Today & Yesterday I ate;

On Saturday I had durian (-Wow! So good!) & a romain salad with chopped mixed veggie-fruits on top.
Today I had lots of fresh OJ with lemon & some grapefruits. Later I will have some mashed soaked dates with black sapotes. 
:)

This week...

Monday- 
Oranges
Grapefruit
Canistel

Tuesday-
Grapefruits
Raw yellow squash noodles on a bed of romain lettuce w/mango-tomato-cilantro sauce

Wednesday-
Mixed lemon-grapefruit-orange juice
Raw yellow squash noodles w/spinach-basil sauce & chopped mango, tomato & cilantro on top

Thursday-
Lots of cumbers & tomatoes,
Raw yellow squash noodles & chopped romain lettuce w/basil-tomato sauce
Soaked prunes & soaked dates

Today- 
Lots of OJ & red grapefruits
Raw yellow squash noodles on top of chopped romain lettuce & tomatoes w/orange-avo-basil dressing
Durian

I am really loving everything I am eating right now. (-As you can see I got hooked on squash noodles this week.) Everything is so good! I'm in heaven. :) Xx...

So far so good! Just saying "Hi". See you on Friday. :) ♥

Quick Update

The fast feels great. I think I am cleaner than I thought. Usually when you fast on water only you get a thick white coating on your tongue (-the bodies way of purging waste in your system), well my tongue looks pretty good. No thick white coating. So I think I will go another day or so, then wrap it up earlier than planned. To break my fast I'll start with valencia oranges. Then maybe just have valencia oranges & red grapefruits for a few days. Then start incorporating other fruits (like my canistels & black sapotes) & leafy greens. Mmmm... ;) It will feel amazing after the fast. I'll have a whole new appreciation & respect for pure foods.
:)
This coming friday I will catch you up on breaking the fast & what I've been eating. See you friday night! Xo!

Here is the plan...

Drum roll please..... ;) My diet of choice for this challenge will be 101 days of fruits & leaves only! [Update: changed to 108 days on 02/02] This is usually the bulk of my diet, but I still include many other things. So the next few months will be a big challenge for me & that is exactly what I want.

I've made a list of what I don't plan on eating & where my focus will be in terms of choosing foods.

I will not be eating the following;
Complicated fruit mixtures
Dry fruits (unless soaked or moist)
Oil of any type
Salt of any type
Pasteurized fruit juices
Root or tuberous vegetables
Winter squashes or gourds (-even though they are classified as fruits)
Cacao (-even though it is classified as a fruit)
Nuts or cashews (-even though they are classified as fruits)
Soybeans or mung beans (-even though they are classified as fruits)
Seaweed or fruits from the sea
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.)
Stalk vegetables (like asparagus, celery, fennel, etc.)
Cooked food of any type
Animal products or flesh
Peas or regular beans (like pinto, garbanzo, etc.)
Grains or cereals (like rice, wheat, oats, etc.)

I will eat -but limit, the following;

Seedless fruits (comercial/altered fruits like bananas, grapes, watermelon)

Fatty fruits (like durian & avocado)

I will eat & focus my choices on the following;
Fresh whole fruits (like persimmons, sapotes, melons, berries, cucumbers, etc.)
Veggie-like fruits (like tomatoes, zucchini, okra, bell pepper, green beans, etc.)
Soaked dried organic fruits (like mango, figs, prunes, etc.)
Fresh edible bulbs and flowers (like chives, scallion, marigolds, pansies, etc.)
Soft leafy greens (like baby spinach, lettuces, arugula, etc.)
Fresh culinary herbs (like basil, cilantro, oregano, etc.)

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens on this journey. I know I will learn a lot & have many unique experiences. I'm curious to see what changes I will go through physically & spiritually. I know that when my diet is clean & simple, I am much more balanced. I can also function on a higher level. I tend to have lots of energy & more patience. I also feel so much more, including more happiness. So whatever the obstacles will be over the next few month, I know it will be well worth it if I stick it out. I have no doubt that this will change my life for the better.

I would like to begin with 7 days of water only. Now that I have some experience with it (& enjoy it), I would like to do it for a bit before I start the challenge. Today I only had water & I feel really great. My energy has been consistent & balanced all day. Sweating for 2 hours in a Russian Bath House, running around Manhattan & working on projects all day didn't take more energy or require any food. I did all these things easier today, than yesterday when I was eating! It's all very interesting.

So I will see you here next week. This coming week I won't post because it will just be water. But I will start eating next Friday & tell you what I ate that day. I have a feeling that it will be citrus (cause I have tons here that I will need to catch-up on, but it might be tropical too, cause that order is here as well). I'm already fully prepared for the challenge! Everything is ready.

Also....
Here are a few links you might enjoy;
Leaves aka leaf vegetables
Fruit is a structure of a plant that has seeds
The difference between a fruit & a veggie
Fun fruits facts for kids (& adults) - link 2 & link 2
Culinary Herb Guide

:) Xo!
...

Today I ate;

A really big organic salad of;  cucumbers, cilantro, parsley, celery, tomatoes, avocado, daikon radish, heirloom lettuces, baby spinach leaves & endive with a beet root/parsnip dressing.

I'm still thinking about what I want to try next for my challenge. I will decide & post it tomorrow. -I'm very excited. I know it will be great. :) Xx...

Here I Go Again...

OK, I think I need another challenge. :) I eat (& work) best this way. Focusing on something really helps me. It keeps me excited & on track. I love living with a sense of purpose & passion.

I'm going to think it over tomorrow & come up with something. I would like to try a 100 day challenge. That would land me in May. It seems really far away, but that is what makes it challenging. I'll have to think it over.

I have a couple of ideas...
Mono meals for a 100 days (-no mixing, just one food type at a time)
Liquid meals for 100 days (-mostly juicing, blending, & squeezing or sucking on citrus wedges)
Fruit for 100 days (-this would be sweet & non-sweet, & anything that is botanically considered a fruit)
Fruit & greens for 100 days (-just like it says, nothing else)
Fruit, greens & veg juice for 100 days (-this would be the easiest, because I'd have the most options)

Tell me if you have any ideas. The goal is to get a great habit & experience out of it. I would love it if I permanently left out oils & salt from my diet. Even in raw food dishes. If I go 100 days with no oil or salt, that would be great. I'm pretty sure I've done 100 days with no oil before, but not no salt. Some salt always gets in there month to month. I don't use it at home or buy it (oil either), but I do eat out sometimes & I know raw food (or healthy vegetarian) restaurants use salt in their dishes. So I know I eat it from time to time. And like the other day when I had that gourmet-like salad, I woke up with really puffy eyes. I'm positive this was from the salt. My body does not like it. (Taste buds do though. But I'm sure I can train them not to.) So we will see what I chose. I'll think it over. Keep me posted if you have feedback. :) Xo!

Today & Yesterday I ate;

So much has been happening! I've been really busy over the past few days & the rest of the week will zoom by with plenty of stuff to do. It's all good news, no complaints. For food over the last two days it's been fruit for the first half of the day & veggies for the latter half. On the menu was; Celery-banana smoothie, Spinach-banana smoothie, Blended water/soaked dates/celery, Whole dates, Blended veggies last night & Lunch today at LifeThyme was a big salad of mixed lettuces, cucumber & bell pepper slices, avocado, celery, grape tomatoes & a side of raw hummus. Not exactly on my menu plan for the week. But it was yummy. I haven't had a big salad in a really long time. So... the plan for the rest of the busy week is; lots of citrus! I just ordered 90 valencia oranges & 30 red grapefruits! I can't wait! I want to have them all week! Also, I still have about 10lbs of tropical fruit arriving. There is no way out, it will be a fruity week. There is no way I will let this sweet goodness go to waste. It will be a nice vacation from complicated mixes. My digestive system will be vacationing in-style with mono meals for a while. (-That rhymed!) -Xo.

Today I ate;

Citrus wedges (cocktail grapefruit & valencia orange)
Cucumbers & grape tomatoes
Veggie puree (beet root/sweet peas/celery/fresh herbs/cilantro/spinach) <--I'm at it again! Don't ask me why. I really love the blended baby spinach leaves. But it would be so much easier to just have them blended with bananas. I'm going to do this tomorrow. All the veggie buying, chopping & washing is not worth it to me. But now it's a (taste bud) habit ..& I've come back. Tomorrow I'll switch it up & try again. Getting back on that fruity-liquidy wave I want to ride on. To succeed you must try & try again. Xo!

Today I ate;

Cantaloupe melon
Valencia orange & Cocktail grapefruit wedges
Cucumbers & a pint of grape tomatoes
Lots of Bahri dates

Today I ate;

2 small cocktail grapefruits
1 small papaya (-This was the one that was looking wrinkled & weird, but to my surprise, it tasted great!)
Blended veggie soup (-heaps of baby spinach leaves & fresh cilantro, beet roots, celery, etc)
Fresh cucumber noodles w/ alfalfa sprouts, chopped tomato & left over blended veggies on top for sauce

OK, I'm officially over it. I miss my fasting on water only. The simplicity & lightness of it is calling me back. Or at least calling on a lighter diet. I think I want to stick to soft whole fruits & liquids for a while. I know what you are thinking, "But you've only been eating fruits & blended veggies." -I know! :)  But I still feel like I need to lighten things up a bit & pull away from things that take an effort to prepare, (like the blended veggies, even though they are salt/fat free & feel fine in my body). I just miss things being really simple. I'm a bit over food shopping, meal ideas/prep, & the time that it takes. Right now I have a fridge loaded with mixed citrus, Bahri dates, bananas & greens, so I think I'm all set. Plus I have an order or tropical fruits arriving next week. So, I really don't need anything else. I'll just ride this fruit & liquid wave till it's time for something else. I'll keep you posted of course! -Xo.

Today I ate;

1 small Hachiya persimmon
5 organic Bahri dates (-They arrived in the mail! Wow, they are very sweet. I think I still prefer a good quality organic Medjool date over the Bahris. But it was fun to try something new. I have 5lbs of them in my fridge now. They should last a long time. So I'll eat them little by little.)
Lots of blended veggies with heaps of raw spinach (-Today I tried purple turnips, or were they radishes? I'm not sure. But they tasted good & paired well with my red beets.)

Forgot to add this to yesterday's eats;
I had raw yellow squash noodles w/mango-celery-tomato sauce & chopped cilantro for lunch. <--The sauce was really good. My trick is to blend a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes with 2 celery stalks, then pour it into a glass jar with organic dried mango slices in it. Let it soak until the mango is re-hydrated, (you can leave it in the fridge over night or on your counter for a few hours), then blend all of it when you are ready to eat. You get a really think & super flavorful sauce thats sits beautifully on top of your raw noodles. You can add fresh chopped basil, oregano or cilantro on top for color & more flavor.

Today I ate;

2 Persimmons (one small one & one jumbo size!)
Cucumber-parsley-lemon-carrot juice
Lots of veggie soup (heaps of blended raw cilantro & spinach with parsnips & daikon radish)

Believe it or not, my lunch plans with my friend were changed. They suggested that we meet at one of our homes & make fresh vegetable juice & hang out, instead of eating at a restaurant. This was their idea! I couldn't believe my ears! I was so happy they suggested it! I was also impressed. What a healthy suggestion on their part. Wow. We made fresh veggie juice & talked for two hours. It was wonderful. I was so thankful that I didn't have to work my way around a menu & be different or picky about what I eat. Sometimes it's easier to just avoid restaurants.  -Phew. That was easy. :)

I'm Back!

Happy New Year Everyone! (I still feel like it just started.)

Everything has been progressing right along. I broke my 18 day fast on Cocktail grapefruit, the next day I moved to Hachiya persimmons, & since then I've been really attracted to veggies & non-sweet fruits. Lots of cravings for spinach.
I still have plenty of citrus & bananas left from the order that arrived last week. The papayas I got don't look promising. I have them near a window to get ripe & now they are looking a bit wrinkled. Still not ripe yet. The order Bahri dates should arrive any day now & the tropical fruit order is still being processed, so that might not get here for a bit longer.
My plan is to finish the produce I have & to continue to eat veggies & non-sweet fruits since I feel really good on them. I made thin Daikon radish noodles yesterday & I really enjoyed it.
Later today a friend is taking me out to eat for my birthday. Not sure how that will go or what I will order (it could be tricky), but I will give you the 'full scoop' tonight. :) More soon...

Getting Ready....

I just wanted to give you the latest scoop & fill you in on what's next.

An order of Cocktail fruit, bananas, papayas, cantaloupe & oranges arrived yesterday.
A box of Hachiya persimmons arrived today.
An order of Bahri dates is on it's way.
And order of black sapotes & canistels was placed today.

Besides the dates (that haven't arrived yet), none of the fruit is ripe. The first order that came yesterday will probably be ready on the 10th. This is perfect, because my plan was to start eating & blogging meals on the 12th of January. So everything is falling into place nicely. All of my non-sweet fruits, veggies & greens I will get fresh as the days go. I'll have some ready for the week of the 12th as well. Tomatoes, cucumber & spinach are on the top of my list. Yum!

See you next week! Xo....

*Pic of Cocktail fruit (aka Cocktail grapefruit, but it's not a grapefruit) above. It looks ugly, but I heard it tastes really good!*