Entries tagged with raw food thoughts

Current Mood: content

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Menu and meal planning confession

Current favorite eats: The Beet Burger

Now, let me start this off with a frustrating fact/confession:
I am THE WORST at meal planning.
I can try and try and try and try - but I still haven't seemed to get it down to a science....in spite of how much I love and crave structure in my life.

Here's another fun fact about me: I don't like to do things the way other people do them.
I've read about, researched, and talked to many people concerning meal planning and the "proper technique" for effectiveness. None of it makes sense to meee! I'm stubborn. I like to pick things apart and translate them into my own language...but I'm lazy too. Hehheh.

Maybe it's because I spend so much time reading my old cook books and thinking about new food ideas. Either way I'm just about at my wit's end.
I WANT TO MEAL PLAN, goshdarnit!
And I'm gonna do it if it kills me!

So what does this mean?
I don't have any clue --- yet.
But I DO know that I've got two kitchen journals brimming with my own food recipes, decent stuff that's easy to make, and yummy too. AND I've got a plethora of really fun vintage cookbooks that remain my biggest inspiration for the food I make.
For starters I've GOT to GET BACK to my weekly food prep habit (Sundays and Wednesdays). I guess that's the best place to start.

I'm going to make this work. I really want to, for myself and for you all. I'm tired of having SO much amazing produce at my disposal but never doing anything structured with it! I don't mind monotony throughout the week where my meals are concerned --- and then having something wonderful and exciting on two (or even three) of those seven nights.

Previews of what's to come:
At the moment I've been playing around with a LOT of soup ideas. One the sis even labeled "Raw-men" soup. I've been focusing mainly on "quick and easy" recipes, which at the most will require the use of a food processor or high speed blender. My palate for the most part always seems to revolve around comfort foods (recreating those familiar dishes with a raw twist), acidic foods, and savory foods. At the moment I've been playing with lots of dark greens (massaged kale/spinach/chard, and broccoli) and thinking about warmed sauces to go
with them.

Another current favorite eats: Creamy Broccoli Soup

Current Mood: creative

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Broccoli Soup

I love me some broccoli, and all of this rainy/stormy weather we've been having has got me thinking about it (recipe-wise) a LOT lately...along with soup.

With these thoughts running through my head all morning I ran home for lunch, threw a few things into the food processor, and so far so good. I think I may be on the fast track to creating a really yummy raw "Creamy Broccoli-Parsnip Soup".
The only trick is going to be the heating aspect of the soup. I'm playing around with the idea of buying a food thermometer, this would make heating the soup on a stove a little less scary....and to be perfectly honest with you all, I've had really amazing cold raw soups before but nothing will ever compare to a big warm cup of soupy-goodness.

Stay tuned!

Current Mood: thoughtful

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My own personal chaos

(Just a simple Salsa Salad)

I'm not going to deny it - I've been doing a good job of creating a lovely bit of chaos for myself...and in lieu on the chaos (it's really just busy life stuff and me being an anal planner) I've let myself eat things that my body has had some pretty gnarly adverse reactions too.
What does this mean?

The more I eat raw the better I feel. But I haven't exactly been able to stay in the "hardcore raw food zone" with all of this chaotic craziness as of late...
I hate to make excuses for my behavior and poor choices - so I won't. I guess this means that I'm human. And sometimes I don't want to eat kale, even though I KNOW damn well my body will be much happier than if I ate a baked potato.
My gluten sensitivity has gotten SO much worse - this should be a sign that raw food is good for me right? Silly Sarahfae. I let myself eat wheat products very recently, and the effect that it's had on my body and health have been pretty scary...instantly making me sick, tired, grumpy - you name it.
I feel like I've hit another speed bump on my journey to a committed rawfood lifestyle. This whole way of eating is so much like a relationship. One minute I'm madly in love with the food, and the next minute I just want to throw it out the window and binge on cooked starch (baaaaaad for my belly!). I'm really learning a lot about a new part of myself the deeper I delve into this lifestyle. I want to stay here - I have every intention of staying here...but it is difficult. Hindsight is 20/20 though - and eating this way has gotten so much easier for me over time. Raw food is not something (I feel) anyone can jump into head first, never looking back. Because cooked food is like a drug. Maybe that's why I'm so hell bent on creating raw versions of cooked comfort foods. It's not always easy to satisfy those cooked cravings...but as my taste buds (and digestive tract) change, it does get easier.
So while what I'm aiming for may seem like an extreme lifestyle to some, I am bound an determined to do this, to stay in love with raw food and let it be good to be in the ways I know my body needs. Raw food is really taking care of me in ways that cooked food never has and (I truly feel) never will.
While I would never stand on a pulpit and preach at others to eat the way I do (that's just not my style - never will be) I do want to encourage my friends, family, and anyone out there who reads my lj or blog --- by posting easy to make and approachable raw food recipes (with pretty pictures).

