It's cold outside today. The days are darker and the wind has been whipping. You may notice unusual or "old" emotions and physical feelings surfacing or resurfacing. Plus, it's the proverbial holiday time; time for feeling oh so joyful. What if you're not???
More on this in a minute...
Today's Food:
No Breakfast - detox
Lunch: 2 tangelos
small bowl of raw almonds
fork-ful of raw nutella cashew cream pie (!)
Dinner:
Large salad with radicchio, red leaf lettuce, carrot, avocado and mushrooms, with garlic stuffed olives, nutritional yeast, olive oil, Bragg's Amino Acids, sea salt
20 oz. water
Dessert
Piece of raw nutella cashew cream pie
YUM!!! This pie was made by my friend and raw chef Joy Perlow, inspired by Ani Phyo's cake recipe
Today's RawReformBlog, from Angela Stokes-Monarch, includes a brand new song by Angela, part of which came to her in a dream.
Being that this has been a week of deep emotions for me, I so loved listening to her sing this song and wanted to share the link with my readers. Here it is; enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfsHG5RyU5g
Thank you, Angela!
There's a talk I give this time of year entitled, "10 Tools to Take You Through the Holidays." I've taught it since 2003. It's all about how to keep in balance this time of year and many have found it valuable in navigating their own jouneys through the holidays; Thanksgiving through New Year's.
There is an expectation of how we should feel during this season of joy. It does not take into account that holiday time is also a time we might remember those we have lost and often find ourselves missing them. Additionally, it is a time when our food and our schedules are turned upside down and issues of body image, "willpower" and stress can come into play.
I found this happening to me. I have not felt this way in many, many years.
But i did not heed my own advice of balance.
I am in a glorious new relationship, which of course means later nights, less sleep, shifts in some daily routines and days without working out! or does it.....
It did for me, and I understood that new love, as my colleague and partner in crime and couseling Joanna Bronfman said to me, releases new chemicals in our bodies, makes us feel like space cadets and often throws us off our game completely. But, she said, just let go and enjoy it! And I did.....and when my head was spinning, I ran to a yoga class, took a run and got my food back on track.
Then came Hanukah and latke time. For those who don't know, latkes are the potato pancakes we eat once a year at Hanukah, and they are delicious.
As a raw foodist, I choose to enjoy these yummy morsels of my heritage.
This year, I had the pleasure of walking into my aunt and uncle's beautiful home in Brooklyn, and seeing my aunt kitchen-deep in latkes; making about a hundred of them for the gathering. The kitchen was filled with the smell of warm oil and cooking potatoes, and I bathed in it. Then I ate a whole bunch.
Cut to the next day. My friend Liz and I engaged in our holiday tradition of making latkes; we made sweet potato latkes and wasabi latkes; and I ate some more. We drank Soy Nog, laughed and shared conversation as only two women can.
That night, we got together with a group of women to celebrate, and Laurel made zucchini latkes, leek latkes and sweet potato latkes; and I ate many more.
Cut to Tuesday morning; I felt lousy! I was foggy, low mood akin to depression, off balance and my whole immune system felt low. This raw foodist was hurting! I couldn't even distinguish which was real and which biochemical.
OK, I decided, I am so done with latkes this year.
Back to running, raw food, more sleep and juicy conversations with my girlfriends to share what I was experiencing, I soon felt much better.
All the beauty of a wonderful relationship and holiday tradition knocked me on my butt.
I needed to honor my personal needs. My body and psyche thrive on these four things:
Proper sleep, raw food, consistent exercise and time for me to connect with my spirit.
I will be writing more about this subject through the New Year.
Meanwhile, get clear in what you need to keep thriving and stay in balance through the holidays. Write in and share it with others....
And if you're eating latkes, they're great with apple sauce and sour cream!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Sacredness of Choice
Happy Thankgiving, dear readers!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
4 slices Manna Millet Rice bread with raw creamy almond butter
10 oz. water with MSM powder
Lunch:
salad with red leaf lettuce, purple cabbage, avocado, carrot, mushrooms and sprouts, with nutritional yeast, ume plum vinegar, Bragg's Amino Acids and olive oil
This month is most important to balance. It is the time to let go of the mantra of perfection and pick up the more powerful tool of "choosing."
What do you choose today?
Yesterday, I chose to be filled with joy at my dear friend Liz's home, as I was invited for a Thanksgiving gathering, along with my boyfriend John, Liz's partner Michael and their respective children.
Michael is a vegetarian and reared his children as such. Liz and Michael create a vegetarian meal each Thanksgiving.
This meal was not raw, and did include multiple desserts (one of which was my raw chocolate ganache). So, I chose to eat and enjoy every mouthful of this luscious meal; from the warm carrot soup, to the wasabi mashed potatoes and pureed turnips, to the mock turkey pieces made from Seitan (delicious!), to the sweet potaotes baked with maple syrup. This lusciousness was followed by a homemade apple cobbler, my raw ganache, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. I ate it all. I loved it all. I was extremely full from three Thanksgiving meals (Wed, Thursday and Friday), but I appreciated each morsel of food. During the days, I ate raw and alkaline. I didn't starve out or binge in the other direction. I ate normally. I also took a run every day and did some yoga.
The weekend also included a couple of meals out with my honey and friends; those meals were not raw, either.
Now it's Monday, and I'm back to my normal routine. More holiday parties coming up.
There might be a party where I eat only salad and veges, or bring along and avocado; at another, I might have pie and cooked vege dishes. Does this mean I am not raw? No, it means I appreciate food and the intimacy of holiday traditions with dear friends and family. It means I choose what I desire at any given moment, and each choice assimilates within me at the highest level. My path of raw is clear; it is a life-long path for which I am grateful every day. There are also many parts to who I am, and sometimes I expand into those parts and take a turn to the left or to the right for a moment. I always come back to my clear path.
When I do veer off, I do it without guilt or self-flagellation, but with gratitude for the ability to choose anew every day.
The more deeply I cultivate my inner garden of self-love and clear vision, the more I trust my daily choices to always guide me back to my path.
I offer this to you, dear readers; life is to be filled with the wide open arms of embracing your choices. Trust in the beauty of this gift; no need to fear if we have faith.
Please write in and share your choices.....
With Immense Gratitiude for Each of You in My Life,
Thank you for believing in me and in The Holistic Empire
Hope
Food Today:
Breakfast:
4 slices Manna Millet Rice bread with raw creamy almond butter
10 oz. water with MSM powder
Lunch:
salad with red leaf lettuce, purple cabbage, avocado, carrot, mushrooms and sprouts, with nutritional yeast, ume plum vinegar, Bragg's Amino Acids and olive oil
This month is most important to balance. It is the time to let go of the mantra of perfection and pick up the more powerful tool of "choosing."
What do you choose today?
Yesterday, I chose to be filled with joy at my dear friend Liz's home, as I was invited for a Thanksgiving gathering, along with my boyfriend John, Liz's partner Michael and their respective children.
Michael is a vegetarian and reared his children as such. Liz and Michael create a vegetarian meal each Thanksgiving.
This meal was not raw, and did include multiple desserts (one of which was my raw chocolate ganache). So, I chose to eat and enjoy every mouthful of this luscious meal; from the warm carrot soup, to the wasabi mashed potatoes and pureed turnips, to the mock turkey pieces made from Seitan (delicious!), to the sweet potaotes baked with maple syrup. This lusciousness was followed by a homemade apple cobbler, my raw ganache, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. I ate it all. I loved it all. I was extremely full from three Thanksgiving meals (Wed, Thursday and Friday), but I appreciated each morsel of food. During the days, I ate raw and alkaline. I didn't starve out or binge in the other direction. I ate normally. I also took a run every day and did some yoga.
The weekend also included a couple of meals out with my honey and friends; those meals were not raw, either.
Now it's Monday, and I'm back to my normal routine. More holiday parties coming up.
There might be a party where I eat only salad and veges, or bring along and avocado; at another, I might have pie and cooked vege dishes. Does this mean I am not raw? No, it means I appreciate food and the intimacy of holiday traditions with dear friends and family. It means I choose what I desire at any given moment, and each choice assimilates within me at the highest level. My path of raw is clear; it is a life-long path for which I am grateful every day. There are also many parts to who I am, and sometimes I expand into those parts and take a turn to the left or to the right for a moment. I always come back to my clear path.
When I do veer off, I do it without guilt or self-flagellation, but with gratitude for the ability to choose anew every day.
The more deeply I cultivate my inner garden of self-love and clear vision, the more I trust my daily choices to always guide me back to my path.
I offer this to you, dear readers; life is to be filled with the wide open arms of embracing your choices. Trust in the beauty of this gift; no need to fear if we have faith.
Please write in and share your choices.....
With Immense Gratitiude for Each of You in My Life,
Thank you for believing in me and in The Holistic Empire
Hope
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
"Shifts Happen"
Hello Dear Readers and Welcome to Autumn!
My Food Today:
after a fabulous yoga class:
No Breakfast (in yoga)
Lunch:
Rockin' Guacamole with avo, tomato, onion, Bragg's, sea salt and cayenne
with Foods Alive flax crackers
Dinner:
Marinated brussel sprouts from Red Clover organic farm in Seymour, CT; sliced in half and marinated in Bragg's Amino Acids
AMAZING (I will be blogging about these olives) raw red cured olives from Whole Life Superfoods in Gresham, OR
Maple flax crackers with raw almond butter and coconut lucuma cream from Vivapure, pure coconut superfoods
This past weekend, I was in a workshop with the world-renowned yoga teacher Beryl Bender Birch. Aside from the physical asana practice of yoga, of which we did plenty!, we also spent time delving into the philosophy of yoga as well as dissecting the Yoga Sutras. One of the wonderful things that Beryl shared was that "Shifts Happen." Just when we get attached to one thing in our lives; whether it be a relationship, a job, a location, a current situation, it can change in a breath. At this point, I want to pay homage to my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime and counseling, Dr. Joanna Bronfman. Joanna just blogged brilliantly http://shrink-w-rap.blogspot.com/2010/10/illusory-musings.htmlwith her musings upon seeing the new Woody Allen film, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." I commented on her blog and discussion about a line in the film, "Sometimes the illusion is better than the medicine," by saying that since life is an illusion anyway, we can create it to be whatever we desire. To add to that, what we really have is what is here and now; all that is present at this moment, because "shifts happen," and this moment may become something completely different. Therefore, attachment on this level does not serve us in sustaining joy.
You have all heard me blog about my running. For the past few years, I have been running outside, even through the cold winters at six degrees. I started running at age sixteen, on and off for years; my dad was my first running partner. It's in my blood, with an already goal of a half marathon completed and a long-aspiring goal of a marathon (and a secret fantasy of an Ironman) held in my heart.
So, why did my body decide to suddenly stop running many miles, without known reason or any catastophic event?
