Day 6 of C & C ...(Creativity & Courage)

Today was great. I went to two farmers markets. Bought lots of figs, fennel, cucumbers, watermelon. A small bag of almonds (not pasteurized yay!) & mixed raisins.

Water- Only one liter so far.

Strength- 20 push ups on knees, & 20 dips.

Sweets- Fresh mixed figs (4 pints!)

Courage- Wearing my friends bikini that is one size too small for me. / Buying as many fresh figs as I wanted at the farmers market.

Sunshine- Lots of sun at the beach & the farmers markets.

Sweat- No really. Kind of a lazy day. Some sweat from the hot day, but that is about it.

Greens- Savoy cabbage wraps with seaweed salad, salsa, mungbean sprouts & guacamole inside.

Creativity- Not really. Just a lazy day with friends.

Bliss- Being able to just tag along.

I Went Blackberry Crazy

My trip to Oregon was great. Almost everyday I went on a blackberry hunt! I was foraging berries non-stop. :) Most of the trip was spent in two places (not including the car of course): Rogue River & Champoeg. Both of them were blackberry meccas! The other treats that delighted my taste buds were from Oregon shops that we found on the drive; Market of Choice & Zupans. Outside of the tasty food, it's hard for me to express the connection I felt with the trees & the sound of the river.  I loved being near them & I long for the day when I can spend even more time being near the water's waves or in the fresh air of the forest.

Ju Ju Bean?

TODAY

Sleep & Rest: 8 hours of sleep.

Yoga Practice: (Nothing yet.)

Sun & Air: 2 hour round trip walk to the fruit market. I like to call them "work-walks". I go over ideas & plans for the week as I do it. It's good for examining what's working & what's not in my life/work. These work-walks are my most clear thinking & productive time.

Sweat & Fun: I sweated & had fun during my work-walk. I also jogged a bit & stair climbed a bit.

Fruity Meals: Mikeylee watermelon / Fresh grapefruit juice / Halawy dates / Bag of fresh figs / Red cabbage & red radish salad / (I will have more salad tonight, lettuce will be the main ingredient on the next one.)

I saw some "Ju ju beans" next to my Halawy Dates at the market. (But now I find out it's "Jujubes" after researching on Google, I will have to go back and check the sign at the market to see if I read that right.) I bought one lonely one. I am clueless about it. I will have to do some research on the internet before I bite into it!

Creative Work: Lots of brain storming, notes taken & progress made on new ways for me to make a living. Change is coming!

Brave Move: I decided to add a new item to my daily routine. It will be called "Brave Move" because I want to work at getting over my fears & releasing the blocks in my life. Some years ago I made a list of my fears & checked them off one by one. It transformed my life! Imagine if I conquered a fear daily. -I could transform the world! Basically, I'm just thinking positive & doing whatever I can to take myself to the next level of peace & happiness (& accountability for it). I believe being responsible for your part in creating a wonderful world is the best way to create an amazing life & a peaceful planet.

Give * Share: Shared what I am committed to with my soon to be (again) creative coach Jamie Ridler.

Incorporeal Bliss: Knowing that I can't be held back. I, am my spirit more than anything else. No body & no thing can hold a spirit down. You can't touch it! It is powerful beyond measure. We all are!

YESTERDAY

Sleep & Rest: About 7 hours of sleep.

Yoga Practice: Nope. See below

Sun & Air: About 7 hours of standing around & walking around (& climbing stairs) in the sun. I had two french friends visiting. So I did the tourist thing & showed them around town.

Sweat & Fun: Nope. See above

Fruity Meals: Black grapes blended with banana / Red bananas / Dinner?…. Food became problematic while being out all day. I got hungry & I had little to chose from on a street filled with sandwich & pizza shops. My bright I idea was to order all side orders at a mexican restaurant (like guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce & cabbage, sliced red radishes, etc. ), problem was, I didn't expect it some of it to be super-salty & doused with vinegar! But I ate it. :( As I type this I am all "puffed out". [Written yesterday.] I have a feeling I will wake up tomorrow even puffier. [I did.] I wish I would have held out till I found a healthier place to eat like a produce store or home. Note to self: Please hold out for better options. Wait for the best, there is no rush.

