A Very RAW Christmas

Much like myself, my sister has taken a liking to the raw side of things so I decided to give her a little nudge for Christmas and picked up a copy of Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox for her (there was also somewhat of a selfish motive there for me too :-). So far, she has really been enjoying the book and she read it almost cover to cover in one night.

The morning after she did that heavy reading, she went to the grocery store and stocked up on a whole bunch of raw food goodies...avocados, ginger, celery and mangoes just to name a few. For one of the detox programs in the book (#2 - which is the one my sister is doing), Natalia calls for the consumption of two Green Lemonades per day - one in the morning when you get hungry and another more towards mid-day. My sister made the two Green Lemonades in the morning and she let me have a taste of it. I was surprised by how good it was given the combination of foods it calls for. Following is the recipe for it. Give it a try if you have the chance...it's well worth it.

Makes 1 Serving

-1 head romaine lettuce or celery
-5 to 6 stalks kale (any type)
-1 to 2 apples (as needed for sweetness - I recommend Fuji)
-1 whole organic lemon (you don't have to peel it)
-1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

I copied this from the book verbatim, so the suggestions in parenthesis are Natalia's own words. I'll throw in my two cents and say that if you are going to take the plunge and decide to make this, go ahead and add in the ginger. It curbs the taste away from the heavy greenery that's in this juice.

As for the second book in the photo, Rawvolution by Matt Amsden, my oldest sister (different from the one I talked about above) purchased that for my mom. My sister had asked me a few days before Christmas for some raw food book titles because my mom expressed to her that she wanted a raw cookbook for Christmas. Rawvolution was the only one that I could remember off of the top of my head and apparently after I told her that, she wasted no time going out and buying it. My mom is extremely content with her gift and she already has plans to whip up some amazing raw meals in the next couple of weeks. Actually, when I got home this evening, there was a nice portion of a raw tabouli salad sitting on the kitchen counter.

If you can't afford raw food books, there is a tremendous amount of information on the internet as well. The books are definitely a great resource to have around, but I certainly understand not being able to just pick up a $32 copy of Rawvolution.

Supplement your raw education with the many resources that are out there. You'd be amazed by what you can find if you look hard enough.

Raw. Love. AND BOOKS!!!
-Natalie

O Holy Wheatgrass

I'll keep this short and sweet since I'm sure that most of you out there are familiar with the amazing powers of wheatgrass. I picked up this little info sheet from the juice bar located upstairs from my school's fitness room. I barely ever eat or drink there, but I bought something a couple weeks ago and came across this while I was there.

Wheatgrass juice...

-is immediately absorbed into the bloodstream and gives immediate energy.

-energizes and reduces fatigue.

-is an appetite suppressant.

-improves metablosm.

-improves digestion.

-enriches the blood, removes blood disorders, and lowers blood pressure.

-is antibacterial.

-helps cleanse the liver.

-prevents tooth decay.

-is good for skin problems; it improves complexion, treats acne, and removes acne scars.

-keeps hair from graying and removes dandruff.

-boosts the immune system.

-calms the nervous system.

-promotes regularity and fights constipation.

-washes drug deposit from the body, neutralizes toxins in the body, helps purify the liver, and prevents aging.

-stabilizes blood sugar levels.

I'll add in some commentary of my own an say that wheatgrass shots can be pretty expensive (depending on where you go) and taste pretty gross. The cost and the ill taste are probably more than worth it in the end though because I bet you are going to slash some future medical bills by supplementing your diet with healing foods like wheatgrass.

So don't hesitate to drink up!

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

It's Almond Butter Jelly Time, Almond Butter Jelly Time

(The extent of my fridge)

Back in September in one of my posts, I wrote about the outrageous amount of money that I paid for almond butter from Safeway ($10). I mean, maybe that's the going price for almond butter these days and perhaps my reality is just a bit skewed. In any case, I think I speak for many when I say college students don't have the luxury of buying something like almond butter for 10 bucks on a weekly basis. I will say though, that the same almond butter that I bought back in September is still sitting in my refrigerator. I maybe used it three or four times back in the beginning of the semester and then completely indulged in my 'eating out' compulsions. So, long story short, I've still got a lot of almond butter left.

