I am man, and as man, I must watch football. I love my nachos, chips, wings and pizza, but that’s the kind of talk that got me to where I was in the first place. So, what can I munch on instead while yelling at the tv for the next 3-4 hours?

One of the things I like about going raw is the fact that you need to think ahead when it comes to eating, and I’m quite horrible when it comes to planning for anything. So, being temporarily more organized is a plus. You also need to have a have an idea of how much raw food you have in the house because if you run out, you don’t want to be tempted by some other non-raw alternatives. Snacking is healthy when it comes to eating raw because you really don’t have large meals for lunch and dinner and I’ve actually found myself becoming less hungry. (one of the great benefits to doing this is your body is chemical free, and the chemicals in most non-raw foods actually make you crave more food… non-raw food is extremely addictive and it’s done on purpose). The other thing you need to plan ahead for is the prepping the meals in general… you need to know what ingredients to use in your dishes. And, if you want to “cook” a raw food dish, you’ll have to use a dehydrator.. And if you use dehydrator, it’s going to take a good amount of time for “cook” a finished dish. So, you normally you need to plan at least a day ahead for cooked raw meals, because some raw meals take 4-12 hours to dehydrate.

Hey, I thought you couldn’t cook, veggiebro?

You can’t “cook” food the traditional way, beautiful people, so instead you dehydrate the food. Raw food has to be dehydrated using a temperature of no more than 104 degrees. So, yes, it takes a long time to “cook” anything at that rate, but by dehydrating food at that temperature, it doesn’t destroy any of the nutrition and enzymes within the food…  So, if you’re going raw for real (like, f’ real, f’ real), get a dehydrator (I’ve actually heard there are now stoves that have built in dehydrators. And, if you are buying a dehydrator, from my experience, the more you pay for quality, the faster your food will “cook.”) But, back to football… what am I eating?

I prepped some celery stalks, brocolli, and carrot sticks. Still missing the naughty food factor. Luckily, earlier in the week I bought some sweet potatoes, so I decided on sweet potato chips.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp of Himalayan sea salt
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp of paprika
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of cayenne
• 1 tbsp of cumin
• 1 tbsp of onion powder
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of agave nectar

Instructions

• Slice the sweet potatoes into slices as thin as you can get them (use a spiral slicer or something like that)
• Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour them over the sweet potato slices
• Spread the slices on the racks of your dehydrator for about 8-12 hours (WHAT!?!) No I’m not joking… but it’s WORTH IT!

After the chips done (if you want soft chips. take them out early, if not, let them stay in until crispy like potato chips), take them out, freak out your friends by telling them you’re on a raw food diet, explain to them how you no longer eat cooked food because you want to look fabulous and live forever, and share a chip with them. It may change their lives.

For the “taco shells”, we will use romaine lettuce. It’s a long leafy lettuce that wraps quite nicely around foods due to its natural shape.

For the “meat”, we’ll use ground nuts and other spices. Toppings are easy because most taco toppings (except sour cream and certain olives) are mostly raw. Thus, nut meat! (keep your minds out of the gutter, folks… this is your health). You’ll need a food chopper/processor of some sort as well.

Ingredients

• About 3-4 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 3 tbsp of Water
• 3 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup of Raw Almonds
• 1/2 cup of Raw Cashews
• 1 tsp of Chopped Garlic
• 1 tsp of Cumin
• 1 tsp of Himalayan Sea Salt
• 2 tbsp of Cilantro (fresh is better if you can)
• 1/4 cup Red Onion
• Chopped Tomatoes (optional – or you can use a fresh salsa, not from the bottle, but fresh)

Instructions

1. Take the nuts (almonds and cashews), water, olive oil, cumin, sea salt, garlic, cilantro, and about 3/4 of the red onion and put them in your food processor.
2. Mix until the nuts are ground a little bit finer for about 20-30 seconds.
3. You may need to try a little bit first to make sure it taste to your specifications. (PS, don’t go crazy with the cilantro… unless you love for cilantro) Add some more salt and cumin if need be.
4. Spoon out and spread the nut meat over the romaine lettuce leaves.
5. Sprinkle the remaining red onions over the nut meat mixture.
6. Add tomatoes or fresh salsa, and dig in!

And that’s it, folks! Raw tacos!

PS: Weight check-in. I’m down another half a pound! 160 > 157. Cruising along and feeling great!

It got this recipe from an Ani Pho raw food cookbook, who is highly regarded as a top-notch, world-class raw food chef with several great books in print. This recipe is for Avocado Cups. So, here’s how we do it…

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 1/4-1/2 a Cucumber
• 1 Tomato (or you can slice up a cherry or grape tomatoes… I like them sweet and this is what I added to the recipe)
• 1-8-1/4 Red Onion (depends on if you have someone to kiss at night… added this too)
• 2 Tbsp of Chives (fresh or dried)

Topping

• 1 Tbsp of Braggs Amino Acids
• 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp of Crushed Garlic
• 1/4-1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Instructions

1. Pit and dice the avocado into squares and place into a bowl. (Don’t discard the avocado shells)
2. Shave the cucumber and dice the shaved part into squares and add to the avocados
3. Dice the tomato and onions add to the tomatoes and cucumber
4. Chop the chives up (if need be) and add to the mixture.
5. Take the mixture and spoon them into the avocado shells
6. Next, mix the last 4 ingredients in a bowl well, and pour the topping over the avocado mixture.
7. Eat up!

