhere. It's time for her to fight her way back out.
But why raw? About a year ago, I met an amazing woman who quickly became a good friend of mine. She is mostly a raw vegan. I admire her strength and her passion and she has taught me a LOT about food and nutrition. She's the kind of friend you feel guilty visiting after having eaten a doughnut for breakfast. Like she will somehow x-ray vision your gut and be disappointed that you didn't listen to her. Actually, she is the most supportive friend in the universe - but so much so that you hate to do anything that might make her not proud of you. Through her I've tried many raw food recipes and loved them. She's given me the names of books to read and documentaries to watch, which I did - and loved them. And it's from those conversations/books/documentaries that I have come to believe in the power of raw foods.
So from Sunday, June 9th until Monday July 8th I will be following a raw diet. Fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds will be my main diet. I will be drinking either water, 100% fruit juice, or smoothies. I have no misconception that this is not going to be easy. Currently I am a diet coke, bread and pasta, Snickers loving. cheese addict. I went mostly vegetarian at the beginning of the year but the past few weeks I've been even cheating on that part of life. I understand the first few days are going to be difficult. But the me I used to be was a fighter. Stubborn. Hard-headed to the extreme. The me I used to be could do this. And that woman is still inside of me somewhere. It's time for her to fight her way back out.
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