I'm Still Alive!!!

Yes, I'm still here! I know several of you thought I just abandoned my blog, but I'm back...slowly but surely! Thank you so much for all of your emails and notes of encouragement!! Mom is doing much better and we're so glad she's still on her road to recovery! It seems the body has its own idea of how long that recovery time will be, so we're hanging in there with it.

The raw food program...well...it's an awesome way to eat and I can see soooooo many benefits to living this way, but for me it wasn't a complete fit. I'm an Irish/German girl and I love my meat and potatoes so cooked foods are back on the menu, but in moderation.

I'll keep you posted on how things go!

The Raw Food Journey...

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since my kitchen has gone 100% raw. I will have to admit I started out okay, but faded off at the end of the first week. I have a tendency to like snacky things when stressed and the last couple of weeks have been really busy and very stressful so chips and soda made their way back in. But that was the past, and today is a new day!

The dehydrator I ordered arrived today and I'm already making things to help with the munchies. I'm making flax seed crackers, salt and vinegar potato chips and lemon poppy seed cookies...awesome!! That will cover any craving that might pop up! The crackers are awesome with salsa or a slice of nut cheese.

The key to staying on this program is being prepared and having things that you can just grab quickly. Try to think out of the box. When you've eaten the same way for so long, you tend to gravitate to the same old things. When I think of a raw-only salad my mind automatically snaps to the traditional lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, onions and nuts, or maybe an apple and walnut salad but there's so much more! It's just becoming more mindful of options and trying something different instead of sticking with the tried-and-trues.

This is a week of new recipes. I wanted to make things as easy as possible when I started out, but quickly realized variety is going to be very important for me. So I found some neat meals to try...tomorrow it's gazpacho (never been a fan of cold soup, but this sounds pretty good so I'm game), then raw ravioli for Friday and I found a great kim-chi recipe that might just become a staple in my ice-box!!

Getting connected will also help keep you on track. It's so much better when you do things with others. My Mom and I have a friend who is thinking of joining us on this journey as well as a cousin who seems pretty excited about this! I've joined a raw food group at our local Earth Fare (natural grocery store/food co-op) and can't wait to learn from others who are eating this same way! Community is a great thing! Be well...

Cleaning Out the Kitchen...

Okay...it's official. My house is 100% totally raw! Yes! Today I spent time getting rid of anything that won't fit in the new eating plan. I always keep my pantry stocked with organic goodies, but after clearing out all that stuff I have TONS of space!! My kitchen is small and it's always been frustrating not having enough storage space. But no more! And since I no longer use the stove or microwave they have now become "storage cabinets" too!

A good portion of my diet has been raw for a little while now, but cheese and soda are my two weaknesses so I haven't technically started the 100% raw diet until today. I mainly drink filtered water, but once in a while Dr. Pepper calls and I just have to answer! But he's out of my system and I'm ready to commit!

I've been reading Alissa's book over and over again and the recipes are awesome! I've started by keeping things simple, but will be adding more recipes as I go. I really think this is going to be the first eating plan I continue! I don't crave food like I used to and don't really think about it much either. If I'm hungry, I eat. I've also noticed that stuffed, bloated feeling after eating isn't there anymore and sleeping is much better at night...I'm actually sleeping!

Will keep you posted!

Raw Food Diet

Well, Alissa Cohen's book arrived! It didn't take very long to get here, but let me tell you...it's one HEAVY book! Thank goodness for free shipping!

I am so excited about beginning this new plan and have already plowed through 150 pages. This is more about preparing myself mentally than anything else and so far so good. I love most of the recipes and the idea of being able to eat whatever you want without counting calories is a blessing. Really listening to your body and allowing intuition to kick in is the key. The more I read, the more I like. We'll see....I'll keep you posted.

Weight Loss and the New Year...

Mighty fine in 2009!! That's my motto for this year. After so much change in our family and within my own life, focusing on health always seems to be pushed on the back burner. But after Mom's health scare and a focus on trying to get her better, she's lost close to 70 pounds and only a few pounds away from the weight she was in college!! Now, I wouldn't want to do it the way she did, but it's helped me to see there are more important things than eating a pint of rocky road in one sitting!!

Food has always been a comfort for me, especially in chaotic times. I put on a considerable amount of weight over the years while helping to care for my Grandmother and just never took the time for myself to change the old habits.

But no more!!! This is a new year! A new day! I've eaten organic for quite some time and thought the next step would be to begin a holistic eating plan. But I found myself becoming more food obsessed than ever before. The plan required measuring everything, eating certain foods on certain days, and eating at least 5 to 6 times a day! I understand the theory behind each step, but it became too cumbersome and overwhelming. So once again I gave up.

Then I came across several blogs discussing the benefits of a raw diet. One in particular that helped begin my search was Sara's blog Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. She's such an awesome nature mama and so inspirational! Her blog has a wealth of info and I recommend you stop by her site!

Another site I happened upon belongs to Alissa Cohen. After reading part of her book online, we seemed to have the same type of experience toward food so I thought I'd give it a try and ordered it! I'll let you know how things go, how I get started and my progress. Here's to a new year and a new lifestyle!!!