Day 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61

Friday - Day 54:
morning: juice
afternoon: green berry smoothie with rejuvelac; orange juice
evening: creamy red pepper soup; orange juice; honeydew melon juice

So my stomach made some noise when I had the smoothie. It was talking and working out the solid foods but otherwise everything was fine.

Saturday - Day 55:
morning: tomato with half of an onion bread and chive nut cheese
afternoon: creamy red pepper soup
evening: 3 onion breads with chive nut cheese, green peppers, onion; watermelon; slices of raw cheddar cheese
Today I felt good and felt that I could transition to the harder stuff. No stomach talking or anything. Bowel movement totally normal.

Sunday - Day 56
morning: cashews, watermelon, cheddar cheese
afternoon: 2 onion breads with chive nut cheese and a tomato
evening: zucchini pasta with "ranch" dressing; CHEESECAKE!

Today I made my very own cheesecake. It came out AWESOME and delicious. Go to Mer's website to make it!! Trust me, you will not be disappointed!

Monday - Day 57
morning: 2 onion breads with chive nut cheese and a tomato
afternoon: watermelon, cheesecake
evening: corn on the cob, juice! (romaine, fennel, cilantro, celery, squash, apple)

Tuesday - Day 58
morning: 2 onion breads with chive nut cheese and a tomato
afternoon: watermelon
evening: squash ravioli in nut cheese, green juice, cheddar cheese

I had an interview in NH today so on the way back my mom and I stopped over at Rawbert's in Beverly, MA. Its an organic cafe with some raw foods. The ravioli was a bit too sweet and heavy for my taste. I didnt have my phone on me so I couldnt take a photo, but wow was it beautiful looking. The squash was wrapped in dehydrated beet. My mom had a "quesadilla" but with tortilla wraps. She LOVED it. I also got some sushi to go.

Wednesday - Day 59:
morning: cashews, honeydew melon juice
afternoon: sushi, cheesecake
evening: creamy red pepper soup, tomato

Thursday - Day 60
morning: green berry smoothie with rejuvelac
afternoon: squash pasta with ranch dressing
evening: onion bread with nut cheese and tomato, cheesecake

Today I made some Kale chips but followed Meredith's dorito mixture. Instead of placing the dorito mixture onto some nori sheets I put them into cut up Kale leaves. I then dehydrated them overnight at a temperature of 105 degrees. They came out delicious - and taste very much like doritos without the guilt. My teenage brother tried them and loved them. See below the goodness:

Friday - Day 61
morning: green berry smoothie with rejuvelac
afternoon: kale chips, cherries, onion bread with nut cheese and tomato
evening: stuffed red pepper, kale chips

For dinner I made some stuffed red pepper for the first time. I stuffed it with the cheese, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It came out good but not as delicious when I had it at Meredith's.
So I have officially been raw for 2 months now. Wow! Crazy to think that its been this long. Most SAD eaters probably think its nuts. But its shockingly easy to make a lot of these foods and there is a substitution for a lot of foods that you think you cant live without. I am most worried that I am not getting enough variety in my meals. I eat tons of onion bread, nut cheese and tomato as you noticed. So this concerns me a bit.

My biggest struggle I would say is beef. Thats probably the food I will have the hardest time giving up. As this marks my two month - Im likely going to have a cheat day and on that day I will likely have a bacon cheeseburger from ted's. I know how shitty it made me feel but I think im still willing to go through it. I guess I am masochistic?

But regardless I dont think I have eaten this healthy since living back in Poland. Im feeling totally awesome and more... alive. Just plain happier too. Since starting raw I have lost about 13 pounds total. I still have about 28 pounds to go to get at a weight Im happy with but I am okay with this being a gradual thing. Im eating like a queen with no starvation involved or resulting to crazy stuff. So onto the next month of rawness.

Just a warning, since school started Im probably going to slack off on the updates but ill do my best.

Day 53: Day 5 of Juice Feast

Thursday - Day 53: Day 5 of Juice Feast

morning: one mason jar of kale, cucumber, lemon, squash, apple
afternoon: one mason jar of carrot, romaine, lemon, ginger, zucchini; 1/4 of a jar of orange juice
evening: 1/3 of a mason jar of beet juice; 1/2 jar of orange juice; teaspoon of flaxseed oil

result: 2 poops

cravings: potato chips, french fries, nut cheese, onion bread

So today I have decided its my last official juice feast day. I was thinking of going until day 7 but then I spoke with Mer and she told me I slowly have to wean myself back onto solid food, especially nuts and grains. I want some of my raw onion bread and chive nut cheese so there is no way that I can wait for next week. So if I start on some solid tomorrow ill be able to do my cheese on Sunday.


I feel like within the past 5 days my skin cleared. I feel even more energized in the mornings and that feeling of hunger doesnt really exist. Its crazy how satisfying and filling the juices are. The best part about juicing is that I got that feeling of lightness back. While being raw you get used to it. But juicing has helped bring it back!

