Vegan in South Africa

YAY! I love this video. She is so inspirational. This reminds me of being in South Africa and being at vitamin/food shops in the mall in Cape Town. They had several raw books and recipes. However, this is the first time I have seen a Black South African talking about being a raw vegan.

101 List and other things

I want to start gardening!! Its funny, I have never really been one for gardening or keeping plants alive... I have several plants in garden heaven that can attest to that. I don't exactly know when, where or how a green thumb has sprouted up and wanted to take over my Black body, but all I want to do is put my hands in the dirt. I stumbled across a few sites last night that led me to learning about Jules Dervaes and how he turned his home into an organic garden and homestead in the middle of Pasadena. I would love to start a gigantic garden once I have the house for it, but I don't know about having goats and ducks running around the back yard. But, in the mean time and in between time, I am looking into indoor gardening and hydroponic methods for growing my own food. I am tempted to buy the phytopod 3, but at the moment I don't have a lot of cash coming in, so it may have to wait. I am such a gadget geek, but I can always start with growing my own sprouts. I on a mission to get seeds before the end of next week and get started.

While surfing the web I came across a blog that had a 101 list. Since I am on a temporary hiatus from school and often bored, I think that this is an excellent way to keep me not only entertained, but feeling a bit more fulfilled than I have been lately. And to be honest, nothing brings me more joy than checking something off of a to do list (odd I know, but it always makes me feel so accomplished). Although not complete, I plan on putting the list on the right and adding more when new ideas occur to me. Also, if you have any suggestions, or ideas for ways that I can accomplish these goals please don't hesitate to let me know.

This has been such a rough month! Good news, I'll have my M.A. by the end of next month. Bad news, I have been driving myself insane in the process. I am not one for dairy or candy bars and such, but oh man! Lately I have been eating snickers, cookies and butterfingers like they're going out of style. I think i'm going to attempt to be 100% raw this week and then go from there.

The Miracle Tree

I am not sure if my body has been going through a detox, or if its the remnants of PMS but today (technically yesterday) I was in such a funk all I wanted to do was sleep. I haven't really been making too much raw food lately, Mother Nature blew in to my life and threw me off track a little bit. The past few days I've had a terrible sleep cycle, and I haven't been eating much raw, but then again I haven't really been eating much of anything. I haven't really had an appetite in a couple days. On the plus side, I'm now at 177! :).

On Saturday I went to the Vegetarian Expo. While there, I discovered what may possibly be my new favorite supplement, moringa. I'm going to start putting it in to my smoothies on a regular basis and see if I notice any major differences. The moringa is a tree that is indigenous to Africa, South America, and a few other locations that I cannot recall offhand. The nutrient value in the leaves are quite impressive and in Ghana they are using it to fight against malnutrition. Some are calling it the "Miracle Tree" as it is claimed that it has the ability to cure over 300 diseases. It is one of the most powerful antioxidants, and it has:

15x the potassium of bananas

25x the iron of spinach

17x the calcium of milk

25-30% protein ( which is 9x the amount of protein of yogurt)

10x the vitamin A of carrots

4x the chlorophyll of wheatgrass

Also, the company i was talking to makes delicious vegan brownies using moringa as well. I was a little leery at first, but I really enjoyed the taste. I'm going to have to order some more when I get the chance.

.. day..???

Ever since I fell off of the raw bandwagon I haven't really been back on again. I've had a couple days in which I've been raw, but I haven't consciously been persistent with it the way that I need to be. I find that it has almost been an out of sight out of mind ordeal, so perhaps daily blogging will keep me more focused and on track. I do plan on incorporating a few cooked veggies (I'm not a huge fan of raw broccoli) into my diet, but aside from that being about 90-100% raw.

day 10

So, yesterday was a slight set backward. However, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm just going to dust myself off and move on-to be honest, there are many worse things to have eaten than avocado rolls and cereal. Today is a new raw day!!

This lady loves her some raw tacos!

Still going strong!

I cant believe I'm eight days raw! I am beyond excited for myself and I'm thrilled that I have hung in there this long. Of course I have a ways to go and depending on how the month goes, I may just extend it to 100 days. The only thing that I'm beginning realize is that I need to cut back on the nuts and grains because they're somewhat not exactly helping with my goals. Thus I think this week my new challenge for myself while being raw is to have two smoothies, drink 90oz of water daily, and to stop eating after 9pm. Also, I want to try out three new low fat raw-veg. recipes. Anyone have any favorites???

Here is the cake I made last week inspired by Rod Rotundi's recipe for Raspberry Cocoa Cheezecake. I didn't have raspberries so I used strawberries instead.. YUM!

day 3!

