Grocery Store Tour with Megan Adams Brown

This Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with nutritionist and health coach, Megan Adams Brown at my local Whole Foods grocery store. Megan and I met a last month when I covered her home for Houzz.com. When I realized she as a food guru, I asked her to re-introduce me to my grocery store with fresh eyes.

Why do I need a health coach to show me around a store? Because I'm in a rut. I love to cook and I love to eat my raw meals as well. But after a while I find myself picking the same things to eat over and over again. I also am aware that I need to plan ahead for healthy fast food. With two children, a heavy work load and a house to keep in order, I frequently get caught with no time and no plan for food. I need a health coach to help me come up with some back up plans so I don't end up in the drive through at McDonalds.

Meet Megan... isn't she lovely?

I want to share a little bit about some of our time together. Of course, it was so comprehensive that I can't include it all here, but I can give you a little taste:

The first thing that Megan and I did was sit down and talk about my lifestyle, about my hopes for optimal health and the issues I'd like help with (all that stuff I just mentioned above).  After a lovely chat, we headed to the produce section because that is where good health begins. More specifically we headed to what Megan called the "wall of greens". Has this section ever been intimidating to you?  It is for me. I always grab some romaine and a bunch of kale and run away. Sometimes I venture into the world of chard, but usually I stick to my old habits. Try something new! Bring it home, cook it up and you just might make a new food friend. Here was my takeaway information from the "wall of greens".

1.  Leafy green things = Awesome for your health

2.  Greens are the building blocks of life

3.  Get them into your diet EVERY DAY

Cooking Tip: if a recipe calls for a certain kind of green you can interchange it with any green.

Shopping Tip: There is always at least one dark leafy green on sale. Megan says she buys whats on sale to keep her budget in check. 

Next, Megan took me to the bulk section. You know, it's the isle with all of the stuff in bins. Instead of getting stuck with big packages of nuts, baking products, grains and spices, you can come to this isle and just try out a little!  Then if you like it you can come back and get more. I usually shop the bulk isle for nuts, but have never considered spices.

Cooking Tip: If you're in a cooking rut, ditch the salt and pepper and grab some Tumeric, Basil, Cumin, Cardamom or anything that sounds wonderful. If you don't know how to use it, hop online and search for recipes.

Shopping Tip: Don't buy your raw honey in jars, bring your own container and get local raw honey from the bulk section. You'll save packaging (less waste), it's cheaper and local honey will help you better defend against allergies than the stuff shipped in from elsewhere.

I came home with a lovely selection of fruits, vegetables and even some new additions to my grocery list like a probiotic supplement, Chia seeds, Hemp Hearts, Ume Plum Vinegar and for a quick snack - Mary's Gone Crackers. I also picked up a spaghetti squash and cooked it for dinner with a little help from THIS post on Megg's blog.  It was delicious!  

About Megan:
Megan received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York where she was trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. She also has a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin. You can read more about Megan's offerings HERE.

In her words:
We all have to find the right balance that enables us to get what we want out of our days and our lives. As a holistic health coach, I work with people to help them find balance for themselves and achieve their own personal health goals. Whether it’s to have more energy, lose weight, prevent disease or learn to cook, I work with people to help them take small, manageable steps toward a happier and healthier life.

Megan elsewhere...

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Detox Soup

This recipe comes via a friend who has been doing a lot of clean eating lately. It is delicious! So I'm sharing it with you. Go forth, make soup and be healthy!

Refining my Eating Plan for Fall

I've been drinking green juice almost exclusively for 10 days. In that time I've successfully realigned my nutritional intake and dropped 11 pounds. It's so difficult for me (and for most people it seems) to leave refined sugar and preservatives behind and consume only fresh vegetable and fruit juices. It takes planning time and a little money for fresh produce and a juicer. It takes social strategy to avoid junk foods and pre-packaged food-like products. It takes a supportive family environment. It takes fortitude to press through those first difficult days of detoxification. But for me, it is totally worth it. And the results speak for themselves. I know that sounds kind of cocky, but the truth is that I feel great!

Today's juicing ingredients:

Moving forward, I'll continue juicing in the mornings and afternoons. The only change I'll be making is that I'll have a raw meal in the evenings. This can be salad and raw soup, or any of the yummy dishes from my raw recipes section on the blog.

