Day 32 New Inspiration

Tonight I got my inspiration for this blog from some new readers. Welcome Milltown’s Women’s Volleyball players. I had 3 VB players approach me about my blog tonight and I had one co-worker. Four new readers and I am very happy about this. I love when I get questions because I can spread the word of healthy eating and inspire others to think about their choices. Don’t get me wrong. I am human and I stray from healthy items at times but it is by choice. These are "my" rules and at the end of the day I only answer to myself. If my body craves something I feel it needs whatever nutrients are in that food so I try to satisfy it. It’s funny after my bout with chemotherapy I rarely get food cravings. I think I went about 1.5 to 2 years without consciously having a food craving. Weird huh? At least it has helped me lose weight because I have not craved much of the non-nutritive foods. Okay, junk food. I said it, alright. I also love that the people I share my life with can share in my journey and see the difference that these food choices make in my life. It’s all-GOOD!


I started drinking a new tea called Calli today along with Fortune Delight. These teas have a lot of antioxidants and therefore aid the body in its purification and elimination processes. These teas also contain a lot of herbs that aid the body in cleansing waste and toxins. Calli is alkaline in nature and you know that no disease can live in an alkaline body. My quest is to make this body alkaline!

Raw nutrients of the day:
12oz green smoothie
1 liter of mineral water
Homemade salsa
Tomato and spinach salad
64 oz Calli tea
2 cups Cafix
3 oz E3live
6 oz green smoothie
1 teaspoon of bee pollen
Dehydrated potatoes
1 Sunbar


Quote of the day:
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." - Helen Keller


Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 30 & 31 I made it!!!

Wow, let me pause a second and breath. I try to celebrate all wins be them large or small. This has been quite a quest but I am up to do it again but I want to stay 100% raw for 30 days. I am going to guess and say I was about 98 to 99% raw. I am up for the challenge and I am going online for some support. I do not want to say that this discipline was hard because I do not feel it was that bad. I would like to feel as part of a community so I am reaching out for some support. There are many message boards that offer a form of communication that I believe will benefit me. I have done some homework and joined a few meetup groups. I have only reached out to one group but I will be attending another function next month that is local. It will be great to experience a meal with other like-minded people. These groups are located in Princeton NJ, New Brunswick NJ, Pennsylvania and New York City. Two of these locations are nearby and I will attend the other two if something special is really going on or if I plan to be in the area.


I find it difficult to stay 100% raw when dining out of my home. There is such a lack of restaurants that provide raw foods never mind organic raw foods. I will have to go into New York City to experience a variety of raw food restaurants. There is an online service that will deliver several meals and snacks but I did not like the food, the quality or the service. I will keep seeking and I am sure I will find other sites that will offer fresh, nutritious raw foods.


Day 31
Raw nutrients of the day:
16oz green smoothie
16 oz rice milk with Cafix
Fresh squeezed orange juice with aloe
NuPlus, Fortune Delight & Quinary
Portobellos with pesto
64 oz water
2 bananas
2 apples
2 rings of pineapple
2 cups Cafix
1 Sunbar


Day 30
Raw nutrients of the day:
1 durian pod milk shake (1 pod, water and vanilla extract) with E3live Juice of 1 young coconut with fresh pineapple juice grilled vegetables fruit salad (pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew) 1 cup Cafix
NuPlus, Fortune Delgiht & Quinary
48 oz water
16 oz green smoothie
1 cup herbal tea
Soy ravioli with tomato and onions

Quote of the day:
"All life is a chance. So take it! The person who goes furthest is the one who is willing to do and dare." - Dale Carnegie

Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 29 kiwano horned melon

I found out the name of the melon I bought yesterday and it is kwano horned melon. Thai melon is native to Africa but it is also grown in New Zealand and other parts of the world. It has been around for over 3,000 years. This melon has a georgous orange rind with spikes and the inside has a yellowish, greenish flesh that has a consistency of jello. I have read mixed reviews on the taste from it being very bitter to it tasting like a cross between melon, limes, bananas and cucumbers. Now I am a little leary to try this but I will let you know tomorrow what I think of it. At the very least I could use the outside of this as a beautiful serving dish. Haha $4.00 for 2 temporary 4oz serving dishes. Let’s hope this is a delicious fruit. It is suppose to be high in vitamin A & C and high in fiber.

I played volleyball tonight and then I did some community work. Half of the volleyball players went and stuffed envelopes for a community day mailing. Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.

Raw nutrients of the day:
E3live with fresh squeezed orange juice
NuPlus, Fortune Delgiht & Quinary
16oz green smoothie
32 oz water
Eggplant, peppers, & greens with baslamic vinegar
1 cup Cafix
48 oz water
½ gallon of water
16 oz green smoothie
NuPlus, Fortune Delgiht & Quinary
1 cup herbal tea

Quote of the day:
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 28 Those boys got the best of me

I went to play volleyball today and it was the first day of open play. There were only 5 of us there in the beginner’s session. This led to a private coaching session for me. Ray and I practiced bumping and setting. Then we played 3 on 2. Wow, do you know what it is like to play volleyball with 4 guys that are in tiptop shape and are competitive players. They smacked me down and gave me a workout that I will probably never forget. To think that I am in the best shape that I have been in, in years. I have a long way to go. That was a smack back to reality for me. I am exhausted and feel that it is way past by bedtime. J Thank goodness for the long bath. I tried to soothe my aching muscles.


