Detoxing?

SO the last couple of days have been pretty good - I will post some pics of my yummy salads later.

I have been tempted here and there, just a couple of bites of skillet red potatoes, a couple of corn chips, that kind of thing.  I have stuck to about 90 percent raw, but even only eating a little bit of cooked food, I am noticing some unpleasantness! 

Before I started back on this diet, I did the Master Cleanse for 10 days, and modified it for 14.  I figured I was pretty "cleansed" and I took it slow with introducing solid foods back in.  Well, I am now at the point where anything heavy or cooked is making me bloated, sick to my stomach, and cramping in the intestines, like the start of a nasty Crohns flare.  I have stayed away from dairy, wheat and soy, but I am even reacting to potatoes?  I didn't know I could get heartburn from 4 bites of potatoes?  (I made the potatoes for my son, kept it really simple, not spicy, and all organic ingredients and herbs.  The ingredients: sweet yellow onion, garlic, red potato, olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, thyme, marjoram.  My body does not usually react to onion or garlic - I use those 2 things in everything!)  I did have a little bit of raw ketchup - maybe it was the tomato?

Anyway, back to avoiding tomatoes.  The salsa I made for the Superbowl was very yummy, and I didn't seem to react to it, but maybe the reaction was delayed.  Arg.  

My weight is fluctuating 2-3 lbs a day, so no real loss to report yet.

I have been feeling really good energetically - The past few days I was having trouble going to bed and falling asleep  I had so much energy!  :)  I do think I am detoxing some, as my skin is changing and I am running to the bathroom - not a flare-up.  I am also more tired today, so I think my body just needs a rest.

Tomorrow I am going to stick with carrots, spinach and apples, all juiced.  Very soothing, simple stuff.  I think my intestines just need another rest.  I'll let you know how that goes!

Party at Aidan's school tomorrow - lots of sugary treats to try to keep him from eating.  Yay. But it will be fun to see the farm animals they bring in, and to see how the boys interact with everything.  :)

I hope everyone is well, and I'll post some pics later!

To your happy, healthy, blissful journey!

Jeanette

New Foods, New Friends, New Inspirations!

SO today is day 4 on my journey towards ultimate health by eating a 90-100% raw foods diet!  Yay!  I am feeling really good physically - lots of energy, clear headed, more peaceful, and definitely attuned to new possibilities as I go about my day.  :)  Smoothie this morning was the same as yesterday - greens, berries, tropical fruits, rice protein, etc.

Yesterday I was out of the house most of the day, and I ate 2 salads, 2 veggie soups, water and a bit of lemonade.  I was mostly raw, which is great since I didn't have my meals planned out at all.  I could have very easily eaten a cookie or a sand which at Paradise Bakery.  I cannot believe I said no to the free chocolate chip cookie that was supposed  be included with my soup and salad combo... I am really doing things differently this time, and I am not letting a little possible temptation bother me.  I really feel in control, and it is so empowering.  ;)

Honestly, I don't feel like I am depriving myself of anything!  I am truly enjoying eating the rich, colorful, vibrant salads, salsas, smoothies, etc.  I feel like the food is tingling on my tongue, like I had forgotten what real food tasted like, and now I am welcoming my long lost friend home.  It may sound a bit corny, but it is like a part of myself has been awakened, and I am so deeply grateful.

Today was an amazing day of learning about essential oils used in aroma therapy.  The class was from 9am to 4pm and I was a bit concerned about what foods would be offered at lunch.  I went prepared with extra smoothie and 2 apples in case I needed special food. Fortunately, there were 2 different salads, celery and carrot sticks, and some nice nuts.  There were some great people  to chat with, and it was just such a blessing of a day.  I cannot wait for the next class!

Tonight we made a huge salad with greens from our garden which included - collards, kale, Swiss chard, parsley, basil, Greek olives, soaked pine nuts, red bell pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.   Soooooo yummy!  I swear, I crave this salad it is so good!  We also had some quinoa and lentils and peas.  (Some spicy Indian dishes that were not raw, but still vegetarian and very warming).  This was the only part of the day that  I wasn't raw.

I also decided to make raw organic corn chips and fresh salsa for a super bowl party we are attending tomorrow. I have included pics of the chips before going into the dehydrator, and half way done, as well as the salsa.  My hubby is my taste tester, and he said the salsa is amazing!  :)

I am having so much fun being creative with what foods to make and using all the freshest ingredients available.  Living foods - I think there really is something to the idea of eating food with all the living enzymes, life energy, vitamins and nutrients still intact.  I definitely feel more alive!  :)

Enjoy the pics, and happy healthy eating!  I am one day closer to being cured!

Jeanette

Day 2

I dont have any pictures today - but still some nice things to share!  ;)

Smoothie starting at 9am through noon  (made a huge blender full and just drank it all morning, sharing with my son - he loves getting a blueberry mustache!)

