Off To A Strong Start!

I woke up thinking about RAW...and smiled...because I feel like I made a miraculous transition in mental state. Maybe it's just the first day of something new, but I felt strong, and still feel strong after an entire day.

Here's what was on the menu:

Breakfast: 105 cal, 0.5 fat
1 Banana
1 Apple
cup herb tea (peppermint) (drank after meal, not during)
**Normal I start the day with a smoothie...I have for almost a solid year now. Strangely, this morning, I pulled forward the blender, lined up the fruit...and ate the banana. Then I diced up the mango for later and mixed with the blueberries. I sat looking at the apple for awhile and decided, "What the heck" and ate it. So breakfast was a little strange for me, but pleasantly enjoyable.

Lunch: 250 cal, 0.5 fat
Blueberry Mango Salad
24 oz water (after meal not during)

Dinner: 150 cal, 1.5 fat
Couscous Salad
24 oz water (after meal, not during)
**recipe below
**also, since I immediately had a raw friend tell me I couldn't eat couscous because couscous isn't raw, and wheat, which is a "dead" product. I have a few things to say about that:
First, made traditionally, couscous is a raw product. Granted, all couscous made in the US is cooked. Hence I found a "how to" video for making traditional couscous and will try that method next go around. If successful, I'll share the experience...obviously...and if I fail miserably, I'll probably try a few more times before I declare defeat online. Either way, you'll know eventually. I'm attaching the how to video at the end of this post in case you want to give it a go yourself.

Second, the whole dead vs alive argument could take whole novels at length to argue out. Here's my opinion...Grain, like seeds, are not dead, merely hibernating. They can be sprouted. Granted, there's no sprouting my semolina flour. It's a goner. But, it my humble opinion, if a few grains of semolina can help me stay raw, then I'll take a 99% raw-foodie label for now. Ditto on the honey...

Summary of my day, I feel good, I'm not hungry. I listened to calming music, I meditated, I did yoga, I spent some time in my garden and I walked a mile. I doesn't get any better than that. I have energy to spare. My only concern is today's total calorie count. I am pleased with being able to maintain less than 10% fat easily.
Total calories: 505  
Total Fat: 2.5 g - according to www.fitday.com is 4%

Recipe:

Almost-Raw CousCous Salad

1/4c dry couscous, hydrated
1 large bunch broccoli, heads only chopped fine
1 pkg baby portabella mushrooms, diced
1 vidalia onion, diced
2 heirloom tomatoes, diced
1 large handful bibb lettuce or heirloom type mixed greens
juice 1 lime
1 T honey
3 cloves garlic
6 basil leaves chopped (or 1T dried herbs to taste)

Hydrate couscous
In bowl mix juice of lime with honey, add minced garlic and herbs...set aside while dicing veggies, adding veggies as chopped. Add couscous. Chill. Add tomatoes and lettuce just before serving.

How To:

Make Traditional CousCous, recipe according to Ibn Razin, at Tugibi, 13th century, Andalusia

Countdown to RAW

Okay, I know, I know...I keep saying (how many years now?) I am going RAW 100%... and a few days ago I made the decision to "go for it" because every day I was getting bombarded with MSG. I honestly believe it is in everything. Hot sauce shot me down...I was on the couch with a blinding headache and excruciating gut pain for an entire evening. Parmesan on my Caesar salad the day after that...same story. And then after every MSG attack I have joint pain for 48-72 hours! How am I supposed to figure out if the Simponi is working if I keep having MSG reactions?

Hubby has promised he is in for 30 days. Do I expect to change his life? No.
Do I expect to change my own life? Definitely.

I've always been the one to do the positive motivating and life coaching...as Sensei and as Guru. I'm entering new territory here. This is scary stuff. I have 47 years of SAD food conditioning to overcome. I talked to hubby about the standard three meals a day I've grown accustomed to. That model won't work for RAW. At least not for me. I've had too many blood sugar crashes. I'll have to learn to graze...

September 1,2011. That's my start day.
The cupboards are almost completely bare and ready to be filled with raw goodness. I have a grocery list.

I was so excited when I came up with this plan a few short days ago. I was on cloud nine. But as the deadline approaches, I'm getting worried. I've failed so many times. Will this be one more? And this after being 70% raw for most of this year. I know, insane right? I should be ready by now.

What's holding me back?
Dairy?
Bread?
Meat? I really don't think this is an issue at all. Seriously. Fifteen years of being ovo-vegan prepared me to go meatless, although that almost raw, rawer than rare steak two weeks ago was amazing. That was my downfall when I fell of the vegan wagon in 2007. Bloody steak. I think I've decided that my anemia was the culprit then. I was severely anemic. I'm still anemic but not nearly as bad. I may need to figure that part out sooner rather than later.

In the meantime I need the motivator to come to me...and what better way than via youtube?
Enjoy the show...



Now listen...same guy, no flash...really. listen.
http://www.markusrothkranz.com/rsf08_21m.mp3

Black Rice Love

I love thai rice... it's black, it's shiny, it's yummy... what's not to love? And this recipe came from total determination to recreate my favorite local deli salad since I have sworn off all restaurant fare until my allergies are under control. (Since Many of the MSG-sensitivity symptoms are identical to RA symptoms I need to know which pirate captain is controlling this wayward ship of my body) Anyway, the results of trial and error were well worth it and if I if say so myself actually rival the deli-version I so love...

Thai Rice Salad
 Rice

1 cp black thai rice

Sesame seed oil in pan toss with 2 cloves cliced garlic and quarter large onion diced

Boil in 2 cps water –reduce heat and simmer 30 min

Salt, Pepper,

¼ cp Tamari Sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

Juice 2 key limes

1 tsp korean hot sauce

1 cp chopped cashews

½ red pepper diced

½ yellow pepper diced

Handful sweet potatoe sticks diced

Mix together – add rice refrigerate or serve warm

**The photo is awful, the salad is amazing. Try it, you won't be disappointed:)