I went to Wegmans and picked up all organic produce. I purchased over 7 pounds of bananas, a weird small orange spiny melon, honeycrisp apples and rice milk. When I got home I peeled and vacuum sealed a case of mangos (about 9) and made a huge batch of green smoothie. I added a ton of collard greens, bananas, kiwi, apples, beets, celery and basil. I froze quite a few containers so that should last me 1 week or 2.

Raw nutrients of the day:
E3live with fresh squeezed orange juice
NuPlus, Fortune Delgiht & Quinary
16oz green smoothie
32 oz water
1 coconut macaroon
NuPlus, Fortune Delgiht & Quinary
16 oz Miller lite
½ gallon of water
Pineapple, mango
Eggplant Parm
Rice milk with Cafix

Quote of the day:
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 27 The Stone Pony

The mushrooms I was cooking were not ready after 5 hours. They needed a couple of more hours due to the oven temperature of 105 degrees. I decided to stay downstairs and watch TV or fall asleep since I know I would not want to come down at 2AM to shut off the oven. My internal clock woke me up at 2:15 and I checked the mushrooms and they were done. I shut off the TV and went upstairs to my bed. I put on that TV to lull me into lala land and so be it I found TaxiCab Confessions on Bravo. Bad move because I stayed up until 4AM. Ah well, what the heck. It is the weekend. Needless to say I slept in on Saturday.
I went to dinner with some friends and then went to The Stone Pony to listen to some local bands. It was a lot of fun. It is so much fun to go out and have a lot of people you know around. I follow one of the local bands and the groupies all get to know one another after a while. It was quite an interesting and exciting evening.
I received a call Friday night from a woman from the summer volleyball league I played on. She asked me to join her Monday night league. I was so thrilled to be considered. I love it when people treat me as an equal. It means they do not see my handicap. They see me for who I am. That is a beautiful thing! Well as if I cannot get enough of volleyball I decided to join yet another league that plays on Sundays. This one runs September through May. I played on this league two years ago and last year I never made it over there. Today is the first day of play and I am leaving in a few minutes.
Raw nutrients of the day:
E3live with fresh squeezed orange juice
3 portobellos with pesto
NuPlus, Fortune Delight & Quinary
A Mediterranean platter with hummus, tabbouleh, olives, cucumbers, red peppers and an awesome dressing over greens
A sip of a pumpkin martini – wow that was good
Water, water and more water

Quote of the day:
"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential." - John Maxwell

Celebrate life and enjoy your weekend,
Alma

Day 26 I forgot my oxygen!

Today is the first day ever that I left my oxygen at home. It is just shy of three years that I am on oxygen so it has been a long time since I have gone without it for a day. I was REALLY surprised. I kept saying WOW. Luckily the weather is great and I do not feel the need for it. I was so happy. I keep telling myself that I have to get used to not having the oxygen since I am reversing the pulmonary fibrosis. So this day is a very important day for me. In the past I have left the oxygen in the house but always realized it when I got in the car but this has never happened. Now you know that I feel GREAT. I feel so good today that oxygen was the last thing on my mind. YAHOO! WHOO HOOO! I am full of happiness and gratitude. I landed up not using the oxygen at all the entire day and night.


I went to my local co-op after work and bought them out of all their portobello’s but one. I bought 8 and came home and prepped them and put them in the oven for 5 hours. At 4 hours I took one out and ate it with pesto. Yum, this is what I am going to eat for lunch today and some tomorrow. I also made some fudge balls last night. I mixed some carob, almond butter and dates. Ground them up and rolled them by hand. These are a small snack I can carry around. They are to last long in the refrigerator according to the recipe in Alyssa’s cookbook.


Raw nutrients of the day:
E3live
mineral water
NuPlus, Fortune Delight & Quinary for breakfast
Salad with different kinds of sprouts
NuPlus, Fortune Delight & Quinary as a meal
Eggplant parm
1 coconut macaroon
1 cup of banana/coconut ice cream
A few potato chips


Quote of the day:
"The first requisite of success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem without growing weary." - Thomas Edison

Celebrate life and enjoy your weekend,
Alma

Day 25 The detox has been kicked up a notch

Today I started taking my Sunrider products I started with Fortune Delight, NuPlus and Quinary. Thus the detox truly began today. I had 6 BM's and the night is not over. I started coughing after one of the NuPlus meals and I knew it was that. It already started clearing out the mucous in my lungs and digestive track. Even my sinuses felt swollen after my first meal this morning. A lot of gas too. I am told that is because of mucous and fat in the intestines.

I am working on 4 hours of sleep and still going so that tells you about my energy level. Tonight I hardly even coughed during volleyball. It is soooooo awesome knowing that the transformation is happening. I have known that I had been getting healthier and healthier but now I can see it, feel it and experience it in another level. Each time I participate in sports I can feel the improvement!!!! I am so grateful.