When I'm in the process of loosing weight and training for an athletic event as I am now, my eating plans are always very fluid. Of course I have my rules: 1) No refined sugar, 2) No processed meat, and 3) No simple carbohydrates. But beyond those rules I can eat a wide range of things as long as they are whole foods - meaning they are as close to their natural state as possible.

So this week, I'll begin adding evening meals back into my juicing routine. Fasting on only green juice for the past 10 days did it's job and I'm confident that I'll stay on track as I reintroduce solid food to my system! If, as the fall progresses, I need to modify my eating plan, I will. Thanks all for your supportive comments in these past two weeks. I love to hear from you!

Seize the Moment - Raw Ranch Dressing

One of the beautiful things about returning home after weeks of being away is that your refrigerator is empty and you have to start over. Okay... mine wasn't completely empty. I still had a bottle of Tanqueray in the freezer. But other than that, it was pretty cavernous.

The first trip to the grocery store tends to be expensive but it is also very freeing. Last night after consulting my raw food prep books I made a list of fresh healthy foods and headed to the store to stock up on all the veggies, fruits and whole foods I could stuff in my reusable bags. It was awesome.

First up? A plate of veggies served with a raw ranch dressing made from a recipe I found in Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet book. It was delicious!

Raw Ranch Dressing

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1/2 Tablespoon sea salt 

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried chives

1 Tablespoon dried sage
1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. (I use a Vitamix.) Add more olive oil for thinner consistency. This dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Eat More Plants - Plain and Simple

Today, I'm starting simple. Eat more plants. That's it. I started the morning with green juice and a banana. Then for lunch braised brussel sprouts, onions and garlic in an egg scramble. My goal for this week is to start every morning with green juice and fruit. As always - baby steps.

What's on your menu today?

Begin Again

Hi.  I'm back.  

Are you still here?  Because if you are, you're amazing!

It's been three months since my last post announcing a hiatus from the blog. I took time off to be with my family, enjoy the holidays, work on my book, paint in my studio and frankly - eat a bunch of Christmas comfort food in peace.  I've been snacking on sweet holiday treats and enjoying dinners with friends and family where the main ingredients were brisket and beer.  I know, I know.  It's a far cry from my previous diet - you know - the one that helped me lose 75 pounds?

I've put on some weight, I've gained a few inches in my waist and while I'm not so far gone that I can't run a 5K, I'm certainly not feeling optimal.  I've continued to attend boot camp classes and I've stayed in fair shape.  Now, after a mini bacchanalia of carbohydrates and sugar, I'm ready to begin again.

So, I'm back.  Today, I dusted off my juicer, took my measurements and created a 30 day calendar to chart my progress.  Starting today, I'm doing a 10-day green juice fast.  I did one last spring and LOVED it.  I felt good, I shed a bunch a weight and it really kick started my final round of weight loss. After my 10 day juice fast I will add raw dinners back onto the menu and continue to juice through out the day.  I will continue this for 20 days.  I will still attend boot camp 3 times a week as I have always done and I'm also gearing up for a couple of spring 5ks and a 10k.  And, most importantly, I'll be blogging about it here.  I've missed you all!

30 Day Goals

1. Shed the winter weight

2. Cleanse my system

3. Give my digestive tract a break

4. Kick start the spring with clean eating and a clear mind

It's good to be back!

Weekly Check in

I've been a snacking fool this week.  I had pizza TWICE and ate a variety of salty crispy things.  I'm kind of on a roll here people.  Oye.  I need a little auto-speaker that sounds off when I come into the kitchen, "Step away from the pantry".

This week, I made it to Positively Fit three times.  And this week I'm excited to say my mother-in-law is in town, which means I can hit the gym all week.  I attended bootcamp yesterday and took my first strength and stability course this morning.  It was awesome, although my buns are burning tonight!

As far as the over-consumption of food goes, I really need to get it back in check. I know I was making some noise last month about a possible juice fast.  Maybe its time to revisit that idea.  I'd use it not as a weight loss tool, but as a cleanse to sort of re-set my system.  I need to look at everything I'm putting in my mouth and just ask simply, "Is it worth it?"

