Mmmmmm food!

Yup, dinner!

Curry falafels, mango salsa and salad with the juice from the mango salsa! All raw! The only thing is I likely reek of garlic. Everything I make seems to have quite a bit in it... hmmm. I guess that is really only an issue if I was to go on a date... ha ha ha.

Shebytches new issues is live!

We are back from hiatus and will resume publishing the last Monday of every month :)

We are also always looking for new women writers for the site. If you have edge and have something to say, get in touch with us :)

WHAT'S NEW

Pixie Says Worth Less = Worthless

That's not what I believe. Of course. But it's hard not to draw that conclusion from today's newspapers in the UK.

snadzmatazz Today I almost quit.

Viki Ackland Online vs Reality

It is funny how some people have their own personalities online, which appear to be the opposite of their real lives.

Day 7 and 93 more to go!

I'm on day 7 of the 100 day raw fast! From here on in I may not post every day but at least a few times a week. Just to show my progress. I'm afraid if I post daily they will be the same boring repeats. I don't ever want to bore anyone. It's another dreary day out and a bit cold! I was considering a walk but, am going to stay in work out, write and read. Hurry UP spring!

One great thing about raw is it cleans you out! I am going to have the cleanest colon in town!!! People don't like talking about poo, but it is a big part of our bodies! So there!

Weight today = no change (I would think I'd have lost a bit again and am a bit, hmmmm, need to figure out what's going on)
total lost = 2.2lbs

I'm also LOVING my wii. I found in the used bin at a games store a copy of My Personal Fitness trainer. I was getting a bit bored with the wii Fit program. I'd reached all the highest levels and needed something else to challenge me. This program really is!!! I have only been doing the 15 minute work outs because I needed to figure out how it worked. Starting Wednesday (the program has a schedule for me and tomorrow is my off day) I am pushing it up to 30 minutes.

I'm really craving coffee today. In a I can't sit still and I want to go make some now way! I have to keep talking myself out of it!

Raw Food I've been eating

I meant to post last nights dinner yesterday, but will do that now along with tonights dinner.

last night was a monster salad, with a raw curry falafel and raw faux bacon crumbled on top, with sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, onion and mushroom on baby spinach. The dressing is tahini. Dessert was raw apple cookies.



Tonight's dinners is a raw BLT. I dehydrated onion bread and faux raw bacon and made raw mayo. The salad is spinich with tahini dressing, tomatoes and mushrooms. And tonight's dessert is raw apple cookies! This is how I've been eating for the last 6 days and will be for the next 94. It looks like a lot of work but if you dehydrate a bunch of stuff one day a week, it will last for a week or so.

Day 6 I hate rain but it's better than snow

I wanted to go for a long walk today. I am needing to get a lot of work done but when writing it helps clear my head. I've been in a crappy mood for over a week now. Not because of the fast or change in diet, but for many other reasons. I've been pretending to be in a good mood, but realized it isn't doing me any good. One of the things is I'm loosing patience with humans. I wish people would see me for who I am instead of what they can get from me. By fasting and doing the raw challenge I am physically removing negative things from my body and need to be more vigilant in doing the same with people.

A few months ago I started purging people that were treating me in a negative way. To be effective though I need to keep all negative aspects out. This is a very daunting task but one that needs to be done. I do all these things to keep my body healthy but I'm not working hard enough to keep my mind and spirit healthy and that needs to be an equal priority to a healthy body.

I woke up this morning not wanting to get out of bed. I love dreary days, I know that sounds strange, but it puts me in the right mood for writing. What I want right now is a kick ass thunderstorm.

Day 6 I do feel physically good. I am going to resume working out tomorrow though am likely going to do yoga tonight. I am still browsing recipes, as I don't want to ever get bored with what I'm eating. I've dehydrated all the ingredients for a raw vegan BLT and am going to have that and salad for dinner :)

weight loss today - no change (I know that the loss will take time and the initial 2.2lbs was from the fast. I remember the first time I did raw it took about a week for my body to adjust and once it did I started losing weight)

total weight loss = -2.2lbs

Day 5 and fight with another ritual

It is Saturday morning. My normal ritual is to sit with a cup of coffee and read through the paper. This will be the first Saturday in a long time that I will be reading the paper with out one. Instead I am going to pour a green smoothie into a large coffee cup and read the Sunday funnies.

