HIP HIP HOORAW!!!

I am soooo happy!! It is so easy for me right now. Being raw that is. I credit the superfoods for this as they are making me feel so good and I don't have any cravings. Fasting last week probably helped also....it would have been good to continue the fast but I had a busy weekend coming up so I ended it on Friday evening. The timing wasn't perfect as I was going into a detox (or so it felt as I have been so tired....yet not) but I am getting through it, trying to be good to myself.....

Today is my middle son's birthday....he is 14 now, and nearly 6'1" tall. I made him a cheesecake which I am proud to say I only tasted the bare minimum to make sure it was good as I never follow recipes exactly, but I am not even tempted by it. And if after it is all finished (with the yummy local organic fresh peaches from the Farmer's Market) I were to be tempted....I wouldn't as I made it with agave nectar which doesn't agree with me at all. He is having 3 friends spend the night, and for dinner we are having chicken shish kebobs, with fresh corn on the cob. I am wanting to transition my family over to vegan but I don't think this is the occasion to make shish kebobs with marinated portobello mushrooms or tempeh. (Not that you could made a tempeh shish kebob....lol) But I did buy some tempeh and have in the past made tempeh burgers that everyone loved. Unfortunately I can't find the recipe I used......but it won't be that difficult to come up with something yummy.

My breakfast this morning was my BrainOn/MSM drink, followed by some chocolate hemp bliss with the Amazing Greens (2 packets) greens in it, then a banana pudding made with a lusciously ripe banana, some of my yummy chocolatenutcurrant mix, with some maca and bee pollen added in. I am now really loving the maca. I credit it for the incredible energy I have been having.

And oh, yesterday was such a wonderful day! Went to the Farmer's Market early, got a wonderfully shady parking space, bought 25 lbs. of peaches, some more yummy yukon gold potatoes, a heavenly bar of cilantro lime hemp soap, some out of this world tomatoes, awesome dark green parsley, and then later at the grocery store bought some macadamia nuts, pine nuts, walnuts, golden flax seeds, white miso and found a lovely new brand of raw tahini (Once Again with an adorable picture of a racoon on it) and I ran into of the best people in the whole wide world, who used to work at the local food co-op which sadly had to close this past year....Sean who gives the best hugs, so full of love, and Cornelius whose love and amazing energy light up the world. So glad to know where they are now, so I can visit them often. Can never get too many sweet loving hugs and loving energy infusions!

And then, my 12 yr old son and I went to check out a kickboxing place/instructor, and he was as nice as he sounded on the phone, and I think this is going to be so awesome (and alot of work!!). And best of all I can tell my 12 yr old really likes it as well. We start Tuesday, and will be going 3 times a week, more if we're up for it, and have time. I don't like how flab has started to take over my body....and this is fun!!! And the instructor is a real gem. And it's close to where we live. I can't wait to get started on this new adventure!

Today we are taking our son out to lunch for his birthday, to Chipotle's...and I already have my lunch planned. It is going to be a Fajita salad....so I will go through the line in reverse and start with the lechuga, then some guacamole, then some fresh salsa, some hot salsa and some lightly sauteed peppers and onions, and while a Corona would seem tempting, I know better.

Ciao bellas!
Life is beautiful!!

Alessandra

ps last night we watched a great movie, "French Twist"...very good. and funny.
and yeah, feminista!!! I was so annoyed to see a display of the 'classics' at a book table in the library...all men authors.....no good women writers??? They don't even think about it. Don't even realize the balance that is missing. Will have to enlighten them.

The Adventure Continues-- I Believe in Superfoods

I am always quite the sceptic about new things. When I first heard about candida I said, "oh yeah, that's just another thing they say people get" even though I had been dealing with it for over 6 years. It took major thrush on my tongue after a New Year's champagne fest to turn that lightbulb on. And when I first heard about bovine colostrum while working in a vitamin store my first thoughts were "yuck! colostrum from cows.....just what we so do not need...." until I tried it, and found that it was indeed awesome. (Gave me energy, got rid of knee pains and clicking, and more) and now superfoods. While I didn't doubt superfoods all that much, I still wasn't all that convinced that they were as 'super' as they were being touted. But I tried them, and I like them!! Still don't know about goji berries....their flavor is bland/sweet and I am not sure what they are supposed to do for you...and I do have some...and have used some....but for now...eh...goji berries. And I tried maca, and it just made me feel bad.

