Days 8 and 9 of initiative. Cantaloupe and Blood Orange Sake Martini, Quinoa Krispies

Hello! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I am excited to say that I was 3 pounds lighter when I weighed in yesterday... yay! Possibly some water weight, but none the less, it feels good. One week down, 10 more to go! Do you need some motivation to get healthier or drop a few pounds? Visit Raw Food Rehab!


Yesterday I ran 3 miles and did an hour of weight lifting at the gym. Then Mackenzie and I took a trip to Ross, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods... I could spend so much money in there, I have to be careful. 


My eats for Saturday...

Sprouted grain toast with coconut puree (blended coconut meat and water)

1/2 banana


1 raw energy bar


Salad with guacamole, veggies and mango vinaigrette at High Tech Burrito while on our shopping trip. 


Frozen yogurt on the trip home, Mackenzie insists on stopping for this... it is like a tradition/ treat for the 50 minute windy ride home. I topped mine with carob chips and almonds. 


After getting home I decided to try a new recipe from the cocktail section of Living Raw Food by Sarma  Melngailis.  The book has recipes for some really yummy looking martini's. I drink alcohol very rarely but wanted to try one. I picked up some sake at Whole Foods and made a spin off of one in the book. 

Cantaloupe and Blood Orange Sake Martini

1/2 cantaloupe 

2 small blood oranges

juice of 1 lemon

squirt of agave

sake 

I blended everything except the sake until smooth. I added some sake, to taste, and shook with ice until very cold. Poured into a pretty glass and enjoyed. I had leftover juice... this is enough for a few drinks. It was very good! I want to try other combos of fruit now. 

Dinner was a mix of leftovers... the Curry Cilantro Corn Soup I made the other day, 

some corn  and cherry tomato salad with shredded carrots tossed in and some tofu. 

Finished the night with some popcorn dusted with carob powder. 


I got up this morning and went running but only ended up doing 12 miles, not 15... I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I need to try eating something else before my run.. suggestions? Please!!! The protein powder, banana, nut butter smoothie just didn't cut it today. Maybe oatmeal or something. 


I came home from my run and was starving so I grabbed the quickest thing I could find, some greek yogurt (I have not been eating much dairy at all lately) with coconut cream and some of the quinoa krispies I made. 

I never thought dairy bothered me, but boy did it today... talk about stomach cramps. Did I used to feel this way and just didn't know it, or am I more sensitive now? Who knows? What I do know... no more dairy! I also had a green juice.

I also had some of these tasty things I picked up TJ's... yummy!

I wish I had bought more because between Mackenzie and I we finished the bag!

So, I had mentioned that I needed to get some veggie plants planted after starting some seeds...

Notice some are missing?

Bad doggie! Good thing he is cute!

Haha... notice the one ear back, I know I did something bad look?

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Check back next week for some raw goodies give away!

11 week initiative, day 7. Raw Curry Cilantro Corn Soup & More raw cupcakes!

Happy Friday!


I am so glad the weekend is here and the sun is shining! What are your plans for the weekend? I ordered some raised veggie beds  that I have been waiting to set up so I can plant some veggies. I want to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, potatoes, lettuce, kale, herbs and anything else I can get to grow. 


I think I will take Mackenzie to see the new movie How To Train Your Dragon, and make a much needed trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Where do you do most of your shopping? I live in such a remote area that I have to drive about 50 minutes to get to TJ's or WF's. Other things I am aspiring to do... clean my car, long run on Sunday, yoga on Saturday and some cleaning of the house.... save the best for last right? Wrong! :)


Yesterday I made some soup with a few ears of corn I had in the fridge. Here it goes...

Raw Curry Cilantro Corn Soup

3 or 4 ears corn (kernels shaved)

1/4 cup cashews

1 cup water

1 teaspoon garlic

1 green onion

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon tumeric

dash of salt 

handful of cilantro

1/4 jalapeno pepper

Shave kernels from corn cobs.

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the corn kernels for garnish. Blend the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor. 

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining kernels. Optional garnishes are avocado, cilantro or a  drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

After breakfast I decided to make some more raw cupcakes from Shannon's Cupcake E-Book. I made 4 of the Bunny Spice Cupcakes with Nut Butter frosting from the book. So good! These are perfect for me as I love pie spice and nut butter. Perfect! Here they are....

Naked Cupcake...

 Frosted Cupcakes...

One with coconut and golden raisins..

One with walnuts...

and one with pecans...

All yummy! Don't you want to eat one Ellen???

Have you joined Shannon in her quest to get Ellen to eat a raw cupcake? Jump on board, it is so much fun!


Before I get to my eats for the day,I have to update yesterdays... around 10:00 last night I was starving so I made Danielle's microwave banana cake... yum!


For today... after my five mile run I made a huge green juice with romaine, celery, ginger, an apple, and a grapefruit. 

The finished product...

For breakfast I had some mixed fruit (banana, blood orange, strawberries)  topped with cinnamon. 

Lunch was some of the corn soup from above, some tofu and a salad with corn and cherry tomatoes. 

Later I had a raw cupcake and some popcorn at the movie theater that I brought along with me. 