Every day I'm trying something new, to keep it interesting. Today I started adding beat to my juice. Damn it was yummy! Last night I had dehydrated apple cookies that I made. I also just dehydrated raw veggie bacon and once the onion bread is done I want to try a raw blt. The only thing is I may have made the onion bread too thin :(. It is easy enough to make another batch.

After I finish my paper, I'm going out for a walk. It's a gorgeous day out!!!

Weight loss today - no change
Total - -2.2lbs

Day 4 here I come!

The sun is out, I woke up with out a head ache and did I mention the sun is out! It actually felt like spring this morning when I took the pups out for their morning walk.

One thing fasting does to me is it makes me do a lot of thinking. Maybe even too much and I tend to have a lot of very odd dreams. I had one about my ex last night. He is french Canadian (in real life) and in the dream was berating me in french. I woke up feeling bad this morning, as if I had been scolded for real. The relationship itself ended badly and he is one of the main reasons I have little trust in men these days. What is it they say about one bad apple.

Moving on...

Today I get to have food!!! I am not going over board though, I am starting off with juice, then a bowl of fruit. My lunch will likely be a smoothie and some nuts and dried fruit. And dinner a large salad. I may stick with this menu for a few days, then gradually add in different things for dinner. I was going to resume working out today, but I think I will wait one more day. I'm just coming off the fast and don't want to push it.

It is suppose to be up to 11 degrees today. I am hoping that is stays warm, later I am taking my dog to the veg for yet another check up on his eye. I am sure he is getting sick of the vet. I know my credit card is!

Weight lost today .4
Total weight lost = -2.2

Day 3 of everything

Today is the final day of the fast and day 3 of the 100 day raw challenge. I feel MUCH better this morning as the headache is GONE! Though the cause of it was caffeine, I miss my morning coffee ritual. I almost poured my juice into my bodum so I could pour it into a coffee mug! I think it isn't the same exactly but... While my energy is high I am going to shower and go to the fruit market and buy all the food I will need for the next few days. To keep costs down, starting next week I will be starting my weekly trip to Chinatown to by my produce. It is way cheaper than regular stores, not to mention the variety!!!

I know I am sounding like a broken record, but it frustrates me that healthy food, such as fruits and veggies are so much more expensive than processed crap. The government is doing all this research as to why the obesity rate is so high! That would be one of the big factors! Why not make potato chips and cola super expensive and fruit and veggies inexpensive. Rather than dish out so much money to the tobacco industry give free financial aid to farmers! Our society is so incredibly backwards.

Yes I've been doing a LOT of thinking these last few days.

today's weigh in -1.1lbs
Total weight loss = -1.8lbs

Day 2 is almost done!

I am almost finished Day 2. I have low energy and took another nap this afternoon. I seem to have a burst of energy right now though!!!

Tomorrow I am going to go grocery shopping and buy tonnes of salad stuff and stuff to make raw apple cookies! I am craving them right now!!!

I am thinking I am not drinking enough juice right now. That would explain my low energy. I am considering juice feasting after the 100 Day Raw challenge is done, but need to do more research. I need to understand how to get past feeling like I have no energy. Once I understand that I will attempt it.

Day 2... can I make it to day 3!

It is day two of my juice fast! I am actually feeling a lot better today, though still have a bit of the headache. Once I got up and moving around it seemed to help as well. I did sleep in though. It's odd though, I am bombarding my body with vitamins and minerals and tonnes of other great things, yet yesterday, I had a hard time. When I've done the Master Cleanse it was not that difficult and like the Master Cleanse I psyched myself up for the fast.