Weigh In - Week 61

This week has been an interesting mix of vacation Utopia and tiresome solo parenting.  I have loved being at my mother's farm with my boys.  Walker especially seems braver and more expansive here. Every morning he pulls on his rubber boots and heads outside to see what his Grandpa is working on.  Some mornings, my Mom takes Charlie so I can go for a run. And every day is filled with some kind of fresh, just-yanked-from-the-garden, produce that makes me swoon and curse my city life.  Seriously, I ate an heirloom tomato this week that brought me to my knees. Ah well, we can't have everything we want all at once - right? 

The good news this week?  I've finally broken my weight loss stand off.  I'm down two pounds this week.  Why?  I have no flippin' idea. (I know, I know... so helpful right?  Isn't this supposed to be a blog where I share my weight loss secrets and impart valuable and tested techniques to my readers?) My mom says losing weight is like finding a good man.  If you're trying to hard, you'll never succeed. Its only when you stop trying and let things flow that you drop the weight or meet Mr. Awesome.  Maybe so.

Pounds lost this week: 2

Total pounds lost: 78

The "I Did It" List

ran over 6 miles (three 2-mile runs)

ate amazing fresh produce

prepared beautiful meals for my family

picked up some literature about canning and preserving food (oh its on!)

I'm reading Barbabra Kingsolver's book "Animal Vegetable Miracle" (I'm almost done)

celebrated Charlie's 2nd birthday by baking carrot cupcakes

Someone Else's Garden

One of the amazing things about visiting my Mama in Eastern Oregon is the fresh produce.  Sure, you can get it at the co-op in the town 48 miles away, but the fresh produce I'm talking about comes from the neighbors.  Every time I stop at someone's home or run into a neighbor, they fill my arms with yummy things from their garden.  And everyone has a garden.  Everyone.

The other day I came home with 7 pounds of fresh peaches, a zucchini the size of my arm and an enormous basket of onions, beets, carrots, chard, kale, basil, fennel and tomatoes. All of it is fresh and all of it is organic.  I'm so impressed with these sweet gardens.  The Dallas heat is searing all of my meager plantings into a burnt mound of decaying greens, but here climate, compost and steady hands are making magic.  The photos below were taken at a neighbor's home.  When I was leaving, I thanked her for the amazing gift and she said, "Come back when you need more."  Will do!

Breville Juicer Review (Finally)

I promised a review of my juicer a million years ago and am FINALLY getting around to it.  Sorry if you've been waiting with bated breath.  (Probably not, eh?)

I bought the Breville BJE510XL Juicer, Ikon Juice Extractor (yest that's its real name) in October last year for 200 and something dollars via Amazon.com.  It was discounted from 289.99.  I previously owned the Jack Lalanne Juicer, which I killed in a matter of weeks by juicing every morning.  Luckily, I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and they gave me a full refund.

What do I think of the Breville?  I think its fantastic.  Its got a workhorse motor that would juice a rock if I sent it down the shoot. (Don't try that, though... that would be stupid.)  I send whole apples and lemons through the shoot without a problem.  The juice is always clear of pulp, which is a big plus in my book.

I also notice that I get a larger volume of juice with the Breville than I ever did with the Lalanne using the same amount of produce.  More bang for my buck!  And the best part is that the Breville is far easier to clean than the Lalanne.  It comes apart easily and some of the parts are even dishwasher safe.

I've been using the juicer every week (and at some points every day) for three seasons and the motor shows no signs of slowing.  Every once in a while I have to finesse something through the shoot, but it always juices all my produce without issue.  I highly recommend this juicer and am thrilled that enjoys a spot on my counter top.

Right now, Macy's has my juicer on sale with 10% off and free shipping.  Its a fabulous deal.  So if you've been thinking about getting a juicer, this would be the perfect time!  Here is the link to the Macy's deal: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/breville-bje510xl-juicer-ikon-juice-extractor?ID=369568&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results.

P.S.  Macy's did not pay me to write this review, nor did the Breville company.  But if they'd like to pay, I'm happy to take their money via check, direct deposit or Paypal. I have never been above bribery.

Grocery List

This week has been somewhat of a bust in the food department. I'm just back from a month in Utah with a totally empty kitchen, a husband who is still away on business, a bunch of doctor appointments for Charlie, family visiting and its been an average of 102 degrees every day this week. Oye! My usual coping mechanisms are not in place and I've been caught off guard. Pizza happened, cheesecake happened, ice cream cone and gelato happened and wine - two bottles - happened.

