*After The Cleanse*

[Honey]

I completed 14 days of the MC (this is my 7th time) and for some reason I think I blew it as I must have eaten too much of the wrong thing as for the last 3 days (after my 3 days coming off thre MC) I have been having bad stomache aches at night and then I have to go to the toilet and I have the runs. I have bad cramps in my stomach. What should I do? I don't think the orange juice agreed with me as maybe it was too acidy. I was really hungry for food this time and I think I ate too much too fast, though it was veggie soup. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!:(

[newmom]

I completed 14 days of the MC (this is my 7th time) and for some reason I think I blew it as I must have eaten too much of the wrong thing as for the last 3 days (after my 3 days coming off thre MC) I have been having bad stomache aches at night and then I have to go to the toilet and I have the runs. I have bad cramps in my stomach. What should I do? I don't think the orange juice agreed with me as maybe it was too acidy. I was really hungry for food this time and I think I ate too much too fast, though it was veggie soup. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!:(

Try some probiotics and good blend of digestive enzymes...works for me.

[Meedis]

I've recently completed another round of cleansing and am actually wondering if I should take kefir along with my probiotics. A co-worker of mine had me try some kefir a year or so ago and I remembered liking the taste. But I never really thought about it beyond that moment. Two months ago before starting my latest cleanse, though, I was reading about the health benefits of kefir and thought I try to look for some. Luckily my local grocer carries plenty of it and I drank an 8 oz glass of kefir every morning before going to work. I did notice that it seemed to help regulate my system and plus it tasted great....especially the peach and blueberry flavors. So of course I had to give it up before starting this next cleanse.

But now that my cleanse is complete, I'm debating on whether I should reintroduce it so soon since I'm also doing the probiotics...I start that tomorrow morning. I wonder if kefir and probiotics would be a potent punch....maybe I'll try it early next week and see what happens. 8)

[Raistlinlvr]

So I dont think its a "raw food" question so much as a healthy food question.

I never liked milk, and when I come off the cleanse I want to cut it out completly. I have heard some bad things about soy milk (I am not in love with soy anyway) but I was kind of thinking (one of my cravings made me remember how much I like horchata -a rice drink) What about "rice milk" it has no milk in it, I can make it myself......
is that a healthy alternative to regular milk (and I thought I would doing good by switching to skim instead the the 2%)? lol...

You guys on this site are the only healthy people I know! haha

[nicholson]

This is my first MC and i am on day four,today i am finally feeling normal.the first day i was so hungry,but i got past it,the second day i basiclly slept all day and the third day the same.i did the salt water flush the first two days but found that it only made me feel worse,although i have only lost 3pounds and afew ounces.I wanteed to stop the first couple of days but then when i woke up and seen that i lost 3 pounds i decided to continue .to all those who are just trying it for the first time and feel like quiting i say hang in there . there are better days to come

[spancarol]

I did a 21 day cleanse, but Im not eating like I use to, but I started eating a little of the foods I use to eat. My question is....can I or will it hurt me to do a salt water flush after the cleanse, maybe every other day or so to keep myself clean until I start on another master cleanse.

[NewDirection]

I shouldn't be here...

but man I am counting down the nano seconds until I can be raw again...

I'd do just about anything for an avocado or a big hunk of celery or a big spoonful of tahini...
Careful. Don't slip on my drool.

Gone, before I shed a tear.
lol

[NewDirection]

No posts?
Ten days?

Wowzers things have slowed down in this neck of the woods since Spring... :confused:

[NewDirection]

I sure wish this thread was still alive... :(

[kjszyszkowski]

I am done my third cleanse!!! Yay! I am enjoying my fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and looking forward to my first green smoothie. Hopefully I can hold off until tomorrow at dinner, but we'll see how it goes. I am also going to start dehydrating like crazy so I have yummy snacks to enjoy in a few days!:D

[kjszyszkowski]

I didn't make it to today. I just had to have an avocado and cucumber yesterday! They didn't upset my stomach though, so I guess it was okay. Today I am going to enjoy green smoothies all day long! Yum Yum Yum!!! I guess since this thread seems to be dead, I will be leaving the site until next cleanse.

Take Care and Good Luck to anyone out there!:D
Krista

[lamaliko]

I finished my 1st Cleanse of the 19th of November...I felt so good and my mind was so clear. I haven't been doing so well going raw, not like I wanted, but I am still trying to make better food choices. Going to start another cleanse in Jan. I would like to go longer than 10 days. Wish me luck.

lamaliko

[Res]

"still trying to make better food choices"

Aren't we all...;) Yet it's better to keep trying than not to try at all.

[gourd4me]

Anybody here?

I reread Peter's book, and I'm not finding the details I would like about coming off the cleanse. I know the first 2 days and part of the 3rd day is fresh orange juice and fresh grapefruit juice. After that it says vegetable broth or salad. I really need more specifics.... My salad might have spinach, dried cranberries, walnuts, green pepper, onion, carrot and celery with a light dressing or olive oil. I might also add avacado or black beans or brocolli. I'm not sure if the fat in avocado is good in a first meal or if the beans and brocolli would cause gas.

I did read if you're not sure, take a small amount and wait an hour for adverse reactions.

I have a blender and can make green smoothies (banana, spinach or chard, flax seed, frozen strawberries and blueberries, almonds, a date or 2 and water. At what point could I have one of these?

If the answer is already here someplace and you know what to search on or how to find it, please let me know.

Thanks! MC1D8 and planning ahead!

[Res]

I - shouldn't - be - here - today! :o detox city. Did you check the "Breaking the Fast" thread? Well my dear, this is straight from Burroughs book :)

HOW TO BREAK THE LEMONADE DIET
Coming off the lemonade diet properly is highly important— please follow the directions very carefully.
After living in a semi-tropical and tropical climate for many years, I find that people have increasingly
turned to a raw fruit, nut, and vegetable diet. Following is the schedule for people who normally follow
such a natural vegetarian diet:

FIRST AND SECOND DAY AFTER DIET:
Several 8 oz. Glasses of fresh orange juice as desired during the day. The orange juice prepares the
digestive system to properly digest and assimilate regular food. Drink it slowly. If there has been any
digestive difficulty prior to or during the change over, extra water may be taken with the orange
juice.

THIRD DAY:
Orange juice in the morning. Raw fruit for lunch. Fruit or raw vegetable salad at night. You are now
ready to eat normally.

[gourd4me]

Thanks, Res! Hope you feel better.

I guess I'll try squeezing my orange/grapefruit juice the first day, blending whole oranges the 2nd day and maybe just eating an orange toward evening on the 2nd day.

I'm really excited about getting off and back to real food!

[Res]

Thanks Gourd. :) Enjoy breaking the cleanse!! Woo Hoo! ;)

[cleansingsheila]

Hi, Gourd4me and any others! We're almost at the promised land of eating healthy and delicious foods! Today is Day 10 for me, too!! WooHoo!! Isn't it great to have gotten this far? I had so many doubts when I started and even at times during the cleanse, but kept pressing on. Go us!
For the rest of January, I'm planning to eat fruits, veggies and whole grains. Then, in Feb, add in fish and chicken.What are your plans, Gourd4me?

Sheila

[cleansingsheila]

It was so great to come to this thread and find the info I was needing!
Thank you SO MUCH, Res!! Hope you've been able to move on to Sunvalley from detox city!
Kinda wish I could continue on like some others just to see what benefits there are. But think my family is waiting for me to join them at the supper table. They have been very supportive.
Sheila

[Res]

Sheila - so this thread is beginning to gain momentum. :) It gets pretty busy when everyone starts breaking the fast. There's a LOT of great info in this thread and also the forum. Congratulations on completing your goal!! :D

Day 2 of detox hell ;)

[Res]

I keep forgetting to post this. I'm pretty sure I got this from Peter's Newsletter and omgosh I'm in love.


*Your favorite apple
*Nut butter, peanut, almond, cashew (organic)
*Sea Salt

Slice an apple into thin rings. Smear nut butter on top, sprinkle sea salt.

I usually eat fruit room temp but I LOVE this cold. You get the juicy crunch of the apple, the salty and the yummy fat. It fills me up for hours.

[Boots]

I did NOT need to see that reminder right now of one of my absolute favorite treats! Thanks Res :D

Just popping in to see what's happening here, hoping to here other's transition tales :)

I'm on Day 2 and planning orange juice this morning (if I ever get off the board and make it) followed by a clementine this afternoon and maybe some watermelon this evening.

Happy Snowy Sunday everyone!

[mandz3443]

hi everyone.

i had a question.

I started the mc on Monday and ended it Thursday because when I started it I just wasn't ready mentally. (I had done it previously with great success) Anyway, I started eating 90% raw ... and I feel as though my body is going throw something miserable!

I'm really grumpy - my RA Symptoms are worse than ever (I literally can't walk) - I'm very emotional - I have headaches - and I am constipated. (sorry)

Just wondering if this is normal when you begin this type of diet? I propose I am detoxing even though I am not fasting?

Thanks for any input you have!

[gourd4me]

Transition Day 1. I had 2 oranges juiced with pulp at 10:00 am (slept late today), ate an orange at 11:00, exercised and ate a grapefruit at 12:30, drinking plenty of water. And a chewed 1/2 stick of gum to get the digestive system woke up. Feeling fine! :D

Res, I used to always eat almonds with my apple slices at work in the afternoons, and I've made almond butter, too. When I use my food processor, I add just enough raw, cold-processed coconut oil to get the consistency right. I like your idea of cutting the apples in rings and topping the nut butter with sea salt! :)

Meet me at the Lemonhead recipe box for some really wonderful, raw recipes. :)

[Res]

I should NOT be here, I repeat NOT BE HERE. Not sure what hit me but I've been ravenous today AND I've been to the Recipe box. When I ended reading with the word "Tuna" I knew I had to get the heck outta here. lol Those recipes look SO good and I can't wait to plan my two week meal.

Sounds like you're doing great breaking the cleanse. :)

[Lin]

O.k., now that I'm on my 1st day post cleanse, I can hang out here safely!! :D

MMMM, that apple, nut butter and sea salt recipe sounds really good. I'll have to give it a try in a few days!

Well, I'm going to brownse through some recipes!

[mandz3443]

i had that apple and almond butter with a lil bit of raisins ...

i was stuffed all day long i felt like I pigged out but it was all healthy!

thanks!!!;)

[first timer24]

i'm on day 10 of the cleanse and stopping tomorrow. i've had a great experience and feeling really amazing!

i have a question about my first day off the lemonade tomorrow. since i am drinking the lemonade all day today, do i drink the tea tonight and do the salt water flush tomorrow morning before i start with the OJ? seems like i would need to as i need to rinse out my agitation ;) but not sure... any advice?

[Boots]

FIRST-T

It is really up to you :) Per the book, you don't need to, but I'm with you - I kind of think it makes more sense. People seem to fall on both sides of the question. This cleanse I meant to do the SWF on day "11" but got up too late :( I did have the tea the night before.

I'm on Day 4 after the cleanse and feeling good :)
D1 - lemonade in morning and then orange juice
D2 - orange juice most of day and some watermelon in the evening
D3 - 2 clementines, 2 bananas, watermelon, canteloupe, mango, & some strawberries (not all at once LOL)
D4 - 2 clementines, 1 banana, melons, grapes. Then at 2 a huge salad of meslun, spinach, mushrooms, scallions, peppers, cherry tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, dulse, & avocado with some lemon juice :D shoyu & a tiny bit of maple syrup. Will probably have more fruit this evening.

I've been reading Natalia Rose and am interested in her stuff about quick exit foods and food combining. I love nutrition experiments!

[Res]

Mmm boots, your menu sounds yummy! It's funny how the cravings change. Usually around this time I start fantasizing about a "dark green leafy salad with oil/lemon and sprinkling of sea salt" eaten slowly. Mm Mm Mm!

I shouldn't be in here. lol :o

[toolegittoquit]

Transition Day 1

Hello all fellow lemonfaces!!:) :D It's good to know that i can still come on here and be part of this wonderful community :). Today went very smooth. I didn't have the desire to cave back into solid food (thank GOD) because I was a bit worried about that. I really enjoyed my grapefruit juice and also some oj. I mixed my juice with water to make sure I don't over do it. I made sure to drink as much water as possible in between to keep the cleansing proccess somewhat going. I usually drink alot of water anyway. I was a bit tired early this evening. Perhaps it was from all the studying I've been doing :( So I took a nap and what do you know, problem solved :D. Looking forward to the transition process. There are lotsa familiar lemony people on here, HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!

[Boots]

TOOLEGIT!!! Whooo Hooooo!!! BIG CLAPS!!! CONGRATULATIONS! Wow - 40 days :) Wishing you a smooth and happy transition into eating real food while maintaining the serenity and strength you discovered during the fast!

How are you planning your food transition? And what type of eating plan are you transitioning to?

RES - how long are you going? And are you going to go totally raw again or stick with the mixture that has been working for you?

I'm still exploring what I want to do food-wise - this is my 7th day post-cleanse. I have been eating fruit in the morning and then a big salad with avocado around 2 (after gym), and then usually more fruit. It's not working for me yet energy-wise, but it's been a very busy week at work (long hours after taking last week off) and I haven't incorporated green juice/smoothies or any nuts & seeds in yet and I feel I need more protein.

Today we are having our company Christmas Lunch (it had to be cancelled because of a blizzard) and I am thinking of having some chicken or shrimp with my salad - hmmmmnn - what to do - will just have to see what I feel like. After my last cleanse I really didn't want any flesh foods, but I haven't felt that way this time. Gee this cleanse stuff is interesting :D

Enjoy the transition everyone - it is a wonderful opportunity to really explore how your Body (not your Mind) feels about what you put into it, and a great chance to discover the best way to be nutritionally supportive of yourself :D

[Res]

Hi Toole! Welcome back to food. :) It's so good that you're still here with us. When people leave it's a bit sad *sniffle*. It will be exciting to follow you along on your transition. :)

Hi Boots: It's one of those things. I don't know when this one will end. I didn't want to do it in the first place (hahah) but once on board well, the rest is history. ;)

I ordered two more raw recipes books yesterday and last night I got out my stack of raw food books. Let the planning begin! So I'm coming up with a 2 week transition menu for whenever this is over.

All raw doesn't work for me. I tested myself by going completely raw for 3 months. My body rebelled until I incorporated some cooked foods and then I was fine. I'd like to go 70% raw 30% cooked. We'll see.

The veggie juices and green smoothies you mentioned are of utmost importance. This is a biggie because the water in the veggies/fruits is in it's purest form. Peter has stressed this.

I'm so happy to see a little activity in here. :) Have a great Friday!

[Boots]

RES - you better be careful about reading those Matthew Kenney books :D If thinking about eating a simple salad is making you drool ...... It is so neat to know that Lynda has made a bunch of those recipes and they really work :)

[Res]

Boots: Last night I dragged all of my raw recipes books out and piled them in a stack. I started with Cornbleet (I used her recipes a LOT) and had to put the book down after 15 minutes. My stomach was growling and I've BEEN having dreams of eating. haha :)

[Betty09]

OK everyone, Day 1 of my post cleanse, everything's cool so far. OJ is not bugging me at all. So, next step is shopping for veggies/fruits, using my dehydrator and making yummy food. My questions are:

1. How good is The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose? I see you guys talking about her and I need more info about going raw, thought I'd pick this up tonight and chill with a cup of tea in my epsom salt bath and read. :)

2. How different should the prices be between farmer's markets and whole food stores like Mothers? I am thinking about going to Mother's tonight and pricing the veggies I will be eating next week, and then going to the farmer's market tomorrow.

3. Dehydrators - is there a book that'll show me how to use this thing, the tricks like what kind of sheets to buy and if I need to "pre-treat" the fruit, etc.?

I'm planning on learning how to uncook with my dehydrator this weekend. Yay food! Happy Friday!

[Boots]

Betty -

I know nothing about dehydrators - I really want one but I'm not letting myself get one YET! LOL I have a bunch of Raw Food books though and most of them are pretty specific about what to do with the dehydrator. It sounds as if you definitely need some - I think they are called Teflex - sheets (although you can use parchment paper I've read) to lay on top of the dehydrator mesh sheets because some of the mixtures start out "liquid-y" and would drip through the mesh. Lots of recipes call for starting the process on a sheet and then peeling off the sheet and finishing the drying on the tray alone. For things like plain fruit the mesh dehydrator trays would be used alone for optimal heat circulation.

As far as Natalia Rose, I bought the Raw Food Detox Diet as one of the 5 :D raw food books I bought this cleanse - LOL. Her emphasis is on eating in such a way as to move food quickly through your digestive system, including eating in what she calls "quick exit" combinations. Her book is very much geared towards transitioning to "More Raw". Of course this may be too late for you, but if you flip through it at the book-store you'll get a sense of whether her style/philosophy works for you. I really like her emphasis on food - and us - as energy :) (Think her second book is called "Life Force Energy" - or something like that - too lazy to go upstairs and see - obviously, she intrigued me since I bought that too LOL). If you read it I'd love to hear what you think.

Farmers Markets! I'm jealous :D I'm in the frigid Northeast - all the farmers I know are hibernating right now!

Speaking of wonderful food LOL - the salad I had today was maybe even more wonderful than the ones I've been eating the past three days (RES - stop reading now :D ): Spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, scallions, avocado, pea shoots, brocco-sprouts, lemon juice, shoyu, flax oil, and black pepper. I had never had pea shoots before It was so good I'd like to have another one for dinner but per Natalia Rose I can't combine avocado with nuts AND (stop reading RES) I got a box of raw treats I ordered from oneluckyduck.com (part of Pure Food - Matthew Kenney's former restaurant) and I HAVE to be able to "sample" them :D :D :D

Enough typing - time to learn how to use my new juicer!!

I do hope some of us new Raw transitioners can continue to chat here with some of you experts! Food is so much fun!

Happy weekend everyone!

[Res]

Betty: What kind of Dehydrator do you have? You're going to have a BLAST! Scroll through the 30 day challenge thread to look for pictures of food we dehydrated.

There's a pizza recipe from Alissa Cohen that is AMAZING and I have no way to convince you of this but to me it tasted better than any regular pizza I've ever had. The flavors are alive!

You also use the dehydrator to heat up raw spaghetti. Cornbleet had a marinara sauce that rivals all others. You use zucchini from a "Spiral Slicer" (watch your fingers!). It turns the zucchini into angel hair pasta - so thin - that with the sauce, you can't tell you're not eating spaghetti noodles. You can make "sausage" from walnuts and spices and you'll swear you're eating the leanest and best tasting sausage in the world!

This forum is FULL of recipes, ideas, how we all went broke buying the things we needed to do the job and it lasts you a lifetime. :D

You guys are killing me. It's mid-day and I've only been able to gag down 3 lemonades. I'm winding down but still not done. :(

Please eat for me! ;)

*Smooch*
~Res

(I love this thread!!! :D)

[Res]

(RES - stop reading now :D ):
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! :o

[Boots]

LOL

Cohen - pizza - check - bought Cohen this cleanse after reading 30 pages of the raw food challenge thread. Just got it though and haven't finished reading it - that book is HEAVY - don't think I could have held it on those yucky detox cleanse days.

Cornbleet - marinara - check - bought that this cleanse and thought the recipe sounded good. Haven't bought my spiral slicer yet - can't decide which kind. When I was doing low carb I used to make zucchini pasta just by peeling strips with a peeler - what a pain. I love zucchini pasta cooked and can't wait to try it raw.

Oh I'm so happy, it is time to eat again :D

[Betty09]

Betty: What kind of Dehydrator do you have? You're going to have a BLAST! Scroll through the 30 day challenge thread to look for pictures of food we dehydrated.

There's a pizza recipe from Alissa Cohen that is AMAZING and I have no way to convince you of this but to me it tasted better than any regular pizza I've ever had. The flavors are alive!

You also use the dehydrator to heat up raw spaghetti. Cornbleet had a marinara sauce that rivals all others. You use zucchini from a "Spiral Slicer" (watch your fingers!). It turns the zucchini into angel hair pasta - so thin - that with the sauce, you can't tell you're not eating spaghetti noodles. You can make "sausage" from walnuts and spices and you'll swear you're eating the leanest and best tasting sausage in the world!

This forum is FULL of recipes, ideas, how we all went broke buying the things we needed to do the job and it lasts you a lifetime. :D

You guys are killing me. It's mid-day and I've only been able to gag down 3 lemonades. I'm winding down but still not done. :(

Please eat for me! ;)

*Smooch*
~Res

(I love this thread!!! :D)


OK so you remember seeing the "Set It and Forget It" rotisserie chicken thing on tv infomercials? Well Ronco makes a food dehydrator too. It's that one.... it was only $39 and I'm a young 27yr old paying off college loans, lol so I'm on a budget. I figure it's something I can start with (kind of like an Easy Bake Oven for a little kid) learn on. The first thing I'm going to do is apples and flax crackers. I am guessing I put the crackers on the bottom? Or maybe in the middle. lol

[Betty09]

Betty -

I know nothing about dehydrators - I really want one but I'm not letting myself get one YET! LOL I have a bunch of Raw Food books though and most of them are pretty specific about what to do with the dehydrator. It sounds as if you definitely need some - I think they are called Teflex - sheets (although you can use parchment paper I've read) to lay on top of the dehydrator mesh sheets because some of the mixtures start out "liquid-y" and would drip through the mesh. Lots of recipes call for starting the process on a sheet and then peeling off the sheet and finishing the drying on the tray alone. For things like plain fruit the mesh dehydrator trays would be used alone for optimal heat circulation.

As far as Natalia Rose, I bought the Raw Food Detox Diet as one of the 5 :D raw food books I bought this cleanse - LOL. Her emphasis is on eating in such a way as to move food quickly through your digestive system, including eating in what she calls "quick exit" combinations. Her book is very much geared towards transitioning to "More Raw". Of course this may be too late for you, but if you flip through it at the book-store you'll get a sense of whether her style/philosophy works for you. I really like her emphasis on food - and us - as energy :) (Think her second book is called "Life Force Energy" - or something like that - too lazy to go upstairs and see - obviously, she intrigued me since I bought that too LOL). If you read it I'd love to hear what you think.

Farmers Markets! I'm jealous :D I'm in the frigid Northeast - all the farmers I know are hibernating right now!

Speaking of wonderful food LOL - the salad I had today was maybe even more wonderful than the ones I've been eating the past three days (RES - stop reading now :D ): Spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, scallions, avocado, pea shoots, brocco-sprouts, lemon juice, shoyu, flax oil, and black pepper. I had never had pea shoots before It was so good I'd like to have another one for dinner but per Natalia Rose I can't combine avocado with nuts AND (stop reading RES) I got a box of raw treats I ordered from oneluckyduck.com (part of Pure Food - Matthew Kenney's former restaurant) and I HAVE to be able to "sample" them :D :D :D

Enough typing - time to learn how to use my new juicer!!

