Food Fog

RawFu Challenge - Day 22

Monday, 31 August 2009

I’m still in a sleep-deprived fog after a week or so of various problems getting or saying asleep. So, I’m working on better sleep this week. I’m feeling overwhelmed with our schedule, and trying to find ways to simplify. But, with homeschooling three kids and a multitude of different activities and interests, there’s not much to do but brace myself for the ride.

I’m feeling so tired, I just don’t feel like myself… I’m going to stop writing now and go to bed.

Today’s Green Smoothie: 2 bunches rainbow chard, 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 frozen banana, a few chunks of frozen cantaloupe & water.

Other stuff I ate… a couple peaches, a banana, salad with hemp oil, salt & pepper, a few sips of Darren’s chocolate/banana smoothie, a few dried figs, a handful of sunflower seeds and gogi berries… a cup of organic decaf coffee with almond milk… more salad… Resuming normal digestion…

Raw Spirit Weekend

Sunday, 30 August 2009

The forecast called for heavy rain and thundershowers all weekend. So, we packed umbrellas and extra clothes, expecting to get wet during our trip down to the Raw Spirit Festival in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Well, after about five hours of wandering around the grounds in the sweltering sun, rain would have been welcomed, and our umbrellas were a meager means of creating some shade.

Nonetheless, the festival was awesome! I loved checking out all the info and vendors, and talking with other people interested in the raw food lifestyle. But, as the day went on, it became apparent that the kids, especially, Zofia, would not withstand another day of festivities, and we decided to cancel our hotel reservation, and head home early. Still, we’re so glad we went to check things out, and next time we’ll go better prepared with our own comfy lawn chairs, a tent for camping, blankets to lie on and hopefully, a cheerier three year-old, in place of this year’s overheated, cranky toddler. Darren and I could have hung out all day, listening to the lectures and relaxing, but the kids got hot and tired, and we decided to call it a wrap.

During our day there, we gorged on raw goodies. Though the divergence from my normally more simple routine has left me with a bit of digestive discomfort today, it was worth it! Of course, a lot of the food was considered gourmet raw food, and heavy on the nuts and seeds, which I usually only use as a condiment. We sampled raw tiramisu, kelp noodles with cashew pesto, a raw taco, sprouted rice salad, raw chocolate chip cookies, cauliflower “popcorn” with curry dipping sauce, and strawberry cobbler. But, because of the high nut content, there was not much Joe could eat because of his allergies. Thankfully, there was a lovely farmer’s market stand there, and he enjoyed a nice selection of fresh organic fruit. We also picked up a ton of goodies from Natural Zing! I generally order through our buying club at wholesale prices, but having it all there was great, and I couldn’t resist getting some things. Considering Joe’s food choices were limited, I let him load up Natural Zing products to which he wasn’t allergic. He loved the Italian flavored flax crackers, and got some great dried mango, goji berries and coconut chocolate truffles.

After a day of raw indulgence, however, both Darren and I were happy to have our regular green smoothie and a nice big salad today. And, along that train of thought, it was interesting to hear all the slight differences in opinion amongst many of the presenters at the festival. I think the general consensus is that an optimal raw food diet should be high in greens, but then there is some debate as to the role of fruits, grains, oils, and other issues, such as food combining. All of which, gives us further food for thought… pun intended!

Because our attention was scattered with the kids, we only listened to bits and pieces of some of the lectures. We caught the tail end of Dr. Brian Clement’s talk about his programs at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. He had some interesting opinions, and made me pause for thought on several topics, including fruit consumption, sprouting and blended greens.

I also enjoyed Dr. Shawn Miller’s talk about setting personal goals, and how when we break a promise to ourselves, we are actually creating a distrust of our own abilities, and consequently, diminishing the life experience we could have. He spoke with Dr. David Carmos, with whom he teaches courses. Dr. Carmos is almost 70, and bravely sported a Speedo during a yoga demo, displaying a body that is obviously withstanding the test of time better than many.

After that, I got to briefly hear some of Phillip McCluskey’s talk about his “recovery” from obesity and experiences with a raw food lifestyle. He has lost 200 pounds on a raw/living food diet over the period of several years, but noted that most of the transformations that came about due to this change in lifestyle had less to do with the physical changes and more to do with the emotional and spiritual ones. I’ve watched some of his YouTube videos before, and found his talk to be relatable and inspiring.