Creative Work: Dedicated the day to keeping my word. I promised to show a friend around town & that I did.

Brave Move: Didn't worry when I knew I had/have stuff to worry about. I trusted the universe & moved forward. Decided to live as if I was loved & supported unconditionally.

Give * Share: Shared my red banana & city sights.

Incorporeal Bliss: Being next to the ocean & its salty air for a good part of the day. I just loved it!

Today

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. - Joseph Campbell

Sleep & Rest: About 8.5 hours or a little less.

Yoga Practice: I'm going to do some spinal breathing before bed.

Sun & Air: Lunch outdoors.

Sweat & Fun: 15 minutes running stairs & 45 minutes run/walk combo outdoors.

Fruity Meals: Bag of mixed fresh figs / Lots of little blonde grapes (champagne grapes?, not sure what type) / Raw tomato stew with chopped avocado on nappa cabbage leaves / Raw tomato stew with chopped fennel & red cabbage

Creative Work: Got good work done today. A little of everything. Things are moving forward! yay!

Give - Share: Shared my thoughts & opinions with my nephew, shared great news with my sister, & shared my artwork with someone I just met.

Incorporeal Bliss: I was hearing this beautiful chime sound as I walked today. I was so eager to find the source. I kept walking & walking and the sound never stood still anywhere. I kept thinking that I would eventually pass the house that had the wind chime. I would see the the chime blowing in the wind & leave the sound behind me as I walked away. But the house never revealed itself. I eventually discovered that the chime was really a few small bells attached to an "icee" cart. The icee vendor was rolling their cart a block in front of me. I had no idea it was them until I eventually passed them. The mysterious sound was fun to be around. Fun while it lasted.

Day 58 of 108

I have a little adventure I am going to try...

It's going to be 2-3 weeks (until a friend comes to town next month, then I will take a break for a few days & go back to it after they go), then pick-up where I left off for another 1-2 weeks. I want to try 30 days in total. The plan is to get really simple. I'm going to eat organic dates, bananas & various lettuces only. I'm doing this for a few reasons. The first reason is because I want to get leaner & healthier. With a diet like this (plus plenty of sunshine, water, happy thoughts & exercise), you are bound to shine. And I want to be as shiny as I can get! :) The second is because I would like to be a fruitarian & eat mostly whole fruits. Plain & simple. I don't want to have to spend time in the kitchen preparing things or depend on recipes to feel happy at meal times. I would like to to keep 'fancy' meals to special occasions, like when my friends or family are visiting with me. The third reason is to save time & money! Two things I could definitely use more of. I did the math & buying a few cases of organic bananas & dates for a month comes out way(!) cheaper than what I was spending on all of my cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, etc. I'll be saving hundreds of dollars. (-organic cucumbers & tomatoes are expensive!) Organic lettuce will still cost me a bit. But I can't give lettuce up for long. I always come back to it. It will still come out really cheap, even with the lettuce as my biggest expense. So it will be nice to have a month were time & money is saved. I'm planning a few trips this year (international & continental), so getting lighter, living lighter & saving money will serve me well in the months to come. That is the plan! I will also post my exercise, feelings, sunshine, water intake, etc. So you can see where I am at with everything while I am eating like this. I might post some videos of me too. :) So you can see (really see!) how things are evolving. -Xo!

Food: 1.5 liters of datorade (dates blended with water), many soaked dates, date/lettuce wraps & a date/lettuce smoothie
Exercise: Ran stair repeats 3 sets x 10 (afap), 30min of meditation/pranayama/kriya, 15min of skin brushing & a little walking
Water: 2L (but will get in another before the day is up)
Sunshine: 60minutes of sunbathing
Sleep: 8 hours in bed, 6 hours asleep (woke up with no alarm)
Feelings: Feel excited. Happy. Grateful.
:)

Day 12 of 108

Citrus feast; oranges, tangelos & grapefruits
Big crispy organic iceberg lettuce leaves, rolled & filled with veggie fruits & cilantro sauce
Another citrus feast (-after a super intense hot yoga class)
:)

Warm Winter Day

Last night's choices were not the best. But I had a great day & ate lots of tasty food. So no complaints from me. Just better choices & back to eating before sundown. Lately I've been eating too late in the day. That also leads to poor choices I feel. Staying hydrated, eating lots of sweet fruits for breakfast & not eating after dark keep me on track. Usually. -I just need to do it! I've been a little all over the place lately (with my eating times, work schedule & hours logged sleeping), I can see that I need to reel myself back in. It's all part of the process. As long as I'm learning & improving gradually, it's all good. Working on my health, fitness & diet little by little has changed my life for the better. Good habits stay, & bad ones gently fall away... (-but it takes time).