Nutrients of the day:
Fortune Delight, NuPlus and Quinary as a meal
1 Classic Cafe salad from Panera's
1 small piece of french baguette - not worth it, I felt bloated for a while afterwards
16 oz herbal tea
20 oz mineral water
8 oz Cafix
64 oz water
Fortune Delight, NuPlus and Quinary as a meal
E3live
Bee pollen

Quote of the day:
"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation." - Pearl S. Buck
20 oz herbal tea

Day 23 & 24 Still going strong

It is hard to believe that I am in week four of this journey. I can definitely say that I will continue on raw foods. I know I said I would assess this at the end of 30 days but I already know what I am going to do.



Tuesday I went to the gym after work. I was really tired and scared to push my body because I do not want to over do things. I guess my body was reacting to my volleyball play on Monday and lack of sleep afterwards. So I walked at a casual pace for 30 minutes on a treadmill. After talking with a co-worker I realized that I did not have to go and have a super workout like I normally do. Just getting to the gym and walking would be enough. Thanks Amy! So that is what I did and I must say that my heart and lungs performed much better than I expected. I had not been to the gym in 2 months so I expected to walk at about 2 to 2.5mph. Well I was surprised as I walked at a pace of 3 mph. My breathing was really good. I was able to breathe through my nose the entire time. I cannot wait to go again to do a hard workout to see at what level I can perform. In June I was able to work out at 3.2 to 3.4 mph for 30 to 40 minutes. I feel like I can do a lot better. I KNOW I can!


The eggplant came out really good but a little too rich for me. I really like it and I will tweak the recipe next time I make it. Again the recipe seems to be for a family of four so I freezed most of it.


Nutrients of the day:
Tuesday
Green smoothie with E3live
3 cups Cafix
Spinach salad with alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts and The Sproutman's Crunchy sprouts (lentils)
32 oz mineral water
2 bananas
8 oz green smoothie
Eggplant Parmesan
1 carob turtle
72 oz water
½ almond crunch bar
1 durian pod
10 longans



Today I worked from home so I got to run some errands in the morning. I went out to Princeton and I got stuck in traffic both ways. I read a lot of Angela Stokes blog this morning and learned about Sunrider foods. I did get to upload a bunch of pictures from Sunday’s playoffs. You can see those at the bottom of this post.

Nutrients of the day:
Wednesday
3 cups of Cafix
1 raw brownie
Eggplant Parmesan
32 oz water
½ almond crunch bar
Portobello mushrooms with Pesto – YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY
20 longans

Quote of the day:
"When life's problems seem overwhelming, look around and see what other people
are coping with. You may consider yourself fortunate." - Ann Landers

Waiting to play.

Watching and hoping the ball goes over the net.

Annette setting the ball. You go girl! Yes guys, she is available.

Go Pat go. It looks like there are only two people play and two fans watching. The fans are my parents. Don't the back of their heads look great?

Stretch Danny.

Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 21 & 22 Best Day Ever

Sunday we had our family picnic and tournament of our summer beach volleyball league. My team lost in the first rounds 3 games to 0. Our best two players were injured and we had to get a substitute. This is all part of the game but it was a great season and we had a lot of fun. My parents went to the picnic and enjoyed meeting all the players and the festivities. We spent most of the day outdoors so not much to report.

Obviously my teammate hit this ball out of bounds and we watched it fly while she mourned the loss.

Running inbound after a serve.

I noticed I have not been putting down all my drinks like water or cafix (coffee substitute). So I am going to work on this.

Sunday
Nutrients of the day:
16oz green smoothie
32 oz pear banana smoothie with olive oil and flax seeds
3 vegeburgers
Lots of tomato salad with olive oil and fresh basil
2 carob turtles
8 oz green smoothie
1/2 gal water

Tonight was my best day ever in volleyball! I was able to play the best ever physically. I was running under the ball and getting to the ball the way I have been wanting to for a long. I could say that my body kept up with my mind. Of course I would have liked to have breathed better but I am not complaining. This will come and I am sure of it. I worked so hard and so well that I had to change oxygen tanks at 8:15. That was a first! YAHOO, it was AWESOME! My team for the evening lost every game but we had great volleys, a lot of fun and a very good workout.

I came home and made eggplant parmesan. It will take 14 to 18 hours which means a few more hours in my case because I put the food on a silicone cookie sheet. This transfers the heat at a slower pace so I figure I can eat this when I get home from work tomorrow night. It is so weird to cook a meal for 20 hours.

Good news—Oprah had Dr. Oz on her show and they discussed a raw food diet today. Discovery Health Channel has a show with Dr. Oz called "Truth About Food" where he puts some people on the same diet as a gorilla to show how people can get healthy and lose weight. This also aired tonight and will be repeated many times.

Nutrients of the day:
3 cups of Cafix
1 raw brownie
32 oz mineral water
32oz green smoothie
2 bananas
Juice of one young coconut
3 pears
64 oz water

Quote of the day:
"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." - Hugh White

Celebrate life,
Alma

Day 20 Durian, longan, medjool and spanish limes

What language is the title written in? Read on my friends

It seems like I was in the kitchen all day long today. I started last night with the chocolate turtles. Today I started by making potato chips. Now mind you it is not just cutting the potatoes and putting them on the dehydrator. It is peeling them, slicing them, salting them on both sides and then placing them on the trays of the dehydrator. I also made some more sweet potatoes and then placed some Portobello mushrooms. I put some olive oil, fresh garlic and Himalayan salt.