It's really been an amazing support system to have an avenue where I get feedback about the food I love, and to also vent about the difficult stuff too. From the bottom of my heart - thank you.
I'm really grateful to be here. Even if those naughty little french fries pull me down sometimes.

Current Mood: content

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BUSY weekend in my kitchen

I am SO excited about the food that happened in my kitchen this weekend!!
I've got what seems like a MILLION (okay - maybe not that many) new amazing recipes, most of which I hope to share this week. Most of them geared towards the upcoming holidays. Yay for Holiday food that doesn't make you feel like crap after wards. And yay for finding an alternative to mashed potatoes that is to DIE for!!

One theme I've been trying to focus on where recipe creation is concerned is: QUICK & EASY
Recipes that don't call for a dehydrator, and if a recipe calls for the use of a food processor giving an alternative to that. Such as a blender, cheese grater, or just a good knife.
My objective is to have at least two "Quick and Easy" recipes featured on the website each week.
Stay tuned...lots of yummy food to come.

In weather news...
There's a big storm moving towards our coastline, supposedly going to hit us tonight. I'm looking forward to this. I've been in the mood for rainy weather. I always seem to be more productive (inside) when it rains.

Current Mood: bouncy

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Hi from Oregon...

Currently in Brookings, the sis is making "rain-drop" sounds with her Ukulele, and I'm wondering if the resident ghost is going to make an appearance tonight.
Either way, we've been serenading this haunted condo with our guit-fiddles, banter, daydream chatter, and usual bizarro shenanigans. Damn. Laughter can be such an amazing drug - best in large healthy doses, and shared with amazing people.
Not very many people can bring out my crazy side like Rae. It's such a sweet release to be insane and nerdy, and totally understood.

Anywho - here's a sneak peek of what we ate for din-din tonight:

Swiss chard wraps: Jicima, Red bell pepper, Avocado, Alfalfa Sprouts
And my new favorite salad dressing (recipe to come): Creamy Orange Vinaigrette

I'd like to follow the above picture with a review of this meal - brought to you by myself and Rachel (this is best if read out loud in the style of Will Ferrell doing a Robert Goulet impersonation):

It tastes like...
The tears of a fairy
The smile of a dolphin
The sparkle of a sunbeam
The glimmer of a Leprechaun's jig
And the song of a mermaid
All stirred together with a giant wooden spoon of whimsy.

There. Now doesn't that just wet your palate?

Nighty night,
xoxo

Current Mood: content

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Continuation post: Agave Nectar Update

I just realized that I haven't given any updates on my findings in regards to Agave Nectar being a raw food.
A while ago, when I posted this, I began emailing the companies that distribute Agave Nectar to my local Natural Foods store - three fairly well known names (to me at least):

Mudhava
Aunt Patty's
Wholesome Sweeteners

I asked them all the same question: At what temperature to you heat/process your "Raw" Agave Nectar?
I'll be honest with you, I was rooting for Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar, for many reasons:
It's my favorite of all the Agave that I've tried
They were the only product that gave the most information on their label (and website) as to how they produce their Agave.
In doing research on the company itself I really like Wholesome Sweeteners ethics, and am more than happy to support their products

So with that, I was surprised and a little happy to hear back from them almost instantly. Here was my initial email to them:

Hello,

I have been enjoying the Raw Blue Agave Nectar by Wholesome Sweeteners for some time now, but recent controversy has me questioning wether or not it is actually in fact a raw "living food".

In checking your website FAQs I read that the Light Blue Agave nectar, when being made is heated to 161F, but it does not specify at what temperature the Raw Blue Agave nectar is processed at. I would greatly appreciate it if you could answer this for me.

Thank you so much! I hope to continue using your wonderful product in my home.

--- --- ---

Their Response:

Good afternoon Sarahfae,

Thank you for your e-mail. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave is heated to temperatures below 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Best regards,

Bobbie Lynn Kahara

Office: 281.275.3144 · Fax: 281.490.9717

E-mail orders to: orders@wholesomesweeteners.com

Customer Service: 800.680.1896 · www.OrganicSugars.biz
Fair Trade Certified™ Organic and Natural Sweeteners

--- --- ---

I'm not entirely sure that I'm satisfied with their short response, but I'm happy to have heard back from Wholesome above all others.
As for Muhava, and Aunt Patty, well, they can suck it. I'm not going to give them my business, and I think that after two repetetive emails and no response from either they've answered my question loud and clear.

For now I'm going to stick with home-made sweetener, but I think in a pinch I'd feel a lot better using Wholesome's than anyone elses brand of falsely labeled "raw" Agave Nectar.

Current Mood: blah

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raw food thoughts

Hey, you're weird

I came home from San Francisco this Monday to a wonderful hubby, two overly excited pups, a pile of really beautiful and yummy veggies, and a mountain of multicolored bell peppers waiting for me on my kitchen counter - a gift from a friend of ours who has a lovely organic garden.
The word has apparently been getting out to our friends that I'm a weirdo who lives on raw plants.
I'm not complaining about this, it's a wonderful thing to get fresh produce for free, but due to my lack of energy this week, and slight lack of creativity, my brain is frantically searching for ways to preserve all of this lovely food.
At the moment I've got all of the bell peppers chopped up and in the dehydrator. Dehydrating bell peppers smells SO wonderful! If you haven't done this yet I recommend it! You can easily rehydrate them by soaking in warm water, or grind them into a powder in a coffee grinder for a yummy spice to add to salads, dips and dressings. I think I'm going to use some of the dried bell pepper in a new recipe idea for flat bread.

Anwho - I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far. I'm tired and boring at the moment, my apologies. I promise to fire back with something exciting very soon. For now...nighty night.

xo~

Current Mood: chipper

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Weekend in the bay area, and raw food thoughts

I'm really excited(!) about the upcoming weekend trip that the Sis and I have planned! It's sort of a bitter sweet thing for me - since it'll most likely be the last BIG thing we'll be doing together before she moves across the country to live with the Mom and Step Dad. Screw you Virginia, you're taking my wonderful little sister away from me. Oh man, I'm gonna fall apart when that girl leaves. I think I'll need a girlie intervention or something.

Anyways...
We're going to San Fran (a quick trip), Saturday to Monday, to hang out in Golden Gate park, maybe check out the Zine fest, and see The Matches play their final farewell show at the Fillmore (our real reason for going to the city). Sis turned me on to the band very recently, more or less because of this song, but since listening to all of their fun and creative music I've really decided that I like them on many different levels. They're cute (heh heh). And sometimes you just have to throw away your music snobbery and enjoy cute/fun music. Just do it you snob!

So yeah, tonight I'll be doing the food prep for the trip, packing, and lots of cleaning.
I may not have any entries posted untilI return, but I will be bringing the lappy and camera...so if I can't sleep then you might hear from me.

Oh - almost forgot!
Here's a few simple raw food tips for traveling (for those of you who are beginners):

--- Stay in a hotel that has a fridge in the room. Make special note that most hotels who have refrigerators turn the temp gage all the way down (to be energy efficient), I learned this the hard way - when most of my food that I brought with me to Tahoe went bad. Check the temp gage when you get in your room, and turn it up!

--- Buy a fashionable bag/purse/backpack/tote, and carry around a banana, apple, carrot sticks and some sort of mixed nut with you at all times. This will help you to curb those cooked food cravings, especially if your lovely partner isn't raw, and orders a big basket of french fried temptation while you're sitting next to them with a boring pile of iceburg lettuce and two cherry tomatoes.

--- Find some time to map out the vegan friendly restaurants before you go on your trip. These are the places that will boast the best salads, and sometimes even surprise you with a bunch of raw side dishes too.

--- Almost any good restaurant will allow you to pick apart their menu - so don't be shy. Take a good long moment to look over the ENTIRE menu. Take the Pico De Gallo from the steak entree, ask for the side of veggies that are steamed to be served raw, and pair them with the side of guacamole (but make sure there's no meat or dairy in the guac). Also - make a boring salad not boring: Ask for a few wedges of fresh orange, squeeze it over your salad, and toss it with oil and vinegar. This may make you sound like the worlds pickiest eater - but you know what? WHO CARES! Let them think you're a weirdo...in the end you've got a wonderful plate of fresh food, a happy belly, and lots of energy to enjoy your vacation.

Now go and have a good Thursday!

xoxo~

Current Mood: cheerful

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Get active! Move around in your kitchen!

A recent post in the raw veganisim community has sent me into a flurry of web research in regards to Agave nectar actually being a raw, "living" food.

(This may be old news to you - if so I apologize for my newbie-ness!)

What I've learned thus far is: There are NO raw food regulators that oversee natural food manufacturing companies and those products that are marked "RAW".

What does this mean? Well, these wonderful companies that produce such things as Agave, Coconut Oil, ect., can throw the word "RAW" on a label just as easily as a baby can shit in a diaper --- and in my opinion neither one of these things is appealing, nor raw.

What does it really mean when you see "RAW" on a label at your local grocery store? Nothing. Unless of course you know for a fact that the company producing has not exceeded in heating said product above the 118F mark...but then again, they don't have to even tell you that. Unless of course you ask.

So, for the first time in my life I'm really getting active - I've got a number of emails out to various natural food companies that produce and distribute in my area - these are the companies that have "RAW" marked on their products, but don't have any specifics noted anywhere else on the label.

Now, I should admit to you that this has me frustrated - mainly because I've never really cared enough in the past to send emails to companies, drilling them for direct answers about their products, but I'm really quite a bit peeved. In a away this recent realization has me yet again acknowledging the sad, but true fact that buying pre-made products is rarely a good idea - especially when there are SO many resources out there that enable you to make basically anything you could/would buy (on a grocery store shelf) in your own home.

So what does this really mean for me, and possibly you too?
I'm going to start making my own liquid and dry sweeteners (a few different versions) - and screw those idiots trying to fool me into buying their "raw" products. I'm not gonna! I'll also be experimenting more with making "at home" healthy raw food versions of mass produced, and more often than not bad for you foods and products that I'm sicksicksick of buying because it "makes life easier". 'Cause you know what? With a little bit of preparedness just about anything you want to make can be really easy, and not intimidating!

The end.

Or is it?

P.S. I'll keep you all posted on any responses that I get back from the companies that I've emailed.

Current Mood: content

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Lunchtime food, aka the "Re-run meals"

Occasionally (or at least throughout the week) I'll have the same food(s), over and over again, for my breakfast and lunches. Saving the fun and exciting foods (also the food that takes more prep time) for evenings or the weekend.
Because of this repeat meal situation I try to at least find new ways of plating the food - so it may look different from yesterdays salad - but in reality it's still just...yesterdays salad.
Why do I do this?
Well, I don't really know --- but it's kept me sustained, happy, and totally devoted to eating 100% raw thus far --- so I think it's working.
I dunno, I also think that the visual side of food really truly plays a part in the overall eating-enjoyment-process - and in my case it also helps fuel my commitment raw food.

So yes, while I reserve the fun, new, and exciting food for livejournal posts I also take pictures of all the mundane (to me) food that I eat very regulary. And if you don't mind, I'd like to share some of it with you guys. Let's just call them "Re-run meals"

Okay! One of my current favorite "Re-run meals" is this (shared with my sister last weekend):

Rainbow Chopped Salad, with hummus vinaigrette

( Read more... )

Current Mood: energetic

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Apologies, and it's really all about perspective

I've been SO busy with the crazy goings-on that life has been presenting to me...good, bad, and ugly stuff. I won't go into detail, but I will say/write, when life (viciously) throws lemons at you - rotten, slimy, un-organic lemons - stop for a minute and gain perspective.
I'm really happy with how I've handled certain recent situations, the icky ones, and managed to brush them all off --- my long-time personal motto for un-important negativity withstanding: "I'm a duck! It's all just water, baby!"
For every yucky dumb little thing there seems to be a million wonderful little things all around me - and I'm managing to not focus on the negative, but see right through it - right to the positive.
No, I'm not drunk or high...just trying to maintain the mindset of "making the most of every moment".
I think this sort of effort in positive conscious thinking really trickles into other areas of your life, and starts to work like a filter for everything that you start to come into contact with. I don't really subscribe to the concept of karma, but do think that a strong positive attitude attracts positive things and strong negativity = negative.

ANYways,
BIG apologies for being absent with my food postings as of late. I have a ridiculous amount of food photos and recipes stacking up all around me, and I'm really dying to share them with you all! So please don't go anywhere! I promise to come back in full force very soon...no more excuses! I miss you guys!

xo~

Current Mood: chipper

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Home made spices

One of the things I love most about vintage cook books is how every recipe seems to revolve around spices - and the importance of them.
I often thumb through my old cook books for flavor inspiration *gulp* and more often than not will find it through a totally un-vegan recipe. But I'm okay with that! I'm actually really excited about that! These wonderful old cook books have inspired me to start making my own spices - which I plan on sharing more of as they increasingly become a staple in my own recipes.

- Dried Green Bell Pepper -
Finely chopped and dehydrated for roughly one full day.
Grind it up in a coffee grinder (my kitchen tool of choice!) to make a powder that is wonderful in so many things,
or use like you would Paprika for a sharper sweeter taste. It adds such a wonderful new burst of flavor.

Sometimes I feel sad about how so many americans choose to eat their food, forgetting that it can be a wonderful experience, and even more so if you know every single ingredient that is in your food --- and even more so if you've made it yourself!
I think a lot of us loose the ability to love and appreciate what we eat due to the fact that (more often than not) we don't eat it to TASTE, and enjoy it, but rather to fill our bellies, or fill our cravings. When we're hungry we eat - and too often forget to think about the beauty of food, and the relationship we have (or don't have) with it.

Happy food makes happy people.
But how do you make food "happy"?

My sister pointed out to me over this past weekend that I have a sort of ritual when it comes to the food I eat --- she compared it to "praying before a meal", only instead of praying I (attempt to) plate the food in a pretty manner, and take a bunch of pictures. I realized that in a round about way this was my version of "prayer". If I slow down enough to enjoy the beauty of my food (in all dimensions) then my relationship with what I eat is broadened, and I really just fall in love with every taste and texture that touches my taste buds. It really is a lovely way to have a meal.

I dunno - I rarely write like this...so I'm done now. :)

~xo

Current Mood: awake

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I'm back...

Painting by Janet Hill, My new favorite artist! You can track her beautiful work here.

Wow.
What a busy week it's been. Here's a sad attempt at an update.

Family is still in town - their last night is tonight, so we'll be doing another "final" family dinner at my Pop's house.
This week has really just been packed full of "hanging out" with the family. Lots of barbe-ques, nephew time, going to the park (yesterday), bowling (last night), and laughter --- the general bulk of our "hangout time" revolves around all of us being silly and laughing together. I seriously couldn't have wished for better siblings. The love and bond that exists between all of us seems to grow with our own individual growth, and long lasting friendships are simply inevitable.

This morning I dropped Elmer off at the vet where he will be undergoing *gulp* a puppy vasectomy. He wrapped both of his little furry paws around my neck and gave out a cute little whine when the vet assistant took him from me. We'll get him back this afternoon, and I'm sure Lucy will be dying to see him by that time. Talk about sibling bonding - sheesh - those two LOVE each other! I couldn't be happier to have two little pups that get along famously, and thankfully are all very healthy.

My attempt to create a large list of new raw foods last week didn't go off as well as I'd hoped - I'm working on doing better under pressure while in the kitchen. I did however manage to pull through with a few pretty awesome *new* food items that I'll be posting as soon as the family functions come to a close. One of those items is a really exciting raw savory almond cheese!
Oh man, that cheese, it's my brand new craving!
..Kinda neat when you get to create food that you then start to crave like crazy.

In other raw food news, I've been asked/invited to come teach some of my recipes to a local Zen group! I'm SO excited to do this, and thankfully it won't be until at least late Summer, which will give me ample time to prepare some new yummy/easy raw food recipes. While I don't practice Zen I've formed a wonderful connection with one of the local group's members, and I'm really excited to make more connections with the zen community.

Current Mood: excited

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Will Return Soon

I'm sad to say that I'll be taking a very short sabbatical from lj.

Family is coming to town (tomorrow!) and staying until the following Friday.
D and I will be hosting a family get-together at our place tomorrow evening, which I'm going a little overboard in preparing for...but excitedly so. I've got a TON of new recipe ideas that I'll be embarking on this afternoon --- most likely into late this evening.
So I promise to return (possibly sooner than later) with a plethora of new raw food recipes and pictures!

Here's just a sample of my growing menu for the party tomorrow (all raw) which you'll be getting the details on once they've actually been made/created - I promise!:

- Zucchini/Carrot bread w/ Cream Cheeze Frosting
- Banana Coconut Crepes stuffed with fresh fruit
- Birds Nest Cookies w/ blueberry "eggs"
- Stuffed Marinaded Eggplant (w/ savory home-made almond cheeze)
- Massaged Kale Salad w/ Sweet Sesame-Lime dressing
- Creamy French Onion Zucchini "pasta" salad w/ fresh peas
- Bite Sized Polenta appetizers topped w/ Pizza Tapenade

Have a wonderful weekend ya'll! Wish me luck!

Current Mood: creative

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Planning ahead

I've never been the kind of person who plans out their meals weeks in advance, or lays their clothes out the night before in preparation of the coming work day. I usually wing it when I go grocery shopping, and decide on what to wear while I'm standing in my closet still wiping the morning sleep out of my eyes.

Preparation, I'm learning, is very important if I want to commit to a healthy way of eating. Yes, I recently had a nice reminder of this --- when I found myself suffering very bad tummy pains after being too lazy to make anything for dinner, no "quick and easy" raw food snacks available, and ended up munching on way too many of D's potato chips.

Preparation.
Say it five times fast.

Okay, so back in my little non-cooking/kitchen world I took a deep breath and told myself that I HAVE to plan ahead if I'm going to eat right and stay in this wonderful happy healthy place that I'm still so very knew to.
Yep, that's my simple little realization.
While I may not be able to see the future of my daily fashion statements, I know I'm getting better at daily meal planning.

So in staying on course, tonight I'm dehydrating an enormous batch of what I'm calling "The Ultimate raw Veggie Burgers" (recipe and photos to come - very soon), a ton of crimini mushrooms (my favorite "meat" substitute"), and a bunch of bell peppers.

Oh, and here's what I had for dinner on Thursday night...

( Nori wraps, raw veggie burger & avo with sweet and spicy mustard dip... )

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Chasing Sunshine...

This weekend that is precisely what D and I will be doing...chasing the sunshine.
Right now we're torn between a trip down south to go whale watching in Mendocino, a trip up north with some of my family to discover more of Klamath (not super exciting, but it'd be nice to spend some time with the fam), or a trip even further up north to hang out on Harris Beach in Brookings. I think in the end it'll all depend on where the warm sunny weather is --- I'm dying to soak up some vitamin D (with sunscreen on, of course).

One thing I've learned throughout the change in my diet, and phasing back into eating mostly rawfood is how important preparation is! Prep, prep, prep. I've been prepping SO much! If I don't prep my meals ahead of time (usually once a week for the bulk of things, and every night for my following lunch) then I either don't eat, or eat really crappy icky food that makes me feel awful after wards.
I've also learned that reusable food storage containers have become one of my favorite things in the world. It's been my saving grace every single day that I take lunch to work with me, and whenever we're out for the day. I have a great lunch box/cooler that I can put an ice pack in, and all of my food stays nice and chilled while we're out on our adventures.
I'm trying to get rid of all of my plastic containers (which I have a lot of) and build up a collection of glass, stainless steel, and bento boxes. It's fun to eat my lunch out of a hello kitty container, but a pretty glass jar is so much more eco-friendly. For how I've recruited D to set aside any (empty) larger in size glass containers that he comes across while at work (he's one of the managers at our nat.foods store). I'd really like to pick up a couple of these in the near future too.

Happy Friday! And...

Current Mood: content

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Bingo Bango Bongo

What a busy cleaning day I've had. Seriously, when I'm on a mission to clean my house don't get in my way. Every corner has been dusted, all of the furniture vaccumed, the throw blankets and pillows washed, toilets scrubbed, cubboard doors wiped down, laundry folded, the floors swept and mopped...and somehow I managed to squeeze in time for a run in the wonderful rain.

After my cleaning escapade --- cue the Janet Jackson song --- I ended up spending some time in the kitchen chopping up a TON of chives, romas, and crimini mushrooms...all of which are going in the dehydrator. I have a bad habit of never knowing when I'm going to need mushrooms, and usually when I buy them they go bad before they've been eaten. So I started dehydrating them a while back, and with just a little soak in some water they're as good as they would be if they were fresh. I love having dried chives around for adding to salad dressings, and sauces. The romas, of course, are going to be turned into my own special "sun dried" tomatoes...yum.

While I was in the kitchen listening to the 40's channel on XM [my favorite!], an old Andrews Sisters song started playing that I had completely forgotten about...and it made me overwhelmingly happy --- mainly because it was a duet with Danny Kay. If only every song could make me this happy.

( Today's lunch, and then some... )