So, we continue on with our “RawFu Challenge,” more challenged by the extraneous stuff of life, than the food which we eat. I loved hearing the opinions of those who have been living a raw lifestyle for a long time, and the opportunity to learn from their experiences. I’m happy to slowly adapt my lifestyle based on what I know to be best for me at the moment, and what makes me feel good. We’re so fortunate to have access to such wonderful resources and great foods. I find the raw food movement to be an exciting way to connect with others interested in putting forth their best energy into the world, as well. Of course, within every “movement” there are capitalistic opportunities, passionate debates, and overzealous proponents, but that makes it more interesting. It is also a reminder that, first and foremost, our own intuition is out best guide towards finding balance in this life, and raw natural food is undoubtedly a great foundation to build upon.

I put a lot of thought and planning into getting us going this weekend, and was a little disappointed at the realization that relaxing and indulging in self-pursuits with a toddler along was going to be a challenge. Nonetheless, we had a great time, and hope we can make it an annual tradition. As this weekend of “raw spirit” comes to a close, Darren, Flo and Joe are out in a tent in our backyard enjoying their first backyard campout. Darren set up an old Canadian Army tent and they spent awhile reading a story and drifting off under the stars. I’m curious to see if they make it all night… it’s getting a bit chilly. But, it’s the perfect ending to a fun family weekend.

RawFu Challenge - Day 19

Friday, 28 August 2009

Chocolate Cashew "Milk" Shake

My goal today was to not spend any money on food. Too often, we pop into the grocery store to buy some extra fruit, a couple bottles of Kombucha, or an allergen-free snack for Joe. The typical stop can cost anywhere from $30 to $50, so I consciously decided to make it an “eat what we already have day.” The kids had the last of the gluten-free rice cereal with hemp milk for breakfast, and I soaked some chia seeds in almond milk with dried apricots for Darren and me. We had green smoothies, more salads, and the kids had leftover Brussels sprouts and brown rice, gluten-free wrap bread with pumpkin seed butter and jelly, and some nectarines. Later in the evening, I had a bowl of my granola with almond milk and bananas. And, my neighbor got me thinking about chocolate milk shakes, so I decided a chilly chocolate beverage would hit the spot. Flo, Darren and I enjoyed sharing a yummy chocolate cashew “milk” shake. So, all in all, it was a pretty satisfying day at no additional expense. Gotta’ love that!

Nummy Nola Granola

So, I’m off to pack for tomorrow’s overnight adventure to the Raw Spirit Festival. It seems a fitting destination during our 100 Day Raw Food Challenge! Even if we get rained on all weekend, I’m looking forward to the departure from my normal routine, and just a chance to get away, however briefly.

Today’s Green Smoothie: 1 bunch of rainbow chard, 1 apple, 2 cups frozen cantaloupe, 2 frozen bananas & water.

Chocolate Cashew “Milk” Shake: 3 cups water, 1 cup soaked raw cashews, 3 soaked Medjool dates, squirt of agave nectar (optional… I was all out), 1 tbsp coconut butter, 1 tsp raw vanilla powder, 4 tbsp cacao powder… blend up… then add four frozen bananas… blend until thick and creamy. Not a low fat beverage, but very indulgent! Lish!

RawFu Challenge - Day 18

Thursday, 27 August 2009

Today’s food profile looks pretty much like the last few days… I generally drink my green smoothie in the late morning and just nibble on fruit into the early afternoon, and in the late afternoon I have some greens and whatever else I can put together. I’m finding myself hungrier earlier in the day, though, so I think I need to mix up the routine a bit, and add a little protein or something to the morning. Chia seeds are my favorite lately, but I get busy and forget to soak them awhile before I’m actually starving! That whole pre-planning thing still eludes me.

Joe had his homeschooling buddy, Jayme, overnight last night, and Flo spend the night with Jayme’s sister, Alicia. Jayme and Joe were great, and got to bed before midnight. Zofia, had a tummy ache last night, I think, and kept me awake flailing around and screaming all night. She had a bowl of popcorn with coconut oil and sea salt before bed. I’m hoping she doesn’t have a corn allergy. Ugh. Nonetheless, I started the day with a bit of a handicap with less than five hour sleep. Ugh, I hate that! Today was our homeschool group’s book sale, and I just had enough energy to get there, stay a bit, and retrieve Flo, who returned home in a foul mood.

