Persimmons

I had heard the word "persimmons" before, but didn't realize it was a food!  And no, I'm not blonde, just not very adventurous enough to try things that have weird names like that!  My wonderful coworker D has once again helped me broaden my horizons!  She always has some type of fruit sitting on her desk at work and this week she has a bunch of these:

Did you know that they grow on trees?  Who knew such a thing existed?!  They are either shaped like a tomato or like a heart.  First they need to be peeled, then you can eat them raw, cooked or dried; cut up into slices or eaten like an apple!  They are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses - and are not to be eaten on an empty stomach I've heard.

Since I've never had them before I didn't know what to expect.  The one I had was a bit firm and honestly didn't have much flavor.  They can also be eaten when very ripe by cutting off the top and scooping out the insides...how interesting!  I will definitely eat these again.

I'm trying to not be afraid of food I've never seen before and have NO idea how to eat - that's what Google's for, right? :)  Thanks again D for sharing your exotic foods with me!

Orange Juice and The Point is Love

This past weekend I finally used the Champion Juicer that Val had so kindly given to me and that been going unused in her home (thanks again Val!).  I made orange juice!  I bought a whole bag of them with this exact intention.  I'm so glad I did!  If you have a juicer, I highly recommend juicing your own oranges instead of buying the premade stuff.  It's better for you because it's literally and completely natural and oh so very fresh.  I used three (on the small side) oranges to make 8 oz. of orange juice.

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This next part is written by my friend Laura.  She is a beautiful writer and I have loved reading her thoughts over the years.  You'll see that she definitely has a way with words.  I couldn't resist sharing her thoughts on my blog as I see it as very applicable to the journey that I am on.  I hope her writing tugs at your heart as well.

I had a recent conversation that has been on my mind. I met a man who is a personal trainer and we were discussing health and nutrition. Since the summer I have been gradually changing the way I am eating to a more organic and whole food lifestyle. I have mostly given up wheat, sugar, caffeine and dairy. Along with that I have been learning to tell myself “no” and be more disciplined. I used to make a weekly exception for my decaf, extra-hot, non-fat, no whip, vanilla mocha, but then a dear friend encouraged me to step things up a notch. Now it is decaf americanos, which are fabulous by the way!

As I was talking with this man he explained the way he teaches his clients about nutrition. He asked if I like dogs. He explained that if I were to get a dog I would research, or talk to people and find out what the best food was to feed the dog. The dog does not care. It would happily eat bacon fat all day long but you love your dog and you give it the best food you can because that is what it needs in order to be healthy and live a long life with you. Then he said you should at least love yourself as much as you love your dog. It is not about discipline, it is about love. You do not restrict the dog from eating bacon fat because you are trying to discipline the dog for doing something wrong, or because you want to punish the dog. You don’t give the dog pans of bacon fat because you love the dog and it would cause harm. Likewise, I need to feed my body healthy food because it is what is best for my body, not because I am being disciplined or restrictive. I should avoid bad food because it causes me harm and shortens my life, not because I am being punished. The different perspective was mind blowing.

I then thought about the love of God. He does not ask me to live a restrictive life, He asks me to live a life that will be good for me. He loves me and does not desire to see me harmed. Left to my own devices I am quite content to sit down on the floor with my pan of bacon fat and eat away at it until my arteries are plugged because it tastes good. Why should I stop? I need direction to help me know that I am hurting myself by eating the wrong things. That is why God provides instruction. It is not about a list of things that I cannot do, it is about things that will break my heart, shorten my life, cause financial ruin and chain me down in addiction. It is out of love for myself and my God that I should enjoy the bounty he has provided me rather than indulging in things that might taste good but would be unloving to pursue because they will make my life worse. Be it nutrition, exercise, relationships, recreational activities, everything, it is not about disciplining myself but rather about loving myself. It is not restriction but enjoyment of things that make my life better. The point is Love.

Week 12 Rawview

These are just some of the raw foods I ate this week:
Apples
Bananas
Carrots
Celery
Flackers (raw crackers made with flax seed)
Grapes
Kiwi
Nuts galore! (almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts)
Peanut Butter (made with just peanuts (and no added sugar, etc.) - go figure!)
Raisins
Strawberries
Water, water, water

Emotional changes:

Something just "clicked" for me this week.  I tend to be a very concrete person, so it is annoying to me that I cannot pinpoint exactly what makes me have a 'good' week vs. a 'bad' week.  I know the last three weeks have been difficult for me and I think that my efforts in meeting with professionals to help me along my journey is really starting to pay off. 

I had been feeling like a failure lately because I wasn't able to stick as closely to the raw vegan lifestyle as I had been previously.  Then, I also let myself become too enamored with the weight loss aspect, so since I haven't lost weight the last three weeks, I again felt like a failure. 

However, this week the emotional aspect shifted!  I feel like I did before I had this set back.  This week I have been focused solely on nutrition.  I haven't been wishy washy like I have been lately.  A friend told me that true change doesn't happen without some form of 'relapse'.  There's supposed to be a struggle.  I think that's what's been happening and I am ready to persevere.

Physical changes:

I was advised by my nutritionist to avoid any gluten, which you'd think would be easy with the raw vegan lifestyle!  However, when I would deviate, bread/crackers were usually where I would go FIRST.  So, now, with this new piece of information, it is definitely not even as enjoyable at all to deviate if I can't even have gluten (which is like, in everything!).  So this has made it much easier for me to just stick to it.

I have also been working really hard at eating every two hours to help my blood sugar levels stay...level. :)  I leave the house in the morning with a cooler full of food and now I REALLY feel like I'm eating all the time!!  This has definitely helped me stay focused better throughout the day.  I am not used to eating when I'm not hungry so this has been a bit of a stretch for me.

