I have been a bit busy the past week but I thought I would finally write today about yesterdays T.V. shoot for Cable Vision's show called Neighborhood Watch. It was really fun and went very quick and without any problems. I was imagining something much more hectic and I felt that I was not really prepared because I wanted to have more of the food done by the time they got here, but it worked out great because they really wanted to tape me making the food anyway.
So they started by miking me and talking to me a bit about all the food I had made. Then they started filming and I basically explained what I was making and we talked a lot about the reasons for being on a raw food diet. I realized how much I miss teaching and how much I really believe in the reasons to be eating raw food. The words just flow out of me and I can't be stopped once I start! It is quite interesting because it is a side of me that I forget is even there....the teacher, chef, want to be nutritionist!!! haha
So as for the menu, here is what I made; Stuffed mushrooms, wilted kale salad with hemp seeds, sprouted wild rice salad, brazil nut loafs with mushroom gravy, mashed cauliflower and macadamia nut "potatoes" , pecan pie and a chocolate ganche tart. I had a bunch of friends come over to enjoy the meal and be taped having a staged dinner party. Everyone loved the food, not a single complaint! And all my friends are people with lots of raw food experience even though they are not raw foodists. The camera crew also really liked it and it was their first time ever eating raw food!
I wish I would have photographed the event and the food but I just got too busy and before I knew it it was all gone! I might have a slice of tart left to take a picture of, I will have to check and see. I will post some recipes for some of the dishes I made since a few people asked for them and maybe make them again to show pictures.
I have been doing pretty good but still have my slip here and there. I am losing weight though and I think by the end of this week should be in the 160's.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Never Give Up!!!
I have been pretty consumed with life this past week and have not even written a word until now. I have had some really great days and some really bad raw days which I would like to share about. For starters I was doing great for a few days and really sticking to all raw no matter how hard it was. After a few days of this I decided one day that I would feed Samadhi all raw as well and it went fine, she was happy and never hungry, so I felt really great. Next came the big shocker......my 18 year old son decided he wanted to eat raw also!! Well now it wasn't all that amazing since he only wanted to do it to slim down for a Halloween costume, but hey even a few days would have been a great help to me!!
So the next day the three of us ate all raw all day. It was like old times and it was really great! For dinner I made a huge kale salad and a huge bowl of very thinly sliced cabbage salad and we sat on a blanket on the living room floor and had a picnic while watching a really funny movie. It was really perfect but it only lasted that one day! The next day he was back to eating anything and everything, but hey, at least I know he still knows how great it feels to eat raw and maybe someday he will do it more regularly.
I did good until the weekend. I had already committed to cooking for a friends Halloween party and felt that I could not back out last minute. I thought I could handle it but the sesame tofu I made was just too tempting! I was eating raw all day and then as the night got more and more hectic and stressful with trying to get everything done and get to the party I started that mindless picking again. Once I started I figured I might as well eat, and did, but not out of control.
The worst came on Halloween night when I went to the city. I had only eaten a little bit of Pineapple and some oranges all day and by the time I met up with my brothers after the Halloween parade I was starving and didn't care!!! We went to a Mexican restaurant and I ordered a vegetable burrito. The funny part was when the food finally came and I started eating it I complained to my brothers that the burrito was gross because the vegetables were all RAW!!!! hahaha they both said to me "isn't that a good thing?" because I didn't realize........they have been reading my blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt pretty stupid, but hey, if your going to eat cooked you at least want it to be good!
So today is a new day and I thought about all the other commitments to cooked food that I have coming up. One is a public access T.V. show that I am being filmed for in my own kitchen. The subject of the show is a healthy vegetarian Thanksgiving. The second event is a huge catering event for Animal Protection League of NJ. That one there is no way out of and I really need to do it because it is a really big job and the money is good. Well here is what I did.......I wrote the man from the public access channel and told him how popular raw food diet is and how I think that a much more interesting show would be a RAW Thanksgiving and he went for it!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow I am so excited and surprised! I didn't really think he would go for it but I decided it was worth a try.