Strapped for cash, I've had to resort to some real penny pinching lately. As you can see in my fridge photo, I'm down to the bare minimum as far as groceries go too. After I finished classes yesterday, I was thirsting for a meal but I told myself that I had to gain some control over eating out. I headed to the store and bought two pieces of toasted wheat bread, which ran me $.80. I took the bread back to my room and spread my almond butter and (organic) jelly on it. I had a few containers of applesauce left in my fridge too so now I had something to accompany my sandwich.

I ended up eating in my friends room because we were discussing our anticipated Chemistry grades. As soon as I walked into her room she said 'peanut butter and jelly? What are you, in fourth grade?' I didn't take the comment to offense...maybe that was compliment regarding my youthfulness :-)

The sandwich was good, the applesauce was good, the company I ate with was good, and most importantly, I successfully satisfied my hunger. Reverting back to basics isn't as tough as it seems. Whether I like it or not, it looks like I'll have to start again at square one next semester because food money management didn't go so well this time around...

Raw. Love. and Almonds.
-Nat

Mango-Avo Goodness

(It doesn't get much better than this)

As expected, I headed home over Thanksgiving break and had the opportunity to enjoy the raw pleasures of being in New York once again. Having a blender and juicer at my disposal is priceless, really. I'm thinking about purchasing a magic bullet (which I talked about in a post from the spring) but hopefully, someone in my family will take a hint and put one under the tree on Christmas...I won't get my hopes up though. The magic bullet is small enough (and I think quiet enough) to store in my dorm room and I don't think cleanup would be too bad. Having smoothies every morning would be ideal and with a mini blender, I have no doubt that I can make that happen.

On to my food adventures while on break...I took full advantage of my blender especially while I was home. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend an awful lot of time at my own house but when I was out and about, I made sure to hit up my usual smoothie bars or vegan spots. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I took my dad to this vegan restaurant located on 135th street and 7th avenue. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who lives or is visiting New York - the name of the place is Cafe Veg. I also went up to Raw Soul (145th between St. Nicholas and Edgecomb) a couple of times but I feel like each time I go there, I become more and more disappointed with their menu. Hopefully, I'll do a formal review of one or two of their dishes when I get back home. My mom is cool with the owner of Raw Soul and I think that they have a great mission, so I try to support them as much as possible by eating there whenever I go home. They're staff is really nice and I recently had a conversation with one of the waitresses who was very kind. Check it out if you're ever in NY - I recommend the Barbecue Burger, the Wrap, and the Soup of the Day (the corn soup is the best).

So when I wasn't eating out, I was trying to prepare healthy meals for myself at home. I was most excited about making my favorite pudding; Mango Avocado. Sounds like and odd mix, but it brings together a great combination of flavors that work well together. You'd really be surprised by how amazing this pudding tastes. When I used to make it for myself over the summer, it had the consistency of a smoothie but now, I prefer to have it in more of a pudding form. The recipe is basically:

1 Mango
1 Avocado
Water
Sprinkle of Cinnamon to Taste




And that's it...simple as that. The amount of water that you add is all dependent on whether you like your pudding/smoothie thick or not. I prefer a little bit of thickness, so I put in just enough water so that the blender is able puree the mango and avocado. Let me tell you, I had one of these the day before Thanksgiving at around 10 a.m. and didn't get hungry again until around 5 or 6...and I wasn't laying around the house all day either, I was out and about. Now, this was a rare and extreme case for me, given that I have a large appetite, but nonetheless, I was able to go that long.

Give the pudding a try. What have you got to lose? Make it unique and add some variety to the basic recipe I posted above. The possibilities are endless with raw food.

Raw. Love...and Mangoes
-Natalie

Water Consumption

(The art of mutli-tasking)

My water intake has never been anywhere close to where it should be, so lately I've pushed myself to drink more water than I'm used to. My current goal is to get in around two or three liters a day which I try to break up evenly throughout the morning, noon, and evening.

As a broke college student, I can actually only afford to buy bottled water a couple of times per week. What I normally resort to is getting refills from the nasty water fountain right outside of my door. The water is gross, but it gets the job done...right?

As far as working out goes, I've really been mobilizing and that makes it even more important to keep myself hydrated. My campus job is also pretty labor intensive so it's vital for me to stay hydrated for that reason as well.

