Remember this?

In my last post, I explained that due to a temporary change in eating habits, I would be using this blog to journal what's going on in my life rather than what's on my plate.

But, since this did start out as a raw blog, I decided to occasionally flash back to a past raw food entry, so you don't have to dig so hard trying to find it yourself.

For instance, remember this Chinese New Year post? I sure do. It was one of my favorite Thursday night raw meals (that's the day my hubby would agree to go raw for the evening, as well).

I was thinking about it this week as I had another crazy change in cravings. At first, I just had to have bread, but now I keep thinking about rice. Lucky for me, we're having Chinese food at my parent's house tonight to celebrate my grandfather's birthday.

Now, I wouldn't expect you to have any interest in celebrating his special day with us, but consider whipping up some of these rawified dishes in your own home, as tomorrow is the start of another Chinese New Year.

Here's the post with my recipe for Fortune Rawkies and Peanut-free Sauce. There's also an entry where I tried to recall what I put in the Sweet and Sour Veggies.

To really give you some more options, check out the Sunny Raw Kitchen blog, where Carmi posted, not one, nor just two, but three entries packed with recipes to round out your festive feast.

Happy New Year!

Invasion of the body snatchers

I used to scare myself with that movie when I was little. I remember watching it with my family while filling my belly with a big plate of nachos my mom heated up under the broiler. The crazy thing is that I could really go for a snack like that right about now.

And I'm not talking about the rawified kind. My body is craving cooked.

I know this is a raw site, but I may be using it in the upcoming months to inform my readers as to what's going on in my life, rather than what I'm eating at the moment. In fact, you probably don't want to know what's on my plate right now (so feel free to peruse past entries that do include raw food. Here's what I blogged about last year on this date, although it's not my best recipe).

My body has been taken over, like in the movie. Or, if you want to put it into my son's terms, it's like Ben 10 (Jacob thought his toys would make great photos for this post). He dials up an alien on his watch and becomes that character long enough to defeat the bad guys.

However, I can't control this little character inside me, and I haven't succeeded in fighting off any of its naughty cravings. I guess I'm just going to have to enjoy it while it lasts. I've been like this before, and I made it back to the raw side in the end. Let's see if this journey runs full circle, too. In any case, it's worth it :-)

Fresh!

Unfortunately, that is not a word to describe my food intake lately. I've been feeling a little like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, although I'm stuck in the latter persona. But don't worry about me; it's for good reason.

While those around me have been sprucing up their insides in the new year (my mom and sister are back on their green smoothie kick), I've been more concerned with cleaning and reorganizing my house. I guess it's my resolution.

It's funny; I even have a favorite cleaning CD to blast while I work. Appropriately titled "Fresh!" (and you probably thought I pick up to the voice of Mary Poppins and her "Spoonful of Sugar"), this fun mix of songs from my college days has been a staple in my cleaning routine for years. It just makes it more fun.

So, since I don't have any fresh new raw foods to share with you today, have a blast freshening up your household to these juicy tunes of the '90s.

1. Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping"
2. Third Eye Blind, "Semi-charmed Life"
3. Green Day, "Hitchin' A Ride"
4. Blur, Song 2
5. Arkana, "So Little Time"
6. Oasis, "D'You Know What I Mean"
7. Cornershop, "Brimful of Asha"
8. Sugar Ray, "Fly"
9. Matchbox 20, "Push"
10. Everclear, "Everything to Everyone"
11. Meredith Brooks, "B*tch"
12. Suede, "Beautiful Ones"
13. Catatonia, "Mulder & Scully"
14. Mansun, "Wide Open Space"
15. Radiohead, "Karma Police"
16. The Verve, "The Drugs Don't Work"

Juice it up!

I remember that silly cheer from my school days. It went a little something like this:

"Juice,
Juice it up,
We're number one (drag out the word "one"),
(Fill in the blank) is number one!"

I've had a lot to cheer about lately, which explains my break in blogging. It's been a whole week since my last post.

Anyway, I'd promised you a review of April's new e-book, and since it focuses on juice recipes, I knew I needed to tell you about it before any resolutions get broken.