The worst thing about juicing feasts is the actual act of making juices. Its just such a pain in the ass. I was lucky to have my mom help me make them. But I still hated it and dreaded it. So ill be glad to cut down on the juicing time now that ill be making less.

Also those weird cramps I got were actually period cramps. I got my period today. Definitely not scheduled to have it for awhile. I did forget to take a birth control pill on Sunday - so im thinking that my eating is regulating me to the max.

Weight loss: 3-4 pounds. I wonder if ill gain this back as soon as I go back to solids. I also wish I could check out my colon somehow =) I have been thinking of getting a colonic.

I would also like to thank Mindy for the possibility of this juice feast. She has lent me a juicer since ive gone raw. Thanks Mindy!!!

(photo does not include juices consumed today - I forgot to take a picture so the juices are what was made for tomorrow. The light colored juice is rejuvelac I made for my nut cheese and soon to be made cheesecake!)

Day 51 & 52: Day 3 & 4 of Juice Feast

Tuesday - Day 51: Day 3 of Juice Feast

morning: one mason jar of 1 stalk of celery, 4 carrots, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, apple
afternoon: ginger root, 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 head of red cabbage, green pepper, apple, zucchini, sprinkled salt and pepper
evening: one mason jar of 2 tomatoes, carrot, celery stalk, ginger root, horseradish root, cilantro, garlic clove, cayenne pepper
1/2 mason jar of watermelon juice; 1 teaspoon of flaxseed oil

result: 2 poops
the afternoon brew was good at first, but then half way through it was disgusting. I had about 1/4 of it left and I just couldnt finish. But it was the most beautiful deep purple!

I was at journal orientation again in front of tons of free food. The food looked good but I was not tempted at all. It was when I got home, took a nap and got up that I really wanted solid food. But then I started juicing stuff for tomorrow and lost my appetite while sampling the new juices.

Im kind of worried for tomorrow because of how often I need to go pee. For work Im going to various prisons to visit clients. I really do no want to use prison toilets =/ EEk! Ill report back.
Sleep is back to normal. Energy level the same. Not feeling weak or hungry at all. Went on the scale and lost about 2-3 pounds. But Im feeling good! Doing a 5 day or 7 day feast wont be an issue. Ill go as long as the produce lasts. ... few hours later. EEEK! night time turned into hardness and contemplated quitting!

Wednesday- Day 52: Day 4 of Juice Feast
morning: 3/4 of one mason jar of 2 beets, 2 apples, spinach, cucumber, fennel, lemon

afternoon: 3/4 of one mason jar of cucumber, romaine, lemon and apple
evening: 1/2 of a mason jar of carrot, cilantro, ginger, lime, pears -> damn did this thing have a kick to it! I probably put way too much ginger.

result: 1 poo
cravings: omg mcdonalds, burger king!! bad bad bad

So today were prison visits so I nursed my juices instead of downing them like I normally do in hopes of not needing to piss so badly. It kinda worked. Im also getting cramps - feels like im on my period?

I feel rested when I wake up. Even today when I had to get up at 4:30 am! The mornings and afternoons are easy - its only night time that kills me and I want solid food. The key word here is want. Im not hungry or anything I just want it.

Day 50: Day 2 of Juice Feast

Monday - Day 50: Day 2 of Juice Feast

morning: one mason jar of 5 cucumbers, 2 limes, 1/2 bunch of cilantro, 2 apples juice
afternoon: one mason jar of cucumbers, apples, carrots juice with pumpkin spice sprinkled in
evening: one mason jar of 3 cucumbers, romaine head, lemon, and 2 apples.
1/2 mason jar of watermelon juice; 1 teaspoon of flaxseed oil

result: 2 poops

(pics of juice see below: one of the yellow juices, one of the green juices)

Last night I went back to the restless sleep and vivid dreams. Vivid dreams sure are creepy!! But regardless I got up refreshed at 6 am. I started making some onion bread and rejuvelac so once I get off this feast I can have some of my favorite solid raw food.

Around 8 am I went into school to help out with journal orientation. I packed the cooler with two juices I made last night. While the journal had tons of pastries and bagels for breakfast and pizza and salad for lunch I had my juices. It actually wasnt bad at all. I didnt have any cravings or feel hungry at all. The juices were satisfying. My pumpkin spice juice was like a dessert!

I got home around 3ish and made my next 3 juices for tomorrow. After juicing I wasnt really hungry. So around 6 pm I had the third concoction. This one was suggested by Meredith. It really was delicious and refreshing!! I finished off the night with some watermelon juice. I love this stuff.

I have to say that during the day I am totally fine. Its night time that is difficult. Especially when I chill out and watch some TV. I want to nom on something solid. Overall though I feel normal. Not weak or deprived. I would say energy level is the same. Im peeing TONS. Im a bit concerned about this for my Wednesday schedule.

cravings: cashews (I totally cheated on Day 1 and had a handful ;( - but i was good today!)

