Day 1 of transition





Well, I ended the juice feast yesterday, after 30 days. I was thinking of continuing it longer but I was having trouble going to the bathroom on my own. Instead I decided to end it, and do a modified diet. So, today started the transition back to solid food. Ironically, I woke up this morning feeling sick. I was unable to get my colonic this week and I guess I was feeling the effects. Instead of starting my day with a juice,I started my day with soaked dates. I thought this was going to jump start my body but instead it made me feel sicker. I then decided to try an enema. Doing that, helped a little, but not as much as I would have liked. So I tried more prunes, took a long nap and waited it out. As luck would have it, it wasn't until this eve. that it all kicked in and I spent the better part of the eve. running in and out of the bathroom. I'm sharing all this ,because if you try this fast I want you to have all the information that I never got. I highly recommend that you do an enema twice a week for the duration of your fast, to avoid having to go through, what I went through today. Having said all this, I have some great news to share( drum roll please)................... I lost 28 pounds! I got on the scale yesterday before I was able to the bathroom. Tomorrow, I'll get on the scale again. This equates to approx. 1 pound a day, three pants sizes down. Crazy results!
My energy level is through the roof, my skin looks great. It's all good! Best is, that my Mom is here to see how well things went and she's working very hard to get her health where it should be. We are going to do a video in the near future, of her journey. I'll post it on my blog when we do. Good luck with your journey:). Till tomorrow Rawsome health to you!

Green Lemonade

1 head romaine hearts

5-6 stalks kale

1 lemon (peel removed)

1-2 small apples

1 slice ginger

put all through your juicer

you may add ice

This is my favorite green juice recipe by far!

Enjoy

How to get started on raw food

For those of you who may be interested in getting started on a raw food diet here are a few things of note. First of all, be patient! This is a challenging endeavour. Start slow! Make realistic goals for yourself. Another words, give thought to your short term goals. Think of the cooked foods you just can't give up and place them somewhere in your diet. Next, think of those things that you may be able to substitute for raw, such as bread. Nobody would like the idea of giving up bread products. That thought alone may keep you from trying to go raw. But, did you know that you could actually make bread, raw? Well you can! So really take a look at some of those can't live without foods. Now you've set a realistic goal of how raw you are going to be. It may be a raw dish with a cooked meal to start or it may be a raw dish, one meal a day or week. Whatever it is, tell yourself that you are going to stick to it. Go out and visit several markets.See what they specialize in and do some price comparisions. You may find that you would do best to shop several markets to get the best from all. Organic is always best. I know that it has been said that only certain fruits and veggies need to be organic. My experience has told me that organic just plain tastes best. Eating raw food is such a pure eating experience that you will definitely notice the difference. Try somefruits and veggies that you have never tasted before. I enjoy doing this a lot.Spend an afternoon in your local bookstore and thumb through the raw cook books. Getting recipes online is not the best idea. Many of these recipes have not been proven and may be disappointing. It is not fun to gather a bunch of great ingredients , prepare a dish only to find out that it is not good. You will feel that you have failed but in actuality the recipe just wasn't good. Try to pick recipes with few ingredients. Try it out and then experiment with swapping out the ingredients to make other dishes. Did you know that Mexican restaurants work with maybe 7 different ingredients for their entire menu? You can do the same. So there you have it. Your start into the raw food world. I will post a few recipes that I have gathered to get you started. If you have any questions or concerns please drop me a line. Till next time,Good rawsome health!

Chicken soup


1 whole chicken(organic)
6 carrots peeled
4 stalks celery
2 onions
2 parsnips(cubed)
2 turnips(cubed)
3 stems dill(1 tbs dried)
1 vegetable boullion
6 cups water
1/2 cup brown rice or thin whole wheat pasta noodles(optional)