I had some follow up bloodwork done on my liver since my previous levels from August were so abnormal.  The results have much less to do with my eating than with the fact that I haven't been on the medication that was causing the problems in the first place for three weeks.  Within just three short weeks of being off the med, I am very happy to report that my liver enzymes are back down in the normal range!!!!  This is a huge relief to me.

The weight loss this week has been minimal, in fact the lowest it's been this entire time.  My competitive side is frustrated that now my average pounds lost each week is much lower than previously.  I think that now I just have to wait for my body to catch up to my mind!

Pounds lost this week: 0.8
Pounds lost so far: 29.0
Average pounds lost each week: 2.4

Vacation Eating Adventure

My husband and I took a long weekend to get away and celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.  Our first stop was Sundara Inn and Spa in Wisconsin, where we relaxed, spent the night and then got massages.

The fruit at the complimentary breakfast buffet:

For dinner the night before I had a Grilled Margherita Flatbread with tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic drizzle.  NUMM.O. (I understand it isn't raw, but the tomatoes were delicious which is a new appreciation for me.)

Then we drove towards Milwaukee to spend some time with Chad and Kim, which was long overdue.  Kim had researched local places where we could eat that would accomodate my new diet.  She found Cafe Tarragon, which was a cute little cafe type place at the back of a small retail store.

My meal was an 'egg' salad wrapped in lettuce - very good flavor:

Ry's meal was raw 'spaghetti' - the sauce had a great fresh flavor:

Kim's meal was a vegan pita sandwich:

Chad's meal was vegan rice and bean tostadas:

Dessert time!  We all shared the goodness.  First up, a raw cantaloupe pie with a double crust that had grapes between the layers:

Then we tried what we were TOLD was a raw dessert (by a brand new waitress who didn't know what she was talking about).  It ended up being a vegan banana bread - it was good, but I was disappointed that it wasn't raw...so some day I want to come up with or find a raw banana 'bread' dessert.  If anyone one knows of one, please pass it on!

We had such a great time trying new foods and enjoyed the company even more!

Rawcipe: Cacao Pudding

RECIPE SOURCE:
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen cookbook by Ani Phyo

RECIPE TITLE:
Cacao Pudding

SERVINGS:
4 servings of 1/2 cup each

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 avocados
• 2 bananas
• 1/4 cup cacao powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

MY REVIEW:

• Super duper easy to make.
• At the time I was using my food processor for something else, so I thought I could use my blender. Not such a great idea on my part. This recipe is a little thick (afterall, it IS mimicking pudding) and I had to keep starting and stopping the blender to try to get it to actually mix. In the future I will definitely use the food processor.
• I thought this tasted delicious. It's like a chocolate banana dessert. It seemed almost a little too chocolatey - go figure! But I'm okay with that. :) I couldn't even taste the avocados, but I could tell they helped with the consistancy, plus they have really good essential fatty acids.
• It’s really good as a fruit dip as well. I ate half of it like pudding and the other half as a dip for strawberries – num!

Pluot?

I'll be reposting my 'journaling' from when I started this journey and eventually I'll get caught up! I originally wrote this on July 20.

It is almost therapeutic to go grocery shopping now. I enjoy looking at all the produce and making a choice as to what I’m going to eat in the upcoming week. It’s so easy…I just stay in the refrigerated part of the co-op (thankfully they have a ton of variety!). I am actually amazed at the quantity of food I can buy for a very reasonable price – especially since I’m not buying any ‘novelty’ foods, like chips or premade cookies. The most pricey part of my diet is definitely the nuts.

I discovered a new fruit I didn’t even know existed! It’s called a Pluot and is a cross between an apricot and a plum, resembling more of the plum traits. I didn’t purchase any this week, but I think I will next week b/c I love plums. Isn't it neat looking?

 

I continue to feel good overall. I’ve learned to pretty much always have food handy for those times when I need food NOW. This is definitely happening less frequently, as I learn how much to eat for meals. I feel like a lot of my ‘uncooking’ is on hold at the moment b/c of my lack of tools, but I have to be patient. Soon enough I will get the tools I’ve been researching.

Rawcipe: Summer Berry Cobbler

RECIPE SOURCE:
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen cookbook by Ani Phyo

RECIPE TITLE:
Summer Berry Cobbler

SERVINGS:
One cobbler (about eight servings)

INGREDIENTS (organic and raw):
Crust:

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds, dry
• 1 cup almonds, dry
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pitted dates

Pulse crust ingredients (except for dates) in food processor until mixture becomes a dough-like consistency. Slowly add dates and mix into a 'dough'. Cover the bottom of a pie dish with the crust. *I used a 9-inch dish.

Syrup:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup water, as needed *I used almost the entire 1/4 cup

Blend ingredients, using enough water to blend into a thick, syrupy texture. Pour the syrup over the crust.

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups blackberries and/or blueberries

*I bought two containers of blueberries, used a cup of it for the syrup, and then used the rest for the topping. I also used one container of blackberries for added flavor and beauty.

Place berries on top of syrup in pie dish.

Will keep for two days in fridge.

MY REVIEW:
This was fun to make as I felt like I was actually creating something - plus it's so pretty! After eating it, I must say that the syrup and the toppings where phenomenal!! So delicious and super sweet. If you eat ice cream, those two parts would make a great topping. Sadly, I was not fond of the crust. It didn't seem to go with the berries very well. I'm thinking it was the pumpkin seeds and the olive oil that gave it the 'off' flavor. I will definitely be making this again, but using a different crust recipe. Also, maybe next time I’d use a couple more dates in the crust to help it stick together a little better.

Honeydew Deliciousness

Perfect for breakfast or a snack!