I do hope some of us new Raw transitioners can continue to chat here with some of you experts! Food is so much fun!

Happy weekend everyone!

Mmmmmmm salad. I might try soup tonight. lol I'm doing really well with the juice on day 1, no gas or tummy upsets or anything. just lots and lots of pee. :) So I am going to the bookstore tonight. I'll look through that book and see if any others look interesting. I'll let you know what I think.

[mtmouse]

OK so you remember seeing the "Set It and Forget It" rotisserie chicken thing on tv infomercials? Well Ronco makes a food dehydrator too. It's that one.... it was only $39 and I'm a young 27yr old paying off college loans, lol so I'm on a budget. I figure it's something I can start with (kind of like an Easy Bake Oven for a little kid) learn on. The first thing I'm going to do is apples and flax crackers. I am guessing I put the crackers on the bottom? Or maybe in the middle. lol

Your dehydrator will do fine. Its only drawback is probably space. You'll also want to be sure it doesn't get too hot. You want to dry stuff around 110 degrees.

Whenever you dehydrate, you want to put the driest stuff on the bottom. Because heat rises, and takes the moisture with it. It won't matter if you put the flax crackers and the apples in at the same time. But if you get one or the other partway done, then add the new thing, if you put the moist thing underneath it will moisten what you just dried up above! So just keep that in mind, and as things get dry and you take them out, move the other trays to the lower racks when you add something new.

But you really can't go wrong dehydrating. If you get something too dry, you can always rehydrate it. If it's too wet, it just takes longer. No biggie!

Have fun!

[Res]

Cohen and Cornbleet and Dehydrators OH MY! :)

Corbleet has a recipe for Cranberry Scones that will make your toes curl!

Cohen's book IS heavy and worth every cent. I made a dessert, something like Black Forest Cherry cake and I nearly died it was so good.

Ok, here's the scoop, I'm drinking LAX tea (which I hate) while my stomach is literally rolling like thunder from the memories of being in here and all the FOOD FOOD FOOD talk. :o Is'nt eating GREAT? lol :D

I have to get out of here...

[Betty09]

Thanks Kathy! I'll have a go at it tomorrow and let you all know how it goes

[toolegittoquit]

Transition Day 2


Boots-well thank you for your kind words and wishes:). I'm planning to stay on juice for a few more days, perhaps through this long weekend. And then slowly introduce salads :D mmmmmmm. But, I am definitly doing the 30 Day Raw Challenge WHOOOHOOOOOOO. I'm really excited to dine at some wonderful Raw restaurants here in the Bay Area. We got some great ones in SF, Santa Cruz and ESPECIALLY in Berkeley . I CAN'T WAIT LOL :D. I'm going to start counting my 30 days of raw as soon as I can eat a few raw meals per day. After that, I am planning on a vegan diet but mainly somewhere between 80-90% raw. I just love warm food too much to give it up completely :o. I was a vegetarian since I was a kid/teenager, a total of 10 years. And as soon I started eating meat, a couple of years ago, I immediately noticed unhealthy changes in my body and a decline in my overall energy :mad:. So, I'm going to give veganism a fair try, or at the least go back to vegetarianism.

Res-I am really excited that there is another forum such as this one for the aftermath, and thanks for the warm welcome!!! :D
It helps to keep the positivity going, especially when it comes to making food choices.
Question for you-since I've never done a 40 day fast, and with my other ones I took about 3 days of juicing and then ate solids. I suppose I would treat this transition a bit different. I read on other forums that it's recommended for a 40 day fast to stay on juices for up to 2 weeks, maximum? But in Burroughs book, he mentioned a few days. Now today I chewed a little on the edges of my orange LOL :o. I didn't get sick, so I'm wondering if it will be okay to perhaps experiment by having a little bit more of insides of an orange tomorrow? Because nothing seems to be wrong, and I haven't had any gas, upset stomach or pains, I figured I might be able to little by little work on eating the whole orange in the next 3-5 days. I'm also taking 1/2 of teaspoon of probiotics each day.

(I was almost about to type, "keep squeezing those lemons my fellow Lemonheads" LOL :D)) old habits die hard ;)
I guess it should now be, "keep squeezing those fruits my fellow Lemonheads" :)

[toolegittoquit]

Betty09, I just noticed that you're on here too!! NICE!! :) Congratulations on your goal!!!! :):)

[Res]

Toolegit: YOU are rare and probably one of the few breaking the fast correctly. If you feel like it, nibble a section of orange and wait 15 minutes. Check how you feel and if all is well eat another section - and so on. Oh, and chew really well so that it's basically liquid ish before you swallow. After all it is fruit and mostly water. What's puzzling to me about Burroughs is his soup recipe contains beans and pototoes. That's (I don't have the words) - I wish he was here to pick his brain. I mean beans??? Most of the population has the same reaction to eating beans. :rolleyes: I've never made his and mine is full of bland veggies but tastes great. I don't do cooked soup after a cleanse any longer. I have a Vitamix and I make mine raw. You can make some AMAZING tasting raw soups in the Vitamix.

I know someone who cleansed for 52 days and then went right into eating wrong food and she didn't die - she should have! ;) I'm not concerned about you doing that. lol

Probiotics are GREAT! Mercola says if you eat healthy you can taper down to taking the probiotics 3 x a week after you're on them daily for about a month. There's no harm in taking them everyday - he may have been referring to a $cost$ question.

I'm really proud of you and I'm so glad a few of you are here because I love this forum. :)

[Res]

My Matthew Kenney recipe books shipped out yesterday. I should have them by next week. Out of all the recipes Lynda mentioned I'm most intrigued by "mac and cheese" and I can't even imagine! My fingers are crossed that it's not "cauliflower" which I love but can't eat a lot of it raw.

I have a stack of uncook books in the living room. Ani Phyo is another interesting raw boot - not the best but not bad either. She has a stuffed Anaheim Chili pepper recipe that I made and posted pictures in one of the threads. The best part about the pepper was the "Cheez" stuffing. Coupled together with the pepper and the raw sauce to dip in I was in heaven.

Toolegit: Was it you who mentioned warm food? On the 30 day raw challenge (which actually went for 90 days) I was eating my meals cold and that bothered me. I wasn't thinking outside the box. Then mtmouse mentioned that she pops her food into the dehydrator for an hour or so to warm it it. DUH!! :confused: Being a raw "noob" I didn't think about it. haha so that problem was taken care of.

Last night I was so hungry and ended up watching Sam the cooking Guy - Steak Paradise and tried to watch Top Chef but it wasn't on. hahah


HAPPY SATURDAY!! http://www.kurts-smilies.de/essen.gif

[Boots]

Good morning everyone! Well, actually it is 2:30 in the afternoon, but it feels like morning because it is the first time I'm sitting down at the PC LOL. Eating a salad like yesterday's and a piece of Manna bread - which is interesting, but I don't really see the point of eating. I think I'm only having it because Natalia Rose says I can combine starchs with Avocados. I didn't eat bread before the cleanse so it doesn't really make sense to start now. I do like trying new things though. :D

So yesterday I used my new juicer for the first time (actually, the first time I've ever used a juicer) and made some Green Lemonade (kale, romaine, celery, lemon, & apple) - not bad, and a really gorgeous color. I had it around 6 and then got involved reading/researching raw food sites and before I knew it it was 9. Guess the juice was pretty satisfying. I really wanted to break open my box of OneLuckyDuck treats though so I had some spicy cashews (sweet and curry-ish) - FAB-U-LOUS - one bite and I knew I absolutely will be getting a dehydrator! I was a little piggy and ate not one but 2 raw chocolate chip cookies AND a chocolate truffle. My stomach was absolutely fine with all that even though it was the first non fruit/veggie food I've eaten, but I did finish the cleanse a week ago.

So I have a question: for those of you who juice, what do you do with the juice pulp? It seems so wasteful. When I've done green smoothies before I made whole juice in my Vitamix and added Hemp Protein powder and it was a real meal. I liked them, but I also like the idea of the more concentrated fiber-less juice. I know the pulp would be wonderful for the compost - but I'm not composting right now. I know I read a recipe someplace for raw carrot cake that called for carrot pulp, but I wonder if one could add something to bind it all together like flax meal or chia and then dehydrate it (says she who doesn't have a dehydrator LOL).

This evening I am going to attempt my first raw recipe - Cornbleet's Sunflower Pate. My sunflower seeds are soaking at home right now (I'm at the office). I'll look up the Kenney Mac & Cheese recipe RES and see what it's about so you can drool more knowledgeably :D

Enjoy your weekend everyone. I think since I'm at the office I may as well do a little work :)

[Boots]

RES - just looked up the Mac & Cheese recipe - Mac is yellow squash cut in the spiral slicer, & cheese is cashews. There is a picture and it looks WONDERFUL!!!

[Betty09]

Betty09, I just noticed that you're on here too!! NICE!! :) Congratulations on your goal!!!! :):)

Awesome to have you here and congrats yourself! I'm jealous of all the raw restaurants up there. I found one down here in Costa Mesa I think so I'll check that out.

[Betty09]

Res careful before u read this, i talk about food :D

My guts must be super woman's cause I've had no weird symptoms breaking the cleanse. I tooted once yesterday n that'd it LOL. Today I went to farmers mkt in Dana Point and it was wonderful. Right on the beach, 75 degrees and dun was shining. I had a raw veggie salad and dried apricots and figs. I've never had figs before but dang they're yummy! I have Igor's flax crackers marinating, or fermenting and I'll pop them in the dehydrator tomorrow am. I love fruits and veggies. On a slightly sadder note my one friend is telling me that'll this will never last for me, I'll be malnourished and am losing my mind. I asked her to elaborate and she couldn't and told her I lost almost 20 lbs and my skin is more sparkly and she said I don't look any different. Sad huh. Well for her, not me. I'll say a prayer for her ;)

[Betty09]

And I bought Natalia Rose's raw detox diet book n will follow it and I even already had a regular bm- is that good or bad?

[Res]

Betty, I'll work backwords..... your friend (ahem): please don't let her negative comments penetrate your psyche. Even close and well meaning friends can say cruel things out of envy or jealousy. I have cleansed enough times to know that YOU CHANGE physically during and after each cleanse. I have a very close friend who just doesn't have it in her to compliment me. But it works for us and I don't care any more whether or not she notices. She's never cleansed and her lack of comments have no bearing on our relationship or my success. :) YOU did something that a lot of people halt on Day 1. So pat yourself on the back and enjoy the food. ;)

As I mentioned I went *all* raw for 90 days. I found what works and what doesn't. I need some cooked food and meat. The only meat I eat is grass fed or free range. I need that kind of protein. Meat has received a bad hit, especially red meat. But the negativity about meat is due to testing done on "SuperMarket" meat, not grass fed or free range. Curious how they always leave that part out....

The BM part is good. Your body is returning to normal. Your FOOD sounds divine! I could marry a fig. lol

I hear you about the pulp from juicing. We tended to lean towards using the Vitamix to whirr it all up but I tried that with carrot juice and it turned out pretty weird. Regarding the pulp; EXPERIMENT! You could make some awesome weird cookies or crackers from the various pulp. That way since you can't compost you can use it and not feel guilty about chucking it. Food should be fun. I think it is and that's why I'm obcessed with it. :rolleyes:

The MAC & Cheese sounds amazing!! I already know what cashew cheese tastes like (drool) so I'm excited about it! :D Let me know how the Pate is! I never made it.

Yesterday I was out with the family but I came here first to check up on you. I love this thread. It's like returning home. :)

[Boots]

Good morning!

Haven't made the pate yet - yesterday didn't work out quite the way I had planned, but it's all good :) I did read another 25 pages of the 30 Day Raw challenge thread - what a great and inspiring thread! Aside from all the fun and info, there is so much love in that thread - it is nice to spend time there.

BETTY - I'll be interested in what you think of Natalia Rose! I'm drinking green juice right now. And what a treat to have your first fig! I LOVE figs (both fresh and dried) - haven't had any for ages! Dried figs were something I could eat a LOT of and they're a pretty concentrated form of sugar. Of course if you eat a lot they DO have a "laxative effect" LOL. I'm adding them to the shopping list now!

I'm sorry about your friend (hug) - a lot of people react to change and/or things they don't understand by rejecting them. You set out to do AND accomplished something pretty amazing - your friend may unconsciously feel threatened by your success and worried that your change will leave her behind so she is "striking out" to protect her own self-image. What others say is almost always more about them than about you!

RES - I was thinking that "wasting pulp" might be a good reason to justify getting a dehydrator! :D

TOOLEGIT - How's it going?

I had cooked food last night - an omelet (with tomato, scallions, & parsley, & some raw goat cheese per Natalia). I really really wanted some concentrated protein. I loved every bite and body was happy too! I don't think I'm quite ready to go 100% raw - but I don't know that I'm not, either LOL. The experiments continue ....

It is snowing here and I don't have to go out! I plan to spend the day in the kitchen - "raw-ing", de-cluttering, figuring out how to organize things for my new way of eating" And then when I need a break I'll check out on-line sources for spiral slicers and dehydrators!!

HAPPY SUNDAY everyone!

[Boots]

OH I'm SO HAPPY!
I changed my CP options and now I have colors!
& Bold!
Now I just need to figure out font size :) I was hoping I could set it bigger by default. Yes, I'm 49 and starting to wear magnifiers :D

[Betty09]

Thanks Res and Boots for your insight about my friend. Sounds right on target so I think I'll just now talk about what I'm doing with her, she just seems to ask do I'll use Natalia's way of describing what she eats: "I just eat whatever I want when I feel like it". Flax crackers are yummy. They're not crisp but maybe the "bread-like consistency and I like them that way too. Very flavorful. The local whole food store had a sale on fruit so I got a bunch. It's about 70 out and perfect. I like snow too but have never shoveled a driveway do I don't know how much I'd like to live in it. My ex bf is from Ohio and his family loves CA but also loved OH.

Natalia Rose's book Tge Raw Detox Diet is pretty good. Her food combo suggestions are interesting and make sense. I can definitely eat fruit in the am, have a hearty saladst lunch and more fruit before I leave work. I've decided I'm a level 3. However, I'm not sure about how I feel about the dinner. I really want to change how I eat and I'm afraid if I eat some cooked good every night including meat I may slip up or not reach my goal. But she says to take your time. What to you guys think? You both mentioned you eat meat and cooked food sometimes.

Finally, I'm going to be training for a half marathon starting next week. Is this way of eating enough fuel? I've decided to throw all I thought about food out the window and trust your input. It's only a few miles every other day, but sat or sun will be anywhere from 4-10 miles, progressively.

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

[Betty09]

Also I don't have a juicer so what do I do about the green lemonade? Skip them for a month or two till I can save up $$$ to buy one or blend them in my blender?

[Boots]

Betty -

If you are motivated to eat 100% raw - GO FOR IT Natalia's book seems more for people who are coming directly from SAD. She is helping people move towards a healthier life-style. By doing the cleanse you took a great leap forward AND cleaned out a lot of your food habits. I think - for what it's worth :) - you should simply follow your new post-cleanse instincts - maybe think of yourself more as a 2.5 :D

I would blend the combo in your blender and make more of a green smoothie than a juice. I have done that before with my Vitamix and there are great nutritional benefits from eating all the fiber. The resulting concoction will be MUCH more filling though so you will have to adjust quantities. The nutritional benefits you get from "drinking green" are amazing. Think there is a whole green smoothie thread here if you need suggestions.

As far as the training goes - all you can do is pay attention to your body and see how you feel, which is a pretty great rule to live by anyway :) I'm not speaking from personal experience here YET, because I'm throwing away a bunch of my sports nutrition knowledge, too - or at least casting it aside for a while. Certainly there are some amazing Raw, Vegan, and Vegetarian athletes. Eating this way will certainly keep your muscles stocked with glycogen, and fruit is great fuel. Just be sure you are eating enough. It is only through experimentation and observation that you will discover what works best for YOU in terms of pre & post workout nutrition and timing. :)

I''m glad your weather is so lovely!! It has stopped snowing here - so that's good.

In other news, I've ordered a spiral slicer :D

[Betty09]

Boots- good advice, thanks. I'll blend away. In vicyoria boutenko's book 12 steps to raw foods, she mentions to eat whatever raw good you crave as your body will tell you what you need. Lots of green smoothies, etc. I think I'll just take some time to experiment, keeping food combining in mind. I ate a huge salad with everything in in for lunch and i liked how good the avocados tasted do I ate another LOL.
I want a spiral slicer too.

[toolegittoquit]

Transition Day 4

Hello all!! hope you had a wonderful weekend. Personally, I did :D:D. The weather was beautiful and I was actually WARM :eek::)!! that's a first in a really long time. I was really happy about that. Last night I had to turn off my heater cuz I started getting a headache from the heat, or perhaps lack of oxygen since it was so freaken HOT. What a nice feeling that was. I started practicing my bikram yoga again the other day. What a good feeling that was too :), I missed it like crazy during my fast. But I almost passed out today, and yesterday I was slightly light headed. Today was almost near impossible for me to finish my practice, but I stuck it out and satyed the whole 90 minutes in the 110 degree room and doing only what my body was able to do. So at that point, I knew that my body needs some food and electrolytes, if I want to practice tomorrow again, because it got depleted from all the sweating I've been doing. DRUM ROLLS PLEASE....I had solid fruit!!! whoooooooooooo-haaaaaaaaa:D:D:D:D:):D:).
I felt so good, and no problems with my belly (but all the fiber has been giving me the farts :o, and it doesn't smell like anything :D)
This raw food challenge is going to be a piece of cake for me because when I get really active with my yoga practice, all I crave is fruits and greens. And I'm planning to stay very active with my practice to firm back up and get some of my muscle tone back. Overall, my transition days have been going smooth. I absolutely don't have any cravings for crappy food, or shall I say the very pathetic SAD diet. I've lost 2 more lbs since breaking my fast, I was 118 this morning, and so that makes my weight loss a total of 30 lbs since I started :). AHHHHHH, I feel so energetic and fresh.

oh, P.S. (you might not want to hear this, but I feel like we're a little more closer than the average person since we've been disgussing our BM habits for so long) DRUM ROLLS AGAIN PLEASE... I boo-booed TWICE today!! My last BM was on the 15th. Today was all on my own, no salt water or lax tea's help. I think things are coming back to normal you guys. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

[Res]

Toolegit! WOO HOO! :) Sounds like things are Moooving the way they should. :D And yum to the solid fruit statement.

Boots: The spiral slicer is amazing and SHARP! One thing that I don't have yet is a "Mandoline". So many people have cut themselves or nearly lost a finger though so I don't know... I've been putting it off for a few years. But I've heard it's amazing, fast and easy. There has to be one out there with a safety something or other. I'll keep looking.

I can't wait to eat again! :p

[Boots]

Good morning Group!

Toolegit! HUGE congratulations on the pooping :D It IS a wonderful feeling to know your body is working the way it should! Since we're "sharing" LOL - I used to be a regular one-time-a-day eliminator, but now that I've started with "quick exit" combinations and so much raw, I seem to be putting out for every time I put in :) - I think that is really cool. (And to think, this is something I never really paid attention to before!)

RES - from my reading of the 30 raw thread I understand that you have (or had) a fairly intimate relationship with Mr. Mango. Well, I just spent some time with him - he's gone now - but it was a very satisfying experience :D I should get my spiral slicer on Wednesday :D - AND - drumroll please ..... I ordered a dehydrator, too. That Matthew Kenney Mac & Cheese recipe is proving very expensive!

Yesterday I made Cornbleet's Not Toona & Sunflower Spread (sundried tomato version). Had collard wraps for dinner - one of each. I think I'm in love with the Toona! Had it with Tomato and Brocco-sprouts - WOW. I didn't like the sunflower one as much but I can see how it might be good in stuffed mushrooms or as a layer in a lasagna type dish.

I am feeling really good - not up to pre-cleanse exercise levels yet, but that's as much schedule now as anything else. After a whole week post-cleanse I am a pound less than when I ended, but my weight has been remarkable consistent for the last 5 days. Interesting.

Betty - You inspired me! Bought Black Mission figs at Whole Foods today - can't wait. Think I'll have some tonight for "dessert."

I'm at the office and I better get some work done so I can afford my new toys :D Have a great day everyone!

[Betty09]

Toolegit - Congrats on pooping. You know, I was realy excited when I pooped too. I'm back on 100% food, and all raw too! Trying it out, and it's working. I have always loved veggies and don't need anything on them so I think this is what I am meant to eat now (God talks to me in phases, LOL) AND, I was suprised cause my farts and BMs don't smell like anything. I'm very excited. I have lost one more pound since I stopped. My friend said she didn't notice a change in my body, however I did lose a few inches from my waist. It's scary because I lost 20 pounds. So, if my waist doesn't look 20 lbs thinner, that means that I was pretty much holding on to like 15 pounds of CRAP in my guts. That is way scary and I'm glad to have gotten rid of it.

Boots - I'm out of figs. I don't even know how to pick the fresh ones. I bought a guava at the farmer's market but I don't know what to do with it! LOL

Res - What day are you on and how long will you go for? And what's the best source of protein for a vegan, since beans are pretty much out?

All - I don't think I would have appreciated this way of eating or the cleanse without educating myself with the books and this bulletin. You have to educate yourself, experiement and discover for yourself what it's all about and just get the facts. It's sad that people let others advise them on the best ways for them to live.

Lastly, I have pooped three times already all comfy cozy wonderful fast poops. LOL I love it. I feel lighter.

Second lastly, since I'm eating raw, can I eat whatever I want and not get fatter? For example, I made 3 small trays worth of flax crackers. I ate them all between yesterday and this morning. And I'm almost through 5 lbs of carrots. But I looooove them! Just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Tootles!:D

[otis]

Toolegit! WOO HOO! :) Sounds like things are Moooving the way they should. :D And yum to the solid fruit statement.

Boots: The spiral slicer is amazing and SHARP! One thing that I don't have yet is a "Mandoline". So many people have cut themselves or nearly lost a finger though so I don't know... I've been putting it off for a few years. But I've heard it's amazing, fast and easy. There has to be one out there with a safety something or other. I'll keep looking.

I can't wait to eat again! :p

GET THE MANDOLINE! THAT IS HOW I MAKE MY LASAGNA! YOU NEED IT

LYNDA

[mtmouse]

They all have a safety--a little thingy that you use to push stuff through. The problem is that the pointy grabbers sink into the food and you can't slice the last part of it. That's when you get sucked into turning the piece a different direction and using your hands. And then you have to push kind of hard, and so you can't push too slowly, and suddenly ... :eek:

It's not the machine that's dangerous. It's the operator! LOL. If you always use it as suggested and don't mind losing the last quarter-inch of everything you slice, you'll keep all your digits. :D

[Boots]

LYNDA - How lovely to see you over here. Big congrats again for finishing your cleanse. Love hearing about all the raw treats you make and your recipe recommendations!! I PM'd you wondering if you had any particular favorite on-line sources for raw ingredients (hope it's okay to ask that here?)