In a 8 qt. stock pot, add chicken,2 carrots,2 stalks celery,1 onion(whole)
dill,vegetable boullion, water.Cook for 11/2 hrs. Drain through a colander into a large mixing bowl. put liquid back into the pot. Clean chicken from bones, chop remaining vegetables and Add rice or pasta to pot. If necessary add more water. Cook for 30-45 minutes until veggies and pasta or rice is fork tender. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Hi all, First and foremost I'd like to say Happy 2010 to all of you! Have you made any New Years resolutions? Honestly, there has been only one resolution, that I have ever made, that I have stuck to, and that is never to make a New Years resolution. It just seems, that, (for me) it means failure.Who wants to think of themselves as a failure? So why not consider letting the new year begin(as it always does) and just forge ahead. I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to sit down and write to all of you. Things have been quite hectic here. Last week I brought my Mom up from NJ to live with us for an indefinite period of time. I'm happy to say that all is well. My mom, who has some serious health issues is finally on the right track. She's moving about, spending time with her grandchildren(medicine for the soul) and eating whole foods and even some raw. For those who may not know what whole foods are, they are foods in there natural form. Foods that are not packaged or processed. So for an example; fresh veggies, fresh fruit, home made soups,fresh eggs( farm raised), organic chicken and free range fish. With a diet like that how can she fail! She even starts her day with a freshly made juice. Speaking of which, tomorrow is day 30 of my feast! This has been an incredible journey. I have grown by leaps and bounds over this past month. Some of the things I've discovered have been; how little food we really do need, how most of us have emotional ties to food, whether we know it or not. How much time is spent around food, and how much I have learned about myself not having food as a crutch. Having so much "free time" has given me the opportunity to connect much more deeply with the ones I love. On the flip side it has also given me the chance to see, much more clearly, those relationships, that are just not working. Because of this unfinished business, my inner voice is telling me that i may not be ready to end this fast. I feel, i still have work to do.Iknow that I can and will, do more fasting in the future.However, This one doesn't feel done. I'm seriously considering staying with it for a while longer. This is despite the fact that I have been in wind down mode for a week now. Preparing foods for when the fast ends, such as breads, dried fruit, granola, sprouted beans,kale chips, and cookies(all raw). So I guess time will tell. I will play it by ear and see how I feel tomorrow. In the mean time. Why not contemplate your own relationships with food, your family, friends, and the world you live in. Give yourself a big hug. Get out there and start living.I'm sending hugs to you all. If there is anything that I can do to help you in your journey fell free to ask. Cheers, To your rawsome health!

Day 14 - Juice feast

I have so much catching up to do. I guess that's what I get for not blogging in a week. On top of it all, my shoulder is frozen so typing is a challenge, (to say the least). I want to let you know that I am still going strong. So, if you were thinking that I had given up....... not true. In fact I'm thinking of never going back to real food. This is too good to give up. Actually, I think the truth is, that I'm afraid of going back to eating food because I'm worried that I will feel like I have to make up for lost time. I'm planning on taking the next two weeks to prepare foods( raw) that i can eat once the fast is over. I'll explain this later.
I noticed that I have become extremely sensitive to other peoples eating habits and i have had a Revelation, ready............... EVERYONE HAS SOME KIND OF ISSUE AROUND FOOD. There I said it. I think that we eat an abundance of foods that are not nutritious, causing our body to cry out for better choices. It's not until we give our body what it truly needs, that the craving for food ends. The secret is, to get it right, so that the spell is broken. How do we do this? By eating whole foods. Foods, that the body can recognise as fuel. Foods, that nourish and sustain us. These foods do not come in boxes, cans, or cellophane wrappers. They come from the earth. They're what nature provides. I promise you that If you follow this rule you will have a much better relationship with food. You'll also look and feel better. I can't wait to share my reveal with you. So you can see for yourself how taking care of you rewards, like, you never imagined. So for now I continue with my journey. I'll keep you posted:)

Christmas day recipes

Baked chicken with veggie medley

organic whole chicken( cut into pieces)

1 large sweet onion

2 large organic carrots

fresh minced garlic

fresh or frozen organic corn

fresh or frozen organic sweet peas

2 large sweet or russet potatoes peeled and sliced

dried Italian seasoning

fresh parsley

In a saute or fry pan add 2-3 tbs of good quality olive or sunflower oil

add garlic and onions- cook until softened

remove from pan

add chicken and potatoes

cook til browned on both sides

transfer to a baking dish

add remaining ingredients

bake @ 350 for 30-45 minutes

you may just put all raw ingredients in a baking dish to cook in oven instead

if so, bake @350 for 75-90 minute

Baked apples

4 large ( any sweet variety will work)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

put all ingredients in a baking dish

bake @ 350 for 45 minutes

Banana-Strawberry Ice Cream

4 ripe organic bananas

1 pt.organic strawberries

1 tsp vanilla

optional-1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut-found in health food section

There is some prep involved with this recipe

peel and cube all 4 bananas

put in freezer bag and freeze overnight

In a blender add frozen bananas, strawberries and vanilla

blend until smooth

remove and add shredded coconut

if too soft- put into freezer safe container and freeze for 1 hour

serve with warm apples

enjoy!