Support From Family

I got a wonderful email from my teenage cousin, Christian, the other day. I asked him if it was okay to share, and he said "yes." Here is a part of his email:

"...how are you doing? I was really sad when I found out that you weren't coming cause you know I always look forward to seeing you! I have read all of your blogs and am staying up to date on them. I have always wondered why you became a raw vegan cause my earliest memories of you coming into town are leaving the airport, going to White Castle, and then going to McDonalds cause you had to have yo McDonalds fries! After I read why you turned to raw veganism, I thought to myself, "That's enough pain to make me become a raw vegan! She's got a good rationale, though!" You know I have always looked up to ever since I can remember and I want to let you know that I am 100% behind you in your journey of raw veganism and you have my 150% undivided support!

Love ya much!!!!!"

Isn't that nice?? I loved his letter! It was such a nice surprise. And yes, I was a hard-core White Castle fan. White Castle is burger joint located only in the Midwest United States. You can find them in your frozen food section now too. Now, I'd be sick as a dog if I had some of that. I just wanted to share my lovely letter. Family support means so much.

I love you too Christian. See you soon :-). ◦

Support From Family

Mexicavo Salad

This was a fabulous salad I made yesterday and today. It's called a Mexicavo salad from my favorite vegan cookbook in the world, Incredibly Delicious by Gentle World Publications. All of the recipes are simply that: Incredibly Delicious. It's a mostly cooked vegan book with a section for raw vegan foods. The book is more than a cookbook. It's a resource for anyone who wants to go meatless and dairyless. I have had this book for at least six years, and I never bought another cooked vegan cookbook after it. I have plenty of raw vegan books, so let me tell you why I came back to this one.

I'm not a salad kind of gal. I've avoided them like the plague. Unlike most people who start raw vegan, I didn't start with salads because I knew I'd get bored. I am a serious foodie. I'm like Remy in the movie Ratatouille. I really, really, really like food. So I learned how to make entrees and desserts first. I don't eat salads much. But as part of the SexyBack regimen, I knew I needed to eat more of them. So I flipped through Incredibly Delicious' Rawsome section (includes breakfast, salad, entrees, desserts, and sprouting tips) and picked two salads that looked like ones I would like.

Boo-yah! Scored on the first one. Mexicavo is the bomb. That's tomatoes and corn marinated in a dressing of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, Spike seasoning, black pepper, & sea salt. Add the avocado and cilantro last. I left out the onions and red pepper. It was so good. I had it for breakfast and lunch.

And the pictures in Incredibly Delicious are absolutely beautiful. I highly, highly recommend this book.

Oh, and everyone at the potluck loved the food last Wednesday. One of my friends called me for the recipe for the ginger nori rolls. And the kale salad, as always, was the biggest hit. Yes!! Whoo-hoo! ◦

Mexicavo Salad

Remembering the Mission Statement

It is incredible how quickly I go on a downhill slide emotionally when I eat cooked food. I had waffles this morning, a raw lunch of nutmeat and kale salad, and an early dinner of a cooked veggie burger, French fries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the house dressing from Juliano’s book RAW.

I am so exhausted right now.

Granted, I am a busy lady. My work of a stay-at-home mother is no joke. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have time to sit around, watch soap operas, and eat bon-bons. I think I’ll outline my day one of these days. But my point is that I need energy to get through the day without collapsing. That is what I had been doing for years. Being raw gives me that energy I needed without the 1:00pm downturn I always felt.

Today, I was so tired. I ate the waffles out of convenience. And I am not saying all of this to beat myself up. I’m just saying the effects of the cooked food on my person are quick and profound. Other people may be different, but for me, just like eating meat no longer worked for me because it caused my menstrual cycle to be out-of-control painful, eating cooked food clearly does not work. I get depressed for no clear reason. I just want to be alone. Everything seems so overwhelming, when in truth, that’s not the case. Do I have a lot going on in my life? Yes. Could I use some help? Absolutely. But is life completely overwhelming? No.

So I sit on my bed now, remembering my mission statement: “I am a raw vegan so that I can live my life to its highest potential, and be emotionally, spiritually, and mentally present with my family and friends.” All I can do is start again. It serves no purpose for me to beat myself up. It’s all a learning experience. I’m headed downstairs to eat an orange now. :-) ◦

Remembering the Mission Statement

Judging Myself

So on Saturday night, I had this dream that my MIL's psychiatrist was judging myself, my boss Kelly, and another woman. Whoever had the lowest fat-to-muscle ratio would win one million dollars. I thought this was unfair because Kelly is as least 10 years younger than me and clearly athletic. I have no idea who was the other woman in the contest. So the good doctor uses one of those squishy things to squeeze the fat on our waists. Well, guess who won? KELLY! The good doctor hands Kelly her one million dollar check and she proceeds to party-hardy with her boyfriend. And I'm standing there saying, "That wasn't fair!"

So a fellow intuitive friend, Linda, who does dream interpretation says that the dream was about judgement. I was being judged too harshly. And perhaps I was judging myself too hard as well. And that I felt like I would never win "the big prize" because I was comparing myself to other people. I could see that. I've had nothing but favorable comments about my picture. Linda told me those thoughts on the way to the Psychic Fair we were both vendors at. Soon after I got there, Rachel, who is a BioMat distributor, without knowing anything about my dream, handed me a ONE MILLION DOLLAR bill. (Fake, of course.) I was like, "No way!!" And I told her my dream. Rachel said, "There's no coincidences in the universe."

So I'm watching what I say to myself about myself. I do deserve the big prize. Our bodies are usually representative of our thoughts and beliefs. I say now, "I am beautiful. I am holy, healthy, and happy."

I've been eating a lot of carrot tuna and kale salad, green smoothies, and juice. I don't have any new recipes right now. I will be at a potluck on Wednesday though. I'm taking Ginger Almond Nori Rolls, kale salad, and Sergei's Amazing Truffles from 12 Steps to Raw Food by Victoria Boutenko. I'll let you know how they like it :-). ◦

Judging Myself

SexyBack

And no, SexyBack is not about my big booty! And please don't ask me when the baby is due, because I am not pregnant, but looking at that picture, you might think so. Thus...the reason for SexyBack. This is my health goal for 2008: To lose 20-25 lbs. I weigh the same as I did the night I gave birth to my 3 year old. Time to let that weight go. I will start posting what I ate and what physical activities I did to let go of the old. Here's my body photo:

SexyBack is officially ON!!!!!! Who Hoo!

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SexyBack

JOY!!!!

My word for 2008 is JOY!

It's been a while since I posted because I have a cold :-(. But it's okay, with raw food, I know I feel better than I would if I was still eating cooked food. I'm still happy. Sometimes, I cannot believe how easy it is to be positive. I'm not forcing it, or feeling good some of the time. I feel good ALL of the time.

So JOY...In 2007, I learned a lot of things. I know what I DO NOT want in life. I no longer want to be isolated from my friends and family. I no longer want to struggle for money. I no longer want to feel uncomfortable in my own body. I no longer want to be afraid of anything that is going to make my life better.

In 2008, I do something JOYful once a day. I see my friends and family regularly. Money comes to me easily and effortlessly, filling my purse (and checking account) until they burst. Operation Sexyback is in effect. I easily publish Mocha Angels this year. I easily finish multiple drafts of my third book (second novel). I JOYfully co-create my life with God and my Mocha Angels to create the best life for myself and my family.

And I credit raw food for the mental clarity I have to make all of this possible. Thank you Nature for this bounty of blessings I eat every day. ◦

JOY!!!!