So now besides the catering I am done with cooked commitments and there is no reason to be tempted again until Thanksgiving. I am really relieved and it showed me that when there is a will there is a way.
I am not giving up on myself because I know I did raw before for a very long time. It is very hard but usually the things worth doing in life come with a challenge.
So today I am back on track and am very positive! I hope you are too.
So the next day the three of us ate all raw all day. It was like old times and it was really great! For dinner I made a huge kale salad and a huge bowl of very thinly sliced cabbage salad and we sat on a blanket on the living room floor and had a picnic while watching a really funny movie. It was really perfect but it only lasted that one day! The next day he was back to eating anything and everything, but hey, at least I know he still knows how great it feels to eat raw and maybe someday he will do it more regularly.
I did good until the weekend. I had already committed to cooking for a friends Halloween party and felt that I could not back out last minute. I thought I could handle it but the sesame tofu I made was just too tempting! I was eating raw all day and then as the night got more and more hectic and stressful with trying to get everything done and get to the party I started that mindless picking again. Once I started I figured I might as well eat, and did, but not out of control.
The worst came on Halloween night when I went to the city. I had only eaten a little bit of Pineapple and some oranges all day and by the time I met up with my brothers after the Halloween parade I was starving and didn't care!!! We went to a Mexican restaurant and I ordered a vegetable burrito. The funny part was when the food finally came and I started eating it I complained to my brothers that the burrito was gross because the vegetables were all RAW!!!! hahaha they both said to me "isn't that a good thing?" because I didn't realize........they have been reading my blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt pretty stupid, but hey, if your going to eat cooked you at least want it to be good!
So today is a new day and I thought about all the other commitments to cooked food that I have coming up. One is a public access T.V. show that I am being filmed for in my own kitchen. The subject of the show is a healthy vegetarian Thanksgiving. The second event is a huge catering event for Animal Protection League of NJ. That one there is no way out of and I really need to do it because it is a really big job and the money is good. Well here is what I did.......I wrote the man from the public access channel and told him how popular raw food diet is and how I think that a much more interesting show would be a RAW Thanksgiving and he went for it!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow I am so excited and surprised! I didn't really think he would go for it but I decided it was worth a try.
So now besides the catering I am done with cooked commitments and there is no reason to be tempted again until Thanksgiving. I am really relieved and it showed me that when there is a will there is a way.
I am not giving up on myself because I know I did raw before for a very long time. It is very hard but usually the things worth doing in life come with a challenge.
So today I am back on track and am very positive! I hope you are too.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
emergency room and Thai food...
So the past few days have been very difficult for me as far as staying raw but I think I did a pretty good job considering the situations that went on. For one; on Friday night I had some friends over that cooked in the house, which I realize was not a good idea on the first day I was trying to go 100% raw, but all in all it wasn't bothering me too much.I was sticking to my decision to be able to eat with friends and just eat a kale salad and still have fun.Well things got a little hectic and I was feeling kinda stressed so I picked up Samadhi, my 18 month old, and put her in her high chair without strapping her in and then turned my back for a second to get her the "agua" she was demanding, and boom!!! she took a head first dive onto the kitchen tile floor! Well, she naturally freaked out and it took quite some time to console her. When she was finally chilled out a bit and everyone got back to the dinner they were eating I started making my salad and then once again I was getting stressed out as she was all over everyone and I could not even wash the kale so I just swept her up and took her in my bedroom for some alone time with me. That was when I noticed the huge bump on her head and it was bruised looking so off to the ER I went with no dinner and not even lunch that day! I grabbed a few apples and bananas on the way out the door just in case I was going to be there a long time....and I was! Well thank goodness she is fine and we got home by midnight and I stayed raw!