So far I have raw nut loaf and raw tortilla's dehydrated and I have raw falafels in the dehydrator. I wanted to have a couple other things started but am not sure what. I'm considering raw onion bread and need to make up some seed cheese. This way I have lots of things handy. My plan is to do all my hydrating every Sunday for the week. Saturday's I will try to do all my shopping. Though I will eventually just make my own, I also have a box of Larabars in my cupboard. When I am out, and so I don't cheat, I keep those in my bag along with a large container of water, fruit and a bag of nuts/dried fruit.

100 days may seem like a long time, but realistically I plan to be raw after that, just not as strict. I figure if I am 90% raw that allows for times when it isn't possible to have everything raw on my plate, like when eating out or at someone elses home. It is difficult enough trying to make people understand being Vegan and how I eat, Raw is sadly even harder. There have been many times that I've sat and eaten carrot sticks for dinner because they don't have anything to make a salad with. What I don't understand is how do you not have a head of lettuce in your house.

I often find myself, when in a grocery store, looking in other peoples carts. Especially when at check out. I am saddened by the amount of processed food is in peoples carts. It also bothers me that it is cheaper to buy junk food than fresh fruits and veggies. Why is that. Shouldn't the government be pushing to ensure we eat more fresh foods?


Weight lost = .7lbs

End of Day 1

Wow! I have had the worst caffeine withdrawal headache ever! I've done the Master Cleanse several times and don't recall having one this bad. I actually had to take a nap this after noon. I am feeling a bit better right now, but OYE my head!

Today I had 2 large glasses of Juice (1 was apple/carrot/pear/ginger, the other was strawberry/blackberry/ginger/pineapple) and 3 large glasses of green smoothie (2 bananas/1 avocado/1 bunch of spinach and water to your preferred thickness).

Tomorrow I will likely have the same but I think I need to have a bit more fruit juices.

Day 1 is done! 2 more to go :)

The First Robin and The First Day

Today is day 1 of my 100 day raw challenge. While walking the dogs I saw my first Robin. I think this is a sign that spring is really here and today is a great day to start. I am starting off with a 3 day juice feast. I will be drinking nothing but fresh juice and green smoothies. Of course leave it to me to wake up starving!

I shouldn't be hungry. I feasted at my friend Cathy's so really I shouldn't be this hungry already, but it may very be psychological. I am going to attempt to blog about is as much as possible, as well as take as many pictures of the things I am eating. Currently I have sunflower seeds and broccoli seeds sprouting for my yummy salads and chick peas sprouting for raw falafels I am hoping to start dehydrating today.

I also need to do this and stay within my budget as well. With raw there are tonnes of raw pre-made products out there. I am going to stay away from those and stick to mostly fresh fruit and veggies. Fortunately with spring and summer there will be a nice variety of both. I also need to cut back on raw nuts. They are incredibly expensive and I have decided I will use them minimally.


Juice and Smoothies Before...



After:

100 Day Raw Challenge

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, I'm starting a 100 Day Raw Challenge. The official end to the Challenge will be July 1st. Over the last couple years I've started to really clue to how my body works. I think this all happened when I hit 40. I know to lose weight, no carbs and I need to do lots of cardio. I've discovered I can't eat gluten and certain foods trigger migraines. The biggest thing I discovered is I need to be on a raw food diet.

About 2 years ago I was for six plus months. I lost weight, my skin glowed and I had never felt more energetic. I was even almost down to my goal of a size 8. Then I had some major life changes happen, I injured my knee etc, and I fell completely off Raw. I tried unsuccessfully to go back on a Raw diet in January, I am up to about 75%. It was just bad timing, being winter and a crappy one at that, I needed warm food in my belly. But now. Now I am fully ready. Now I am ready to start bombarding my body with goodness.

This isn't just a food journey, this is a whole lotta other stuff going on as well. But this is a great start!!! I've been doing a tonne of research, pulled out my Raw books. I've discovered there is a farmers market a 20 minute walk from here that is open every Saturday morning. I have pulled out my dehydrator and have chosen Sundays to be my day to dehydrate things for the week. I'm a scheduler and list person and having todo's on a calendar will also help me on this renewed journey.

