This is a diary and an introduction...all rolled up into one neat package. I will be updated this post with my current meal plans and anything else that comes to mind. (PM me if you want recipes) I hope this post provides inspiration to others that come from a similar place to open up and invite true health and well being into their life.

I am a life long vegetarian, but did not understand how to eat well until I was in my early 20s. Even at that time, I was smoking cigarrettes and drinking lightly. I went high raw for about a year and discovered an awesome transformation of my body-but I was still smoking and drinking. I did make it a practice to do a detox (master cleanse) once a quarter religiously. Last year I even did the master cleanse for 21 days! Well...I am proud to say that in the past two months, I have quit smoking AND quit drinking alcohol. This is the first time in my adult life (I am 30 now) that I have not had these dependencies/crutches to mask my emotional discomfort.

I have also been 100% raw for the past 5 days and found myself dealing with the onslaught of rough emotional baggage as my body purges itself of these toxic emotions and previous life impurities. Now that my eating is clean-I have also made the move to clean up the products I use on my body. I now use only 100% organic mineral makeup, and use only natural and organic body products.

It is my great hope that my potential in this body will unveil itself once the toxicity leaves my body. I did order some heal all tea from naturesbotanicalpharmacy.com which is said to add extra oomph to my detox and rejuvination efforts.

Something else I am doing right now is drinking green juice every morning. I am a realistic and busy person. I do not have time to juice every morning. So...I juice on weekends, freeze the juice in ice trays and create my juice concoctions each morning using the cubes, 1 packet of truvia and coconut water. I feel after 7 days of drinking these green concoctons (2 days I was juice feasting) that my health is improving.

So here are some items that I am eating this week in addition to my green juice:
Collard Green Tacos
Zucchini Spaghetti with Marinara
Mediterranean Kale Salad
Cilantro Lime pistacios
Coconut Rolled Dates
Banana wrap
Nori Roll

I will be scoping the recipe page later today to see what catches my appetite and will probably try a few this weekend.

We are in the middle of the week-which means it's time to do some dehydrating so I have some yummy snacks for the weekned.

Love and Light to all!
Trox

You are doing great. Huge congrats to you on your many successes.


My favorite raw vegan

It is Thursday and whatever had been weighing me down this week has lifted...at least momentarily. I feel better. And my skin is glowing! So exciting. Today was a bit cathartic for me. I cleared out all my perfumes and lotions that contained chemicals, brought them to work and gave them to the ladies at my office. Hundreds of dollars spent on products that contain chemicals that kill. Why didn't my health mind take over sooner? LOL.

I made a raw taco for a co-worker today upon their request. They were so intrigued by my descriptions of what I was eating...they asked me to bring them one! How awesome is that! I also used the leftover "raw refriend beans" and "raw taco meat" to make some dehydrated tostada shells. I am looking forward to piling those with yummy raw sprouts and guacamole!

This is a great forum for letting the light shine without judgement or worry. I feel blessed having found it!

Love and Light!
Trox

Today, I am feeling great. I have been having a bit of trouble sleeping, but overall, my energy levels are great, I think my moods are finally starting to level out and it is the weekend!!! Life is good.

I will be preparing the following this weekend:
Raw mexi tostadas
Mediterranean Kale Salad
Nori Rolls

My boyfriend is very excited about this weekend's menu. We will also be hitting up the farmer's market for some fresh greens to juice.

My exercise has been a bit "off" because my ipod died. Boo. I am one of those people that need distraction while I am doing cardio-except when swimming. Today I am looking forward to several laps around the pool.

I was watching a youtube video today talking about raw food controversies. This is some what discouraging. I like a high fat raw food diet. Avocados, Olive Oil, Nuts and Seeds are some of my favorite things that inspire creativity in my kitchen. I would think that no matter what...raw food, high fat or not, would still be better than a SAD diet. I work out and I eat and drink my greens...but don't say my fats are bad. If the message is everything in moderation and touting a varied diet...OK, I can live with that.

I do find it interesting that there seems to be several schools of thought on the "ideal raw food diet" and what mix to consume. I hope to be in tune with my body so that I innately know what my body NEEDS.