I'm thrilled that I've even made it to day three so easily to be honest. I can't tell you how many mornings I wake up and tell myself I'm going to be raw and I wind up forgetting and with a giant burrito the size of my head shoved in my mouth. Yesterday I was extremely hungry and I couldn't figure out why for the life of me! The oddest thing about it was that I was eating MORE than I normally do, even when I am raw. I'm thinking perhaps it had something to do with my colonic yesterday?? I am unsure. One would think that after having 45oz of green smoothie, watermelon, 2 raw tacos, a large fuji apple, and some quinoa and tomatoes I would be full.

I woke up this morning and I am down 2.6 lbs ( a total of 5.6 lbs since 9/1)! I'm so excited to see myself releasing waste and its really encouraging me to keep going. Yesterday, in the midst of me being hungry the girls (who were also hungry) went out to eat. Normally, this would have been the end of my raw journey and I would have succumbed to the forces of social eating, but instead I didn't eat a thing and went straight home! I know it may not seem like much, but its a big step in the right direction.

Asian Market Goodness

I think the Asian Supermarket is officially my new favorite grocery store! I just bought easily 2 weeks of fresh produce... it was a pain lugging it back on the bus but its so worth it! I made a prettydelicious smoothie.. here it is!

Justice & the Giant Peach Smoothie

2 White Peaches

a fist full of spinach

a fist full of chinese broccoli leaves

1tsp spirulina

2oz aloe vera blend

1tsp bee pollen

4oz coconut water

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

1 dash of vanilla extract

3 dates

1/8c cashew butter & banana ice cream (raw&vegan)

1/2 tbs agave (optional)

1c water (optional)

I also made some Chy Sandwich Tacos for dinner which were super delicious! I had previously made some free-hand raw taco shells using corn, spinach, hss (himalayan sea salt) , and lord knows what else.

Filling ingredients:

raw hummus

purple onion

corn (optional)

lettuce

Annies Naturals Honey Mustard

Tomato

20 in 30???

Its about that time again for me to pull out the automatic sprouter, dust off the spiralizer, and the food processor because I've decided to give myself a 30 day raw challenge seeing that my birthday is just around the corner... I figured that this would be a great way for me to turn 23.. goodness I'm getting old! The aim is to really maintain a relatively low fat raw vegan diet... I think my only exception may be salad dressing ( which would still be vegan). I'm hoping that by the end of this I'll be down about 20 lbs. I'm tired of feeling big and I'm tired of being obese.. even if it is only by about 10lbs. I still don't like it. I know this won't be the easiest of processes, however I'm determined to take control of my body... as I've seen my other options, neither of which make me happy. So, here we go with day 1!! Now off to the market for some fresh produce!!

Off to the Asian Market!

While in the midst of a frustrated rampage last night, I decided to delete alll of the random, yet addicting games that I play on facebook. What does this have to do with anything you might ask? Nothing but now I feel so free with my time I almost don't know what to do on the internet anymore. Perhaps blogging shall become my newest infatuation. I need to start going to bed at a decent hour. I hate either being exhausted all day or waking up with the day almost finished. I am super excited to go to the Asian Supermarket out here I just found out about it and it is supposed to be incredible and have a lot of cheap produce that I can stock up on!

Loving me

Goodness it has been quite a time since I've posted on here. Since then, I've been to Atlanta, Spain, South Africa and Namibia.. met some amazing people and well.. not been raw, at all. Now that I'm back home I'm committing myself to being as healthy as humanly possible. I know its not an easy road to travel down, the road of optimum health, but I'm beginning to realize that I am indeed worth it. That, and quite frankly I'm tired of bingeing and purging and hating my body. Sorry to disappoint if the focus of this blog is shifting a little bit.. Its really turning into a journey of self love and exploration in order to become a better and more authentic being. I'll still be discussing raw food and making recipes, but I'll also be working towards becoming a healthier, lighter, vegan me as well. My goal for this month is to release 10lbs. I hope to reach a total of 15 by my birthday. Its almost scary to write down because I don't know how many times I've written such things down and never followed through with them, or completely forget about it, but I know that this time around I shall be successful... or at least more present. lol. SW:185 (9/1), CW:182.

So, in other raw news I made the most amazing cashew butter and banana ice cream! I am such a happy camper!

Happy Day off of School and Work!

Back Again

I'm back! I promise! Updates are on the way!

Coconut-Apple Cake

Oh man I just threw together an amazing coconut-apple cake with a cashew creme frosting and had it with some delicious coconut vegan ice cream. Life doesn't get any better!! I'll make sure to post the recipe soon. Oh and after my fast yesterday I'm back to being productive and having energy again. Thank god!