For the past two and a half months months, I have gone back and immersed myself in yoga, running now only on opposite days; no longer running five, seven or nine miles; instead running two and a half or three miles. At first I was upset, as running has "defined" who I am for quite awhile. Then I grieved. But as I entered into yoga, I allowed myself to go deeply and expand. I met myself where I was at and opened the doors to new insights each day. Running is constrictive in the body and expansive in the mind; yoga is expansive in the body and quieting of the mind. The level I was at in my life in my own personal development was asking for mental quiet and physical expansiveness.
I understood that as we develop, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, we need our daily practices to correspond to this new person we've become, but our egos have a hard time allowing that.
Why would I want to be the person who was running two years ago to heal her heart after the painful ending of a relationship, when who I am now is the goddess opening to love?
We hold on and hold on to that which we've become attached, so afraid to let it go or lighten it up, so afraid that it marks our identities, when who we are in our evolution has already shifted and requires concrete rituals and daily ways of living to match.
A woman open to love needs to continue to expand her heart everyday; how perfect is heart-centered yoga for that?
And by the way, your food might also change, so be open to new possibilities there, too.
As long as each new level, and with it each new way of living, honors your soul, you will be in the right place.
"Trust the change you already are." Hope
PS- I'll keep you posted on the marathon as my evolution continues...
My Food Today:
after a fabulous yoga class:
No Breakfast (in yoga)
Lunch:
Rockin' Guacamole with avo, tomato, onion, Bragg's, sea salt and cayenne
with Foods Alive flax crackers
Dinner:
Marinated brussel sprouts from Red Clover organic farm in Seymour, CT; sliced in half and marinated in Bragg's Amino Acids
AMAZING (I will be blogging about these olives) raw red cured olives from Whole Life Superfoods in Gresham, OR
Maple flax crackers with raw almond butter and coconut lucuma cream from Vivapure, pure coconut superfoods
This past weekend, I was in a workshop with the world-renowned yoga teacher Beryl Bender Birch. Aside from the physical asana practice of yoga, of which we did plenty!, we also spent time delving into the philosophy of yoga as well as dissecting the Yoga Sutras. One of the wonderful things that Beryl shared was that "Shifts Happen." Just when we get attached to one thing in our lives; whether it be a relationship, a job, a location, a current situation, it can change in a breath. At this point, I want to pay homage to my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime and counseling, Dr. Joanna Bronfman. Joanna just blogged brilliantly http://shrink-w-rap.blogspot.com/2010/10/illusory-musings.htmlwith her musings upon seeing the new Woody Allen film, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." I commented on her blog and discussion about a line in the film, "Sometimes the illusion is better than the medicine," by saying that since life is an illusion anyway, we can create it to be whatever we desire. To add to that, what we really have is what is here and now; all that is present at this moment, because "shifts happen," and this moment may become something completely different. Therefore, attachment on this level does not serve us in sustaining joy.
You have all heard me blog about my running. For the past few years, I have been running outside, even through the cold winters at six degrees. I started running at age sixteen, on and off for years; my dad was my first running partner. It's in my blood, with an already goal of a half marathon completed and a long-aspiring goal of a marathon (and a secret fantasy of an Ironman) held in my heart.
So, why did my body decide to suddenly stop running many miles, without known reason or any catastophic event?
For the past two and a half months months, I have gone back and immersed myself in yoga, running now only on opposite days; no longer running five, seven or nine miles; instead running two and a half or three miles. At first I was upset, as running has "defined" who I am for quite awhile. Then I grieved. But as I entered into yoga, I allowed myself to go deeply and expand. I met myself where I was at and opened the doors to new insights each day. Running is constrictive in the body and expansive in the mind; yoga is expansive in the body and quieting of the mind. The level I was at in my life in my own personal development was asking for mental quiet and physical expansiveness.
I understood that as we develop, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, we need our daily practices to correspond to this new person we've become, but our egos have a hard time allowing that.
Why would I want to be the person who was running two years ago to heal her heart after the painful ending of a relationship, when who I am now is the goddess opening to love?
We hold on and hold on to that which we've become attached, so afraid to let it go or lighten it up, so afraid that it marks our identities, when who we are in our evolution has already shifted and requires concrete rituals and daily ways of living to match.
A woman open to love needs to continue to expand her heart everyday; how perfect is heart-centered yoga for that?
And by the way, your food might also change, so be open to new possibilities there, too.
As long as each new level, and with it each new way of living, honors your soul, you will be in the right place.
"Trust the change you already are." Hope
PS- I'll keep you posted on the marathon as my evolution continues...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
An Important Blog About Our Food
Readers,
Tonight I am stepping out of my normal blogging format to encourage you to read the interview/articles linked below. They each speak about our main food chain, factory farming, the recent outbreak of salmonella and its causes and the widespread ramifications of the whole industry. They are lengthy but well worth reading, and you will have the option of either scrolling down to read each one or viewing it on video. If you know nothing about these issues, it will be highly educational and insightful to you. If you know alot about it already, it will speak to your heart and reactivate your consciousness. You will probably find some new pieces of information as well.
This has been a cause and concern of mine for many years.
Please feel free to comment back with thoughts, feelings and ideas for change.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/24/largest_egg_recall_in_us_history
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/24/david_kirby_on_the_looming_threat
Tonight I am stepping out of my normal blogging format to encourage you to read the interview/articles linked below. They each speak about our main food chain, factory farming, the recent outbreak of salmonella and its causes and the widespread ramifications of the whole industry. They are lengthy but well worth reading, and you will have the option of either scrolling down to read each one or viewing it on video. If you know nothing about these issues, it will be highly educational and insightful to you. If you know alot about it already, it will speak to your heart and reactivate your consciousness. You will probably find some new pieces of information as well.
This has been a cause and concern of mine for many years.
Please feel free to comment back with thoughts, feelings and ideas for change.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/24/largest_egg_recall_in_us_history
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/24/david_kirby_on_the_looming_threat
Monday, August 23, 2010
Less Food for Thought
Today's Food:
Breakfast (at around 11:30):
1 Thai coconut on the porch; water through a straw and meat with a spoon
Snack:
2 bricks Two Moms in the Raw Gojiberry granola
Dinner:
Salad with Angelo's Farm red leaf lettuce, muticolored grape tomatoes from a farm in upstate, NY, avocado, carrot, purple cabbage, yellow and white corn off the cob, cuke and mushrooms with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
Bowl of Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream
I was re-reading some notes I took during a fabulous and inspiring talk by Gabriel Cousens last October, when he came to NY. One of the pieces that I loved and that inspired me is this statement of his:
"The less you eat, the longer you live."
I know this to be true. I feel it in every cell of my body when I am eating that way. The energy; the sense of well being and clarity are all astounding.
I dare you to take this challenge: Cut your food intake in half just for one day. Don't eat until 11:30 or noon, and when you do, start your day with some fresh coconut water or a green smoothie. Keep it simple and light and take a break in between meals. See Just how much energy you have; you will be astounded.
Gabriel then went on to say that in our society, our average daily calorie intake is 3800 calories; compare this to the calorie intake in "long-living" societies, which is 1600 calories.
Why is this? It's because the more we ask our digestive system to work, the more we tax it and tire it out; also, this can create inflammation, depending on what foods we choose to offer it. Our digestive system is a beautiful operating system; a highly developed machine, but it functions best when not over-taxed and when cared for lovingly.
Angela Stokes-Monarch, when talking about the virtues of "juice feasting" (ecstatically fasting on green juices) says, "You take the body's focus away from digestion and into elimination." This is because juicing bypasses the colon and digestive system, as there is no fiber to process, and allows the nutrients to go directly into the bloodstream, cells and organs (therefore why juicing is optimal for cancer and other inflammatory health issues). The second process is then the process of elimination, or letting go of extraneous waste.
Gabriel also says: "You can eat half as much live food and get all the nutrients you want." This is interesting to note, because if you are a raw or partially raw foodie, one of the hardest "memories" to let go of with eating is that more is best, expecially if you are feeling lonely, sad, tired or are missing something in your life. The emotional component plays such a huge role in the desire to fill with food.
So I pose this question: Do you have some spiritual, athletic or comforting "practices" in your life that keep you on your soul's path? What can you draw upon when you wake up in a funk and want to crawl back under the covers? Whether it's a regular yoga class, some journaling, or a daily phone call with your best friend; maybe one great hug a day or a big, juicy kiss; a weekly massage to look forward to or completion of a goal that is one of your life commitments and that you really want to finish.....this "act" should fill you with more self worth than food is replacing for you.
The point is, we use food (all of us) way too much and don't allow ourselves to feel lighter in our bodies so our souls can dance.
Food is delicious, luscious and important sustenance. Every morsel should be an ecstatic experience. But it should support our already thriving energy systems known as our bodies. We really don't have to eat that much to give the body what it needs. If our bodies are cleaned out, healthy and thriving, then we just need to give them the highest quality (not quantity) of food each day.
So, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm not there, yet; sometimes, I'm right there for awhile and feeling amazing, but often, I allow food to take me out of the presence of my soul.
Join me in this journey, and please share your stories....
Breakfast (at around 11:30):
1 Thai coconut on the porch; water through a straw and meat with a spoon
Snack:
2 bricks Two Moms in the Raw Gojiberry granola
Dinner:
Salad with Angelo's Farm red leaf lettuce, muticolored grape tomatoes from a farm in upstate, NY, avocado, carrot, purple cabbage, yellow and white corn off the cob, cuke and mushrooms with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
Bowl of Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream
I was re-reading some notes I took during a fabulous and inspiring talk by Gabriel Cousens last October, when he came to NY. One of the pieces that I loved and that inspired me is this statement of his:
"The less you eat, the longer you live."
I know this to be true. I feel it in every cell of my body when I am eating that way. The energy; the sense of well being and clarity are all astounding.
I dare you to take this challenge: Cut your food intake in half just for one day. Don't eat until 11:30 or noon, and when you do, start your day with some fresh coconut water or a green smoothie. Keep it simple and light and take a break in between meals. See Just how much energy you have; you will be astounded.
Gabriel then went on to say that in our society, our average daily calorie intake is 3800 calories; compare this to the calorie intake in "long-living" societies, which is 1600 calories.
Why is this? It's because the more we ask our digestive system to work, the more we tax it and tire it out; also, this can create inflammation, depending on what foods we choose to offer it. Our digestive system is a beautiful operating system; a highly developed machine, but it functions best when not over-taxed and when cared for lovingly.
Angela Stokes-Monarch, when talking about the virtues of "juice feasting" (ecstatically fasting on green juices) says, "You take the body's focus away from digestion and into elimination." This is because juicing bypasses the colon and digestive system, as there is no fiber to process, and allows the nutrients to go directly into the bloodstream, cells and organs (therefore why juicing is optimal for cancer and other inflammatory health issues). The second process is then the process of elimination, or letting go of extraneous waste.