MTMOUSE - - Are you 100% raw too? (Like Lynda?) Thank you for the dehydrator tips you posted above for Betty :) I should be getting that new toy next week!

So, all you dehydrator/raw experts, what should I make first? I want to be all prepared (soaked LOL) so that when the dehydrator comes I can use it immediately! Do you dehydrate more than one kind of thing at the same time? Do you always use the same temperature? 105? I decided to go all the way and get the Excalibur 9 tray :D.

Since I'm in gadget acquisition mode, if I get a mandoline (which I have always wanted but been afraid of) do I really need the $200 kind? Any recommendations? I want to keep my fingers!

BETTY - I've never had fresh guava! I'm jealous! (Guava paste though ... YUM) Were your figs fresh or dried? Completely different experiences, but both so good! There are different kinds of figs, too. I had 3 dried figs after my salad for lunch and they were great, but now I'm really wanting fresh figs too LOL

RES - - Mr. Mango said his brother is willing to wait for you as long as it takes! No need to rush or worry - he'll be there whenever you're ready :)


Think it may be time to make some green juice - didn't have time to do it this morning (not good, I know ... )

I've decided I'm definitely sticking with Raw until 2/13 when my husband and I are going away to a weekend workshop. I probably could stay raw without too much difficulty, because the place we're going - Kripalu - has cafeteria style food and a wonderful salad bar - but they also have amazing vegetarian cooked food (one of the reasons we like going there) - so I don't know if I'm willing to give that up (yet). Another 3 weeks will be a decent experiment, anyway. So far, I'm really excited by it.

Time to get back in the kitchen....

Happy eating,
Margaret

[Betty09]

Margaret - I made flax crackers (which are all gone already) and apple in my dehydrator at the same time. I started with the crackers and said why not just throw the apples in too, so I put them on top. The figs were dried and a black color, really small like the size of a stack of 6 quarters. :)

Quick question for anyone - is there anything negative about using organic frozen fruits in my morning smothies? Wondering if the enzymes are zapped in the freezing process. It'd be nice to go half and half fresh and frozen, but I won't if it isn't going to help me.

And how much of these flax crackers can I eat? I LOVE them a lot.....

[mtmouse]

[COLOR="DarkRed"] MTMOUSE - - Are you 100% raw too? (Like Lynda?) Thank you for the dehydrator tips you posted above for Betty :) I should be getting that new toy next week!

So, all you dehydrator/raw experts, what should I make first? I want to be all prepared (soaked LOL) so that when the dehydrator comes I can use it immediately! Do you dehydrate more than one kind of thing at the same time? Do you always use the same temperature? 105? I decided to go all the way and get the Excalibur 9 tray :D.

Since I'm in gadget acquisition mode, if I get a mandoline (which I have always wanted but been afraid of) do I really need the $200 kind? Any recommendations? I want to keep my fingers!

Margaret

Hi Margaret,

I guess you could say I'm 100% raw, but maybe only 85% of the time, LOL. I've done all raw for months at a time, but recently have added in a few cooked things. However, one of the reasons I went on this cleanse was that when I add in cooked things I tend to go into more-more mode. :)

Yes, you can dry lots of different things at the same time. Just put the wetter things on the trays above the drier things, so they don't defeat the purpose. The Excalibur apparently tells you that you can start out at 145 and then drop down as things dry, but I would never do that. I always keep mine at about 105-110. You can always eat things before they're totally dry, after all!

Can't tell you what to make first. Just read some books and go for it! My red dragon crackers are my main staple. Hot and spicy, just fabulous! The rest comes and goes, but I make sure I have those on hand all the time.

My mandoline was $12. :D

I love my Joyce Chen spiralizer. I saw the spiral slicer (I think it's like a veggie peeler in looks?) but decided I value my fingernails and fingers too much, LOL.

You bet happy eating!

[mtmouse]

Quick question for anyone - is there anything negative about using organic frozen fruits in my morning smothies? Wondering if the enzymes are zapped in the freezing process. It'd be nice to go half and half fresh and frozen, but I won't if it isn't going to help me.


I do it all the time. I suppose a little is lost in the freezing process, but far less than if you let them rot, or even if they were to stay in the store for a while. I'm all for frozen stuff if the fresh isn't real close by.

[Res]

Kathy: Yes, keeping my digits is important. :p So here I go again spending more money. lol


Betty: It's Day 19 and I whined in the 2009 thread and don't think anyone noticed. haha I'm so hungry but not done yet and I know it. I may go till the 30th if I make it that long. Perhaps this IS detox. I've been ignoring it as if it wasn't. Onward! :)

Yikes, protein for a vegan???? I'm no vegan and have my own ideas about it all but this is what I found via Google. It's a nice little chart (when the dang page loads :mad:) that starts with the Highest protein and works it's way down. Protein really is important.

Protein chart (http://www.soystache.com/plant.htm)



Boots: So you met that 4 timing Mr Mango eh? He's definitely good while he lasts. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing013.gif(I crack myself up. :rolleyes:)
You ordered a dehydrator!!! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-bounce009.gif It's SUCH a worthwhile investment. I can't wait to get mine out and dust it off. It's been too long.

Cornbleets tuna is my "favorite" version of all the Tuna's. I fed it to 2 of my 3 son's and they didn't know it was made from walnut. That cracked me up! I add more onion and dill and I'm just about drooling right now thinking about it. Yum! Stuff a tomato - it's heavenly.


Lynda: I have made zucchini lasagna (did it by hand and they were too thick) but it tasted great. If the result is anything like the Spiral Slicer it's going to be great! :)

I need another lemonade...:o

[Res]

I have the Joyce Chen spiral slicer too. What kind of mandolin do you suggest? Plastic? Metal?


I too always throw frozen fruit into smooties. I need to get out of here. :o

[Res]

Margaret, make these :D

Last night before bed i made an amazing CRANBERRY SCONE receipe, put it into the "Big E" and woke up to delicious, beautiful warm scones, here it is:

2C grated apples
2C carrot pulp after you make carrot juice
2C raisins
1C cranberries (i used frozen)
2T honey
2C almonds ground
1C flaxseed blended with 1C water
1/2tsp celtic sea salt
1/2C olive oil

Mix w/hands. Drop spoonfuls onto Teflex sheets. Dehydrate 105. 4 hrs, then flip onto dehydrator screens and wake up to heaven.
12 Steps to Raw Food - Victoria Boutenki - pg. 158

Not only are they so very yummy, they've got to be the most beautiful in appearance of all that I've whipped up while being RAW.

[mtmouse]

Mine's plastic. Like I said, it was $12. What can I say? :)

[Betty09]

I just had my first emotional issue to work through since I started cleansing and going mostly raw. My boyfriend of 4+ years and best friend, who became my ex in October, has moved on and is seeing another woman. We still talk and are friends because our breakup happened after he was involuntarily recalled back into the Marine Corps. I'm not sure what I expected to happen but I guess I was hoping he would decide he loved me after all. So my point is that I immediately felt a small craving for a bottle of wine, a huge super burrito and whatever else is not good for me. I cried a lot and decided (after 3 hours) that all I really need is a bar of Green and Black's 70% organic chocolate and something yummy for dinner out of one of these un-cookbooks. The hardest part about changing anything is following through when it gets tough. Since I've been giving in for 27 years I'll try following through this time. But man does this suck!

[gingergirl]

I just had my first emotional issue to work through since I started cleansing and going mostly raw. My boyfriend of 4+ years and best friend, who became my ex in October, has moved on and is seeing another woman. We still talk and are friends because our breakup happened after he was involuntarily recalled back into the Marine Corps. I'm not sure what I expected to happen but I guess I was hoping he would decide he loved me after all. So my point is that I immediately felt a small craving for a bottle of wine, a huge super burrito and whatever else is not good for me. I cried a lot and decided (after 3 hours) that all I really need is a bar of Green and Black's 70% organic chocolate and something yummy for dinner out of one of these un-cookbooks. The hardest part about changing anything is following through when it gets tough. Since I've been giving in for 27 years I'll try following through this time. But man does this suck!

Betty09, my heart goes out to you. I usually console myself through the tough times indulging in wine, cheese, etc too. Good for you for stepping back and realizing that the best thing you can do for yourself is to take excellent care of your nutrition. Stick with it...You're worth it :)

[Betty09]

GingerGirl - Thanks. I woke up this morning and went to the gym. Then I made the best green smoothie ever (1 banana, 1.5 cup strawberries, 4 romaine lettuce leaves, 1 red leaf lettuce leaf, 1/2 c. blueberries and some water/ice). Today will be an awesome day.

[Res]

Betty: Detox occurs in all kinds of forms, doesn't it? *hug* The crying is good, you need to get it all out. Look forward.

Going for that chocolate bar was indeed brilliant. :) I've had that very same bar. You'd be suprised at all the people who eat for comfort - I'm in that group. You did well by going to the gym. Keep busy! It will help you through this transition.

Love,
~Res

[Betty09]

Thx Res, yes I am definitely learning that detox occurs in many different ways. :o

On a lighter note, I have my rye flakes, flax seeds and sunflower seeds soaking all day. I'm going home after work (after my cute new haircut) to make rye bread sticks. It's in this book called "The Complete Book of Raw Food: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made With Living Foods- Includes More Than 400 Recipes from the World’s Top Raw Food Chefs", by Julie Rodwell. It has compilations from many chefs. It looks easy and yummy.

Also, I made my flax crackers without teflex sheets. Where can I find those and are they necessary - what is their purpose?

And my dried apples are a hit at work. lol I'm going to go broke just bringing in snacks for people. j/k I'll bring in a few here and there.... 8)

[mtmouse]

Also, I made my flax crackers without teflex sheets. Where can I find those and are they necessary - what is their purpose?

I also have been dehydrating all this time without Teflex sheets. I just use parchment paper. The sheets come with the Excalibur but are kind of pricey otherwise. Since I use a 30-year-old homemade dehydrator, I never had the sheets.

However, one thing about the parchment is that I can't dry certain things to a consistency where the dough will bend (like for the wraps for Cohen's calzone, for instance). On the parchment, the batter is either too wet or eventually too hard. I presume the Teflex would be more suitable for those applications. But of course, since I've never had any, I don't know that for sure. :)

[Betty09]

mtmouse, forgive my ignorance :), what do you mean specifically by "parchment".

[mtmouse]

Betty,

It's just literally that: parchment paper. You can buy it in rolls like wax paper, usually at food coops or health food stores. I get one that says 100% unbleached.

With the parchment you cut it to size, making sure to leave airflow spaces around the edges, spread your stuff on it, and then turn it over after a while and peel off the paper to allow the now top side to dry.

The difference (I think) is that the Teflex sheets actually allows air through, so things dry a bit better, and they can be turned over more easily. At least, that's what the recipes sound like. Some of those things Res has been putting in the Recipe Box can't be made easily using parchment, in my experience.

But the thing about raw is that you really can't mess it up! It's all going to taste great even if it looks funny. And most of the time you eat it up before it gets out of the dehydrator anyway, LOL.

[Betty09]

mtmouse - thanks, and yes, I have already experienced eating most of my batch before it's out of the dehydrator!

[Res]

Very soon I'm going to be here. :)

So what's on the menu?? :D

[Betty09]

RES - Yay glad you'll be eating soon! For lunch I'm having a romaine and red leaf lettuce salad with sumer squash, roma tomato, cauliflower florets and a whole avocado, with my homemade dressing of apple cider vinegar, cold pressed olive oil, pepper, sea salt (very little), those greenish seeds that a a little bigger than sunflower seeds and start with a "p" and ground flax seed. Double YUM! Oh, and last night I made rye breadsticks, but they turned out mushy so now they're more like flax patties with rye flakes and sunflower seeds in them. Some of them fell through the holes in my dehydrator, but I saved the rest.... need to find parchment paper.

After I find raw carob powder, I am going to make ICE CREAM!

P.S./ Why am I craving avocados? I seriously want one with every meal...just plain by itself, is that bad?

[Boots]

Hi group!

HOW exciting to see so many posts after being gone for one day :)

Betty - I'm with you on the avocados - yum! I think it is because they are a concentrated source of healthy fat (which we need in our diets) and are therefore very satiating (sp?). While you are figuring out what serves your body best why not eat them and see how you feel?

Big congratulations on making the choice to "comfort" yourself with things that REALLY do comfort you - like healthy food choices and exercise. So often when we try to show ourselves some self-love we end up choosing something that ultimately makes us feel worse. Tears are good, feeling the feelings are good {{{BIG HUG}}} You are really extending the healthy path you put yourself on with the cleanse! Thanks for the inspiration :)

Kathy - I'll look in the recipe room for your red dragon crackers - Thanks!! A cracker would be nice. My dehydrator is coming with 2 Teflex sheets - maybe I'll try making something half with parchment and 1/2 Teflex and see if I can see a difference. I LOVE parchment paper :D A mandoline in the $12 range sounds good, but I have so many new toys (at least I will once they get here) to play with I'll hold off for a while.

Res - THANK YOU so much for posting that scone recipe - they sound wonderful! I think I have that Boutenko book - bought it after my last cleanse but never followed through with anything. (Of course finding it will be another matter - LOL). I am so excited about the dehydrator, can't really imagine it actually working to make something like a "scone" - but that makes it seem all the more fun!

How neat that you'll be "here" and eating soon! I started out today with some delicious Purple-Red Green juice made from kale, cucumber, lemon, apple, & beet - really good (and I don't like cucumbers or beets :) ) Then I had 2 clementines, and then some canteloupe, and then 2 bananas, and now I'm going to have a bunch of raw veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, string beans) with some "Not Peanut" Sauce I made last night which was really good (almond butter, shoyu, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, & water). Don't know about dinner yet - need to get a big salad in, not to mention the daily avocado!! But I may try making veggie sushi rolls instead.

I'm having a few old-school protein cravings - eggs, cheese, raw or rare tuna. That may mean I need to eat more nuts - we'll see if my not peanut sauce does the trick.

I spent most of yesterday watching inauguration coverage on television and I ate a large number of Betty's figs - (the kind you had are Black Mission figs Betty). One thing I found interesting - since we share this kind of thing here - is that I was able to eat about 12 figs and not have any "stomach crisis" afterwards. In the way old days they would have had a laxative effect, but now my body just speedily processed them like anything else - cool.

So how long does it take for food - well combined - to make its way through your body? It was kind of obvious :D when my first beets made their way through - almost 24 hours - that seems long since I'm not eating anything that tends to linger....

I'm hungry! Time for less typing and more eating - my veggies are calling me...

Hugs,
Margaret

[mtmouse]

Hi group!

Kathy - [COLOR=black]I'll look in the recipe room for your red dragon crackers - Thanks!!

It's actually in the 30-day raw challenge thread:

http://therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?p=47175&highlight=dragon#post47175

Just as a side note, I no longer put in the sprouted buckwheat. I just dry them long enough to be really crispy. :)

[Res]

Check out the recipe box. I found a new Raw website.

[Boots]

Thank you for the link Kathy! I was just going to hunt for them :) Glad to know about just making them with flax, too - I'm trying to keep my grain consumption down to start with!

[Boots]

NO - Placing hands over eyes now and talking sternly to self! Self - no more raw websites now - you must EARN the right to visit a new website - you are not putting in billable hours, your house is a mess, you're behind on your bills and your email, your friends think you have dissappeared - NO MORE RAW WEBSITES!!! :D

[G-9]

I could really use some advice. I had to come off my cleanse after 11 days last week. It was my 6th cleanse in a year for a total of 73 days. The first couple of days went well but due to some indiscretions and some family issues I have been having a lot of digestive distress the past few days. After reading the thread with info on coming off a cleanse, I have decided to go back on the lemonade and punctuate it with whole fruit and veggie juice and try once again to come back to solid food much more gradually. Does that sound like a good plan? I have a Vita Mix so that helps. I would like to continue a 'sort of' fast by maintaing a raw diet at least as long as I planned to be on the cleanse. (My intent was to be praying for some specific answers about direction in my life and stuff with my family. I don't want to just let it drop.)

Part of my problem is that I really like hot savory foods and that is what seems to be my downfall most of the time. I really want to get all of the excess weight off for good. Was hoping to do it by the time our 25th anniversary this spring. Perhaps having some accountability here would help.

As far as going back on another cleanse, I am guessing from what I have read that I should give it a rest for at least 2 months. I was planning to do this last fast for 30 days but it got really rough toward the end of this last one.

I don't know that I have seen any comments on raw milk on the forum anywhere. I have been buying raw organic milk right off the farm for over a decade and wondered if that was okay as part of a raw diet at some point. I have my own kefir grains as well so I can make raw kefir. Plus I can get fresh colostrum from the farm as well. All are loaded with probiotics so I figured it was beneficial after a cleanse. I grew up on a dairy farm and only had trouble with milk when I started drinking the processed stuff. I figure that is where the problem lies as with any processed food, from what I have read.

Sorry I got to rambling here. After doing all these cleanses, I am motivated to make the results stick after all that hard work and effort. I need to make a permanent lifestyle change and I know it. It really is difficult when you have to cook for a family. I can only control myself so I am going to have to just buck up and 'git 'er done'. I would appreciate any and all helpful advice and encouragement.

Thanks in advance :)

[Res]

NO - Placing hands over eyes now and talking sternly to self! Self - no more raw websites now - you must EARN the right to visit a new website - you are not putting in billable hours, your house is a mess, you're behind on your bills and your email, your friends think you have dissappeared - NO MORE RAW WEBSITES!!! :D
HAHAHA, yeah right. ;)

[Boots]

And self, as for that RES, I know she seems really really nice, and couldn't be more helpful and supportive of everyone on the MC board, but over here you better watch out for her posts - she's channeling the serpeant in the raw garden of Eden. I know you thought you could just go "see" what the website was - that's how she lures you in - and then BOOM - she hits you with pictures and recipes of such delectable things it makes your head spin and completely shuts down your ability to get anything done. You better learn to keep your guard up :D :D

[Betty09]

Margaret - I thought of you when I was at the store yesterday because I came across a box of "Black Mission" figs. :) I love them. I like "Betty's Figs" better! I had a rumble in my tummy today after my huge salad and I think it was because I ate soooooooo many flax crackers. LOL I am guessing my body will just end up telling me enough is enough when she sends me to the restroom 6 times while I'm in an Invoice Meeting! Funny.

I'm off for a run after work and then maybe a yummy raw soup. I picked up some extra squishy avocados and I thought I'd blend them with some cabbage, dates and cumin. (Don't ask - I'm experimenting with flavors since I can taste everything now).

And thank you for your kind words about my emotional issue the other day.

[Boots]

G-9 - I don't have any real experience to help you with, but if your stomach is troubling you, giving it a couple days to relax again with juice sounds like a good idea - and then start gradually re-introducing solid food starting with fruit and veggies per ending the cleanse directions.

From my reading, some Raw Foodists incorporate raw dairy and/or meat (Natalia Rose includes raw dairy and some cooked fish & I think Carol Alt (sp?) includes raw dairy & meant) but most don't. It is clear from just about every nutritional perspective that incorporating a lot more veggies and fruit into our diets is a good thing. One of the big appeals of Raw for me is the requirement to really focus on what your body (NOT your mind) wants to be fed for optimal health/energy/vitality. So try your raw dairy but keep track of what you do and how your body responds afterwards. Some food combining rules would also add that you should only have "flesh" foods (dairy, eggs, etc.) with non-starchy vegetables so that you minimize time spent digesting and let the food progress through your digestive system more rapidly. You will just have to experiment and see what works for YOU!

What kind of "permanent lifestyle change" do you want to make? What are your goals? If you could complete 6 cleanses (73 days!!) this past year (which seems like A LOT!) you certainly have motivation AND follow-through to accomplish what you want! Continuing your "detox" and spiritual quest while adding raw food into your nutritional plan sounds like a great idea to me :) - sorry I don't have any concrete info to help with your questions, but it will be nice to have you here sharing your raw discoveries !

[toolegittoquit]

Transition Day 7

Hey all!! hope you're all well. As for me, I am somewhat back to normal food life. I am still eating 100%raw, fruits, dehydrated veggies and foods, and veggies. I've been buying some really yummy live dehydrated stuff from whole foods. But, one thing that is driving me crazy, especially today is the amount of gas I have and the times I boo-boo. It's like, nothing stays in and I'm constatly having to run to the little girls room. After I eat, I get bloated really bad and then I get a bad urge to go, and boy oh boy do I GO!! :eek::(. Tonight i had the most gas and my stomach is really bloated, and it's actually hurting right now. I don't know if my body will eventually adjust to the massive amount of fiber I'm taking in or if I have to add some cooked food. As far as taste goes, i love love love the raw stuff and crave it like crazy. I crave oranges alot. For example today I had 5 oranges :o. But seriously, this is weired and it has thrown me off guard, cuz all was going so smooth and well with my transition. I don't know what is going on but I am way too bloated. Oh and the BM's have been some where around 4 to 6 times a day and just tons of food coming out. I'm gonna back off the nuts tomorrow, cuz today I had too much I think. And just do the fruit and dehydrated food and see what happens. I figured since it's been a week when I broke my fast, i should be able to eat more solids. Maybe my body is not used to soilds yet. Or maybe it's too much fiber. :confused:.

Well, hope you guys don't have as much gas I do :D

[L2lose]

[QUOTE=toolegittoquit;66403]Transition Day 7

But, one thing that is driving me crazy, especially today is the amount of gas I have and the times I boo-boo. It's like, nothing stays in and I'm constatly having to run to the little girls room. After I eat, I get bloated really bad and then I get a bad urge to go, and boy oh boy do I GO!! :eek::(. Tonight i had the most gas and my stomach is really bloated, and it's actually hurting right now.

Toolegittoquit did you take any probiotics? That may help with the gas. I am on day 1 of transition and taking it very slow. Enjoyed your post as a heads up. On day 4 I will drink some kefir or eat some yogurt with probiotics or maybe some sauerkraut to replenish any that left during the flushes. There may be other substances that classify as raw that are not lactose/milk. Maybe miso?