I might lose some respect for saying this, but here I go. Sometimes, to make the water go down a bit easier, I add some Emergen-C to give it some flavor. It ultimately makes the water taste like heavily watered down orange juice but hey, it's better than regular water. Each packet has 1,000 mg of vitamin C which is way more than what's needed in a day, but vitamin C is something that, in surplus, goes in through one end and out the other.

I have way more to say on the subject of water, but you'll have to excuse me right now because I'm drawing a big blank on some of the other things I wanted to add. Agh!! Hit me up on a later date...I promise I'll have more for you.

What has college done to my precious brain???

Raw. Love. Y'all.

-Natalie

Morning = Good, Evening = BADDD

(I took full advantage of Free Apple Day a couple weeks ago)

There are only two days during the week that I wake up even remotely early, and those days are Wednesday and Friday. I have class at 9:30 a.m. on those two days, so I try to wake up at around 8 to give myself ample time to get fresh for class. Prior to class on my 'early' days, I usually grab a piece of fruit (such as the apple above), and a calorically heavy beverage. I'll usually take some water with me as well that I try to finish before class is over.

Afterward, I'll still be pretty hungry sometimes, so I grab yet another small meal from the main dining outlet on campus. Today...I was in luck. The dining hall has this pathetic 'vegan bar' stationed in a buffet, so I thought I'd go check it out (something I normally don't do because their options are always atrocious). To my surprise, there were these vegan riblets that looked divine and some collard greens and rice with beans to go along with it. The collard greens looked pretty light (not drenched in oil or flavoring) and I was actually pretty pleased with the clean taste of them. The riblets tasted as good as they looked and the rice was, well...rice.

(Excuse my half-eaten riblet)

As usual with my photos, this one does not do the meal justice. I actually haven't eaten anything this good in awhile. The last time I had anything that tasted decent was when I went to Java Green Cafe a few weeks ago (will talk about that another time). I had their Vegan Burger which was to DIE FOR.

Usually after I knock my first two meals out of the way, both of which are normally within my clean vegan parameters, I start to run into biggg problems.

For some reason, I have a much easier time keeping my diet clean in the morning than in the late afternoon and evening. For example, it's almost 2 p.m. right now and I have huge McDonalds cravings for some reason. Now, I would be a fool to run out and get some, considering the nearest McD's is 10 blocks away, but sometimes my cravings are intense enough to make me do something as stupid as that.

Last night, I was hit with a McD's craving at around 7 and I actually trekked over there and bought some. I won't tell you what I got, for my own protection, but I wasn't proud of myself for giving in.

The ironic thing about my McDonalds run last night? I passed right by Java Green Cafe (a cafe with a vegetarian, vegan, and raw menu) on my way there.

Amazing, huh.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

It's Been Awhile, Huh....

(Can you believe this thing is 3 blocks from my dorm??)

Clearly, it's been quite a while since I last posted anything. As you can imagine, a lot has been going on for me lately but I think at this point, I'm pretty well settled into my college lifestyle. I really love my studies thus far and I'm very optimistic about what the future holds.

As far as my diet is concerned, things could be MUCH better. On the bright side though, I've started a solid workout program that has me kicking butt in the gym and I can really feel a difference in my body. We all know though, of coarse, a sound fitness program is nothing without a clean diet. My problem lately has been cravings...once again. I'll have a stretch of two weeks or so where my diet will be phenomenal but then all of a sudden, I'll crash and burn without warning. Something's gotta be done about this.

The thing that has been causing me the most problems lately and has had me doing major backflips is SUGAR. No, not sugar as in apples and oranges, but rather sour patch kids, jelly, gummies, chocolate, and every other sugar ridden candy (and sometimes cereal) in the book. I used to do just fine with having tea without sugar or honey, but I have gone back to adding honey into my tea...and I'm starting to get a little too generous with it. When I started my weight loss journey back in January, the first thing I cut out was my morning coffee which was loaded with milk and sugar. Nixing that did wonders for me, and I would hate to have a reverse effect take place.

Just as a side note (and an excuse to add an unnecessary photo), I thought I should inform the general public about the fact that I rid of my kale plant over a month ago. I loved it so, but I could not figure out how to properly care for it and thus, it was dying rapidly. I felt like everyday I looked at it, there was another wilting leaf on it. I still have my one plant left...and here I am apologizing to it about giving up its adopted brother:


Sad, isn't it?

I promise to be a bit more consistent in the future. Watch out for more posts coming soon.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie