Update and Guidelines

One great perk I found while doing this whole Low Fat Raw Vegan (mostly) thing is that when you start buying things in bulk from regular grocery stores no one knows what they are doing and they don't seem to care. About a week ago I ended up getting a 30 lb box of pears for ten dollars. Today, I got a 40lb box of organic apples for thirty dollars. I think I am enjoying this a little too much :)

I wanted to update you a little on how I am doing. So I have been eating as little fats as possible and as many carbs as possible for about three weeks now. The first two weeks I felt awful! I felt sick, but not sick enough to stay home from work. My throat hurt, I was tired, my stomach was sore, and I was achy. I ended last week with the most horrid headache. Saturday I went hiking with friends and enjoyed a fun game night through the headache. On Sunday I watched the Broncos win with my family, ate a few things which were not raw and had more fat and animal products than I would have chosen (there are just some things I will do for those I love), we finished off the day with sushi and I managed to have only veggie sushi with no fried contraband. Then on Monday I started feeling better. My husband and I went on a 30 mile bike ride So with the extra sleep I got on my long weekend I have been feeling wonderful this week and I have been feeling like I have been losing weight. I really hope this feeling continues. I have really been trying to keep up on my exercise though its limited to about 20 minutes a day. I have been trying to go to bed earlier, last week I took quite a few detox baths and I have been keeping my fat content to about 5% (thanks to www.chronometer.com).

There is a lot of different opinions about a low fat raw vegan diet and how many calories a person should eat. One opinion says everyone should strive for about 3,000 calories, one person says don't eat any onions, someone else says its ok to eat a few cooked carbs. Its so confusing I decided to take the principle and try to apply it to what I think is best for me. Because of how little I work out and sleep I decided that I should be eating between 1500 and 2000 calories a day. I don't limit myself, but this seems to be just about perfect. I don't crave food and I eat when I am hungry. So I came up with some goals for my diet and some guidelines to get me started. I will share them with you so you know a little of how I am doing this, I am not as strict as 80/10/10 and others suggest that you should be--I am just doing what works for me right now.

Guidelines

1.            Eat fruit and/or green juices/smoothies throughout the day.
   2.      Try to always eat a large salad/raw soup/or green juice at night.
   3.      Eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day.
   4.      Can drink warm lemon water or herbal tea in the morning
   5.      May have three cooked meals a week (I still like having date night with my husband and its nice not to have to make food once a week).
   6.      Can eat cheese twice a month.
   7.      May have chocolate if needed (I really haven't needed it at all)

Goals

1. To have more energy
2. To not need as much sleep
3. To be less stressed
4. To have a clear mind
5. Balance my weight and body fat

So this is what I am doing. I will be writing some more update posts as I progress through this diet. I decided the experimental period is three months. If these goals begin to be fulfilled, I will continue with this diet while it feels right for my body. 

Happy Juicing!!!

Cranberry Pomegranate Holiday Salad

     Before I get into the super yummy salad recipe I wanted to give you an update on my health and what I am doing right now. I have been kind of frustrated lately because I want to lose the last 10 to 15 lbs I feel like I should lose, but I have not been able to do this. I believe its because of some other life choices that I have been making. For instance I work a lot and I have chosen to get my master's degree so I am also taking classes. I leave my house at about 6:30am and have not been getting home till about 6:00pm (sometimes earlier and sometimes later) plus I take work home most days with every intention of getting it done, but end up using the rest of my time to make dinner, juices and smoothies for the next day and eat. I just don't know where the time goes. So the only time I get enough sleep is on the weekends and I can tell a difference in my belly size when I get enough sleep versus when I don't. That is just one example. I also am not able to get enough exercise, because I have to get up at 4:30 am at least to get in about 20 to 30 min of exercise in the morning. So many things, 'sigh.' I have been looking for a diet that allows me to not worry about how much I am eating, gives me tons of energy, makes my head clear, and helps my belly stay relatively flat without worrying about how much sleep I get. I have embarked on the 80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas Graham or Low Fat Raw Vegan Diet (LFRV) (sort of). I am not perfect and am giving myself cheat days, but would love to have the clarity and energy that the people who I see on this diet claim to have. I first got curious last December when Rande from http://thevegetablecentrickitchen.com/ tried the diet out for about three months or so, and then when I did my month of raw and had to try some different things I realized how my cravings lessened with the more fruit I ate. So I was intrigued. Now my plan is to try it out for about three months and see if my mood and energy levels change and if they do, great! and if they don't, I will try something else.

Today I had my first LFRV moment. I went to King Soopers to get some bananas and all they had was very green bananas so I asked one of the employees if there were any bananas which weren't so green. He went into the back and came back with two bunches of yellow bananas and asked if I wanted more. I asked how many more he had and he told me a whole case so I bought the case (later I calculated I bought about 38 lbs of bananas). When I was leaving after buying the bananas the cashier asked if the bananas were for Dairy Queen. I told her nope they were just for me and she looked totally confused, but (oddly for my shy self) I didn't care cuz I felt as excited about my case of bananas as my preschoolers feel about getting bubbles and water out for the sensory table. I was really ecstatic!
We will see how long this lasts :)

Now for the amazing salad!!!

Christmas Kale Salad

Can be fat free and raw if you want. 

3 small bunches kale

1 1/2 cups cranberries (you can use fresh or dried, I dried my own by soaking the cranberries in orange juice mixed with cinnamon overnight, then poked the cranberries with a knife and dehydrated them at 105 degrees for about 2 or 3 days. If you have a better dehydrator than I do you probably won't have to dehydrate them as long.

3 pomegranates

1 medium kabocha squash, thinly sliced, tossed in coconut oil and cinnamon and baked until soft. (you can leave this off if you want the salad to be completely raw, it is still amazing without the squash)
You could use fuyu persimmons instead of the squash or in addition to the squash :) (This is a later edit based on a super yummy salad I just made--Nov. 2014) 

Cut the kale off the stems and chop the leaves as small as possible. Blend the dressing in a blender and massage into the kale.

Dressing:

1 cup orange juice (about 2 oranges juiced)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (can soak cranberries in juice and cinnamon then use the juice for the dressing)

1 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup cilantro

2 medjool dates

salt to taste

After massaging the dressing into the kale layer the pomegranate, cranberries, and squash on top. 

This salad is very good. All of my family really liked it and I think that I will continue to make it for the holidays. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Juicing!!!

Pear Persimmon Green Smoothie

I know I promised you a salad recipe, but my dad has the picture in his camera so I can't show you what the salad looks like yet. I can tell you it is super yummy, can be all raw and low fat, and my family keeps asking for the recipe sooooooo it will be on my blog as soon as I can get the picture.

In the meantime here is a SUPER yummy smoothie recipe and if you are able to make it right now then I am very jealous of you. This smoothie features Japanese Persimmons, which I absolutely LOVE. During November and December I would go to the Asian market once a week and buy about 5lbs at a dollar a pound! This smoothie is what I would make with the persimmons which were too smooshy to eat, but still super sweet. Sadly the season ended just before Christmas and I cannot get them anymore. So if you can make this smoothie make sure you do, just for me :)

Pear Persimmon Green Smoothie

3 large pears

3 smooshy persimmons

1 cup nut milk (I used holiday pumpkin pie coconut milk, but that probably is not the healthiest idea in the world) 

so if you use plain nut milk or coconut water add about 1 tsp of vanilla and maybe about 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice if you so desire

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp spirulina (or you could through in some spinach or other green, I haven't tried it that way)

a large handful or two of ice

Place everything into a blender and blend away. When smooth pour into a glass, top with whatever you desire or nothing at all and enjoy!

Enjoy my smoothie which I cannot make and I will see you in the next week or so with a yummy salad!

Happy Juicing!!!