After enduring a couple hours of Flo’s post-sleepover meltdown, and Joe’s constant pestering of his sister in her fragile state, I woke Darren up from his Thursday nap (he went to DC at 4am), and informed him that he had to watch Zofia and Joe for a bit, because I was going for a walk. I took Flo along, thinking I’d completely wear her out with some exercise. We walked for two hours, then decided we weren’t making progress towards any specific destination, so we might as well call Darren and have him come get us.

Walking is great. I marvel at moms that do more intense workouts when their kids are little. Walking just requires putting one foot in front of the other… literally… I can keep a good pace and just zone out… It’s as close to meditation as I get these days. Some days, I feel like I’m just scheduling in a 30 minute race around the neighborhood, but most days, I enjoy my jaunt around the local streets or perched on my treadmill with DVR remote in hand.

Nonetheless, I look forward to a time when I have the energy to vary my workouts a bit, and maybe add some strength training. As my weight has gone down, I feel better, but definitely like I could use some toning and strength building to get to the next level of fitness. So, I’ll look into some doable options, but no energy for much change right now.

We’re heading to the DC Raw Spirit Festival in Upper Marlboro, Maryland this weekend. Unfortunately, the forecast shows thunder storms all weekend, and it’s an outdoor event. I’m being optimistic, but pushing a stroller around, heavy rain might make the experience a bit daunting. But, we’re excited to go, and will just give it our best effort.

Today’s Green Smoothie: 1 bunch of rainbow chard, 1 apple, 1 sad looking pear, 2 frozen bananas & water.

RawFu Challenge - Day 17

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

The plan today was to spend time organizing our books for a homeschooling book sale tomorrow. Instead, we got a late start, did a little tidying up, hung out with Grandma for awhile, going to the consignment shop and to the music store to sign Flo up for guitar lessons for the Fall. By the time we got back, I had time to make a quick dinner, and head out to drop Flo off at a friend’s house for an overnight.

So, I’ve spent the last hour digging through my bookshelves, seeing if there’s anything worthy of passing on to our fellow homeschoolers. I guess I do a pretty good job of clearing things out every so often, because I don’t have a lot to get rid of. I did find a 1980’s copy of the book, Fit for Life, that I inherited years ago when sorting though my father’s belongings after he passed away. Inside were a bunch of clippings from newspapers disputing the validity of the book and the credentials of the author. I find it amusing that my hunting, fishing, raw milk drinking, meat eating father would have pondered the content of this book, that back in the 1980’s, posed the possibility that humans actually don’t need to consume dairy or eat large quantities of animal protein to be healthy. This, back then, obviously sparked a fair amount of controversy, and may have been a catalyst for a change in our perception of nutrition… or maybe not… After all, McDonald’s still turns a hefty profit, Dairy Queen still gathers quite a crowd on the weekends, and I think the steak houses in my town do more business than the tiny health food store

Nonetheless, it made me think… both about my dad… and my history with food and the path on which I find myself today. I’m thankful to live in a time with so many options and possibilities. In some ways, it seems one’s dietary path is akin to a spiritual journey; we have a plethora of doctrines and dogmas about food, but only a lifetime to use the tools we learn through experience to ultimately form who we are.

Sorry… getting way too deep there… Calling it a day!

Today's Green Smoothie: The last head of escarole!!!! 1 apple, 2 cups frozen watermelon, 1 frozen banana & water.

RawFu Challenge - Day 16

Tuesday, 25 August 2009

Produce Co-op Day

Our organic produce delivery was today, so at least I’m well stocked with greens. I have nine bunches of rainbow chard. I also got watermelon, cantaloupe, blackberries, raspberries and bi-color corn. We ate a few pints of berries while I was sorting the produce, and some of the melon, while I was chopping it up, but I froze most of the rest for smoothies. For dinner, we had salads, and stuck a few ears of corn in the dehydrator for a half and hour to warm them up, then rolled them in olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Yummo! I had three ears! Dessert was just a few figs with Brazil nuts stick in them, and a cup of decaf organic coffee with almond milk.