L2lose
MC2Days10+1

[Boots]

Hey TOOLEGIT - sorry to hear about your tummy troubles :( Hoping the experts will weigh in. I'm almost 2 weeks out now and eating raw - LOTS of veggies and fruit, not too much dehydrated (YET - ordered dehydrator LOL) and I have had virtually NO gas (I mean I know I must have had some, but nothing I've noticed). About 3 or 4 BMs per day, lots of "stuff" :D. One thing I have been doing is following Natalia Rose's food combining rules: Fruit only by itself, never after other food. Avocado OR Nuts/Seeds, Grains (sprouted) OR Nuts/Seeds (& Veggies of course), Dried Fruit with Avocado OR Nuts/Seeds - stuff like that. Don't know if I think it makes a difference, and don't know how committed I am to it, but my stomach has been feeling great!

I'm wondering if after such a long fast it is just a case of too much too soon for you (I only did 10 days). Maybe ease back and simplify - cut back on the dehydrated yummies and see if that helps! Mono-meals (like 5 oranges) should be pretty easy to process.

Hope you feel better soon!!!

[L2lose]

Betty 09, I read somewhere ( I know it was Victoria Boutenko but I can't find it in the books) that she was craving avocados and she just ate them until she was satiated about 8 or 9 of them because her body was telling her that it needed something in the avocado. I wanted to find the quote but was unable, it actually told what the missing ingredient was.

I am really new to this raw lifestyle, keep the recipes coming. Some of those dessert I looked at on the web sure took a lot of nuts-too expensive for my fixed income. Can't afford "whole paycheck" too often.

[Betty09]

Transition Day 7

Hey all!! hope you're all well. As for me, I am somewhat back to normal food life. I am still eating 100%raw, fruits, dehydrated veggies and foods, and veggies. I've been buying some really yummy live dehydrated stuff from whole foods. But, one thing that is driving me crazy, especially today is the amount of gas I have and the times I boo-boo. It's like, nothing stays in and I'm constatly having to run to the little girls room. After I eat, I get bloated really bad and then I get a bad urge to go, and boy oh boy do I GO!! :eek::(. Tonight i had the most gas and my stomach is really bloated, and it's actually hurting right now. I don't know if my body will eventually adjust to the massive amount of fiber I'm taking in or if I have to add some cooked food. As far as taste goes, i love love love the raw stuff and crave it like crazy. I crave oranges alot. For example today I had 5 oranges :o. But seriously, this is weired and it has thrown me off guard, cuz all was going so smooth and well with my transition. I don't know what is going on but I am way too bloated. Oh and the BM's have been some where around 4 to 6 times a day and just tons of food coming out. I'm gonna back off the nuts tomorrow, cuz today I had too much I think. And just do the fruit and dehydrated food and see what happens. I figured since it's been a week when I broke my fast, i should be able to eat more solids. Maybe my body is not used to soilds yet. Or maybe it's too much fiber. :confused:.

Well, hope you guys don't have as much gas I do :D


HI there! I have had some gas and bloating too. Yesterday I ate a huge salad for lunch and some flax crackers and I had to run to the potty during a mtg (like the kind where you get chills and you just need to go lol). Sucked. BUt it comes and goes. I'm trying to experiment with the types of foods I eat, and it seems that it is the flax crackers. It's better than before I switched to raw though. I'm going to give myself a month or two because I think I'm still detoxing.

[Betty09]

Betty 09, I read somewhere ( I know it was Victoria Boutenko but I can't find it in the books) that she was craving avocados and she just ate them until she was satiated about 8 or 9 of them because her body was telling her that it needed something in the avocado. I wanted to find the quote but was unable, it actually told what the missing ingredient was.

I am really new to this raw lifestyle, keep the recipes coming. Some of those dessert I looked at on the web sure took a lot of nuts-too expensive for my fixed income. Can't afford "whole paycheck" too often.

Yep that's where I remembered it from too - her kids craved the exact fruits and veggies that the homeopathic doc told them they needed to eat in order to cure their illnesses. I'm just going to keep eating them. It's funny because people at work are so afraid of eating avocados because of their higher fat/calorie content, but they'll microwave meat and cheese and other not good things and eat that. I'm so thankful I have found this way of eating... I've even firmed up a little more since I ended my cleanse a week ago!

[Res]

Well, I went to amazon.com to find a mandolin to buy and I'm honestly freaked out about what they said in the reviews about how "dangerous" they are! So many reports of severe cuts and one woman sent it back! I'm at a place in my life where I'm sort of clumsy. It'll pass hopefully soon but I'm stuck with it. I usually have quick reflexes but forget it at this time. Some people cut themselves and didn't know they were cut! That's how sharp the blades are. I may just resort to using a potato peeler. :o

[gingergirl]

Since I'm on day 9, I've realized that I need to start thinking about how I want to eat after the cleanse. I'm going to take it a day at a time after day 10.

The many raw food enthusiast posts have me considering that I should try this...perhaps for the 30-day challenge, or for 70%+ of my nutrition. Here's the problem I hope I can get some input on: Is there a way to keep it interesting without getting into all of the equipment I hear everyone is buying and raving about, and with recipes that are simple (few-ish ingredients)? I'm on a very limited budget and unfortunately don't have much time for the kitchen. I'm worried that I'll get so bored if I do the uninventive veggies trays and plain raw fruit for a month that my lack of imagination will dream up.

Do any of you know of a recipe book(s) that would suit my circumstances? I'd like to give this a try without breaking my budget or having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

ps - I've read the very comprehensive and helpful faq's and thank peanutherb for putting that together for us newbs :)

Ginger

[Betty09]

Well, I went to amazon.com to find a mandolin to buy and I'm honestly freaked out about what they said in the reviews about how "dangerous" they are! So many reports of severe cuts and one woman sent it back! I'm at a place in my life where I'm sort of clumsy. It'll pass hopefully soon but I'm stuck with it. I usually have quick reflexes but forget it at this time. Some people cut themselves and didn't know they were cut! That's how sharp the blades are. I may just resort to using a potato peeler. :o

Or, you could use something up against the item you are slicing - in between your finger and the item... like a rubber stopper, or something to that consistency. I'm going to try it. We have a Homegoods store here that's kind of like Big Lots and Ross and I found one there for $10

[Betty09]

Gingergirl - Hi, I'm pretty broke too, I mean budgeting, and I have been eating all raw since I came off the cleanse. I said I was going to be like 75% just to see if I like it, and so far I just love how I feel. So, I'm going to keep going. I keep reading about what is going on inside my body and what was going on in there, and I'm just over it. I am not going to let my body get unhealthy. So, I've stopped going out to happy hour on Friday nights ($50 saved per week), looked into farmer's markets and sales (sometimes I look online at my local store ads every day on my lunch break) and I save money that way too. It's just something you decide to do and if it works you keep doing it. If you make a conscious effort to make it work, most of the time it will. The most complex I've gotten is flax crackers. All you need is a dehydrator. But you don't even need to do that. I have a blender that I make soups at night and it fills me up pretty good. I havea huge salad with everything for lunch and fruit all morning. Sometimes I go to the juice store and get a huge 32oz fresh squeezed orange juice. I had 2 avocados already today (lol I'm finding that I LOVE those things). So, yes, you don't have to have all the fancy stuff. A blender would be a good start. I just found that the more I experiment with the tastes of raw food, I wanted to try more because I actually like it. Who would have thought that I'd throw veggies into a blender to make a cold "soup" and actually love it? Not me, and I was eating meats every meal. Res could probably give you more info cause she eats some meats (organic free range, etc).

Can you tell I'm liking how I am eating? :D
Oh, and I just went to Borders and looked through all their raw food books and picked one I thought had the most recipes in it. Most of them are ok without sprouting or soaking, whatever I don't really know how to sprout yet, and need little preparation or appliances.

And, you'll save on your gas/electric bill.

[gingergirl]

Thank you Betty09. You're inspiring me that I can try this. Have you found any really basic un-cook books? non-dehydrator-friendly?

[Res]

Ginger: Even most raw recipe books have a Truckload of recipes that don't require using a dehydrator. Google "Cornbleet" or check her book out on Amazon.com. You can make raw lasagne and spaghetti without a dehydrator and raw Toona. You might even save yourself some money and just start at the beginning of the Lemonhead Recipe Box. There's food galore that doesn't need dehydrating. And if you get to the point of being able to afford one, you can buy the inexpensive Ronco dehydrator. You don't have to go broke. :)

[Res]

Betty: $10 is a great deal! I think Kathy paid something similar a while back. The one I was looking at does have a knob that you use to move the veg you're slicing but reading the reviews was like reading a Stephen King book. :eek:

[Res]

Well I did it. I purchased the mandoline I wanted on amazon for $40 dollars at ebay for $19. Fingers beware. :)

Also my two new raw recipe books came. :)

[Boots]

RES - are those your Kenney books? I just got Ani Phyo's from Amazon today :) Congrats on the mandoline! I'm not quite there yet. Got my spiral slicer and am feeling a bit intimidated by that :D

GINGER - read the lemon-head thread :) I have bought a few toys - things I have wanted for YEARS - but haven't really used them much yet. So far, some of my favorite things have been HUGE salads featuring an avocado. Today's I threw together in about 5 minutes - just lemon juice, shoyu (soy sauce), a little chopped onion I had pre-made in the fridge, a couple tomatoes, some dulse flakes, an avocado, a handful of cilantro, pea sprouts, and a big mass of lettuce mix (Costco) - SO GOOD!!! You don't have to make any firm decisions - your body will be really happy transitioning from MC to juice/fruits/veggies - and then just go from there. On this board alone there are LOTS of great recipes - not to mention the rest of the web :D

That said, it's 8 PM here, I've been home for half an hour, I'm hungry, and don't know what I want to eat LOL. I still have leftover sunflower pate so I may just throw it in a collard leaf for a quick wrap.

My husband's going out of town Saturday morning so I am planning a whole weekend of cooking & experimentation - just cause it will be fun!

BETTY - thought of you at Trader Joe's today - I bought a different kind of dried figs - Calymryna (or something - can't remember spelling) I think I remember that I like the Black Mission better, but it's been so long who knows LOL

Ummm - figs! Maybe that's what I'll have for dinner :D

[L2lose]

Wow, today has been just awful. Day 1 after the cleanse and I either have the worst detox or the flu. Why wait until the 10 days are up? Drank the OJ and grapefruit juice and 96 oz of water. This is the hardest part of the cleanse and Im really craving comfort food, I'll do the soup tomorrow. I feel so miserable. I hope it's detox but I did help at the Elementary school Tuesday and those kids had some bug going around. Just when I think I've got this thing knocked, WHAM this hits me.

[Betty09]

Yay for figs! Today I introduced myself to dates. They look like cockroaches but dang are they goooooood! On Ani Phyo's website she has a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. It's on the home page when you scroll down. They taste amazing. I spent $8 on a small bag of organic raw cacoa nips and those have an amazingly unique taste too. Yum so can I find those online cheaper?

I also got raw walnuts, cashews, and almonds to make pate. A little at a time...I'm going to be a raw food chef! LOL a month ago I didn't know what raw food was. Life's funny sometimes.

I can't wait till Saturday-Farmer's Market! Dried Figs and apricots. Maybe they'll have the other kind.
Happy Friday almost!

[Res]

Happy Friday indeed! This thread is such a happy place. :)

[Res]

L2lose: You CAN have soup. Just make it broth. The best thing would be if you have Miso. You just drop a tablespoon into a bowl of hot water and stir. You poor thing. Detox doesn't stop on Day 10. I'm on Day 23 and the last 2 days have been hell days. Rest - Rest - Rest. *hug* :)

[Betty09]

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! It's raining here in Southern California and it is absolutely wonderful! Can't wait to go running in it! I am full of energy this morning. As soon as I put a piece of pineapple in my mouth, it was like a rush. I am starting to notice how my body feels when I feed it. It's instant. Nothing like how I used to eat before the cleanse. This is the reason people eat this way - how they feel. I'm getting stronger and leaner and I'm loving all that I eat. I craved more avocado soup with cabbage, carrots, tomato, red pepper, garlic and summer squash so I made an entire large blender full! I can eat soooo much and feel awesome after and still lose weight and detox. What a blessing.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday.

Res, sounds like you're still cleansing. I hope today passes easy for you. :)

[Betty09]

What are some websites you all use to order raw foods such as nuts, seeds, raw carob nips, spices, etc? The store charges a bunch and I'd like to buy bulk online if there is such a thing, which I am sure there is. One can buy almost anything online!

Thanks!

[Betty09]

OK guys, I bought a juicer on my lunch break LOL....I have decided there's no going back for me. I'm happy.

[Res]

HAHAHAHA, oh gosh. Been there done that! :D It was a buying freenzy for a while and going broke too.

You'd be amazed at all the RAW foods Amazon.com carries. I get my nuts from Trader Joes. Great quality and a better price than most places. The local Henry's market carries "some" organic stuff but it's hard to find locally and Whole Foods is SO expensive. But honestly some of the stuff is absolutely necessary. An online store that I use periodically is http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/

My next amazon order is of course, is for dessert. My new Matt Kenny recipe books uses Raw Cacao butter and the least expensive price is $17 a lb! :eek: But I'm hoping it lasts a while.

[Betty09]

Res-OMG that's a lot for a lb. I wonder if you could make it yourself? I bought raw carob nibs for $9 and it maybe has 3 cups in the whole bag. My recipe called for only 1/2 cup. I'll definitely check out that website. I figure with purchasing the juicer, I don't have to buy anything made already, and I can make everything myself. Farmer's mkts on the weekends, and a weekly trip to mother's or henry's should do it for the small stuff - big ticket items I will try to find online. Maybe I'll get a second job to support my new habit! LOL

[Boots]

Good for you BETTY - You sound just wonderful and I love hearing about your raw adventures {{{BIG HUG}}}! I'm envious, but looking forward to hearing what you find at the Farmer's market :) Have you eaten your guava?? And LOL - you are ABSOLUTELY right - dates DO look like cockroaches :D (Don't know if I'm going to be able to look at them the same way from now on :D)

I've been wondering about on-line sources, too. I have been unable to find raw tahini as yet and my TJ's always seems to be out of raw cashews :( Thanks for the tip about Amazon RES, one of my best friends buys all sorts of household products from them but somehow that seems strange to me (shrug).

Kind of a weird day for me - feels like detox and if I label it such I'll feel better about it LOL. I know that Raw is supposed to continue the detox process - did any of you raw experimenters feel "detox days"? I'm all fuzzy mentally, and cold, and weepy and my old knee injury hurts, and I just feel like sitting like a lump. Ugh. OK - no more whining for me - i'll just wish everyone a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend to come :)

[Betty09]

Boots - Yes I have detox days still - I had one yesterday and the day before actually. I just felt sluggish, weepy, irritable and sleepy. Oddly enough, today I have sooo much energy (kind of like on the cleanse). My detox symptoms weren't as severe as a typical cleanse detox day, but I took note of it, and definitely noticed an increased level of energy two days after.

Haven't eaten the guava yet. LOL Is it supposed to taste tart? I tried one when I bought it but it didn't taste like it was ripe. Maybe it is supposed to taste like a sour green apple. I'm trying a different Farmer's Mkt in Irvine tomorrow. It is closer to my house and I'm hoping a little larger. Too bad I couldn't send you any of the ftuff I find at the mkt. It would probably perish huh.... unless I vacuum sealed it.... there's a thought...

P.S./ my pants look like garbage bags on me ! LOL maybe I shoulda bought new clothes instead of my new juicer...NAH!

[Res]

I definitely had detox symptoms for probably 3 weeks into my raw experiment! But at least I had raw comfort food to help. lol :)

Well Day 23 and I've decided to throw in the towel. This is my last day and I'm close enough to the weight loss I wanted -but way beyond (in a good way) the health issues I wanted to deal with. I'm a happy camper and knew it was time. It'll be there again if I need it.

So, I'm here legitimately. ;) Bought some organic grapefruits, blueberries and oranges. Picked up a few bags of raw nuts and was eyeing the avocados in a lusty sort of way. :o So my plan is fruits slowly, maybe some miso later and just taking it slow. I'm going to dust off my dehydrator tomorrow. I already have a bag of almost soaking. The Matthew Kenny "everyday raw" is pretty fabulous looking. I've read through it 3 times so far. :)

Amazon.com cracks me up. I shop there a LOT but Googled something raw and they came up as a hit. I've been/was buying organic raw agave nectar from them until they hiked up the price but didn't think about raw nuts, frozen organic berries etc. Crazy.

Betty: The Raw Cacao butter would probably be really difficult to make, hence the high price. I have raw organic cacao nib and whole cacao that I love to nibble on but wouldn't want to try to wring any butter out of it. The block for $17 would probably last quite a while depending on how many desserts I make. ;) But you only use an ounce or two so it may be worth it. We'll see. I can't wait to "we'll see!". ;)

I hope everyone is doing well and TGIF!

[Res]

Happy Happy Saturday: :D

Grapefruit never tasted so good. :) Almonds soaked overnight and are now in the dehydrator. Carrot juice will be standing by for tomorrow and it's just a beautiful day here in rainy southern California. ;)

How's everyone today?

[Mysticalchick]

Hi all! I have ended my cleanse and had some yummy OJ yesterday - today I am eating some organic veggie soup that is soooo good! LOL I can hear my tummy awakening as I eat it.

I popped into Safeway and was surprised at how many organic choices they had in various sections. At least I have an option if I can't get over to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I've definitely seen the connection between what I eat and how I feel (while I only intellectually understood it before) and am making some significant changes to my diet.

Looking forward to learning and sharing with you all!

[Res]

Hi Mysticalchick and welcome back to the world of food! :D

[Boots]

Welcome RES - - "legitimate" at last LOL. SO - what are you going to make first? Inquiring minds are anxious to know!! I really REALLY want my dehydrator!! The shipping notice said the estimated arrival was today, but the tracking info hasn't changed since the beginning so I'm thinking it may be in limbo-land :( & Trader Joe's - after saying that cashews would be in yesterday, now says they will be there tomorrow - grrrr LOL

Welcome MYSTICAL - It is SOOOOO cool how the cleanse "resets" all our food habits isn't it? Ahhh - that first sip of OJ ..... Congratulations on finishing your cleanse!!

BETTY - Whooo Hoooo on being a "baggy pants lady" :D - I'd pick a juicer over pants any day!! How has your weight changed since ending the cleanse? Mine is exactly the same - funny, I don't think I've ever had a two week period with such consistent numbers on the scale - it tells me my food in traveling through just the way it should LOL

L2L - Hope you're feeling better today and your "yuckiness" was just a detox day and not the flu!! My yesterday was definitely detox, cause today I feel great!

GINGER, TOOLEGIT, - How's it going in raw-land?

I had a great workout at the gym today - best energy and sweat since starting the cleanse - felt really good. Then I went to Whole Pocketbook and Trader Joe's and I've just been looking through Ani Phyo to see what I want to make next. Finished up my sunflower pate - think it got better with age. It was really nice having it in the refrigerator - I am LOVING collard wraps & pea shoots. Organic red peppers were $7/lb at WF (insert screaming smiley here).

Hey - has anyone been brave enough to open a young coconut? Natalia Rose's instructions say to "put hand not holding cleaver behind back and keep it there" - ACK!! LOL

Have a great Saturday everyone, and Happy Un-cooking!

[Betty09]

Res-Congrats and welcome for reals :)

Boots-my weight has been the same too except since Thursday it's been 2-3 lbs higher (period will be here in a few days). Not too shabby

Farmers Market was nice today. It stopped raining in Irvine just in time. No figs :( but I bought weeds to make green juice in the am. We'll see how that works. It's weird buying dandelions to eat when we used to weed the garden to get rid of them. I got a bunch of avocados too and a 20lb bag of oranges for $5. Pretty cool!

Also I had some sushi and wine last night. My tummy was ok. This am my tummy was ok too. I was tired most of the day but I know it's from the wine (ok maybe 3 large glasses was a little excessive for my clean body). I wasn't hungry today though.

Happy weekend!

[L2lose]

Thanks Boots for the mention. It's confirmed this is not detoxing. Caught something and it's draining but I did enjoy my first real meal after the cleanse. I had spring rolls (not fried) and a plate of lettuce, mint, thai basil for lunch . It was great! Picked up some beets with greens, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and a pineapple so I have enough greens for smoothies to last a few days. In the past I've always added almond milk to my smoothies which adds a certain 'smoothness' to the entre. I'll try the original recipes from Green for Life .

[Mysticalchick]

Okay, I have to say this. I am terrified of eating food again because I sucked so hard at making the right choices for myself. That's why the MC worked well for me and I was happy on it. NO CHOICES = NO mess-ups and therefore no beating myself up about it.

Today I had organic veggie soup, some hummus and organic crackers and that's it. Yet, I feel all compulsive and bingy as if I eat more, I will go off the deep end. :( I know I will have to learn to make better, healthier choices and I am so thankful that I got off sugar (which was huge for me) but I feel lost somehow. As if I eat one thing, I'm going to gain all the weight back again.

Anyone understand that fear?

[Boots]

Okay MYSTICAL - Getting on a soap-box here - LOL.

First, breathe {{{hugs}}}
Second - PLAN! Plan what you are going to eat for a week AFTER you have eaten so you are not hungry.
Third - You are NOT the you you were before the cleanse!! You took a major step towards creating a clean body and clean responses to food. You have created a beautiful canvas on which YOU will decide what you want to paint - and in what style. Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to discover how you can give yourself the love and support you deserve - nutritionally.

What are your goals? Why do you want to make healthier choices? Why did you undertake the cleanse? How do you want to feel? Please know that these questions are asked because they are places for self-discovery and self-transformation :) Change is hard, moving forward is hard - it makes perfect sense to be scared, but being scared is okay - it's just scary {{hug}}

Okay, so if the structure of the MC really helped you, give yourself another structured experience! Choose a plan that feels healthy to you -lay it out here for accountability and companionship - and stick with it! You did a 12 day cleanse, how about trying Raw for 12 days, or raw til dinner, or .... How much do you know about what works well for your body? (For example, I know I do better eating more small meals than fewer large ones). Have you ever kept a food/mood/energy journal? Are there any particular nutritional rules/eating plan you want to follow?

Eating is both a pleasure and a requirement and you are the only one who can figure out what will work best for you at a particular time - and figuring that out is an exciting adventure that you can enjoy. Truly {{{hugs}}}

I won't apologize for the passion - LOL - but just tell you that you touched a chord. I started the physical process of completely transforming myself almost 6 years ago - I was morbidly obese and didn't even know how bad I felt. I've been basically at my goal weight for over 3 years, and more importantly, I know what it is like to feel GREAT. My way of eating is to consciously eat whatever I want, and I hit it about 95% of the time :) If I can be of any support to you, just let me know.

[Res]

Mysticalchick: I hear ya. You've cleansed, lost weight but the mental part of it still needs work. The Cleanse doesn't fix it all - it gives you a jump start into making better choices. One Trick is to make sure you DON'T BUY JUNK. If it's in your house, get it out. Fill up on a giant salad with avocado's, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatos, olives etc. It can be FUN!