Tomorrow is Sunday - the first of the month. Its a golden opportunity to prepare for the month ahead. I usually have a well stocked kitchen geared towards raw and vegetarian food prep. This month is different because I'll be buying almost everything I usually have on hand.  So here it is - the comprehensive Smaller Sarah grocery list. I've been working off of this list for the past 9 months for my food shopping.

VEGETABLES:

celery

carrots 

romaine

mixed greens

cabbage

cucumber 

zucchini 

tomato

kale

avocado

portobello mushrooms

asparagus

broccoli

sweet potatoes

sweet onions

sprouts

red / yellow bell peppers

garlic

ginger

FRUIT:

grapes

berries

bananas

apples

lemon

grapefruit

melons

cherries

mango

figs

RAW NUTS and DRIED FRUIT:

almonds

cashews

pecans

walnuts

Brazil nuts

pine nuts

macadamia 

raisins

dried cranberries

coconut flakes

raw coconut powder

DAIRY:

milk (for the boys)

Alta Dena raw goat cheese (so good!)
greek yogurt

OTHER:

almond milk

Celtic sea salt

100% pure maple syrum

raw agave nectar
raw honey

hummus
wine

I ALREADY HAVE:

olive oil

sesame oil

apple cider vinegar

Nama Shoyu soy sauce

cacao powder

dates

raw sunflower seeds

raw pumpkin seeds

hulled buckwheat

ground flax seed

organic whole grain bread

whole grain pasta

oats

basil from my garden

frozen salmon fillets
coffee
half & half (for coffee)

Raw Sweet Corn & Red Pepper Chowder

Last night I made a delicious Raw Sweet Corn and Red Pepper Chowder.  It was so yummy that I thought I'd share my recipe here. Just a tip if you're trying raw recipes: Presentation!  Make your healthy food enticing! I always feel so much better about eating healthy food when it looks gorgeous. Just imagine this chowder without the slices of green avocado, the dollop of red salsa and the corn kernels sprinkled about.  It would still taste great, but it would look like something from a Gerber jar. You're an adult and you deserve pretty food.  Here's a photo of the final product:

Raw Sweet Corn Chowder for dinner:

SOUP BASE:
3 ears corn cut from cob
3/4 cup Brazil Nuts
1 avocado
1/2 red bell pepper (seeded)
1 clove garlic
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 - 2 cups water for desired consistency

SOUP TOPPING:
keep a little corn on the side to top soup
keep a few slices of avocado out for topping
dollop of raw salsa
fresh ground pepper

Blend all ingredients and pour into bowls.
Arrange toppings and serve immediately.

 

I also threw a nice salad together this afternoon and topped it with a Walden Farms salad dressing.  I hadn't tried this brand of dressing before mostly because my assumption is that if it has no calories, its going to taste like urine. To my surprise and delight, the Italian Walden Farms dressing is pretty good! Its not my favorite, but for 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar and gluten free - its an awesome choice.  I got mine at a crunchy health food store. Here's a shot of the label and ingredient list in case you're curious:

Market to Market

Yesterday, Walker picked out a book from the local bookstore here in Cedar City, Utah. "Market to Market" by Nikki McClure.  I have always loved McClure's distinctive and beautiful paper-cut artwork, but this book is particularly special.  The book follows a boy and his mother to the community market as they buy local produce and hand-baked goodies. If you've got little ones, its worth picking it up when you have a chance.

This morning, Walker and I had an opportunity to go to the local farmer's market and stock up on produce for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's Father's Day brunch!  Walker wanted to know the names of the people selling and the people who grew the produce.  It was such fun. When we returned home, Walker wanted to try all the food right away: heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, baby spinach, red peppers, fresh basil, eggs, and especially the watermelon. Here's a picture of our treasure:

I need to get more familiar with the farmers markets in my area.  I know that Plano. TX has one, but I've never been.  Do you frequent the farmer's market in your area?

Reciprocity

I attended a yoga class on Wednesday at Sage Hills Healing Center - my third class in a week.  Melanie, the instructor, had the practitioners doing a physical gesture that looked like a swimming stroke. We all imagined that we were swimming in a Pranic Ocean. While we were "swimming" our little hearts out, she asked a series of questions that I've never really considered before.  She said, "Your heart works for you, but have you been working for your heart? Your liver and pancreas work so hard for you, but do you work for your liver and pancreas?" 