Saturday and Sunday we had more guests over and tons of junk food was around since my son had a little get together. I stayed strong and then Sunday my sister came over and ordered Thai food.Well I was pretty hungry when the food showed up and told myself not to eat any but I couldn't resist and had just a few bites of her pad thai and a bunch of steamed vegetables that my son had ordered. I know it is not the end of the world but it took me off my path. I never realized how difficult it really is to eat raw when you are surrounded by people eating tempting food all day!
When I was raw the first time around my son did it as well and I dated someone who was already raw and had lots of raw friends....I never could relate to the people who lived with other people eating cooked foods and complaining about how hard it was to stay raw....now I know!!!
Well on the happy side of all this I did make some yummy raw treats to have for myself while watching everyone else eat apple pie and pizza. I used the mixture for my coconut macaroons but before adding the raw cocoa powder I divided the mixture and to one half made chocolate orange macaroon and the other half I made coconut, banana walnut cookies....yum!!! It was an improvisational recipe as most of the best ones always are so I do not have an exact recipe to post but I will do my best.
I am going to start my recipe and picture section as soon as I post this and figure out how to do it!
Tomorrow is another opportunity to get it right and I do have to add that I already lost two pounds!! Not bad since I have been sick and just laying around, imagine how fast I will lose once I am really eating raw everyday and add in exercise?!
Saturday and Sunday we had more guests over and tons of junk food was around since my son had a little get together. I stayed strong and then Sunday my sister came over and ordered Thai food.Well I was pretty hungry when the food showed up and told myself not to eat any but I couldn't resist and had just a few bites of her pad thai and a bunch of steamed vegetables that my son had ordered. I know it is not the end of the world but it took me off my path. I never realized how difficult it really is to eat raw when you are surrounded by people eating tempting food all day!
When I was raw the first time around my son did it as well and I dated someone who was already raw and had lots of raw friends....I never could relate to the people who lived with other people eating cooked foods and complaining about how hard it was to stay raw....now I know!!!
Well on the happy side of all this I did make some yummy raw treats to have for myself while watching everyone else eat apple pie and pizza. I used the mixture for my coconut macaroons but before adding the raw cocoa powder I divided the mixture and to one half made chocolate orange macaroon and the other half I made coconut, banana walnut cookies....yum!!! It was an improvisational recipe as most of the best ones always are so I do not have an exact recipe to post but I will do my best.
I am going to start my recipe and picture section as soon as I post this and figure out how to do it!
Tomorrow is another opportunity to get it right and I do have to add that I already lost two pounds!! Not bad since I have been sick and just laying around, imagine how fast I will lose once I am really eating raw everyday and add in exercise?!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Going all the way!
OK I am back! Yesterday I was so wiped out after my house guest leaving I basically spent the day cleaning and then passed out with Samadhi at 8PM for the night....that is very rare for us!Today was spent doing yet more cleaning and then shopping for food.
I cooked almost everything in the house that needed cooking and fed it to my kids,my friend Bob (and even sent him away with some) and then my friend Audrey helped finish off the last creation that was a bit of everything you could imagine! Most of what I had was beans, whole wheat pasta, and lots of vegetables and a few vegi burgers and sausages. By most peoples standards the food I was cooking the past few days would be considered "health food" but I know I want something else for my life right now. I did pretty good the first day while Bob was still here and even though I was in the kitchen for quite some time I didn't eat the results of my labor. Today was another story though! I was in a funk and Samadhi was driving me insane and I just ended up picking at stuff without even realizing it! Can you imagine realizing your crunching on something but not even remembering putting it in your mouth??!!! Well I was doing it today and on more than one occasion.