Ingredients for smoothie:

bananas

blueberries

rice milk

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup mango/papaya/strawberry blend

scoop raw vegan rice protein (sun warrior)

scoop of garden for life green powder

tablespoon IgG powder to help intestines

raw b-complex vitamin powder

purified water

liquid minerals

wasn't hungry til around 2pm!

At 2pm, I snacked on some left over flax crackers and avocado/tomatillo salsa

16 oz water

4pm - 16 oz water

7pm - zucchini spaghetti with raw tomato/basil marinara (about 1/2 cup)

rice mixed with some steamed veggies and hot chili sauce

8pm 24 oz water

1230am - 12 0z water, and bed!

Ok, lots of energy!  Tired but wide awake at the same time, and no green tea today.  I love the energy of raw foods - it is so easy to forget, but man, when you stick to it, amazing!  :)

Some detoxing going on - my stomach isn't digesting the flax seeds very well so I feel a bit bloated from that.  (I did some raw veggies and some gently cooked veggies and rice for dinner because of the bloating.  Too much fiber can aggravate the symptoms).  I also dont think I drank enough water, but the smoothie this morning was very hydrating.  I am craving celery and apples, so I think I will start with that tomorrow.  :)

Went to Costco tonight and stocked up on every organic produce item I could find.  I thought it would be tough going to Costco, but honestly , I didn't want any of the bad foods.  The kids were hungry and wanting samples from every station, with wheat and cheese and meat in almost every sample - I just had no interest what so ever.  I must be doing something right!  ;)

Love and light and healthy foods!

Jeanette

  

My Rawsome Journey - Day 1

Today is the first day I recommit to the raw/vegan/living foods lifestyle.   My main reason for choosing this diet is to help manage and eventually heal Crohns Disease.  I have been vegetarian, and mostly wheat/dairy/soy free for 3 years, and about half that time I was 80% raw.

I am posting on this blog to inform friends and family what it is I eat every day.  (I think everyone imagines me sitting in the garden munching on handfuls of dirt and green lettuce).  :)

I am hoping that by sharing my triumphs,  my setbacks, and my joys, I will feel motivated to be consistent and focused on my health.  I have struggled for so long with many health issues, and it is just time that enough is enough.  I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!  I know that I feel truly amazing on a raw food diet, as long as I watch the foods that can aggravate the Crohns symptoms, so I am moving forward by going back to something that really has worked for me in the past.

This is only another phase in my journey to health, and I am truly ready to pull out all the stops!  There will be ups and downs, but I know that it is time for me to embrace the potential I have inside.  I hope you enjoy my story, and that some part of it inspires you to try something new, learn something new, and possibly to even take charge of your own health.

Love and light and healing foods!

Jeanette

Pictures of What I Eat!

So last night I was 

prepping for my first day raw and I decided to make a raw avocado-tomatillo salsa.  I ate it last night with some brown rice chip

s - not totally raw, but still tasty.  I did add some sauteed sweet onions, tomatillos, and Serrano chile peppers - 

the peppers would have been too spicy raw.

Today's Raw Menu:

8 am  -  16 oz lukewarm purified water with liquid minerals, cell 

food, peppermint and lemon essential 

oils added.  Very refreshing and filling!

9 am - 16 oz purified water

915 am - 45 minute walk with Jaxson around the neighborhood.  Beautiful crisp, sunny, day!

1030 am - 12 oz of fresh squeezed oj made with local organic oranges.  

* Very yummy, but not a good idea on an empty stomach.  I had some bloating and burning sensations in my intestines for about an hour afterwards.  I am still thinking I may have an allergy to citrus, but I will try the oj again tomorrow, with some other fruit to absorb the acid.  We'll see if that helps!   :)

1130 am -  Raw chile-lime flax crackers, slices of tomato and cucumber, and avocado-tomatillo salsa from last night.  Soooo good!  No need for chips of any kind.  Jaxson enjoyed it too.  

12-3 pm - purified water - 32 oz

330 - 24 oz green tea

530 pm - Filled my kitchen sink with chard, kale, collard greens, cabbage, and kohlrabi greens from my garden.  Will be perfect for salad and/or green juice for tomorrow.  

7 pm - raw zucchini spaghetti with raw tomato/spinach her sauce  So wonderful, better than cooked spaghetti, seriously.  :)  See pictures.

8 pm 16 oz water

830 pm - 1 local organic date - tastes like soft gooey caramel.  hmmmmm.

945 pm - recap - I am feeling very alert and energetic.  To hit the gym, to not hit the gym.....I am normally crashing and needing to drag myself to bed at this time of night.  I am feeling a bit hungry, and even right after dinner, I didn't feel weighed down or sluggish.  It is hard to tell myself that I don't need to feel over-stuffed to know I have eaten enough.  I am wanting something sweet, but it is not hard to ignore.  I feel really good!  (I also just finished 10 days on the Master Cleanse, which is lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  I already felt that I was operating at a higher energy frequency, and today just upped that frequency).  Awesome day!

See pics, ask if you want to know ingredients.  :)