On that note, I hope everyone on this forum has a blessed and boutiful weekend and gets to play in the sunshine a bit!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

Break Through- Day 10!!!

I woke up this morning practically springing out of bed for my 5am spin class! Whew...I am finally feeling "right" and sleeping "right."

I had a great weekend. Spend Saturday at an organic market picking up greens for my juice, then headed to the park for some hiking with my dog. Saturday evening I attended a couples bridal shower for one of my best fiends at a little dive mexican restuarant. I was proud that 1. I did not drink at the event and 2. used a larger purse to bring my homemade salad dressing, raw sunflower seeds and organic bell pepper slices with me. I made an iceberg lettuce, cucumber and avocado salad with the above ingredients.***on a side note, everyone kept commenting how great my skin looked!

Sunday was a lazy day. My boyfriend and I juiced up all my greens and mixed up some of my favorite raw cereal (buckwheat/flaxseed/hemp seed with raisins and walnuts!).

I am expecting several things I ordered last week to arrive either today or tomorrow. It will be like Christmas soon! I ordered Rene Oswald's transitioning to living series and some spices and salad dressing from her site. I also ordered several bars and snacks from Gopals.com I am waiting for a "heal all" tea to arrive from Natural Pharmacy.

I will give some reviews of the products once they arrive. I thought the snacks were especially important for my continued success in the raw life style. I think that was my down fall last time. My schedule filled up quickly and I failed to have a game plan in place for "busy times."

This time will be different.

I received my package from Gopals! I love that site. They even threw in a few extra crackers. That is just good kharma. So...ofcourse, last night I had to stop by the raw bar at Whole Foods to pick up their pumpkin seed cheeze which is OMG delish. Will definitely spread well on my "rawker". I also stopped by Daily Juice cafe for some raw pie. Oh yea. Let's just call it a little slice of heaven.

On another note...I often wonder how many out there are in a relationship with a non vegetarian? My boyfriend is amazingly supportive of my lifestyle and always tries to accommodate my preferences. He has become vegetarian by-proxy because I make most of his meals...lol. We do have certain rules established in the house...no meat in the fridge and no cooking of meat in my presence (I can't stand the smell of burning flesh). My boyfriend has always remained very respectful of these parameters and keeps some meat in the freezer and cooks when I am out of the house. I wonder, has anyone else made this work?

OK...onto exciting news...this is now day 11 and I slept amazingly! Woke up just as I did yesterday and hit the gym! It seems like my body is really adopting my new schedule. I am finding it easier and easier to get into the groove of a raw routine. Thus far...I have designated weekends as my juicing and greens shopping days. During the week is my gourmet meal prep and dehydration. And every day I exercise this energy filled body. I do have a ton of energy these days! Those sluggish afternoons are a thing of the past.

Yesterday I had a thought of concern. Not regarding my success on my diet...but the social ackwardness from an upcoming Wedding dinner I will face soon. I will not be drinking at the open bar...or eating the provided food. Let's be honest though...I guess I have never really been able to enjoy the meals provided at these occassions as they are usually centered around a chunk of meat product. What I was usually left with were bread rolls, occassionally mashed potatoes if they hadn't touched the meat and possibly dessert so long as it did not involve heavy cream. Essentially, carb and sugar loading. My game plan is to call the bride to be and ask about the menu. I will also entertain the possibility of bringing in one of my own salads and having the event staff serve my dish when they are serving the other entrees.

Has anyone experienced this and come away with some good advice?

Well, thankfully I have a few weeks to ponder the "what to do aspect" and come up with a solid game plan!

I wish everyone a sunshine filled day and inspiration in their journey.

My husband is also supportive of my diet. And I respect his right to make his own dietary choices. I make a huge salad for each of us as our dinner. He likes it. He cooks his own breakfast. I often cook a casserole for him to have for lunch for a few days. And he likes having lunch out. It works for us.

I eat well before going out so that I'm not hungry when others are eating. I haven't attended an event like a wedding dinner. That could be tricky. It's good you have a plan. Best wishes.


My favorite raw vegan

I realized as I was writing my recipe for Buckwheat Groat Sunshine Cereal...that at this point...I am not 100% raw! The recipe has maple syrup in it! (and I use vanilla in a bottle b/c vanilla bean is so freakin' expensive). Well...there you have it. I have already fallen off the wagon.

