Operation Spring Clean my Bod

After a wild and crazy week at SXSW in Austin, my body felt in need of good clean eats.  Maybe it's psychological (probably not), but my pants are feeling a bit snug.  A while ago I read Crazy Sexy Diet and for the most part agreed with the info presented.  (More about that this weekend.)  The book ends with a "21 Day Cleanse" that is not too different from my normal way of eating- except for ixnay on the occasional glass of wine and/or nightly dessert.  I decided to give it a whirl.  Here are my eats from Day 1 of Operation Spring Clean my Bod:

Breakfast

Spinach/Kale/Strawberry/Banana Smoothie

Lunch

Palak Paneer (from Crazy Sexy Diet-almost followed the recipe)

a few olives

an apple 

Pre-Workout Snack

Raw Food Real World corn chips

avocado

Making Dinner Snack (I was starving, darn it!)

Spicy Almond Butter Kale Chips (I will share the recipe when I decide if I love them or not)

Kombucha (picture taken with sunset at 8pm!!)

Dinner

Giant salad with sauerkraut and hemp seeds

Sweet Dijon Dressing from Crazy Sexy Diet 

Dessert (because I don't really like following rules)

Frozen banana (whipped up in FP)

 a little caramel sauce 

So, my food intake today was not that different than pre-Austin eats.  Normally I might snack a bit more after my workout because I get crazy hungry but today I just had a few kale chips and ate an early dinner.  I also usually have a more aggressive dessert.  The other change I made is to try to finish eating by 7pm (as opposed to eating at 9pm). 

Question:  What do you do when your body feels in need of a spring cleaning?  

Sippy Sunday Sake

I got out of bed at 10:00 today!  Granted, I was lying in bed reading, but still.  That means my morning green smoothie happened at about 11:00 a.m.

Before heading out on a ski I fixed up some curry sauce from Delightfully Raw (using macadamia nuts instead of cashews).  I dumped a little sauce over kelp noodles and assorted chopped veggies, then put the whole mess in the D.  When we arrived home starving, a deliciously warm lunch was awaiting us. 

(I think I let my sunflower sprouts go to long; however I've read mixed reviews about if this is okay or not.  I'm still eating them, long tail and all.)

It seems that I've started a wee Sippy Sunday Sake tradition.  I've mentioned how I stopped drinking wine Mon.-Fri.  However, on Saturday and/or Sunday I usually imbibe in a bevvie.  Today I made: 

Blueberry Slushies

1 16 oz bag frozen blueberries 

juice of one lemon

1 cup sake

1/4 cup agave

dash of vanilla

dash of salt

Blend above ingredients until slushie.  Share with three other people (or not). 

Dinner tonight, as usual, is a giant salad (head of romaine, sprouts, sauerkraut, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, hemp dressing from Delightfully Raw). 

TH is having raw Hawaiian style pizza with a smaller salad.

Question:  How was your Sunday? 

Coming Soon...New Desserts!

After a fabulous weekend in Anchorage with family, I came home to fun surprises:  a gorgeous box of Full Circle Farm goodies, and two new books at the P.O.

source

source

I briefly skimmed Crazy Sexy Diet, which has been all over the blogoshpere, and was pleased to see Carr praising both green juice and green smoothies.  I actually had a smoothie for both breakfast and lunch today.  They are so easy and filling, especially if you have a kick-ass blender like Viv.   For today's lunch smoothies (two huge servings) I used 2 1/2 cups water, 1 tablespoon spirulina, 1 tablespoon maca, 1 tablespoon coconut oil  and:

lots of spinach +

mango and orange +

green glory

a handful of frozen nanners =

I also made Banana Cream Pie from Sweet Gratitude, which I will review tomorrow after having a piece.  I added a few extras and I'm pretty much predicting awesomeness. 

Question:  What are you reading right now?  Is it good?

Cabbage: It's Not Just for Smelling Stinky

(To the person I was driving behind late this evening:  I was not tipsy!  FYI:  I didn't have a drop of wine- as punishment for breaking my no-workweek-wine rule on girls' night Wednesday.  I admit I may have been swerving, but that was only because I was trying to dip zucchini slices into hummus, which was straddled precariously between my legs.  It turns out it's a long way from my lap to my mouth, and many aggressive dips did not make it that far.  I wanted to clear up this misunderstanding when we both pulled into the gas station, but I had red pepper hummus spread between my legs and smeared all down my front.  Sigh.)

My breakfast smoothie was (accidentally) so damn good this morning.  It was incredibly creamy and filling; I sipped it happily all morning.

1 1/2 cups coconut water 

1 T maca

2 t spirulina

1 T coconut butter

3 cups spinach

1 frozen banana

2 pears

2 tangelos

Lunch was a cabbage wrapped burrito with the Raw Food Real World fixings I made last weekend.  Absolutely delish.  Cabbage leaves make excellent, crunchy wrappers.  

Last night I made a springform creation for my dinner date this evening, but pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.  I did manage to use up some coconut manna in the form of a coconut icing.   I topped the last of Sweetly Raw's chocolate mousse with a tiny icing tad.

Question:  What's your favorite burrito wrapping?  

  

Whining about Winelessness

This week I decided to go back to my pre-Christmas break policy of wine only on the weekends.  I don't think it's all that great for my body to have wine each evening, especially not the ten second pour that TH serves.

Well, it has been harder than I imagined.  The teenage natives who migrate through my classroom on a daily basis have been significantly restless this week, practicing pre-mating rituals like Pencil-Grab-and-Hide and Everyone Look At Me Because I'm Doing Something Funny.

I've found myself wanting to break my self-imposed rules several times, but I've managed to hold strong,  in part due to replacing my wine glass with a bottle of kombucha.