My parents came over today because my dad was going to install a new dining room lamp. I took my mom on some errands and we went to a Lebanese store to buy a case of Medjool dates. Then we went to a Russian store for olive oil and then we went to an Asian market for durian, young Thai coconuts and longans. As we were on line to pay for the produce I was just amazes at what I was buying. These things were foreign to me in the past and I only saw these products when Antony Bourdain would travel to distant lands to try their foods on The Food Network. Mind you I would always venture to try new foods at produce markets and restaurants but now a days I am really exploring and experimenting more than before.

The durian was very good. it is very creamy yet cottony at the same time and sweet. It smells awful but it tastes very good. I would hate to be under a tree if one of these prehistoric looking fruits falls off a tree. It could scrape you up, cut you or knock you into tomorrow. The young coconuts are good as well. I am going to drink some of the coconut water tomorrow when I play volleyball. It is the best electrolyte food replacement on earth.



The longan fruit was something I found today. I asked a lady what it was and she could not tell me. The produce man handed one to me and it was soooooo sweet. I can only compare it to a fruit I have eaten from Puerto Rico called Spanish lime (quenepa). Believe me it does not resemble a lime at all and neither does a longan. It is thin skinned and has a big pit for the size of the fruit but it is the flesh that is between that is so good. It is soft, sweet and refreshing.

I also ate my first cooked meal in 3 weeks. I made a pasta primavera for my parents and I. I used organic whole-wheat pasta, organic snow peas, organic sugar snap peas, watercress, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, corn, onions and organic portobellos. I cooked the vegetables just lightly and they kept a lot of crunch. I also ate very little pasta. I did not enjoy the texture of it at all.

Nutrients of the day:
16 oz green drink with E3live,
1/2 cranberry almond bar
Mineral water
Whole-wheat pasta, organic snow peas, organic sugar snap peas, watercress, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, corn, onions and organic portobellos
1 durian pod
10 longans
1 raw crunch bar

Quote of the day:
""Everyone who got to where they are had to begin where they were." - Richard Paul Evans

Day 19 Portobellos, Potatoes & Turtles

My eye site still feels like it has improved but it is not 20/20. For sure my left eye is much better because I still feel like I can see better through it than my right one.

Yesterday I made vinegar and salt potato chips. I soaked potato slices in raw apple cider vinegar and sprinkled sea salt on both sides. I dehydrated them overnight for about 14 hours. They were awesome! I also dehydrated sweet potatoes just plain. They taste a little starchy. There is a recipe that has you put some almond butter on them with honey. I may try that next time.

Tonight I went to the co-op and bought 3 different kinds of sprouts, spinach and portobellos. I am going to cook/dehydrate the portobellos in the morning so I can have them for a late lunch or dinner. They are fantastic this way. I put a little olive oil, salt and fresh garlic. They come out juicy and delightful. YUM, I can almost taste them already.



I am also experimenting with carob turtles. I mixed carob, a little molasses, honey, a little vanilla extract and walnuts together. They take about 24 hours to dehydrate to complete. No need to tell you what my late night snack will be tomorrow night.


Nutrients of the day:
Fresh squeezed orange juice with E3Live
A big salad Dehydrated sweet potatoes
Dehydrated apples
Dehydrated Yukon gold potatoes
A raw brownie
2 coconut macaroons
2 coconut macaroons

Quote of the day:
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."- Helen Keller

Celebrate the weekend,
Alma

Day 18 Vision Restored???

This morning I thought that my vision was improved but I thought no, it must be me. You see I have been wearing glasses for distance for years. Then tonight driving to volleyball I felt that my vision was better and called my mom to tell her but she did not answer the phone. I wanted to share this story with her before I wrote it here publically but tonight I am watching TV without my glasses. I was reading during the commercials and then watching TV and my eyes did not even need time to adjust as they did a couple of weeks ago. If I read during commercials I HAD to use my glasses because it was difficult for my eyes to adjust. My left eye has always been the weakest and I swear that tonight I can see better through my left eye than my right. I feel like my vision is back to 20/20 on my left eye and off a little bit on my right. This is awesome folks and it seems unbelieveable to me because I have been on raw foods for less than 3 weeks. I am so grateful right now and I look forward to the possibilities.

Last night I dreamed that I was playing softball and in the outfield chasing a fly ball without oxygen. Now I know that I have trained my mind to get off this oxygen when I am dreaming of doing physical activity without it. YES!!!

Tonight was 3 hours (6 games) of outdoor volleyball. Tonight was our last night and Sunday are our playoffs and family picnic. It was 68 degrees out and I still sweated so much that it is unbelievable. My hair was drenched. I put on my jacket and came home to a hot bath. I had to get up now and write this blog because I am so physced about my vision.

Nutrients of the day:
Fresh squeezed orange juice with E3Live
A salad with tomato and cucumber at Panera’s
A few pieces of dehydrated sweet potato
A few pieces of dehydrated apples
2 bananas
½ cranberry almond crunch bar
2 coconut macaroons

Quote of the day:
"If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
John Wooden

Live life and smile,
Alma

Day 17 Green Wednesday

Last night I went through my cookbook and picked out recipes that I would like to make. I planned on going shopping this morning for all the produce and had planned out a route to get optimal gas mileage and time management. Upon arrising I did not feel so inspired. I soaked in the tub and read from another blog www.rawreform.blogspot.com. Angela Stokes is the author and I am enjoying it. I heard an interview of hers on www.rawveganradio.com and I wanted to learn more about her and her raw food journey. I also realized that I should finish much of the produce I already have at home before buying more and since my appetite has not been up to my norm I figured this was a good idea. It turned out to be a green Wednesday for me since I did not use my car. Yes we all must do what we can for the environment.