Sweet Raw Corn

It was a long day, with a lot of standing on my feet, so I don’t have much to reflect upon, other than the fact that I’m really tired, and my eye is swollen and bothering me. I’m in desperate need of rest, but Zofia’s been sleeping for the past two hours (from 6 to 8pm), so I’m not sure how my night is going to go. At least I got out for a walk while she was snoozing. But, now I’m typing this while balancing a tea bag on my eye (it’s supposed to help), and Zofia is trying to press keys on the keyboard. So, time for deep contemplation is obviously not going to happen today. Off to try to relax!

Today’s Green Smoothie: 1 head escarole, 2 cups frozen watermelon, 2 frozen bananas, 1 apple.

RawFu Challenge - Day 15

Monday, 24 August 2009

It was a slow paced day, with a quick trip to the library with the kids, a stop at the grocery store to pick up some organic peaches and nectarines that were on sale, dropped and back home for dinner before Joe and Darren headed off to hockey practice in the early evening.

Since I had to throw something together quickly, I decided to make an escarole salad, using a recipe I found online for “uncooked escarole” as a guide. Since I got twelve heads of escarole from my produce co-op this week, I've been coming up with creative ways to use it... mostly in smoothies and salads... For tonight’s entre, I cut up all the hearts of each bunch, and made a dressing from apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dates, garlic, sea salt and pepper. I tossed it in a bowl with chopped red onion, sundried tomatoes, raisins and sunflower seeds. I let it wilt and absorb some of the dressing for about a half hour. Really good!

A strange thing is going on with my eye… my right eyelid is swollen a bit and sore in the corner… Not sure what that is… I remember shortly after Zofia was born, I got a big bump on my eye that lasted a couple weeks. I was kind of alarmed by it, but got so busy with life, I never got in to the doctor to have it checked out and it just went away on its own. Maybe a sty… Whatever… Whenever little things like this pop up, I generally take it as a sign that’s something is off balance… I think at the moment, it’s definitely the sleep factor… I’m feeling that brain fog and really run down…

I started off okay today, with around 7 hours sleep last night… I think… But, suddenly, around 6pm, a wave of fatigue hit me… I generally never nap, or even lay down during the day, but I couldn’t do anything else, so I laid down on my bed for about fifteen minutes. Darren, Joe and Flo were out, so it was just me and Zofia, and of course, she pounced on me the whole time, but just closing my eyes for a few minutes revived me enough to get through the rest of the night and get in my daily 30 minutes of walking. But, I’m still really dragging, and with a fairly busy day ahead tomorrow, I’m forcing myself to take a book to bed in a bit and read until I fall asleep, which I suspect won’t take long.

Today’s Green Smoothie: A whole lot of escarole and water to blend it up… then added 2 cups frozen yellow watermelon, 1 frozen banana, 1 apple and 1 orange.

RawFu Challenge - Day 14

Sunday, 23 August 2009

Today’s theme… sentence fragments… a metaphor for my thought process.

An unproductive day. Ignored the housework. Tagged along with kids to ice skating rink for public skate. Chatted with Darren about the upcoming “school” year and our potentially overly scheduled calendar. Tried to solidify our educational and recreation expenses, so we know what to expect. In between, we made green smoothies, enjoyed some more of our homemade raw granola with almond milk, some leftover gazpacho from yesterday’s potluck, a nice salad and, few pieces of fruit, and my newest maca drink creation. Also started some more buckwheat groats sprouting, so I can start some more granola tomorrow night. Actually, a pretty low maintenance food day. I like those!

Spicy Macoa (maca + cacao) Banana Latte: a few soaked Brazil nuts, 2 cups water, 1 tsp maca, 1 tsp cacao powder, bit of vanilla powder, pinch of cinnamon, half a frozen banana, 2 soaked dates, pinch of salt, pinch of cayenne… whirl in the VitaMix… pour over ice. Nice kick!

Today’s Green Smoothie: 1 head escarole (3 more left in fridge), 1 frozen banana, 1 apple, 1 orange, 2 cups frozen yellow watermelon & water.

RawFu Challenge - Day 13

Saturday, 22 August 2009

Thankfully, I got eight hours of sleep last night, and commenced today with much more enthusiasm than yesterday. This evening was our MeetUp.com vegetarian group’s monthly vegan potluck, so once awake and dressed, I set my attention to putting together a dish for that. I usually try to look at what I have already in the house and see what I can come up with. This month it was raw gazpacho soup. It turned out really yummy.