Day 49: Day 1 of Juice Feast

Sunday - Day 49: Day 1 of Juice Feast

morning/afternoon: one mason jar (4 cups) of 4 cucumbers/ 2 limes juice
afternoon/evening: one mason jar of 3 tomatoes/ 2 1/2 red peppers / 1 carrot juice; one tablespoon of coconut butter
evening: 1/2 mason jar watermelon juice --> this is the best thing EVER. I originally had watermelon juice in Asia and I do not know why I never made it since Ive been back.

result: 2 poops

So I have been thinking about doing a juice feast. I started today because I ran out of most of my raw food and needed to go grocery shopping anyway. Also this is the perfect time to start due to the abundance of stuff coming out of my parents' garden. Plus I want to detox my system even more and hopefully rid myself of these damn headaches!

My mom and I went to Coventry's farmers market. Holy crap is that place huge! We got tons of stuff worth about $40 bucks. We also did a whole foods run and I got about $102 worth of veggies and fruits.
There is no challenge to this feast. I originally thought of doing a 7 day thing but changed it tonight. This is soo much harder than turning raw. I am having a difficult time drinking an entire mason jar. Usually half way through I am a bit repulsed. Im supposed to have about 4 mason jars a day! Ive only consumed 2 1/2 thus far and its already 9 pm. I am also not feeling very hungry. So I have decided to go as long as I can and however long the groceries last. But man am I peeing like a race horse.

I am also feeling pretty negative today. So perhaps I may turn this into a 7 day challenge once I start feeling better. But the negativity is because of the migraines I am getting. Last night I got another migraine. I was at a party, feeling fine, when an underlying headache started and got gradually worst until it turned into a migraine and I felt nausea and felt like I was going to vomit. I went straight home and into bed. I woke up today feeling better but still had a slight headache. It got bad again around 5 pm and now its subsided but still present.


So onto the feast...

Day 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

Day 44: Tuesday

morning: green berry smoothie
afternoon: spring mixed salad, watermelon, raspberries
evening: zucchini pasta with tomatoes, onion and ranch style dressing; watermelon; onion bread with nut cheese; cookie ice cream; watermelon

result: 2 poops

Day 45: Wednesday

morning: cashews
afternoon: zucchini pasta with tomatoes and ranch style dressing, raspberries
evening: 2 onion breads with chive nut cheese and tomato; cookie ice cream; raw corn on the cob; watermelon

result: 1 poo

Day 46: Thursday

morning: green berry smoothie
afternoon: zucchini pasta with tomatoes and ranch style dressing, raspberries, watermelon
evening: 2 onion breads with chive nut cheese and tomato; ice cream; cashews; raw cheddar cheese

result: 2 poops

Day 47: Friday

morning: cashews
afternoon: zucchini pasta with tomatoes and ranch style dressing, raspberries, watermelon
evening: onion bread with hamburger nut cheese, guacamole and tomato, watermelon; raw cheddar cheese; cacaonut ball

result: 2 poops

Day 48: Saturday

afternoon: onion bread with nut cheese and tomato
evening: zucchini pasta with tomatoes, onion, peppers and ranch style dressing; cacanut ball

result: 2 poops
detox: migraine again =/

Sunday - I am starting a juice feast today. Will do a separate post.

Day 42, and Day 43

Day 42: Sunday

morning: chive nut cheese on onion bread with tomato, red pepper and onion
afternoon: cashews, pepitas, cucumber/carrot/apple juice!, cookie
evening: zucchini and squash pasta with marinated mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes mixed with "ranch" dressing; cookie; onion bread with chive nut cheese; watermelon

result: 2 poops

Day 43: Monday

morning: chive nut cheese on onion bread with tomato
afternoon: handful of movie popcorn =/. it was Mindy's Bday and we went to the movies and she treated herself to some and I also had a handful.
evening: "hamburger" on onion bread with tomato, spinach and raw cheddar cheese; raw corn on the cob; raw cheddar, watermelon

result: 2 poops

I would also like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEREDITH!!!!!!!!!!! I am so grateful to have you in my life, leading and mentoring me on this path!! Have an awesome 9! birthday!

DAY 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41!

Day 36: Monday

morning: raspberries, my parents homemade raw pickles
afternoon: cream cheese on onion bread with tomato, cherries, homemade potato chips
evening: cream cheese on onion bread with tomato, raw sharp cheddar cheese from local coop, cherries, cheesecake

result: 1 poo

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Meredith just posted on her blog how to make this AWESOME delicious cheesecake. Go check it out!!

Day 37: Tuesday

morning: green berry smoothie with almond milk
afternoon: "chicken burger" on onion bread, guacamole, tomatoes; watermelon, cherries
evening: 2 onion breads with "cream cheese" and tomato; cheesecake

result: 2 poops

Last night I also made some onion bread! It is dehydrating away at the moment. I took it out on Wednesday and it came out AWESOME. I rule.

So I am definitely seeing detoxes from my one day binge. Besides those headaches Im getting weird stuff coming out of my bellybutton. ewww, right?