I know for some of you that may seem insane but for many I am sure you can relate. It is the problem with our society's relationship with food. We are so far removed from the idea of eating to live and instead we live to eat! We no longer need food to survive because we have such a surplus of it that now our food is actually killing us. Take a week and without trying to change anything in your daily habits write down or take mental notes of what you eat and I bet it would shock you....now I am not talking about everyone of course...there are some people who are very under control in what they eat and none of this is really a problem, but the average person eats well above the needed amount. I think for most of the people who are under control of their portions their diets are still less than desirable. Just think about it; just like everything in our country is made in China, almost all the food in this country contains high fructose corn syrup!! You have to be very diligent to eat healthy these days.
Now I know you may be reading this saying "not me" and that may be true because the truth is that most of the people reading this would be people I know and I know lots of very healthy people, but think again about the Average person.....if the average American was eating healthy McDonalds would not have signs in front of it saying 999 million burgers sold!!! People actually eat this non-food and feed it to their children and then wonder why we are the most unhealthy nation in the world!!
OK, OK I know ....I have completely gone off on a tangent.My point is that for ME having to cook and be around cooked food is not working out on my quest to improve my health and diet. I have lived too long of my life over indulging and out of control so until I feel like I am on safe grounds I am going all the way...100% raw starting tomorrow (well really today since it is 2:25 AM).
I went shopping and bought tons of organic apples, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, plums, bananas and berries to add to some others stuff I already have so I am not tempted tomorrow by quick easy cooked foods that my still be lurking around my house. After all, my son has no desire to join me this time in eating raw so I have to expect him to be cooking quite often. I told him today I can no longer cook for him and Samadhi will just have to adapt to my diet which is what I always wanted for her anyway.
So as I said in my earlier post, I am going to reveal my weight! This is completely embarrassing but it makes it real for me and hopefully will be an inspiration for other people as I begin to lose, so here goes....I am a whopping 175 pounds exactly as of yesterday morning! I never thought this would happen to me but here I am.
I guess I will pick this up tomorrow (well later today actually) and add in some more details and maybe even a few pictures.
Good night world!
I cooked almost everything in the house that needed cooking and fed it to my kids,my friend Bob (and even sent him away with some) and then my friend Audrey helped finish off the last creation that was a bit of everything you could imagine! Most of what I had was beans, whole wheat pasta, and lots of vegetables and a few vegi burgers and sausages. By most peoples standards the food I was cooking the past few days would be considered "health food" but I know I want something else for my life right now. I did pretty good the first day while Bob was still here and even though I was in the kitchen for quite some time I didn't eat the results of my labor. Today was another story though! I was in a funk and Samadhi was driving me insane and I just ended up picking at stuff without even realizing it! Can you imagine realizing your crunching on something but not even remembering putting it in your mouth??!!! Well I was doing it today and on more than one occasion.
I know for some of you that may seem insane but for many I am sure you can relate. It is the problem with our society's relationship with food. We are so far removed from the idea of eating to live and instead we live to eat! We no longer need food to survive because we have such a surplus of it that now our food is actually killing us. Take a week and without trying to change anything in your daily habits write down or take mental notes of what you eat and I bet it would shock you....now I am not talking about everyone of course...there are some people who are very under control in what they eat and none of this is really a problem, but the average person eats well above the needed amount. I think for most of the people who are under control of their portions their diets are still less than desirable. Just think about it; just like everything in our country is made in China, almost all the food in this country contains high fructose corn syrup!! You have to be very diligent to eat healthy these days.
Now I know you may be reading this saying "not me" and that may be true because the truth is that most of the people reading this would be people I know and I know lots of very healthy people, but think again about the Average person.....if the average American was eating healthy McDonalds would not have signs in front of it saying 999 million burgers sold!!! People actually eat this non-food and feed it to their children and then wonder why we are the most unhealthy nation in the world!!
OK, OK I know ....I have completely gone off on a tangent.My point is that for ME having to cook and be around cooked food is not working out on my quest to improve my health and diet. I have lived too long of my life over indulging and out of control so until I feel like I am on safe grounds I am going all the way...100% raw starting tomorrow (well really today since it is 2:25 AM).
