I feel wonderful!

Okay, this is going well. I am learning a few things. First, the kitchen must be stocked with staples. For me, some staples I see I am going to need are nori rolls, wakame, lemons, garlic, some type of nuts, and green leafys. Yesterday I had Harmony Spinach from Zakhah's Joy of Living Live (http://rawfoodinfo.com/catalog/books_thejoyoflivinglive.html) and Ginger Nori Rolls from Ani Phyo's book (www.aniphyo.com). I was in total heaven. Today I poured Basil dressing over my spinach and made sunflower cheese from Matt Amsden's RAWvolution. I put the cheese in a nori wrap, added basil, tomatoes, and spinach. Super good.

Also, I notice that if lunch is my heaviest meal, then I'm barely hungry at dinner. Both nights I've had fruit for dinner.

And the cravings. Damn...who the heck has spinach cravings? I have never craved spinach in my life and now, I want it every day. And salt...never in my life have I ever craved salt. Once again, there it is. I have no idea what that's about.

Oh..and Alpha son made his first raw dish. Plantains marinated in squeezed orange juice, salt, and red chili peppers. He was thrilled! And as soon as I get a digital camera, I'll be taking pictures! ◦

I feel wonderful!

The Biggest Secret to Staying Raw

I think this post by Karen Knowler is the best article I've seen about staying on a raw vegan diet. Do yourself a favor and read it.
http://karenknowler.typepad.com/living_in_the_raw/2007/11/the-biggest-sec.html#more

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com. ◦

The Biggest Secret to Staying Raw

My 98% Raw Thanksgiving

Last year, I promised myself I would have a raw thanksgiving in 2007. The only thing raw at the table last year was the Eggless Egg Dip I got from Raw Food, Right Now. This year, I made kale salad, apple crisp, and guacamole. I had blue chips with it, which is why I was not 100% raw. I've been having incredible salt cravings since Tuesday. Today I'll be getting some nori sheets and wakame to help with my cravings.

Also, yesterday was crazy. It started off sad but turned out great. Alpha child was still sick. I canceled my yoga class because none of us had a gotten any sleep. I had planned on going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. I was making the apple crisp and that was it. I had no intention on cooking a dinner, period. Well, as children can do, things changed in an instant. I went to the store, thinking of a dinner in my mind as I went. Rom wanted biscuits and wheatloaf (both cooked vegan dishes). I only knew I had to have myself covered. I was in the kitchen between 10:00 am and 3:30pm. By 4:00pm we all ate dinner. Alpha child had waited all day for the apple crisp, but he ate mostly wheatloaf. But we had the apple crisp for breakfast this morning. My husband loved the apple crisp too. When he asks for seconds of anything, he likes it.

I learned that recipe from Lynda Carter of Alive and Raw (www.aliveandraw.com). Hers is the only living foods workshop I've taken. I highly recommend her. She's in Richmond, VA.

So I am grateful for yesterday. I was sad at first becuase I REALLY missed my extended family. I called everyone I love and I felt so much better. And my husband understood my malaise. I told him later that night how much I appreciated his concern. This morning I told the universe and angels how happy I was that we had the money for all the bounty of food and that we had each other to love. ◦

My 98% Raw Thanksgiving

What a Day!

Boy, I didn't see all this coming...yesterday afternoon, my 5 year old got a fever. Everything went south from there. All my attention was focused on him, and making sure my 2 year old didn't get sick either.

I was all raw yesterday. I had carrot tuna and kale salad for lunch and dinner. A green smoothie for lunch. This is important because I know it helped me get through today.

I got up at 2:20am this morning to go the bathroom. I heard Alpha child (as I'll call him) tossing and turning. I sent him to the bathroom. I gave him some natural cough syrup, which he promptly threw up. He felt hotter than he'd been all day but the thermometer kept reading 98.7. I knew that wasn't right. I put it in his mouth instead of under his arm. 103.2!!! Yikes. I didn't sleep again from that point. Rom and I went back and forth about taking him to the ER. I was ready to get us dressed and head out the door, but again, I knew I was missing something.

