Living Rawesome

End of The Raw Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 30, 2010

I haven’t written in a week, but I still have been truckin’ along with my raw food life! I am sitting here right now eating a collard wrap with fermented Chipotle Almond Cheese and loving every bite. I have continued to eat mostly raw, there are some things that I ate that weren’t, such as, Ezekial Bread, Millet bread, hummus, and peanut butter. I have to be honest here, at first I thought I could do it with just all raw, but bread calls me, even though I know it makes me feel icky if I have too much. I wish I could find a raw version of bread that doesn’t taste like it’s turning to mold. It’s not even the taste I like, it’s more the “comfort” of it all. But collards are my new burrito shells. I have been experimenting in my kitchen so much lately. I am not into making too many desserts these days. I would rather get low glycemic ingredients. They just make me feel better.
I haven’t posted this last week because it was my birthday, potluck and Jason’s birthday. I stayed on the raw path, but I ate such a variety of food that I was honestly lazy and didn’t write everything down.

I have learned so much on this trip that I want to continue with as much raw as possible. I have been sticking to my workouts. I haven’t been doing as much exercise with weights this last week. I have been biking, walking and yoga. I went to my first yoga class of this year, last Friday. It gave me a jump start with my yoga practice again. I have been waking up in the morning to do the 5 Tibetan Rites. I received this video link through an email from the Raw Reform. I of course watched it and thought it would be good to start my day, and I did it once and now I am hooked. It makes me sweat in less than 5 minutes. It’s interesting that such low impact movement can do that, when I can spend 15 minutes on the elliptical at a fast pace and I still don’t start sweating. Yoga is amazing, and makes my spirit and body submerge as ONE! I love it for the grounding energy I feel. I appreciate my body more and really pay attention to it. I am looking forward to going tomorrow to the class again.

I weighed myself today and honestly don’t feel like sharing the weight just yet, but I did lose 4 pounds. Jason measured me and my measurement did come down some. I would’ve liked to see more change, but hey, I know I have gained so much from this. I want to continue it forever!
My Measurements:
8/29/10 Left Leg: 26 inches, Hips 40 inches, Waist 36 inches, Chest 41 1/2 inches, Left Arm 14 inches.
9/30/10 Left Leg: 25 1/2 inches, Hips 38 1/2 inches, Waist 36 inches, Chest 40 inches, Left Arm 13 1/2 inches.
I don’t know how my waist didn’t come down some, ironic that, that is the measurement I was most worried about, because of Dr. Oz’s comment on his show about how the woman’s waist size should be less than 35 inches.

After this month challenge I know I will continue to be fit and eat right.
Another thing I learned is that I DON’T LIKE GOING TO THE GYM WITHOUT JASON! He took a few days off and I didn’t want to go without him. I need to get over that, but I am going gentle on myself and I am active almost everyday. One thing that I forgot when I learned about “RAW” is that exercise is as just as important as eating right. It took me a while to realize it again, but now that I am back getting “FIT”, I want to continue to exercise, eat right, spend time with God, and keep exploring my inner beauty.
**I will post pics tomorrow.

Thank you Santiago at The Raw Food Muscle for this wonderful challenge. I will continue to be inspired by you and your beautiful wife!

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~Author Unknown

Days #20 and 21 The Raw Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 22, 2010

Today has been a lazy day. I felt so incredible yesterday and today I feel drained. I have been eating about the same that I have been for the last month. I didn’t ruin my raw food choices, but last night I made raw chocolates for Victoria and I tried some and I really felt sick. I tried to make them with Xylitol, and I personally don’t like them. Jason said they are good, but I don’t even want her to try them. I am quite embarrassed, but I tried to make them. The granules will not blend up. I even tried to grind them in the coffee grinder but to no avail. I still feel the crunchiness on my teeth. I don’t like Xylitol. I do use it when I chew the Spry gum, but I don’t ever want to eat it in Chocolate treats. So I am made some raw chocolate yummies with maple syrup and a touch of agave. I know, I know, I don’t want to use agave, but I was afraid the maple syrup would be too overpowering.
I used the a recipe on Goneraw.com to make Raspberry Belgium Chocolates. They, by the way, are extraordinary. I made them for the potluck and some to share with Victoria. I hope she likes them along with everyone else. Mine are not picture perfect like the website, but they are amazing in flavor!!!!!!!!

Exercise:
My exercising is going great. I did 15 miles on the bike on Monday, and I also walked with my dogs. Yesterday I went to the gym did some circuit training and did the elliptical for 30 minutes. One thing I know is that cardio is much better outside than inside on the hamster wheel. But I do like to have the option.

I am on the way to my parent’s house for the monthly Raw Food Potluck and to enjoy my “raw food friends” and delightful yummies.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Jesus Christ

Days #18 and 19 The Raw Food Muscle Challenge

September 19, 2010

Yesterday and today were successful with the eating choices. I ate plenty of greens and plenty of veggies. Not too much fat and mostly raw (with the exception of cashews and possibly the tahini I use. But I won’t give it up! The Tahini is the best ever:)

No exercising yesterday. I felt so exhausted, so I slept most of the day. I slept while the boys played with the BB Gun and watched the Gator game. I can always take a nap when Jason’s home. It is the only time I feel I can rest.

Today’s exercise was a bit of hoola hooping. I have missed it and didn’t get to the gym. I will start early tomorrow. I am looking forward to going back, I needed some time off.

Day #18 Food choices:
2 green smoothies with banana, strawberries, Garden of Life Protein and spinach.
1 cup of grapes
1 cashew lara bar
Big Salad of broccoli and lettuce with Raw Crackers with Tahini Garlic and Lemon dressing with Chocolate Honey fudge
Zucchini Spaghetti with Marinara sauce with lots of basil
1 cup parsnips and cashew rice with tahini and a bit of sesame oil
Buckwheat cereal with protein milk and strawberries
Calories~2436

Day #19 Food Choices:
Green Soup with Kale, kelp, onion, red pepper, cucumber, and cumin with sprouted lentils
parsnip and cauliflower rice on salad with Empanadas with a bit of cashew cheeze
Clementines
Bananas with mesquite and cacao
Parsnip rice rolled in chard
zuke spaghetti with marinara and some cashew cheese
lime date torte
Calories~2120

Off to bed, I am ready to go read and relax.

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.~unknown

Days #16 and 17 The Raw Food Muscle Challenge

September 17, 2010

Today I feel pretty drained and I feel that I have failed the raw food thing today:(. I will learn from my experience and not dwell on it.

Ezekial bread and raw chocolate doesn’t really belong in my house, because it haunts me! Tomorrow is a new day. I feel that if I was doing this challenge with someone close by I would be doing better, but at least I am back in the swing of things with the eating raw and exercising.

I didn’t exercise today and yesterday I rode my bike. I will relax tonight and do better tomorrow. I realize too that I need to eat less. I feel that if I ate meat I know I wouldn’t eat as much because I don’t like it at all and I love raw food, especially the desserts.

I did make the best chocolate ever, my son LOVES it.

Recipe:
1/2 cup cacao
1/3 cup honey
2 T water
2 T coconut oil, melted

Stir and put into small parchment lined pan and freeze, it comes out like Taffy:) Oh my gosh, delicious!

I have overeaten for 2 days now on too much walnut cake and chocolate, so the last two days are pretty much down the drain, but tomorrow is another day. I did eat mostly raw, other than ezekial bread. That darn stuff. Well, goodnight

“I eat merely to put food out of my mind.”
N.F. Simpson (1919–)

Days #14 and 15 The Raw Food Muscle Challenge

September 15, 2010

I didn’t post yesterday, I meant to last night, but our rabbit was sick and we had to go to the emergency animal clinic last night at 11:00 pm.  The bunny seems to be doing better, but we will see.  He has head tilt, which is quite common, I guess. So he is on antibiotics and we are hand feeding him. He is drinking and eating quite well, so hopefully God will allow us a few more years with him.

Day #14 Food Choices:
Cantaloupe and Cucumber Smoothie
Before Gym: Buckwheat cereal with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and raw protein milk
After gym: apple and banana celery and AB
Ezekial Bread (I didn’t have any raw bread made) with banana and AB
cacao beans, honey, and almonds
Cauliflower rice with a bit of sesame oil and braggs
Zucchini Spaghetti with Marinara

Day #14 Workout:
45 minute bike ride
Chest and Shoulders
All exercises were 3 sets of 20 reps superset of following
Incline Chest (15 lbs) and Dumbbell pullovers (15 lbs)
Peck Deck 40 lbs. and pushups (Pushups were hard to do all regular, so I had to do knee pushups for the last 5)
Bench Press (just bar) and Incline Flies (15 lbs)
DB Shoulder Press (20 lb ez curl bar) and High Pulls same bar
Shoulder raises front and side with 5 lbs
Rear Laterals (5 lbs) and Shrugs (35 lbs)

Elliptical for 15 minutes HIIT training

Day #15 Food Choices:
Cantaloupe and Cucumber Smoothie
Buckwheat cereal with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and raw protein milk
Ezekial Bread with AB (still need to make bread)
Almonds, cacao beans, honey
Sprouted Lentil Salad and zuke spaghetti with marinara and nutritional yeast
Fudge and small slice of Walnut cake
Nectarine
*Definitely not enough greens, too many sweets!
Calories~2345

Day #15 Workout
Raquetball and Stadium stairs
*I took it easy today. It was beautiful outside so Jason and I played rball. It wasn’t much of a workout, but the stairs really kicked my booty:).

I continue to make many sweet choices over what I should be eating, like salads or smoothies. I missed my green smoothie today and yesterday. Sometimes I just don’t want one. I have been craving juice lately, but I did spend some time in the kitchen today. I made several things to help me not eat things I shouldn’t, ie. bread. Bread is my weakness. I do feel like my head is cloudy since I ate the flour stuff this weekend. I should’ve used better judgement, even though there were wild edibles in the treats I ate, there were too many bad ingredients to make the recipe worth while. Oh well, I will know for next time.

Off to sleep now. I am really tired, I was up too late to wake up as early as I did this morning. Tomorrow I will bike if the weather is good.

“A house is not a home without a pet.” ~ Anonymous

Days #12 and 13 The Raw Food Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 13, 2010

I didn’t keep track of all of my food yesterday because I had a little party with the Raw Ladies. I did ride my bike for an hour and I drank some smoothies, then had a big feast with lots of raw yummies. The ladies are so talented. I didn’t take photos, but I am waiting for Marsha to send me them. They surprised my for my birthday with cake and presents. It was a “Magnificent” day:)

Day #13 Food Choices:
Green Smoothie with spinach, raspberries, coconut water, and apples
Sunny burgers from Ani Phyo’s book
After the gym:
Bananas with kale and acai
Nectarine
Mock Salmon inside of a half of a red pepper
Buckwheat cereal with carob and Garden of Life Protein
Mung beans with vinegar and garlic
Store bought hummus with carrots and celery and AB
Dessert: Here is where I ruined my eating:(
Shredded coconut with carob, honey and coconut oil
Calories: 2500
Day #13 Workout:
All exercises were 3 sets
Smith Machine Squats 15 reps 10 lbs superset with 15 Pulldowns with 80 lbs.
Partial Squats on Smith Machine 15 reps with 5 lbs superset 20 reps of rows with 20 lbs
Leg Press with 10 lbs 25 reps superset with underhand pulldowns with 80 lbs.
Leg Extension with 60 lbs for 20 reps superset with Split Squats with 10 lb dumbbells
Front bar squats for 3 sets for 15 reps superset with 1 set step ups on bench(I was not feeling good by this time).
*Early morning bike ride for 45 minutes

One thing is for sure…I am dedicated to the gym. The eating part has always been difficult for me. But I feel like I am making progress by dedicating my time to the gym and not slacking there.

“Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.”~Aristotle

Day #11 The Raw Food Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 11, 2010

Well, I woke up with a very sick stomach and felt really bad and gassy. I knew that I shouldn’t eat that flour stuff, this is not the first time I have felt sick from it. Any how I did eat today, but not as much.

Day #11 Food Choices:
Coconut water, spinach, acai powder, very small banana, celery, raw protein smoothie
apple, pear
Empanadas with cashew cheese and red pepper with some nori on the side with chili almond sauce
Buckwheat cereal with raw protein and water and 1 T sunflower seeds with cinnamon and stevia
Buckwheat wrap with almond butter

Calories~1800

No exercise today. I needed a break. I will start again Monday morning. I have a raw potluck tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait to see my “Raw Ladies”! They really are so special to me, I love you all:)

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one”~C.S. Lewis

Day #10 The Raw Food Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 10, 2010

I just returned from the Incredible Edible enormous spread at Chinsegut Park.  What an amazing experience that was!  This event happens once a year in Brooksvile.  The volunteers and staff harvest wild food all year long and prepare it for everyone to enjoy.  They had an array of beautiful and nutritious food, including wild greens, pancakes made with Black Walnut and Persimmon Syrup, Wild Grape Jam, Sumac-ade, Wild Grape Juice, Tread Softly cooked with Cactus, they even had venison burgers and wild hog stew.  I tried several of the treats and we brought home several dishes for Jason to try.  The kids and Grandpa had fun and I just LOVED it.  I want to go back to the next one.  I will be making some Sumac Tea in the next few days, and I have plenty of Spanish Needle in my yard to keep my Green Smoothies amped with Wild Raw Yumminess!

There are so many foods right near my home that are edible.  The Spanish Needle can be used in salads and the flowers can be eaten or used for tea.

Spanish Needle Flowers

The Beauty Berries were used for jelly and can also be used for tea.  I have always been told that the beauty berries are poisonous.  But I had some jelly tonight and I am doing okay;-)

Beauty Berries

Sumac-ade and Wild Grape Juice

Sumac is beautiful and so are the Wild Grapes.  They are both out this time of year (September).

Sumac Tree and Flowers

Wild Grapes

This was my plate, so as you can see I ate some cooked stuff and I ate processed ingredients.  I haven’t done this in so long.  Right now I feel okay, but who knows about tomorrow.  I didn’t eat all of this plate, I saved it for Jason, but I did have 3 persimmon and wild hickory nut cookies, and I really don’t know how they were made.

