I Like It Raw - Day 47

Earlier this week I was asked to write an article for Women's Week, this week's feature segment on We Like It Raw. It was a real honor to be included in such a grouping of contributors, women who are truly amazing personalities within the health and raw food world. I've been a follower of Dhrumil, the creator of WLIR, for several years now and he never ceases to amaze me. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Dhru at the end of last month in New York. The above photograph was taken of he and I at Sarma Melngalis' Pure Food & Wine in Manhattan. Meeting him in person was everything I knew it would be. He has this presence that is unlike anyone I've ever been around. That's saying a lot because I've lived awhile and I'm a people person. I study people, their mannerisms, their body language and I look at the their aura and into their spirit. I'll can tell you that spending time with Dhrumil is like being with a great spiritual teacher and he leaves you with a feeling like....butter. I have every confidence that he is going to do big things. And I mean really big.

If you would like to read my article, you can do so here. I hope you'll tune in to We Like It Raw each day this week, as new essays and podcasts will continue to be posted. I would also like to invite you to join our online community at Give It To Me Raw. Think Myspace or Facebook, but it's all health conscious, like-minded individuals that are caring, sharing and supporting one another along this journey. I am blown away by the people I've encountered through this website. Do check it out!

This morning I had a really tasty juice....I blended raspberries, strawberries, coconut water, orange juice and spirulina. I strained any pulp and the seeds out and then re-blended with a bit of ice to make it almost like a smoothie. What a delicious treat! Midday I had to mix up a quick quart of master cleanse (lemon juice, raw honey, pure water and cayenne pepper) because I was rushed for time. This evening I had my usual spicy salsa juice and I drank about 2 quarts. I had another episode with bathroom drama :-( I guess I am going to have to give up the jalapeños at some point. The burn factor is hot on the way down, but it's almost too much on the way out. YOWZA!

Half Way There - Day 46

April 15th can often have a negative vibe for many of us tax paying Americans, but this year the day took on a whole new feeling for me. Day 46 of juice feasting is the half way point for those of us who are planning to go the distance and complete the entire Global Juice Feasting program that began on March 1st, as designed by David Rainoshek. When I began this adventure a month and a half ago, I couldn't have foreseen the transformations that have already taken place in such a short amount of time. Issues with my skin have cleared up. A case of chronic bronchitis that had lingered for over six months after a bout with pneumonia last June...today-lungs totally clear. Fatigue and mood swings, gone. Paper thin and peeling finger nails are now strong, healthy and growing like a weed. My hair is regaining a lustre and softness after several years of feeling dull and lifeless, not to mention new growth and fullness where I was beginning to see thinning. No bloating, gas or bathroom drama (except when I juice jalapeños, which I do anyway, because I love it hot!) And a weight loss of nearly 25 pounds. I am sure there are other improvements that I am forgetting at the moment, but with results such as these, how could I not move forward and complete my goal?

Today is good time to say a thing or two about gratitude. First of all, I am so grateful for my family, especially my dear husband, Gordon. Gordon has put no demands on me during this time. He has allowed me the space I need to accomplish my goals on a daily basis. I spend much more time on the computer now, between studying, communicating with others who are either juicing or who are in the raw food community, or my own writing...such as maintaining this blog. Never a cross word or a moment of negativity. I realize how blessed I am to have a partner who gives such support...Gordon, I love you and and I love my flowers! As seen in my photo of the day, he surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers this morning to congratulate me on the accomplishment of making it to the half way mark. And to the girls, Gabby and Taylor, I want to thank you for loving me and for being so understanding about my wild decision to drink juice for three months. You are both so special to me and we'll always remember this time when I always had a big jug of juice with me everywhere we went!

I also want to thank all of you who read my blog everyday. Knowing that I have family & friends, both old and new, who are following my adventure, gives me a great deal of encouragement and motivation. Your comments and personal emails have been a source of delight and inspiration to me. And a big thank you to Matt Gleason of the Tulsa World for thinking enough of my story to cover it in our local paper. There have been so many people who have contacted me or who I have ran into that saw the article and who speak kind words of encouragement. A genuine thank you to David & Katrina Rainoshek, my juice feasting mentors. And finally to Philip McCluskey and Heidi Ohlander, these two were blazing the trail and are who really got me to see the vision and jump on the band wagon to make that final commitment to go for it. All of these people and factors play a role in my own personal success thus far and and I know that this support structure is a big part of what will keep me going strong in the next month and a half. So everyone join me in lifting your juice glass (or quart jar) and toast with me to another epic and exciting 46 days!

Special Connections - Day 45

I can remember a time in my past when I used to get the Monday blues. Now it's almost hard to recall the last time I felt that sense of dread when Monday rolled around, but now I find myself so thankful at the beginning of each week. I have started viewing Mondays as a new opportunity to create new experiences and to be open to what God wants to bring into my life every week. Today was a perfect example of what I know Mondays can be. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Angela first thing this morning. Angela and I have been online friends for over a year and why we haven't found the time to get together before now is a mystery, but at the same time, it was well worth the wait. She drove in from her home in Bartlesville and we met up at the Cherry Street Coffee House for great conversation and a cup of tea.

