Trouble in Paradise

To be honest, I haven't been very hungry the last few days. I think all the nuts in the tostadas really filled a gap and now the almost constant hunger I was feeling is gone...
however, there is a downside. I pain-flaired yesterday because of the high fat in the nuts. I knew when I did the numbers at the end of the day Sunday that I might be in trouble. For my RA symptoms to stay quiet, I must keep my daily fat intake between 10 and 15%. I was over double that ...

The result? Mega-pain flair.
This morning I got almost out of bed... I made it to the floor and laid there for about an hour, maybe two...long enough for 2grams of aspirin to kick in. (Do not take high doses of aspirin without the advisement and guidance of a physician!! I work very closely with my RA doc who monitors me very closely with regular bloodwork) The aspirin got me across the room to the Jacuzzi where I soaked and jetted for over an hour. The entire time cursing myself for having seconds of the tostadas ... but they were soooo yummy. Lesson learned: Everything in Moderation!!

I won't say I'm moving freely, I'm mostly couch-sitting, juicing ... and watching youtube videos, which takes much less energy than writing ...  

Tonight, I thought I wanted a salad... and made a huge salad. It made enough for hubby and I to have small lunch salads as leftovers tomorrow. Another reason to keep the lettuce separate until serving...

Here is my Very Filling Mid-Day Salad Recipe:
1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced (1 cup)
3 heirloom tomatoes ( 2 cups)
kernels from 1 ear corn
1 T fresh herbs of your choice (I usually use cilantro or basil)
2 small heads heirloom lettuce ( save till last)

 dressing - blender on medium until smooth
3 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
1 T honey juice
1 lime

 Pour dressing over first 4 ingredients and mix well, add lettuce at end or just before serving if delayed from serving immediately.

Sunday, Another Faire Weekend Passes

I SURVIVED RAW for the WEEKEND!
Preparation payed off big time!!!

I packed more food than I needed, including 32 ounces of "Goatsblood Smoothie" ( beets lol) multiple bananas, apples. Today was especially sucessful in the not hungry, not craving anything department thanks to a lot of late night prep last night. In addition to the Smoothie, I packed RAW TOSTADAS!!!

Yes, I dehydrated corn tortillas and nut/mushroom "meat"... I made "sour cream" from cashews and limes OMG sooo good I could eat the whole bowl...oops, I did ;P ...and I'm paying for the total fat today, but soooo good!!! Oh yeah, I said that already... and Pico de Gallo. This was a super yummy raw-lifestyle-saver! Whew!!!

Onward!
The best part is that I FEEL GOOD. Yes, I'm on the Simponi now and it has made a huge difference in my life, but honestly...it works for 3 weeks out of 4 and that fourth week has been brutal. I've dreaded this week (forth week) ever since I got my last injection...and it hasn't been horrible. I actually went to the RA doc on Thursday for a pre-planned steroid shot to get me through the "bad days" and I don't think I would have needed it. Next month I'm testing the theory and not getting the preventative. Why would I do that? Taking a chance I might not be able to do faire at all on the fourth weekend? Because I think I'm on the right track. That's how much better I feel RAW compared to Not-Raw. Do I plan to stop the biologic? Not a chance... ask me in a year after I've been 100% raw. I'm smart enough to know that this damaging disease didn't take a few weeks to set in motion...cell regeneration takes time and my body has a whole lotta damage to correct. But just taking fewer NSAIDS and fewer Steroids will be an awesome benefit, hopefully dropping down to no NSAID's and No Steroids!! And even though I'm still very aware I have a degenerative joint disease...the IBF/undiagnosed** Crohn's Disease symptoms are gone. GONE! It has happened every single time I' attempted raw in the past, so I expected the same results this time...and since September 1st I've had no gut issues whatsoever. Nothing. That's amazing. I also haven't needed to take a single Tums (antacid) and I had a 2-4 habit a night going. I'm definitely on the right track!! Here's the Raw Caesar Salad that I am telling everyone about. Even hubby agrees its one of the best Caesar Salads he's ever had ... we're having it again tomorrow!

**Having lived with what I considered IBF all my life, and many RA patients also have Crohn's, my RA doctor suggested a lot of tests to prove I have Crohn's Disease...and I refused all of them. I really don't try to be difficult. I just don't think that barium enema's, colonoscopy's, endoscopy's or MRI's are necessary. Something is wrong with my guts. Period. I don't need tests or an exploratory look around when I know that seven full days of RAW fixes me...

Mango Blueberry Salad

Staying true to my bright colorful lunch theme. It doesn't get better than this salad served on top of a bed of romaine...Yummy

Mango Blueberry Salad

2 cps ripe mango peeled
1/2 to 3/4 cp blueberries
Juice 2 Limes
3 Basil Leaves diced (or herb you prefer)
1-2 T black sesame seeds

Just hand-stir and serve