Behold.........

(yes, that's my sons adorable face in the background)

my new Vitamix blender! Love, love, love it. I'm so glad I got one. Just going through the recipe binder that came with it, I am finding so many wonderful raw recipes that I can't wait to try. There's way better raw ideas in this binder than most websites I've come across.

We ended up buying it from Williams Sonoma. It was just under $500 after tax and they tried to upsale us on the Professional Series 200 model but the only difference between the two is the knob settings... not worth the extra $150 price tag when they both have the exact same motor and hp. Besides, I actually prefer the basic settings that I can control manually.

The thing is huge. I mean, it's colossal. I have only one place that it will fit and that's next to my sink.

Because I'll be using it 2-3 times a day I can't really be pulling that thing in and out of the cupboards. Oh, and it will definitely be left out for parties. Thanks to the recipe binder, I now have tons of frozen, natural, alcoholic concoctions in my arsenal. I will definitely be trying some of those out.
First on my list....

Whole Fruit Margarita
1/4 cup water
6oz tequila
2oz Grand Marnier
1 medium orange, peeled and halved
1 lime, peeled and halved
1 lemon, peeled, halved and seeded
1/4 cup + 2T agave syrup
6 cups ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the blender. Blend for 45 seconds (for a Vitamix, more if regular blender).
Pour in salt rimmed margarita glasses (if desired).
***I will also add fresh organic frozen strawberries or perhaps frozen mango...

Oh, and here's proof that my son does love raw food. Here's him eating raw corn chips WITH jalapenos... that kid loves spice! He'd eat as many as I let him.

Looking so forward to the weekend! Hope you all have a great one.

Day 30

So I made it! I'm so happy. It's 8:21pm right now as I write this on my last day of 100% raw-- although I will continue to eat raw for at least another month with only a few deviations, as I mentioned in earlier blog posts.

I have some bad news and good news. My blender broke- again. This is the second expensive blender we've gone through in a year. I have always used my blender a lot, even before this diet I averaged at least 5 uses a week. Now it's about 3 uses a day. And my second $100 blender broke. So.. the good news is that we decided to get a Vitamix blender! I'm so excited. I wasn't planning on getting one so soon but after putting $200 into blenders in less than one year, I may as well spend more and get the *best* since it's made for heavy usage. Plus it has a 7 year warranty. Me and Patrick are looking at it as a gift for staying on the diet. Like our dehydrator, we'll really get good use out of it. As much as I use a blender, it will be a good investment. I can even make my own raw almond, cashew, and walnut butter. Yum. The only thing that sucks is that it takes like 2 weeks to order it and stores in Dallas only have a limited supply of them. How long am I going to be without a blender? That really limits my meal choices because I use my blender for cookies, chips, crackers, smoothies, dressing, ect. It's going to be a real challenge eating raw without one for a few weeks. Plus, it comes at a time when I'm loosening the restrictions on my diet so this could be disaster. I have to be really strong! I thought about borrowing a blender from somebody that we know, or maybe even buying a cheap $30 one and just go easy on it. We'll see.
So tomorrow I am eating 100% raw and Friday I'm eating raw for breakfast and lunch, but will be having a yummy dinner and lots of wine. Can't wait!
:::pats self on back:::

Day 29

I can't believe I only have one day left in this challenge! I am so excited. And I'm not going to lie, I'm even more excited I get to eat sushi on Friday night. We're going to Tokyo One, our favorite sushi place. It's a very upscale sushi buffet and hibachi grill but they also have steamed crab legs, shrimp, fish, soups, etc. I used to treat myself to a couple tempura veggies but will definitely be staying away from anything fried and all white rice-- for now and for good. But I will be partaking in sushi, crab, shrimp and the hibachi grill. I'll be interested in seeing how cooked foods affect me, but mostly how all that protein will effect me. Every time we eat there, I never leave feeling overly full since it's all pretty healthy food but I have never gone this long eating so little protein so I'm going to *try* to take it easy. I'll be sure and report how I'm feeling afterward.

I still badly need to get some new recipes, I have just been very busy and a little stressed-- only because I have been so busy. Since I fall asleep every night before nine o'clock since starting this diet, my days have gotten a little shorter. Or maybe I'm squeezing more into the days since I have more energy. Either way, I prefer it this way but I do have a hard time keeping up with my blogs, let alone trying new recipes. I'm really excited to incorporate fish and shrimp into my diet one day a week starting on Monday. I need some variety.

One thing I can't complain about is the food prep this diet requires. I spend a couple hours in the kitchen a week making corn chips, crackers and chopping up bulk ripe fruit for smoothies for freezing. I find not cooking takes up less time and I have a lot less dishes to wash. Both pluses in my book!
One more day....

