Stress, stress and stress

As you've probably figured out...I'm stressed. I'm freaking out about quitting my job. Or rather stressing out about school and my new job. The closer I get to the start of school and the start of my new part-time job, the more I start to panic. I just don't know how I'm going to handle it. I literally have to be in three cities every single day and somehow find time in between all the driving (because there is no way a bus is going to get me anywhere on time) to walk my dog, do my insanity work-outs, make food and the cherry on top of this sundae, do homework. I'm most concerned about not being able to walk Finn. I feel like I'm abandoning him. And hindsight being 20/20, this is probably not the best time for me to have a dog. I don't regret getting him, I love him to death but I'm so scared that I don't have enough time to really give him what he needs...it's breaking my heart. I'm sure I'm making a big thing out of nothing. On the days that I'm not working after class I'll be home sooner and have more time to spend with him than normal so it should even out. On days that I am working however, I have to drive back and forth between the city school and work are in and my home in Downtown Seattle just so that I can walk him. One of the women at work (she is an angel, I swear) caught me being all miserable and offered to walk my dog during her lunch breaks on days that I have to work so that I don't have to come back to Seattle. I immediately broke down and started crying; that is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me...especially someone I hardly know. So today being the crap day it is, I caved and got myself a dark chocolate bar. Obviously not raw but I'm pretty sure it's as close to vegan as mass produced chocolate bars get. I just needed those endorphins...I think it helped.

But aside from that, I somehow managed to gain two pounds this week while still losing 1% body fat and a quarter inch off of my waist and another quarter inch off of my hips. I'm praying that those two pounds are just the new muscle I'm building with my new work-out regime. I'm not eating too much more than I usually do. Regardless I'm not worrying too much about it right now...I have enough to worry about on my plate. I think I need to wait until my life settles down again and I get into a routine to really focus on weight loss. I am by no means saying that I'm going to start eating junk again...or cooked foods for that matter. I will still be eating raw like I do now, I'm just not going to stress over everything that I'm eating...I'll do my best and whatever happens, happens. Not like I'm going to have a lot of time to really sit and eat anyway with my new schedule.

Okay, now for some more recipes!

Szechuan Dressing inspired by Shannsu on RFC:

Ingredients:
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. raw sesame oil (or olive oil)
1 1/2 tbsp. umeboshi plum vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tbsp. nama shoyu
2 tsp. raw honey (or agave nectar)
1 tsp. coarsely ground Szechuan pepper (or some black pepper)
1 tbsp. tahini
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine everything together in a blender until a smooth consistency is reached.

Notes: This turned out pretty good and very spicy. If you don't like it spicy, you really want to be careful with the cayenne pepper. I also added a pinch of ginger.

Curried Broccoli inspired by Daniefon on Gone Raw:

Ingredients:
1 medium ripe tomato
2 dates
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup cilantro
juice from 1/4 a lime
juice from 1/4 a lemon
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. cumin
curry powder, to taste
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 clove garlic
1 green onions
Salt, to taste
2 cups chopped broccoli florets

Directions:
Blend everything but broccolli together until well combined and only slightly chunky. In a large bowl add broccoli until everything is coated evenly. You can eat this immediately, or marinate it overnight in the fridge for softer broccoli. Serve with your choice or sides (i.e. rice, kelp noodles, veggies).

Notes: Oh wow! This stuff is delicious! If you like curry you will love this. I may try using only one date next time as it was a little bit too sweet but definitely still amazing! And the best part? Not a drop of oil in here and you could easily make it seedless! Incredible right?!

Okay, that's all for today folks...I'm off to be stressed, upset and grumpy. TTFN!

P.S. Now that chocolate is starting to make me sick...my bad.

Going Raw: Day 15

15 days already? I can't believe it's been two weeks now.