EAT a large salad before you eat anything else. Change up the ingredients so that you don't get bored. There are a lot of salad variations out there and veggie side dishes. THEN, eat a small portion of something else.

PLAN.

Make a menu (SIMPLICITY is the name of the game here). Make it easy. Stick to it for 2 weeks.

I understand what you're going through because I eat for comfort and because I'm bored but if you have the "RIGHT" foods available you won't reach for the Cheetos. ;)

You're going to be fine. :)

[Res]

Boots: I just read your post and saw the word "PLAN". Hilarious. :)

Mysticalchick: It was no coincidence that I didn't read Boots post before my response to you and mirrored the exact same theme as hers. So take our advice seriously because we both tuned in to something that you may not have done yet and really need to do. :)

[Res]

Heading out the door to Whole Foods. Be back later to tell you what's in the dehydrator and ON THE MENU. ;)

[Boots]

REALLY looking forward to hearing you plans RES :D

I got so excited about Mystical that I forgot I originally came on here to whine that my refrigerator is too full and my hands are cold and prune-y from washing greens LOL Also, I have no more RIPE avocados :( :( I did not PLAN on eating so many LOL.

L2L - {{hugs}} I'm sorry you're sick. Please try to rest and feel better soon!

I just made Ani's Sundried Tomato Cheeze and her Not-Tuna and ate some of each wrapped in collard leaves :D I think collard leaf wraps are one of the most wonderful discoveries ever!! LOL And to think that a couple weeks ago I had never really thought about eating collards!

Now back to the kitchen for more clean-up .....

[Res]

Chili Lovers rejoice! The Chili recipe in Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw" was one of the recipes that jumped out at me and so I made it today. :D :D :D UNBELIEVABLE!!!! :eek: I prepared myself for disappointment because I haven't tried anything of his yet. If you love and miss the "bite" of the cayenne in the Lemonade weep no more. ;) It's FABULOUS! The other fun part is it makes enough (for a single person) to last a few days. It's also HEARTY and fills you up rather quickly. I'm going to have to put some back! Satisfying? You Bet! The next best part is it's SO EASY to make and I had just about everything on hand except for the Portobello mushroom. I thought it would cost a fortune but luckily it didn't. :)

I didn't have time to make the Macadamia Nut Sour Cream (makes a quart) to top off the chili but if his chili recipe is any indication of what the rest of the book is like I'm in heaven! :)

In the Dehyrator:
Kenney's Blueberry Granola bars except I crumbled it instead of making the bars. There's a picture in his recipe book of this bowl of granola sitting next to a glass milk bottle full of almond milk. I can take this to work without having the problem of heating up anything.

Thus Far my opinion of Kenney is that his recipe may have just exceeded my first raw experience. If the Mac & Cheese recipe is anywhere near the quality of this chili I'm going to be hooked! Cheesecake factory makes the best Mac & Cheese I've ever had. I've only had it there twice and thought it a shame that I either couldn't have it any longer or I had to limit myself to twice a year. haha LOL I can't imagine what's in it that's bad, but I'm certain nothing is organic.

A friend is taking me for a foot massage today so that makes it a nice way to end the cleanse and welcome food again.

I hope everyone is doing well and EXPERIMENTING! :)

[Res]

Boots: UGH, my refrigerator is the same way and I hate the clutter! I have this "thing" about keeping it clear and organized but forget it now!

If you were nearby I'd give you one of the ripe avocado's I just picked up. lol

I grew collards last year and not only did I love it, so did the bugs! :mad: And I agree! What a convenient wrap for just about everything! :D

p.s. I'm full. lol

[Res]

It's weird buying dandelions to eat when we used to weed the garden to get rid of them. Haha :) Same here with purslane! Then I come to find that it's edible and High in B vitamins!

[mtmouse]

After a long dry spell where I was unusually reluctant to make anything raw of note, this afternoon I did make up a batch of my delicious fudge. And while waiting for it to chill, I'm enjoying a beautiful and delicious cauliflower tabouli!

[Mysticalchick]

Okay MYSTICAL - Getting on a soap-box here - LOL.

First, breathe {{{hugs}}}
Second - PLAN! Plan what you are going to eat for a week AFTER you have eaten so you are not hungry.
Third - You are NOT the you you were before the cleanse!! You took a major step towards creating a clean body and clean responses to food. You have created a beautiful canvas on which YOU will decide what you want to paint - and in what style. Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to discover how you can give yourself the love and support you deserve - nutritionally.

What are your goals? Why do you want to make healthier choices? Why did you undertake the cleanse? How do you want to feel? Please know that these questions are asked because they are places for self-discovery and self-transformation :) Change is hard, moving forward is hard - it makes perfect sense to be scared, but being scared is okay - it's just scary {{hug}}

Okay, so if the structure of the MC really helped you, give yourself another structured experience! Choose a plan that feels healthy to you -lay it out here for accountability and companionship - and stick with it! You did a 12 day cleanse, how about trying Raw for 12 days, or raw til dinner, or .... How much do you know about what works well for your body? (For example, I know I do better eating more small meals than fewer large ones). Have you ever kept a food/mood/energy journal? Are there any particular nutritional rules/eating plan you want to follow?

Eating is both a pleasure and a requirement and you are the only one who can figure out what will work best for you at a particular time - and figuring that out is an exciting adventure that you can enjoy. Truly {{{hugs}}}

I won't apologize for the passion - LOL - but just tell you that you touched a chord. I started the physical process of completely transforming myself almost 6 years ago - I was morbidly obese and didn't even know how bad I felt. I've been basically at my goal weight for over 3 years, and more importantly, I know what it is like to feel GREAT. My way of eating is to consciously eat whatever I want, and I hit it about 95% of the time :) If I can be of any support to you, just let me know.

Thank you, Boots, for your kind and reassuring words. And you as well, Res. I know a shift has occurred and that I have to trust that I am in the right place right now. Bless my husband, he is trying to help me plan things out since I'm of the "eat whatever moves me at the moment and feel bad about it later" school of thought. (I don't do planning well. Perhaps this is a challenge I am being issued to assist in my personal growth, eh?)

I will give this some thought and come back with a plan of some sort. :) Thanks again. I am trying hard not to feel lost.

[Betty09]

Mystical, I am feeling your fear of going off the deep end. I felt awesome on the cleanse and a few days into the cleanse I was sure I didn't want to go back. I bought a few books and read about what all this raw food hype was. 12 Steps To Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko, and The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. They introduced me to what eating more raw foods is about, but most importantly why. I find that by knowing the WHY, I appreciate and respect the decision I made to eat more raw foods cause I know what is happening I'm my body. I gave it a try about 2 weeks ago and I actually am quite happy. I haven't had any meat, except sushi last Friday. And I had meat whenever I ate food.... So my point is learn about it, listen to the people here (Res, MTMouse, and Boots are who I know of who are awesome but I'm sure there are more *hugs*) and try it out, change it up n see what works. And remember that only one thing is certain today-whatever you were doing before the cleanse wasn't working. So all you gotta do next is easy-try something else. It'll be fun!

[Betty09]

Hi Ladies! This morning was awesome. I went to a real boxing class with my friend. It was such a tough workout that I almost threw up, etc. The cool part was I had one cup of oj before the class, a cup after, an apple when I got home and a big salad by 2. I wasn't hungry and I'm notin a fatigue coma from my workout! I just can't believe it! What is happening?! How could my body be happy from a salad and oj all day? It's amazing. Even when I used to eat egg whites and oatmeal after workouts I wouldn't be able to recover, I'd have to sleep all day. Pretty exciting.

I got Igor's crackers in the dehydrator (Boutenko) and my own variation of avocado soup is on the dinner menu. I bought kale this am and dunno what to do with it LOL. I guess I'll do grenn lemonade each am (natalia rose) since I bought this juicer. My pants are lose, my skin is bright and it gets better every morning. My boyfriend broke up with me (remember?) in Oct and told me he's pretty much moved on last week. Well men are noticing me now and my body isn't that different. I think there's a sparkle about me or confidence or happiness, who knows. It's great :)

I think I better try this juiced out before tomorrow morning :)

[Res]

Mmm, Kale. You can chop the kale and then drizzle olive oil over it and squeeze a lemon. Then add a bit of either Nama Shoyu or braggs liquid aminos. Then chop up garlic and marinate overnight turning at least once. You can eat as is or add it to your salads. Yummy! :)

Kathy said FUDGE!!! Yikes, I'm not there yet! :p

[Boots]

KATHY did say "Fudge" and I've been in the recipe box looking at fudge recipes - LOL - I'm too confused to be there :D

RES - Just looked at the Kenney chili recipe again (AND the picture with the chips and sour cream and salsa and guac OMG!) - glad to know it was as promised. Interesting recipe - did you follow it exactly as written?
And many thanks for the virtual avocado :) - it was yummy.

I had a really good dinner! Started with a lettuce salad with some tomato and marinated mushrooms. Then an hour or so later I used my new spiral slicer to make zucchini noodles wthich I had with some Non Peanut sauce - YUM!!! And a side of some marinated collards - inspired by the recipe Res posted in the recipe-box but I was too lazy to look it up so mine were a lot simpler but still REALLY GOOD. My slicer worked well (I was scared of using it because of all the sharp blade warnings) - it is the horizontal kind and it does leave a core but I just munched that, too. I can see myself wanting to spiral slice everything LOL

BETTY - What I did to the collards is kind of what Res suggested to do with the Kale - bet it would be really good. I've just been juicing mine - it is very GREEN tasting :D I bet men ARE noticing you - and your body is very different - it's HAPPIER!! Whooo Hooooo :)

MYSTICAL - Maybe you "didn't" do planning very well, but that doesn't mean you don't plan well Now. You certainly planned and succeeded at the MC - right? If you don't like planning, why don't you? What feels "bad" about planning? For me, a plan is like a map so even if I feel "lost" I can look and see which way to go. What do you think would help you not "feel lost"?

Time for me to head upstairs to do upstairs chores and then to bed. The cat is snoring peacefully in her chair. Hopefully she'll come upstairs with me and settle on the bed. My husband (aka the primary heat source) is away until wednesday and I need the cat to stick my cold feet under :D

Hugs to all, and sweet dreams,
Margaret

[pinklemonade]

hi there,

my transitional day 2,

i had some GJ in the morning, went to gym. had some more GJ and some OJ, and felt that i wanted to have some fruit... so i ate orange!! :D it was soooooooo good. :D:D then an hour later i had some blue berries.. they were so yum... :D:D my belly was fine. then an hour later, i had a kiwi and my bell took it well! of course, i was aware that i have to CHEW a lot so i did. i don't know it is ok to drink peppermint tea, but i did... also, i had some cherry tomatoes as well.... :D:D

i know i should be drinking OJ all day, but the fruits that i had in the fridge looked so so so good and i could not wait!!! so far my transitional days have been good :):)

side note- interesting enough, i got ZITS on my face!! and they are ouch:( don't know if i am still detoxing or not???:confused::confused:
also, my period won't start for another 2 weeks, i got spotted today.....:confused::confused:

questions for you... how many of you turned to become a raw foodist after your MC? if you became one after MC, then how many times have you done MC before you became a raw foodist??

i am reading "12 steps to RAW FOODS" by Victoria Boutenko, and i got some other reading materials.... and i am very interested in taking raw food diet in my life... i don't think i can make a drastic change, but gradually ...maybe;);)

if you have some stories that you can share, i would greatly appreciated t!!
:D:D

thank you,

[Betty09]

Hi PinkLemonade! This was my first MC and I've been 99% raw (had wine and sushi Friday night) for about 2-3 weeks and I loooooooooove it! I ate dairy and meat and processed foods before I cleansed. I hit rock bottom with how I felt and looked and decided it was time. So yes, everything that people said would happen in my body and spirit and mind has happened. I'm happy. I started with boutenko's book too and recently bought Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet for more instruction. She focuses on food combination (it's not as complex as it sounds) and it's interesting. I tried it last week and feel pretty good.
Hope that helps. :)

[pinklemonade]

Hi PinkLemonade! This was my first MC and I've been 99% raw (had wine and sushi Friday night) for about 2-3 weeks and I loooooooooove it! I ate dairy and meat and processed foods before I cleansed. I hit rock bottom with how I felt and looked and decided it was time. So yes, everything that people said would happen in my body and spirit and mind has happened. I'm happy. I started with boutenko's book too and recently bought Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet for more instruction. She focuses on food combination (it's not as complex as it sounds) and it's interesting. I tried it last week and feel pretty good.
Hope that helps. :)

dear betty09,

thank you for the book advice, i will look into it.
sushi~~ that is my food, my culture, i have to have it once in a while...:p:p:p

thank you again!!:D:D

[pinklemonade]

hello,

today is my transitional day 3!

i just had an apple and kiwi (sliced and chopped very very small pieces).
i took time to eat, chewed a lot and my belly is doing fine so far!!
it was very very yummy:D:D
i am planning on having some kind of green juice after work...

i have to say, during my 1 and 2 transitional day, i did not have bm (of course), but this morning.....
well, something came out:eek::eek::eek::eek:
that was WOW moment:eek::eek::eek:

i feel great, though my ZITS are still with me on my face:mad::mad:

have a great day!!!

[Res]

Margaret: The chili is still amazing and I followed it to the T. It's just the right amount of spiceiness. I love it. I made the "sour cream" last night and it's interesting. I used it on the chili and it tasted great. I can see using it as a dip on a guacamole/chips night. :) Kenney is my man at this moment! hahaha I have two more recipes of his that I want to try. He has a tabouli recipe using Quinoa (cauliflower causes adverse reactions :o) so we'll see how this one is. I can't remember the next recipe, but then there's the Mac & Cheese!!! I'm going to hold off because I'm getting a little carried away with nuts.

Tonight it's a Gigantic veggie and leaf lettuce salad! I bought some white miso and seaweed noodles for soup. I'll probably add some green onions and maybe top it off with avocado. I dunno though it may be too fishy but we'll see. :)

Have to get back to work. These 10 min breaks go way too quickly!
:)

[Res]

This is unbelievable. I "warmed" up my chili by putting it on top of one of my servers for 2 hours. Cracks me up. :D It looks gorgeous with a big blob of "sour cream" on the top and tastes divine! I'm pretty fussy about good chili too! I'm eating less than half of what I ate yesterday because it's really filling and you just don't need that much. I could eat a lot more but want to work on "portion control" which I have a problem with.

Mmm good. ;)

[Boots]

GRUMPY!!! I want my dehydrator NOW!!! Just talked with Fed-Ex - they say "tomorrow" but that is not NOW :D

I was thinking of making that Tabouli recipe, too, RES - I'm still a little nervous of grains, but I love the idea of it :)

Just had collard wraps with Ani's Toona which "needs something" to my taste. So far I like Cornbleet's better, but I have plans to try them all. I do like that it is bulked out with the carrot pulp - kind of seems like more for less! Was actually smart enough to take my wraps with me to the gym so I could eat as soon as I finished working out (and panting LOL). Having a very hungry day today - which generally I think is a good thing!

Had a very satisfactory visit to Trader Joe's on the way home. The promised raw cashews were actually there! I bought lots and lots. Also more unripe Avocados AND I did not eat one of my "favorite foods" - Free Sample LOL. I LOVE tasting things - particularly things I don't normally eat. Today's was a barbequed pork sandwich with pickles and I actually didn't want it :D I did have a sip of the sparkling apple juice, but it was too sweet - blech.

Did I mention I want my dehydrator NOW!!!

PINK - Big congrats on your happy tummy AND your BM!! "Out" is good :D To answer your earlier question, this was my second "full" 10-day cleanse (had a couple mini's in between, too). Last cleanse I felt drawn to eating raw afterwards, too, but I wasn't willing to suspend my belief in the benefits of a "high-protein" diet to support my workouts. So even though I didn't want to, after my transition I "made" myself go back to a fair amount of protein (including protein powder) along with my veggies.

This time I'm embracing the experiment :) I'm not working out as hard as I was before though (for a number of reasons) and my plan is to ramp my workouts back up and see if I can support what I want to do physically, with my nutrition. From everything I've read I certainly should be able to, but I'll have to prove it for myself. I know I will be eating cooked food over Valentine's Day weekend (healthy vegetarian cooked food at this cool place where I'm taking a massage workshop) - so I'm definitely eating raw until then, and then I'll see what happens next. I AM really really loving my food!

Embrace your zits BTW - you're still detoxing!!

[Res]

GRUMPY!!! I want my dehydrator NOW!!! You'll get no negative feedback from me. I have no patience, period. ;) I'm with you, "Bring her the dehydrator NOW!!" hee hee

Cornbleets Tuna is my fav. I add dill and chopped dill pickles, double the onions. I don't care for the toona with carrot pulp. I save that for carrot cake - which I was looking at recently in a recipe book but now can't find because I have so many! :confused:

I remembered what else of Kenney's I was going to make! Look at page 84 and check out that Potato Salad!! :eek: I have the purdiest jicama's standing by to be turned into potato salad. lol The Thai salad looks pretty darned good too (next page) but I really really REALLY hate chopping pineapple. :o It may be worth it though.

Tonight is salad and it's so pretty/colorful and chalked full of chopped veggies and beautiful spirulized beets! Crisp dark green romaine and spicy sweet red onion. My favorite dressing is just olive oil and a squeeze of lemon with sea salt and black pepper.

I'm soaking sun dried tomatoes for Cornbleets Marinara sauce and zucchini noodles spirulized for dinner tomorrow. :) Ahh what a blessed life we have. ;)

Whats on the menu everyone???? :)

[OffBase]

Mysticalchick, I know your fear... that is pretty much what has happened to me after each and every cleanse: binging on everything in sight. I'm trying to do it right this time, but it's SO hard. I don't ever have trouble transitioning back to real food, so I pretty much just want to eat real food already. And to me, that means: BREAD!!! So, it's tough. Very tough. Hang in there!

[Boots]

I KNOW RES - That potato salad looks amazing! I bought a Jicama because I was thinking of making Kathy's sushi rice :) I have never actually peeled a Jicama myself though and it is yet another thing I am intimidated by LOL.

Your salad sounds GOOD. I had a delicious one for a first course: mixed lettuces, tomatoes, and the rest of my current batch of marinated mushrooms (lemon juice, flax oil, and touch of shoyu, & garlic). I got used to eating salads with no dressing during my prior lower fat clean-eating periods - so having a little "dressing" seems very extravagent and exotic. I will have a ripe-enough avocado tomorrow and that with some lemon juice and shoyu (can you tell I am LOVING the shoyu) will act as my dressing on tomorrow's salad. After my salad I had 2 zucchini spiralized with the last of my not-peanut sauce :( It was really good and I think I'll make up another batch (changing it up a bit of course).

I bought the ingredients to make your CRANBERRY SCONES and I want to make some kind of cracker - I'm tempted by Kenney's Za'atar flatbread except it means going to Penzeys and getting Za'atar seasoning. Any recommendations on a first cracker/bread product? I'm thinking about Kathy's dragon crackers, too, but I don't know if I want to go that spicy for my first effort. I also am going to soak some cashews in Bragg's and dehydrate them - YUM!

Had a pretty delicious "dessert" tonight, too - a small handful of raisins mixed with a teaspoon of almond butter - WOW was that good. Carrot cake - I think I saw a good sounding recipe for that in Cohen last night .... hmmn

Hey RES - where do you get your sundried tomatoes? I got some organic sundried ones from Trader Joes but they are really salty and not very tomato-y. Also, what about coconut? The Kenney almond macaroon recipe (p 42) is basically the same recipe in Pure Food (the cookbook he wrote with Sarma Margoulies (sp?) when they were together) and I have bought some of those macaroons from the One Lucky Duck website and they are just HEAVEN :D

Okay, laundry calls (wash me...... wash me ...... LOL)

OFFBASE - You hang in there too! What is the problem with eating bread? Do you eat more than you would like? Does it upset your stomach? Are you trying to not eat any bread? (and if so, why?) You CAN do whatever you really really really WANT (but sometimes it sure is hard figuring out what that really is) {{hugs}}

Wishing you all Happy Eating,
Margaret

[LadyLemon]

Hi Gang!

Can I join y'all? Great thread! I am finishing up my 20th MC day and have grapefruits and oranges standing by for juicing tomorrow. Plus you should smell my house. I made veggie broth as well--the scents are swarming every corner and crevice! I've read through the entries here since the beginning of January, and YOWZA, my taste buds are spitting saliva out of my mouth right now!!!

I went to Sur La Table and bought a spiral slicer today, and see that I will quickly become a raw food equipment junkie like many of you! My plan is to go 75% raw at this stage. Seems like I definitely need a Vitamix and dehydrator.....

In advance, I look forward to the next stage of this MC and hope to learn lots from you more experienced folks! Though I am looking forward to tomorrow, I am sad to leave this MC. It's been a good one. Got a pink tongue and terrific sense of being grounded.

Looking forward to the next part of the journey!

Beth

[Boots]

Whooo Hooooo - WELCOME BETH!!! - It will be so much fun having you share your adventures in Raw/Post-Cleanse Land :D The sprial slicer is SO MUCH FUN (although all I have done so far is spaghetti slice zucchini LOL) We are supposed to have a big snow storm tonight and I am playing around with the idea of not leaving the house tomorrow AT ALL and spending most of the day in the kitchen!! (My dehydrator had better come TODAY!

So, just had my morning juice (3 carrots, 1 pear, 1/2 lemon, 3 stalks celery, 1 beet, about 9 leaves romaine) and in a little bit I'll probably have a couple bananas or some melon. I don't have to go to the office today and I haven't decided whether to make some sundried-tomato "cheeze" wraps to take with me to the gym or just to grab some more fruit. Decisions, decisions (I will say it was easier to throw some protein powder in a bottle & add water later LOL).

Okay - got to head out so I get to the gym in time for a scheduled phone call. Anyone read any testimonials about how Raw can help with planning and logistics? Please? (Hey, a girl can hope, right?).

HAPPY TUESDAY everyone :)

[angel_eyez816]

Good Morning Everyone :D

Today is transition day 1 for me!!! I'm nervous, but I guess it's time for some OJ!! Have a great day everyone! :p

[Betty09]

Welcome Beth and Angel Eyez and anyone else that is new!

Still loving my food - nothing new to report. :)

I still love avocados and still am eating 2-4 a day... funny how the scale keeps going down - I have decided it must be broken, except for that thing I see.... what's it called? An abdomen maybe? Rib cage? There's actually a rib cage under there! Holy crap! hehehe I'm loving it.