Day 25-28

Again, I haven't been writing much because I haven't really felt I had anything useful to add. I've pretty much found a new routine for myself over the past several weeks that involves waking at 5am and being home from the gym and showered by 7 am-- and that's with a 45 minute cardio workout. I am still loving the energy and weight loss I am experiencing and really excited to be only one size from my goal.

I am still experiencing cravings but I am wondering if it has to do with hormones, I think that it may. And I can't lie, I am really, really looking forward to my sushi meal on Friday night. I cannot wait for that. I'm also going to have some steamed crab and maybe a little hibachi, we'll see.

I made another batch of those freezer brownies and they are sooo delicious! One thing I didn't realize when I posted the recipe is that they are even better after being frozen 24 hours (but still easy to bite into). I also added slightly more almond butter and a few more dates this time for a moister, less crumbly brownie and it turned out even better than the last batch.

Still haven't gotten off my butt and tried new recipes. I've kind of been in party planning mode with my sons birthday party coming up. But even though I've been busy, I've managed to stick to the diet quite easily. If I'm in a rush, I just have a green smoothie for lunch (which happens quite frequently lately). I also pack things like nuts and raisins for when I know I'll be out for awhile.

Also, I have given up raw almond butter. It's just too expensive at $22 for a small jar (and it's even more on the internet, go figure). So from this point on, I'll be using roasted almond butter until I decide to splurge on a Vitamix, then I can make my own at home!

Day 24

Size 8 is sooo my bitch.
I went to the mall today and tried on all my jeans in a size smaller and they ALL required one size down. And all fit beautifully. I didn't buy any because I have one more pant size to go before I reach my goal, but I'm half way there! I'm so excited because it's only been 3 weeks and I've already dropped a pant size. The best part is I don't feel like I've been working that hard and I also don't feel deprived. I do miss some of the foods from my old lifestyle but my perspective has shifted 100% since then.
So now I'm wondering how long it will take to drop another size and whether or not I need to reconsider my goals.

Day 23

A lot of my clothes are getting too big. Some of my lounge wear is just hanging on me. I feel like I could possibly go down a size. I am feeling really tempted to get on the scale and see if/how much weight I have lost but I'm fighting that urge. I went on the South Beach diet last fall and dropped a pant size but that scale never ever moved after over six weeks. I definitely got smaller but didn't drop one damn pound. I got discouraged and gave up because I put so much importance on the scale. Looking back, the SB diet was not the right diet for me but it taught me not to put so much emphasis on weight. Right now I'm trying to focus on my overall health and eating vegan raw organic is the cleanest and purest diet so naturally, my body will find it's healthy weight on it's own and I don't need to even *worry* about what the scale says anymore. And I credit this diet for helping me realize that. I feel like I am thinking so much more clearly and making better choices because I'm able to focus and recognize these past negative behaviors and not repeat them again. But I'm still tempted to get on the scale. I'm just really curious, but I'm not going to.

Day 22

So I have decided to do another 30 day challenge after this one is over. I will have one cheat meal after this challenge is over, but it's just going to be one meal and it's going to be sushi so at least it will be raw :-) I have no wishes to go off this diet right now. I am loving it so much, I don't understand why everybody's not eating this way! On the next 30 day challenge I'm planning on introducing cooked fish and shellfish (probably usually shrimp or salmon-- possibly sushi), and only a couple of ounces and only once a week. I think shrimp is great because it's extremely low in calories but has tons of protein and we all know the health benefits of wild caught salmon. I will also allow myself one glass of wine a week. I'm interested in seeing how this effects me and if it effects me negatively, of course, then I'll stop but I feel there's a lot of health benefits to both wine and fish so I'm going to (cautiously) try them out. It's going to be trial and error as I experiment with different foods and see what works best for my body. I feel my body is functioning so well right now that if I introduce something my body doesn't like, I'll feel it's negative effects right away. I'll also continue blogging for the *next* 30 days after this challenge adding more recipes, ideas and tools I find helpful.

Speaking of... yesterday I made zucchini wraps and they turned out really good. They were a little crispy so I'm going to make another batch today using thicker batter and since these only take 4-6 hours in the dehydrator they can be ready by dinner time. Last night I made a little crispy sandwich with olives and tomatoes. It was yummy!



Zucchini Wraps
2 large zucchinis
1 1/2 cup ground flax seed
2 T Italian seasonings (I substituted 2T Kirkland organic no salt seasoning blend)
2 cups water

Blend in powerful blender until smooth. Spread on four dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 4-6 hours.



Hope you are having a wonderful week!