In other news, I made the most amazing nori rolls last night! And again...fell off the wagon for 1 ingredient...Tamari.

For the nori rolls base I used a walnut and sunflower seed pate which was spiced with curry, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. I also added a touch of olive oil and some water during processing for consistency. I filled the rolls with red bell pepper, thinly sliced carrot, legume and bean sprouts, mixed greens and avocado. For the sauce...I used my tribest personal blender to blend together a tamari, ginger, red pepper flake and fresh garlic concoction. I added just a bit of agave to balance the flavors. I was pretty proud of the presentation of these lovely rolls...and my meat eating boyfriend enjoyed the hell out of them!

I have been feeling slightly bloated lately. I think it is the quantities of nuts I have been consuming. Today, I am doing an experiment on the topic and will provide feedback in tomorrow's posting.

Well wishes to all!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

Trox .. eat before the wedding if there is nothing there that you can eat ... that way you wont be worried about dining on anything you dont want .. honestly tho ive never been to a wedding where there wasnt veggie and fruit plates so you might score out there .... as long as you eat before you go it wont be a big deal

... ask for some ice water in a martini glass (you will look cheeky) and you will be just fine

the point of the day is to celebrate the union and not get mired down in the menu

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks for the advice Jgunn! I think that is definitely a game plan I can work with.

I feel like I have eaten everything in sight today. This morning I had my green juice and some of my raw almond goji rounds. For lunch I had two large salads. Had more of my raw almond goji rounds. Consumed about 1/2 cup of sliced pineapple. Just finished eating a raw snack bar.

WHY am I eating so much?! I feel like I am a little piglet that won't stop eating. I wait to eat until I am "hungry." So I guess the better question is...why am I so hungry?!

I decided I must be having absorbtion issues. Tonight, I will begin using ACV diluted in water. I will also make a batch of water kefir and see if between those two things my hunger situation resolves itself. I am on day 13...perhaps my metabolism is just having a minor freak out? Sigh. I will go to yoga tonight and hope to quiet my mind...and my belly.

Good Vibrations,
Trox

i have gone thru spurts of this .. as my taste buds came back (burnt them out smoking and drinking for many years) i seemed to wanna nom nom nom everything in sight ...

it settled down eventually .. i think i was just looking / craving all sorts of flavors

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Jgunn...thanks for the encouragement...I hope that one day I will not be compelled to eat everything in my fridge!

Today...for breakfast I had my green juice. I snacked on a fig/pumpkin seed raw bar. Lunch, I started with diluted ACV and then ate a large salad with sprouts, red bell, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, avocado, and raddishes. I topped it with an avo/curry dressing. It definitely hit the spot. I brought some yummy strawberries and pineapple back to work for a snack a little later-though, today, I am still full from lunch!

Tonight's workout is a walk around the neighborhood with my dog and a nice swim. Tonight's dinner is still something of a mystery. Since tomorrow is grocery day...I am thinking a collard green wrap with pumpkin seed cheeze is in order.

My boyfriend bought some awesome avocados last night, so I have been eating those up like candy. Truly...I am better at picking green and most fruit, but he is the king and finding pefectly ripe, no black/brown spot, lovely creamy avocadoes.

So, I have noticed over this past week, I gained 2 lbs. I had been losing a little weight, but now I am holding steady at 123lbs. 123 is fine, I am just hoping to get more muscle tone from my workouts. I am not sure if my body has found a good weight so soon, or if it is just a momentary pause of the weight loss/body transformation. Since this is only day 14 I am doubting my weight has stabilized.

I am still sleeping well, but less. I find that I can go to bed at 11pm and wake up cheery at 6am. Something else interesting I have noticed over the last few days...my moods have somewhat stabilized. I am not experiencing super highs or super lows, but find myself simply content and peaceful. This is definitely a welcomed change given my previous SAD (vegetarian) diet mood swings.