Day 38: Wednesday

morning: cherries
afternoon: mixed salad, watermelon, 1/2 of a cookie
evening: "wrap" with onion, red pepper, nut cheese and guacamole; cheesecake; onion bread with cheese and tomato

result: 2 poops

Day 39: Thursday

morning: green berry smoothie
afternoon: tomato, onion and cucumber in olive oil, cherries, watermelon, cookie
evening: 3 onion breads with cheese, tomato, pepper, onion; cheesecake; cookie; a sample of crackers

result: 2 poops

Last night I also finished making my chive nut cream cheese!! Im going to eat some tonight. It is sooo easy to make too! Go to Meredith's website to read the recipe. yummmm.

Day 40: Friday

morning: green berry smoothie
afternoon: mixed spring salad, watermelon, cookie
evening: 3 onion bread with nut cheese, red pepper, onion and tomato; cheesecake

result: 2 poops

Day 41: Saturday

morning: onion bread with nut cheese
afternoon: cucumber/carrot/apple juice!; wrap with avacado, nut cheese and tomato; cookie
evening: raw corn on a cob with coconut oil as butter; cheesecake; onion bread with nut cheese

result: 2 poops

I also weighed myself! I have officially lost 10 pounds since going raw 41 days ago. Woooo! Its exciting because I am eating like a fat kid and still losing weight. I am officially obsessed with the onion bread and chive nut cheese that I have made. I cannot stop eating it! yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Day 31, Day 32, blasphemous day 33, Day 34, Day 35

Day 31:

morning: watermelon, cashews
afternoon: creamy pepper soup, walnuts, ice cream, Mer's cake
evening: yellow coconut curry with cauliflower, grapes

Im being a fat kid today because Im studying for the MPRE that I take Friday. I have always eaten tons when I stress. SO not much has changed besides just being a healthier fat kid.

Day 32:

afternoon: zuchinni with marinara sauce, tomato, watermelon

evening: squash pasta with dehydrated mushroom, onion, tomatoes in a creamy nut based sauce that tasted like ranch!, cheesecake.

Thursday is raw night at the Kellogg's which means Meredith uncooking heavenly food. Wow wow wow was that dressing delicious.

Day 33: My monthly nonraw day....

morning: greeny berry smoothie (started off good....)
afternoon: NON RAW MEAL: this was my cheat day after taking the MPRE. I had half of ted's montana grill hamburger with chedder, bacon, sauted onions on top with french fires and onion rings.

Soon after I felt beyond heavy and lethargic. I actually had to take a nap. I continued to feel prego and exhausted. Poop was normal. But I got winded going up stairs? Mer gave me some enzyme pills to take to help my body digest the food. This day showed me that I definitely want to continue on the raw path.

evening: juice! (cucumber, apple, carrot)

Day 34:

morning: 4 cups of that juice!
afternoon: watermelon, grape, "cream cheese" on onion bread with tomato
evening: squash pasta with tomato, onion, mushrooms in ranch style dressing; cheesecake, 1/3 of a cookie, watermelon

Today I developed an intense headache. I believe that the headaches I have been experiencing lately are actually my physical detoxes. I read its common to get headaches when going raw as toxins escape your body. I think that is what happened today, my body trying to rid of my nasty eating yesterday. I actually had the intense headache into the next day of day 35.

To make this cream cheese go to Meredith's rawseed website. She put up a video explaining the process. Trust me, it is well worth making. YUM.

Day 35:

morning: cashews
afternoon: 2 "cream cheese" on onion bread with tomatoes and basil; watermelon; cheesecake
evening: eggplant mini pizzas, watermelon

The headache continued for a bit into today. Yuck. Im going to think twice about eating non-raw food once a month. Not sure if it was worth it.

ohhhhhhhhhh so I forgot to mention! I am a proud owner of an excalibur dehydrator! Everything just connected. I remember when I started this 30 day challenge I said that come day 30 I will make a decision whether I will continue on this path and if I do I will buy a dehydrator. So basically on Day 30 I got a message from a guy who said that he was selling his! Its the 9 tray brand new model at a good price, used only once. Hell yeah!! The forces have brought me to the deydrator, hinting that I must continue!

So today was my big day playing with it. I had an eggplant to use so I looked up some eggplant receipes. So I made the eggplant mini pizzas! I took the recipes off of goneraw.

Ingredients:

2 Eggplants, sliced in rounds 1/4 - 1/2 in. thick
2 cup Tomatoes, Chopped/sliced
¼ cup Olive Oil
2 tablespoon Basil, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced/pressed
¼ cup Onions, chopped
2 tablespoon Oregano, dried

Preparation:

1. Topping: In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the Eggplant.
2. Spoon topping onto eggplant rounds, and dehydrate at 118 (or desired temp) untill eggplant becomes crispy around the edges (about 8-12 hours.)

I only used one eggplant though but kept the ingredients the same. It was actually pretty good. I left it in the dehydrator for about 8 hours. Wasnt sure how crunchy it should have been.

I also made some strawberry raw ice cream! Its in the freezer but Ill report on the taste tomorrow. Im also attempting to make some potato chips. Will report.

Day Thirty!