Gabriel also says: "You can eat half as much live food and get all the nutrients you want." This is interesting to note, because if you are a raw or partially raw foodie, one of the hardest "memories" to let go of with eating is that more is best, expecially if you are feeling lonely, sad, tired or are missing something in your life. The emotional component plays such a huge role in the desire to fill with food.
So I pose this question: Do you have some spiritual, athletic or comforting "practices" in your life that keep you on your soul's path? What can you draw upon when you wake up in a funk and want to crawl back under the covers? Whether it's a regular yoga class, some journaling, or a daily phone call with your best friend; maybe one great hug a day or a big, juicy kiss; a weekly massage to look forward to or completion of a goal that is one of your life commitments and that you really want to finish.....this "act" should fill you with more self worth than food is replacing for you.
The point is, we use food (all of us) way too much and don't allow ourselves to feel lighter in our bodies so our souls can dance.
Food is delicious, luscious and important sustenance. Every morsel should be an ecstatic experience. But it should support our already thriving energy systems known as our bodies. We really don't have to eat that much to give the body what it needs. If our bodies are cleaned out, healthy and thriving, then we just need to give them the highest quality (not quantity) of food each day.
So, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm not there, yet; sometimes, I'm right there for awhile and feeling amazing, but often, I allow food to take me out of the presence of my soul.
Join me in this journey, and please share your stories....
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What is Your Body Telling You?
MMM, Delicious Food Day:
Breakfast:
Crazy Cacao:
Coconut water, superfoods (Vitamineral Green, Dark Mint Maca, Earth, Fruits of the Earth), raw almond butter, banana, cacao
Lunch:
1 Himalayan fig
4 Foods Alive Mexican crackers with smear of raw tahini
Dinner with Lori:
Hope's Love Soup: 3 avocados, 1 Valencia orange, coconut water, splashes of Bragg's Amino Acids and sea salt, with fresh corn off the cob and diced red pepper
Vitamix all the ingredients except the corn and pepper; add them in for chunk
This soup turns a luscious vibrant green
Hope's Stuffed Shroom Caps:
Marinated Portobellas: rub Bragg's on the them, first lightly washing them and then cutting off the stems so the mushrooms can turned upside down and stuffed
Save the stems, except for very tips, and marinate those as well; all for a couple of hours
Soak raw walnuts for a couple of hours
Drain and rinse the walnuts
Put them in a food processor, adding 3 carrots, olive oil, nutritional yeast and sea salt to taste; keep adding water till the consistency is right
Stuff the caps and eat!
Lori's Kale Salad:
Kale, avo and tomato; YUM!
Lori's Strawberry Pie with date-pecan crust
Coconut Bliss naked Coconut Ice Cream
Exercise: Thoroughly cleaned my home
I thought this post from Janine would be helpful to share, as I'm sure alot of you experience this:
Janine:
YES.....just had an epiphany late last night that I overeat and have been in denial/ignorance about it. I get terrible indigestion when I do. The challenge is to be clear about it and be consistent with eating smaller meals. I remember the book "Fit For Life" going into depth about proper food combining and it makes total sense.
OK, so identification is the key to transformation, Janine! We normalize not feeling well. Improper food combining is the cause of many people's indigestion and reflux. Also, if you are eating late at night or less than 3 hours before bed, can you let that go? If you divide your breakfast and lunch, and eat every two hours with smaller meals, that will help (1/2 breakfast at 8:00, 1/2 breakfast at 10:00, 1/2 lunch at noon, 1/2 lunch at 2:00). Let me know how this goes.
When I eat too late (like while blogging!), I go to bed feeling "off" and full; I wake up feeling sluggish and my eliminations are more of the "detox" type
When I do poor food combining, I am "gassy".
Our bodies thrive on the right fuel.
Are you having an "Ah Hah" moment about your own eating patterns and resulting body responses? Please write in and let me know...
Breakfast:
Crazy Cacao:
Coconut water, superfoods (Vitamineral Green, Dark Mint Maca, Earth, Fruits of the Earth), raw almond butter, banana, cacao
Lunch:
1 Himalayan fig
4 Foods Alive Mexican crackers with smear of raw tahini
Dinner with Lori:
Hope's Love Soup: 3 avocados, 1 Valencia orange, coconut water, splashes of Bragg's Amino Acids and sea salt, with fresh corn off the cob and diced red pepper
Vitamix all the ingredients except the corn and pepper; add them in for chunk
This soup turns a luscious vibrant green
Hope's Stuffed Shroom Caps:
Marinated Portobellas: rub Bragg's on the them, first lightly washing them and then cutting off the stems so the mushrooms can turned upside down and stuffed
Save the stems, except for very tips, and marinate those as well; all for a couple of hours
Soak raw walnuts for a couple of hours
Drain and rinse the walnuts
Put them in a food processor, adding 3 carrots, olive oil, nutritional yeast and sea salt to taste; keep adding water till the consistency is right
Stuff the caps and eat!
Lori's Kale Salad:
Kale, avo and tomato; YUM!
Lori's Strawberry Pie with date-pecan crust
Coconut Bliss naked Coconut Ice Cream
Exercise: Thoroughly cleaned my home
I thought this post from Janine would be helpful to share, as I'm sure alot of you experience this:
Janine:
YES.....just had an epiphany late last night that I overeat and have been in denial/ignorance about it. I get terrible indigestion when I do. The challenge is to be clear about it and be consistent with eating smaller meals. I remember the book "Fit For Life" going into depth about proper food combining and it makes total sense.
OK, so identification is the key to transformation, Janine! We normalize not feeling well. Improper food combining is the cause of many people's indigestion and reflux. Also, if you are eating late at night or less than 3 hours before bed, can you let that go? If you divide your breakfast and lunch, and eat every two hours with smaller meals, that will help (1/2 breakfast at 8:00, 1/2 breakfast at 10:00, 1/2 lunch at noon, 1/2 lunch at 2:00). Let me know how this goes.
When I eat too late (like while blogging!), I go to bed feeling "off" and full; I wake up feeling sluggish and my eliminations are more of the "detox" type
When I do poor food combining, I am "gassy".
Our bodies thrive on the right fuel.
Are you having an "Ah Hah" moment about your own eating patterns and resulting body responses? Please write in and let me know...
Monday, July 12, 2010
Am I feeling at ease today?
Today's Food:
Breakfast:
2 black plums
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
Salad with romaine, aduki and lentil sprouts, carrot and daikon with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
herbed olives
28 ounces lemon water
Snacks/Dinner:
Some beautiful Summer cherries
2 Balls of Laughing Giraffe Organics Vanilla Almond Gluten Free Snakaroons (Raw)
Today's Exercise:
5 mile run at the beach
Janine posted a great question on facebook in response to my blog, so I am sharing it with you:
"Great answers...I enjoyed reading. Do you EVER have a bad stomach day now that you eat Raw or has that put an end (for the most part) to indigestion for good?"
That's an excellent question. The only times I might have indigestion are if I have done poor food combining, eaten too much or eaten too late at night.... Each of those taxes our digestive system.
Are you feeling too stressed and run by the time clock of daily tasks?
I recommend starting your day with a glass of lemon water. When you hold this glass in your hand, allow it to be a guide for the smoothness of your ensuing day. Meditate on the water as you drink it, and it cleans out your liver.
Now think about this: How can I take each moment in my day, no matter what I am focusing on, and bring in that same release and relaxation? Let me try.
Food is merely a metaphor for our lives; try and digest each moment in this way.
Today I noticed how much my daily focuses created a constant underlying tightness in my body and a need to accomplish.
So, I took "opposite action." When I needed to finish something and felt that sense of urgency, I purposely got up and took a break to shift my energy with it. When I had to take notes, I purposely stopped taking notes and had some lunch. Later, I had much more energy and fluidity in my note taking. When I needed to wash dishes, I left them in the sink. Suddenly, my body was completely energized to wash the dishes.
I reminded myself that each and every moment of my day is my choosing in how I live it. Only I can shift that energy. I "played" with this concept all day, and at some point, I realized what was important; it wasn't what I thought. I suddenly understood that I could let go of this "push" and allow for my natural flow. From this place in my body, more got completed and it was a soulful unfolding of productivity from my higher self.
Trust; try it and see what happens.
Breakfast:
2 black plums
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
Salad with romaine, aduki and lentil sprouts, carrot and daikon with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
herbed olives
28 ounces lemon water
Snacks/Dinner:
Some beautiful Summer cherries
2 Balls of Laughing Giraffe Organics Vanilla Almond Gluten Free Snakaroons (Raw)
Today's Exercise:
5 mile run at the beach
Janine posted a great question on facebook in response to my blog, so I am sharing it with you:
"Great answers...I enjoyed reading. Do you EVER have a bad stomach day now that you eat Raw or has that put an end (for the most part) to indigestion for good?"
That's an excellent question. The only times I might have indigestion are if I have done poor food combining, eaten too much or eaten too late at night.... Each of those taxes our digestive system.
Are you feeling too stressed and run by the time clock of daily tasks?
I recommend starting your day with a glass of lemon water. When you hold this glass in your hand, allow it to be a guide for the smoothness of your ensuing day. Meditate on the water as you drink it, and it cleans out your liver.
Now think about this: How can I take each moment in my day, no matter what I am focusing on, and bring in that same release and relaxation? Let me try.
Food is merely a metaphor for our lives; try and digest each moment in this way.
Today I noticed how much my daily focuses created a constant underlying tightness in my body and a need to accomplish.
So, I took "opposite action." When I needed to finish something and felt that sense of urgency, I purposely got up and took a break to shift my energy with it. When I had to take notes, I purposely stopped taking notes and had some lunch. Later, I had much more energy and fluidity in my note taking. When I needed to wash dishes, I left them in the sink. Suddenly, my body was completely energized to wash the dishes.
I reminded myself that each and every moment of my day is my choosing in how I live it. Only I can shift that energy. I "played" with this concept all day, and at some point, I realized what was important; it wasn't what I thought. I suddenly understood that I could let go of this "push" and allow for my natural flow. From this place in my body, more got completed and it was a soulful unfolding of productivity from my higher self.
Trust; try it and see what happens.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Welcome Back! Answers to Your Questions on Eating Raw
YAY!!! Welcome back, readers! It's been over a month since I've written. My first break came when I was involved in counseling a week-long intensive (12 hour days), and that led to a number of other commitments.
I have missed "being" with you and connecting with T.H.E. Blog! community.
Tonight seemed like the perfect night to resume T.H.E Blog!, first, because I just got done with a scrumptous meal at Pure Food & Wine in NYC, and second, because the person with whom I shared that luscious raw meal is my dear friend Heather. Heather is pregnant and will be giving birth to her first baby in September, and I am her "coach"/support partner through her pregnancy and birth. Today, Heather and I went to a birthing class and then to dinner, Heather's first time at Pure Food & Wine. I wonder what her baby inside thought of the meal? Anyway, birthing seems a perfect time to resume my blog.
