Often people write to me asking if I can share with them what I eat in a day. I've never really officially tackled putting a food log together, but felt that as we are just starting to find our stride with this new 11 Week Initiative on Raw Food Rehab, it would be an appropriate time to share the flow of my personal eating habits with all of you.
Remember, the following menu plan is based on a typical day. I veer off to incorporate a little gourmet raw food entrée or wonderful raw dessert when I feel like putting a bit more elbow grease into it, but what you see below is the simplicity of how I dine on a daily basis. I am also not 100% raw all the time, nor do I feel compelled to make my diet into something that feel like religious dogma. My plan is really simple as I just purpose to eat as well, real and raw as I can on any given day.
Upon Arising: Drink 2 tall glasses of pure water w/ fresh lemon juice (take 4 MSM capsules)
Before Noon: Green Juice, usually a bit sweet....sometimes I make a smoothie, but it depends on my mood (I take a Multi-Vitamin & B12 at this time) additionally, I may go for some fresh fruit, but usually the 32 oz of juice satisfies me for a few hours
Lunch:Blended Soup (sometimes it's a salad or marinated veggies)
I often snack on kale chips, corn chips or flax crackers if I feel the need to nosh! I also make an effort to drink pure spring water throughout the day, in between meals.
Here is what a typical shopping list looks like for me:
apples
berries
pineapple
bananas
lemons
limes
celery
cucumbers
zucchini
broccoli
beets w/ tops
carrots
cabbage
tomatoes
ginger
LOTS of leafy greens (including kale, dandelion, arugula & romaine)
shallots
garlic
apple cider vinegar
cold pressed olive oil
stone ground mustard
raw tahini
raw honey
flax seeds
hemp seeds
sunflower seeds
*I do buy organic or at my local farmers market whenever possible*
Regular healing herbs/spices I use often & try to grow:
basil
cayenne
chives
cilantro
jalapeño
mint
oregano
parsley
rosemary
turmeric
thyme
I am also growing several wild edibles this year like; nasturtium, lambsquarters, purslane, and beetberry.
I also encourage you to check out John Koehler's amazing videos on how he is planting a sustainable, survival garden in his yard. His lifestyle totally inspires me to take my love of real food to the next level!
My husband, Gordon, & I have been invited to attend a most spectacular gourmet vegetarian celebration of Earth Day 2010 at our beloved getaway, The Canebrake, next Tuesday evening. If you've been reading Real Food Tulsa for awhile you may remember our unforgettable stay there early last July....if not, I encourage you to read about our experience here.
The Canebrake is Oklahoma's first and only Eco-Certified property, so if you can be near the Wagoner/Fort Gibson Lake area in Oklahoma this coming Tuesday evening, we would love to connect with you for this amazing eco-friendly, sustainable vegetarian food demo/dinner party in celebration of Earth Day!
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They're still adding sites to the list everyday so if you have a recommendation, drop them a note in the comments section of this post.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, nama shoyu, garlic and pepper. Massage ands marinate the cabbage & beet green mixture and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes. Create a bed of the greens on a dinner (or salad) plate. Arrange the sliced avocado, topping with the shredded beets and carrots. Dust with a garnish of celtic sea salt, fresh pepper, and hemp seeds.
As we begin this next 11 Week Initiative, we'll be working on healing our bodies from the inside out. Liver and gallbladder health is going to be a focus and I would encourage you to view the videos by Sandra Cabot, MD in our Wellness Center for more information on this potential missing diagnosis in your health/weight loss equation.
Just in time for Spring & Raw Food Rehab's upcoming 11 Week Total Health & Weight Loss Initiative! Are you ready to kick start your 11 Weeks with a goal-setting, vision inspiring, motivational raw food solution eBook? Healthy Raw Solutions is a newly updated version of the very successful New Year's RawSolutions eBook that we used at Raw Food Rehab as a help to our last 11 Wk. Initiative. Simply click on the photo of the eBook at the right of this post to order your copy for just $5!
I promise that this gem will exceed your expectations with 45 delicious and cleansing raw food recipes (10 newly added), most of which require nothing more than a knife, cutting board and a blender.
This eBook will act as a companion to successfully steer you into an empowered upcoming 11 Weeks, helping to equip you with recipes, focus and purpose!
1 carrot 1 stalk celery 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 zucchini
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado
small handful cherry tomatoes
1 small shallot
1 small clove garlic
1 lime, juiced
splash of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp raw honey
pinch of sea slat & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1-2 cup of water, to blend
If you don't have a high speed blender, just chop your ingredients in smallish pieces. Blend all the above ingredients until smooth and creamy.
For a chunkier soup add in:
1/4 cup celery, minced 1/4 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup cucumber, chopped
These ingredients also make a welcome & healing addition to the mix:
sunflower or buckwheat sprouts cayenne or 1/2 jalapeño, seeded & minced
turmeric, grated (or the dry spice) smoked paparika basil or other Italian herbs
Also....today I'm thrilled to announce Raw Food Rehab's very own, in house raw food chef, Michelle K., has just released her brand new blog/website and DVD - It's A High Raw Life. Please go visit & show her some big love!