My Sample Plate of Wild Foods

I would say that I overate FOR SURE. My food choices were pretty much the same as yesterday, but ate some stuff not on the plan, I won’t dwell on it. The Incredible Edible experience was something different and something I have been waiting for.

Day #10 Exercise: My exercise was good today.  I did legs and back at the gym.

3 sets 15 reps of each exercise
Warm up
Squats, superset with plie squats on smith machine with 20 lbs. then one arm rows with 30 lb. dumbbells
Straight leg deadlifts with 30 lb dumbbells followed by T bar row machine with 25 lbs.
pushups superset smith machine pullups
Wide grip pulldowns with 80 lb dumbbells
*I am forgetting one leg exercise and one back. I am really tired.

Well, I am off to sleep. Goodnight. Hope to be completely raw tomorrow.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”~Buddha

Day #9 The Raw Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 9, 2010

I just got home from Football practice. It’s been a long day today. I had a great bike ride this morning with Jason. We rode for 45 minutes. We didn’t go as far as I would have liked, but I won’t complain because I got to spend time with him. I did pretty good on my eating today for this challenge. There is not alot to say tonight, other than I realized that on the average I eat about 2300 calories and maintain my weight, so I need to cut more food out. I know that I don’t want to exercise too much more than I have been.

Day #9 Food choices and exercise:
Biking for 45 minutes
Buckwheat cereal with rice protein milk sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup berries

Buckwheat cereal with rice protein milk sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and a small apple with cinnamon

Empanadas with onion, tomatoes and cilantro

Coconut water and spinach with raspberries

Buckwheat wrap with banana and AB *Note* I really just wanted a salad, but I was too lazy to make it. My kitchen was a mess and I wanted to eat something then that was quick.

Dinner: Cauliflower “fried rice” with peas and sesame oil and a touch of Braggs LA.

Snack at night: celery, grape tomatoes, and carrots.

Hot Tea
Calories:~2,030
Well, I am hitting the gym tomorrow, so now I am going to lounge on the couch with my man:)

Eating Superfoods, vegetables, and herbs is essential!  It is our insruance policy for health and long life.~David Wolfe

Day #8 The Raw Food Muscle Fitness Challenge

September 8, 2010

Well, another day down for this lovely time in my life. I am so grateful that I have discovered this challenge. It really hasn’t been so much of a challenge for me, but rather a discovery of my love of RAW again. I have been making recipes everyday of some sort. I made coconut wrappers today and Ani Phyo’s Sesame bread. I actually made them for a friend. I bought her coconuts and I bought some too, so I have lots of water and will have plenty of coconut jerky. I made coconut jerky with apricot balsamic vinegar marinade. They are in the refrigerator overnight then I will dehydrate them for 24 hours or less. I want them chewy, not hard.

My food choices today were great, but again the calories were high. I may not be eating the amount that I should but I will get it fine tuned. It’s all a learning experience for me. I haven’t been almost raw and counted calories the way I have been. So it is fun for me to discover more of what my cravings are and what time of day I like to eat.

One problem I feel I am having is dinner time. I feel I want something more substantial. Tonight I had sunny burgers on collards with tomato and onion, but to me that felt more like lunch. It made my belly full though, so that is all I needed. I spent some time tonight looking for some recipes. I will go shopping this Friday and get some yummy food for recipes.

Day #8 Food Choices and workout:
Buckwheat cereal with almond milk 1 T sunflower seeds and 1 T pumpkin seeds and berries

Went for a 20 mile ride and came home and drank a huge green smoothie with melon, spinach and coconut water.

Gym to do back and abs. All exercises performed were 10 reps except pulldowns these were 15. 3 sets Deadlifts with Straight bar and 40 lbs., 4 sets T bar rows with 30 lbs., 3 sets one arm rows with 30 lbs. superset with smith machine pullups., 3 sets Bent over rows 60 lb ez curl bar, and pulldowns with light weight (more like a stretch). Abs: side bends and weighted ab machine

Collard wraps with lentil salad with 2 small apples

Empanadas with cilantro, tomatoes, onion

Super food smoothie with coconut water, goji berries, acai, mesquite, carob, cacao, stevia, banana and tons of ice:)

Buckwheat wrap with banana and carob and PB (I need to buy AB)

Collard wraps with Sunny burgers with onion, and tomatoes

Total calories~2500.

I even feel a bit hungry, so I don’t know, maybe I am eating too much, but maybe not. I guess I will see in one month when I have the results of this challenge.
The bike ride was the best today. I really enjoyed myself. I am hoping my hubby will go tomorrow with me. He hasn’t been down the bike trail as far as I have been now.

“Live like we’re dyin'”~Kris Allen