Adventures in Raw Foodie-ness (Chapter 1)

So it's on! Today starts my week long experiment as a vegan raw foodie. What this basically means is that I will ONLY be eating plant food that's not processed (I think the technical temperature is below 110 degrees or so.)

So here's how it's going so far:

• Had a genius idea to hit up Whole Foods and Costco (even though I do not heart Whole Foods one single bit). The 'make your own Peanut Butter machine ended up exploding all over me; and it wasn't until I got home that I realized the peanuts are probably pre-roasted (so I can't have it anyway). But at least my black sweater smelled like organic Skippy....
• I don't really want to think about how much money I've spent on produce today (a mixture of organic and conventional. If we're only eating plants I don't want to limit myself to apples, carrots and spinach!). But anyway, it makes me mad the government subsides corn and soybeans for fillers in tomato sauce and everything else... why aren't they subsidizing whole foods like apples and carrots? But I maintain, the question is NOT "Why does a organic produce cost so much more?" but why is all of that other 'food' so cheap?" I mean seriously, do you stop to think about the personal and environmental devastation that comes from eating cheap food in mass quantities? Ugh! (Oh and if not, just rent "Food, Inc" and then you'll catch a glimpse of what I'm saying.)
• Also, special thanks to my mother-in-law for lending me her juicer a year ago when I wanted to make Holden his own organic juice. I still have it and today made a batch of apple juice today. FAB-U-LOUS... and so sweet!

You may be wondering why I'm doing this?

Well, the answer is kind of three part:

1. Even though I'm not a fan of 'dieting' per se, I feel like my body needs a little 'spring cleaning.' Whereas DETOX, can come with a host of negative associations, this little experiment is a great kick-start to refocus my healthy eating choices (I have been engaging a little too much in trysts with white flour.) This is just a little kick-start to get back focused on minimally processed whole food focused lifestyle.
2. I've got a few friends that are doing it. See, there's these girls from highschool that I get together with a couple of times a month (maybe?), and a few months ago we came up with the ridiculous idea of having sex every day for 30 days straight. And so when we're together we just decide to do things like that... so thus, the raw food idea. (Though I think Danny is a little bummed the Raw-Food Challenge is not accompanied by anything directly affecting his libido.)
3. Why not?

Today's menu items included:

Breakfast:

Green Fruit Smoothie with Avocado, spinach, melon, pineapple, OJ, blueberries and a hand-full of almonds that had been soaked in water overnight (I'm going to make my own almond milk).

Lunch:

Carrots dipped in Guacomole (avocado, tomatoes, white onion and line juice); fresh mango slices, a hand-full of almonds and some apple juice.

Dinner:

We actually kicked off the raw food week with a little get together at my house. We fed the kiddos whole wheat organic pasta with parmesean and then let them entertain themselves whilst the adults indulged in raw food concoctions like "live almond hummus, with cabbage, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and parsley"; tabouli (parsley, tomatoes, red onion, mint, etc); loads of fresh veggie 'bites"; fresh guacamole; and a spiced curried seaweed roll with macadamia nut rice, avocado, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and alfafa sprouts. (The sweet curried almond sauce was AMAZING!) For dessert we noshed on a raw date, coconut and cacao "brownie" served with chilled strawberry citrus "soup."

Pictures hopefully tomorrow....

Oh and today I am weighing in at 143. I am excited for a little 'cleanse.' (HCG can suck-it.) This is way cooler.

Your Day (and my caloric intake)

Happy Birthday Bud,
I hope you enjoyed yourself today (and tonight). We're tried to make it special for you (pictures to come later).

Just wanted to reflect a little on where we were a year ago... We had been through a long 24 hours together (well, actually 10 months...but you know what I mean.)

And looking at the clock, by this time at night we were finally together...I held you, and tried to get you to nurse (you weren't real interested.) You drifted in and out of sleep; and so finally Daddy and I tried to get some sleep too.

It was ridiculous.

Your father would jump up every time you'd make ANY baby noise. So by the time I would finally drift off..after listening to you and helping you settle down... your dad would wake me up every time you made a sound. (He was not invited to room in with us the next night, eh?)

Just a few notes on your milestones this past month, and then we'll call it a day:

• You started playing the drums
• You can help put the blocks away after we play the knock them over game
• You have eaten pizza (home made with wheat crust, etc...but pizza, nonetheless)
• You sit in the bath tub and then lean to the most juicy forward fold AND try and drink the water from the tub
• Yes, you have walked... form the living to the kitchen just yesterday (but you prefer crawling or pushing things to make your way around)
• You are an excellent communicator -- especially when it comes to 'pointing' to what you want
• Potty time is still going well
• And you push your toilet EVERYWHERE
• You can say Mama, Dada, Yeah, Obama, Oh and OM...
• You've slept through the night a few times (10 hrs or more!), but you still crawl out of your big boy bed around 6 am to come and join Mommy and Daddy in our room and our family bed.
  

A few pictures added to the Facebook collection. Check out the updates here.

Love you Little Bits... sleep tight.

****

And the moment you've all been waiting for (just kidding). But I did write down everything I ate today... and if today's 'menu' is a precursor to what the rest of moth will be like, I could stand to do very well (I'm just so friggin' embarrassed about telling you what I eat!)