I went shopping and bought tons of organic apples, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, plums, bananas and berries to add to some others stuff I already have so I am not tempted tomorrow by quick easy cooked foods that my still be lurking around my house. After all, my son has no desire to join me this time in eating raw so I have to expect him to be cooking quite often. I told him today I can no longer cook for him and Samadhi will just have to adapt to my diet which is what I always wanted for her anyway.
So as I said in my earlier post, I am going to reveal my weight! This is completely embarrassing but it makes it real for me and hopefully will be an inspiration for other people as I begin to lose, so here goes....I am a whopping 175 pounds exactly as of yesterday morning! I never thought this would happen to me but here I am.
I guess I will pick this up tomorrow (well later today actually) and add in some more details and maybe even a few pictures.
Good night world!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Irish moss a bust....
So last night I went with my friend Bob over to another friend's place to get some Irish moss ( a seaweed that is used as a thickening agent in it's raw state after being soaked and blended with other ingredients). I was so excited to come home and soak it up to make some raw yummy treats but unfortunately the moss was either just really old or not the kind that can be used raw. After soaking it for 4 hours nothing happened, no gel formation, no break down of fibers, my vita-mix didn't even break it down! So my friend Bob is boiling it to make a traditional Jamaican drink for himself and I am about to place an order tonight for some new stuff from Mountianroseherbs.com. If you have never been to their site check it out!!!! They have everything in the way of spices,sea vegetables,herbs,aromatherapy oils and stuff to make your own natural creams and body oils.
I had a relatively good day so far in regards to my diet. I woke up and did make a cup of coffee but I only drank half and it is still sitting on the kitchen counter along with all sorts of other things. I ate some fruit and then made a huge kale salad and ate that with Bob and Samadhi....well she actually just liked sucking the spices off and then spitting the half chewed kale back out which I (and sometimes Bob) got to eat. Then I got ambitious and made some raw ravioli.
For those of you reading this that are completely new to raw food I will explain.When I say raw RAVIOLI you are probably thinking "What the heck??!! How gross"...well it is not REallY ravioli at all but it looks like it. I used extremely thin slices of fresh raw beets as the shell and the "cheese" was a mixture of soaked cashews,olive oil, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and fresh herbs.I place spoonfuls of the "cheese" in between two beet disks and drizzle the entire thing with truffle oil and chopped parsley.......Raw Ravioli!
I will be posting pictures, recipes and nutritional information starting very very soon(I just have to figure out how!!).
By the way.... for those who are raw food enthusiasts I KNOW, I KNOW....nutritional yeast and olive oil are not raw!!! It's OK for now, transition, transition, transition!
I had a relatively good day so far in regards to my diet. I woke up and did make a cup of coffee but I only drank half and it is still sitting on the kitchen counter along with all sorts of other things. I ate some fruit and then made a huge kale salad and ate that with Bob and Samadhi....well she actually just liked sucking the spices off and then spitting the half chewed kale back out which I (and sometimes Bob) got to eat. Then I got ambitious and made some raw ravioli.
For those of you reading this that are completely new to raw food I will explain.When I say raw RAVIOLI you are probably thinking "What the heck??!! How gross"...well it is not REallY ravioli at all but it looks like it. I used extremely thin slices of fresh raw beets as the shell and the "cheese" was a mixture of soaked cashews,olive oil, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and fresh herbs.I place spoonfuls of the "cheese" in between two beet disks and drizzle the entire thing with truffle oil and chopped parsley.......Raw Ravioli!
I will be posting pictures, recipes and nutritional information starting very very soon(I just have to figure out how!!).
By the way.... for those who are raw food enthusiasts I KNOW, I KNOW....nutritional yeast and olive oil are not raw!!! It's OK for now, transition, transition, transition!
Monday, October 18, 2010
only the beginning......