Started using my juicer and it's super easy to clean. My cats freak out and stand on the carpet just outside of the kitchen until I'm done. Yesterday, they were out of sight, today they're slightly more curious. I made green lemonade for breakfast yesterday and it was a little cholorophylly, but I remember the salt water flush was gagging me on day 1 and by day 3 I welcomed it, so I'll just work on loving my green lemonade. Every day for lunch I have my huge salad and dinner my avo carrot and any other veggie that sounds good soup. And that's all I want.... I am content with that. Last night I couldn't finish my soup and I had to force down my salad for lunch. Weird, maybe I just need less food? I can't believe how much food I'd eat and eat and eat and still feel like I need to eat more. Finally, my body loves me.

Happy Tuesday and stay warm. It's cold here (a whopping 55 degrees, with wind chill it could be 40 - that's cold for so cal!). :D

[Res]

I'm at work and the conversation goes something like this:

Them: Whats in the baggie?

Me: Granola

Them: What kind, I've never seen that one.

Me: I made it, it's raw.

Them: You made it? Can I have a taste?

Me: Yes. Here

Them: Mmm thats really good. Is that milk you poured on it?

Me: No, it's almond milk

Them: Almond milk? Where did you get that?

Me: I made it (I'm cracking up at this point)

Them: Would you mind if I tasted it?

Me: Grab a bowl and I'll pour you some cereal and milk.

Them: (all excited) mmm this is great! Is it good for you?

And on and on and on. Now they come over to see what I'm eating. :D I see them as potential recruits. Just sharing the wealth. lol



LemonLady and Angel_eyz, WELCOME TO FOOD!! :D

[pinklemonade]

I'm at work and the conversation goes something like this:

Them: Whats in the baggie?

Me: Granola

Them: What kind, I've never seen that one.

Me: I made it, it's raw.

Them: You made it? Can I have a taste?

Me: Yes. Here

Them: Mmm thats really good. Is that milk you poured on it?

Me: No, it's almond milk

Them: Almond milk? Where did you get that?

Me: I made it (I'm cracking up at this point)

Them: Would you mind if I tasted it?

Me: Grab a bowl and I'll pour you some cereal and milk.

Them: (all excited) mmm this is great! Is it good for you?

And on and on and on. Now they come over to see what I'm eating. :D I see them as potential recruits. Just sharing the wealth. lol



LemonLady and Angel_eyz, WELCOME TO FOOD!! :D


super cute story!!:D

[pinklemonade]

Hi Gang!

Can I join y'all? Great thread! I am finishing up my 20th MC day and have grapefruits and oranges standing by for juicing tomorrow. Plus you should smell my house. I made veggie broth as well--the scents are swarming every corner and crevice! I've read through the entries here since the beginning of January, and YOWZA, my taste buds are spitting saliva out of my mouth right now!!!

I went to Sur La Table and bought a spiral slicer today, and see that I will quickly become a raw food equipment junkie like many of you! My plan is to go 75% raw at this stage. Seems like I definitely need a Vitamix and dehydrator.....

In advance, I look forward to the next stage of this MC and hope to learn lots from you more experienced folks! Though I am looking forward to tomorrow, I am sad to leave this MC. It's been a good one. Got a pink tongue and terrific sense of being grounded.

Looking forward to the next part of the journey!

Beth

dear beth,

you made it!!
super!!
i admire you!!
congraturations!!!

[angel_eyez816]

Res, after reading what you and your co-workers conversation I'm nervous. I did this cleanse to get rid of my cravings for taco bell and mcdonalds so that I can slowly transition to raw foods . I am new to this I'm going to order an excalibur, a spiralizer, and some other stuff, but raw food seems more complex than cooked food. I purchased The Raw Food Detox Diet, Raw Foods For Busy People, and Alive in 5. How long does it take to get comfortable with cooking raw? I'm completely intimidated. :(

[Dncn420]

Hi everybody!

This is my 6th day after ending my very first MC....i went 10 days, and it was so hard, but so good! Lost 10lbs, and gained a few back, but thats okay, too bcuz i feel good! I've spent the past few days trying to read through this thread from the beginning (hella long! haha!), and its helping me to know that this part "post cleanse" if you will, is hard, but it's doable. We all have our bad days...its just important to get back on track and keep making the right choices when it comes to food. I don't want to go back to feeling bloated. EWW...

I did okay on the transition days, didn't do it to the letter, but i definitely took things slow...all the things i was craving like a juicy steak, and burgers...i surprisingly don't have a taste for, which is awesome! I found myself eating really slowly because i got full so quickly...i remember trying to eat a rib, and i felt SO FULL for the rest of the day! YUCK! I haven't wanted any type of beef or pork since then...probably a good thing. Had a couple bites of grilled chicken the other day and that was good, but still got that full feeling, so that was the end of that. haha...

So i've been eating mostly salads, organic vegetable/vegetarian soups from trader joe's, nuts and fruit... i bought that ezekiel bread everyone is raving about, maybe i'll try it today. I don't think i'll ever be a vegetarian, vegan, or go totally raw...but i've definitely eaten more raw food and vegetarian foods in the past week than i have EVER in life...baby steps!:) I'm trying to stay away from meat as much as possible. Just seafood bcuz i LOVE IT...maybe chicken. MAYBE...they have an awesome seafood cioppino at trader joe's in the frozen section. I tried it yesterday, and OMG, i pigged out on it. Ate both servings...:o

I'm not beating myself up for indulging here and there, cuz i'm learning. I'm definitely eating healthier than i was before. The fact that i've pretty much stayed away from meat and dairy is amazing...what i am finding is that since i've been eating mostly vegetarian, i'm hungry ALL THE TIME...This morning for breakfast, for example, i had a salad (romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, some almonds, 2tblsp vinaigrette)... and then a few hours later here i'm hungry again? I just sipped on some vegetable broth cuz i didn't feel like chewing anything...i know i'll be hungry again in a couple of hours...managing that part is scary cuz i don't want to fall back into bad habits. Any tips you all have would be greatly appreciated! I started a food journal yesterday, and i'm not allowing myself to eat past 9pm on nights that i don't have rehearsal, so we'll see how that goes. I'm also trying to make it to the gym at LEAST 3 times a week. I'll be going later today...I'm also planning on doing another cleanse at the end of Feb, or beginning of March....is that too soon?

Okay, done with my book...haha...hope you all have a wonderful day! I'm glad to have found you...:D

[Res]

It's Lunch Time:

I have this problem - I'm working on it because it's obviously mental. It's lunch time and I'm still full from breakfast. There's a panic part of me that says "It's lunch time and hungry or not you need to eat" which is false. :o I have known this about myself and have an idea of where it's originating from - which is the first step in resolving it. Thought it was weird and just wanted to mention it in case anyone else goes through the same thing - SO, I'm not going to eat my gorgeous salad but instead I'm going to read my book. :)

[Boots]

WELCOME ANGEL!! - Don't be intimidated {{hug}} - Enjoy!! The thing about Raw is it can be as complex or as simple as you want. I'm pretty new to it but from my reading it seems that a lot of people go in phases of more or less "un-cooking." Coming from the cleanse you are in a perfect position to keep it simple because all your taste habits have been "re-booted" and you have the opportunity to really pay attention to your body and what serves her best. Begin with plain fruits and then add veggies and salads. After the cleanse EVERYTHING will taste truly Wonderful :)

All the new stuff is just that - new stuff and you only need to use it if you feel the need for some different types of food or think it is fun to play with (raising hand here :D ) A lot of the "fancy" raw recipes are designed to help people adjust from cooked food by creating raw "equivalents" but I've found that the few raw recipes I've made are just plain delicious in their own right - and I haven't used my Vitamix yet for Raw, nor a dehydrator. A big lettuce salad with an avocado tastes pretty wonderful and is very satisfying I've found.

Everytime you choose a salad or some fruit over Taco Bell you are giving yourself a wonderful gift and your body will thank you :) - just ease into the "fancy raw" as you feel drawn to!

And BIG CONGRATULATIONS by the way for completing your cleanse!

[Boots]

WELCOME DNCN!! - Congratulations on completing your cleanse and incorporating more fruits and veggies into your way of eating :)

GREAT idea to start a food journal! That is such a valuable tool to help you find out what really works best for you. I've found it helpful to record time, mood, and energy level as well as what I'm eating. That really helps you focus in on just what foods serve you - and it what combinations.

About being hungry - IMHO eating every three hours or so is good - keeps the metabolism humming. One thing to note, too, is that when you eat more raw & natural foods - particularly fruits and vegetables - you won't feel "full" the same way. Per Natalia Rose (Raw Food Detox Diet) - one of the reasons to eat this way is so that food will NOT "stick to your ribs" and linger in your digestive track. We want food to move through us promptly - especially since we've just spent time trying to clean ourselves out.

It is also difficult for many of us to really be aware of just when we ARE hungry - often we think we are hungry because we are bored, or tired, or upset, or it is "time to eat." One trick I've found useful is to ask myself what I am hungry for, and if I'm not hungry for a healthy salad or piece of fruit, chances are I'm not really "hungry". Please don't be afraid of eating - eating is both a pleasure and a necessity, if you are hungry - eat!!!

WTG on not beating yourself up, too (BIG CLAPS!!) Finding the best way to nutritionally support yourself is a process of discovery - if you are moving in the direction of healthier choices that is FABULOUS!! Congratulations!

[Res]

Work was crazy today. Gets in the way of my fun! :)

Angel_eyez: No no don't be intimidated. You can jump right in and spirulize beets to add to a salad. See, easy. :) The only thing annoying about the granola was the time it took to dehydrate (24 hours!) But it made a bunch so next I can experiement with something else. It's all about experimenting and you let the tools do the work. :) It's like anything else. You've been cooking for how long? ;) Give yourself a bit of time to try it raw.

Margaret: I get my sun dried tomatoes from Trader Joes too. I haven't noticed a problem with salt and it's not on the ingredients list. I'm using the dried tomatoes in the package not canned in oil. Unfortunately my TJ's isn't going to carry them for a while. They've had a falling out with the distributor. I thought about checking either Amazon.com or ebay.

Dncn420, Welcome! :) As long as you're making "nutrition" choices you're further along than when you first started. :) I'm not all raw - I tried it and it doesn't work for me and that's ok with me. We're just re-learning all about putting in the good fuel. Some of this stuff tastes SO AMAZING it's hard to believe it's good for us! :D

[angel_eyez816]

Thank you Boots I'll keep things simple until I get comfortable. :)

[Boots]

CONGRATULATIONS RES!! - On your self-awareness :D It really is amazing (and kind of fun) how complex this process of treating ourselves in a nutritionally supportive manner is. And thank you for sharing what is going on for you today :)

I kind of had the opposite problem - I did not take enough food with me to the gym (well I thought it would be enough but it was a very very hungry morning LOL) and then I ran an errand on the way home so when I got here I was too hungry. I ate 2 whole collard leaves filled with sundried tomato cheeze, fresh tomatoes, chopped onion, and pea shoots and now almost 3 hours later I am still feeling pretty full (they were really really good and I ate extra because I was just enjoying them so much :( )

I'm with ANGEL, feeling a little intimidated because my dehydrator is HERE !!!! :D That thing is huge! Size of a small pony LOL. AND I don't have any flaxseeds - wasn't paying attention and bought ROASTED ones - grrrrr. Have flaxmeal, but I won't be able to make what I had planned initially. AND I just didn't want to go back out and we have a winter storm warning for tonight. I have the ingredients for Kenney's corn tortillas, so I think I will make those tomorrow - think it is too late to start them now. Am also going to "crunch up" some string beans, dry out some cashews that have been soaking in Braggs, and maybe try Ani's black sesame bread. Right now I'm going to put in some portabella mushrooms just to soften and "warm" and have them for dinner in a couple hours with my salad.

I'm a little worried too, that since it has a 600W motor I'm going to blow a circuit if I do anything else (live in an old house with old electric - can't do things like use the microwave and the juicer at once). Such an adventure LOL.

Wish me luck everyone!

[LadyLemon]

Hi Foodies!

Wow. Who knew all the love and support would be as strong on this side of the MC? Thanks to all of you. I am inspired. Plus, are y'all still feeling great? I am.

Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice is the nectar of the Gods. SERIOUSLY.

Thanks to one and all for the warm welcome. This part of the journey has more texture, takes more discipline and more thought. How fun to share it with you.

PinkLemonade--thanks for the encouragement, and great to CYA here.

Boots--do you make your morning "juice" in a blender? Also, excellent advice on the concept of being "full".

Angeleyez--Congrats on your awesome first MC! You go girl!

Betty09--Thanks for heading up the welcoming committee!

RES--I'm not hungry either. Go figure!

Okie dokie. Off to play around with the spiralizer!!!

Beth

[Boots]

Thanks RES for the tomato input. Mine were the package too - just tomatoes in the ingredient list. Of course one of the great things about real food is that it is variable :D - maybe I just had a weird pack. Figures they won't have them, too, LOL. My TJs said they couldn't get raw macadamias any more and were lucky to get any at all!! Probably just as well. I have definitely exceeded my nut budget for the month LOL.

[Boots]

Okay, last post before I plunge into dehydrator land (will have to think of a good name for him - yes, the Excalibur is definitely male - and anything that large deserves a name LOL - I'm thinking Ramon or Tyrone - don't know why & don't know how to spell Ramon ???)

BETH - I make my juice in a juicer - my first purchase during this cleanse!! In the past I've made such things in my Vitamix but the whole idea of juicing without the fiber appealed to me. Some of the combinations are REALLY good :)

Ramon is getting fussy and the cat wants her dinner - have to run!!

[Chirinium]

Tomorrow is Day 10 for me (it is the night 9 as I type this message). I just remembered I got a Pro-Biotic box with the kit I ordered from this website.
When do I start to take the pills?
With my first OJ ?

I wasn't supposed to take them WHILE on the fast was I? :-S

I am really looking forward to having a soup or a salad... I had such a long day in college today and lunch time at the caf. was bearable but later in class, students kept on snacking on nuts and fruits and other less healthy snacks but I was feeling hungry being surrounded by all of it.

I had brought with me 4 cups of lemonade and had finished them. I had also water that I was sipping by fear of finishing. My last resort was the peppermint tea that I managed to keep till the end. Now I'm back home and I made myself more lemonade.... phew.

I do look forward to finishing :) In a good way :)
But I highly intend to keep this light feeling as long as possible. Seeing people eat made me realize how absent one can get while eating. I wish to be present with every bite. Mmmm... fooood... ;)

[bwylde]

So -I am 11 days post cleanse and still feeling great. I always gain 4-5 pounds back right away, must be water or I just carry around alot of crap! - My plan was to follow a vegetarian diet for the first 2 weeks at least and see how it goes. I have done pretty well - though a few slip up s here and there. I am afraid to try the raw thing and I guess having grown up on a cattle ranch and potatoe farm I always thing one must servce meat, potatoes and a vegetable at every meal. I have realized that my family is fine without that and my daughter prefers just vegies and fruit. So - I am using their preferences and using that to spur me to cook more creative vegetable and fruit dishes. They are enjoying it so far.

I am so glad see all of you out here and to find this kind of support on the "other side" of the cleanse - where I really need it!! Once can't cure everthing in 10-20 days - but it is a darn good start!

[angel_eyez816]

I am frustrated!!!!!! I have just broken out with hives on my face! I am not allergic to OJ and it's organic and freshly squeezed. I am about to cry. I hope my face is clear in the morning. I know it can't be the probiotics either. I look a mess! :mad: Isn't it too late for detox symptoms? I have broken the fast. :(

[Boots]

NO SWEETIE!! It is NOT too late for Detox - not at all and that is probably what is going on - BIG HUG!! Try to relax, and remember to breathe, and drink your water. Your skin is your biggest organ and it is processing stuff!!

I'm sorry for your frustration, and because hives are really miserable, but your body is doing what it needs to do Angel!

xoxo
Margaret

[Boots]

CHIRINIUM -- Congratulations on reaching the "end" of the cleanse :) NO - you were not supposed to take the probiotics while cleansing. The cleanse cleans out all the healthy bacteria along with the other stuff, and the probiotics are to help get the good guys re-established in your system. I usually start them with the orange juice but the "right" way may be to begin on the second transition day.

You are SO RIGHT about the importance of being conscious & "present" with your eating - besides, it is much more FUN that way :D

[Boots]

BWYLDE - Congratulations on feeling "great" 11 days out - AND on 5 cleanses - wow!

I really believe in trying to take the "should" out of food choices - LOL. After my first cleanse in 2006 I couldn't get beyond the "shoulds" I believed to try raw - even though my body was clearly indicating a raw preference. This time I just decided to play it by "ear" and see what happens. So far it is really fun AND I have new kitchen toys LOL. Following your daughter's healthy preferences sounds like a neat way to explore :) and really take advantage of your "darned good start." Thanks for sharing your experience here - I just love how we can all learn together!

[pinklemonade]

It's Lunch Time:

I have this problem - I'm working on it because it's obviously mental. It's lunch time and I'm still full from breakfast. There's a panic part of me that says "It's lunch time and hungry or not you need to eat" which is false. :o I have known this about myself and have an idea of where it's originating from - which is the first step in resolving it. Thought it was weird and just wanted to mention it in case anyone else goes through the same thing - SO, I'm not going to eat my gorgeous salad but instead I'm going to read my book. :)

yes, i just experienced that tonight...but...i ate anyway....:(:(

i had green juice (kale, carrot, apple and lemon) and raw power bar in the early evening (before i went to gym). i was not hungry when i came back from gym...
Well... i went to pick up a few things from this raw food restaurant/take out place tonight... just because i wanted to try varieties of raw food out there.. (yes, i am totally beginner of raw food diet and i am studying!!).

so anyway, i samples everything that i picked....oops.. even i was not super hungry, everything tasted so good so yummy!!! i think i had more than SAMPLE portion... oops:D:D
i should know better, but i could not help it... they were really yums....

it that bad??? perhaps it is...:eek::eek:

[angel_eyez816]

Boots you are awesome *hugs*! :D Thank you for giving me that bit of info. I was over here about to medicate myself with some benadryl. I figured I was done detoxicing since nothing happened during the cleanse except the fuzzy tongue detox symptom. Ok water is all I'm taking in and I will relax and wait for my face to clear. Hopefully its still snowing in the morning so I wont have to go out with these hives.

[Boots]

ANGEL - Good morning! Hope you are feeling better, and hope RES (the expert) will weigh in here :) The reason I said water is because it is so important to be properly hydrated to help flush out the toxins. If you have no known OJ allergy, and your stomach was fine with it, and you would enjoy it - have more :) It is important to reawaken to digestive system so you can move on to more FOOD :D

If you can stand the hives without the Benadryl I'm really glad you are giving your body the chance to self-heal - but if the hives are consuming you AND particularly if they seem to get worse take the Benadryl because it COULD be an allergic reaction too - they can come out of "no where". It is just that Detox is the most likely cause IMHO.

I DO hope you are feeling better today.
Margaret

[Res]

yes, the Excalibur is definitely male - and anything that large deserves a name LOL
HAHAHAHA - Glad I didn't have a mouthful of juice! ;) http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing001.gif

Margaret:
Well my quest for organic sun dried tomatoes ended nowhere. Amazon is out and ebay hasn't a clue.


bwylde:
Pretty much it's sort of uncharted waters for most of us. The fact that we're here at all is a big deal! We're re-learning and wanting to do what's best for ourselves and our families. :)


pinklemonade:
I don't think it's bad - it's previous conditioning on my part. You're just excited to try it all and thats good! (as long as you don't make yourself sick :))

I've ordered from Matt Amsden of Rawvolution - you pay $100 for about 3 days worth of prepared raw food. I wasn't impressed to be honest. The fun part was trying it all and not being the one who made it. So far Matt Kenney is my favorite!! The food is just SO GOOD!

I'm finding myself in the same place I was in last time I was eating only raw. My digestive system isn't happy about it entirely. I'm taking digestive enzymes after I eat but it's more work than I'm happy with. So tomorrow I'm incorporating a small amount of cooked food into my dinner plans. That usually fixes me right up. This isn't a license for me to eat bags of Cheetos either (i love cheetos). ;) I know what I'm doing moreso now than I did last cleanse. IT's so much FUN learning this way.

I'm so happy to be here with all of you. This is definitely a fun place to be in! :D

[Res]

Oddly enough, Angel & Margaret, there are foods that I had no knowledge that I would have a reaction to until after a few of my cleanses when I had the same adverse reaction. If I drink OJ it has to be really watered down. I don't do juice to break my cleanse - well not OJ. Too many problems for me. And Margaret was right about continuing detox and increasing the water intake. Toxins will use any "exit" route and the skin is the largest exit organ. I had a nasty rash down both of the sides of my hips the entire cleanse. That's never happened before. It tapered off when I ended but I still have some of it. Hang in there Angel! :)

[pinklemonade]

good morning!!

before the cleanse, i was used to eat very fast and used to eat until i really felt "FULL"...

a part of the reason that i wanted to do this mc was of course i wanted to detox my body, but also i wanted to change the way i eat (like i stuff myself......really bad).

now, well only my transitional day 5, i am more aware that i need to chew and take my time to eat.
for example, i have been chopping my apple (thought eaier to digest this way), and i am taking my time to eat one apple like 15 min or so. i pick up small piece of apple from my cup one at the time and chew it really good. i realized that i get full with one apple, and i can taste the freshness of my apple better!!

i know this is just a beginning and i have a lot more learning to do, but so far so good:D:D

question for you.... before i started my cleanse, i was 100lb (i am 5'5: yes, i have a very small frame), and the end of the cleanse (14 days) i was 96lb. yeaterday, i did weigh myself and i was 90lb........ should i be worried?? i don't think i will lose anymore......but..should i ?? do you think i will gain some back??
do people lose their weight during post clease??

thank you in advance!!

:D


thanks much,

[Mysticalchick]

Hi guys ... it's me, your whiny but loveable MysticalChick.

I am still floundering in my fear a bit but got my 2nd Natalia Rose book "Raw Food Life Force Energy" and am working that plan ("quick exit" foods and whatnot). I have to admit though, that I feel enormously grumpy, peevy, angry and sad these days. Not at all like how good I felt while doing the cleanse. I am thisclose to going back on it to bring those feelings back (I know, I know).

I have not had sugar in 2 weeks (that's a HUGE one for me) as well as any of my usual stable of comfort foods. Might this be some emotional fallout from the cleanse? I feel very "stabby" (heh not a nice term but true) and hateful. I am working diligently to understand what this is about but boy, it sucks.

:(

Longing for the joy of the cleanse,
MC

[pinklemonade]

HAHAHAHA - Glad I didn't have a mouthful of juice! ;) http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing001.gif


I've ordered from Matt Amsden of Rawvolution - you pay $100 for about 3 days worth of prepared raw food. I wasn't impressed to be honest. The fun part was trying it all and not being the one who made it. So far Matt Kenney is my favorite!! The food is just SO GOOD!