I was dumb struck. Then as I "swam" my mind carried it further. My bowels work for me, keeping me free from poisons and toxins, but do I work for my bowels?  My skin works for me, keeping me at a perfect temperature and eliminating dead cells.  But do I work for my skin?  My circulatory and nervous systems work so hard for me, but do I work for my systems? 

Certainly, I am working more for my body that I was a year ago.  However, I still continually put my health in jeopardy with day to day choices. We all do. I guess my time in the yoga studio with Melanie simply awakened me to the many ways in which I can better care for my organs, my systems and my physical body. Maybe one martini is enough. Perhaps a few french fries is sufficient. And when I do consume a food or imbibe a beverage, why not take an extra moment to thank my body for absorbing the nutrients, transforming the energy and eliminating the toxins. Because when you get right down to it - its a fucking miracle.

Raw and Whole Food on a Limited Budget

This post is part of a reader Q&A.  I'm more than happy to answer your questions about my weight loss process (or anything).  My email button is on the sidebar.  Just please remember that I am not a doctor, dietitian or a nutritionist.  These answers are absolutely specific to me and my personal journey.


Question: How can I eat raw and whole foods on a limited budget?
This is a great question and I've had quite a few inquiries about this topic.  As many of you know, my son Charlie has medical bills out the wazu and my husband is the only employed member of our family so that I can stay home and take care of our boys.  We, like most American families, have to spend our dollars wisely. So here are some of my thoughts in no particular order:

1. It only appears that you are spending more on your food.  When I shifted my diet to include higher quality whole foods I paid more for the food, but I bought less.  It all came out in the wash. You can spend $2.50 on a bag of potato chips or your can spend $4.00 on a bag of organic Gala apples.  The upfront cost is more, yes.  I don't know about you, but I can put away a big bag of chips in one sitting.  It's a lot harder for me to eat five apples all at once.  So for a little more money, I get a better quality snack that lasts longer and makes me feel great.

2. Eating cheap junk food will cost you more money in the long run.  Heart attacks, diabetes, and worse are really expensive. And sometimes they cost you your life.  I'd rather fork over a little more money now and stay out of the hospital later.  The pay off of good nutrition is a life time of better quality years and more of them!

3. Plan your meals and pay less.  I wanted to save money on my grocery bill so I read a book called America's Cheapest Family: Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half.  The book is not geared towards organic whole foods, but you can apply most all of the concepts to whatever you're interested in buying.  This book has helped me serve nutritious, raw and healthy cooked meals and snacks to my family for about 400 - 425 dollars a month.  Not bad for a family of four.  If you want more details, you can read about it HERE and HERE.

4. Invest in good quality kitchen tools.  Yes, they are expensive and they are absolutely worth it.  I bought a cheap juicer at first and blew it out in six weeks.  Luckily I purchased it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and they have a fantastic return policy. I also had a very generous family member with a Costco card who bought me a Vitamix for my wedding anniversary. So if you have something on your wish list, share it with family!

5. Prepare only one serving per person.  I have cultivated a habit of preparing just enough food so that everyone has one healthy serving. This has saved our family lots of money.  It also has the added benefit of cutting back on portions, "seconds" and food waste. Americans waste far more food than we are aware of. The other benefit is that our family takes more time at the table to enjoy our meal and our conversation.  No one has ever gone to bed hungry.

6. Buy cheaper produce.  I know this sounds like a no-brainer.  Last February, I bought a beautiful mango for 4 dollars.  Once I got it home, I thought "I am an idiot".  So don't be silly and buy out of season tropical fruit.  Buy the inexpensive stuff.  Here is my list of go-to produce and raw snacks.  I always have these items on hand and have learned to make a bunch of different delicious meals using these basic ingredients.