So today was day one of my transition back to raw. I woke up and made a cup of coffee because I decided that I needed a few days to kick that habit and if I started my return to raw with a massive head ache and was cranky and tired I would be less likely to stick with it for the day. I was also particularly tired and out of it maybe because I had stayed up until three AM starting a blog!! To top that off my little girl who I am still nursing was up every few hours throughout the night.
Shortly after waking up and getting my coffee my friend showed up who is visiting from Maui and will be staying over for a few days. I told him all about my blog I started and my intention to go raw and being he is also a long time mostly raw foodist he was completely happy about my decision.He met me when I was completely die hard into raw and we have known each other ever since. We even traveled together in Hawaii on the trip that led up to him now living there. I remember how simple things were on that trip with both of us eating raw and our kids being pretty into it as well. We traveled around in a beaten up pick up truck by day from one place to the other on the Island, we would hike, swim, boogie board and eat tons of fruit and by night we would go to a little beach we made home and sleep under the stars.There was Me, him, his female friend, his daughter, my son and his daughter's best friend all in a row out in the fresh air....no tent, no camping gear,no worries and no mess to clean up. We never had lots (if any) garbage to take with us from place to place and we left no negative impact on the earth. All was well for that month, how I loved Maui! For some reason I decided to come home though. I guess I was still somewhat in a relationship and just had unfinished business that I felt I needed to deal with. Sometimes I look back and wish I had never left like my buddy, but I guess it just wasn't my time.
Back to today!I guess I ended up not eating much today. I felt sluggish and distracted by my friend being here so I really could not focus on making food.I ate some different fruits throughout the day and at night we decided we should make some raw treats so I have ammunition when I want to spin out of control.We went to a friends house to pick up some Irish Moss that I wanted to try out in a new raw food dessert book I got. While at my friends house I ate some great organic watermelon from a local farmer and snacked on almonds and a raw pie that her husband made. By the time I got home I lost all motivation to start making things so I just ate some cucumber and cleaned the house and now am about to call it a night.
I would say I ate about 90% raw on my first day.I did have a few bites of the hummus Samadhi (my daughter)was eating and some sunflower seeds and a handful of popcorn I made my son Julian and our visitor. I am satisfied with my efforts and know tomorrow will be much better. I do have a few vegetables like winter squash that I want to cook and use up before completely going 100% which is perfect as transition food instead of some crappy processed foods.
I have decided that tomorrow I will take my weight and measurements and post them and Thursday I am getting blood work done to test cholesterol and liver enzymes to see how that is all affected by my change in diet.
All in all I have to say I am so excited to be going down the path to health once again. I am already visualizing myself thin and free of health issues ( I will get into them over the next few days). I am so happy I chose to do this now when I believe I am truly ready and most need it.
Goodnight!
Shortly after waking up and getting my coffee my friend showed up who is visiting from Maui and will be staying over for a few days. I told him all about my blog I started and my intention to go raw and being he is also a long time mostly raw foodist he was completely happy about my decision.He met me when I was completely die hard into raw and we have known each other ever since. We even traveled together in Hawaii on the trip that led up to him now living there. I remember how simple things were on that trip with both of us eating raw and our kids being pretty into it as well. We traveled around in a beaten up pick up truck by day from one place to the other on the Island, we would hike, swim, boogie board and eat tons of fruit and by night we would go to a little beach we made home and sleep under the stars.There was Me, him, his female friend, his daughter, my son and his daughter's best friend all in a row out in the fresh air....no tent, no camping gear,no worries and no mess to clean up. We never had lots (if any) garbage to take with us from place to place and we left no negative impact on the earth. All was well for that month, how I loved Maui! For some reason I decided to come home though. I guess I was still somewhat in a relationship and just had unfinished business that I felt I needed to deal with. Sometimes I look back and wish I had never left like my buddy, but I guess it just wasn't my time.