What I ate:
Breakfast:
Raw Morning Madness with coconut water, frozen banana, superfoods (Earth, Vitamineral Green, Fruits of the Earth and Dark Mint Maca - all from Healthforce Nutritionals), raw almond butter and a bit of agave
Snack:
Raw Revolution Raspberry bar
Dinner:
Starter:
Shaved Fennel salad with red fig, orange sections and black truffle seasonal mushroom
Entree:
Porcini Ravioli with cashew cream sauce
Dessert:
Raw ice cream sundae
coconut waters
My friend Torsten in Switzerland had commented on my blog back in April. As I try to answer all comments, I was surprised this one somehow missed me, so I thought I'd include both it and my response in the body of this post:
Torsten writes:
"Thank you for offering to answer questions.I have been on a partial (up to 80%) raw diet since the beginning of the year. Both me and my wife have been losing some weight although that was not intended and necessary. The thing with raw food is that it seems to keep me going only for a short time and I have to keep snacking on (raw) things during the day.I also had some setbacks with raw energy bars and mashed taters going bad before I could finish eating them.Since easter we have had more cooked foods again and I "sinned" by eating some chocolate. But I acutally feel pretty good and my wife tells me I look good too.So the question is: Why can food that is - according to the raw food books - bad for me make me feel and look good?"
Torsten, I love your story and questions. I will try and answer all of them. OK, so when we go raw, we first detoxify and "clean out" our systems. We never "build" until we first "clear," otherwise it would be like putting new seedlings for a garden on top of uncleared earth; they cannot grow properly. We need to give this some tie, as the raw lifestyle is like no other health and food protocol.
The weight loss tends to come as we start to "let go" of old waste and accumulations. When you stay on the raw lifestyle, the weight evens out; you often put some back on, and you definitely stop losing.
Early on, you might feel a lack of energy; in order to feed the organs finally in the proper way, the body often pulls some fuel away from the muscles and tissues. You can feel tired and sometimes even achy. Fatigue can come in when we are releasing years of "adulterated" eating and other habits.
Also, what you are eating may not be working to your benefit for 3 reasons:
1. Improper food combining:
3. You are leading off your day with good intentions but not the appropriate choices. Start with some fruit; then have a green juice or a raw smoothie. If you want a snack, wait an hour and then maybe have a handful of nuts (just a handful). Then at lunch, try a large salad with avocado and seaweed, or some avocado, tomato and sprouts rolled up in a collard leaf. These are just some examples; experiment on your own.
As for the energy bars and taters going bad, it takes some practice to see how many days the shelf life of "live" food is; definitely not the same as preserved food.
And finally, Torsten, we never sin or eat "bad" food. Food is always nourshing. We always want to process it that way as we eat it, no matter what we choose to eat. Then we can choose the foods that keep our cells alive and dancing.
Why you may initially "feel" and "look" good is because your body only knows one way of eating to keep it alive. That's why some people think that they cannot digest raw veges or other foods, as their sytems only know one way of eating, but that way has adulterated the body for so many years and prevented it from being able to properly digest the proper high-level foods. Once you really clean your system out and detoxify, and stay with it, your body will start to respond properly and then fully thrive, and you will look and feel better than ever!
I hope this helps you on your path.
I look forward to reading and responding to more comments from readers.
In Health & Joy,
Hope
I have missed "being" with you and connecting with T.H.E. Blog! community.
Tonight seemed like the perfect night to resume T.H.E Blog!, first, because I just got done with a scrumptous meal at Pure Food & Wine in NYC, and second, because the person with whom I shared that luscious raw meal is my dear friend Heather. Heather is pregnant and will be giving birth to her first baby in September, and I am her "coach"/support partner through her pregnancy and birth. Today, Heather and I went to a birthing class and then to dinner, Heather's first time at Pure Food & Wine. I wonder what her baby inside thought of the meal? Anyway, birthing seems a perfect time to resume my blog.
What I ate:
Breakfast:
Raw Morning Madness with coconut water, frozen banana, superfoods (Earth, Vitamineral Green, Fruits of the Earth and Dark Mint Maca - all from Healthforce Nutritionals), raw almond butter and a bit of agave
Snack:
Raw Revolution Raspberry bar
Dinner:
Starter:
Shaved Fennel salad with red fig, orange sections and black truffle seasonal mushroom
Entree:
Porcini Ravioli with cashew cream sauce
Dessert:
Raw ice cream sundae
coconut waters
My friend Torsten in Switzerland had commented on my blog back in April. As I try to answer all comments, I was surprised this one somehow missed me, so I thought I'd include both it and my response in the body of this post:
Torsten writes:
"Thank you for offering to answer questions.I have been on a partial (up to 80%) raw diet since the beginning of the year. Both me and my wife have been losing some weight although that was not intended and necessary. The thing with raw food is that it seems to keep me going only for a short time and I have to keep snacking on (raw) things during the day.I also had some setbacks with raw energy bars and mashed taters going bad before I could finish eating them.Since easter we have had more cooked foods again and I "sinned" by eating some chocolate. But I acutally feel pretty good and my wife tells me I look good too.So the question is: Why can food that is - according to the raw food books - bad for me make me feel and look good?"
Torsten, I love your story and questions. I will try and answer all of them. OK, so when we go raw, we first detoxify and "clean out" our systems. We never "build" until we first "clear," otherwise it would be like putting new seedlings for a garden on top of uncleared earth; they cannot grow properly. We need to give this some tie, as the raw lifestyle is like no other health and food protocol.
The weight loss tends to come as we start to "let go" of old waste and accumulations. When you stay on the raw lifestyle, the weight evens out; you often put some back on, and you definitely stop losing.
Early on, you might feel a lack of energy; in order to feed the organs finally in the proper way, the body often pulls some fuel away from the muscles and tissues. You can feel tired and sometimes even achy. Fatigue can come in when we are releasing years of "adulterated" eating and other habits.
Also, what you are eating may not be working to your benefit for 3 reasons:
1. Improper food combining:
Mixing fruit with protein, or protein with carbs, when they all digest at different rates, creates fermentation in the body. This does not allow for proper assimilation of your food and that can create fatigue. You also need to wait enough time between certain foods. For example, don't have your protein, even in a smoothie with nutmilk, and then have fruit. The fruit only takes between 15 minutes and an hour to disgest, depending on the type, and the protein can take 4-6 hours. Have your fruit, wait 1/2 hour and then have your smoothie
2. You are eating too much, being used to how we consume cooked food. Your body is being overloaded with raw and does not have time to digest and adjust to this new lifestyle. Don't put 20 ingredients in your food. Keep it simple and clean. Unless we are running a marathon, we do not need to frontload.3. You are leading off your day with good intentions but not the appropriate choices. Start with some fruit; then have a green juice or a raw smoothie. If you want a snack, wait an hour and then maybe have a handful of nuts (just a handful). Then at lunch, try a large salad with avocado and seaweed, or some avocado, tomato and sprouts rolled up in a collard leaf. These are just some examples; experiment on your own.
As for the energy bars and taters going bad, it takes some practice to see how many days the shelf life of "live" food is; definitely not the same as preserved food.
And finally, Torsten, we never sin or eat "bad" food. Food is always nourshing. We always want to process it that way as we eat it, no matter what we choose to eat. Then we can choose the foods that keep our cells alive and dancing.
Why you may initially "feel" and "look" good is because your body only knows one way of eating to keep it alive. That's why some people think that they cannot digest raw veges or other foods, as their sytems only know one way of eating, but that way has adulterated the body for so many years and prevented it from being able to properly digest the proper high-level foods. Once you really clean your system out and detoxify, and stay with it, your body will start to respond properly and then fully thrive, and you will look and feel better than ever!
I hope this helps you on your path.
I look forward to reading and responding to more comments from readers.
In Health & Joy,
Hope
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Keep it Simple in Summer
Friday's Food:Breakfast: after another hot and fabulous run
Synergy Kombucha Strawberry drink with probiotics, ernzymes, antioxidants, amino acids and polyphenols
Nuts Online Raw Sprouted Granola
Lunch: at The Stand, Norwalk, CT
Curried Collard Wrap with raw almond pate
Choco-Cherry smoothie with cacao, flax seeds, nutmilk, dried cherries and banana
Dinner:
Cantelope soup (see blog below for recipe)
Nick's Lovely Summer salad with mixed spring greens, veges and olives; some avocado with lemon-olive oil dressing
Irina's licious Chocolate Chia pudding
Late Night Alchemy Chocolate made by Stasia; aphrodisiac
Thursday's Food:
Breakfast: after a powerful 6 mile run
An amazing juice of Winter carrots and a bit of sweet potato and beet from Genesis Organic Biodynamic farm in Blairstown, NJ, Swiss Chard, Granny Smith apples and celery with Healthforce Nutritionals Superfoods: Earth, Vitamineral Green and Vanilla Spice Maca- this juice rocked, gave me high energy and filled me up for the whole day
Snack:
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Granola
Dinner:
Lori's Rawsagna - fantastic!!!!
Salad with radicchio, frisee and avocado with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
Lori's Key Lime Pie!!!!!
24 ounces water
Wednesday's Food:
Breakfast:
1/2 cantelope; YUM! after a 6 mile run and sprint
Lunch:
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry & Orange Cacao Granola
Grape Kombucha (probiotics, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, polyphenols)
Dinner:
Bowl of gazpacho with chopped up celery
guacamole with 1 avo, Ironbound Island dulse, Herbamare, lime, nutritional yeast, onion, sprouts; with Foods Alive Mexican Flax crackers
Salad with romaine, sprouts, garlic stuffed olives, walnut pieces and granny smith apple; with nutritional yeast and olive oil
Dessert:
Lori's raw chocolate ganache with pecan cacao crust and strawberry drizzle
32 ounces water
Raw can be so simple:
Last night I went over for dinner to the home of my dear friends, Irina and Nick. Due to my schedule, I did not have time, as I usually do, to prepare a dish in advance. So, I stopped at the market and picked up two ripe cantelopes, which have been so delicious lately. At my friends' house, I blended up 1 1/2 cantelopes with 1/2 small container of coconut water in their Vitamix, poured it into bowls, and we garnished it with fresh mint. It was beyond fabulous, and the color was lush and beautiful (picture to come soon). It could have been served in any restaurant; we all loved it.
So, keep it simple in Summer.
Just to let you know, I will not be blogging for this next week due to my counseling time commitments. I will be back blogging a week from today.
So, keep honoring your soul with all of your choices, and have a great week!