Bananas (I can get them for about 44 cents a pound)
Apples (by the bag is cheaper than by the pound)
Carrots (whole, not in little weird baggies)
Romaine Lettuce
Celery (again, buy it whole and not pre-chopped)
Avocados (I get these at the Mexican food market "Fiesta" - 3 for a dollar)
Sweet potatoes
Almonds (raw and in the bulk section is cheapest)
Walnuts (raw and in the bulk section is cheapest)
Dates (not the fancy kind - just plain dates)
Raisins
Sprouted Grain Breads
Brown Rice and Quinoa

When I began eating this way, I explained to my husband that our grocery bill was going to go up a bit.  Without missing a beat he asked, "How much money would you pay to lose 75 pounds by next year?"  I shrugged my shoulders.  Then he said, "I bet you'd pay a lot more than you're going to spend on better groceries."  When ever I get down about the cost of pesticide-free lettuce or wince at the price of raw almond butter, I remember his words. If you are serious about getting healthy and losing weight, you'll need to make a little investment. Cut back on other expenses if you have to, but start to make your health and well-being a priority.

How did you create your weight loss plan?

This post is part of a reader Q&A.  I'm more than happy to answer your questions about my weight loss process (or anything).  My email button is on the sidebar.  Just please remember that I am not a doctor, dietitian or a nutritionist.  These answers are absolutely specific to me and my personal journey.


Question: How did you create your weight loss plan?  
The creation of my weight loss plan was an intuitive, experiment-and-see kind of thing. Initially, I did very little research or planning. I just jumped right in by starting a daily walking routine. I didn't want to start with a diet book or an episode of Oprah. I wanted to take real action and start moving - which is what Oprah and the weight loss book will probably tell you to do anyway. Everyone is always looking for an easy way to lose weight. But I knew that real and permanent weight loss would only come one way for me: diet and exercise. (You know, the hard way.)

STEP 1:
Move your body.  Walk. Go outside and put one foot in front of the other.  Your pace, footwear, and route do not matter.  Just get moving.  This will do two really important things for you:  1) It will feel good to move and boost your morale and 2) You will begin to burn calories.

STEP 2:
Stop eating the thing that is making you fat.  Once I established a consistent walking routine, I was free to start expanding my view. I had to do a little investigative work.  I wrote down what I ate for a few days just to see what I was really consuming during the day.  Often times I find that what we think we're eating differs greatly from what we're actually eating.  So write it down to get a true and honest beat on the kinds of foods you are consuming.  So the question is: What is making me fat?  Refined sugar and flour- plain and simple.  I am a sugar addict and always will be.  Most people are.

It was really important to me at the beginning of this process to be free from calorie counting and restrictive portions.  I knew I wasn't ready for that kind of regimen.  So instead of restricting the amount of food I ate, I simply cut out as much sugar as I possibly could.  It was pretty easy to cut the obvious sources of sugar.  Ice cream, candy, Pepsi, venti mocha frappucinos and baked goodies were all the first things to go.  The more insidious piece of the puzzle was all the refined sugar and white flour I was unknowingly consuming.

This is when I started doing some research.  It turns out that sugar (usually disguised as some form of genetically modified corn product) is hiding in almost every packaged convenience food in America.  And I can write with confidence that this kind of sugar is the source of my own weight problem and the cause of our modern American obesity epidemic.  So Step 2 (Stop Eating Sugar) was much more difficult to implement.  It meant a total overhaul of my diet.  Here are just a few things that I ate on a daily basis for decades that contain high fructose corn syrup:

Yoplait yogurt

Most Salad Dressings

Special K Cereal (in fact almost all Kellogg's products)

Most Peanut Butters

Muffins

Bagels

Ketchup

Sodas

Bottled Juices

Applesauce

Whole Wheat Breads

Thomas' English Muffins

Pasta Sauces

Power Bar

Miracle Whip

Ritz Crackers

Knudsen Cottage Cheese

Claussen's Pickles

Kraft Cream Cheeses

Some Campbell's Soups

So cutting the sugar was key.  And when I started doing this, the weight began to drop off at a very fast rate.  The first week that I cut sugar, I lost four pounds.  And when I begin to reintroduce sugar into my diet, the weight loss slows down or stops.  There is a direct correlation (for me and my body) between obesity and sugar consumption.