Other things I am going to start doing again, and how I've missed them, is adding Yoga back into my work outs. Yoga always destressed me!

I am excited about tomorrow and the next 100 days!

Mmm Rabbit Food!

It begins again!

About a year ago, I fell off the raw wagon. I was doing ok up till then, I wasn't 100% raw but was still hanging in at around 80 %. Then I had a few major changes happen. The last two years have been about major changes. And because of this I stopped being as dedicated to raw. To top it all off, early last spring I injured my knee and couldn't walk properly for almost 3 months. It took about 9 months before I could start exercising again. A combination of my addiction to carbs and sitting on my ass, I gained 20 some pounds.

Weight gain has made me feel gross, bloated and unattractive. I'm not going back to a raw vegan diet for the weight loss, it is a benefit. I am returning to the raw lifestyle because when I was on it before, I had felt healthy, energetic and alive! Though it can be a bit of work preparing some of the dishes, it was well worth it for me. I lost weight, cellulite was almost non existent, my skin glowed and I never felt tired. When people around me where getting sick with the flu or colds I was as healthy as an Ox. The benefits are well worth the work.

Starting Tuesday, I am moving back to a raw diet. From then till April 30th, I will stick to 100% as a way of detoxing my body, then May 1st will stick to a 90% raw diet. I had originally tried to do this starting January 1st but failed. I think it was because it was still winter and my body was craving warm foods. That and I wasn't in the proper mind set. I am now and can't wait. I am starting myself off with a 3 day juice cleanse, then right into the rabbit food as so many others call it!

I just looked at Rorschach and saw one of the few good things of a 3 hour movie...

Hmmm. Does hype around a movie make you want to see it or wait for the DVD? As a general rule of thumb if a movie is being hyped as one of the best movies in decades, it usually sucks. Best parts in the trailers yada yada. I had my fingers crossed that Watchmen was going to be beyond that. It has been getting some pretty ok reviews and many friends and raving about it. Tonight, well, the rule of thumb seems to have applied.

Years ago I read the graphic novel and thought to myself, 'This might make a pretty awesome movie.' I may have said that out loud and, I apologize. Don't get me wrong, am sure some comic book frea... fanatics will be all over me here. It wasn't entirely bad. The special affects were well done and graphically it was pleasing to the eye. And Rorschach, Rorschach was brilliantly played by Jackie Earle Haley. Of course once I got past my Bad News Bears moment, I saw the brilliance in his performance. However, this movie was way too long in the tooth, by about an hour. So much didn't need to be there. I found myself at the 2 hour point thinking, is this over yet? And not because I needed to take a washroom break, I was at that point honestly hoping for the Russians to send off their nuclear bombs. Oops! I'm speaking out loud again.

If you are a fan of the graphic novel, I am sure it is worth your hard earned cashola to go see it. I do admit, it is one of those, have to see it on the big screen type movies, but if you can hold out, in about 3 months it will be on DVD and in about 4 months, you will be able to go to a BMV and buy a used copy. I strongly suggest if you are wanting to see a spring movie, save your pennies for Terminator Salvation and please excuse my placing hype on it.

The March issue of Lipstik Indie is up!

Hey all, the new issue of Lipstik Indie (www.lipstikindie.com) is up and alive! Our featured artist for the the month of March is the all girl band Fidgit!

Also included in the new issue are:

Bands - The Black Atlantic, (reviewed by Viki Ackland)

Books - Reproduce and Revolt edited by Josh MacPhee and Favianna Rodriguez (reviewed by Carolina Smart), Nothing To Lose by Steve Vernon (reviewed by Carolina Smart)

DIY/Indie Online Stores - Pretty Raccoon Clothing (reviewed by Laura Roberts)

Graphic Novel - Bad Habits by Cristy C. Road (reviewed by Cathy Petch)

Movies - Dreamscape by Daniel J. Fox (reviewed by Cathy Petch)

Zines - Above Ground Press (reviewed by Devon Jones)