Raw lasagna

I just made the raw lasagna recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People. Wow. Yummy. It was very easy, and although it doesn't taste like my meatier version, it satisfied that whole casserole-y saucy craving. It used a raw marinara sauce (also from the book), spinach, avocado, and zucchini 'noodles'. I find myself using this book a lot. It has very easy recipes that just have 1 or 2 servings, which is convenient because I'm the only one eating the stuff usually. I've also fallen in love with the lemon tahini dressing in the book. Try it over baby spinach and avocado chunks. There are some juice recipes I've used too. The spring rolls are delicious with the mock peanut sauce for dunking.
So far, I've lost about 5 pounds. Not even trying! Just eating raw, whole foods, with little to no processing. I use the CRON-o-meter every other day, and my nutrition is off the charts. I am keeping calories within my personal limits, and getting all my macro- and micronutrients. Fiber is high. I'm chugging water. Life is good:)
Running is getting a little more interesting. I'm actually running for 5 minutes straight in the intervals for this week in my training program (Couch to 5k), and it feels better. It's sort of a challenge, but I'm sure after this week (week 4) it'll be much easier. Today was the first day of the 5 minute interval.
In other news, I got a 95 on my western civ exam! Woot! I felt pretty good about it when I took it, so it wasn't that big of a surprise, but still.
So check out the cookbook. If you want to try a little raw in your life, it's a good place to start. Simple recipes, not a lot of funky ingredients like some raw books. Try it, you'll like it!

Feeling Rawsome!

I am feeling so good now. The headaches went away and I have superwoman energy! I also feel less bloated and 'fuzzy' in the head. I have also lost 2 pounds in 3 days! I could go on and on. So my basic staples seem to be a raw gazpacho, baby spinach salads with tahini lemon dressing, and fruit smoothies with a little flax seed or hemp protein. I find I don't get as ravenous as I used to, or have that unsatisfied feeling like I am looking for 'something' foodwise. I even forget to eat sometimes. I have broken the habit of feeling bored and then rummaging aimlessly in the cupboards or fridge. I've got such momentum, I don't wanna lose it! I just need to keep my eyes on the prize, and stay focused on what I really want/need.

And I ran. I ran so far away.....not really. I ran on the treadmill downstairs. I need some new music to work out to. Any suggestions? What do you work out to? I like mostly dancey/pop numbers like Britney Spears, Pink, Lady Gaga, and the hard stuff like System of a Down or Metallica. But I'm bored. Feels like I've been running to the same music for decades. Ugh.

I'm sewing again too. BUT nearly every damn thing I sew doesn't fit right. I'm either choosing unflattering styles, which due to my newbie-ness I can't exactly do couture yet, or I'm just sizing wrong. At the moment I'm on a mission to find the perfect tee shirt pattern. I have two, but they just don't do it. There's either complicated facings that I never get right, or in order to fit my gigantor boobage the shirt just fits the girls then turns into a tent/maternity look everywhere else. Not a good look. I just want a frickin' tee shirt that fits perfectly! Is that too much to ask? I currently have a bunch of 'wadders' in a pile to donate, and I do have one knit dress I made that I can actually wear out of the house. It's a little big, but it works.

I'm off to study. I have lots of reading to catch up on, and a precalculus exam to cram...er...study for.