Since I decided to use the food I have in my house I made Alyssa’s dressing today. I doctored it up by adding garlic and I used macadamia nut oil instead of olive oil. I also doubled the recipe and I am glad I did because it came out really tasty. So you know that I had to have a salad. I marianted some vegetables in the dressing and then poured the excess onto the lettuce. I also made sweet potato and apple chips chips in the dehydrator. Apples are my favorite dehydrated fruit.

After 2.5 weeks of blogging I finally received a comment! I will answer it here in order to share with everyone.

Why is it better to drink mineral h20 with a higher pH level (ie) Pellegrino= 7.7 vs German 5.8 or 5.9?

One reason to drink a higher pH mineral water is because you want your blood to be alkaline instead of acid. There is much written on this but here is some information. Most degenerative diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease and other diseases such as allergy, kidney stones and gallstones have all been scientifically linked to mineral deficiencies. http://www.rahoorkhuit.net/health/alkaline_vs_acid/index.html

However there is some controversy about the health effects of mineral waters because there are no studies that prove or disprove this. Also the ability of the body to absorb minerals from water is not efficient however some is assimilated. More on this at http://www.mineralwaters.org/ under facts and fiction click on health.
Other mineral water information is available at
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/beverages/waters/index.asp, http://www.armchairfrance.com/waters.htm and http://www.aquamaestro.com

Is there a recommended threshold on the amount of mineral h20 you should drink/day?

I could not find a daily recommendation for mineral water. What I did find was recommendations for the minerals in the water but if our bodies do not absorb the minerals in water efficiently then the data is irrelavent.

Nutrients of the day:
Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with aloe vera and E3Live
A salad with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zuchinni and onion
1 slice of sweet potato pie
1 cup of banana-coconut ice cream

Quote of the day:
"This one step - choosing a goal and staying to it - changes everything." - Scott Reed

Live life,
Alma

Day 16 We remember...

I am watching Oprah and she dedicated the show to the children who lost their parents on 9/11 and on The Pentagon. It seems we continue to remember the towers falling because that is what our media has shown us over and over again. We should remember those in Washington DC because they went through the same devastation. This day makes me feel like this blog is irrelevant in the context of everything. The only thing that is keeping me typing is the hope that I can help or inspire at least one or two people to make better choices for their health.

Today I have not had much of an appetite at all. I went to work with a mango that I cut up, a green drink, mineral water, 3 bananas, 2 apples and a salad and I bought it all back home.

Nutrients of the day:
Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with aloe vera and E3Live
A classic café salad
1 big slice of sweet potato pie
1 raw crunch bar

Quote of the day:
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France

Live life and be grateful,
Alma

Day 15 and the celebration continues

Here is the best news you will hear in a while. I just found the best low calorie ice cream ever. Freeze a few bananas and then put them in a high-speed blender (vitamix preferred). Either way whip it up on high so a little air gets incorporated in it and let it get creamy. I swear it tastes just like ice cream. It has the same consistency as it and it was no fat and good for me. WOW!!! I wanted to make something with the fresh Thai coconut so I put that in the blender and added vanilla extract, a touch of cinnamon and some agave nectar. I had seen a similar recipe but I changed the ingredients to my liking. That recipe stated to pour this mixture over whole bananas. I had read the banana ice cream from Alyssa’s book so I decided I would pour the coconut mixture over the banana ice cream. Oh my God is this awesome. I look forward to shopping again this weekend because I am going to buy more coconuts and bananas. You have to try this ice cream substitute.

I am using Cafix as a coffee substitute and I am going to try the banana ice cream recipe with this Cafix to see if I can make coffee ice cream. So stay tuned for more details. I have also thought of macerating some berries and putting them on top of the ice cream. Oh man, I am really getting creative now. I am thinking of walnuts in some agave over the ice cream. I could be the only person on earth that could go on a raw food diet and gain weight if I keep this up. Time to change the subject!

Today I went into work and my desk looked like a produce market. My co-workers gave me lots of fruits for my birthday. I had two baskets full of stuff. One basket had mineral water, walnuts, granola, mango and a mango cutter. The other basket had apples, pears, and oranges. I got strawberries and a couple of lottery tickets too. I appreciate my co-workers making me feel special on my birthday. They have been there for me through the cancer and the fibrosis so it is great that they celebrate my life with me as well. Thank you Maryann, Kerrianne, Donna, Isabel and Pat.

I have so much to say today. Tonight we started the woman’s league volleyball and it was great to be able to be much more mobile than I was last may. I was able to run to the ball better and run to get under it. I did not get as winded as I normally would and now that I think of it, I did not have any coughing fits during play. YES!


