Hello DC

On Friday, August 1st, I left NYC to spend a few days in DC. August 1st was also the start of the 100 day raw food challenge which I registered for a few weeks back. I was really excited about the challenge but kept it to myself because I didn't want to come across as a hypocrite if I didn't stay strictly raw throughout the challenge. For the past couple of days, I've just been steadily going at my own pace and I'm feeling really good about the strides I've made. Now, I know it's only been about 2 1/2 days, but my diet has cleaned up tremendously and I'm liking it.

When I arrived on Friday, I stayed in a hotel with my sister located by Embassy Row. The area was very nice and not too crowded. When I woke up on Saturday morning, my sister had already left for a conference that she needed to attend and I was alone trying to figure out a way to keep myself entertained. I called up my brother (who lives in northern VA), and asked if he knew of any farmers markets in the area. His wife directed me by phone to a popular market in the Eastern Market area where I was able to grab some breakfast and some other things that I was able to bring back to the hotel. I spent just a little more than $10 on fruits and veggies. I didn't really need that much because I wasn't staying in that hotel on Saturday night. Instead, I headed to my brothers later in the afternoon where he had plenty of groceries that catered to my diet.

Before I left for Northern VA, my sister and I grabbed some chow at a Japanese restaurant in the area where our hotel was. I LOVE sushi...and it took a lot of will power to pass it up. I found a good alternative though...it was called the Sakana Healthy Salad and it ran me about $6.95. It was an amazing raw Seaweed Salad with cucumbers; So tasty. Here's what it looked like:

I was pleasantly surprised by how full I was upon finishing the salad. I have a HUGE appetite and a bottomless pit for a stomach, so it's not easy to fill me up...that's why I was extra impressed with this Seaweed Salad. This dish definitely made it easier for me to sit next to my sister and watch her devour 3 sushi rolls. Torture, or will power booster?

A nice surprise at the end of my meal was the fact that I didn't have to pay for it. Since my sister was on a 'business trip,' her company paid for all of her meals while she stayed in DC. There was one side of me that was upset because if I wasn't raw, I would have cleaned out that place by eating all of their sushi. On the other hand though, I enjoyed my free salad and was very thankful for receiving such a nourishing meal. Actually, passing up free, quality sushi motivated me to be good for the rest of the challenge because if I constantly slip up, what would have been the point of me turning down what was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet of my favorite food? Confusing, yes, but if you read the last sentence twice, my message should be clear.

Moving along, I arrived at my brother's house yesterday with my two bags and an empty stomach. My mother had just left the day before and she stocked their refrigerator with lots of fresh veggies before she left...I was so excited!

I made myself a nice little salad for dinner and my sister was hovering over me the whole time I was making it. She couldn't stop talking about how good it looked, so I reluctantly allowed her to try the first bite. Here's the salad...my sister is responsible for the presentation, she tossed it until it looked perfect:

Meal-wise, I was done for the day and didn't get hungry again until this morning. I had a cucumber/peach smoothie with cinnamon for breakfast and it was so refreshing. I drank it while I went out on a walk with my brother, his wife, their two kids, and my sister. What a gorgeous day it was.

I took a few photos of the farmers market produce that I bought, but I think that this post is long enough and I wouldn't mind dedicating a post later in the week to just that. My farmers market trip wasn't extremely exciting, but I guess it'll be enough for me to write here.

Bottom line (which I didn't really discuss)...I love this city, and I'll be seeing a lot more of it soon because this is where I'll be going to college...YAY!

More to come...soon.

Big ups to everyone participating in the 100 Day Raw Food Challenge...We can do this!

Raw. Love.