Via my Mocha Moms chapter, I'd heard that Himalayan Crystal Salt lamps help break fevers. I have a Himalayan Crystal Salt candle. Put a tea tree candle inside of it, light it, boom...candle is activated. I lit it and put it on the dresser right beside Alpha child's head. His fever went down within the hour. And it continued to fall all day long. But he never broke a sweat until about two hours ago. I've had that candle burning near him all day. Since he barely ate or drank anything, I am going to credit the Himalayan Crystal Salt candle for helping my baby.

I kept thinking, "God, I'm glad I'm back on raw." My clarity of thought at 3:00am was amazing. Chronic fatigue has plagued me for years due to some ongoing stressful situations, so I was thrilled to be so present this morning. I did sleep for about an hour and a half this afternoon along with Beta child. Rom was nice enough to come home from work early.

Today I had leftover carrot tuna and kale for breakfast and dinner. I also made apple/kale juice this morning. I had an apple-banana-collard smoothie this afternoon. Ooh! That was good.

The recipe is:
1 peeled and cut apple
2 bananas
handful of your green leafy veggie of choice
(spinach, collard, etc)
1 cup of water
Blend. Drink. Enjoy.

Alpha child has been asleep for a few hours, so I'm going to wake him up now. He is sweating and I am so thankful. But it's times like these where I truly miss my extended family. But for now, taking care of myself and being fully present (back to the mission statement) is where it's at.

Ciao! Gotta teach a yoga class in a little bit. ◦

What a Day!

My mission statement

Don't you just love typos? My mission statement is:

"I am raw vegan so that I can live to my highest potential, and be mentally, spiritually, and emotionally present with my family and friends." ◦

My mission statement

Living my best life

My first blog posting ever! I was encouraged my Heidi and Justin's Raw Food, Right Now blog to do this for myself.

Let me introduce myself: my name is Althea. I am 35 years old, and live in Maryland. I am a wife, mother, professional intuitive, published novelist, and yoga teacher. This blog is primarily about my staying on the raw vegan path of eating. Other things like metaphysics and my books may be discussed, but I will keep them in relation to being a raw vegan.

I am wife to Rom Wills, author of the international bestseller Nice Guys and Players, Becoming The Man Women Want. It's a wonderful self-help book for men. (I have to tell you all something funny...I told a married friend of mine, "the book is for guys who aren't gettin' any." She said, "oh, then I need to give that book to my husband!" I swear, I laughed for hours afterward.) Okay, back to my story :-).

We have two sons, ages 2 and 5. We also care for disabled relatives. My path to becoming a raw vegan is very long one. I was born into a classic soul food eating family in Detroit, Michigan. We had meat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. My favorite snack growing up was tuna fish and cheese on a Ritz cracker.

Between the ages of eleven and twenty-one, I suffered from horrible menstrual cramps. I credit that monthly horror for putting me on this path. Every month, for seven to eight days, I would be in agony. I searched high and low for answers. I missed school and work because I couldn't bear to leave my bed. There were days I could barely walk, the pain would be running down my thighs. Finally, in 1993, at the age of twenty-one, I read a book called, "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" by Christiane Northrup, M.D. She mentioned how uric acid in meat could affect women's hormones and could affect menstrual cramps. FINALLY!

I'd had to leave work just the week before. I laid in bed with a migraine and suffered the worst pain of my life. Menstrual cramps are no joke. Nothing, until I was in labor with my children, could even compare to the pain. I felt like Dr. Northrup had given me my answer. I stopped eating meat and dairy at the end of that menstrual cycle. No animal products for thirty days (between cycles). When my next cycle rolled around, it lasted for 3 days, was light, and pain-free.

I'd found my answer.

From then, I'd been vegetarian off and on until 2004. My cycle always let me know when my body needed some cleansing. I have so much to say about all of this, which is why I started a blog!

So why raw vegan? I'd read Victoria Boutenko's "12 steps to raw" in 2004. I went raw for a week. Oh my God. Nothing but bliss. I went raw again in December 2006 for The Yabba Pot's Raw Challenge. Again, I had massive energy. So now I am back. Why? Because I want to live my best life. I've got books, yahoo groups, a supportive husband, so what excuse do I have? None.

So I created a mission statement that I put on my refrigerator: "I am a raw vegan so that I can life to my highest potential and be mentally, spiritually, and emotionally present for my family and friends." As a side note, I want to lose 25 pounds and fit into my wedding dress again. I want to get back to being fit and active.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. ◦

Living my best life