Lucky for me, I didn't make any dietary promises or plans to cleanse in the new year. If I had, I would've failed miserably.

But that doesn't have to deter you on your path to success. Download a copy of "Healthy Indulgence, 50 Raw Juice and Smoothie Recipes," by April Ross, M.A. She'll have you filling your tummy with yummy beverages that'll treat your body right.

Unfortunately, I didn't pick the best time for me to sample all of the recipes, so you'll have to test drive most of these yourself. You see, my taste buds have been a little off lately. Orange has been my juice of choice, at least when I can stomach it.

However, when I've felt up to it, I have enjoyed the "fruity sensations" from the book. "Fruit Punch Party Mania" (a mix of kiwi, mango, orange, strawberry and pineapple) and "Strawberry Lemonade" were two of my faves, while I plan on sipping some "Orange Lemon Juice" or "Grapefruit Orange Twist" in the near future.

The recipes are simple and easy to make. April even organized them at the end, so they can be printed out in convenient note card form. She really does show you that "nutritious can be delicious."

Thinking of me

Now that title is definitely not in the holiday spirit (even if the holidays are just about over). I sound totally self-absorbed.

But, I didn't mean to ask you to think of me (I love that song, by the way). I was just so happy to share the fact that one of my raw foodie friends thought of me anyway.

You may already know to whom I'm referring; why of course it's Jenny, a.k.a. Wylde Girl. She turns everything into a work of art.

Anyway, she mailed me these raw nut-free (you'll never miss them; just check out this recipe) truffles as a surprise, and boy was I. They made it safely to my doorstep and into my tummy. Yummy!

Don't worry about me; I'll have time to polish them off before the new year. That's when I'll sample some juice recipes from April's new e-book. She was nice enough to send me a copy, which I can't wait to review for you.

Thanks for thinking of me, girls :-)

Don't forget the Chex party mix

As you know, 2008 is nearly over, and it's almost time to ring in the new year. What better way to celebrate than with some good old fashioned Chex party mix? That is, unless you're a raw foodie.

Growing up, I always made sure my mom made a batch of the stuff for all our holiday celebrations, especially New Year's Eve. Therefore, I just had to find a way to recreate the experience in raw form, of course.

It was fairly simple. I soaked some raw mixed nuts (always the best part of the party mix); marinated them in some olive oil in place of the traditional butter, Bragg's (my substitute for the Worcestershire sauce in the original) and a variety of seasonings (I used many of the same ones listed on the seasoned salt, but without all the unnecessary additives); and dehydrated them until "toasty."

Now, for the Chex part, you can use your favorite raw bread, cracker or crust recipe. I used a variation of the flatbread pizza crust in "Raw Food Real World," minus the hemp seeds and with the addition of the seasonings/marinade I whipped up for the nuts. I made sure to cut the flatbread into tiny squares, which were dehydrated until crisp.

For the last step, I tossed together the "baked" squares and "toasted" nuts with a little extra marinade and left the combination in the dehydrator for a while longer. The result was a snack mix worth the wait.

Hope you have a fun and safe new year :-)

The Pajama Game

I remember my mom had the soundtrack from that musical on vinyl when I was little. I used to sing along to it, as I danced around the house.

I have many fond memories of hanging out in my p.j.s on Christmas day, while we exchanged gifts, played with our presents and spun holiday tunes on the old school record player or 8-track.

Nowadays, we still go to my parents' house, where we open packages from each other, eat yummy food and burn off all those calories by running around like kids again.

Yesterday, we tested out the new air hockey table in their basement, chased each other around with toy guns (they shoot soft foam balls) and learned a few moves with the Wii Fit. I think we need to work a little more on our balance.

Today, Matthew, Jacob and I are having a pajama day at home. Still in our sleepwear, we're testing out Jacob's new toys, as well as pulling out some of the favorites from Christmas past.

Jacob even got some Mario props to help him get into character for playing Mario Kart. He looks like he's ready for some competition. Gotta go :-)