Beeswax

I checked out a book called Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis from my library. After the whole detox cleanse I'm curious about raw food and willing to try some recipes. Raw food usually means vegan food - no animal products - and there's no cooking in the traditional heat it up and serve it sense. Nothing is heated above 118 degrees.

As I'm paging through the book, I'm mostly checking out the lovely pictures of food, skimming recipe pages here and there and making mental notes of recipes I might want to try. Then I see a picture of two people sitting in what appears to be an outdoor section of the author's restaurant. The woman in the picture looks curiously like the author, who in the introduction talks about the fact that this book is about "living raw food, not just eating it, but living it." Would you think someone who is concerned enough about raw food to write an entire book about it would be pictured smoking in her own book? I wouldn't think so, which makes me think, that's gotta be someone else in the picture, not the author. But I'm 99% sure that it's her, with a cigarette in her hand.

Clearly everyone has the right to make their own choices. I'm just having a hard time imagining how the choice is made, because the two choices seem so far from each other. Raw vegan diet + smoking cigarettes. It wouldn't work for me, but it must work for her.

I am fascinated by the choices people make, because you never really know what went into someone's choice. They may not even know. Was there a lot of thought involved? Or was there no thought at all? Do they regret the choices they've made? Are they consciously satisfied with their life or numbed out to the what their life has become? We're all on our own journey, with decisions to make every day. Life really is like one of those choose your own adventure books! Make one choice and your life could head in a completely different direction.

I know I've made choices that might not make any sense to someone who isn't inside my head with all the information I have. I have to remember that when I come across seemingly disparate concepts present within the same situation. Raw vegan food and cigarettes as part of the same person's life don't make sense in my brain, but it wasn't my decision so it's not mine to understand. Might people think it's odd for someone who is clearly health conscious to love baking and eating said baked goods. There are two disparate concepts present in someone's life. My life.

It's helpful for me to keep the focus on myself and my choices when I find myself saying, "Huh? Really? Why would someone do that?" None of my beeswax, so I'll just mind my own!

Who Dat?

No, this is NOT going to be a Super Bowl post. Since it's been about a week since I've posted anything, I thought you just might be asking that question!

It's been a full week since I wrapped up the cleanse and the first week back to real food I did pretty well. I've been trying to stay away from the copious amounts of cheese I used to eat pre-cleanse, but have not ruled it out entirely. I haven't eaten it at home in anything that I've made, (which is a big deal!) but did have it this weekend out to eat - a bit of goat cheese in a spinach salad and a small cheese quesadilla and burrito with cheese from my favorite mexican take out place, Maggie's Kitchen. Also, in the sense of full disclosure, I did have some sweets over the last week, split two pieces of pie with three of my girlfriends Wednesday night at Electric Cheetah. And there were some treats in legal on Friday. And...okay, you get the picture. I didn't go overboard with any of the treats. More like I had just enough to have a taste and enjoy.

I've been trying to find some suitable snacks and treats for the times when there's too much going on in one day and not enough time to have a proper meal. So far a favorite find that works on many levels the Larabar. They are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-gmo, vegan and kosher and they actually taste good! So far I've tried the Key Lime Pie, Ginger Snap and Cherry Pie flavors. I love that each bar has such a short list of ingredients. The cherry pie bar has just three: dates, alomnds and unsweetened cherries. They've been great for an in between work and the gym. Another thing they've got going for them is texture, they're soft enough and not too sticky to be annoying with my current orthodontia! Larabar for the win!

Making food in advance for the week is something that I've continued. I like to be able to just toss my premade lunch into my bag in the morning and not have to rustle something up. Keeps me from eating lunch out somewhere that wouldn't be as healthy as what I could have made my self. Plus, hello, money saver!

That it's for now!

UltraSimple Wrap Up

I made it through the seven day detox cleanse known as the UltraSimple Diet. While I don't feel like I had any lightning bolt-type results, (which I wasn't necessarily looking for) I feel really good about the whole experience. I stuck with the morning routine of hot water and lemon followed by an UltraShake. I decided I want to try to incorporate as much of this kind of eating as I can, without adapting a super strict attitude about food. I want to be able to enjoy food still, but I want to have my over all way of eating be more along the lines of how I ate for my seven days on the cleanse. I will for sure add in many of the veggies and fruits that aren't necessarily on the list - I really missed cooking with tomatoes and would have liked to use some red pepper or potato in my meals.