Today I ate;
Soaked organic prunes & their soak water
Red leaf salad with zucchini noodles, chopped veg fruits & mixed-herb sauce on top

People have brought me so much sunshine & love lately. This has been the warmest winter ever! Life has been so much fun. Extra special thanks to my good friend HippieMom for sharing her Sunshine Award with me. I am supposed to pass it on to other bloggers. I'm not sure what kind of blogger they have to be, but I'll just tell you who inspires me or who I've been following for a few years.

Here is the list....
A Good Look
Garance Dore
The Sartorialist
Coco Bula
Gala Darling
Orange Juice Girl
Croqué Cru (-also called Bliss Food in English)
& ...of course, HippieMom's blog! The Raw Journal -Xo! 

Today I ate;

3 liters of water

Camomile tea

Lots of mangoes

Dandelion-red leaf-avo-cucumber salad

w/ organic purple olives & kimchi

= 1625 total calories for the day

Today is day 2 of the 21 day cleanse. So far so good. It's difficult to get a lot of the calories in early. I have to make sure I get most (if not all) of my calories by 4pm. I want to make sure I go through a mini fast through the evening until the morning. I've been a little hungry (I'm sure it's habit & not hunger) on the cleanse, but my energy has been really good. I have a clear & level mind right now. I feel very calm, even with the hunger/cravings. I know I'm getting enough calories, it's just that I'm used to eating later in the day. Today I went for a 100 minute walk/run  this morning & I felt really good the whole way. Even though I didn't eat dinner or breakfast, I had enough energy.

I'm Back!

I had a great time camping. I had so much fun I'm planning another trip in September. I can't wait. Even though I had a blast camping, I was not having a blast with my food options. Fruits & veggies were not a local favorite were I was staying. (Good thing I brought some dried fruit to to last me the first two days!) Coffee, baked goods, meat loaf, chicken & plenty of sandwiches were the local favorites. I did the best I could without being too 'up-tight' about it all. I did find some bananas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine lettuce & sour cherries. But not enough to feel like I was eating the way I would like to. I'm so excited to be back home & to have an abundance of fresh produce! Lucky me. Sometimes stepping away from what you have makes you see how blessed you are. Every now & then I complain about New York produce. (I'm from Northern California & I know how good & fresh produce can be.) But after having almost no options for a week, I feel like I hit the jackpot now! I will not complain again.

Today I had lots of homemade honey-lemonade, several sweet grapefruits, a banana-dandelion smoothie & a dandelion kimchi salad with avocado-celery dressing.

I'm so glad to be back. :)

Today I ate;

3 liters of water

Coconut water

16oz of mixed vegetable juice

TONS of plum tomatoes

Chopped tomatoes & cucumbers with tomato sauce

Today I didn't count calories. I wanted to eat mostly non-sweet fruit because I know I have days of sweet fruit coming up. Right now my kitchen is loaded with all sort of melons, oranges and bananas. Sweet fruit galore starting tomorrow!

14 Day Cleanse -Day 11

1 liter of water

16oz of fresh vegetable juice

Cantaloupe & more cantaloupe

Cucumber noodles & sprouts

w/chopped tomato & tomato sauce

=1210 total calories for the day

(Today I really wanted something besides fruit for dinner. It ended up being a non-sweet fruit combo with sprouts. Cucumbers & tomatoes are so good. I liked the tomato sauce on the broccoli sprouts. I'm a little low on calories today, but I'm full. I think I waited to late in the day to eat. I had a busy afternoon and now it's almost 7pm. ) 

So far so good on the cleanse. I'm still thinking of extending it or tweaking it and starting a new one. I am craving more 'savory salad' type meals for dinner. But I have a feeling I'm wanting it because it's not on the list, not because my body needs or really wants it. It's my mind wanting what's familiar and I totally understand that. :) On the next cleanse I may add low-fat raw gazpacho veggie soups. Like a raw celery-tomato soup. That way it (my mind) won't feel like it's missing out on salty tasting dishes.