Just Sleepy

So, I've been feeling extremely lethargic this past week. Since Wednesday all I've been able to do is sleep. Initially I thought it was stress, or me procrastinating... but I think there may be a bit more to it than that. I think my body is rebelling. I'm going on a detox for a week and then hopefully I will be over it. Im slowly but surely coming out of it. However, I don't exactly have all of the time in the world. I have 3 papers due in the next week, two of which are a combined total of 50-60 pages. Heaven Help me! Does anyone else have any good recommendations for how to get over lethargy?? I cant remember the last time I've felt this exhausted.

Short and Sweet

I dont quite know what on earth has been going through my head lately! I don't know what it is about being in college that makes you want to shove the worst thing you could possibly eat down your throat as quickly as possible.. but I'm soo not a fan! And that whole concept certainly isn't a fan of be because when I start reverting back to old habits other old habits being to resurface. So, I finally made a raw corn tortilla that wasn't as hard as a rock the other day! I'm so proud of myself! So this week is taco week! I love it! Now I need to make some good granola or something that I can take to school with me. Does anyone have any good suggestions???

Oh and in other news.. I couldn't be happier right now!! Things are finally coming together.. 4 years in the making. :)!

Birthday

I'm sick, but I know that its something I've totally brought upon myself. I was eating like total and utter crap which totally weakened my immune system. Its funny how your body constantly reminds me that I'm supposed to be eating a more natural, raw diet and I keep ignoring it.. or finding excuses. I refuse to keep making the same mistakes over and over because that is the true definition of insanity.
I just celebrated my 22nd birthday, yay! I'm more determined now though that by December, and certainly by the time that I turn 23 there's certain battles that I no longer want to be fighting. I don't want to struggle with my weight or with an ED.. its not the business. Quite frankly I know that once I get this taken care of I'll have so many doors opening up to me because I can move on to accomplish new tasks. In the next few days, I'm getting my old dehydrator and food processor sent to me as well as some of my supplements and seasonings from my old apartment. I cant wait!!!
I'm learning that its not about having time, its all about making time. So, before I go to bed I'm going to make some snacks to get me through tomorrow. I have a midterm tomorrow and I already know I will be spending most of the night studying, so it will be helpful for me to have healthy snackage that I can turn to, so I don't crash, or binge on bagels and cream cheese.
I've been 100% raw since monday and I plan to keep it that way!!! So now I'm going to start saying I've been a raw (85%<) since 10/12/09 that way its more apart of my lifestyle than it is something temporary or something that I can just throw away with a bad food choice.

Focus

Aural Pleasure: Chrisette Michele~ Epiphany
I'm excited! I've been on this journey for the past week and some change now and I've been doing... ok. I have slipped up quite a bit but at the same time its a process and I can feel myself improving. especially in terms of my health. My asthma was under control in about 4 days and so I'm thrilled about that especially since I don't have health insurance or a regular doctor.
I need to stop procrastinating so I can get back to this paper.... excuse me these papers. Lord help me!!!

Frustration Station

Aural Pleasure: Adele~ 19

In reality, really, I feel as though I'm--as a wise woman so aptly put it, being held emotionally hostage. I don't know what to do however, I just feel trapped inside myself fighting between my only two real options: (1) Surrender to just living in the gray area, in the in between realm of being and not being in a relationship or (2) Move on and pretend that I'm not in love with him. In my personal opinion both options are equally unattractive. Its driving me crazy and I hate the fact that things feel as though they are so far from falling into place. I just wish I knew what to do so that I can live my damn life because right now I feel as though I'm living some imitation preview version of what should be right around the corner. I love this man unlike I've loved anyone else... but sometimes I have to wonder if its supposed to be... I mean its been damn near four years and we haven't figured it out yet. I can't live in the gray anymore I refuse and I deserve better. I don't care how good it feels... because as good as it feels it hurts ten times as much.And i swear I hate that whenever I voice my frustrations he's like "well how can I fix it"??? I mean really sir?! In reality we both know that you are no where near ready to be in the position to be in a relationship.. shit you are already in a relationship!!! Ugh Men and their shenanigans!!!

Ok so I fucked up hard core yesterday! I mean I was eating like I was about to win an award for obese female of the year or something! It was insane!I wish I could blame all of this emo mumbo jumbo and foolish eating on something logical like PMS or pregnancy but my cycle has yet to start... and I know I'm not pregnant because I havent gotten any in a LOOOOOOONG time( lawd help me)! I fell off and rolled under the raw food band wagon all of yesterday. I've decided that I'm going to lay off of the weed and the booze for a little while... ok who am I kidding?! I'm about to have a birthday next weekend! After my birthday though, seriously I aim to just leave it alone until the new year. I need to maintain as clear and level headed as possible in these next few months in order for me to get as much accomplished as humanly possible. I am thankful that today has been most excellent. I made a wonderful salad and a big raw black forest brownie to go with some of the raw ice cream I made that's in the fridge. I cant wait till Monday so I can start hitting the gym again!!!

"If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food."
Sally Edwards