Considering the potluck is vegan, and I wasn’t sure how many raw food options there would be, I brought along a maca banana smoothie for me and Darren, and a container of kelp noodles with hemp oil, salt & pepper. I figured we could at least have that. We ended up just having a little salad and watermelon, along with our own stuff, but we had a really nice time socializing, and I didn’t feel deprived at all. In fact, several people were quite interested in our raw food challenge, and had their own experiences to share.

I think Flo had a hard time resisting all the cakes and breads. Since finding out Joe is allergic to wheat, we’ve decided to do a little wheat-free trial with her, too. Most of the time there’s plenty of options, but sometimes, I can tell the temptation is great. However, when I asked her later if she didn’t enjoy herself because she couldn’t have some of the good-looking food there, she said no, because she knew she could have something else she liked later. I thought that was a good sign of maturity and the concept of delayed gratification.

I’m not sure whether it was food or environment related, but Joe ended up with hives all down his neck, shoulders and back on the way home. Thankfully, after a shower when we got home, they subsided, so it wasn’t too lengthy of an episode.

On the way home, Darren and I talked about how interesting this raw food experience is turning out to be. The types of foods we eat are so totally engrained in the fabric of our lives, from our self-perception to our social encounters. Along with the changes in diet comes the inevitable shift in perception, and it’s fun going through this process together. People have been asking me if I plan to “stay raw” indefinitely, and I really don’t know. We plan to follow through with this challenge, and then reassess our goals. I would say I would probably not commit to a lifetime of a hundred percent raw diet, but that my dietary preference with remain high raw. I feel like over the past five years or so, I have done incremental “upgrades,” and markedly noticed the improvements in how I feel at each juncture. Also, the gradual realization that food is only one component of a well balance life, reminds me that change is inherent in living, and there is no need to be absolute or certain about anything. I’m thoroughly enjoying this journey (life), with all its possibilities and challenges.

Anyway, we got home around 8:30 from the potluck, and I headed out for a walk with Flo and the dog. After checking exercise off my list for the day, I just did some boring tidying up and tried to get everyone to wind down for the night. Zofia is now asleep in my lap and Flo and Joe are watching Little House on the Prairie, Season 6, which just arrived in the mail today from Netflix. Finally… I can compose my thoughts a bit and check “update blog” off my list of the day!

RawFu Challenge - Day 12

Friday, 21 August 2009

Around 2am last “night,” I realized we had forgotten to drop off our van for our scheduled servicing at 8am today. We usually just leave it the night before. Once this occurred to me, I realized I could either call and apologize, and reschedule, or get up at 7am to take it in. Well, considering we’re going on a little overnight trip next weekend to the Raw Spirit Festival in Upper Marlboro, MD, I wanted to make sure everything was in good shape, and I also wanted to make sure we got any expenses out of the way now. So, I begrudgingly got myself up at 7am, bypassed the shower, opting for the minimal mommy upkeep of teeth brushing and clean underwear, and peeked in on Flo to ask if she wanted to come along. She did. So, I grabbed Zofia, who was still fast asleep, tiptoed over Joe, who was sleeping on the floor in the middle of the upstairs landing (he sleeps in weird places), and headed out the door.

After dropping off the van, I debated whether I should wait the couple of hours it might take for the servicing, or head home on foot, estimating it was about five miles. So, opting not to disturb Darren, who was home, diligently working his way through his case load, we started off for a long walk. Well, we made it downtown (the metropolis of Hagerstown) before it was apparent that the heat would be just too much to make it all the way home. So, I called Darren and he came and picked us up… just before the dealership called to say our car was ready. Figures! Anyway… only 9:30am, and I can check off exercise for the day! It’s a good thing, too, because with a generous four hours sleep last night, I was capable of much else after that.

Food for the day was a big green smoothie, which I divided into two 24 ounce containers, and drank one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I was too tired to deal with much more food prep. I also had some grapes and strawberries, that I shared with the kids, a bowl of raw granola with almond milk, a cup of decaf organic coffee with more almond milk, and four or five figs with a Brazil nut stuck inside them.

Now off to figure out what to make for my vegetarian MeetUp group’s monthly potluck tomorrow. I’m determined to make something tasty out of things I already have in the house. Our food budget is already too high, so I need to be resourceful! So, stay tuned for the results of that attempt!

Today’s Green Smoothie: 1 head escarole (I have a lot of this from our co-op), 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 frozen banana, 2 cups frozen yellow watermelon, 1 lemon.