Angela and I have plenty in common. We are both moms, raw foodies, information and education junkies and we share a vision and desire to help others and better our own lives while doing so. Angela is both bright and beautiful. She is one of those people that you meet and you immediately feel like you've known them for a long time. After a wonderful time of sharing, we parted with an understanding that today was just the first of many, many more such conversations. Thank you, Angela!

I am also delighted to share that I've been asked to write an article/essay for this week's feature segment on We Like It Raw, Women's Week. Dhrumil has a fantastic line up of essays and podcasts planned from women who work in the world of health and raw food. Check out who and what is on the agenda:

• Bell Chung on the female period and myths about the menstruation cycle


• Natalia Rose on growing up with an eating disorder and finding balance within raw foods [podcast]


• Sarma Melngailis on getting a few products to help you get the glow


• Stacey & Susan on female body image issues, how they found raw food and coaching others [podcast]


• Penni Shelton on her motivation behind Juice Feating and how the experience has been so far (OMG....that's me!!)
  


• Ani Phyo on her raw food journey and becoming a successful raw chef [podcast]


• Emily Shaules on rising above fibromyalgia and finding purpose in her life

Please try to log each day for inspiring stories and for a wealth of progressive health related
information.

I also had the opportunity to have a great phone conversation with Margo Jakobi, raw food coach and public speaker, from St. Joseph, Missouri. Margo has an infectious passion for health, raw and vegan foods and for reaching out, helping and inspiring others. She has some really amazing things in the works and her energy really poured fueled on some of my own personal desires, like actually doing the ebook, that so far, has just been rattling around on the MC Word of my mind. So, brainstorming with her was another spectacular treat and a great motivator in the middle of my day.

Tomorrow is my half way mark!! That's right I'll have been juicing for 46 days which is half way to my goal of 92 days. This time has really gone by quickly and it's hard to believe I'm looking at the road ahead and it's all down hill from here on out. Tomorrow will be a real milestone on this journey and I hope to have something wonderful and meaningful to share with you for my 46th day ;- )

My juices were pretty simple today....before noon was a couple of quarts of orange/carrot/spirulina and then afternoon and evening another two quarts of celery/spinach/green onion/cherry tomatoes/cilantro/ jalapeño/garlic/lime/sea salt/freshly cracked pepper to taste. I drink some variation of this juice every evening and it basically tastes like salsa.....I am addicted.

Welcome to the Jungle - Day 44

Every year it happens. I always get so zealous about spring planting, herbs, tender young greens, tomatoes and peppers. For some odd reason I thought this year would be different and that we wouldn't get that odd freeze this late in the season. But apparently its coming tonight.....temperatures are expected to get around 30 degrees or below and I just couldn't bear risking the livelihood of my sweet young potted garden to the chilling night temperatures. So, this afternoon, I brought them all into our kitchen for a climate controlled night at the Shelton Inn. My kitchen island and cabinet tops are overflowing with happy, cozy plants. I can almost sense their gratefulness and if I didn't know better, I'd think they were humming a little tune.

Other than rescuing the garden, today has been relatively calm and very much a day of rest. I have enjoyed some exceptionally good juices today. Before church I had a quart of refreshing grapefruit, blood orange and Crystal Manna. Then for lunch, it was pineapple, parsley, apple & VitaMineral Green. Mid afternoon and evening was my daily favorite....celery, kale, romaine, green onion, cucumber, sprouts, red bell pepper, carrots, asparagus, garlic, lime, sea salt and jalapeño. This smörgåsbord of veggies all marry very well together creating a deliciously savory juice that is a pleasure to my palate. It ends up making around 2 quarts. I usually chase this with a tbsp. of hemp or coconut oil. I keep trying to enjoy chewing bee pollen, but I have yet to feel the love. I choke it down a few times a week, but maybe I just have a funky brand or something. I know it is a spectacularly good addition to any diet, esecially when juice feasting, so I'll keep working on it.

I've got some really exciting things cooking (pardon the pun) this week. Tomorrow morning I am finally meeting with an online friend that I have been corresponding with for close to a year. She is driving in from Bartlesville, OK and we are meeting at my latest haunt, the Cherry Street Coffee House, for a pseudo raw meet up! I feel like I already know Angela and just like it was when I finally met Dhrumil and Philip, it will seem like we've know each other for a long time. There are other very cool things in the works as well, but I'll save those details for later.

Farmer's Market Fresh - Day 43

I awoke this cool, crisp day with a twinge of excitement....it was opening day of the Cherry Street Farmer's Market! Gordon and I got up, dressed and rushed out to see what prizes we might find waiting for us. As expected, it was a somewhat light turn out by vendors due to the earliness of the season, yet we found some great items. My friends who own The Spice Market, Tracy Evans and Rick Boyles, were there all bright eyed and bushy tailed, with all their amazing mixtures. I bought some cayenne pepper, which I have been out of recently, and I really like adding this into my more savory juices for a kick. We then we were lucky enough to find some tomato plants in several heirloom varieties. In a previous blog, I spoke of my good friend Geoff, the chef at Lava. Geoff was there representing with some of his amazing gourmet takeout fare. Gordon happily bought a marinated bean salad and some hummus, which I have so say, smells divine. So, that was about the extent of our purchases today. Each week that goes by will get even better.