So yesterday I officially concluded my thirty day challenge. I consumed the following:

morning: green berry smoothie with almond milk, cashews
afternoon: hamburger on bread with avocado and tomato, watermelon
evening: yellow coconut curry with cauliflower, grapes

result: 4 poops

Within this month I have lost about 7-8 pounds going raw. I feel awesome. I feel lightweight and I feel more energized. The lightweight feeling subsides a bit but I think its because one gets used to it. I bet if I ate a nonraw meal I would feel the difference. I didnt experience much of a detox physically, perhaps more mentally. I did experience some girl related changes. Going raw has also changed my dreams. When I first started my sleep was restless. My sleep is no longer restless but my dreams are far more vivid. Every time I wake from a dream Im almost jolted back to reality. Kinda strange. I still have cravings but they come and go and sometimes include raw related stuff like more veggies. I also feel far more in tune with my body. It tells me what it wants or if I have eaten too much of something. I also poop more than I used to. I also think I may have a weird allergy against cacao. Before going raw chocolate and coffee made me feel nauseous. As I no longer drink coffee, I definitely experience it when I eat cacao. Tiny portions are fine but small portions make me feel nauseous. Im wondering if this could possibly be sparking my migraines? All I know is that I just need to listen to what my body says. What I love about this way of eating is the fact that I can eat as much as I want. When Im hungry I eat, when Im not I can stop myself. While doing this I am still losing the weight! I am going to continue on with this journey. But I may once a month have a nonraw meal and suffer the consequences.

so the raw life challenge continues....

Day Twenty-Nine

SO yesterday I consumed:

morning: green strawberry smoothie with almond milk
afternoon: asian noodle salad with "peanut sauce," cherries, watermelon
evening: yellow coconut curry, slither of Mer's cake, watermelon

I first had chicken yellow coconut curry when I went to Laos in 2008. It was absolutely delicious. Ever since I used to make it regularly. It involves a yellow coconut curry sauce with chicken, potatoes and sticky rice. So yesterday I attempted to replicate it but raw style. Here are the steps I took and I dont really know the measurements because I did it to taste.

Yellow Coconut Curry
1 coconut
yellow curry
ginger
cayenne and chili powder
onion, peppers, mushroom
cauliflower to act as the rice
salt, pepper

Broke open a coconut, saved the water and took out the meat. I put the meat in the food processor and grounded it up. Then I placed the grounded meat and the water into a blender and blended it really well. Then dumped the stuff into a baggie to separate the milk from the meat. I bagged the meat and saved it to use for some other dish later.

I then put tons of yellow curry into the milk along with cayenne and chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix it around with a spoon. The spice mix should have more yellow curry then any of the other spices. Add some chopped onion, peppers, ginger and mushrooms.

Put some cauliflower in a food processor until its in little pieces. Add to a bowl and pour the yellow curry sauce over it. Pour as much as you like. In Laos the curry was in a soup bowl and you would dip the sticky rice in the sauce but raw style youll have to mix it all.

It came out good. Obviously not exact to the nonraw style but its amazing how the crunch of the cauliflower is very similar to the rice. I bet putting the veggies in the dehydrator for a bit would make it yummier. Also allowing the spices to sit in the milk for longer would allow it to absorb better. I noticed I had to use far more spices than normally because the lack of cooking everything.


So today is my 30th day of being raw! Ill update my food consumption and talk about my changes tonight or tomorrow.

Day Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight

Day Twenty-Six

morning: 4 cups of green juice!! (about 6+ cucumbers and an apple juiced), cashews

afternoon: hamburger on "rye" bread with guacamole, cherries, watermelon

evening: remainder of the rye bread and guacamole, asian noodles (zucchini and squash) with tomatoes with "peanut" sauce, cheesecake!, "cookie batter" --> yea i know, im eating like a fat kid.

result: 4 poops

Day Twenty-Seven

morning: watermelon, cherries

afternoon: tortilla chips with guacamole. I think Mer makes these from flax seeds.

dinner: asian noodles (zucchini and squash) with tomatoes and onion with "peanut" sauce, cherries, scoop of "ice cream"

result: 2 poops

went over mindy's and mer showed me how to make the brownie mixture for the best cake in the world.



Day Twenty-Eight

morning: cashews, watermelon

afternoon: "hamburger" on rye "bread" with guacamole and tomato, cherries

evening: guacamole with "tortilla" chips, meredith's heavenly cake!

result: 1 poop


cravings: ted's montana grill hamburger with fries, pizza

Day Twenty-Five

Thursdays mean spoiled night. And of course Meredith did not disappoint!

morning: onion bread with nut cheese

afternoon: spring mixed salad, cherries watermelon

evening: mint chocolate cookie, tortilla chips, shish kabobs (squash, mushroom, pepper, onion) asian noodles (zuchini) with asian "peanut" sauce, chocolate cake and cheesecake!!

result: 3 poops


holy crap did the cheesecake taste exactly like cheesecake. SO GOOD.


Check out Meredith's blog because she will be posting some recipes.