I was a little apprehensive about how I'd do going back to regular food, but my monthly book club dinner out at a local Italian place provided me with a great place to try it out. We normally get a few appetizers to share. I won't lie, I ate a few onion rings and french fries, but I don't feel like I went overboard. For dinner I usually order a dish called Spaghetti Roberto, which is spaghetti in a red sauce covered in what we lovingly call a cheesy blanket. Last night I ordered the regular spaghetti dinner, no cheesy blanket. You know what? It was still good! I usually gobble up any bread on any table, but didn't even eat the two pieces of garlic toast that come with the dinner or any of the breadsticks that were for sharing before dinner. That's a big deal for me and the coolest thing is that it wasn't a big struggle. I just decided I didn't want to eat it and didn't. I thought the pasta in and of itself would be enough to test out the return to gluten.

So, did I get sick or notice any odd after effects from my dinner? I felt really sleepy and sort of fuzzy headed for a couple hours when I got home, which I believe to be a direct result after eating pretty purely for the seven days prior. I survived though, no stomach revolt, which I was afraid of.

One of my main reasons for wanting to do the cleanse was to "reset my sweet tooth" and I think it may have worked! My company remodeled the corporate cafeteria and it debuted today, complete with bulk candy! How do you like that? Part of me wanted to not even participate in the candy. The other part of me was kind of curious. I got maybe a little more than a handful of Jelly Bellies for a mid afternoon candy snack. I ate a few at my desk and didn't feel compelled to eat the entire quantity just because they were there. There are still some at my desk, which wouldn't have happened pre-cleanse. While I think I'll always enjoy candy and sweets, I'm hoping I can hang onto the take it or leave it feeling I had about those Jelly Bellies today and not feel a compulsion about sweets anymore.

The positives of my experience:

• Possibly resetting my sweet tooth.
• Increased energy level.
• Finding new healthy recipes I'm excited about.
• Reducing my reliance on cheese as a protein source.
• Setting a healthy goal and accomplishing it.

My aim now is to try to keep up my healthier eating for at least two of my three meals a day so I can continue to feel as good as I do today, without being so strict about what I eat/don't eat that I end up taking the enjoyment out of food or let it become something that separates me from other people. I love nothing more than sharing some tasty food with good friends. I was able to do that last night and am grateful that book club night fell on the first day off my cleanse.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Let me know if you have any questions about any of it. Or if you end up trying it on your own, I'd love to hear how it goes for you!

Day Two

I kept waking up last night, and was relieved that I still had more time to sleep. When my alarm went off I actually got out of bed - partially due to the fact that I knew my morning routine would be a little different since I'd be making my UltraShake, getting my lunch together, etc., plus all my other normal morning duties. I also felt rested and like I had a little more energy. We'll see if it lasts through the week! Ha! It usually takes me a few snoozes on the ole alarm before actually GETTING out of bed.

I actually felt good all day. I usually get a craving around 10:00 a.m. for something, anything really. I usually eat some raisins or something just to get through. Today, I looked at the clock around that time and wasn't hungry. I did drink a small cup of broth a bit before lunch, just because I brought it in my handy thermos. My lunch was almost too much food. Sweet potato oven fries left over from last night's lunch, brown rice and some lettuce/hummus wraps. I brought another UltraShake just in case I got hungry in the afternoon. I wanted to be able to go to the gym with enough energy/fuel to do my regular workout. Didn't need the afternoon shake. And I was able to run my scheduled 3 miles without incident! Pretty cool!

One thing I'm noticing about this practice so far, I'm excited about food. I'm into trying veggies that aren't in my regular rotation. It's fun!

For dinner tonight, I used the leftover tofu I had from last night's dinner and sauteed it with some onion and garlic for my protein. I baked an acorn squash and ate half of that with a little Earth Balance Spread (vegan buttery spread) and some cinnamon.

I also ate a few more lettuce wraps as I made them for tomorrow's lunch. Tonight I put a dab of hummus on each lettuce leaf, a slice of avocado, then sprinkled a little lemon juice and a touch of salt. This is my new favorite snack! Delicious!!!

Basically it's going really well. I'm feel good. My energy level seems to be up. I'm drinking water and actually enjoying it. Of course that means I'm always going to the lady's room, but that's what a cleanse is all about, right?! I'm giving my kidneys a work out!

Day three should be another good day. Going to hit the hay here in a few so I'm getting the rest I need.