About 11:00 am, I had another new friend come over to talk about raw food. "PJ" found me through my page on myspace and now follows my juice feast through my blog. She is a beautiful woman and it sounds like a diet of more raw foods could end up being a perfect fit into her life. She and I are about the same age and it was fun to give her my kitchen tour, make some nut milk, crack into a Thai coconut, etc. Before leaving, I sent her with my extra copy of Raw Food Real World and The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. I am also going to be eager to hear back from her next week because she has ordered "the Box" from Matt Amsden of Rawvolution. I have always wanted to get "the box" and experience his food.....I guess I'll just have live vicariously through my new friend's rawvolution review for now.

Once finished with our consultation, I went down the street to the Herbal Fair on Brookside. WOW, was it ever windy!! But while there I ran into some old friends and found some great additions for my potted herb garden, a big planter filled with salad greens and a couple of more tomato plants. Come mid summer we'll have so many tomatoes growing....won't that be marvelous? I also bought lovage plants. Has anyone eaten lovage before? This very nice woman who was a grower said she though it would be phenomenal juiced because it is a bit like celery! WHAT? Did she say juiced?! She must have had my number because I ended up buying four plants because of that comment. Let me know if anybody has any scoop on lovage or sorrel, ok? Is sorrel like a leafy green for salads, etc.? Anyway, what a nice event and I love the energy of the crowds that attend such an affair. Just good people.

So my day has been a pleasure. Taylor, our eleven year old is here tonight with a friend. We just finished watching Enchanted....I loved that movie! Gabby is at one of her friends homes for a sleep over. And Gordon and I are ready to turn in and have some down time! Oh, I wanted to share that I drank the most juice today ever. I had 6 quarts total! I drank the juice of one whole watermelon, which yielded 4+ quarts and then I made a pico de gallo flavored juice this evening with just enough cayenne added to make me do the cha cha slide with the girls tonight! So, until tomorrow.....sweet dreams!

Fabulous Friday - Day 42

This is a picture of me and my precious Daddy. He is 78 and still going strong and fabulous! (Lou Lou, you are right, this shot was taken a couple of years ago :-)

What is it about Fridays? I mean, does anybody else seem to change gears when you look at the calendar and realize it's Friday? Sure you do. Something just resonates....WEEKEND. Yeah.

There is so much I look forward to sharing with you, but I can't seem to encapsulate it at the current moment. Don't you love it when life hums like that....you know, so much energy, you just can't confine it, define it or articulate it. Isn't that when life is at it's best?

I struggled to finish my blog tonight because I felt so distracted by all that is swirling around me.....but suddenly an angel appeared to remind me....""In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." - Albert Schweitzer

You know who you are. Thanks to those who inspire me so. Here's to you kid.

Strawberry Nirvana - Day 41

Today was a nice day. I got a lot of computer work accomplished at home this morning and then I met up with a new friend to discuss the possibilities of her starting either a juice feast or a raw foods diet. This lovely woman is a friend of a few of my friends and she's been following my journey with juice since it began. She's no stranger to the concept of a raw food diet, but she just hasn't made that leap yet. We talked a lot about the pros and cons of starting a juice feast and she decided that it might be good to work towards eating raw first for a few weeks and see how that goes before committing to starting a juice feast. I think she is wise, considering her level of responsibility as a single mom, full time career person, and being involved in a long distance relationship. She really doesn't need to have a major detox scenario or a really complex regime with which to begin. Easing into raw would also give her time to re-learn food prep, make some adjustments to her kitchen as well as give her time to make a quality decision on which juicer to buy. Anyway, meeting with "JM" today was a treat and I look forward to hearing more from her as her story starts to unfold!

I also should mention that I was a juice princess for the day! That's right...I only ended up making one quart of juice today because the rest of what I drank came from my "fairy juice princess"....aka Cynthia Beavers of Pure Raw Cafe (soon to be opening at 37th & Harvard in Tulsa). Cynthia made the most delicious mixtures for me that were delivered right to my door last evening. It was a special gift to myself to celebrate 40 days in the juice wilderness and believe me, drinking her juices was like entering into the Promised Land! There was one that was a blend of spinach, cilantro, coconut water, green curry, lime and I think a dab of jalapeño, which won my top billing. She delivered another that she calls Tantric Thai that is somewhat similar but carrot juice is a bit more predominant. And finally, the Strawberry Nirvana.....coconut water, blended and strained strawberries and freshly squeezed orange juice, to which I added some spirulina and it was to die for. I have felt so spoiled for the past 24 hours, but I felt I deserved a special juice treat!

Other than that, today was otherwise a pretty mellow Thursday. I am looking forward to my yoga class in the morning and another call with Kevin Gianni. This guy has done so much to promote the raw food industry and he really is a great guy. Hopefully I will be able to help him behind the scenes on one or more of his upcoming projects. I know I can learn a great deal from his experience and wisdom in the health industry. Is anybody else looking forward to the weekend like me?!