Back to today!I guess I ended up not eating much today. I felt sluggish and distracted by my friend being here so I really could not focus on making food.I ate some different fruits throughout the day and at night we decided we should make some raw treats so I have ammunition when I want to spin out of control.We went to a friends house to pick up some Irish Moss that I wanted to try out in a new raw food dessert book I got. While at my friends house I ate some great organic watermelon from a local farmer and snacked on almonds and a raw pie that her husband made. By the time I got home I lost all motivation to start making things so I just ate some cucumber and cleaned the house and now am about to call it a night.
I would say I ate about 90% raw on my first day.I did have a few bites of the hummus Samadhi (my daughter)was eating and some sunflower seeds and a handful of popcorn I made my son Julian and our visitor. I am satisfied with my efforts and know tomorrow will be much better. I do have a few vegetables like winter squash that I want to cook and use up before completely going 100% which is perfect as transition food instead of some crappy processed foods.
I have decided that tomorrow I will take my weight and measurements and post them and Thursday I am getting blood work done to test cholesterol and liver enzymes to see how that is all affected by my change in diet.
All in all I have to say I am so excited to be going down the path to health once again. I am already visualizing myself thin and free of health issues ( I will get into them over the next few days). I am so happy I chose to do this now when I believe I am truly ready and most need it.
Goodnight!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Returning to raw...
I have finally decided to return to a raw food, plant based diet.It has been almost five years since I have been 100% raw and have struggled with wanting to go back for the longest time.I managed to always stay in the raw mindset. I know it is the best diet for "me" and believe it is the best diet for the entire planet! I love the idea of eating a raw only diet and all that goes along with it such as the environmental impact, the simplicity, the way it made me look and most of all the way it made me feel. So why did I stay away for so long?
The truth is that food and our diets are very emotional, cultural and social. I decided to go raw about 7 years ago and did so from one day to the next.My son decided to join me and it was only the two of us so there was no other influence in our home. We lived in Manhattan so it was easy as there were raw restaurants popping up to help with the transition. I quickly met friends and then began dating someone also on the raw diet. This support system made it all very easy and I eventually became the sous chef at NYC's Pure Food and Wine and then began teaching classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute. It was all so perfect until....I began to travel too much,moved to NJ, ended the relationship with the boyfriend and my son went to high school and lost all interest in raw foods when he was faced with Pizza!
My support system was gone.
I tried to go back but once I started slipping more and more it becomes very hard to get the initial desire I once had back. I continued to teach in NYC and would always tell my students that I was planning to return to my 100% raw diet but that would never happen. I then started to add vegan classes to my teaching schedule to have more opportunity to teach and then started a raw and vegan personal catering company which sealed my fate.Although I did do a lot of raw, vegan clients were always easier to come by. I began making raw granola and treats to sell at the local farmers market but then decided to add vegan baked goods as well and they sold very quickly.I was also in a new relationship with someone who never even heard of vegan non the less a raw food diet. I slowly stopped making salads and smoothies and replaced them with more "fun" dinners that I could share with this new man in my life. With the addition of old favorites like bread and pasta I started to really pack on the pounds and started to feel some of my old health issues returning.
In 2008 I got pregnant. That was it, I was going to go back to raw because I wanted my baby to be raw and have the healthiest life ever.....no such luck! I started eating more and more bread and bagels and strange baked goods that I never even ate normally. I did try to eat lots of fruits but the thought of a salad just made me gag. I managed not to gain too much weight during the pregnancy but after is when things just got crazy. Between the stress of the bad relationship I was in that finally ended when my daughter was a few months old and problems with my son I used food to comfort myself and now sit here writing this in the most physically out of shape state of my life.