Nutrients of the day:
Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with aloe vera and E3Live
1 quart of green juice (parsley, dandelion, kale, strawberries and lots of mango)
Dill and lemon hummus with multigrain crackers
3 bananas
1 big slice of sweet potato pie
1 pint of green juice
1 cup banana-coconut ice cream

Quote of the day:
"Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them, And they flew..." - Guillaume Apollinaire

Live life,
Alma

Day 14 a bright and sunny day

I slept in this morning and it felt good. I felt like I was still playing catch up with my rest because I woke up groggy again. I had my algae with cold herbal tea and some bee pollen. Then my mom and I made some fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. I added some aloe vera to it because this combination is supposed to be good for cleansing our lungs. I also took a vitamin B-12 in hopes that it would give me some energy. It seemed to work but let’s see how I feel tomorrow morning.
Off to Red Bank I went. I was going to try a raw foods restaurant and then I found out there was going to be a street fair. Well thank God for the street fair because the restaurant was closed and out of business. It was an organic vegetarian restaurant. I cannot believe there aren’t enough patrons to keep these restaurants open. There are only a few in New Jersey and yet so many in New York City. I guess I am going to have to dig deeper and try to find other restaurants.

It was a bright sunny day and the street fair was a lot of fun. There were hundreds of vendors and lots of goodies to be bought. The afternoon became partly cloudy and the clouds made an unusual pattern in the sky.

The corn chips did not work out. I tried the recipe in the oven on a silicone sheet. I am going to buy Teflon sheets and try it again with half the batch in the oven and half in my dehydrator. What a waste of Jersey corn at peak. Wow it was delicious. I am going to have to go out this week and find some more corn before the season is over. I have a food vacuum sealer and I want to freeze some so I can enjoy it during the winter.

Nutrients of the day:
Cold herbal tea with E3Live
Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with aloe
Portobello mushroom salad
Guacamole
Mineral Water
Herbal tea
Green juice - dandelion, kale, parsley, spring onion, strawberries and lots of mango
A banana
Some raw coconut

"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself" - Jim Rohn

Celebrate Life,
Alma

Day 13 - Orange Beets

Last night I went to bed late and woke up very early this morning. Upon awakening I felt lethargic so I went downstairs and had bee pollen and young Thai coconut water for breakfast. I felt better afterwards for a short while. I napped about an hour this afternoon but I have not been up to par today physically. I guess I exerted myself too much yesterday after Thursday’s volleyball games. No doubt I will sleep tonight.

Today I decided to make a sweet potato pie and I bet if I gave it to anyone to try they would not know the difference between the raw one and the cooked one. It is really good and the frosting is outstanding. I made the crust with almonds and figs and the frosting with almond butter, dates, orange juice and orange zest. The filling has sweet potato, cinnamon, vanilla extract and an apple.

I am also experimenting with corn chips. I took fresh corn off the husks, onions and carrots and blended them. I spread the mixture on a silicon sheet and put it in my oven at 105 degrees. When I tasted this mixture I realized that I could make a raw cold corn chowder and be very satisfied. The corn chips should take anywhere from 12 to 16 hours.

I also went shopping for produce today and bought a few different things like organic orange beets, organic cremini mushrooms. When I got home I made myself a plate of mushrooms, red peppers, snap peas, snow peas and a pear. Ahhhh, I love 3 day weekends.

Nutrients of the day:
E3live with coconut water
Bee pollen
A piece of bitter melon and lots of it’s seeds
Orange juice
A piece of sweet potato pie
A mini buffet of mushrooms, red peppers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, and a pear

Quote of the day:"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Day 12 Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Alma, happy birthday to me

Yesterday I realized that I did not plan or prepare this week’s meals as well as I did last week so I have been living on a lot of fruits and salads. This is not a bad thing but I like the concoctions I had the first week. I did buy organic sweet potatoes and I wanted to make sweet potato pie and chips. I needed to make something substantial for dinner because I was going to play volleyball. So I made a green drink and I put dandelion, kale, parsley, cilantro, plums, bananas and water in it. It tasted pretty good. The dandelion gave it a twang that tasted like lime in the drink. I took a quart in the car and drank about 2/3rds on the way to VB. I drank at least 50 oz of water during play and then finished the rest of the green drink when I was driving home. I read that it is best to eat good carbohydrates right after exercising because your body uses up the existing carbohydrates during the exercise and your body needs more carbs in order to renourish and heal your body.

Wow, did I need a good nights sleep last night. Another 6 games of volleyball in humid weather and I was just about ready to pass out before my shower. I was so tired I soaked in the tub for a while, head and all. I would love to say that I woke up chipper but I did not.

This morning I tried some young Thai coconut juice and after exerting all of my energy to get the juice out it, it seemed to give me the energy I needed to get on with this day. I drank about 6 ounces not mixed with anything and it tasted great. I remember drinking coconut juice right out of the coconut when I was in Puerto Rico when I was little. This did not taste the same to me but it was so long ago that maybe my taste has changed and not the coconuts. Did you know that coconuts have the most concentrated source of electrolytes than any other food source? Sports drinks should be made of this stuff instead of sugar. To get the benefits of consuming these young coconuts or more information please visit this link. http://youngcoconuts.com/benefits.html. They claim that it takes about 9 months for the coconut to product 1 liter of water. It is filtered to a purified and sterile state. It is also identical to human plasma and coconut IV’s have been used to save lives. I wonder if the Survivorman knows this?