This weekend, as is usual, I over did it just a bit. On Saturday, I had my normal breakfast smoothie and had some watermelon for lunch (I was in a care-giving class from 8:30-5:00 pm) and caved and had some cherry tomatoes with Alfredo sauce (recipe to follow). Again...I just don't learn. Then for dinner I met my friend and we went to Whole Foods and had dinner there after which I went shopping. And had a Jocalat bar for dessert. On Saturday night/Sunday morning, I had to pick my friend up from the airport. I was so excited/nervous, I hadn't seen him in two years (he's a Marine). He was my drinking buddy back in my "party girl" days. He was surprisingly understanding of my new lifestyle. But we had to have a few drinks (unfortunately they were not raw) that were hanging out in my fridge from a previous life. And wow, was everyone right: when you're eating nothing but raw food, your body processes the alcohol a lot faster and I was tipsy after just one drink. I only had one. We stayed up until five in the morning just talking.

On Sunday, I woke up at eight and had my breakfast smoothie (the dog refused to go for a walk) then a big salad with Heathy's Italian Dressing. When Tim left, I went to my parents' house and got some things that my mom picked up from Costco for me. At home, I made a sweet basil dressing and a sweet n' sour sauce and some raw chocolate. I took a nap before I made all of this and overslept and was completely rushed to make this stuff. Needless to say, the experience was not the best un-cooking one I've had. The things didn't turn out so great (except for the chocolate which was AMAZING!). And I ate so late that I didn't give myself enough time to digest and I definitely felt the consequences this morning: I overslept slightly and was so sluggish that I barely made it to work on time. Then I wasn't even hungry until lunch time rolled around (which wasn't really a big deal). So I really have to remember to give myself enough time to digest a big meal or have something lighter if I don't have the time.

So what have the results been so far? I'm not sure if it's just my mind convincing me that something is happening but I do feel better about myself, I feel happier and that is the best result I could ask for. I don't feel weighed down by my decision to change diets and I don't feel like it's a hassle or that I have to make sacrifices that I don't want to make. The sacrifices I'm making or only the ones I want to make. My friends may not understand why I'm doing this but I'm not phased by it because I'm not doing this for them or for any reason they may think I'm doing it for. I'm still not happy with my body yet but hey, it's only day 15! I think six pounds in 12 days is a pretty incredible number.

Okay...now for the recipes:

Cashew Alfredo Sauce adapted from Gena's recipe:

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked for a few hours (I just put them under water when I left for work in the morning)
¾ cup water
1 Medjool date, pitted
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
½ tsp sea salt
2 tsp miso
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients (use only 1/3 cup water to start) in blender until everything is combined and smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining water until the sauce is the consistency you like and everything is well blended and smooth.














This recipe calls for using zucchini noodles but since I'm not a big fan (I find that they have too much water and dilute any sauce I put on them) I used kelp noodles and some cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas.

Chocolate by Snowdrop on RFC

Ingredients:
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
3 tbsp agave

Direction:
Combine all three ingredients until smooth. Add any fillers you like (i.e. nuts, dried coconut, fruit, etc.) and pour into a mold or onto wax paper or aluminum foil and place in freezer until solid. Pop out of mold (or break into pieces) and enjoy.
Another (fantastic) use for this chocolate is as a self-hardening chocolate coating. Before the chocolate has solidified, pour it on top of your favorite raw ice cream (such as banana soft serve) and give it a few seconds to a minute to solidify. Enjoy.

This chocolate really is amazing! It has a very subtle coconut taste and solidified perfectly. The only problem I see with this is that I cannot control myself around it. And it's so easy to make! I guess I should only make enough for one use on top of my ice cream to avoid temptation.

Here are the links to the other recipes I used this weekend but they weren't my favorites...the dressing was much too sour and runny (I couldn't seem to rectify the issue). And the sweet n' sour sauce was just not right...I think I may give it one more shot today after I run it through the blender one more time. By the way, I used the sweet n' sour sauce on top of kelp noodles so I added some of the tomato soaking water to thin it out.

Gena's Sweet Basil Dressing and Fairygirl's Sweet n' Sour Sauce.