Love,
Hope
The Holistic Empire
Monday, May 31, 2010
Choose Your Soul's Song
Today's Food: after a fabulous run
Breakfast:
1/2 ripe cantelope
a little water
Lunch:
Synergy Organic & Raw Strawberry Serenity Kombucha drink 16 ounces (contains enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols)
Laughing Giraffe Organics Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola - 1/2 cup
Dinner:
Guacamole with 1 1/2 avos, grape tomaotoes and onion; lime, hot sauce, cayenne, dulse, sea salt
with Foods Alive Mexican Flax crackers - 10 pieces
Dessert:
One Lucky Duck Vanilla Almond Buttercup raw ice cream 1/2 pint
16 ounces water
Monday's Rawlisciousness:
Breakfast:
handful of blueberries
12 ounces water
Lunch: at Pure Food & Wine, NYC, in the garden:
Avocolada: avo, coconut water, pineapple and lime
Shared sushi rolls with avo, aparagus, red pepper, marinated shitake mushrooms and jicama pignoli nut "rice"; with nama shoyu
Corn cilantro guacamole with chile lime chips
Ceasar salad with romaine, nori, macadamia parmesan and lemon
Dessert:
Mint Sundae with chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice creams, mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce and vanilla cream
Chocolate Almond Square with chocolate dipped coconut and brazil nut almond square
RAWLICIOUS MEAL~!!
Sunday's Food:
No Breakfast
32 ounces water
Lunch: at The Fig & Olive, NYC:
Avocado soup with avo, lime, coconut, tobasco, scallion served with cilantro olive oil emulsion
FIG & OLIVE SALAD - fig, olive, tomato, walnut, chive, scallion, green apple, 18 year fig & balsamic dressing - Arbequina Olive Oil
12 ounces water
Snacks:
Raw macadamia nuts
2 small apples
2 dried figs
Dinner: at Palma restaurant, NYC West Village (non-raw):
Starter of whole wheat bread with eggplant capennata and olive oil
2 glasses of deep red wine Lacryma Christi ~ Terredora DiPaolo
Appetizers (shared) of Arancini Siciliani: hand rolled rice balls filled with formaggi misti fried to a golden crust
Carciofi Croccanticrispy fried artichokes with parmigiano & parsley
Entree of Agnolotti di Spinaci: homemade pasta filled with spinach & buffalo ricotta in tomato sauce, parmigiano & basil
Dessert: at Cones, NYC:
Gelato: Dulce de Leche and Mocha Chip
Breakfast:
1/2 ripe cantelope
a little water
Lunch:
Synergy Organic & Raw Strawberry Serenity Kombucha drink 16 ounces (contains enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols)
Laughing Giraffe Organics Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola - 1/2 cup
Dinner:
Guacamole with 1 1/2 avos, grape tomaotoes and onion; lime, hot sauce, cayenne, dulse, sea salt
with Foods Alive Mexican Flax crackers - 10 pieces
Dessert:
One Lucky Duck Vanilla Almond Buttercup raw ice cream 1/2 pint
16 ounces water
Monday's Rawlisciousness:
Breakfast:
handful of blueberries
12 ounces water
Lunch: at Pure Food & Wine, NYC, in the garden:
Avocolada: avo, coconut water, pineapple and lime
Shared sushi rolls with avo, aparagus, red pepper, marinated shitake mushrooms and jicama pignoli nut "rice"; with nama shoyu
Corn cilantro guacamole with chile lime chips
Ceasar salad with romaine, nori, macadamia parmesan and lemon
Dessert:
Mint Sundae with chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice creams, mint chocolate cookies, chocolate sauce and vanilla cream
Chocolate Almond Square with chocolate dipped coconut and brazil nut almond square
RAWLICIOUS MEAL~!!
Sunday's Food:
No Breakfast
32 ounces water
Lunch: at The Fig & Olive, NYC:
Avocado soup with avo, lime, coconut, tobasco, scallion served with cilantro olive oil emulsion
FIG & OLIVE SALAD - fig, olive, tomato, walnut, chive, scallion, green apple, 18 year fig & balsamic dressing - Arbequina Olive Oil
12 ounces water
Snacks:
Raw macadamia nuts
2 small apples
2 dried figs
Dinner: at Palma restaurant, NYC West Village (non-raw):
Starter of whole wheat bread with eggplant capennata and olive oil
2 glasses of deep red wine Lacryma Christi ~ Terredora DiPaolo
Appetizers (shared) of Arancini Siciliani: hand rolled rice balls filled with formaggi misti fried to a golden crust
Carciofi Croccanticrispy fried artichokes with parmigiano & parsley
Entree of Agnolotti di Spinaci: homemade pasta filled with spinach & buffalo ricotta in tomato sauce, parmigiano & basil
Dessert: at Cones, NYC:
Gelato: Dulce de Leche and Mocha Chip
Are you passionate about what are doing in the world? It doesn't really matter what the what is; what matters is most that whatever you choose to "do" aligns with your soul's purpose. Whether your livelihood is to be a baker, a banker or a janitor, as long as you are passionate about it, and know that it is authentic to who you are, you will be filled with right purpose and manifest your dreams.
It is when we compromise our true calling; our inner knowing, that we are not in the flow, and this creates conflict and breakdown. If whatever you choose is right for you, not because of the external rewards but more from your soul's calling, then you will get to sing a song of joy every day. Regardless of what society dictates, the greatest successes come when we receive them in our right purpose. No amount of money or fame given to us in a state of conflict can touch the success of receiving it in the space of when you are born to be doing it.
Please believe with all your heart in that choice and envision yourself receiving from that place.
Write in and share some stories of where you are at in this choice; have you chosen from your soul or are you longing for that feeling?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Freedom with Your Food and Your Body; It's Here
Today's Beyond the Beyond Rawliciousness:
Breakfast:
Yes, this was my Memorial Day Weekend "Yes, I can eat this for breakfast!": 1 raw almond square - tastes just like an almond joy but 10 times yummier!!!
Caramel bar coated with raw dark chocolate - both of these are from One Lucky Duck in NYC.
I am not a morning sweet eater. Look at my blog; I never eat sweets in the AM. But this morning, after a great hot run, I poured my 32 ounces of water and went to town with a decadent breakfast. Sometimes, we just have to let go and fly free. For those of you who know my story, one of the reasons I got into the field of health counseling was my own journey with food when I was younger. Many of you know I was 220 ounds at one time; also, that my sense of confidence was connected to my ever fluctuating weight. All these years later, I do not own a scale and weigh myself about twice a year. One of my specialties and expertises in counseling is working with people with eating disorders and seeing their pain around food and their bodies. So, I know what it feels like to have freedom and ecstatic joy with my food, my body and my health. Eating this morning's breakfast is a validation of that; I was smiling as I "engaged" these decadent sweets. I am also grateful to have asuch a beautiful and intimate relationship with my food. I wish this for all those who need healing in this area. I know you are out there. I hope you are reading this. Know that it is possible to have a life of freedom with your food and your body; I promise you.
Lunch:
Rockin' Smoothie with thai coconut meat and water, with water, Superfoods of Earth, Vitamineral Green and Vanilla Spice Maca - 25 ounces
Dinner: all made by Chef Lori:
Hors D'oevres of sunflower seed/sundried tomato/olive pate on lettuce leaves and cucumber slices; garnished with olive slivers
Entree:
Taco Madness: Romaine leaves layered with taco crumble, guacamole and tomato; garnished with olive slices
Dessert:
Raw Chocolate Ganache with a pecan cacao nib crust, drizzled with a strawberry sauce and accompanied by raw Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream
Words cannot even describe this experience; this dessert was insane!!!!
Keep enjoying your holiday and love the food that loves you back.
Breakfast:
Yes, this was my Memorial Day Weekend "Yes, I can eat this for breakfast!": 1 raw almond square - tastes just like an almond joy but 10 times yummier!!!
Caramel bar coated with raw dark chocolate - both of these are from One Lucky Duck in NYC.
I am not a morning sweet eater. Look at my blog; I never eat sweets in the AM. But this morning, after a great hot run, I poured my 32 ounces of water and went to town with a decadent breakfast. Sometimes, we just have to let go and fly free. For those of you who know my story, one of the reasons I got into the field of health counseling was my own journey with food when I was younger. Many of you know I was 220 ounds at one time; also, that my sense of confidence was connected to my ever fluctuating weight. All these years later, I do not own a scale and weigh myself about twice a year. One of my specialties and expertises in counseling is working with people with eating disorders and seeing their pain around food and their bodies. So, I know what it feels like to have freedom and ecstatic joy with my food, my body and my health. Eating this morning's breakfast is a validation of that; I was smiling as I "engaged" these decadent sweets. I am also grateful to have asuch a beautiful and intimate relationship with my food. I wish this for all those who need healing in this area. I know you are out there. I hope you are reading this. Know that it is possible to have a life of freedom with your food and your body; I promise you.
Lunch:
Rockin' Smoothie with thai coconut meat and water, with water, Superfoods of Earth, Vitamineral Green and Vanilla Spice Maca - 25 ounces
Dinner: all made by Chef Lori:
Hors D'oevres of sunflower seed/sundried tomato/olive pate on lettuce leaves and cucumber slices; garnished with olive slivers
Entree:
Taco Madness: Romaine leaves layered with taco crumble, guacamole and tomato; garnished with olive slices
Dessert:
Raw Chocolate Ganache with a pecan cacao nib crust, drizzled with a strawberry sauce and accompanied by raw Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream
Words cannot even describe this experience; this dessert was insane!!!!
Keep enjoying your holiday and love the food that loves you back.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A Smile and a Song
Lori's Raw Pasta Pesto
Friday's Food:
Breakfast:
Yes Yes Yes! Morning Maniac Elixir with: 1 fresh Thai coconut water and meat, water, frozen banana and flax seeds with Superfoods extraordinare: Health Force Nutritionals Earth, Vitamineral Green and Vanilla Spice Maca - a luscious green powerhouse of energy
Lunch:
Nuts Online Pink Salt & Cracked Pepper Mixed Nuts & Seeds
Dinner: at One Luck Duck Takeaway, NYC:
Taco Salad with romaine, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo,guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing
Sushi Rolls: Marinated shitake, avocado, asparagus, red pepper, pignoli and jicama rice, nama shoyu
16 ounces water
Thursday's Delicious Food:
Breakfast: after a glorious misty drizzle 6 mile run:
Nuts Online Sundried Rosemary Garlic Pistachios & Almonds
1 Thai coconut, out on the porch with a straw; water and meat
Lunch:
Fruit Smoothie with frozen strawberries, fresh banana and fresh apple juice
Raw kale salad
Dinner:
2 bowls of Mrs. Green's gazpacho with slices of avocado (all organic tomato, cuke, onion, green pepper, garlic, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, herbs, spices, sea salt)
Dessert:
1/2 pint of One Lucky Duck Raw Oreo ice cream
Wednesday's Yumminess:
Breakfast:
Nuts Online Hemp & Greens Superfood Cereal (while hiking)
Lunch: at Pinemeadow Lake, after an ecstatic hike and swim:
Nuts Online Sundried Marinara Almonds & Pistachios
Salad with mixed greens from Genesis Farm, raw Amish goat cheese, sprouts, olives, dulse, nutritional yeast; with olive oil and sea salt
67 ounces of water
Dinner:
Sunflower seed pate smeared inside red leaf lettuce leaves
Lori's Chocolate Pudding
Tuesday's Ecstatic Food:
Breakfast: After a great run:
1 Thai coconut, out on the porch with a straw; water and meat
Some raw Amish goat cheese
Snack/Lunch:
1 Foods Alive flax cracker with a little sunflower seed pate
Nuts Online raw Sprouted Granola
Taste of my shipment of fabulous seaweeds from Ironbound Island, Maine - the most fabulous dulse
Snack:
Mango smoothie with water, frozen mango and banana
Dinner at Lori's:
1 taco sandwich: romaine leaves filled with raw taco crumble, guac, cashew cheese and tomato; ROOOOOOckin!!!!!!