So we have come now to the weekend. I hope everyone spends some time in the sunshine and finds new ways to live radiantly this weekend!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

Today is Day 17. And so another week begins. I didn't sleep well last night. I made the mistake of using icy hot on my lower back before I went to bed. Surprisingly, I still woke up for my 5:30 spin class right as rain. The back problems from the previous evening (from an afternoon row and cramps...) seem to have disappeared.

For breakfast on the way to spin, I had one of my Gopal's snack bars. At work I drank my green juice and had a banana. It is now lunch time and I am enjoying a kale salad (leftover from dinner last night). I could eat Kale salad 4x a week without cringing once. I love the stuff. I am thinking about mixing it up a bit with some fresh cherries or pear. I will have to leave my experimenting until after the 1st of the month (when I get paid).

I must say, I am will need to budget more for food going forward. I shop at one of the most economical stores in my area. I do only buy organic food-which tends to automatically put a premium on the products.

On average I am spending about $350 a month on food. This is not SOLELY food in this figure, but 90% food. The rest is natural soap and shampoo or supplements. I do still supplement with organic wheatgrass powder, organic acai powder, B-12, spirulina, St. John's Wort, 5-HTP, MSM, ACV, probiotics, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds. Whew. That seems like a lot of "extras". My goal is optimum abundant beautiful health. I want to feel and look great! And thus far, I can tell a huge difference in both these departments.

In other news...my BRAIN feels like it is on rapid fire constantly! I feel smarter. I feel more motivated. I feel like it is easier to find solutions to work problems. I attribute this clarity and creativity to raw foods. Perhaps I have finally come out of my food coma?

Ok...off to conquer the rest of my day! Love and light!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

I am hosting a dinner party on Friday night! I am very excited. I am making raw hummus and veggie sticks for an appetizer and some raw tacos for the entree. For dessert I was thinking about making some raw macaroons. The couple coming over are vegan but not raw foodists. Should be a great night!

This is actually turning out to be a very busy week. Tomorrow I have a mid term exam, Friday I am hosting a dinner and Saturday my boyfriend and I are traveling out of town for a wedding. I am trying to stay focused on the task immediately in front of me (studying for my mid term) but it is very difficult! I am too excited about this weekend!

On a side note, my boyfriend and I were both up at the same time today, both on conference calls...so I decided to make him a glass of fresh squeezed OJ and a bowl of pineapple. I then packed him some of my sunshine buckwheat groat cereal to take to work for a snack. For a non raw foodist...he is now eating high raw! On accident.

Ok...back to studying. Glad to have this momentary me time.

Good Vibrations,
Trox

I've got a case of the moodies again. Ugh. I am super stressed out about my test today. In the grand scheme of things, this test does not define my ability to succeed in life or in my career, but I would like to know that I have learned something considering the time and resources I have put into this venture.

I was cleaning out a drawer-and found a trigger object. Something so small and simple that made me lash out at the one I love the most in this world. And by lashing out, I mean being intentfully hurtful in my language. Not cussing. Not anything major...but slight digs and resentments coming through. It is an awful way to exist.

I have two more hours to study. After that, I head to class, do an in class review and then it is test time. I missed my workout this morning, so after the test, I am heading to the gym. I need to sweat out this toxic energy. And it is toxic. This stress. I feel it perched on my shoulders.

Today, though I am broke as a joke, I spent $30 on a 5 yoga class pass. I have decided that so long as it is money spent to pusue a pure abundant life...then it is something I can afford.

OK. Time to get back to my books. I just needed to escape to another space for a moment. Namaste.

Good Vibrations,
Trox

I think I aced my test last week, but the grades have not yet been posted.

The wedding I attended was beautiful! It was outdoors and my boyfriend and I had a lovely time. The buffet had raw fruits and veggies on it, so I was able to find something to snack on.

I am doing really well. I feel good. I look good. My emotions are beginning to level out and I am finding new humility in life. Ego no longer controls me the way it once did. That being said, my boyfriend and I continue to have a sticking point in our relationship-my VP of sales.

