Once upon a Dream

So I figure I should actually have a post with a Disney Princess reference...

I am beginning to understand why Snow White ate a random apple from a scary lady in the middle of a sketchy forest, because she figured it would taste good. Doesn't mean it was going to be good for her (sleeping curse) but she said "it LOOKS delicious". I totally get that now, I could be reaching just a bit, but maybe it was a metaphor for how we ALL eat. It looks good, sounds good, seems harmless, but then later we pay the price. Snow White had a Prince who came to her rescue with a sweet kiss (awe) my "Prince" how ever is not so much a who but a how, if that makes sense?

What has saved me from my "curse" of lack of motivation, weight gain, chronic joint pain, migraines, mood swings, debilitating period cramps and even the occasional depression, was as simple as removing Gluten. Which is a huge thanks to my mom and dad who kept pushing me untill I finally saw the light (thank you guys!)  In two weeks I could sleep better with out agonizing knee pain. I was able to get out of bed on the first try and not feel so sleepy all day. It is such a miracle in my eyes how much my life has changed because my whole body feels better that at times I don't even believe it, and I am the one going through it all. But I promise you, at least for ME it has worked and I will never let myself get back to that point. I will never again say yes to my poison apple which is Gluten. So be gone sketchy Creepy old Lady, you will tempt me no more!

Its going to be a butt whoopin.

As I mentioned in my last blog post I have registered to go to school in California at the Living Light institute. I will be getting certified in Raw Food "cooking", but it wont just be schooling it will also be a life changing experience. I will be living a completely raw and vegan life for three months. So the moment I get on the plane and head to school, everything will be different and I plan on doing it justice by hopefully make it last for the rest of my life.

 

My New Years resolution for this year was not too complicated, I have tried the "I promise to work out more" or "I will focus on myself more", but I tend to forget what my resolution was and just go back to my slacker and distracted ways. So this year I thought I would try something different and just resolve to just finish what I have already started, becoming completely Gluten Free. So far (a whole 6 days) I am proud to say I have been doing a pretty good job at it. Being gluten free is just the beginning of  my preparation process for getting my mind, body, and soul ready for school, I have also cut back on how much meat I intake. I have been limiting myself to one animal product a day. I am hoping to cut out all meats from my diet at least a full month before I leave for school, my thought process for this is that I do not want to shock my body when I get there by all of the sudden not consuming any cooked foods or meat products. I want to be ready by also removing things like sugar, coffee, soda, cheese, and cooking with all fresh organic products. It hasn't been too hard like I said it has only been a week, but this is something I am so excited for and want to be at my best when I get to there so I can produce the best food possible. I am fairly confident i can do this, because I WANT to do this.

Gluten Free mix berry pie (thanks giving)

Tofu veggie stir fry

Gluten free southwestern turkey egg and cheese sandwich

 

saute veggies, with a quinoa patty topped with ham and fried egg

Hippie on Campus

So i am loving my new diet/eating life style, and i am not the only one who has noticed that when i do eat too many non raw meals i get angry and not as fun to be around. So i am not as strict but i am doing as much raw food and ZERO gluten, which is why i am blogging today.

My first day of school (again) was on Tuesday, and unlike most students going to a new school i wasn't worried about finding my classes or getting a parking spot, or even having all the required books (I'm a slacker). i was worried about what i was going to be able to eat. Here in Texas we don't get a summer, its more like Hell rises from the underworld and takes over the state for months. So walking from building to building with food in my backpack did not sound like fun to me. i decided that for the first day of school i was just going to wing it. i made myself an obnoxiously large batch of green tea and packed three KIND bars, hoping that would be enough to keep me from starving on a 8hr school day. i was all set and made it till around 3ish when i stumbled upon the Subway at school. The school i went to before had a Subway that provided gluten free bread, so i thought i would check it out. it did not have gluten free bread but it did have salads! i got myself a chicken salad and water bottle, i was excited about having some sustenance before my 3hr dance class. in my mind i was jumping for joy at the thought of having a salad every Tuesday and Thursday till i got to the register and the girl asked for $10somthing, ya a salad and water $10something at a school, as if students pooped cash. so scratch that idea off the list...