Today I ate;

2 liters of water

Banana-celery smoothie

Banana-beet top smoothie* (<-- looks and tastes like a chocolate shake!)

Shredded summer squash with cherry tomatoes, avocado and minced purple olives

on a bed of arugula with  strained tomato sauce on top

= 1365 total calories

* Green Smoothie Recipe: Banana & Beet tops*

This green smoothie is not green. It is the color of chocolate milk, a beautiful red-ish brown. I used a little filtered water, three bananas, and about 6 or more beet leaves including the stalks. I did not use the beet, only it's greens. If you want it thick, put the bananas in the blender first and don't use water. If you like it cold you can make it with ice.

Today I ate;

Today is day 1 of my "HOT, Raw & Rich" challenge. You can see full details at Sunday is for Lovers! 

1.5 liters of water

Pink grapefruit juice

Several kiwis

Heirloom lettuce, avocado and  cherry tomato salad 

with  chopped cilantro and a grapefruit juice-tomato-celery dressing (<--It's really good! You can make it with a little fresh garlic and red pepper too.)

(I exercised too; 80 minute nature trail walk)

Today I ate;

The juice of three grapefruits

3 liters of green smoothie (banana/water/dandelion/celery)

Some plum tomatoes

16oz of coconut water

Big green salad with raw mango-tomato dressing

2 liters of water

(I exercised too; 40 minutes of walking, and 90 minutes of yoga)

Happy Valentine's Day! ~LOVE and be sweet to yourself. ~Xo! 

Today I ate;

Nori/lettuce wraps (radish/carrot/avocado) 

with a carrot-hummus sauce 

1.5 liters of water

1 liter of coconut water

Raw pecan cookie and yam pudding (from Lifethyme)

(I missed my 8pm yoga class. Couldn't get there in time. I'm a little sad about it. But my life will go on.)

Today I ate;

The juice of a few oranges

Green salad with radish/avocado/carrots  with raw home-made ginger-carrot dressing

Spirulina/cinnamon/banana/water smoothie

Organic green leaf lettuce leaves with a little hummus on top

45oz of coconut water and 1.5 liters of regular water with MSM

(I exercised too; 45 minutes of walking and bikram yoga)

~I felt really good today. It was a great day.

32oz of lemon water

Soaked organic Turkish figs

Home-made raw carrot-ginger soup

with avocado in nori sheets

Green smoothie (made of spirulina/banana/water)

1.5 liters of water

(I exercised too; 40 min. of walking, 90 min. of Bikram yoga)

Today I ate;

500ml of lemon water with stevia

1.5 liters of blended spirulina/banana/water

6oz of vegetable chips

Organic avocado/radish/miso/lettuce filled Nori wraps

1 liter of water

(I exercised too; Yoga, bouncing on trampoline, and 20 minutes of walking)

Today I ate;

1 grapefruit and 2 clementines

1 liter of banana/cinnamon/celery/stevia smoothie

500ml of spirulina/banana/cinnamon smoothie

Amy's organic pinto beans over romaine lettuce

with home-made raw salsa and gaucamole on top

1 liter of cocomut water

1 liter of water

32oz of ginger/lemon/stevia water

(I exercised too; 90 minutes of Bikram yoga and 45 minutes of walking)

Today I ate;

16oz of lemon/MSM/water

500ml of water

Some navel oranges

Apple/ginger/cinnamon/water/banana puree

with 1 sliced banana on top

Big bowl of plain organic mixed herbs/greens

with raw tomato-coco-garlic dressing

Some soaked turkish figs

1 banana

Medium bowl of raw dandelion soup 

(I used the left over tomato-coco-garlic dressing ingredients to make the soup)

(I exercised too; the 5 Tibetan rites, Bikram yoga, and trampoline jumping)