Join the crowd

I read Nenette's blog over at lifecandy, and she's doing this wonderful list of 100 things she loves. It is part of Studio Notes' blog project of 52 weekly blog ideas. (Wow I just now figured out how to do those nifty links in my text! I rock!) Well, I wanna be a part of this. Even though I'm joining in at the end.
So without further ado I present 100 things (not people) I love.
1.System of a Down's Aerials
2.right now, Lady Gaga
3.a fresh blank Word document
4.Cold hard cash (I know how very materialistic of me, but I don't work and every penny I get I cherish. til I spend it. then it's over.)
5.sushi
6.pizza
7.my iPod set on shuffle
8.my treadmill (it's a love/hate thing)
9.pineapple
10.single malt scotch on the rocks
11.Ministry's Just One Fix
12.Nine Inch Nails (I've seen them in concert around 8 times)
13.hair dye
14.nail polish
15.MAC lip gloss
16.my sons' artwork
17.Christmas
18.my birthday
19.my car stereo
20.looking at stuff on a microscope
21.Glee
22.Family Guy
23.Tori Amos sometimes
24.my laptop
25.my velour loungewear from Victoria's Secret
26.boots
27.dresses with leggings (and #26)
28.cardigans
29.my tattoos
30.the way my sweetie smells (no cologne, just him)
31.the cold side of the pillow
32.fresh fruit smoothies
33.green power juice from my juicer
34.sewing things (that never seem to fit right)
35.stars (the shape and the ones in the sky)
36.the number 3
37.the color red
38.black
39.documentaries (mostly health or nutrition related)
40.Tim Burton
41.dancing with my two boys
42.NOVA on PBS
43.diamond stud earrings (princess cut)
44.facebook
45.knitting
46.boxing (doing it, not watching it)
47.my pink boxing gloves
48.Harajuku Lovers 'G' perfume
49.Neutrogena body oil
50.Annie Stela (I've actually gotten (a little)teary-eyed listening to her)
51.Sesame Street
52.running
53.grocery shopping
54.orchids
55.those pink and orangey lilies (the smell!!!)
56.email
57.financial aid and government grants for school
58.used textbooks
59.old Anne Rice
60.the Ting Tings
61.checking the mail
62.getting packages
63.Bust magazine
64.my shaved (well, buzzed) head
65.striped baby socks
66.System of a Down's B.Y.O.B
67.Final Fantasy games
68.Lost Odyssey for xBox 360
69.Civilization 3 old school for PC
70.old Metallica
71.Jennifer Tilly (little teeny girly voice like me)
72.facials
73.massages
74.ballet flats
75.dirty little boy smell
76.Shel Silverstein
77.hot showers
78.fall
79.Halloween (holiday)
80.Tank Girl (movie)
81.Secretary (movie)
82.my celly with the full qwerty keyboard
83.my Medifast Pin-Ups group
84.elephants
85.my camera
86.driving fast (without the kids)
87.H20
88.our coal stove
89.my crafty/studio space
90.being barefoot
91.cheese
92.hand cream
93.Calorie Restriction (CRON)
94.superfoods
95.concerts
96.plastic kiddie pools
97.our CSA
98.my health
99.anti-depressants
100.sunglasses

Oh my that took a long time, but was super fun! Check out the site and join in!
EDIT-Ok, there is one person on the list (Lady GaGa), but it's not about loving her, it's her music and her persona.

Tabouli addict

I have a problem. A tabouli addiction! I can't stop eating it. It's like the regular tabouli, but without the bulgur wheat. It's basically a delicious tomato salad with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Oh my it is so good!! I ate two big bowls of it yesterday. Today's menu includes some Indian flavored marinated raw carrots. I broke out my new hand held mandoline for the job. Worked awesome! I love that it made nice and thin uniform slices. Good stuff.
Yesterday went well. I have been trying to chug a lot of water upon rising, before the morning coffee. My coffee intake is down too. I only have one cup each day, and I don't even think I need it. It's just habit, you know? So anyways, this water I chug supposedly gets the detox process moving along. This is good for the liver. Well, move along it did. If you know what I mean. 'Nuff said.
I did experience a little headache yesterday and felt a little fuzzy mentally. I expect this is a detoxification of some sort. It was a nuisance, but nothing major. I just laid on the couch for the evening and took it easy.
Today is another day. I am committing to another day without meat. One day at a time is all I can manage, plus I will never give up my sushi. I know, I know, it could contain some horrible parasites, but I just love it and it is the one non-negotiable. I eat it only a few times a year, maybe two or three? Everyone has something. Hell, giving up cheese was like sticking bamboo shoots under my nails! And I did that. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm a success:) A work in progress, but still...a success.
Running today. I'm doing a Couch to 5K program I found online, and I'm currently in week 3 of 9. It's pretty easy so far, but I see some tough weeks coming up. Like running constantly for 20 minutes. Ah. That's gonna hurt. But it's a good hurt. At least that's what I'll tell myself.