Today i took  different approach, even though the salad was tasty. My mom is still in town and the family was blessed with some delicious Latin (Bolivian) home cooking, Locro ( i don't know how you spell that). Its a yummy chicken, rice and veggie soup with a Spanish flare was served for dinner last night and is lunch for today, paired with some sub pare gluten free crackers, and yet anoter giant bottle of green tea (3cups) i have obtained victory over the how to eat gluten free at school battle. i am also having a more eco friendly lunch by not having any garbage to throw away. Winning!

YAY ME!

Cooking to clean your system

There are a few things i want to blog about today, but knowing me i will only get through one topic. i finished my full week of just RAW food and passed with flying colors. i was not hungry and i was not sick, a few times my organs were tender but that is just the toxins being released from all the bad stuff i had eaten trying to get out of my system. i loved it i felt lighter and more alive. When i was younger my mom made my family do a raw food detox at least once a month. i didnt really know what for then but i know now and i will be keeping up with it. The day right after my Raw week i went to my in laws for fajitas, and i LOVE me some steak so naturally i had just a plate of fajita meat with the beans, no tortilla because i have been very good about being strictly Gluten Free. The next day i did not feel good, its my own fault i should not have gone from Raw food to fajita meat the next day, so now i am trying to get back on track, and what i have noticed is i am reaching for more Raw foods  now on my own. i feel better when i eat better. i still have not reached my goal weight but, i do feel lighter.

i was craving a way to put all my yummy veggie together and eat them at once, so i looked for ways to make some sort of bread... and i found one. it is absolutely delicious and you can edit the formula to make it sweet bread or thinner to make a pizza crust. i have already made it three times.
The Rawtarian

Hippie in the kitchen

Growing up in a Latin family and traveling all over the world food has been one of the biggest influences in my life. i may not remember where exactly we were or who it was with but i remember the aroma and tastes of the meal, the warm or cooling sensation as the food traveled to my tummy and filled me with a yummy joy. My mother and grandmother always instilled a sense of pride in the food we prepared, being careful not to cook anything in a bad mood so we don't feed anyone negative energy. Every house my family has lived in has always been very warm, open, and friendly, no one comes in with out being ask if they are hungry or thirsty, and even if they are neither a drink and meal is brought to them anyways. Not matter how your day goes a good meal and a smile can change everything.

For years i have wanted to cook but i feared that if i finally let my little secret be known then no one would take me seriously. What kind of life will cooking provide for me, its not a real job. i figured it was best for me to just keep my passion for food under wraps and continue to look for something else to do. Wasn't till my mom came to visit and flat out said i needed to go for it that i let myself believe in me. So now i am working on going to a Raw Food culinary school and i am so excited i cant stop thinking about it, but because i am a little superstitious i will stop talking about it for now.

This is what i have been up to this week, busy busy busy. My mom has pretty much dared me to eat nothing but raw food this week so i am having fun finding different ways to eat my fruits and veggies.

 Raw veggie sushi. i marinated the carrots in apple cider vinegar, red chili flakes and honey to give it a bit of an Asian kick, and some extra flavor so i wouldnt have to use soy sauce. 

(Right:) the beginnings of raw creme brulee. Cashews, pine nuts, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, and coconut oil. it turned out the way it was supposed to but, it still ended up tasting like cashews. So i am going to stay away from sweet treats made of nuts and stick to more fruit based items. But over all not too bad.

(Above:) the finished product of my Raw creme brulee. looks good and tastes good 

Never focused

Seriously I am the worst blogger ever, I really hope I don't have any devoted readers because I just can't seem to focus on keeping on track with this thing. Which is ironic because I always have so much to say.