Then it happened.I ran into a friend of mine in the farmers market and told her I was really ready to get back into raw and felt it was what I had to do to really get my health back and mentioned that we should do a tour to Ecuador together, a retreat. We are both chefs and we are both very strong believers in the raw food diet and in our own ways know so much about it. Well the suggestion was taken very serious and we began to plan the trip right away. I have been to Ecuador around 30 times and know it like the back of my hand and she has recently been working on tours in Hawaii and had her own juice bar/cafe so we thought we would be a perfect team along with a friend of mine who was visiting from Ecuador who is a guide.
We had two business meetings and everything is a go....and then I looked in the mirror! I realized I had to lose a serious amount of weight before I would feel comfortable bringing other people on a retreat. I want to be a good representation of what it is I am preaching about.Makes sense doesn't it?
So this is it! When I wake up tomorrow I will start my transition back to the healthiest diet I know and back into the healthy body I once knew. I will reveal my weight and measurements after I get a little loss behind me along with pictures for anyone who may stumble upon this blog and decide to follow my transformation.
Well good night world.....tomorrow is a new beginning and I just can't wait!
The truth is that food and our diets are very emotional, cultural and social. I decided to go raw about 7 years ago and did so from one day to the next.My son decided to join me and it was only the two of us so there was no other influence in our home. We lived in Manhattan so it was easy as there were raw restaurants popping up to help with the transition. I quickly met friends and then began dating someone also on the raw diet. This support system made it all very easy and I eventually became the sous chef at NYC's Pure Food and Wine and then began teaching classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute. It was all so perfect until....I began to travel too much,moved to NJ, ended the relationship with the boyfriend and my son went to high school and lost all interest in raw foods when he was faced with Pizza!
My support system was gone.
I tried to go back but once I started slipping more and more it becomes very hard to get the initial desire I once had back. I continued to teach in NYC and would always tell my students that I was planning to return to my 100% raw diet but that would never happen. I then started to add vegan classes to my teaching schedule to have more opportunity to teach and then started a raw and vegan personal catering company which sealed my fate.Although I did do a lot of raw, vegan clients were always easier to come by. I began making raw granola and treats to sell at the local farmers market but then decided to add vegan baked goods as well and they sold very quickly.I was also in a new relationship with someone who never even heard of vegan non the less a raw food diet. I slowly stopped making salads and smoothies and replaced them with more "fun" dinners that I could share with this new man in my life. With the addition of old favorites like bread and pasta I started to really pack on the pounds and started to feel some of my old health issues returning.
In 2008 I got pregnant. That was it, I was going to go back to raw because I wanted my baby to be raw and have the healthiest life ever.....no such luck! I started eating more and more bread and bagels and strange baked goods that I never even ate normally. I did try to eat lots of fruits but the thought of a salad just made me gag. I managed not to gain too much weight during the pregnancy but after is when things just got crazy. Between the stress of the bad relationship I was in that finally ended when my daughter was a few months old and problems with my son I used food to comfort myself and now sit here writing this in the most physically out of shape state of my life.
Then it happened.I ran into a friend of mine in the farmers market and told her I was really ready to get back into raw and felt it was what I had to do to really get my health back and mentioned that we should do a tour to Ecuador together, a retreat. We are both chefs and we are both very strong believers in the raw food diet and in our own ways know so much about it. Well the suggestion was taken very serious and we began to plan the trip right away. I have been to Ecuador around 30 times and know it like the back of my hand and she has recently been working on tours in Hawaii and had her own juice bar/cafe so we thought we would be a perfect team along with a friend of mine who was visiting from Ecuador who is a guide.
We had two business meetings and everything is a go....and then I looked in the mirror! I realized I had to lose a serious amount of weight before I would feel comfortable bringing other people on a retreat. I want to be a good representation of what it is I am preaching about.Makes sense doesn't it?
So this is it! When I wake up tomorrow I will start my transition back to the healthiest diet I know and back into the healthy body I once knew. I will reveal my weight and measurements after I get a little loss behind me along with pictures for anyone who may stumble upon this blog and decide to follow my transformation.
Well good night world.....tomorrow is a new beginning and I just can't wait!
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