So, why the gigantic run-on sentences? Because it’s how I felt all day (AND because I went to art school for college… we didn’t stress grammar much… just art history and pretty pictures…). I felt a little manic and really energized. I snacked all day on cashews, dates, bananas, and oranges all day, along with a few stalks of celery and the salad I had for dinner. An increased sense of energy is one of the best reasons to go raw. The amount of energy a body has once it’s fairly chemical free is truly remarkable. My nostrils were clear, my senses were super sharp, and I started to feel really bad for putting my body through what I did over the Thanksgiving holiday. But, enough with the self guilt…

I’m doing great right now, and I’m really in a groove. The most important thing is to stop myself from getting bored eating only raw food. I love to cook and I love the process of cooking and prepping food, and for now, it feels like I’ve only been snacking and grazing. So, I need to start mixing up my foods a bit more (instead of just making salads) and start making actual raw meals. Everything I do, I’ll share with you all.

Started on 4/22
Start Weight: 207
Weight this morning: 201.5 
My first goal is 20 pounds: 187
Overall goal: 140 

Yesterday, I had half a portion of Fry Bread at the National Museum of the American Indian in DC.  Too good.  I love it.  Took a long walk with my doggie and my future step-daughter from Eastern Market down to the National Mall. Great exercise for all.

On Friday I went to a girls night at one of my best friend’s place in DC.  Had some wine and a few sweets.  Didn’t go overboard.

Breakfast: Green smoothie or 1 banana and nuts (raw almonds or cachews)

Lunch: For the most part I have a salad from Chop’t for lunch.  It’s a God send to have this salad place so close to my job

Dinner:  Nut meat on Romaine or Fruit bowl lately.  There are a lot of options but I haven’t been to hungry lately.  I definitely don’t eat late.   I may have a pickle or fruit leather if I’m hungry.

So far so good.  I don’t beat myself up.  This is a lifestyle change, not a diet.  Raw for Life.  Raw foods for a better life.

My goal for this week is 5 pounds.  I’ll keep you posted.

On Sunday,  I weighed in at 207 pounds.  Disgusted.

This morning I was 203.5.  Much better.  I’m going to keep on going raw.  Feeling very Detox-y today.  Good sign.

Start Weight: 207 pounds
First Goal: 187 pounds
Overall Goal: 140 pounds

As I announced this morning via Twitter (@urbanrawfood), I’m once again re-committing myself to raw food.  Why is this time different?

1. Health reasons: I’ve been feeling the affects of the almost 20 pounds I’ve gained in the last 2 years.  I don’t want diabetes.  I’ve been saying that for a while.  Also, I know that African American women face heart disease and fibroids on a scale that is very significant compared to other groups who eat the same “Standard American Diet”.
2. I don’t feel well.  Just today, I had an issue with pain in my hip.  I felt like someone yelled out, “Warning sign!”.  This change is not a moment too late.
3. I can’t fit into about half of my clothes.  I know many of have the same testimony.  Can I get an amen?  LOL.
4. I don’t feel sexy like I used to.  Not to say you can’t be big and sexy, I’m just talking about how I feel.  (Let me say that lest I get crazy comments).

I love myself, and this love of self is what’s motivating me.

So far today I’ve had fresh apple/carrot juice and 2 green smoothies.  Doing well.

Current Weight: 204, Goal Weight: 160

I’d say I’m 90% raw.  My baby encouraged me to recommit after a long trip off the wagon.  He’s doing the first 14 days with me.  More to come.

Muah!

Mainly…

• The circumference of my midsection is smaller.  I can tell because I’m wearing a form-fitting top today and I can really see a difference.
• Let’s just say…more frequent pooping.  LOL
• More energy – I was not tired at midnight last night.  Very strange for a weekday

Haven’t had much of an issue with gas.  In the past adding psyllium husk to my smoothies every few days kept that at bay, so that’s what I’m doing now.  I’m averaging 40-50 oz of water during the day to try to keep any toxic episode at bay.

Transformation takes time and effort.  My body didn’t get all clogged with toxins and fat overnight.  I’m excited about greater health and wellness and I welcome it into my life as I continue my raw foods journey.

I’m so tired of myself.  That is the best way I can put it.  As I look back over the past 6 months, I must say that I was depressed after getting back up over 200 pound (203 in April) and I was just eating whatever I felt like.  I guess I gave up.   Just 2 years ago at this time I was really dedicated to my health and wellness.  Now, I can’t even get into most of my size 12 clothes.  Back to the dreaded 14.  Booo!  LOL

I was nearing the end of my P90X experience in late April.  I really like p90x, but the benefit for me was strength and muscle gain…not weight loss.  So, I was helped and discouraged at the same time, because the numbers on the scale barely changed in 90 days.  Sure, diet had something to do with the lack of loss too.  For the 2 weeks that I was raw on p90x, I lost 6 pounds.  But that was just the 2 weeks.  LOL.  I need counseling, right?

Now I’m back to what truly, truly works for me.  RAW FOOD!  It’s a struggle.  I had a run in with some teriyaki chicken that I’m not too proud about as I was working to transition back last week.  Hey, but I still lost weight and my mind is clear.  The biggest change: No candy!  No donuts, brownies, etc.  Kicking the sugar habit!!  This week I’ll be 80% raw.  Taking each day as it comes and not beating myself up.

Oh,  I’m also taking a multivitamin and 100mg of 5-HTp each morning with 16 oz of water.  Gotta start the morning off with water y’all.  A whole apple and a huge class of carrot juice follow most mornings.

We shall see…