I can't remember where I left off so I will just tell you what is going on now. last weekend I went on a family reunion coast trip with my family in law, I'm sure in reading the word in law most people cringe a little well don't worry because I happen to be one very lucky girl who has found the family in law of her dreams. They are fun, loving, supportive and very accepting. My fiancé is a very successful person who has accomplished all of his goals before the age of 25 and I am well, slacking a bit in the motivation department, so for my in laws to still love me as sweetly as they do really is a blessing.

Yes I did say coast trip, yes that does mean bikinis and no I did not meat my weight loss goal, big shocker. I was a little self conscious but nothing a few beers can't fix. For the most part I avoided gluten by bringing my own sprouted corn tortillas for sandwiches, I also brought a bunch of mason jars full of detox and green tea too keep my metabolism up. The good thing about trips especially coast trips is that you tend to keep active. Even. Simple game of catch phrase kept me on my feet, an laughing till I hurt.

My parents had arrived from Romania (where then live for now) a few days before we left for the coast, so my mom along with her natural dieting was waiting for me when I got home. My mother is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to eating/cooking/living healthy. If there was every anything wrong with my sisters and I she would turn to herbs to solve the problem and it always worked. Growing up lots of people have given my family grieve for our unique ways of eating, but my mom has yet to be wrong. So now that she is here I am on a very very strict diet of only organic, healthy foods. No sugars no gluten or bread type products, no dairy, and limiting the amount of food I eat. Basically getting rid of all addiction foods as my dad likes to put it.

Americans in general tend to over eat, the portions that are served as huge. For example one of my favorite meals is a #2 at McDonalds which is TWO cheese burgers fries and drink, then the big Mac is two burgers on top of each other. We all just stuff our faces till we can't eat thinking the feeling of being full Is the sign of stopping, when really we should stop way before feeling full. With in three days of eating only heathy foods I have seen the difference in how much I can eat now.

If anyone lives in the Dallas Tx area and is interested in seeing what the Raw food movement is all about check this place out. Formally know as Bliss now known as Be Raw. DELICIOUS

i guess i never learn

I have three other blogs that i have stopped writing, i have four books i started writing, i am 24 and still in community college (nothing against community college i LOVE my school). So you would think i would have learned that finishing things is not my talent, but for some reason i checked my blog today and saw that i have had 301 views and that made me feel like i should at least keep trying.

Like i said a few weeks? ago i have been trying very hard to get in shape. I am finally on a good path where i am eating 80% raw and 20% "normal" but still healthy food. Using the % sign makes me seem like i know what i am talking about, basically i eat more none cooked food then things like meat.  i feel great, i feel brand new, but the food is not the only thing i have changed i also have been very consistent with my workouts. i do at least 20mins of cardio every day. i really really love Jillian Michaels: Banish fat, boost metabolism, she is an inspiration and makes me want to push through the circuit. i have even thought about looking for a kickboxing class to start taking, it is invigorating especially as a woman to feel like you can kick butt while working hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ593Z7MKs8

i have been living this healthy life style for about 5 solid weeks now, every monday-ish i take a picture of my progress and other then the typical bloating from being a woman (womp womp) i haven't really seen any changes, but my fiances says he does. i also haven't lost any weight, but i feel lighter, i feel better, till i look down at the rolling hills on my mid section. so i am focusing most of my energy on that part and the cottage cheese factory on the back of my thighs. i guess i cant really complain because my sleeping patterns are better and my mood is great, so for now i think ill stay on this path.

My nanny family is out of town this week which means i am on the couch this week right? wrong. i am choosing to spend my free week working out hard, and pumping my body full of healthy and organic foods....
today i made up a recipe for gluten free, flour free CoOkIeS.

Batter: in a food processor i put in pecans, walnuts, and chia seeds
Sweetener: raw agave, vanilla, cinnamon, and s dash of all spice
Fruit: dried cranberries and dries blueberries
Two Eggs just to add a little fluff to them.

i processed all the nuts and powder items then in a bowl i missed the fruit an eggs, it really does turn into a nice batter. scooped it onto a cookie sheet and baked them for 15ish mins at 375.