Here is another tid bit I heard yesterday. If you have 6 teaspoons of sugar it lowers your immune system by 25% for 12 hours and if you have 25 teaspoons of sugar it will lower your immune system 95% for 12 hours. One can of coke contains nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar or the entire daily recommended amount of calories from sugar. http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0720-07.htm. Hmmm, who would have thought that?

Nutrients of the day:

E3live super blue green algae w/ green juice
Gerolsteiner mineral water
1 apple
1 banana
1 quart of green juice
1 mango


Today I decided to dehydrate some food just to give it a little different texture. By this I mean that I set my oven to 100 degrees and cooked vegetables for about 4.5 hours. The premise of raw foods is to keep all the enzymes in the foods. The process of cooking is like dehydration whereas most the foods enzymes leach out with the water. Food has to be heated/cooked/ dehydrated at 105 degrees or less in order to be considered raw. Some sources claim 118 degrees and some at 116 degrees. I cooked my foods at 100 degrees so there would be no question. I made Portobello mushrooms, Vidalia onions, carrots, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. I actually sliced the cherry tomatoes in half and added some Himalayan salt and cold pressed olive oil. It was all delicious. Tomorrow I hope to get to my food stores and stock up for next week. Perhaps on Sunday I will start the cooking for the week.

Nutrients of the day:E3live super blue green algae w/ green juice
3 ears of corn
1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Herbal tea

1 raw brownie
Portobello mushrooms, carrots, onions and zucchini
Young coconut water

Quote of the day:
"Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton

Live Life,
Alma

Day 10 – like minded people sprouting all over the place

Today I had a better appetite than I had the last three days. I did not cook anything special today but I did go to a raw food potluck dinner. The food was good and the people there were great. I felt at ease in all the conversations and I learned a lot. I found this on meetup.com. I typed in raw foods and my zip code and I found this group http://rawfood.meetup.com/186/?gj=sj6. I learned about a new health food store in Princeton called Whole Earth Center, Sunrider super food products and I learned some about white and red blood cells. It was fascinating and I look forward to going again. It was very interesting speaking with people of all ages and backgrounds there.

I also started some sprouts a few days ago. I have some alfalfa and mung bean sprouts growing in my kitchen. I am going to try some chick pea and lentil sprouts too. I will probably try reading up on sprouting via the web or by buying a few books. The Sproutman comes to mind. I heard him on http://www.rawveganradio.com/ a few months back.

Nutrients of the day:
E3live w/ fresh squeezed orange juice
3 bananas
Herbal tea
1 chewy almond crunch bar
A huge salad
A variety of foods at the pot luck – kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, mango-butternut squash soup, flax seed cracker, eggplant parmesean, chocolate covered raisin, a cinnamon nut roll, watermelon and who can remember what else.

Quote of the day
"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or lessthan faith in action." - Henry Chester

Live life,
Alma

Day 9 and still going

I got on the scale yesterday and I have lost 7 pounds in 7 days. I was delighted to see how much weight I lost. I knew it had to be a few pounds because my jeans felt loose on Saturday night. My parent’s came up for a visit and my mom and I spent the day shopping while my dad babysat for Luigi. J We went to Wegman's and purchased very good organic produce. The apples I bought were the best I have had in years and the Jersey corn was simply delicious. It was so sweet that I had 3 ears for dinner.



Today my dad had raw corn and 1/2 of a raw brownie while mom had some papaya banana pudding, chocolate cake and drank some algae. It could be contagious to hang out with me.

Today I did not have much of an appetite and I realized that after my fantastic lunch yesterday I only ate ½ a brownie.

Nutrients of the day:
E3live w/ watermelon juice
Wegman's mineral water
3 ears of corn
1 apple
Papaya banana pudding
1/2 raw brownie
Herbal tea
A lot of water

Today I made fresh squeezed orange juice. (Yummmm) My mom and I went shopping gain. We actually went for more apples and corn. Guess what I had for dinner tonight. You got it, corn again. Today I did not have much of an appetite either. I made 3 ears of corn for dinner and I could not finish the 2nd one. Weird…

Today dad had raw corn again and I turned my parents onto raw almond butter.

Nutrients of the day:
E3live w/ fresh squeezed orange juice
A lot of water
1 apple
A huge salad with Alissa’s dressing
Alissa’s chocolate cake
2 ear’s of corn

Quote of the day
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."- Tommy Lasorda
Live life,
Alma

Day 8 of 100% raw

Today I went to NYC so after my morning juice with E3Live. I packed some water, a couple of raw snack bars and an extra tank of oxygen and headed for the train. It is so exciting to see the NYC skyline. Anticipation builds as the train gets closer and closer. Susan was graciously waiting for me when I got into the city. A warmfelt hello and we were off to lunch. Susan mentioned http://www.candlecafe.com/ for lunch that sounded great because my research on where to eat near her home led me to the same restaurant. After chatting a few minutes I mentioned http://www.purefoodandwine.com/ better known to me as http://www.oneluckyduck.com/ a website that I order from frequently. Well we went to their take out store since the restaurant was closed and had a fabulous lunch. We shared a huge salad with daikon, jimaca, olives, tomato and macadamia nut cheese and the best guacamole wraps I have ever had. They made them like tacos and the flavors danced on my tongue. We also had green drinks that were yummy. We then went for a ride to upper manhattan stopped at The Cloisters and then went to visit another friend. You can check out her website at http://www.nikiberg.com/.