Day Twenty-Four

I consumed:

morning: carrot/cucumber/celery juice made by Meredith, pepitas

afternoon: cherries, guacamole on "bread," watermelon

evening: creamy red pepper soup, guacamole on bread, cacaonut ball, cashews, cherries, watermelon

result: 4 poops

So on Monday Meredith, Mindy and I were talking about how Mindy and I are quite spoiled raw newbies. Its totally true. Most people who start off raw are so limited in what they eat. But being exposed to people who have eaten raw for a period of time is awesome. We're lucky. Perhaps this is the reason why my transition has been easy. Yes, I have cravings. But who wouldnt after eating like the way I did for 26 years? I am already 5 days away to my original 30 day raw challenge. I believe the next step will be a 6 month challenge or even a one year challenge. But I definitely hope to make this a life change.

Day Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three

Day Nineteen:

morning: green berry smoothie

afternoon: mixed salad in olive oil with pepitas; cherries, watermelon

evening: potato pancakes with sour cream (one made out of jicama and the other with sweet potato), tortilla chipos with guacamole, 2 cookies

result: 2 poops

Day Twenty:

morning: green berry smoothie

afternon: cherries, watermelon, hamburger on onion bread with guacamole mix, nut cheese and tomato, cacaonut ball

evening: cashews, watermelon, rice cake type of bread with nut cheese and tomatoes, cacaonut ball

result: 2 poops

Day Twenty-One

morning: cashews, pepitas, watermelon

afternoon: cherries, 3 falafel balls mixed in with marinara sauce

evening: tortilla chpis, watermelon, cookie

result: 2 poops

Twenty-Two:

Today the raw gang of 4 went to NYC to eat at Quintessence. We feasted like beasts. It was delish!! We then walked it off and hung out in central park. Then we feasted again on desserts from One Lucky Duck. Mmmm dessert heaven. This is what I feasted on:

morning: green berry smoothie, cookie

afternoon: the gang shared the following: mexican platter, indian platter, pasta/ravioli platter, nori rolls with scallion cream cheese

evening: coconut water, moonpie, mallomar

result: 1 rabbit poo

It was awesome and delish. Unfortunately on the way back my migraine began. Every few months I get really intense migraines. They usually come from stress or other triggers. I got home around 11 pm and went straight to bed. I woke up in the morning of day twenty three and felt ok so I went into work. At work it got progressively worst and caused some vomiting. Not pleasant. This is the first time that I felt like shit while on raw. Of course it has nothing to do with being on the diet. Im hoping ill start getting less of them in the future.

Day Twenty-Three

morning: half of a green berry smoothie, cashews

afternoon: mixed salad, watermelon, cherries

evening: onion bread with nut hcese an tomato, hambuger on onion bread with guacomole mix, nut cheese and tomato

result: 4 poops

In the morning I could hardly eat and then I threw up most of the afternoon meal due to the migraine. I went home early and slept off the migraine. Thankfully it went away because at 7 pm my mom, Mindy, Mer and I were going to see Cirque Dream Jungle Fantasy featuring Deborah Gibson. It was pretty great especially the part where a ballarina performed some ballet on top of a guy's head!

Overall Impressions:
So this week has been officially week three. I no longer have restless sleep. I wake up ready to go full of energy. The weight loss has stayed the same at about 6 pounds. I feel good though. My cravings vary where I have none for a few days and an intense day on another.

Day Eighteen

I om nom nom nomed on the following:

morning: green berry smoothie

afternoon: mixed salad with avocado/tomato as dressing, watermelon, cherries, blueberries

evening: waermelon; meredith's cake aka the best cake ever; meredith's pesto pasta (zucchini as pasta) and "bread" dipped in olive oil with garlic and salt and pepper; cacaonut ball.

result: 2 poops

Day eighteen and seventeen have been difficult for some reason. My cravings for "normal" food came back. I kept thinking about greek style cheeeeesy pepperoni pizza. Then yesterday at lunch my co-workers and I went to a steak place. I couldnt stop looking at this steak they ate. While I was drinking my water with lemon an image kept running in my head. I pictured myself grabbing a piece of the steak off the attorneys plate and stuffing it in my mouth. Pathetic huh?

But it was all fine when I had dinner. How can you crave normal food when you eat like this? yumm

Day Seventeen

Today I consumed the following:

morning: green berry smoothie

afternoon: spring salad with "meat"; pepitas; cherries; blueberries

evening: spoonful of mashed cauliflower; burg with avacado/tomato dressing and tomato slices on onion bread; cherries; cashews; watermelon; 1/4 cacaonut ball.

result: 2 poops

Yay! I actually made a delish dessert. After having Meredith's yummy dessert yesterday I had a craving for something just as good tonight. I read online some truffle like recipes and then created my own with the ingredients I had.

Cacaonut Balls:

1/2 cup of coconut butter (I used Artisana's sold at Whole Foods)
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
sea salt
cacao powder

Mix the coconut butter with the honey and vanilla extract and add salt to your liking. Form into little balls and roll in the cacao powder. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. I would suggest placing it on wax paper because when I took them out they were stuck to the plate. Then eat! Put the remainder in the fridge otherwise it will melt. Warning: these are very rich! but yummmmmmy. Recipe makes about 8 balls.

Day Sixteen

Yesterday I consumed:

morning: green berry smoothie, a kiwi
afternoon: mixed salad with radishes, cucumbers and "meat" in olive oil; cherries
dinner: "tortilla chips" with guacamole, then two slices of "cake" that tasted better than any brownie I have ever had (of course one of Meredith's raw creations).

result: 1 poo (eek!)

After work I visited Mindy (Meredith's mother in law). She has been raw for almost 70 days now. She looks amazing and has lost at least 20 pounds. We talked about our detoxification. From reading online most people seem to experience a physical detox when turning raw. But Mindy and I seem to be experiencing more of an emotional/mental detox. I dont quite know what that means. I have definitely noticed I am far more emotional and short tempered. This detox is making me realize what I am unhappy with and I want to change that. So we'll see where all this goes.

Day Fifteen: failed attempt

So yesterday I attempted to make "steak" and "potatoes." I over used the garlic and so it didnt come out so good. In the picture it looks awesome but in the mouth it was just eh.

For the potatoes I used: cauliflower, cashews, olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. For the mushrooms I marinated them for a few hours in olive oil, noma shoyu, garlic, onions, salt and pepper. I just looked up random recipes and made up my own with the ingredients I liked but I didnt follow the measurements so that was likely the problem. Hopefully next time it will taste better!



So here is what I ate for the day:

morning: cherries, cashews, water mixed in with pomegranate/mango superfood wheat grass

afternoon: 2 falafel balls with some marinara sauce, more cherries and cashews

evening: steak and potatoes, watermelon, the last bit of my ice cream =/

result: 2 poops

Day Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen: TWO WEEKS DONE

Two Week Overall Impressions:

So yesterday was officially two weeks that I have been 100% raw. I feel AMAZING. I cant get over the energy that I feel inside. Its almost like im going to burst out. I love it. I cannot see myself going back to normal food. I am also starting to look at regular food as gross. For example, I went into the convenience store the other day, and all I could think about is all the processed stuff in there. I no longer saw it as food. I also no longer have cravings. Ill think about certain foods but its not like a craving but more of I want to replicate that into raw food! I have also lost 5 pounds since starting. Yay to feeling awesome!

Day Twelve

morning: green berry smoothie

afternoon: mixed spring salad with radishes and cucumbers, and meredith's "meat"; watermelon, raspberries

evening: leftover calzone and marinara sauce!!! watermelon, and ice cream!

result: 3 poops
best of all my new blender arrived!!








I was planning on making a new batch of marinara sauce. So I asked Meredith for the ingredients and recipe but the santa clause that she is she just whipped up a whole new jar for me! So after work I picked up the marinara sauce, the recipe and a pack of sundried tomatoes bag so I know what to get in the future. She truly is amazing and I feel beyond lucky to have her guiding and teaching me.

Day Thirteen

afternoon: falafel balls, marinara sauce, cucumber, "rice cake" bread with nut cheese!

evening: hamburg on onion bread with marinara sauce, nut cheese and basil with garlic; watermelon and ice cream!

result: 3 poops

Day Fourteen

afternoon: green berry smoothie, watermelon, pepitas

evening: creamy red pepper soup, watermelon, raisins, cashews

result: 3 poops


I also went to whole foods yesterday so I stocked up on plenty of new stuff. Today I am planning to experiment and make something new!

Day Eleven: Its Christmas!

Yesterday was a great day!



Morning: green berry smoothie

Afternoon: spring salad, watermelon, raspberries, sunflower seeds

Evening: stuffed mushroom, spaghetti made out of eggplant, marinara sauce, calzone, a siamese cherry and watermelon!!


result: 4 poops


Holy crap was this all good. Meredith is beyond awesome at this raw thing.


Yesterday was also like Christmas for me. Meredith stockpiled my weekly supply. She was totally santa clause and I was a little kid ecstatic for my goods.


I got the following: onion bread, rice cake type of bread, hamburgers, left over calzone, "meat" for my salad, falafel balls, cheese and ICE CREAM. Am I lucky or what?? So besides eating the most delicious meal and getting awesome goods we also watched Food Inc. Just watching that documentary makes me never again want to buy anything from the grocery store lol.

I told Meredith last night how I have not quite detoxed yet. I have been pooing more but no crazy change. So what happened last night? Massive poopies! haha I jinxed myself.

BUT I am still feeling awesome and continuing onto day twelve today.

Day Ten

Yesterday I actually attempted to make my first raw meal! I was suppose to pick up some goods from Meredith but she was still in NYC. I started looking up recipes of things I could make with the foods I had. I ended up making Creamy Red Pepper Soup. It was delicious! I changed up the recipe some. I used cayenne pepper instead of a jalapeno and put some chives in it. The soup definitely had a kick! It seriously only took like 15 minutes to make.

So here are the rest of the foods I ate:

Morning: green berry smoothie. And no, I am not getting tired of it yet!

Afternoon: coleslaw style salad: red cabbage, carrots, snow pears in olive oil with salt and pepper. Kaia foods sweet curry sunflower seeds, watermelon and a plum.