Here's what I wanted to eat:

• Banana pancakes with butter and whipped cream for breakfast
• Cake samples at Granite Bakery when I picked up the sugar cookies (party favors for Holden's soiree)
  
• Sugar cookies
• Cupcakes... and cream cheese frosting
  
• Chicken sandwich and some fries from crown burgers
• Papa John's pizza from Holden's bday party
• Sugar cookies
• Suagr cookies
• More Sugar cookies
• Some salad
• CHocolate chip cookies
• A cupcake with a side of sugar cookie
• 5 more slices of pizza

But like I said, I was too embarrassed about telling you all (and too lazy to write it down). So my day went more like this:

• clementine for breakfast
• 5 'tastes' of frosting because I forgot I would have to write it down while I was frosting the cupcakes
• (turned down the cake samples at granite and picked up the sugar cookies... did not indulge all day long!)
• banana (shared with Holden)
• another clementine (don't you just love those 'cuties?')
  
• some crisp red peppers & tomato as I was making a salad for the party
  
• The other half of Holden's corn bread muffin
• 2 glasses of milk
• Salad w/ blueberries, walnuts, feta, apples, grapes and poppy seed dressing
• a sugar cookie (finally!)

Considering my house was filled with baked treats ALL day (and most of them I made), I'm actually feeling pretty good about things. If I could apply the 'just one cookie' rule, instead of eating 3 (or more!) every time I'm around sweets, I would be a new woman. Thanks for beginning the journey with me.

Oh, and I know I said I was just posting work-outs at the end of the week, but Holden and I did the Jillan Michaels 30-day shred today (good call Shaunts & Katie). Yogi's like work-out videos too. ;)

My teeth hurt I'm so tired. G'nite.

Holy Friggin’ Fabulous Easter Sunday weekend, batman!

I’d like to think the weekend officially kicked off to a tremendous start on Friday afternoon when I had a business lunch at Bambara. While the cuisine is always lovely (a bit pretentious, yes but lovely nonetheless), I must say it’s their Bluberry lemonade that really has me singing its praises.

Once I put my work day to an official close, Danny* I and went shopping for Saturday night’s dinner party. (Note, in case you did not read in the sidebar. . . Danny is my husband; I am very taken; but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends . . . or at least it shouldn’t keep you from reading my blog. I need all the support I can get).

Anyway, all these years of fantasizing about hosting the most divine fete with foodstuffs and frivolity (much like the scene in “High Fidelity” when John Cusak attends a swanky feast at an ex-girlfriend’s . . . played by the seductive Catherine Zeta Jones); well my turn had arrived (we finally have enough chairs to seat our table of eight).

I had been designing our five course meal for the past three days and just needed danny’s final thumbs up before we proceeded to the check stand.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we opted for the “roasted sweet and sour chicken with thyme, orange and kumkwats” over some variety of grilled lamb chops. And believe me, it had more to do with the fact we don’t have an outdoor (or indoor) grill, for that matter . . . than the fact that lamb chops are a bit more pricey than the “chipper chicken” (Steve Martin, “Father of the Bride”).

Shopping complete . . .
Hit a Bee’s game with some family members (Danny’s own personal heaven; the baseball game I mean. . . not necessarily hangin’ with the in-laws; but he seemed to enjoy himself well enough).

Next day; Danny was a peach and tidied the apartment as “Maria” (a.k.a. my own personal “Rosario”) was coming over later that afternoon to deep clean post yoga. (She’s uber fab btw. And only $15 an hour!!!! I wish she could come weekly, but that would not be very domestic-goddessey-of-moi). If you want her contact info, shoot me a message as I have just officially named myself her internet publicist. (MD, I don’t think she can fly to PHX to help you and Jess out – but Jess probably keeps everything lovely anyway . . . )

So I hit yoga – do something toxic to my knee; because according to my new-age self help book knee injuries are caused from being stubborn and not trusting the flow of life . . . I HAD SET MY INTENTION TO TRUST THE FLOW!!!! HOW MUCH MORE FLOWY CAN I GET?!?!?!?!

Anyway, post yoga; Danny and I indulged in a couples massage at Tranquility Med Spa (a B-day/Valentines present for Danny that somehow came with a delightful treat for me too!)

Post massage; Rosario came and saved the day!!! The house looked immaculate. Who knew she and Danny would make such a divine duo. . . just like Mr. and Mrs. Clean; except I am the Mexican that Danny is married to and sleeping with; not Rosario (I mean Maria).

So I’m just about to give you the story on my chickens that gave birth to an orange; and the woes of baking with kosher salt (my poooooooor unfortunate angel food cake!!!!) . . . but it’s 11:30 and I am quite tired.

So I promise to give you the lowdown on the orange baby; how grateful we were one of the dinner guests had worked at Kenny Rogers Roasters for three weeks; and how my know-how of the 80s fad “Shrinky Dinks” would help out in the game of Cranium. I will also tell you about how my angel food cake had me in tears . . . Danny said it made the evening; but I’m not exactly convinced.

Tune in after family night for the latest antics (or at least those of Saturday night) of Ms. Suite-Mangum.

Thanks for stopping by.

C’est moi!

Ps. It took 5 loads in the dishwasher to complete the “clean up” process of our 5 course meal! Good times!