Bowls of zucchini pasta with raw pesto;WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWoahhhhh!!!!
Dessert:
Tropical Pie: mango, banana and coconut pie;aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
"Isn't it better to walk around with a smile and a song than with a face eleven miles long?" Jimmy Durante
I hear this sung most Saturday mornings as part of the opening to David Rothenberg's fabulous Saturday morning show on WBAI 99.5 (both political and theatrical).
This morning his words really struck me in a different way, as I realized how much they echo my beliefs. We always have the capacity to choose how we walk through each moment and each day in our lives; no matter what.
Some circumstances we cannot control; sometimes our own inner reflections of our outer lives surface in us, almost knocking the wind out of us. Even then, we still have the choice to decide how we want to "be" in the face of each life happening. We have an opportunity in our lives to hold a "smile and a song" in our hearts as we navigate the sometimes stormy seas; it is merely who we are and how we choose to live. Our lives are now, and when we can shift the low feelings into remembering that we can access a deep feeling of balance, calm and joy Inside of us at any time, we can create a life of deeper meaning for ourselves. Sadness, grief, hurt and anger have very beneficial places for self-expression and for the markings of loss, relationships and self-growth. What I am speaking of is our deeper energy; how we hold our place in this life with every breath we take. We can be deeply sad and also hold this larger foundation of "well being" in our core. That enables us to live powerfully and feel powerfully at the same time. Yesterday was the anniversary of my dad's passing three years ago. My father and I had a very deep and connected relationship, and each year at this day I feel him and mourn the fact that I cannot now turn to him and give him a hug. But something I read in the prayer book, as I lit the yearly Jewish memorial candle that burns for twenty four hours to mark this day, struck me as much as a truth as the depth of feeling I was experiencing: "There are three ways in which we respond to sorrow. On the first level, we cry. On the second level, we are silent. On the highest level, we take sorrow-and turn it into song." (based on Abraham Joshua Heschel). We do have the right and the availability to live our lives in song every day. May you sing the song that is uniquely yours.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Getting Healthy and Living Your Dreams is Meant to be Shared
Today's Food:
Breakfast: at Le Pain Quotidien, Greenwich, CT (non-raw):
Middle Eastern Plate with hummus, baba ganoush and tabouleh; with baby olives and sundried tomatoes; famous organic bread: wheat and bagette with some organic jams
No Lunch
Snack:
Sun Dried Marinara Almonds & Pistachios (from Nuts Online)
Dinner:
Fruit Elixir with water, frozen banana and mango
Yesterday:
Breakfast:
Pieces of raw goat cheese from the Amish
Sun Dried Marinara Almonds & Pistachios (from Nuts Online)
Brunch at Le pain Quotidien, NYC (non-raw):
2 soft boiled organic eggs
quinoa with artichoke, chickpeas and arugula
French bagette, wheat and nutted organic bread with organic jams, butter and chocolate spread
16 ounces water
Dinner at One Lucky Duck Takeaway, NYC (Rockin' Raw):
Avocolada: avocado, pineapple coco water, lime and vanilla
Portobello hemp burger with saurkraut, homemade mustard and greens
Taco salad with mescalin greens, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing
16 ounces water
Dessert:
1 raw Malomar
Are you feeling connected to a community that supports you and your vision for your life? One of the meanings behind the founding of The Holistic Empire is that it's a new kind of empire; filled with whole health for all people and also, support for each person in their process of getting healthy and living their dreams. One of the things that distinguishes us as humans is the ability to connect with others on a deeper cognitive level. We have the capacity to share our most precious dreams and goals with another; to ask for a hug when we are hurting; to show our vulnerability in front of another and to know that we are heard and we are not alone. It is also that we can dance with another; laugh with another and be in community with others who care about who we are. Don't be afraid to reach out and share your secrets with someone who loves you unconditionally. Ask a friend to support you in your goals for getting healthy; let them know about your food and lifestyle changes. Make plans to make a meal together or go away to a special health retreat with someone you love to be with. Ask someone close to be your "health support guide," and let them know this means calling you and leaving uplifting messages checking in on your goals and leaving positive voicemails letting you know, "You can do it!", and "I believe in you." I've had support guides for my running and my book writing. My running "guide" used to leave messages every day, and all through the Winter months, that went like this: "Run, baby, run!" I would get up and look out my window to the cold outside, not sure if I wanted to set foot out my door and finding some very good reasons to not, and then I'd hear the voicemail and be completely energized to run. If you want to break into a new routine with foods or exercise, find others who are doing this as well and "buddy up" with them. Set a time to speak once a week for support check-ins. Also find and attend as many events, lectures and workshops that are about these new lifestyle additions, where you will meet and become friends with others on the same path. Making change and living your dreams is an ecstatic path; no need for isolation; you can dance together the whole way through.
Breakfast: at Le Pain Quotidien, Greenwich, CT (non-raw):
Middle Eastern Plate with hummus, baba ganoush and tabouleh; with baby olives and sundried tomatoes; famous organic bread: wheat and bagette with some organic jams
No Lunch
Snack:
Sun Dried Marinara Almonds & Pistachios (from Nuts Online)
Dinner:
Fruit Elixir with water, frozen banana and mango
Yesterday:
Breakfast:
Pieces of raw goat cheese from the Amish
Sun Dried Marinara Almonds & Pistachios (from Nuts Online)
Brunch at Le pain Quotidien, NYC (non-raw):
2 soft boiled organic eggs
quinoa with artichoke, chickpeas and arugula
French bagette, wheat and nutted organic bread with organic jams, butter and chocolate spread
16 ounces water
Dinner at One Lucky Duck Takeaway, NYC (Rockin' Raw):
Avocolada: avocado, pineapple coco water, lime and vanilla
Portobello hemp burger with saurkraut, homemade mustard and greens
Taco salad with mescalin greens, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing
16 ounces water
Dessert:
1 raw Malomar
Are you feeling connected to a community that supports you and your vision for your life? One of the meanings behind the founding of The Holistic Empire is that it's a new kind of empire; filled with whole health for all people and also, support for each person in their process of getting healthy and living their dreams. One of the things that distinguishes us as humans is the ability to connect with others on a deeper cognitive level. We have the capacity to share our most precious dreams and goals with another; to ask for a hug when we are hurting; to show our vulnerability in front of another and to know that we are heard and we are not alone. It is also that we can dance with another; laugh with another and be in community with others who care about who we are. Don't be afraid to reach out and share your secrets with someone who loves you unconditionally. Ask a friend to support you in your goals for getting healthy; let them know about your food and lifestyle changes. Make plans to make a meal together or go away to a special health retreat with someone you love to be with. Ask someone close to be your "health support guide," and let them know this means calling you and leaving uplifting messages checking in on your goals and leaving positive voicemails letting you know, "You can do it!", and "I believe in you." I've had support guides for my running and my book writing. My running "guide" used to leave messages every day, and all through the Winter months, that went like this: "Run, baby, run!" I would get up and look out my window to the cold outside, not sure if I wanted to set foot out my door and finding some very good reasons to not, and then I'd hear the voicemail and be completely energized to run. If you want to break into a new routine with foods or exercise, find others who are doing this as well and "buddy up" with them. Set a time to speak once a week for support check-ins. Also find and attend as many events, lectures and workshops that are about these new lifestyle additions, where you will meet and become friends with others on the same path. Making change and living your dreams is an ecstatic path; no need for isolation; you can dance together the whole way through.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Simple Steps to Eliminate Cravings
Friday's Fabulous Food!:
Breakfast:
Fruit Elixir with water, frozen wild blueberries and banana
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola
Lunch: at The Stand, Norwalk, CT:
1 1/2 fresh green juices with kale, collards, cuke, celery and apple
1/2 hummus avocado wrap in collard with raw almond hummus, tomato avo and sprouts
1/2 curried collard wrap with curry almond pate, red peppers, avo and sprouts
Dinner: at One Lucky Duck Takeaway, NYC!: Shared with my friend Lori
Taco salad: Romaine, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing......aaooaoaoowwwwowowowo
rawsagna: Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna: Sun-dried tomato sauce, pistachio basil pesto, pignoli ricotta
Desserts:
Moonpie
Malamar - just think of these childhood desserts a la raw; deep, dark chocolate, cream and bliss
1/2 pint of raw oreo ice cream
complete contentment!
Today's Food:
Breakfast/Lunch:
Amazing fresh raw goat cheese from Amish land gifted to me (thank you, Josef!). This cheese rocks!
Nuts Online Pink Salt & Cracked Pepper Mixed Nuts & Seeds
Fruit Elixir with frozen wild blueberries and banana
Snacks:
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola
Nuts Online Rosemary Garlic Pistachios & Almonds
32 ounces water
Dinner:
Salad with mixed lettuces, spinach and arugula, yam, beet, carrot and parsnip (from Genesis Farm); with sprouts, dulse, nutritional yeast and sea salt
Dessert:
1/2 pint Vanilla Almond Buttercup raw ice cream from One Lucky Duck Takeaway
Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? Are you speaking your truth?
Most often, when we have food cravings, it is from an imbalance in our body system. Our body system is our whole physical body, including our blood sugar, which frequently becomes imbalanced by the foods we consume; it is our emotion/psyche body, which tilts off balance when matters of the heart create deep, intense feeling in us; it is the energy body, when old cellular memory floods the chakra system and elicits conditioned responses from long ago and far away; and it is the spirit body, when our connection to our Divine Source becomes unraveled.
On the physical end, we always need to look first at the primary components of daily health; food, water and rest. Our food should be primarily plant-based, laying low on sugars, flours, dairy, alchohol and caffeine. Our water should try to come close to half of our body weight in ounces. Our sleep should equal the amount you know you need to give you energy, focus and an uplifted mood. When we start compromising these simple components, our body system tries to compensate in other, more depleting ways, resulting in low energy and an increase in sugar, fat and simple carb cravings.
In matters of the heart, when we stop speaking what we are truly feeling; when we stuff it all in; when we stop asking for the love we need and the touch we desire, we look to those imbalanced foods to fill the unfulfilled spaces.
As my dear friend Jessica said to me this morning, "It's always so much more profoundly healthy to say how we really feel than let the "elephant" sit in the living room unidentified." When we actually share the "unspeakable," a huge weight is lifted off of us, and the freedom we feel in our bodies takes the place of the food we were craving.