However, I recently invested in some E3Live, some BrainOn freezedried flakes (or however they are processed) and their Renew Me MSM Emerald Blend, and I must say I am feeling better. And then I started adding maca to my Master Cleanse drink, and while my system still gets a bit overwhelmed by it, I can also tell it is making me feel better. The proof? It's a Saturday morning and I was up at 6am and not feeling all groggy and achy and also, last night I threw a handful of walnuts, pinenuts, currents and cacao nibs in my food processor and blended them up into a delicious mix and ate some, and today I feel good. Sometimes such things overwhelm my body which is sensitive to sweets. Interesting. So while I realize this is just my experience and maybe doesn't really give you anything solid to go by, I wanted to share it.

The biggest thing I have gotten from these superfoods however, is the ability to stay raw. After fasting since last Sunday, I started eating a bit last night, had some chocolate hemp bliss (I realize it is not raw, but I figure at least it's healthy, delicious and liquid). Then I also had some coconut milk to which I added some packets of Amazing Grass brand GreenSuperFood chocolate drink powder, which is truly wonderful, and later a small salad of mixed greens, yummy fresh garden tomato and some fresh grated Parmegiano Reggiano cheese. That was it til I made my nut,current,chocolate treat. And it was good, and enough and I know I can stay raw. I am so happy with this knowing. I don't feel like I am "trying" to be raw, but that I AM RAW. I have no or very few cravings. No desire for cooked foods. This is so wonderful.

Raw Tigress Day Five & Six

Day Five started out well but ended with chocolate cake. What can I say, I love chocolate. So weight loss stalled at 184 but I had an awesome Day Six...no cheating!!! And today's weight is 182.5. I have upped my maca and cayenne in my drink........first to 1/2 teaspoon each and today is 3/4 teaspoon each. I really noticed the cayenne (with only 1/4 teaspoon) when I first made it, but now, with the increases, I am used to it and it really doesn't seem like more, except I do get the hiccups if I drink it too fast. I don't mind hiccups. They are like sneezes. In moderation I like them.......and I don't usually do either nonstop.

I did have one little hitch in my day yesterday which is that the E3Live I used was the Mint and it has agave nectar in it, not a lot, but some, and agave nectar for some reason makes me feel like a truck ran over me after I have some. All tired and bleah. So my energy is not what I think it should be considering I went over 24 hours without anything except the Master Cleanse drink and some watermelon juice. Last night I juiced some watermelon we had in the fridge that was needing to be eaten. It was very good and my boys had some too. Will juice the rest of it tonight. I can't wait for tomorrow. Farmer's Market and my first kickboxing class. Actually it isn't a class......it's a meet the instructor see what you think session....but I think I will like it. I think Naiche will too. The instructor seems nice (I've only spoken with him over the telephone...).

I think I need to take fiber more than once a day....it would be a good thing. Not much to say today.....tired, need to drink my juice......make my E3Live drink...I have just a bit left of the regular. Wish my other didn't have any agave nectar in it, but maybe they will send me a new one...will see. Need to order some more today anyways.

Have a wonderful weekend, I may or maynot break my fast....probably will as there are peaches and nectarines out there calling my name, but I like the progress I have made so far, and it is much easier to go on than to stop and start again.

Ciao bellas!
Alessandra

Raw Tigress Day Four

Day Four....I made a vegan dinner for my family last night, and not one of them asked where is the meat or complained of being hungry after dinner. I love it that my family is so flexible. I can probably switch them over to 95% vegan without them even realizing. The dinner was yummy for cooked food....it was yukon gold potatoes quartered and then boiled til done, then sauteed in a skillet with onions and olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Then I added most of a head of cauliflower and a good bit of kale and threw in some Mrs. Dash's SW Chipotle seasoning mix and some fresh squeezed lime jucie. It was good if I do say. I went easy on the chipotle seasoning, would loved to have added more, but my family is not the heat lovers that I am.

I forgot to take my fiber yesterday so no significant evacuation today, however I am down one more pound...to 184. I did take fiber this morning as a good daily evacuation is necessary while fasting to help the toxins leave your system. I did not have any cake yesterday, the only cheat was the hemp milk, otherwise.....no cheats. I am proud of myself. Just remembered I did have a large swallow of plain kefir at bedtime as my body was doing it's usual pins and needles in the joints thing (candida is so kind) and I couldn't sleep. That did help. Today there will not be any cheats, though I may have some spirulina tablets.

