Raw, raw! What is it good for?

Absolutely everything!

Except moving.
Raw requires a good setup.

Which I'll have once I'm settled in the Northern Hemisphere.

Look forward to writing about my raw experiences (with food - the other raw experiences will be written about elsewhere) in Canada.

And it'll be summer!


YUM!

With a bowl of fruits and berries I'll be grinnin' like the Cheshire Cat.

Bye for meow!

A nice warm bowl of oopsy soup.

Day 5.

I awoke with a burning desire to do yoga and meditate (despite my semi-urgent need to move house)... So after a couple of hours of such activity, I really wasn't very hungry. I made a green smoothie out of silverbeet, apple and tomato (not the greatest, but good nutrients for the skin). A little while later I munched on some sprouted bread and avocado; a while after that, an apple... sometime later, some raw kale chips.

I soaked a bunch of nuts and seeds and had an amazing salad at around 4pm then ... at around 7 - it happened. I fell off the RAW wagon. Oops. However, as this is for me and me only, I am not kicking myself, nor do I even care. The soup was very tasty: lime, lentil and vegetable and it was from Frankie's Empire who so generously donate time and space so I can hold my fund/awareness-raising film night, Moving Pictures.

With all that is going on - the detox, moving, loving life, being active in the community and really wanting to explore myself through yoga, I'm really going with the flow of the raw food thing, and listening to my body. It isn't about rules, it isn't about deprivation, it's about honouring my body. With that said, I'm going to honour my body and go relax.

 Mwah!

May the 4th be with you...

Day 4

Commitment à go go. Up at 6am to blend cashew nut milk and soak chia seeds... So yummy. I learnt from last time and added some of Loving Earth's Coconut Chocolate Butter... as well as some dates. This shit is the bomb-diggidy. Amazing. 

I worked at the stall at Salamanca and actually had a shot of espresso - first time for everything - as recommended by my colonic hydrotherapist. It was organic, fair trade and bitter as fuck. Shudder shudder. I basically grazed all day: apples, Loving Earth Kale Chips, nuts, goji berries, a lovely cup of tea from Pollen Tea Room, some sprouted bread with avocado, - found out it is heated to 100 degrees Celsius so not actually raw, but I ain't wasting food. Plenty of water is the key, with a small amount of raw chocolate for kicks.

 
Just smashed an amazing salad at home (soaked the nuts and seeds this time) and now it's time for bed. Riveting blog I know. 

It's International Star Wars day today - so here's a picture of a Yoda Apple. I think he is also giving us all a little kiss. Thanks Yoda. X

 

Time on hands too much someone had.

Smoothie Operator

Day 3

Well today started with a green smoothie: coconut water, mango, cos lettuce, apple and parsley... Well, actually it started with a view of the most amazing crimson sunrise... But, then, the smoothie. The lettuce needed to be used - not the easiest taste first thing in the morning, but going raw is partly about retraining your taste buds to appreciate the natural flavours of food... 

I was a little worried about doing a workout at the gym on what I perceived to be a lighter breakfast than what I'd normally eat... But I had energy to spare... and the buzzing feeling continued, which helped for the final round of the circuit! I pinched one of their complimentary apples - thanks $25 a week membership - and munched and strolled around Salamanca witnessing the frenetic autumn leaves! Tasmania is truly a beautiful place with very distinct seasons...The rich variation of the leafy hues really warm my soul - which is good, because it is fucking cold down here at times - especially with the southerly winds we get in Hobart. Hello Antarctica!!

Speaking of wind, I was feeling quite bloated (for less shock to the digestive system, it's probably a better idea to slowly ease in to a Raw Food Diet - but I don't do things in halves) and I felt like I'd exercised as much as possible, and drank as much water as possible, so I decided to eat some Sprouted Bread - (from my rudimentary research I'm 99% convinced that it is raw). I really, really wanted an avocado on it, but experienced a bit of a Goldilocks moment: of the two avocadoes at hand, one was waaaay too (ahem) raw and the other, pretty much black. So I spread a banana on it. It was just right; delicious really. Although rather dense - and took a LONG time to eat. Chew chew chew. One of the interesting things I found was the subtle honey flavours I was picking up, although there was no honey on the menu. My taste buds were trippin'!

A cup of tea for afternoon tea and I was feeling very satisfied. Dinner was a salad - with cos lettuce, grated beetroot, grated cucumber, grated carrot, cashew pieces, pepitas, sesame seeds and a dressing of water, lime juice and garlic. Totally rad. It was like eating a crunchy rainbow of love.

I even have a bit of Loving Earth's Maqui Luvju Raw Chocolate to nibble on for desert. The Maqui berry is considered the highest antioxidant fruit on the planet, and it's yummy, and the chocolate is shaped like a heart. So much love in one little package! Kind of like a Shetland Pony.*

Luvju all! ❤ ♡ ❤ 

*Raw chocolate is nothing like a Shetland pony.
     