Take a moment for a self-check-in: Are you eating mindfully, drinking fully, sleeping deeply and speaking wholly?
Breakfast:
Fruit Elixir with water, frozen wild blueberries and banana
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola
Lunch: at The Stand, Norwalk, CT:
1 1/2 fresh green juices with kale, collards, cuke, celery and apple
1/2 hummus avocado wrap in collard with raw almond hummus, tomato avo and sprouts
1/2 curried collard wrap with curry almond pate, red peppers, avo and sprouts
Dinner: at One Lucky Duck Takeaway, NYC!: Shared with my friend Lori
Taco salad: Romaine, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing......aaooaoaoowwwwowowowo
rawsagna: Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna: Sun-dried tomato sauce, pistachio basil pesto, pignoli ricotta
Desserts:
Moonpie
Malamar - just think of these childhood desserts a la raw; deep, dark chocolate, cream and bliss
1/2 pint of raw oreo ice cream
complete contentment!
Today's Food:
Breakfast/Lunch:
Amazing fresh raw goat cheese from Amish land gifted to me (thank you, Josef!). This cheese rocks!
Nuts Online Pink Salt & Cracked Pepper Mixed Nuts & Seeds
Fruit Elixir with frozen wild blueberries and banana
Snacks:
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola
Nuts Online Rosemary Garlic Pistachios & Almonds
32 ounces water
Dinner:
Salad with mixed lettuces, spinach and arugula, yam, beet, carrot and parsnip (from Genesis Farm); with sprouts, dulse, nutritional yeast and sea salt
Dessert:
1/2 pint Vanilla Almond Buttercup raw ice cream from One Lucky Duck Takeaway
Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? Are you speaking your truth?
Most often, when we have food cravings, it is from an imbalance in our body system. Our body system is our whole physical body, including our blood sugar, which frequently becomes imbalanced by the foods we consume; it is our emotion/psyche body, which tilts off balance when matters of the heart create deep, intense feeling in us; it is the energy body, when old cellular memory floods the chakra system and elicits conditioned responses from long ago and far away; and it is the spirit body, when our connection to our Divine Source becomes unraveled.
On the physical end, we always need to look first at the primary components of daily health; food, water and rest. Our food should be primarily plant-based, laying low on sugars, flours, dairy, alchohol and caffeine. Our water should try to come close to half of our body weight in ounces. Our sleep should equal the amount you know you need to give you energy, focus and an uplifted mood. When we start compromising these simple components, our body system tries to compensate in other, more depleting ways, resulting in low energy and an increase in sugar, fat and simple carb cravings.
In matters of the heart, when we stop speaking what we are truly feeling; when we stuff it all in; when we stop asking for the love we need and the touch we desire, we look to those imbalanced foods to fill the unfulfilled spaces.
As my dear friend Jessica said to me this morning, "It's always so much more profoundly healthy to say how we really feel than let the "elephant" sit in the living room unidentified." When we actually share the "unspeakable," a huge weight is lifted off of us, and the freedom we feel in our bodies takes the place of the food we were craving.
Take a moment for a self-check-in: Are you eating mindfully, drinking fully, sleeping deeply and speaking wholly?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Are You Eating with the Seasons?
Food For a Few Days:
Friday:
Breakfast:
1/2 ripe luscious cantelope
Juice: 10 leaves red chard, parsley, mint, 4 carrots, 1/3 cuke and apple!
Lunch:
Foods Alive Italian crackers
Snacks:
Container raw kale and cabbage salad
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Dinner with Girlfriends at Palma, 28 Cornelia Street, NYC - This restaurant is just like being in Paris with the food of Italy. We ate in the garden under the night sky. If you have an event, you can book the farmhouse for a private table:
Fabulous Italian bread with eggplant olive 'caponata'
2 glasses extraordinary red wine
appetizer of Arancini: hand rolled rice (risotto) balls filled with formagi misti fried to a golden crust
entree of fettuccine ai funghi; homemade fettuccine pasta with wild mushrooms and truffle pate
Dessert:
Around the block for fabulous Greek gelatto at "Cones"; Dulce de Leche and Zabaglione
An altogether exceptional meal
12 ounces water
Saturday: traveling to my friend's lake house
Breakfast:
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Lunch: at the house
Salad with Mizuna greens, mixed sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, mustard greens, 1/2 avo and pecans with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
extra pecans
Snack:
Co-licking the batter for 2 Strawberry Cream Pies and teaching my friend Idele how to make raw pie; we had a bliss time!
Cocktail:
Raw Cacao elixir with fresh Thai coconut, raw crunchy almond butter, cacao, banana and agave; with a shot of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum! (oops); consumed out on the deck overlooking the lake
Dinner: (non raw)
Macro meal (guiding my friend into shifting into a macro and raw combo lifestyle):
Yummy barley cooked with hijiki, with olive oil, raw tahini and a dash of sea salt
Stir Fry of purple kale, Mizuna greens, carrots, onion, mixed mycopedia of mushrooms, fresh ginger root, tempeh and cashews with olive oil, Bragg's, tumeric and Herbs de Provence
Sunday:
No Breakfast
Lunch/Snacks:
1 ripe mango
32 ounces water
2 carrots dipped in sunflower seed pate with soaked sunflower seeds, mixed vege juice 'poop', soaked sundried tomatoes and water, cayenne, olive oil, nutritional yeast, dulse, Bragg's, apple cider vinegar and sea salt
2 magnificent pieces of Strawberry Cream Pie out on the deck
handful of cashews
Dinner: at Fratelli's, Branchville, NJ (non raw)
2 pieces garlic bread with bruscetta tomato
salad with lettuce, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and 1 cube mozarella
Entree of sauteed:
escarole, broccoli, broccoli rabe and mushrooms in garlic and olive oil
Monday:
Breakfast:
5 strawberries
16 ounces water
2 teaspoons raw crunchy almond butter
Morning elixir with water, cacao, banana, raspeberries, shredded coconut, raw crunchy almond butter and agave - made really well by Idele! who will be receiving her own Vitamix next week.
Snacks:
1/2 small bag of unsulphured apricots
3/4 bag of Kaia Food Raw Buckwheat Granola - delicious and a new discovery
Dinner:
Rockin' guacamole with avos, tomatoe, garlic, onion, lemon, cayenne, hot sauce and seal salt
Salad with mixed lettuces, cuke, mixed sprouts, carrot, red pepper, with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
24 ounces water
Dessert:
Strawberry Cream Pie
Tuesday:
Breakfast:
16 ounces lemon water
Small leftover guac and salad
Lunch: traveling back home
Small amount of Kaia Food Raw Buckwheat Granola
Snacks:
2 handfuls cashews
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Dinner:
From the amazing Genesis organic biodynamic farm in Blairstown, NJ - just picked CSA veges: Check out the farm and learning center:
http://www.genesisfarm.org/
Mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato (yes, delicious sliced in rounds raw), carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt - Yeaowwwwwww!!!! Nothing like just-picked pure veges
16 ounces water
Dessert:
3 rolled dates in coconut
Wednesday:
Breakfast:
1 luscious mango
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
A few Foods Alive Italian flax crackers with raw sunflower pate from the weekend
Snacks:
Lori's frozen Banana Cream Pie!!!, Lori's Chocolate Pudding, Lori's Almond Balls! I was gifted with all of these from Lori. How could I not eat them :)
Dinner:
Salad of mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato, carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Thursday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Smoothie of water, frozen mixed berries and banana
Lunch:
Foods Alive flax crackers with more sunflower paet from the weekend
Snack:
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
32 ounces water
Dinner:
Salad of mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato, carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
High Country Kombucha Wild Root drink with Organic Nectars Vanilla ice cream dropped in the glass: Thank you thank you to the amazing guy who was demo-ing this drink at Mrs. Green's. We spoke about being raw, and he told me that putting some raw vanilla ice cream in the kombucha makes it taste like a rootbeer float! Not only that, he gifted me a bottle of it! Much gratitude for this rockin' drink!
So, I missed 'being' with all of you on my blog. It's good to see some loved ones exploring more raw food and getting excited about it. Not to go back to the 'Elimination Conversation' one more time, but it's great when friends go raw and notice how radically different their pooping habits are; going from once a day to three, four or five times a day means a healthy colon!
Summer fruits are emerging; getting to eat my first cantelopes and mangoes. Pretty soon is my favorite; pure organic watermelon. So, I'll tell you in advance: Seedless watermelon is NOT a good thing. The melon needs to be genetically modified to eliminate its natural birthright of seeding. Remember when you were a child and would spit watermelon seeds at your friends??? Remember Sunday afternoons eating watermelon and feeling the juices drip down your chin? Remember the texture of the black seeds?
One of the managers of Mrs. Green's once told me that people find it too tiresome to eat seeds and request seedless! There they always get me my seeded (or normal) watermelons. I buy big whole ones and eat luscious chunks for breakfast in the Summer. It's my absolute favorite fruit experience; mangoes and Green Gage Plums (which come out in September, and are near and dear to me from childhood memories of my mom buying them for me) come second. Of course, I love a juicy nectarine, peach or plum, too; but we're not quite there, yet. Be patient and enjoy the fruits of the season, just as our evolutionary brothers and sisters, the apes and monkeys, did. They only ate what grew at the time.
Please write in and share any childhood memories of Summer fruits...
Friday:
Breakfast:
1/2 ripe luscious cantelope
Juice: 10 leaves red chard, parsley, mint, 4 carrots, 1/3 cuke and apple!
Lunch:
Foods Alive Italian crackers
Snacks:
Container raw kale and cabbage salad
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Dinner with Girlfriends at Palma, 28 Cornelia Street, NYC - This restaurant is just like being in Paris with the food of Italy. We ate in the garden under the night sky. If you have an event, you can book the farmhouse for a private table:
Fabulous Italian bread with eggplant olive 'caponata'
2 glasses extraordinary red wine
appetizer of Arancini: hand rolled rice (risotto) balls filled with formagi misti fried to a golden crust
entree of fettuccine ai funghi; homemade fettuccine pasta with wild mushrooms and truffle pate
Dessert:
Around the block for fabulous Greek gelatto at "Cones"; Dulce de Leche and Zabaglione
An altogether exceptional meal
12 ounces water
Saturday: traveling to my friend's lake house
Breakfast:
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Lunch: at the house
Salad with Mizuna greens, mixed sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, mustard greens, 1/2 avo and pecans with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
extra pecans
Snack:
Co-licking the batter for 2 Strawberry Cream Pies and teaching my friend Idele how to make raw pie; we had a bliss time!
Cocktail:
Raw Cacao elixir with fresh Thai coconut, raw crunchy almond butter, cacao, banana and agave; with a shot of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum! (oops); consumed out on the deck overlooking the lake
Dinner: (non raw)
Macro meal (guiding my friend into shifting into a macro and raw combo lifestyle):
Yummy barley cooked with hijiki, with olive oil, raw tahini and a dash of sea salt
Stir Fry of purple kale, Mizuna greens, carrots, onion, mixed mycopedia of mushrooms, fresh ginger root, tempeh and cashews with olive oil, Bragg's, tumeric and Herbs de Provence
Sunday:
No Breakfast
Lunch/Snacks:
1 ripe mango
32 ounces water
2 carrots dipped in sunflower seed pate with soaked sunflower seeds, mixed vege juice 'poop', soaked sundried tomatoes and water, cayenne, olive oil, nutritional yeast, dulse, Bragg's, apple cider vinegar and sea salt
2 magnificent pieces of Strawberry Cream Pie out on the deck
handful of cashews
Dinner: at Fratelli's, Branchville, NJ (non raw)
2 pieces garlic bread with bruscetta tomato
salad with lettuce, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and 1 cube mozarella
Entree of sauteed:
escarole, broccoli, broccoli rabe and mushrooms in garlic and olive oil
Monday:
Breakfast:
5 strawberries
16 ounces water
2 teaspoons raw crunchy almond butter
Morning elixir with water, cacao, banana, raspeberries, shredded coconut, raw crunchy almond butter and agave - made really well by Idele! who will be receiving her own Vitamix next week.
Snacks:
1/2 small bag of unsulphured apricots
3/4 bag of Kaia Food Raw Buckwheat Granola - delicious and a new discovery
Dinner:
Rockin' guacamole with avos, tomatoe, garlic, onion, lemon, cayenne, hot sauce and seal salt
Salad with mixed lettuces, cuke, mixed sprouts, carrot, red pepper, with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
24 ounces water
Dessert:
Strawberry Cream Pie
Tuesday:
Breakfast:
16 ounces lemon water
Small leftover guac and salad
Lunch: traveling back home
Small amount of Kaia Food Raw Buckwheat Granola
Snacks:
2 handfuls cashews
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
Dinner:
From the amazing Genesis organic biodynamic farm in Blairstown, NJ - just picked CSA veges: Check out the farm and learning center:
http://www.genesisfarm.org/
Mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato (yes, delicious sliced in rounds raw), carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt - Yeaowwwwwww!!!! Nothing like just-picked pure veges
16 ounces water
Dessert:
3 rolled dates in coconut
Wednesday:
Breakfast:
1 luscious mango
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
A few Foods Alive Italian flax crackers with raw sunflower pate from the weekend
Snacks:
Lori's frozen Banana Cream Pie!!!, Lori's Chocolate Pudding, Lori's Almond Balls! I was gifted with all of these from Lori. How could I not eat them :)
Dinner:
Salad of mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato, carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Thursday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Smoothie of water, frozen mixed berries and banana
Lunch:
Foods Alive flax crackers with more sunflower paet from the weekend
Snack:
Raw Revolution chocolate hazelnut bar
32 ounces water
Dinner:
Salad of mixed lettuces and arugula, sweet potato, carrot, Walla Walla (onion) with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
High Country Kombucha Wild Root drink with Organic Nectars Vanilla ice cream dropped in the glass: Thank you thank you to the amazing guy who was demo-ing this drink at Mrs. Green's. We spoke about being raw, and he told me that putting some raw vanilla ice cream in the kombucha makes it taste like a rootbeer float! Not only that, he gifted me a bottle of it! Much gratitude for this rockin' drink!
So, I missed 'being' with all of you on my blog. It's good to see some loved ones exploring more raw food and getting excited about it. Not to go back to the 'Elimination Conversation' one more time, but it's great when friends go raw and notice how radically different their pooping habits are; going from once a day to three, four or five times a day means a healthy colon!
Summer fruits are emerging; getting to eat my first cantelopes and mangoes. Pretty soon is my favorite; pure organic watermelon. So, I'll tell you in advance: Seedless watermelon is NOT a good thing. The melon needs to be genetically modified to eliminate its natural birthright of seeding. Remember when you were a child and would spit watermelon seeds at your friends??? Remember Sunday afternoons eating watermelon and feeling the juices drip down your chin? Remember the texture of the black seeds?
One of the managers of Mrs. Green's once told me that people find it too tiresome to eat seeds and request seedless! There they always get me my seeded (or normal) watermelons. I buy big whole ones and eat luscious chunks for breakfast in the Summer. It's my absolute favorite fruit experience; mangoes and Green Gage Plums (which come out in September, and are near and dear to me from childhood memories of my mom buying them for me) come second. Of course, I love a juicy nectarine, peach or plum, too; but we're not quite there, yet. Be patient and enjoy the fruits of the season, just as our evolutionary brothers and sisters, the apes and monkeys, did. They only ate what grew at the time.
Please write in and share any childhood memories of Summer fruits...
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Go Goofy for Leafies
Today's Food:
Breakfast:
1 bag Living Nutz Mayan Chili Pistachios
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
1/2 really ripe and luscious large cantelope
Snack:
1 RawRevolution Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Dinner:
Salad with romaine, pea shoot sprouts, carrot, daikon, kalamata olives and mushrooms with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and sea salt
Dessert:
Last tiny slivers of Strawberry Cream Pie and Chocolate Buttercup Mousse Pie (AKA Divine Goddess Bliss Pie)
Just a note that I will be away and without Internet for a few days, so I will resume posting on T.H.E. Blog on Wednesday night.
Are you eating leafy greens?
Throughout the years, clients would come to me saying that they ate alot of vegetables. As it turns out, what they meant was that they ate a salad every night, usually consisting of lettuce, cuke, carrot and maybe one or two more veges. My next question was usually: "How about other vegetables with your meal?" followed by: "Do you eat any leafy greens?" Often the answer to the latter questions was, "What's a leafy green?" It was then that I would explain this category, and that it is the highest vege group for offering our bodies oxygen and chlorophyl, the basic sources of life; that it is known as the vege group that most boosts our immune system because of this; that because these greens are sprouting upward, they also offer us high energy, and are especially good if one tends to suffer from fatigue; that you want to eat them every day; and that yes, you can also eat them steamed for breakfast (drizzled with a little tahini and Bragg's Amino Acids) to start your day with some get-up-and-go. Leafy greens also contain large amounts of iron and calcium. Just to mention their names one more time, this category includes: kale, chard, collards, spinach, dandelion, mizuma, Tsat Tsoi and the numerous array of Summer farmers market leafies. Arugula and Watercress are a little different but still powerful in their own right. Do try and buy some that I mentioned with the nice big leaves. If you are eating too much bread, wrap your lunchtime hummus, tuna or turkey in a large collard leaf; you can rub some Bragg's over that to tenderize it as well, and even stuff in some avocado and sprouts.
Just this change will bring you energy and cut down on the carbs from bread. All greens have protein as well.
Are you eating enough leafies? What's your favorite recipe? Write in and let me know...
Breakfast:
1 bag Living Nutz Mayan Chili Pistachios
32 ounces lemon water
Lunch:
1/2 really ripe and luscious large cantelope
Snack:
1 RawRevolution Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Dinner:
Salad with romaine, pea shoot sprouts, carrot, daikon, kalamata olives and mushrooms with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and sea salt
Dessert:
Last tiny slivers of Strawberry Cream Pie and Chocolate Buttercup Mousse Pie (AKA Divine Goddess Bliss Pie)
Just a note that I will be away and without Internet for a few days, so I will resume posting on T.H.E. Blog on Wednesday night.
Are you eating leafy greens?
Throughout the years, clients would come to me saying that they ate alot of vegetables. As it turns out, what they meant was that they ate a salad every night, usually consisting of lettuce, cuke, carrot and maybe one or two more veges. My next question was usually: "How about other vegetables with your meal?" followed by: "Do you eat any leafy greens?" Often the answer to the latter questions was, "What's a leafy green?" It was then that I would explain this category, and that it is the highest vege group for offering our bodies oxygen and chlorophyl, the basic sources of life; that it is known as the vege group that most boosts our immune system because of this; that because these greens are sprouting upward, they also offer us high energy, and are especially good if one tends to suffer from fatigue; that you want to eat them every day; and that yes, you can also eat them steamed for breakfast (drizzled with a little tahini and Bragg's Amino Acids) to start your day with some get-up-and-go. Leafy greens also contain large amounts of iron and calcium. Just to mention their names one more time, this category includes: kale, chard, collards, spinach, dandelion, mizuma, Tsat Tsoi and the numerous array of Summer farmers market leafies. Arugula and Watercress are a little different but still powerful in their own right. Do try and buy some that I mentioned with the nice big leaves. If you are eating too much bread, wrap your lunchtime hummus, tuna or turkey in a large collard leaf; you can rub some Bragg's over that to tenderize it as well, and even stuff in some avocado and sprouts.
Just this change will bring you energy and cut down on the carbs from bread. All greens have protein as well.
Are you eating enough leafies? What's your favorite recipe? Write in and let me know...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
You Can Poop Out!
Lori's "Big Ass" Green Smoothie
Lori's Chocolate Pudding
This journey Lori is taking reminds me of the story Matt Amsden tells in his book "RawVolution." One night, on his way home from the late shift at work, he was listening to Howard Stern on the radio. Howard had David Wolfe on as a guest. After listening to David, Matt went all raw and never looked back, eventually opening restaurants and writing a book.
Sometimes raw just fits like a juice.
Today's Food:
Breakfast:
32 ounces lemon water
Snack:
1 bag Living Nutz Cheesy Almonds
Lunch: At the blissful "Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe" in Fairfield, CT; owners Glen Colello and Lisa Storch; Lisa and Glen are beautiful friends who offer beautiful food, classes, lectures, and inspiration.
"Platter" with raw: 'crab cake' with olives and citrus, hummus, 'refried' beans, guacamole and salsa; with flax crackers
Sesame kelp noodles with almond butter, sesame seeds and ginger lime (and more)
Dessert:
2 solid chocolate cups
Dinner:
The remainder of yesterday's pate made with soaked sunflower seeds, mixed vege "poop", nutritional yeast, olive oil, dulse flakes and sea salt
with cut up carrots
Just a reminder on healthy elimination. Lori reminded me of this topic when she mentioned today that she is pooping alot. I said, "Great, that's the way it's supposed to be; meal in, meal out 20 minutes later (or sometimes sooner). It's normal to have 3, 4, 5 or 6 poops a day! Yes, that's true, and I often do (no pun). It is not healthy to be pooping only once a day or once every couple of days. Your system is then clogging up and holding on to too much waste, or fecal matter. This means something in your food is off balance; usually too many acid-based foods that are not digesting and assimilating well.
That means it is time to reduce your animal protein, white flour, white sugar, dairy, caffeine, alchohol and salt, and start increasing your plant-based protein, leafy greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach, dandelion greens...), cruciferous veges (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts), nuts, seeds and fruit.
If your poops are not firm, a good size and easy to produce, then take some psyllium seed powder for a couple of weeks.
Please write in with any additional questions about this topic.
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