Dinner: soup! then cashews and watermelon.

result: 3 poops

I realize that I havent spoken much about what im drinking. Its mostly water. Prior to going raw that is mostly what I drank anyway. I dont like coffee or soda so this wasnt hard to give up. Orange juice is the only thing lacking but I can have that so long as I make it. Just lazy so far. But watermelon has served as a juice for me.

Tonight is raw night and Meredith is making a calzone. Eeek! I am so psyched for this! Onto day 11..

Day Nine

Yesterday I om nom nom nomed on the following:


morning: green berry smoothie
afternoon: a coleslaw style salad, granola
evening: hamburger on onion bread with avocado and cucumber then I snacked on watermelon and cashews.

result: 2 poops




Cashews have become my dessert. I cant stop eating them!! Help!





So I am super excited for thursday. Meredith is making a calzone AND ice cream. yummmmm. If I love anything, it sure is ice cream. I am also going over her place tonight after work to pick up my new weekly food. Cant wait to see what deliciousness I will soon eat. I am also likely around this weekend so Ill try and make my own concoction.

I finally also purchased a new blender. We have been using an osterizer from like the 80s. While the blender does its job, it takes ages to make a smoothie. I read a bunch of reviews online many of them suggesting vitamix or blendtec. But I seriously cant spend $400+ on a blender. I also looked into the Montel William's Healthmaster because that is what Mindy has and Meredith uses while there. It works awesome. However, all the reviews on it were horrible. Mindy just ended up getting really luck with hers. The reviews on the kitchenaid were great so I went for it. Ill write a review on how it goes.


So onto Day ten today. Woo!

Day Eight

Ahh boring Mondays. I definitely tend to snack more while Im at work.

So yesterday I had the following:

- morning: green berry smoothie. Just various mixed berries, no apple this time. With a little bit of raw honey and a scoop of the wheat grass.

- afternoon: Meredith's apple cinnamon raisin granola, salad with lots of various veggies including peas, then watermelon and kiwi!

- dinner time: hamburger on onion bread with avocado and tomato, watermelon, cashews

result: 2 poops


I am still feeling awesome minus the restless sleep. I weighed myself again and I just keep going down on the scale. Even on my period! Its nuts.

Day Four, Five, Six, Seven

I have been horrible at posting updates the past few days. However, I have been awesome at keeping raw.

Day Four:
Thursday consisted of my green berry smoothie for the morning, afternoon I ate some salad, cherries and granola. Dinner was delicious! Meredith made stuffed peppers and a salad with avocado dressing.


The peppers were stuffed with nut cheese and various veggies including onions and carrots. Omg was it good. Just looking at this picture im already craving it. For desert Meredith made us cacao milkshakes. yummmm.

result: 3 poops

Day Five:
Friday I had to pack for the entire day because I visited my friend at his beach house in RI. I packed up a salad (spring salad, radishes, cucumbers, pepitas, onion in olive oil), "hamburger" with my basil concoction and tomato. For snacks I brought cashews and the granola. On the way there I had a smoothie.
This day was definitely a challenge because Brandon's dad makes delicious food. They had lobster rolls for lunch and this chicken mixture for dinner. I literally had to leave when they were about to have dinner because I was so tempted to have some. It didnt help that his dad kept teasing me to have some, including bacon.

result: 3 poops

Day Six:
The next morning I packed up again because I headed to Boston to visit some friends. I brought cashews and pepitas for snacks. Watermelon and cherries for fruit and a salad. I picked up my friend Michelle and Jena and we headed to Newton, MA to go to the Prana Cafe for lunch. Its great that I have friends who are interested in trying out raw food.

We split "nachos" for the appetizer. I had some lasagna, Jena had tacos and Michelle had a burrito.
































The meal was DELICIOUS especially that marinara sauce I had. I also got some coconut pie to go. On the side of the pie was some raspberry type of dressing. The pie was just alright.


That night Michelle and I's farts were out of control. The stinkiest farts we ever had - methane like. It had to of been something in the nachos.

result: 2 poops

Day Seven:
I woke up in the morning and had the leftover watermelon. On the drive down back to CT I had some pepitas. Later that day I had the leftover salad and then at night I snacked on some cashews and watermelon.

result: 1 poop

Overall Impressions:
So it has been a full week. I am definitely feeling some changes inside. I just feel more energized and lighter. I weighed myself and I am 3 pounds less. The strange effects include the restlessness nights. This continues where my sleep is not deep but more aware. Raw eating also change my period. I take birth control and normally on the Sunday where I dont take a pill I dont get my period until Tuesday or Wednesday morning. But I immediately got my period this Sunday. This has never happened. Perhaps the superfood grass im eating with goji berries is causing this?

But overall I feel awesome and motivated. More and more I feel like I want to make this as a permanent change. Even the cravings have gone down. Im also not overeating which tends to be the case with other foods. I also feel extremely lucky to have around who are supporting me including my mom, dad, meredith, mindy and dustin. Also my friends who are interested and asking great questions instead of being weirded out.