Today I found the Nutritional Facts/Benefits page for E3live and it is quite interesting. http://www.e3live.com/e3live_nutritional.htm. Himalayan salt is also another interesting product. It is the dried ancient primal ocean of over a million years ago. It has 84 nutritional elements that our body needs and has some stored energy that is released when water is added. http://www.profoundliving.org/Salt_/Himalayan_Salt/himalayan_salt.html


Nutrients of the day:
E3live w/ watermelon juice
San pellegrino mineral water
Salad with olives, daikon, jimica, macadamia nut cheese
Avacado wrap
Raw brownie
Herbal tea

Quote of the day:
"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed."
- Abraham Lincoln


Live Life,
Alma

A view of the Hudson River with New Jersey in the background.

Susan and I at The Cloisters.

Me in Niki's Garden.

End of day 6 into day 7 and in heaven

Hello everyone,
I just got back from an evening in Ocean Grove NJ where I met some friends and hung outside a coffee shop and listened to some live music. It was a great time. The weather was cool and the music was awesome. I took my camera and when I went to take my first picture the 'battery empty' sign showed up and I was unable to take any pictures. Guess what? Do to all the excitement I forgot to eat. Could you imagine that? During one of the breaks I went into the coffeehouse for a hot herbal tea but there was nothing in there for me to eat except brownies, cookies and other baked goods. I did have a Chewy Almond Crunch Bar but I did not dig into that until I got into the car. Then I only ate half. Now I am having another cup of tea. Tomorrow I am off to NYC to see a couple of friends. The weather is suppose to be about 78 degrees. So I look forward to walking around and visiting.

Today Luigi and I stayed in during the day and I cleaned why he followed me around and slept. You would think he would help me but no. Leave it to a prissy dog to be around the house all day and not do a darn thing to help me out. Ah well, I love him anyway.

Here he is in his beg position. You would think I never fed him!

I am learning a lot about mineral water. I bought a case of San Pellegrino because it was one I found a couple of weeks ago and I thought it would be better than regular water. When I looked it up it has a pH of 7.7 which sounds good but after finding the other German one's at 5.8 and 5.9 pH I would prefer those. Also San Pellegrino water is still when it comes out from the ground and is then charged with CO2 to give it fizz. From my readings adding CO2 is not favorable. I will finish the water and I will drink it in the future if that is my only choice but given my options I will go for Gerolsteiner and Apollinaris. I look forward to trying other mineral waters as well.

Nutrients of the day:

A green juice with E3Live

Alissa's papaya-banana pudding - gosh this stuff is good. I have some left for tomorrow.

2 Blonde Macaroons

1/2 Chewy Almond Crunch Bar

Mineral water - San Pelligrino

Strawberry banana smoothie

Here is my quote of the day:

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."- Winston Churchill

Live life,

Alma

Day 6 - Happy Labor Day Weekend

On Thursday night I slept like a rock. I fell asleep just before midnight and I woke up at 3AM only to find myself in the same exact position that I fell asleep in. I believe the only reason why I got up was because I drank about 1/2 gallon of water while playing volleyball. It was humid! I fell fast asleep again until my alarm went off. ERRR I need extra sleep on the nights that I play hard and the humidity is high.
Well the highlight of the day was that I went out for lunch with a few co-workers. My first time eating out as a raw foodist. I had taken the makings of a salad to work so I had my own salad dressing. The dressing, I might add, is from Alissa's book and it is DELICIOUS! So we went to Panera's where I got my usual Classic Cafe salad but I ordered it with no dressing and my side was an apple. OK so this was not organic but I stayed raw. I am trying my best to eat only organic foods but I have to make some compromises at times. Anyway, I am very proud of myself. Though I might add that I was tempted because a friend of mine wanted a baguette from Panera's and of course I had to carry it. It was hot and smelled so good but I was good. I was great. I must say that I had visions of making a huge cafe con leche and dunking the bread in it.

Another great thing that happened was that they let us out of work early. That is always appreciated especially just before a holiday. I got home and looked up the mineral content of the Apollinaris water I was drinking. It has a pH of 5.8. Then I looked at another mineral water that I purchased but have not tried yet named Gerolsteiner and it has a pH of 5.9 and about 1/3 the sodium than Apollinaris. You can find all the details of these and other fine waters at http://www.aquamaestro.com/. It is best to drink water at a pH of 7 or above.

Nutrients of the day:

A green juice with E3Live

Alissa’s Chocolate cake

Watermelon

1/2 carob-quinoa rawma bar http://www.gopalshealthfoods.com/

Alissa's papaya-banana pudding

2 -Salads

Apple

2 Blonde Macaroons and

1 Chewy Almond Crunch Bar from http://oneluckyduck.com/

1/2 bitter melon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon

Bitter melons look a little prehistoric but they actually are quite good. If you are used to greens they do not taste so bitter but beware if you do not eat a lot of greens. I am giggling right now at the faces that people make. The seeds of this fruit are quite tasty and very crunchy. I actually enjoy them more than the fruit itself.

Live Life,

Alma