Dinner was kelp noodles with veggies and tofu... I have been on a tofu kick lately. 

Dessert was banana soft serve with a few pecans on top... yummy!

Also, tomorrow is the big weigh in for the 11 week initiative... be sure to come back and check my progress!

11 week initiative, day 6, another great smoothie

Hello friends,

I am so excited the weekend is almost here. This morning I went to yoga class then came home and made a green smoothie (I seem to be on a green smoothie kick lately) made of...

1 scoop protein powder

1 banana

1 mandarin orange 

1/2 cup carrot juice 

1/2 cup water 

huge pile of spinach

ice

Blend until smooth and enjoy. I drank this around 11:00 and wasn't hungry for lunch until around 2:30. Before lunch I did one of my new work out videos, have you heard of Tracey Anderson? Her workouts are designed to make the body long and lean, not bulky... which is what I have been wanting to switch my workouts to. Simple moves, but boy were my arms and legs burning!

For lunch I had the same as I had for dinner last night. Marinated kelp noodles with almond butter dressing and veggies, but today I added some tofu. I also had a Ginger Snap Lara Bar, which is my favorite flavor so far.

For dinner I steamed a sweet potato and 2 beets, simple, but two of my favorite veggies so it hit the spot. Then I enjoyed a small dark chocolate bar. LOVE dark chocolate!!! Today  I also made a creamy corn curry & cilantro soup, which I will post tomorrow.

I am looking forward to a nice run in the morning and having some time off. No school, no work... what will I do with myself?

11 week initiative, day 1. Dr. Junger Detox Program... Clean. Marinated Veggies and Butternut Squash Rice Recipe

Hello friends!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. As I mentioned a couple days ago, today is the first day of the 11 week initiative on Raw Food Rehab. I woke up this morning and had a headache and felt kind of blah. I wanted to dive into a huge muffin but keeping my goals for week one in mind, I made a green lemonade instead. After that I went to the gym for a quick workout. I did some upper body weight lifting and only like 15 minutes on the treadmill. As I have mentioned before, I do not really like to go on the treadmill... I prefer to run outside, but it was raining and I was tired, so I just cut the workout short. I will save my energy for tomorrow's 15 mile run, which will be rain or shine.

The half marathon I am doing is quickly approaching... May 1st. When I signed up for it a few months ago I had never ran more than a few miles at one time. Now 13, 14+ miles is really no  problem. My original goal was just to complete the half marathon but now I am going to change that goal and set a time for it. Not sure what it will be yet...we'll see.

Breakfast today was my green lemonade. For lunch I had some avocado sushi rolls that I picked up at Trader Joe's yesterday.

For dinner I have started a medley of marinated veggies which I will top on a green salad (keeping with my goal!) I used...

Cauliflower

Carrots

Asparagus

Red Bell Pepper

Mushrooms

Marinated in ...

Nama Shoya

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Ginger juice

Cayenne pepper

I placed the veggies in my dehydrator and will leave them in for about 4 hours to soften and warm. The cold weather has me wanting something warm to eat.

I ended up eating the marinated veggies along with some swiss chard and a garden burger on a piece of rye bread. I also snacked on a few pieces of tempeh. 

I ate the muffin I wanted so badly this morning for dessert. It was one of the bran muffins from Trader Joe's... I am in love with them! Vegan, no sugar added and just plain yummy!

A couple days ago I made a dish adapted from Ani Phyo's book.

Butternut Squash Rice with Walnuts and Raisins

1 small butternut squash, chopped, peeled and seeded
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin powder 

1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup raisins (I used golden)
1 cup walnuts, crushed
dash salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Process squash in food processor to rice consistency. Add remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Have you heard of Dr. Junger? He is the author of the book, Clean, which I purchased last week and started reading yesterday. His program for detoxification is endorsed by Martha Stuart (click to watch a video of her experience with the cleanse) Gwyneth Paltrow, Donna Karen, and many others. After doing some research on his website and other people's websites, I decided that I really want to do this detox. I ordered his kit... it was pricey, but I feel the results will be well worth every penny. I am trying to decided when to start, as it requires a 21 day commitment. I am thinking of waiting until after May 1st, which is my half marathon day. When I do start I want to document my experience day by day and post a before and after picture. Seeing is believing, right?

My question for you... have you ever done any type of detox or cleansing program? Did you notice a change in how you felt when you were done? Was it hard to stick with it?

Averie has a giveaway right now for some custom chocolate bars.. check it out HERE!

Raw Food Rehab and the 11 week initiative

If you have never visited Raw Food Rehab you should check it out. It is a fantastic blog for raw foodies or those who are curious about raw food can share their experiences, share recipes and lots more. On April 10th, it is the beginning of the 11 week Raw food initiative.I have signed up, knowing that bikini season is quickly approaching and want to look super hot in my new Victoria's Secret bikini's I ordered. So, I will be setting goals for myself each week and posting my progress and meals. For week one my  goals are going to be...

1) 1 green juice per day
2) 1 meal to be a green salad or green smoothie
3) Snacks in between meals will be raw fruits or veggies

:)