I'm so happy to be here with all of you. This is definitely a fun place to be in! :D

hi res,

i am a bit of obbsessive so i purchsed a few books about raw food diet and recipe books, and happened to crabbed "RAWVOLUTION" :D. because the book has a lot of pics that look so yummy..... it is a beautifu book. HOWEVER, i read the review and the feedback was not so good. ...ummmm well, i loved to "cook" and i think i still do. so the book is inspiring!! :D:D

[lemoneater1]

Hey Mysticalchick, I am currently at my 17th day of the fast. I also purchase this Book By Natalia Rose, I am thinking that the Food combining thing May get a bit difficult, do you find it Easy to Follow her suggestions??? I am willing to give it a try Once I am done Fasting in a week or two... Also I hope you do Feel better with your Mood, I am sure it is a part of Detox for you that will soon pass...


Hi guys ... it's me, your whiny but loveable MysticalChick.
I am still floundering in my fear a bit but got my 2nd Natalia Rose book "Raw Food Life Force Energy" and am working that plan ("quick exit" foods and whatnot). I have to admit though, that I feel enormously grumpy, peevy, angry and sad these days. Not at all like how good I felt while doing the cleanse. I am thisclose to going back on it to bring those feelings back (I know, I know).

I have not had sugar in 2 weeks (that's a HUGE one for me) as well as any of my usual stable of comfort foods. Might this be some emotional fallout from the cleanse? I feel very "stabby" (heh not a nice term but true) and hateful. I am working diligently to understand what this is about but boy, it sucks.

:(

Longing for the joy of the cleanse,
MC

[Res]

Margaret: I balked at the price of these sun dried tomatoes - at first! Then I realized it's "per pound" and I pay $2 for a few ounces. These look really good: http://www.nutsonline.com/driedfruit/sundriedtomatoes/organic.html



MC: It will be ok. *hug* It has taken me a while to figure out what works for me. I'm much more comfortable now than I was a few years ago but I'm still learning. Life is short. Play with it. :) You really should start at the beginning of the recipe box and work your way forward. There's raw and cooked recipes but all are healthy. "Health" is the name of the game here. :)

You CAN have sugar but just do it in the form of fruit, dates (mmmm), raisins etc. I haven't 'launched into sweet desserts yet but M Kenney has a Mocha pudding that I'm real close to trying. We're just used to grabbing food that's already prepared or we go for the "easy" stuff. I'm picking Saturday morning as my prep day/dehydrator day so that I have most of what I need ready for the work week. It's trial and error but the fun part is you get to eat the error. ;)

[Res]

Lemoneater: What are you doing in here???? :p ;)

[Res]

P-Lemonade: I have Rawvolution too and wasn't all that impressed. :o

[angel_eyez816]

Good Morning Everyone!! :D

I still have hives. :(I may just put some coconut oil on them so they won't look so dry and get to shopping.;) I need to prepare for a house full all weekend long since my in-laws are so anxious about celebrating my husbands birthday all weekend long. Hopefully he grows out of this soon lol. He's 30 and will be turning 31. Wow I've been married for ten years next month.. a third of my life I'm 28 . Anyways, I'lm trying to plan ahead in what I'll be eating all weekend since the fellas are also having a superbowl party here. Maybe I can make them a veggie and fruit tray....yummy:p

[lemoneater1]

Umm Sorry yean Uhh..., I think I got Lost and ended up in the RIGHT I mean Wrong Board. :-) Hey can't a girl Prepare for her after fast experience. You Guys make all this Stuff Look so Tempting...


Lemoneater: What are you doing in here???? :p ;)

[mtmouse]

Boy, whoever suggested Sarma and Matthew's coconut macaroons, you weren't kidding! They're great!

I made 1/3 recipe (that's all the coconut I had on hand), which should make 8-12 cookies. So I guess I didn't do too badly when 5 cookies actually made it to the dehydrator tray, LOL!

I'm making no promises whatsoever as to whether they'll make it to the "crisp outside" stage! :D I think it's time for us all to buy stock in coconut companies!

[Boots]

KATHY - Those macaroons are reason enough to eat raw LOL. Did you use the recipe in Pure Food or in Everyday Raw (I can't find my copy of Pure Food) - what is cashew flour and where do we get it LOL?

Okay group, I'm grumpy today despite the warm humming presence of Ramon in my kitchen. I'm not even taking full advantage of him :D. The weather is miserable and I cancelled my gym workout with my beloved trainer which is my "happy time" - got my workout in by shoveling snow in the freezing rain.

... Just found out my husband's flight has been cancelled so he is flying into another airport and I'll need to go pick him up @ 11 tonight and then probably go with him to the airport where his car is.

No happiness and light from me right now. I really really hate ice. :(

[mtmouse]

I used the recipe in Raw Food Real World. And I substituted blue agave for the MS.

The recipe I used said to use almond flour (same difference) for blond macaroons, but I went with chocolate so it wasn't an issue. Never heard of cashew flour, but my Vita-Mix dry container could make it, I'm sure!

[angel_eyez816]

Hi Everyone!!
I have come to the conculsion that I am allergic to oranges. I just ate an orange and my hives got worse and my face is burning. Lesson learned. I guess I should try grape fruit juice now.:(

[Tanyazl1]

Angel...I'm glad you figured it out. I find it amazing how the cleanse changes our chemistry. I hope you are drinking more water and wish you a speedy recovery,too.:)

Res and the gang! Tomorrow is my first transition day after 28 MC days. :D I cannot wait to begin my 30+ day raw cuisine. I was 80 percent raw before the cleanse. My husband has been creating our meals for the past year. Now I want to start perparing some dishes, too. 8) Saturday I will have the raw MC soup from the Gone Raw site. I cannot wait! :D

[Res]

Umm Sorry yean Uhh...,
haha, just messing with ya. ;)

[Boots]

Hi Everyone!!
I have come to the conculsion that I am allergic to oranges. I just ate an orange and my hives got worse and my face is burning. Lesson learned. I guess I should try grape fruit juice now.:(

Oooohhh!! I'm sorry Angel!! It's just as Res said - new things surface when we clean (well, that IS the way it happens at my house :D)

I hope you're feeling better today and can ease into eating some food! I know it isn't "per the books" but a glass or two of OJ is about all I can take (just feels too sweet & too "rich") so for both my cleanses I've moved to eating some melon fairly quickly with no ill effect. Just my experience, and NOT per the plan, but I thought I'd share.

[Boots]

Angel...I'm glad you figured it out. I find it amazing how the cleanse changes our chemistry. I hope you are drinking more water and wish you a speedy recovery,too.:)

Res and the gang! Tomorrow is my first transition day after 28 MC days. :D I cannot wait to begin my 30+ day raw cuisine. I was 80 percent raw before the cleanse. My husband has been creating our meals for the past year. Now I want to start perparing some dishes, too. 8) Saturday I will have the raw MC soup from the Gone Raw site. I cannot wait! :D

Wow!! Tanyazl!!! Big congratulations on your extended cleanse and welcome to After-Cleanse-Land :) It's fun here, all sorts of things can happen.

[Boots]

So, Good Morning Group!!

Kathy - Maybe I'll have better luck finding my copy of that Sarma/Kenny book now that you've told me the correct title - I consistently think of it as "Pure Food" :o

Res - Thanks for the tomato research :) That price DOES seem really good when I think of how much we pay for a little package. I haven't ever ordered from that website - it looks like they have lots of goodies!

So if you're thinking about that mocha pudding recipe it means that you are not cowering in fear at the idea of grappling with a young coconut! I poked one at Whole Foods the other day but I haven't even gotten as far as actually picking one up yet LOL. If you can whack at a coconut with a cleaver, I would think a mandoline would be a piece of .... err... cucumber.

Mystical - I'm sorry you're feeling so b*****y (at least that's what I call it when it's me). From what you've said I'm sure there is a lot of emotional detox going on. Additionally, you are making major changes to the way you live, and even though the changes are good ones, and you want to make them, part of us simply responds to any change with resistance. We all have strong mechanisms in place to keep us the way we are - and foul moods are part of them. I envy you your "good feelings" while on the cleanse :) I've felt "good" for maybe 6 hours out of 2 10 day cleanses LOL - but afterwards I have periods of feeling really really GREAT!

So - As for me, my husband is safely home and that's a good thing. I get to go to the gym today and that's a good thing. I've already spent a productive hour at the office and it's only 8:15 in the morning LOL. Sadly, Ramon is a dark and silent brooding presence in the kitchen - I have yet to take advantage of him in the way I had hoped ;) BUT I can pick up some flax seeds and make the most of him. My refrigerator is too full, and yesterday's food choices didn't work well. Sigh. I'm cold and my skin is all crocodile-y. Sigh again. Let me re-frame that - LOL - deep breath :D

Question - For those of you who find that incorporating some cooked food into you diet works best for you, what do you do? Do you just cook certain foods? Have occasional cooked meals just "because"? Do you eat cooked "situationally?" I'm sticking with 100% Raw until Feb 13th and then I'll re-evaluate. Don't think I'll ever be 100% - because I'm so curious about food in general, and I'll want to eat cooked "situationally". But I'm still undecided about whether I want to add some cooked food - as Natalia Rose does - into a primarily raw diet. I'd value any insights/opinions from the group :)

Break time is over, banana time is here. Happy Thursday Everyone!

[angel_eyez816]

:D Good Morning Everyone,

Transition Day 3
I feel better today and I appreciate all the advice I have gotten. My face feels so much better. I drank more water to flesh my system. I avoided the benadryl. Today I'll try a seeldess watermelon, veggie soup, and a spinach salad with some roma tomatos. I'll experiment on making some salad dressing.

Have a wonedrful everyone!! :D

[Tanyazl1]

Good Morning All!

Good Morning, Boots. Happy Thursday to you, too:)

I cut and pasted your question in this reply...I hope that okay.:eek:

Question - For those of you who find that incorporating some cooked food into you diet works best for you, what do you do? Do you just cook certain foods? Have occasional cooked meals just "because"? Do you eat cooked "situationally?" I'm sticking with 100% Raw until Feb 13th and then I'll re-evaluate. Don't think I'll ever be 100% - because I'm so curious about food in general, and I'll want to eat cooked "situationally". But I'm still undecided about whether I want to add some cooked food - as Natalia Rose does - into a primarily raw diet. I'd value any insights/opinions from the group.

Reply - My husband and I occasionally will go out for a vegetarian rice & bean burrito at one of our two favorite Mexican restaurants with limitations---no sour cream, no cheese with spinach or tomato tortillas. We also eat organic blue corn chips. We make the salsa ourselves. And, I still indulge in popcorn. I recently found the most organic around, at least I believe it to be :o It's a dried ear of corn packaged with a bag for microwave popping. No SODIUM, BUTTER, OR ADDITIVES :D The only cooked items we make at home are feegs (scrambled tofu) and the MC soup. I really love that soup. :p We have two raw and one vegan restaurant we frequent. We go once or twice on the weekends. When we go out with friends that prefer the SAD (standard American diet) we will find things on the menu or ala carte dishes to meet our compromise. We sometimes end up paying a little more though. So we try not to do things with them centered around food. My soon-to-be 16 year-old son still prefers the SAD. So there you go! :D Have a great weekend!

[Res]

Oranges don't play well with me so, I break my cleanses using fresh berries, blue, black, rasp. They're low in calories and sugar and high in antioxidants. I also take my probiotic on day 1 after the cleanse. AND I go S L O W.

I'm rather good at whacking the Young Coconuts! There's a video online somewhere that gives perfect instructions. I love the coconut water and already have 2 empty coconuts with the meat stored in the fridge. :) I do need to buy a cleaver, I just keep forgetting.

Cooked foods: Well, since I love broccoli raw but it doesn't love me - I lightly steam it. Same with cauliflower. I have a raw tabouli (cauliflower) story that lasted 3 days. Never again.

If you're a vegetarian don't read the following: I eat meat, but only grass fed and free range. I eat eggs too. I'm building up to try one raw (which is supposedly it's perfect state and cooking ruins it). I throw raw eggs into my smoothies and can't tell it's in there. I eat fish too but I'm pretty picky because it can be dangerous to eat the local stuff. I "sear" it on both sides (meat and fish) and then eat it practically raw. I also eat a small amount of raw milk cheese.

The stuff I have to stay away from is grains including rice, bread, pasta etc. I pack on the weight if I eat that stuff. Because I LOVE bread and butter, I might give myself free reign once a month and buy a "organic pumpernickel" loaf at Whole Foods. I'll eat as much as I want that night and then it's over until the next month. I'm still learning with this process. If I restrict myself too much it will feel like deprivation and then my mind becomes a battle zone and I may fall of the wagon and into a vat of rice pudding. :o

[pinklemonade]

good morning everone!

my transitional day 6.
i am keeping raw (except for roast almonds i had 2 days ago).. like 99.99%.
i have been consuming green juice in the past coupe of days..and...just noticed that my skin feels different. i have oily skin (t-zone). when i woke up, i felt that my face was not that oily as usual:):)
my face feels very smooth:):)
Also, i go bathroom like 3 times a day..... WOW:D:D

now i feel that i want to practice raw as much as possible. but the book, "12 steps to RAW FOODS" makes me feel i "SHOULD"... and i am scared if i eat something cooked, that would trigger to eat more cooked food!! :eek::eek:

question!! 8)8)
do you guys have any problems mixing the cooked food here and there and stick with raw most of the time???

I really like the feeling that i am feeling/experiencing. yes, i just started to feel more energy, my skin feels good, and i feel CLEAN inside out!! also, i really enjoying the raw food dishes (well, i have not made one myself yet, but take out from local raw food place). love nori roll:D:D (well, i love real SUSHI too.. don't think i can give up on that yet:p)

:D:D have a great day!!

[angel_eyez816]

I'm back!!!!! This is the last time I'm going to complain about my hives. I think it's just detox. When I ate the watermelon my hives got irritate again. My face is burning and itching. It may just be some severe detoxing and the added acid isn't helping. When life gives you lemons made MC lemonade!!! lol :p

[Betty09]

Wow this place is getting really busy! Awesome! I love reading all your stories about tools, and foods and recruiting (Res). I'm at work so I can't chat long. I'm still eating 95% raw and loving life. Every day I wake up is one day where I feel and look more alive. If any of you are wondering if going raw really helps you to continue to lose weight, believe it.
Cleanse Day 1- 185lbs
Cleanse Day 18 - 166lbs
Today is Post Cleanse Day 14 and I'm at 163, except I'm running miles and working out and on my period. So, I'd say it's safe to say another 7ish lbs lost. The inches are coming off for me faster post cleanse than during the cleanse. I have a consistent appetite energy level the whole day, I fall asleep easily and wake up easily. I had 4 hours of sleep last night (not tired) and I'm good to go, not even sluggish.

Happy Uncooking!!!

[Sunnyshine]

Hi Lemonheads! I'm on transition day 1 and enjoying a tall glass of freshly squeezed tangerine juice YUM! I've always found that actually doing the MC is not so hard as transitioning back to food. It is much easier to abstain than refrain. So I was very proud of myself today when a friend (who didn't know that I was on the MC) invited me to lunch and I came up with an acceptable excuse not to go. But I will admit to all of you that the first thought in my head was "well, technically I've finished the cleanse so I could go and just have a salad and probably be fine...and maybe a small piece of bread and a cup of coffee...HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MISSY!!!" And here I sit here happily with my juice. :D

I have "eat an avocado" on the top of my list of things to do on Sunday :p

[Res]

This is a quickie: 3rd or 4th day and the Chili is STILL amazing. I'm munching away while the office is being fed sub sandwiches, chips, cookies and soda. There's always a little "nudge" because for 1, I didn't have to prepare it and hence the idea of eating with putting in no work and 2, it's free. But I purposely remind myself what it feels like after I eat "my" food or theirs and then I'm fine mentally. :)

Hope everyone is doing well. I'll check in later.

*SMOOCH!

[pinklemonade]

OOLONG TEA

oops, i just checked to see if oolong tea has caffeine in it...
suer it does... less than coffe, but it does...:mad::mad:
i had 2 cups yesterday and a cup today without knowing....
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Boots]

OOLONG TEA

oops, i just checked to see if oolong tea has caffeine in it...
suer it does... less than coffe, but it does...:mad::mad:
i had 2 cups yesterday and a cup today without knowing....
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Hey PINK - Just being nosy here, but do you have specific reasons for wanting to give up caffeine? Or is it part of Raw Vegan? And my thoughts on your earlier weight question - yes, you often will continue to lose a bit during transition and often people lose as they are first starting Raw - even if - like you - they don't really have any extra to lose. BUT - from what I've read - this will stabilize and you may gain some back as your body finds the right weight for you. Just be sure to pay attention to and honor any "cravings" you may have for fatty healthy foods like avocados and nuts. If you feel genuine hunger you must eat :)

ANGEL - You poor Angel :( WTG on resisting the Benadryl but do take it if you need it {{HUG}} I've joined your club today - I have some weird rash right in the middle of my chin :mad: LOL

BETTY - It is so exciting and wonderful to hear how great you are feeling and doing!! :):):)

Thanks TANYA & RES - for the input on cooked foods. I think I probably will keep some cooked food in my diet. The only time my stomach has felt yucky since starting this experiment was after I ate a bunch of raw broccoli & I LOVE my broc! Think I will keep some "flesh foods" in as well - free range eggs, raw milk cheese, raw tuna, etc. I just don't feel drawn to be a vegan/vegetarian - YET. We'll see :D:confused:

Have to rush - be back later - I have a date with a big dark handsome (in my eyes) guy - will tell you all what we did - promise!

[pinklemonade]

Hey PINK - Just being nosy here, but do you have specific reasons for wanting to give up caffeine? Or is it part of Raw Vegan? And my thoughts on your earlier weight question - yes, you often will continue to lose a bit during transition and often people lose as they are first starting Raw - even if - like you - they don't really have any extra to lose. BUT - from what I've read - this will stabilize and you may gain some back as your body finds the right weight for you. Just be sure to pay attention to and honor any "cravings" you may have for fatty healthy foods like avocados and nuts. If you feel genuine hunger you must eat :)

Have to rush - be back later - I have a date with a big dark handsome (in my eyes) guy - will tell you all what we did - promise!



deer boots,

thanks for the feedback!!
and i am not giving up caffeine (or i am not sure yet), jut felt that i feel clean inside and did not want to get dirty (with caffeine)... like after went to dentist to get your teeth clean and did not want to drink a cup of coffee right away... that kind of feeling... that is all....

master cleanse, breaking the fast, transitioning, and eating raw.... all of them are new to me and i am learning a lot!! thanks again!!


best,

[angel_eyez816]

Well gang all of this mention about avocados made me eat one!!! I have 2 more and I'm trying to conrol myself. But they're so tasty. I never craved them or ate them before MC, but I'm in love now. :p

[Boots]

Well gang all of this mention about avocados made me eat one!!! I have 2 more and I'm trying to conrol myself. But they're so tasty. I never craved them or ate them before MC, but I'm in love now. :p

Glad to hear you're in love ANGEL :) but what I really want to know is how did your face respond? How are the hives?

[Boots]

Good afternoon everyone :) It has been a looooonnnnngggg week and I am just plain tired. Last night I didn't do anything I had planned and just went upstairs to watch American Idol auditions on TIVO :o

I can't believe Ramon and I haven't even been on a proper date yet! I know it is okay to take it slow, but sheesh!

I am probably pre-menstrual - having HUGE iron cravings - spinach, broccoli, and Beef :eek: LOL Actually, I don't really like the idea of beef right now, but a spinach omelet sounds wonderful - sigh.

I went to the grocery store on the way home - my favorite little local grocery store which has wonderful prepared food - probably a mistake.

PINK - I hear you about the "clean" feeling. But if you had the oolong tea happily without knowing about the caffeine, it is just your thoughts about the caffeine that are making you feel "not as clean" - right? :D I just want you to enjoy your tea if there isn't a particular reason why you "shouldn't" have it. This could just be that I respond really badly to dietary "shoulds" - LOL - though, and I don't want to project my feelings onto you :o

OK - enough break time for me. Question ... is 3 PM too early to go to bed for the night? Accountability needed for me: I WILL come back today and tell you what I have made.

xoxo
Margaret

[Kram]

Res: quick question re: the coconut oil (which I love btw). Mine says that for maximum freshness, keep in the fridge. Well, I'm not using it for cooking, I'm using it as moisturizer. Do you keep yours in the fridge? Clearly I don't want to put spoiled coconut oil on me, but putting cold stuff on me fresh out of the shower doesn't sound like fun.

THx and thx for this recommendation!

[Boots]

I'm back :D Thanks for the accountability - it really helped. Amazing how it does help to make a public statement of intention :)

So, Ramon is humming away and inside is a half batch of Kenney's Golden Tortilla Chips AND a dish of his "Mac & Cheese" !!!! I have just spent the last few minutes swishing around some shredded carrot in the cheese sauce bowl to get every drop LOL.

The tortilla chips tasted yummy, too, but I may have made them too thin :( I can't imagine them ever getting firm enough to be a solid chip - BUT what do I know LOL. That Mac & Cheese is RICH - getting a little fat fear here - 1 3/4 cups of cashews & 1/2 c of olive oil for 4 servings is requiring me to suspend a lot of caloric beliefs - but that's cool. I'm betting I'd be pretty happy with a smaller serving plopped down on a big bed of spinach, too. And of course I haven't eaten anything like real mac & cheese in years, either :D

I was so tired and so reluctant to start cooking and I am so much less tired now and had so much fun following the recipes. These raw recipes kind of seem like magic SO COOL!! I never followed recipes (though I loved to read them) for cooked food - so this is a whole new world.

Clean-up - however - is still clean-up, and that's on the agenda now.

Have a good evening friends :)

[mtmouse]

I've got that book in the mail now and can't wait! :)

But in the meantime I've just made up a batch of chococarob macaroon batter. I'm not even going to bother dehydrating it. I've always liked batter better than cookies anyway, LOL.

[angel_eyez816]

Boots - My face is starting to clear up today. I feel better since my in laws didn't show for dinner. I should have kept cleansing! But April will be here soon enough and I can't wait.

[pinklemonade]

good morning everyone!!

just wanted to share some raw food dining experience from last night...:)
my boy friend who is not interested in healthy choice agreed to go to this restaurant, "PURE FOOD AND WINE". i read great reviews about the place and also was very curious how RAW FOOD can turn to be GOURMET food.

we ordered 5 course tasting menu, but they brought us 2 different dishes for 3 main courses, so we got to taste a lot of different dishes total:D:D (which BTW make total sense!!)