I used the full amount of maple syrup in my Master Cleanse yesterday as I thought I needed the extra sugar......but my heels started cracking not as bad as they sometimes do, but definitely worse...which is not good as I am starting a kickboxing class on Saturday. I am so psyched to be taking kickboxing. I think it will be a blast. It will get me into doing something physical, which I need so my body does not turn into a pillar of flab. It is halfway there anyways!!! So today's Master Cleanse has only 1/4 the amount of maple syrup with stevia filling in for the rest. Not my favorite option, but I really really do not want or need my feet to crack! Ouch!! Fissures is what I get. Deep, painful. YUCK!

So...started the day with fiber drink, the one scoop of Dr. Natura Colonix fiber, and one packet of Blessed Herbs Toxin Absorber (ginger) with stevia added to the water. Brought my 2 quarts of Master Cleanse to work, to which I added a generous amount of E3Live...and then at work I made and drank my E3Live with BrainOn and Renew Me MSM .......I make it strong...ie use a fair bit but it is sooo good for me! I love it. Now I will drink the Master Cleanse with E3Live for the rest of the day and maybe take some spirulina tablets this afternoon to get me through the day. And yes, I added 1/2 teaspoon each of maca and cayenne to my MC drink. Will see if I get any trippy feelings today!

I found this on one of my favorite blogs. http://www.rawketscience.blogspot.com/ and I think it speaks to where I was at yesterday, that my soul is trying to break through.....

"Every human being alive today, modern or tribal, primal or over-domesticated, has a soul that is original, natural and above all, indigenous in one way or another. Like all indigenous peoples today, that indigenous soul of the modern person has either been banished to some far reaches of the dream world or is under direct attack by the modern mind...For there to be a world at all, every indigenous, natural thing must start singing its song, dancing its dance, moving and breathing according to its own nature, saying its name, manifesting simultaneously its secret spiritual signature." ~ Martin Prechtel, Secrets of the Talking Jaguar

Martin Prechtel is great...I have read many of his books....love them.
You should check them out if you can. I would tell you more about them but my fasting mind is having a hard time putting together coherent thoughts today....inner work is being done.

Raw Tigress Day Three and a Half

I left work early today as I was feeling very restless. I came home and immediately changed into some comfortable clothes and got into bed and pulled the covers over my head. I had no idea that that was what I was going to do until I did it. I was feeling rather intense....and just needed to be with it. As I lay there, I felt like my mind was somewhere else, because it has been somewhere else most of my life....and it is waiting for me to join it. I hope that makes sense. I have my autopilot mind....but my true self, my real mind.....doesn't want to live this life I am living and has gone elsewhere. I am so excited to have this revelation, as I have always sort of known.....so I asked myself...what is it I need to do to realize my true self......kind of hoping, wishing for an instant answer while knowing there really isn't one....and I saw that I just need to continue to do what I am doing......which is fasting and helping Tammy and staying open and changing my family's diet to vegan and just staying open and working it. It is the maca which is making me feel this way....after a bit of lying in bed I got up and had another drink of my maca'd Master Cleanse and it felt a bit much but the feeling passed and when I finished what was in the glass it wasn't there so much anymore. Which is good........so interesting what effect such a seemingly small amount of maca is having.

For dinner tonight I am making a dish with yukon gold potatoes, onions, and kale or broccoli, it is a dish I usually add chicken to, not even all that much chicken but tonight I was going to add tempeh, however, since we are down to $3.73 in our checking account and not wanting to dip into our savings, (again) I decided I would either not put anything like that in it at all, since I don't have any tempeh on hand, or use the last can of albacore tuna. Albacore tuna is supposedly lower in mercury than regular tuna but I really would like to get off all meat....so may not use it...may just give it to Otis our 16 yr old cat who is a fool for tuna. More on Otis later.

Raw Tigress Day Three

Hmmm.....day three. Yesterday was a good day, but I wasn't 100% anything. I did my bee pollen, my E3Live drink, my fiber........drank my Master Cleanse....and ate 3 peppermint Lifesavers, then at home had some Hemp Bliss (first time) and another small slice of chocolate decadence cake. The Hemp Bliss is not bad, it definitely feels more nutritious than rice mik and it is. Also slightly reminiscient of bong water or the flavor of a seed. Not a bad taste at all just different. I added stevia and some cocoa powder and a little almond extract to it and it's pretty yummy. I like that they don't make it really sweet as I don't need the extra sugar and can add stevia to my taste. I am hoping to get my kids off of regular milk. We get it in glass bottles from a local dairy, but it is still pasteurized and homogenized and it is still cow's milk. I don't think they use the growth hormone (or we wouldn't buy it) but I know it's not good.