Must See TV

O.M.G. I saw the best documentary last night. We got it from Netflix, and it's called Food Matters. It really is must see tv, in my opinion. Basically, we as Americans are fatter and sicker than ever, and medicine and drugs are doing little to make us healthy, they just cure acute afflictions. Chronic diseases are running rampant. The focus should be on whole, organic, preferably raw foods. They talk about what your immune system does when you eat cooked animal based protein (it was a long fancy work like leuko-something). Basically, you cannot heal your body if your immune system is in constant attack/inflammation mode. Raw food is ideal due to the active enzymes in the food that are killed when heated. Modern doctors have basically no training in nutrition, and the pharmaceutical companies like it that way. The sicker we are, the more drugs we 'need'. Oh, I could go on and on about this film. And I kinda already have, but I'll stop now. Just go see it, please!
So as a result of my shock/interest in nutrition, I'm going to change my ways for real. I have made half-assed attempts at these things, but I really see that it is a matter of personal responsibility. If I don't do it for myself, no one else will! I'm also not going to hog all this wholesome goodness for myself anymore, I'm going to share with my family more than ever. I've decided that for today I will be vegetarian and raw! I'm only committing to today in order to not overwhelm myself and make promises that I won't keep. My hunny and I were discussing, and we want to introduce more vegetarian/vegan and raw food to the kids. I pride myself for their somewhat decent diets. I mean, they get their fruits and veg, but I don't share the raw or vegan stuff with them much, and they are soooo worth it! I think I've decided I'm not personally going to eat meat anymore, but I will still cook chicken and fish for my family. We are done with red meat for good. Can you tell I'm totally inspired??

I'm baaaack (again!)

I've gained a little of the weight that I lost on Medifast, but not much. I'm now sticking strictly to my CRON-ie lifestyle again. I flipped through my CR books (The CR Way, The Anti-aging Diet, and The Longevity Diet), and I'm going to go with 1800 calories. This is for a woman 31-50 who's moderately active. I've been exercising 5 days a week, 2 days interval cardio/strength/abs, and 3 days running. I also hope to get back to my boxing soon. It's just tough with school on the days I used to go in the mornings, and so I have to try to see if I can drag my arse out the door with two kids for a 5pm boxing workout a few times a week. I really miss it.
Speaking of school, it's going very well. I'm taking Bio 1, western civ 1, precalculus 1, and world regional geography. The geography and precal are online, the other two are on campus. I feel great. I just took my first western civ test, 3 essay questions and 55 multiple choice, and I think I got an A, or at the very least a B. It went better than I thought it was going to.
I also did something very drastic to my appearance. I used the buzzer set to 1/2 inch, and buzzed all my hair off. I love it, my honey loves it, and it gets lots of compliments so far. It's very very low maintenance! Like as in no maintenance. I do regularly wear earrings now and makeup to feminize it a little. Just little diamond princess cut studs and a little eyeshadow and mascara. But when I wear a tank top or tube top, I look very interesting with all my tattoos showing and the hair. Did I mention I loved the movie Tank Girl when I was a girl???
My littlest boy started school in January. He loves it. He goes for 3 hours 5 days a week. The bus comes right to the door and drops him right off at the driveway. Very convenient. He did, however, catch RSV and end up hospitalized for two days due to germ-infested classmates. Then, when he went back, he was fine for a few days, then was sick again. Took him to the doc and the verdict was bronchitis. So he missed another week of school. I'm not liking the whole illness deal that came along with school. I'm hoping once the weather breaks he'll do better. He's already at a disadvantage with his lungs due to prematurity.
Well, that's about it for the update. I will be posting regularly again. Promise. If anyone's still out there reading. I'll just pretend that I have tons of adoring blogland fans:)