OMG, everything was just amazing!!!! everything was not only yummy but also beautifully presented. we had kimuchi cabbage dumpling, stuffed mushroom, stuffed tomato, tamale, green soup, lasagna..... it was WOW experience. also my boyfriend enjoyed everything too. first the portion appeared to be small so he felt that he needed real burger after!! but no, by the time we got to dessert, we both felt full!! and of course, we each had dessert too. i really liked raw chocolate cake!! yum yum yum!!!:D

if you are in nyc area, i highly recommended to have dining experience at this restaurant. (www.purefoodandwine.com). check it out!!

:D:D

have a great weekend!!!

[Kram]

PinkLemonade: thanks for the restaurant recommendation - it looks fantastic! I'm going to be in NYC this week and am thinking about moving back, and this place looks great. Of course, its remarkably close to one of my favorite restaurants, Yama, which I have missed like crazy (let's not get into the problems with sushi). Thanks so much for posting this. I had been on Citysearch looking for some good places the other day but its so much better to have the referral. Thx!

[Kram]

ddohl2: Here's the recipe, its from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, by Donna Klein.

Makes 4 servings

2T extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches of scallions (12-16), white parts chopped, 1/2 c thinly sliced green tops reserved
4 oz (about 2 small) carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over (I have usually used canned, but used dry last night and they are a lot more volume than expected, she doesn't specify which you should use in the recipe, so up to you)
1/4 cup brown rice
1 (14 oz) can of whole tomatos, drained, seeded, and coarsely chopped, juices reserved (I just buy a can of diced tomatos and dump the whole thing in)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1 large bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the white parts of the scallions, the carrots, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, water, lentils, rice, tomatoes and their juices, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, until the lentils and rice are tender, stirring occasionally, 50-60 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Serve hot, garnished with the reserved scallion greens.

Calories 374, protein 28g, total fat 8g, saturated fat 1g, cholesterol 0g, carbohydrates 52g, dietary fiber 22g, sodium 763g

Enjoy!!

[Boots]

Good morning everyone! I've been to the gym and am now at the office - just swung by to see my husband. Then I'm going to Penzey's Spices to pick up some Za'atar (sp?) seasoning to make Kenney's flatbread recipe!!

PINK - I am SOOOOO jealous - that sounds wonderful. Michael Kenney - whose cookbooks we've been mentioning - used to be involved with that restaurant - and oneluckyduck.com is a retail outlet for some of their treats - and where I got the macaroons that Kathy is now making and eating "extra raw" - ;):p

KRAM - The restaurant has a little cafe around the corner, too - don't remember what it is called - but you could check it out for a snack and still go to your favorite restaurant for dinner. I went there a couple years ago and had some raw ice-cream :D

So, my corn chips are still dehydrating - they weren't quite crunchy enough, and I did make them too thin but the flavor is amazing! Admittedly I haven't eaten a real chip in years, but they taste like a mildly spicy corn chip!

The mac & cheese was a little frustrating. It tasted great - and very much like what I remember mac & cheese tasting like - BUT I really really really wanted it to be HOT. And to my taste it is way too rich - but I'm not used to eating truly luscious things like that.

Question: Have any of you Incorporated Chia or Hemp Nuts or Maca into anything? And if so, how?

Another Question: Anyone doing any food prep this weekend? And if so, what are you making :D

I just love hearing about what people are eating LOL.

TTYL
Margaret

[Kram]

Boots: is that cafe open for lunch? I have some free time at lunch this week but dinner is tougher, so I'm hoping to pop down there for something yummy. :)

[Boots]

KRAM - it was a couple years ago. Google oneluckyduck or pure food & wine and you should be able to track it down :)

[Tanyazl1]

Good Morning Everyone!

Hey Boots :) I love to hear what people are eating, too :D Today is my first day of eating and my second day of water therapy (six-eight ounces of water:http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lwatertherapy.htm). Had a great MC like BM that I wasn't expecting:eek: After an hour I had a papaya (must wait two hours before eating anything after the papaya per Natural Health enthusiast Christian Goodman).

I went to exercise class while my husband attended yoga. When he returns from yoga and the Berkeley Bowl (picking up more organic vegetables, fruit, and nuts), we are going to make the 'raw vegetable soup for after the cleanse' for lunch. This will be a first. I usually transition on the vegan soup from Burroughs' book. 8)

We are going to prep for Kenney's golden tortilla chips and home made corn salsa for tomorrow's super bowl. Also, Kenny's raspberry vanilla-almond granola (subbing strawberries). Hoping my 16-yr-old son will try something raw. He likes granola.:) I'm not going to tell him its raw unless he asks :rolleyes:
We also will make the summer rolls, portobello steaks, baked macaroni and cheese, thai salad and creamy thai dressing. I happened upon Kenny's book while purchasing The Live Food Factor (Susan Schenek). I was pleasantly surprised to read everyone talking about Kenny's book when I got to this site :D:D:D Also purchased Ani's Raw Food Kitchen (Ani Phyo) to add to our raw cuisine library. Her book lists the fridge life for prepared items. :) I am looking forward to 30 days of raw cuisine:):D

Anyone else wanting to chime in about their fixin's?:D Boots and I want to hear, LOL. Right Boots :confused::rolleyes::eek::):D Just kiddin'!

[Res]

Sorry I haven't been here the last couple of days but yesterday my first Grandchild was born! An 8 lb baby girl. We're first time grandparents on both sides so we're a little preoccupied and overwhelmed with the most beautiful baby girl you ever saw. ;)

I can't wait to come back and catch up on all the chatter. I think I buzzed by a new recipe too! :)

Love to you all!
~Res

[mtmouse]

Photo please! :)

[Boots]

YAY!! Forget about the food (not often I say that!!) CONGRATULATIONS RES - to you and your newly enlarged family :) :) :) HOW exciting!! Yes, photo please!!

[angel_eyez816]

Hi Everyone I'm back!!

Boots now I have some kind of rash all over my body. I almost want to start MC all over again. Too bad everyone says you can't do it so soon. I would start tomorrow.

Res- Congrats!!! :D

[pinklemonade]

dear res,

congratulations!!!
what is her name??
:D:D

[ddohl2]

Hello all. Today is the last day of my first cleanse and I'm not sure if I still need to to the lax tea tonight and the SWF tomorrow morning before I start on the OJ. It seems logical to do both because although today is the last day of my cleanse I've still got toxins from today's cleansing to get rid of. I don't remember the book (Peter's or Burrough's) instructions stating to the the lax tea on the last night and the swf on day 1 of the post-cleanse and I've loaned my books to my stepmom so I can't consult them to be sure. Thanks!!

[Kram]

ddohl2: yes, definitely lax tea and SWF to get that last round of toxins out that you stirred up yesterday. Congrats on getting to day 10!!!

[ddohl2]

ddohl2: yes, definitely lax tea and SWF to get that last round of toxins out that you stirred up yesterday. Congrats on getting to day 10!!!

KRAM - That's exactly what I did. It just seemed logical.

I wonder how many other lemonheads put themselves through the whole Super Bowl food spectacular - without partaking, of course. Boy, that was tough. But I was kept in check by knowing how ill I would be if I ingested any of the wonderful offerings my brother-in-law prepared (he's an ameteur chef) and doing a mental calculation of the food and alcohol calories I was NOT consuming. And I have no food or alcohol hangover today and that feels grrrrrreat!!! Now I am looking forward to experiment with my new soon-to-be-purchased juice extractor and raw recipes. I'm not going 100% raw, but plan to make it a large percentage of my diet. I can't wait to eat a whole plate of lightly steemed broccoli seasoned with some sea salt and lemon juice. Yep, that's what I crave. Also, I lost 7 lbs. I didn't weigh myself until this morning - which is my first day off the cleanse. I didn't want to focus on weight loss. I am pleased. I know some of it will come back on initially, but I really feel I am on track to lose the 20 lbs. that I want to loose now that I'm cleansed and feel more in control of my eating habits. I'll be doing this again in April/May for sure. It wasn't easy for me, but it was well worth it!!

[pinklemonade]

hello everyone,

this is my second week after the compeletion of my fist mc....
i am a bit frustrated:mad::mad:and would like you to give me some advise please!!

i have been trying to eat as much as RAW. i eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks in between. i eat a lot of fruits, veggies, nuts. instead of feeling "energy", i am getting tired easily... yes, i have energy to go to gym and prcatice my tai chi, but after i get home i shut down!!

i feel tired especially after walking around and doing hectic grocery shopping at healthfood stores in the city ..(please note, in nyc those health food stores tend to be super busy and crowed..) thinking about what i want to eat for dinner etc... and all those fruits and veggies are heavy!! and i have to carry them home... by the time i get home, i don't have energy to do anythihng but taking a nap...
do i need to eat more frequently???? i am not feeling the "lifiting up" moment :(

also, before mc, i used to cook a lot. i LOVED cooking...when i cooked, i was super organized. cooking and cleaning the kitchen at the same time!!:D

but now, this RAW cuisin is very new to me and i am making a big mess while preparing food. AND, some of the food is not TASTY as i expected:mad::mad:

i know i need to practice and it will take some time to feel comfortable.

how do you guys make the transition to RAW??

thanks and have a wonderful day!!

[Boots]

PINK - Only 5 minutes to type write now, I'll be back. First thoughts: Detox. Do you feel this way every day or only some days?
2) Are you really eating as much as you want? It was a big change for me to actually eat 2 bananas at once. Are you eating whenever you feel hungry?
3) Is there any cooked food in particular that you want? Can you identify a specific type of craving (protein, fat) that your body may be asking for?
4) Yes -shopping and hauling stuff in the city is TOUGH and a workout in and of itself. {{BIG HUG}} The advantage is you DO have cool places to shop and good stuff to buy
5) I KNOW!! This raw cuisine seems to take forever - I figure I just need practice and it is REALLY important to clean and prep everything when you bring it into the house. If I have to clean before I juice the whole process seems to take a half hour - including cleaning the juicer that that the veggie pulp doesn't set like cement - and that is a LONG time - especially in the morning when trying to get out the door.
6) Maybe this much Raw simply isn't right for you (?) Are you sure you are getting enough fat?
7) IMHO if you are crashing after you workout you are simply not fueling enough. Do you take fruit with you to eat right after you finish (or dried fruit?)
8 ) Are you eating at the same times that worked for you before?

Time's up for now - BIG HUGS
Margaret

[Boots]

I'm back LOL - bet nobody noticed I was gone LOL

1st - before I forget, CALLING TANYA - come on, spill!! I want details on all the Kenney food you made!! How'd it turn out? Any recommendations - pros or cons? You know I like to know this stuff :D :D

I made RES's Cranberry Scones this weekend! Really amazing. I made them because Res said to, and I completely ignored the facts that I don't really like scones OR cranberries LOL. I thought they were really really good but I kind of like them better named a cranberry raisin cookie LOL. Gave some today to my trainer and his brother and they both approved too (it is part of our relationship that I keep them up to date nutritionally and feed them healthy foods :) I really like the way the cranberries pop in your mouth - but some of my cranberries (fresh ones) definitely taste better than others. I must admit I ate more than I probably should have yesterday & ate tortilla chips too - so there was a LOT of flax in my system and I really noticed feeling "heavier" and not as energetic - interesting. I decided to hold off making any other "bread" products for a while and gradually eat up what I have. Really want to try other Kenny breads though :D

DDOHL - Sounds like the cleanse really worked well for you and you have a great attitude towards food as a result of it. That's one of my favorite parts about the cleanse, too - the way food habits are reset and healthy choices are so attractive! Congratulations :)

ANGEL - I almost hate to ask, but how are you feeling and how is your skin? {{hug}} I keep reminding myself - so I'll remind you too :D - that eating raw IS a method of detox so all sorts of things can and will happen to us. I hope you're doing well and eating and enjoying food.

PINK - Please excuse me if I am remembering wrong, and I didn't go back to check, but did you mention in one of your posts that you were really concentrating on slowing down your eating and being conscious of the process? And that you were noticing that much less food was making you feel "full"? It could be that your body has not caught up with your new way of eating and your signals are a little "off". It really sounds like you aren't eating enough to give your body the fuel you need. This is not the usual advice, but particularly since you are so little to begin with, maybe you should try to concentrate on those foods that are more calorically dense - like avocados, coconut, nuts, etc. until your satiety signals catch up with your energy requirements. BIG HUG (again) and please keep us informed on how things are going for you!!

KRAM - You ARE going to tell us about any food adventures you have in NYC, AREN'T YOU!!! :D

RES - Just thinking of you nibbling on baby toes and neck and tummy! It really doesn't get better than that :)

Bedtime for me (or at least time to start the process LOL) we are supposed to have another rain/ice/snow storm tomorrow and I need plenty of rest to face the elements!

HAPPY FEBRUARY everyone!!

[pinklemonade]

dear boots,

hi there... i need to go to bed, but just wanted to thank you for great advise!!
as you mentioned, i was not eating enough so i had some extra snacks today.
that helped... also, i made avocado soup tonight and guess what!! usually i am super tired at this time... but i am not tonight. i feel fine:D:D

also, i was experimenting/making some raw food at kitchen for a few hours....yes i am still making some mess but i am learning what is the most efficient way to prep raw food etc....

i still have (i feel like) some energy left tonight:D:D

i guess i was not carefully listening to my body, and i am learning to eat more throughout the day...(which i am not used to...).

so thank you thank you and thank you!! a big hug back to you!!:D:D

~tomoko

[Tanyazl1]

Hello Everyone! Happy February!

What a Sunday. My husband watched the game while I prepped for the Kenney recipes.

BOOTS: Well the scoop on the Kenney recipes. We completed the golden tortilla chips and salsa in time for the game. The chips are the best raw chips we have made. :D I had a few with tonight's dinner (cucumbers and blood orange with a dried tomato dressing. yum :p For dinner last night, we enjoyed the portobello steaks. I served it with the baked macaroni and cheese :eek: I didn't like the M&C althoug my husband thought it was great. I guess I need to stay away from SAD clones. I adding agave and salt in an attempt to give it that salty sweet taste of cheese. It just didn't do my taste buds any good. The crushed walnuts made it taste much better, I must admit.

The raspberry vanilla-almond granola (sub with strawberries) is promising. The mix tasted like wow:D:D:D I'll let you know Tuesday or Wednesday.

PINK - I'm glad you are doing better with eating...don't forget to drink lots of water to keep you hydrated and your plumbing movin' 8) If you know what I mean.:eek:

Well I've had a long day...attended a MusicBoosters meeting at my son's high school. 'night!

[dollfacegreene]

Just finished transition day 1 and loved the orange juice, not usually a fan of it. I went to a superbowl party yesterday and there was so much food there. However, it wasn't as hard as I thought, considering I would have gotten sick if I had indulged myself. I made my soup and am anxious to have some. I used swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, carrots, scallions, cabbage, red cabbage and spices. My husband had some and loved it. I feel wonderful. I have lost 20 lbs and this is day 26. I will start more raw food after next week. My husband and I have some engagements, but I plan on being really good to myself and not reverse my efforts. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes I have seen posted here.

By the way RES congratulations on your grandbaby. I have 3 grands and it is the most wonderful experience in the world. However, they are moving back to Maryland from here in Vegas and I am going to miss them so much. Enjoy the time, it goes by so fast.:D

[angel_eyez816]

Good morning!!!

I'm going to be honest. My skin is horrible. Boots it seems like as soon as one part of my body heals another rash appears. I am going to try my best not to start MC all over again, but I'm truly contemplating it. I read on one website that you can do it again sooner than later as long as you don't do more than 40 days. I was so proud of my lack of detox symptoms even after upping the cayenne. So now I'm in for it. It's detox central. My face has small patches of rash and blotches. I use to have clearer skin than this. I guess I have lots of lil germs lurking all throughout my body. My 29th birthday is Friday and but after that I think I'm going back on the cleanse for a minimum of 14 days! I want to mess to be over with... :(

[Res]

Hi Buddies. Grandma here. :D I have to get parental permission to put the baby's picture on the Internet and they're not going for it at this time. But I can tell you she's the most beautiful baby you ever saw. lol Her name is Ella Ann and there's a special connection here (I'm sure it's that way with all grandparents) but at the last minute the parents decided that they wanted the grandparents in the room for the birth so both grandmas grabbed a leg and helped get little Ella out (hope no one is eating reading this). ';) I can hardly stand to be away from her. *sniffle*

Anyway, I've still been eating mostly raw, probably 96% (did ya like that). But I did have some "cheetos" with a huge salad. I figured I'd get it out of my system.

I tried the mac & cheese and wasn't too impressed - I hate to say that because the concept is pretty interesting. I think my organic squash is bitter and the "cheese" tastes like peanut butter to me.

More later. Need sleep. :)

[Tanyazl1]

Hi Buddies. Grandma here. :D I have to get parental permission to put the baby's picture on the Internet and they're not going for it at this time. But I can tell you she's the most beautiful baby you ever saw. lol Her name is Ella Ann and there's a special connection here (I'm sure it's that way with all grandparents) but at the last minute the parents decided that they wanted the grandparents in the room for the birth so both grandmas grabbed a leg and helped get little Ella out (hope no one is eating reading this). ';) I can hardly stand to be away from her. *sniffle*

Anyway, I've still been eating mostly raw, probably 96% (did ya like that). But I did have some "cheetos" with a huge salad. I figured I'd get it out of my system.

I tried the mac & cheese and wasn't too impressed - I hate to say that because the concept is pretty interesting. I think my organic squash is bitter and the "cheese" tastes like peanut butter to me.

More later. Need sleep. :)

Hey Grandma Res!

Impressive raw cuisine. I'm sorta glad you didn't like the mac & cheese. Blah :eek: I had a really hard time with it. I guess my husband is a regular 'Mikey.' I don't know if you got a chance to read my response regarding the Kenney dishes we made. Anyway, the portobello steak was good. The golden tortilla chips ---excellent, yum:D I just took a taste of the raspberry vanilla-almond granola (strawberries instead)... nearly finished uncooking...still dehydrating...good, but a little too sweet. Next time I make them I will reduce the maple syrup.

ciao8)

[dollfacegreene]

RES - I have just been looking at some of your recipes. I am going to try the marinated collard greens. That sounds so great. I am really looking forward to making it and will let you know how it works out. I saw some others I am going to try also. I will let you know how it goes. I am completing transition day 2 and will have soup and salad tomorrow. However, I haven't had a BM since the cleanse. I did 25 days. Should I do tea or green smoothie? I have gas but no action. I hate the feeling of clog. I would appreciate your help in this matter. Thanks so much for all your expertise.

[Betty09]

Hey everyone, long time no see (days)! I have still been on my raw food kick, however I'm noticing my cravings changing a little. Still the avocados, but the soup that I make at night is "missing" something. We shall see. Weight is stable - this is a first... for almost a whole month, it is stable. I picked up my running and am noticing after a month, I am still detoxing, still losing weight and that I am requiring less food.

I missed out on a lot, so Res are you a new grandmommy?! If so, congratulations!

Margaret, any yummy figs lately? I missed the Farmer's Mkt last Sat. I actually didn't finish all of my greens from the weekend before! I'm thinking of growing my own herbs. I live in a condo though, so I have a 10x5 porch. :) Hope all is well.

I'm looking back on the last 4 months, and the cleanse was the best thing that could have happened to me. It's no joke when they say everything happens for a reason...

Happy Wednesday!

[dollfacegreene]

Good Morning all. Starting transition day 3 and still not BM since cleanse. I feel really tight in my stomach. Is anyone else having this problem. I had OJ and soup yesterday and still nothing. Still feel like I am detoxing. Have flu like symptoms, congestion, cough, running nose and spitting crap out every morning. I can't go back on cleanse right now to finish detox. My tongue was not quite pink yet. Any help would be appreciated. I can't believe I am saying this but I miss the butt pee right now. Am considering the tea and SWF again for a few days. Is this a good idea?

[Res]

Another quickie: Beware of Cheetos. I woke up this morning with a puffy face and bags under my eyes. Cheetos are made from "corn" and most corn is GMO!! So I've taken my nice clean body and GMO'd it....:o I justified it by having a huge salad and lovingly called it my "Cheetos' salad". Doesn't work.

Work is crazy and when I get home I'm dead tired. I'll stop apologizing for not being here. Any other Grandma's here? Why the heck am I exhausted? I'm not getting up all hours of he night. lol Will I be over this in a week I hope?

I'm happy as a clam. I love my new baby granddaughter and think about the 3 of them, mom, dad, baby every waking moment. *sigh*. I can't wait until they let me post a picture.

Be back soon. *smooches*

Betty: YES! First time :D

[Boots]

Good Morning all. Starting transition day 3 and still not BM since cleanse. I feel really tight in my stomach. Is anyone else having this problem. I had OJ and soup yesterday and still nothing. Still feel like I am detoxing. Have flu like symptoms, congestion, cough, running nose and spitting crap out every morning. I can't go back on cleanse right now to finish detox. My tongue was not quite pink yet. Any help would be appreciated. I can't believe I am saying this but I miss the butt pee right now. Am considering the tea and SWF again for a few days. Is this a good idea?

DOLL - you ARE still detoxing, and that is fine. Transitioning slowly and including lots of Raw in your diet will continue the detox process - just more slowly. There will be "good" days, and days when you feel all "detox-y" it is all perfectly normal. You are waking up your digestive system after a long nap. It's tired and feeling pokey, AND you have not eaten much of anything to result in a BM. Patience grasshopper {{hug}}. You did a LOOONNNNNGGG cleanse, it will take a little while for things to get back to "normal."

In my opinion - and I am not an expert, but of course I have an opinion LOL - going back on the cleanse now would not be a good idea because you have started the process of normalizing your digestive system and reacquainting yourself to food. Going back on the cleanse now would be another shock and your system needs tender care :) My understanding is that detox is not a one-time thing, but rather an on-going process that helps us improve our health and well-being.

I AM sorry, though, that you are feeling yucky!

[Boots]

Oh wow I am so glad my last post posted LOL. I am having big internet issues - keep losing connection and everything slows down. Cablevision is "upgrading" their service and everything is all messed up. So please excuse if I don't seem to be around, I don't mean to disappear!!!

RES - Congrats again. SOOOO glad you are going to stop apologizing :D. IMHO you are exhausted because you are doing everything you usually do (and more) and while you are doing everything at least half of your head and heart are with young Ella Ann and it is very tiring being in two places at the same time (but wonderful and exhilarating - which is also exhausting). :)

ANGEL - - you are making me aware of how spotty I am - LOL. Must admit, I'm waiting for my skin to look "better" than it did before. At least most of my spots seem to be on my chest and therefore covered up LOL

Okay - have an appointment and need to feed the cat and worry about crashing so will "submit" now and BBL

[Res]

Margaret: Do Hemp "seeds" count? I eat them plain and thrown them in salads and smoothies. One of the raw granola recipes calls for a 1/2 cup of hemp seeds. :)