I have never been one to serve my kids a glass of milk. They do eat it on cereals but we almost never ever drink a glass of milk. When I have eaten cereal in the past, I always used half rice milk and half cow's milk. I would like for my family to become vegan, if not raw vegan, and have a wonderful vegan cookbook (Vegan Planet) for ideas. They do like tempeh if it is prepared in such a way that it isn't all that noticeable. I used to make a great tempeh burger but I have lost the recipe and don't remember where I got it from.

So today's weigh-in results....in spite of the hemp milk and the chocolate cake...another 2 pounds down! 185. However, on the energy front, I would be feeling better without the cake. Probably also without the hemp milk, but I brought the rest to work with me this morning and am starting my day with it. Probably not the best idea, but I (understandably silly as you have been cheating) am feeling hungry. An experiment. Of sorts. It's not like I haven't been here before and don't know....that I should stick true to my fast...and not mess with it, but I am a slow learner on this front. And it's making my stomach hurt.....hello! OK.....

Have a meeting to go to, so need to get my E3Live drink in.....and later the fiber drink. I also took 2 Udi's Optimal 8 Probiotic capsules. Can always use more probiotics, but just not sure when is the best time to take them. Probably should have waited until after the fiber drink.
I did my bee pollen this morning and also upped the quantity of cayenne and maca in my 2 quarts of Master Cleanse drink to 1/2 teaspoon of each. Will try this for a few days and see how I feel.

This post is all over the place, reflective of 1) being at work and not feeling relaxed about posting, so not thinking well, 2) running out of time as we have a staff meeting in 15 minutes and 3) fasting....makes it harder to think sometimes.

I do want to be reflective with this fast though, to do it well, and have my post fast life be 100% raw and healthy and successful, as I truly want to experience for myself the benefits of 100% raw, the higher mind, spirit and energy. This is my aim and my aim is true. Have a wonderful day.

Ciao bellas!
Alessandra

Raw Tigress Day Two

Today started with a lovely evacuation, today's weight 187. Been there done that, won't start purring til I get into the 170's. The lovely evacuation was aided by 2 capsules of Ultra Colon Cleanse, my favorite herbal "digestion stimulator". It works well to move things along. So that was a fairly immediate event upon awakening, not an urgency, just there. It is my normal pattern with or without herbal assistance.

My eyes have been itching quite a bit these past 24 hours, it has been fairly breezy around here, and this morning they were itching quite a bit again, so I took some Bi Yan Pian and some Pe Min Kan Wan, both chinese herbal combos which help quite a bit with allergies. The Bi Yan Pian also helps with sinus congestion in the forehead area, while the Pe Min Kan Wan helps with nasal and cheek area congestion and even infection. I've had great success with it. Also took a tablespoon of bee pollen which is local and does help with itchy eyes but not so much today.

Made my MasterCleanse drink....may do it all week. We shall see. It's easy, quick, effective and good for you. This one had a touch of lime in it as I barely had enough lemons etc. to make my 2 quarts. Added the cayenne and maca and off to work I went. I have E3 Live at work which I will add in as mine at home was all frozen.

Just had my E3 Live, MSM, BrainOn cocktail...I put a fair amount of E3Live along with a heaping teaspoon of MSM and a good shake of BrainOn flakes in a glass of water along with some stevia and it is good! And good for me!! The MSM is very bitter and has cayenne so the stevia helps with that alot. Then I also added E3Live to my Master Cleanse drink. So good for me!

A little later I took my fiber drink...didn't do it first thing at home as all that sexy loving has left me a bit irritated in me parts, so needed to take some Primal Defense and some Uva Ursi capsules to get everything all happy again, so needed to wait doing the fiber drink. Also had another evacuation mid-morning. Happy to say goodbye to it all.

I must admit I did cheat a bit yesterday, had to taste the muffin batter to make sure it was good as I had never made the receipe before and as I always do, I made changes. Doubled the amount of zucchini, added curry powder and cinnamon as well as pure almond extract and instead of the brown sugar the receipe called for I used half agave nectar and have maple syrup. And then of course as I was making the muffins I had to keep checking the batter to make sure it was still good. However, I was spitting it out and rinsing my mouth each time but I am sure I ingested some. This was not my main transgression though. The biggie was the slice (albeit small) of the chocolate decadence cake we bought for my son's birthday party. His birthday is in July, the 4th to be exact, and not a good time to try and schedule a birthday party, so as he still wanted one, we had it this weekend. I would opt to have one for him every weekend. He invited 2 friends over and they entertained themselves for over 24 hours.