I find it interesting that the entire bottle of Synergy only has 4 grams of sugar.  It tastes so sweet to me.  Does anyone know how to explain this?

Now that I'm not drinking workweek wine, I can actually remember what I ate all day (just kidding!!).  For breakfast I had my usual green smoothie, which looks a little purple due to frozen cherries and chard. 

Lunch involved Russell James's Nut-Free Bread, veggies, hummus, and olive tapenade (recipes from Raw Food Real World).  

My pre-P90X snack was buckwheat cereal (Raw Food Real World again) and Pacific Natural Foods hemp milk (didn't have time to make my own).  

(old picture)

While making dinner, I ate my weight in greens (in the form of kale chips). 

Do a post-munch teeth check if you are eating these in public. 

For dinner I ate my normal giant salad, this time covered in hemp dressing from Delightfully Raw.

I'm thinking dessert will be mango sorbet.  

Question:  What kinds of rules do you hold yourself to?  Are they hard to follow?  

Viv Goes to Town, Part 1

Sometimes I wonder if Viv ever gets tired.  I made her earn her keep today!  (TH wants to buy me earmuffs,  to protect my ears.  I made him happy by wearing my earplugs.)

We had lovely smoothies this morning, chock full of chard, frozen bananas, mango, mandarins, spirulina, protein powder, and coconut oil.

Then Viv and I did our thang, getting yummies ready for the workweek and for dinner at a friend's this  evening.

I have good news to report.  The bread that I was so worried about yesterday tastes a lot better with toppings.  

Russell James's Nut Free Bread

Delightfully Raw's Tomato Sauce 

Russell James's Macadamia Mozzarella

Olive Tapenade from Raw Food Real World

Shrooms marinated in Bragg's, garlic, and EVOO

I also made two new-to-me kale chip recipes.  BBQ (yummmm) from Raw Candy and Wasabi  from Affairs of Living.  I was looking for something nut free and delicious and these two recipes delivered the goods.  I think I will use more wasabi powder for the second recipe next time.  (I know liquid smoke and wasabi are probably not totally raw, but neither am I!) 

Of course I took full advantage of the opportunity to make dessert for raw curious friends.  I went with the springform mode once again, layering a chocolate crust with caramel, avocado chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and chocolate caramel candies.  I think it's too soon to remove the springform, so I will return with a full bite by bite report tomorrow. 

I need to head out the door, so Vivian's escapades will be continued at another date.  Have a lovely evening!  

Question:  Have you ever accidentally started your lidless blender (full of liquid) with your husband sitting in exactly the wrong place?  

Feliz Ano Nuevo

This morning Viv pulverized to perfection a mango, tangerines, collard greens (I think), Sun Warrior raw protein powder, and spirulina.

Yesterday we made a successful crossing of Zihuatanejo Bay in TH's alpacka raft.  It was a bit bouncy and unstable but we made it to Paty's just in time for Happy Hour. 

Random Zihua scenes:

P.S.  If you ever make it to Paty's for Happy Hour, I advise just saying no to a fourth round.  Otherwise you may find yourself peeing in random bushes on the way home, chasing kitties (who apparently don't want to be petted), and trying to persuade your spouse to enter a local ranchero dance contest.  Ay carumba!  

Green Smoothies Revisited

One of my favorite things about eating raw is drinking a giant breakfast smoothie each morning.  I had no problem giving up coffee when I began starting my day with a glass of green energy.  Smoothies are great because you can use whatever produce you have available.  Blend a mix of the following for gorgeous green goodness:

• Fruit, fresh or frozen.  The only fruit I haven't enjoyed in a smoothie is kiwi- it makes my tongue feel furry.
• Leafy greens.  I like spinach, kale and rainbow chard.  While visiting my parents this summer I stuffed Vivian full of chickweed from their garden.  (I liked it, but my sister's boyfriend said the smoothie tasted like mowing the lawn.)
• A healthy fat to increase nutrient absorption.  I use coconut oil, but avocado, almond butter, flaxseed, and hemp seed are all delish as well.
• Extras- only if you are looking to take your smoothie to a whole 'nother level:  
• spirulina- blue-green algae high in B 12
• raw protein powder (I love Sun Warrior-cool name, right?)
• maca- a powdered Peruvian root that tastes yummy and is said to increase, ahem...energy and stamina in a certain room of your house that contains a bed
• There are endless supplements you can add to your smoothie, but keep it simple at first!

My smoothie this morning was packed with frozen bananas (I always have cut-up, ripe nanners in the freezer), pears, an apple and pomegranate.  

Giant dinner salad (spinach, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, leftover marinated veggies and olives.  Yum. 

Of course a little dessert was necessary.  I had a few Super Caramel Chocolate Tarts from Delightfully Raw hiding out in the freezer.  

Let's Talk about Buckwheat

I had the pleasure of sleeping in today, as school was cancelled again due to freezing rain and treacherous roads.  We slept so late that we enjoyed our smoothie at sunup:  around 10:00!

smoothies make me happy 

So, grains and dairy are two things I rarely eat.  My digestive tract doesn't enjoy them and I've been freaked out about dairy since reading The China Study.  However, I do miss the grainy heartiness of granola and crackers, which is why I adore buckwheat!  Buckwheat is gluten free (it's actually a dried fruit seed, related to rhubarb) and when soaked and whirled about in the food processor it can make some pretty tasty treats.

I soak buckwheat overnight, then drain and strain the groats.  They get really slimy!  Preparing buckwheat requires a fair amount of water, which is something to consider if you are living in a dry cabin, but for me it's worth it.

buckwheat cereal

I experimented with making a raw buckwheat pizza crust this morning.  It's in the D now, hopefully I'll have pizza pictures to share later this afternoon.