On the second day ...

Day 2

Well, there's definitely something in this raw food thing for energy... I've felt amazing all day! Positively buzzing!

Breakfast was off to a great start - as I actually awoke before my alarm to blend cashew nuts for milk. Once blended, I soaked chia seeds in the nut milk for about two hours while I did my daily yoga and walked the dog. After blending the chia gel, with dates, linseed, sunflower seeds, almonds, cinnamon, I topped it with some raspberries and passionfruit. The result: awesome. The only thing I would've added was cacao. Next time.

Lunch was a salad - avocado, parsley, cos lettuce and capsicum (red and green). I nibbled on nuts and goji berries whenever I got hungry and a cup of Lemon and Ginger Yerba Mate to try and fight off the afternoon chill.

Dinner was a spectacular raw spaghetti bolognaise. I made some zucchini fettucine (with a vegie peeler - fancy!) and the bolognaise sauce was tomotoes, a bit of beetroot (for colour), green capsicum, a small amount of fennel, parsley, a small amount of dates and some Himalayan sea salt. It was so tasty I peeled some more 'noodles' and had seconds.

I can't post photos (something to do with the stupid internets - but will try again tomorrow) but in the mean time - check out this video. Hehe.

I'm off to bed - with a massive chocolate craving! But the best thing about raw - being able to go to bed with a full tummy.

     

And on the first day she made ... soup!

Day 1

Slept past my 6am wake up call, thus hindering the two hour soaking time I needed for chia porridge, but, damn, was it snug in Snug this morning!  

As I had to have a reasonably empty tummy for my 10am colonic (the details of which I'll spare for another blog not devoted to food) I opted for a subdued breakfast: a banana and a generous handful of raspberries. 

By 11am I was getting rather hungry so I went and bought a Vegan Vampire (Beetroot, Celery, Carrot, Spinach) juice from Pulp Friction Juice Bar.

Now, Pulp Friction rocks; not only because the owners are fellow punning linguists. but they happen to have a far superior approach to healthy eating than anywhere else in Hobart. Catering for vegans is one thing, but I was pleasantly surprised when I asked the always bubbly owner whether she had any raw options for lunch. And that is when I discovered their super sexy raw choc-chia pudding... Holy shitballs. She put some strawberries on it and I was in heaven. I added another banana to it to fill me up. Yum yum yum.

The Wilderness Society Tasmania's Volunteer Lunch wasn't quite the same without being able to partake in the weekly vegan feast. The seductive smell of soup wafted through the room, trying to weaken my resolve. To make it all the more tempting, Hobart was being particularly winter-y outside and I wanted a warm food hug. But with the help of steaming hot Jasmine tea (not sure if herbal tea is usually included in a Raw Food diet - I'd say not - but geez, I ain't doin' a month without a hot drink!) I survived.

The post-lunch afternoon (sometimes caffeine induced) slump never arrived, which was great as I was embarking on a door knocking mission in Kingston. I really noticed the amount of energy buzzing around my body when I called in to Eumarrah to grab some snacks to carry me through the arvo. Although probably a net result of the recent attention I've been paying to my body-my temple, my body sure was digging the lack of digestive work it had to do. 

Nibbling on a combo of Organic Raw Goji Berries and chemical free nuts sustained me through the afternoon - and through an anti-same-sex-marriage rant apparently ratified by the woman's religious beliefs... "God LOATHES homosexuality - it's in THE BIBLE - he doesn't loathe homosexuals - he LOVES everyone..." I couldn't be fucked pointing out all the dumb shit the bible says but left feeling smug in the knowledge that she had just signed a petition against a member of the Legislative Council who also believes that gay marriage is the beginning of Armageddon. 

   I wish I'd had the gumption to respond to her insistence that a baby needs a mother and a father, and not two mums or two dads with this.

  

Which brings me to dinner....

Feeling slightly soup deprived, I opted to munch down a blended 'soup' creation. 3 tomatoes, half a red onion, one green capsicum, half an avocado, a small fennel bulb, a dash of olive oil, a sprinkle of Himalayan Sea Salt and one handful of parsley later ... voila! 

Cold soup - it's so hot right now. 

    

She dieted with a falafel in her hand...

Day .05: (Not technically Day 1)

Midnight snack.

Eating the last of the falafel balls in my fridge - matched with a Moroccan pumpkin dip and a cup of peppermint tea...

I forgot the falafels were in the oven, and they're kinda burnt. And there's some cos lettuce too - just cos. 

I'll save myself the effort of grabbing my camera.

Better eat that chocolate too - it won't be any good in a month's time.* 

 

*it will.

Things can only get better from here; one can but D.ream...