Getting my wonderful fasting high............the tigress does love being high, naturally.

Raw Tigress' Raw Adventures Part One

I have known about raw foods for a few years now, eaten all raw for 17 and then 23 days, juice feasted for 17 days, done various colon cleansing fasts and weeklong Master Cleanses and waffled for far too long. I am newly committing myself to raw as I see the effects of waffling taking me down......when I want to soar to new heights. The first I ever heard of raw, was when I stumbled upon Shazzie's online journal...it was such an inspiration (and still is....Shazz..you rock!), and ventured into raw, only to let my cravings and addictions pull me under. Also lack of experience....mainly I didn't prepare well, and got too hungry...so resorted to cooked food. Then I found Michelle's From Sad to Raw website, and journaled on there for a while, but was never truly raw,so eventually dropped off. Thank you Michelle for the wonderful community you created and for the inspiration of your journey. And of course, I have lots of books....as many as I need, books on raw, raw recipe books, and which I love.

However what is truly inspiring me to go raw and commit to walking my talk is my friend Tammy. She has been sick for many years, and just recently found out what has been the main reason, extremely high levels of toxins in her system, arsenic, mercury and lead. Yeah. So along with the chelation therapy she will be receiving, I am going to give her lots of fresh juices, green smoothies and raw foods. She has had this poison in her system for a long time, much damage has been done, and I say quite sincerely, that without my help, she would have died. I have tried to help her for many years, and it was only recently that events occurred that made it possible, with the help of a true angel,for me to be in a position to get her the help she needs.

Tammy is a strong and positive spirit, she has had to become so to stay alive, and she is an inspiration to me. I truly believe, that with raw foods and juices her body will heal, all that was lost will be restored. And it is going to happen easily and miraculously......

So, today, after reading almost all of Aleesha's posts (I started at the beginning and have been working my way forward) I have started on my new life. I began the day with a weigh in...189 pre-evacuation....not terrible for being 5'11" tall, but I have a nice large pillow around my middle that I am happy to release.

30 pounds are wonderfully leaving my body. So, weigh in, shower, then I came downstairs, made a fiber drink of 1 scoop of Dr. Natura's Colonix fiber and one packet of Blessed Herbs Toxin Absorber (ginger) with a bit of stevia in the water.

Drank that down with some extra water, then made 2 quarts of Master Cleanse juice (lemon, maple syrup, cayenne). I added 1/4 teaspoon of a strong cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon of maca powder, to 1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Added enough water to make 2 quarts, and a dropperful of stevia to add sweetness.......and it is delicious.

I also took a tablespoonful of bee pollen and later will have a large glass of water with a large amount of E3 Live in it. I have just recently started with the E3Live, and also the Brain On and the MSM, and while I am generally a sceptic, I am now a believer in the benefits of E3 Live and the MSM....my heels which have been quite seriously calloused over, and split with deep painful cracks are now nearly all smooth and the cracks are soon to be a thing of the past.

I read about heel cracks since mine were bothering me most grieviously and found that they are related to blood sugar and diabetes, and realized that mine did come on when I ate something sweet. Eat a sweet, get a deep painful crack almost immediately. Diabolical!! I was getting cracks on my heels, one on the bottom of my foot up near the "ball" of the foot, and even got one on my thumb!!! That was the last straw!!! But the E3 Live, helps give me a bit of leeway, as it wasn't always processed sweets that would create a crack. However, the crack (crevices actually) are good motivators not to eat sweets!

The E3 Live has also definitely lifted my mood, and most wonderful of all..... made it possible to enjoy lots of sexy loving with my husband. This is major as for years I wasn't the least bit interested. Can we say Candida? Shit. (Can I say shit on here??)

So I am fasting for a week, alternating between fresh green juices and veggie juices and the Master Cleanse drink....then on to 100% raw foods. I can taste that yummy fresh watermelon juice I am going to do all day one day this week ....can't wait.

Today's Master Cleanse drink, with it's little bit of cayenne is definitely being felt by my stomach, which tells me how much I have been abusing the poor thing. So, must go off and out to enjoy this beautiful August day....just me and my hub.

Ciao bellos
The Tigress is Rarin' Rawin' Roarin' to GO GO GO!!!

Alessandra aka OceanMoonTigress