Lots of members have been asking me to share more about the results from this past Vault. I shared the statistics and weight loss totals from our "biggest losers" on Tuesday's video/discussion, but I thought it would be fun to offer you some actual comments, quotes and feedback that came in during the final weigh-in from participants at the end of this past 11 Weeks. These are all from members who completed the last Initiative and the Vault Experience:
"My total weight lost: 13 pounds! I'm sooooo happy and couldn't have done it without you guys! I'm definitely in for the next Vault." ~ Karen
"I have found a peace with eating this way. I also suffer from depression having retired abruptly recently, those feeling s have declined considerably and this has given me new direction in my life. I was never sick just overweight and tired all the time. There is a vibrancy to the way I feel when I consume raw foods. When you feel and see the changes in yourself, you want it for everyone. The missionary zeal is hard to contain so your focus on learning everything you can on your current messiah. There is a lot out there to learn and it will take years to digest the new panacea." ~ Chris (dropped over 15 lbs)
"Total weight release was 20.5 lbs! Already ready for the next initiative, to see what I can release before our daughter's wedding end of June!" ~ Karen J.
"I have been high raw for several years, so didn't expect dramatic changes. My goal was to stay 100% raw and although I had some slips with traveling and more-than-usual stress at work, I keep coming back to the best way to eat and live!" ~ Teresa
"I lost 12 LB. but I believe I will do better next time because of the change in seasons. I will be 70 on May 2nd. I am aiming at losing about 40 more pounds and get down to about 190. My health is real good. I just have to live the lifestyle. I know what to do, so I'll be back there in the Vault this next time!" ~ Papajoe
"I lost a total of 27 LBS & I had so much fun! Thank you for the chance to get myself in gear!" ~ Em
"I released 18.2 pounds! And I feel better than I have in years. I also have a raw food buddy that lives down the street from me who was part of the first Vault. Her daughter (who is now in college) use to babysit for my daughter, but I never knew she was into Raw until I saw her on this website. She has been a great resource too. I also went to have my cholesterol checked last week. October 2009 my cholestrol was 257.....March 2010, my cholestrol is now 181. No drugs were involved - diet only! :) Much love and hugs to all the Vaultings and RF rehabbers!" ~ Sandra L
"I have lost a total of 15.5#'s this 11 week initiative and a total to date of 55# since going raw!" ~ Judy
"My weight actually went up a bit, but I lost 2.5 inches. What I have gained out of the Vault is that I know I feel best the more raw I eat both mentally and physically. I'm more active physically than I was before and I know that is because of the inflammation going away in my foot and joints. I have hopes that in this next vault I will begin to show some success in the weight loss area. I also think it will be easier for me to maintain eating more raw this next go around because I got through the mental issues of switching to raw this go around." ~ Jackie
"My ending weight is 158, which means I lost 10 more stubborn pounds!! Praise the Lord & pass the cauliflower 'mashed potatoes'!!" ~ Penni
"I dropped 21.4 lbs. in this Initiative & along the way, my 11 year old daughter also lost 18 lbs.!! My husband, who started this wk with 1 smoothie/day and daily 2+ mile walk with me, lost 4 lbs...See you back in the Vault in 2 weeks!" ~ Debbie V.
"My eyes are clearer, my skin is better, and I dropped a size or two in clothing having dropped 14 pounds. This is a long term lifestyle choice for me now. I can't imagine going back to my former diet and I was already wheat, dairy, and soy free!" ~ KJ Lively
"I'm looking forward to the next 11-weeks. I have been working out to Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred workouts, and they are brutal. My weight hasn't changed much from the start, but I have lost an inch everywhere except my thighs (probably because of all the squats). Overall, I'm feeling good, and I'm in training for my first 5K coming up in 2 weeks! I still plan on being in the best shape OF MY LIFE when I hit 50 approx. 1 year from now! See you back in the Vault." ~ Tanja
"My total weight lost was 20 lbs.!!! Praise the Lord!" ~ Rita
"I found the weekly weigh in helpful for accountability because it was a way for me to gauge what I needed to focus on. I never before had such a good relationship with the scale. My husband hasn't ever seen me at this weight before! Even on those weight gain days, I was glad to know where I was at. The support of the online community is the number one factor in my weight loss success and self esteem boost! I'm in this as a lifetimer....see you in the Vault 2.0!" ~ Michelle K. (lost 12 lbs & 6 inches)
....And this was one of many awesome quotes that came in today as people were requesting to join the Vault:
"Penni - This is exactly what a I need. I know nothing about raw food. But I got your book and I'm ready to jump in! Heck, even my blender is from the 70's--just like the cellulite on my thighs. Hope to get rid of them both and be able to feel fantastic all the time!" ~ Marcia B.
I hope you will consider signing up to join us in our upcoming 11 Week Total Health & Weight Loss Initiative. It is not necessary to join The Vault to participate. To sign up for the 11 Week Initiative which begins Saturday, April 10th, Go Here. And to apply for The Vault 2.0, Click here.
Wife, mommy, holistic health enthusiast & writer, educator/inspirer, movie producer, real food passionista & Founder/Director at Real Food Rehab & Adm. at the Cherry Street Farmers' Market
I'm always passionate about the flavor, texture and simplicity of real food.
Upgrade Your Plate is a source of inspiration & recipes to help you live your best life now. We've recently opened a support community, UpgradedEats.com
The information contained in this blog is for education only and is not meant to help diagnose, prescribe, or treat illness. It is valuable to seek the advice of an alternative health care professional before making any changes to your existing diet.