Question: How did you decide on raw food and juicing?
Once I cut sugar from my diet, the question became "Okay, what can I eat?"  And as I said before, I wasn't ready to restrict my portions or count calories or weigh my food.  All of that seemed a little to involved for someone just starting out.  Someone recommended that I take a look at The Raw Detox Diet by Natalia Rose.  Some of the book is pure crazy talk, but most of the principles are sound.  So I took some of the basics and started to apply them to my meals.  Basically, I could eat as much food as I wanted as long as it was a whole, unprocessed, raw food.  The book had lots of easy recipes that even a non-chef like me could prepare.  So I gave it a whirl.

I noticed a huge difference right away in my energy levels, skin tone and weight loss.  I felt good about what I was eating and I could eat as much of it as I wanted.  It turned out to be the perfect fit.  The thing to keep in mind when trying out a new diet or a new weight loss plan set forth by someone else is that it has to be sustainable for YOU.  If you read something and think, "Well, there is no way I can do that for any extended period of time," then walk away from it.  It has to work for you or you won't be able to stick with it.  And the truth is that no one book or video or lifestyle plan will be your be all end all.  Feel free to pick and choose what works for you. It was so important to me that food remain an enjoyable part of my day.  I love whole foods and salads, but I also love wine, dark chocolate and cooked fish.  So, I make it work for me while adhering to my no refined sugar (or very little refined sugar) policy.  And I'm not a tyrant - I still eat a sweet treat every once in a while.

The Raw Food Detox Diet also promotes juicing - especially green vegetable juice.  But it wasn't until I saw Fat Sick and Nearly Dead (a documentary) that I hopped on the juicing band wagon.  Eating the Standard American Diet for so long depleted most of my nutrient stores.  I needed to heal my tissues and reinvigorate my body at a cellular level.  Juicing was the answer for me.  It is a fantastic way to get a lot of phyto-nutrients and live enzymes into your body very quickly.

Now, 11 months later, I'm still at it.  I still juice most every morning and I eat a partially raw diet.  When I'm feeling low energy and need a pick me up, I just amp up the raw food intake and dial down the cooked stuff.  I am by no means a raw foodist nor do I aspire to be one.  However, these principles have really worked for me over the past year.

My Tiny Veggie Garden

As you may remember, I planted a little veggie garden in my back yard this year.  I have never had one and am still learning the ropes, but it seems to be going well so far.  My hope is that I'll have some lovely home grown organic produce to eat this summer.  Plus its such fun to watch my four-year-old work with the plants and see them grow.  The garden has been a great tool in teaching him about how we create food.  His most recent observation?  "I will like my peas better because it took me a long time to grow them."

Raw Chocolate Cherry Malt

One of my favorite raw treats is this Chocolate Cherry Malt recipe from Ani Phyo's book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.  It's starting to get WARM here in Dallas and this "malt" is the perfect thing to beat the heat!

Photo from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Raw Chocolate Cherry Malt by Any Phyo

2 cups of cherries (pitted)
3/4 cup of almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
2 Tablespoons Carob or Cacao Powder
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 cups water

Put all ingredients in blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend until smooth.  It will keep in the fridge for up to three days.  I like to use a little less water and throw in a big handful of ice to make it colder and thicker.  When I served it to my four year old son he said, "This is the best ice cream shake ever!"  He's not kidding.  Here's a photo of my malt below:

Raw Food Day

Today, I'm back on track with all raw foods for the day.  I thought I'd post some inspiring photos of raw whole foods just as a reminder that eating green can be very satisfying.  Even after months of eating a mostly raw diet, I sometimes mentally regress and get bogged down by my "idea" of what it means to eat raw.  Its good to remember how beautiful, how tasty and how amazing this food really is for me!  And for you too!  Won't you join me?

Raw Treats

Remember THIS post from last week?  Basically, I am tired of paying big money for raw Lara Bars - my favorite convenience food - and finally attempted to make them at home.  Today, I had a free 15 minute stretch to call my own and I produced these brilliant little raw fruit and nut balls.  How did I do it?  I took a handful of dates, raisins, nuts and some coconut powder and chopped them into submission.  Then I kneaded the mass of sticky nutty goo into a thick blob and rolled them into little balls.  The final touch?  Coat the balls in raw coconut powder.  They look like little truffles.  They were a huge hit with my Easter house guests and all of our children.  Here are some photos of the final product.  Delicious!

HERE are some recipes if you'd like to try this at home.

The balls above were made with:

Dates

Raisins

Cashews

Coconut Powder