My VP is very disrespectful towards me. My boyfriend, however, has been "friends" with this person for a few years. This person lives out of state and buys drinks for everyone when he comes to town. This person also owns a condo in Tahoe and invites people to go skiing and play golf at pebble beach. This same person belittles and makes demands of me which are incongruent with my position and demeaning to my spirit. So every time he comes to town, my boyfriend and I get into an argument. I ask that my boyfriend support me in my conquest to be treated with more dinity, and more boyfriend tends to lean more towards his "affiliation" with my VP. I don't get it. I think deep down my boyfriend likes having people of affluent association. It bothers me when my VP invites my boyfriend to have drinks at places like twin peaks, knowing my boyfriend and I are a long term committed couple and that I am pretty conservative. The comments about women and other races my VP makes in front of me is down right pathetic. I work for a very small company and can't complain in this economy, so I bite my lip. I need to pay my mortgage and continue employment with the company until I like another job (which I zealously pursue every single day).

My boyfriend and I agreed today that neither one of us would put ourselves in the company of this person anymore. It was my boyfriend's suggestion so we could be "clear". I feel ultimately he resents me for this, even though it was his suggestion-and I may possibly feel a tad guilty for making him "quit an association".

It is a no win situation that just bites.

I hope this mini drama stops soon. I want a simple life fueled with the philosophy of abundance and the practice of love.

Not much talk of raw, but let's just say I see clearly a metaphor I used a decade ago: If you surround yourself with trash long enough, you will begin to smell like it.

I can tolerate inviduals like my VP in professional settings, but refuse to make them a part of my life beyond my pay check.

Hears to hoping for a short week!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

So, today I am of the mindset that good things are coming my way!

Yesterday as I arrived home and was outside walking my dog, my future employer called and said he may have an opening for me! Supa Star!

As if that wasn't great enough...I had a fabulous abs class, a great hills workout, a run this morning and made a 100 on my mid term I was nervous about.

To top it all off...I paid off my credit card. That is huge for me. I had racked up quite a toll b/c of school-so paying it off is something worth frugally celebrating.

I must saying, being somewhat impoverished over the last few weeks has given me a new perspective. I can live on very little. I only need my beautiful raw food, the love of my wonderful boyfriend and the movement of my body to leave me pretty content. My new philosophy involves only spending money on my true needs. Wants aside for a bit. Time to live impoverished again-the perspective and savings is a good thing to experience from time to time. Yep, seems to be that era.

I hope everyone is having a glorious day filled with life and abundance.

Good Vibrations,
Trox

It is the weekend. I have almost completed 30 days of raw living. Not 100% but as close to that as I could manage.

Food wise, I didn't go to the grocery store all week, so I was eating salads from Souper Salad, Jason's Deli and Pita Fusion for lunch every day. It was a little expensive, but a convenient way to stay raw.

I have started to get worn down. Staying up late studying, or rehearsing...and then it turns into a cycle. I sleep in, miss a morning workout so I end up working out late at night. I am pretty worn out from this week.

This weekend, the plan is to get tons of sunshine and soak up nature. That should be a good Rx for my lackluster spirit of the moment.

Time to swim!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

This weekend, I soaked up sunshine and nature-but not in the way I had anticipated. My boyfriend and I finally cleaned up the front yard. It was a huge chore that left me with a blister, but it was well worth it. The yard looks like people live here now!

This morning, I was craving pancakes. I miss the warm fluffy texture. I once saw a youtube video for raw cinnamon rolls. I think I will be making these today/tomorrow. I think they will serve as a good substitute for my brain craving of pancakes.

Ok-time to get back to work.

Hope everyone gets the kick start to their day that they need!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

Hi Everyone!

It has been a little while since my last post. So here it goes...I am not completely raw anymore, and I am ok with that.

I have been vegetarian for a VERY long time, so that will ofcourse continue. I plan to stay high raw, but not the 95% range that I have been over the last month. This is not due to any sort of defficiency, but simply a want for simple comforts...like croutons. I love croutons and have as of yet to find a suitable mouthfeel substitute.

Anyhoo, hope everyone is doing fantastic! I am great! I will be starting a new job on Monday and am looking forward to the new challenges that await me!

This will likely be my last post.

Have a blessed and abundant life!

Good Vibrations,
Trox

hah hah ! im fine ok with what yer ok too ! me an pam been fighting a long time popcorn fight for years now .


welcome to being human enjoy yer croutons

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist