tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50286803615270842382011-06-07T23:23:39.812-07:00Raw Food Change is a frequently-updated journal of the Simonis family's ongoing adventure with raw food since October 2008. Our goals are to move towards perfect health, increase our energy and vitality, and to have fun! Our blog includes recipes, advice, and related topics. Enjoy!Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.comBlogger2412547.758786-122.102053tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-33348819696348279132009-02-10T13:28:00.000-08:002009-02-11T14:58:12.963-08:002009-02-11T14:58:12.963-08:00

We had a neighborhood party here at our house on Sunday. I made the drinks and everyone who came - about 45 people brought something to eat. Well, when we were all done and everyone had left, we had a table food of leftovers! Mostly cookies and chocolates. So keeping this in mind, here starts the food that I am eating this week.Monday February 9.Tea with milk when I woke up. Nino brought this for

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-i-am-eating-this-week-february-9.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-84590729471770771762008-12-16T09:54:00.000-08:002008-12-16T10:05:51.781-08:002008-12-16T10:05:51.781-08:00

In the last month or so, I have been eating about 50% raw and 50% cooked vegetarian food. My waist has stayed the same, which is good. It will have stops and starts on the way to smaller numbers. I am grateful that the number is not getting bigger. So I am still at 40 inches around my waist.In the last month I have read a lot about permaculture, and am really looking forward to putting it all

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/cecilias-progress-report-december-16.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-81821272886026164942008-12-09T03:19:00.000-08:002008-12-09T03:40:34.398-08:002008-12-09T03:40:34.398-08:00

I've been continuing raw food since my last November 27 update, with an interruption last weekend when I visited a Japanese family and got to go to a Japanese elementary school (小学校) for a day. It was an overnight stay, so I had dinner and breakfast with the family. Dinner was a small salad, sashimi (raw fish, which tastes wonderful), cooked eggplant, beef, rice, and a few other Japanese-style

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/latest-from-jp-dec-9.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-61011795116577251332008-12-05T15:33:00.000-08:002008-12-05T16:48:21.870-08:002008-12-05T16:48:21.870-08:00

One thing lead to another - first we wanted to eat healthier, then we decided to grow our own food, and John-Paul discovered permaculture. So we embraced that because it just makes so much sense.It was developed by Bill Mollison from Tasmania, Australia in the 1970's. He was awarded a Nobel prize for his work.The idea that we have is that we start on a small scale here at home, and build it up

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/permaculture-self-sustaining-gardening.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-42938349840800723722008-11-27T16:37:00.000-08:002008-11-27T16:56:14.608-08:002008-11-27T16:56:14.608-08:00

There isn't a lot of information about how much people spend on raw food, and thus I hope you find my own spending benchmark useful. If you would like to share your own spending habits, or have any suggestions about how to spend food money wisely, please feel free to write us a comment.Total Food Expenses: ~$270Breakdown:$140 - Costco Supplies (about 70% of these have been used). This includes

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-raw-food-spending-for-jp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-17020824594334995812008-11-27T14:53:00.000-08:002008-12-05T16:48:48.010-08:002008-12-05T16:48:48.010-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that I had planted a small new garden on my balcony. I uploaded my first photographs of the patio garden to picasaweb, picasaweb.google.com/jp.simonis/FukuokaPatioGarden.And as an unexpected update, the clouds here in Fukuoka are grumbling and rumbling very loudly, and a recent flash of lightning switched off the internet . . . and that just came back 10 seconds ago.In

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/balcony-garden-photos.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-90381120956685596362008-11-27T04:17:00.000-08:002008-11-27T05:10:19.806-08:002008-11-27T05:10:19.806-08:00

In this issue, we have a failed homemade soy milk attempt, a new garden, some new information and ideas, and some interesting bodily sensations.SoymilkWell, I had some soy beans lying around that I had bought weeks before, and I tried to make some soy milk per this recipe on youtube. Tried. I soaked some huge soy beans overnight, then tossed them in the blender with some water and put them into a

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/latest-from-jp-nov-27.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-60434010937934167752008-11-22T10:41:00.000-08:002008-11-26T01:44:37.983-08:002008-11-26T01:44:37.983-08:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am not big on weighing myself. But I measure my waist. I started watching what I eat a few months ago by cutting out white things - sugar, white flour, etc. When I started this my waist was 44 inches. After 5 months of just being careful, by waist went down to 43 inches. Since the beginning of November, I have been eating eating raw food for 2 meals per day

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/ceciias-progress-report-nov-22-08.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-58772470849497518542008-11-22T03:23:00.000-08:002008-12-05T16:48:51.260-08:002008-12-05T16:48:51.260-08:00

Because I am eating so many plants, I naturally became curious about gardening. It makes sense to me that a garden would decrease the amount of money I have to spend in order to eat by half or so, if not more. Since the two main necessities are food and shelter, an edible garden would take off much of the financial burden of living.My mom recommended that I read All New Square Foot Gardening by

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/sustainable-gardening-and-permaculture.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-54250737587672378152008-11-19T04:21:00.000-08:002008-11-19T04:34:08.519-08:002008-11-19T04:34:08.519-08:00

Positive points in my State of Body (how my body feels as far as energy, etc):One or two soft bowel movements per day. No constipation.More energy when going to school by bike. I don't have to worry about tiring out during the 20 minute bike ride, and when I arrive at class I can run up the stairs with no problem. This is in contrast with the beginning of the year, when I couldn't run up the

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/state-of-body-update-nov19.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-28408090956925583262008-11-19T03:17:00.000-08:002008-11-19T04:21:15.387-08:002008-11-19T04:21:15.387-08:00

I think that now is a good time to give an update about how I feel after eating 90% raw food for a few weeks.Today I went to Jusco, a supermarket/department store, to replenish my stock of leafy greens for salads. This is the first time I have been to Jusco in about three weeks. The previous time I bought rice, tofu, bread, orange juice, milk, lettuce, kiwi, and persimmons, and the price tag was

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/state-of-mind-update-nov19.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-77021170673324835802008-11-18T05:40:00.000-08:002008-11-22T07:04:15.905-08:002008-11-22T07:04:15.905-08:00

Well, I'm no authority on salads, but I notice that there is very little information on the basics of how to make a raw salad. Here are all the ideas I have acquired after trying a few types of salads.I make my salads in a very big bowl. My general approach is to cut everything up and toss it in, then when all the ingredients are there I mix it together with a spoon and eat it straight out of the

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/fundamentals-of-salad-making.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-85675903111455792862008-11-18T04:40:00.000-08:002008-11-18T20:21:02.570-08:002008-11-18T20:21:02.570-08:00

How to shop is a topic that I haven't seen covered very much, so I thought I'd share how I shop for food. I live in Fukuoka, Japan, so my experience is slightly different than in America, but most of the general ideas should be the same.It took me at least a few weeks to get used to buying the right amount of food, and to find the foods I need and like. Sometimes my food would go bad, and other

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/jp-how-i-shop-for-raw-food.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-19298704020748577432008-11-15T08:43:00.000-08:002008-11-22T14:37:04.739-08:002008-11-22T14:37:04.739-08:00

It has been a week that I have focused on eating more responsibly and eating more raw food. I am amazed at how well I feel and how easy this is.Of course my goal isn't to go totally raw immediately, so if I want something that I like I eat it. But I have been eating totally vegetarian for the most part and am comfortable with it. It is really easy not to make meat.A few days ago I made salmon,

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com1http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/progress-report-for-cecilia.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-72081144571471842522008-11-15T08:41:00.000-08:002008-11-18T20:19:33.784-08:002008-11-18T20:19:33.784-08:00

[The following is an excerpt from an email JP sent to Cecilia.]The words in italics are things that I improvised on. I added it to a salad which already had oil, vinegar, salt, pepper. We also invented peanut butter balls and jelly last night.Ginger Fruit Salsa You can use any fruit or a combo of fruits in this spicy yet refreshing salsa. Try peaches, plums, pears, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, and

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/ginger-fruit-salsa-by-john-paul-simonis.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-52221063196547064792008-11-15T08:39:00.001-08:002008-11-18T20:20:10.743-08:002008-11-18T20:20:10.743-08:00

Combine oats with any nut butter until you they form balls and stick together. Not too much nut butter. The balls should be small-ish.Put some jam, honey, and a tiny bit of cinnamon on a small plate to make a dip.Dip the nut balls into the dip. Tastes like peanut butter and jelly.

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/peanut-butter-balls-and-jelly-by-john.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-32329914262648834912008-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:002008-11-16T00:54:45.918-08:002008-11-16T00:54:45.918-08:00

A few days ago I looked on YouTube how to make almond milk. It is easy! Just take1 cup of whole raw almonds2-3 cups waterPut it in your blender. I still used the old blender - see the introduction for that story - and by hook and by crook, most of it blended up. There were still definite small almond pieces in there.For the same reason that I didn't keep the juicer - see the same story - I

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/almond-milk.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-77354160454012205402008-11-14T15:10:00.001-08:002009-02-10T17:18:16.117-08:002009-02-10T17:18:16.117-08:00

I went to a local health food store, PCC, for most of the ingredients.Of course I didn't have a recipe, but know what I like, and bought all of that. Here is what I came home with. I bought about 1/2 to 2 cups of each of these things:Sunflower seedspoppy seedspumpkin seedssesame seeds andraisinsI wanted to buy hazelnuts and dates, but they were frightfully expensive, so I skipped those. I also

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/muesli-recipe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-40506671936792546042008-11-14T15:04:00.000-08:002008-11-14T16:34:22.217-08:002008-11-14T16:34:22.217-08:00

2 apples, cored2 big handfuls of spinach1/2 cup of chopped parsley1 celery stick, chopped1 thumbnail length of ginger root, peeled1 lemon - juice only (use peel slice for zest)1 medium cucumberPlace ingredients in a blender, add 4 oz. spring water or a handful of ice cubes, then puree quickly for one minute. Makes two glasses of Dr. Oz’s green drink.The green drink has a strong taste and if you

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/dr-oz-green-drink.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-41194675409413516712008-11-14T00:24:00.000-08:002008-11-16T00:55:17.229-08:002008-11-16T00:55:17.229-08:00

I had a somewhat abnormal diet today which gave me some idea of the changes that are taking place.I had fruit smoothie for breakfast as always. I took soy milk, rusks (made with flour), chocolate, kiwi, tomatoes, a salad, and some persimmons to class. I ate about 6 rusks with soy milk, and two squares of chocolate. After class (2:30pm-ish), I noticed that I felt unusually burdened by my body/

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/changing-body-internals-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-53615191837198862172008-11-11T04:11:00.000-08:002008-11-11T05:32:14.427-08:002008-11-11T05:32:14.427-08:00

I'd like to share how my raw food eating habits have developed, and how I have moved toward eating mostly raw at this point in time.I came to Japan on September 25 with the intention of going all raw right away, but I soon changed my mind. My Japanese tutor bought me a bento box with chicken, then I was invited to Hiroki's birthday party where we pigged out on various Japanese appetizers like

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/current-raw-food-habits-from-jp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-11529968106265773142008-11-10T17:01:00.000-08:002008-11-19T17:56:31.512-08:002008-11-19T17:56:31.512-08:00

Let's start with a positive statement which sums up my ideas about making choices in the face of dogmatism, or "Absolute Statements": You know what is right for you. You can do what is right for you.I've had to deal with a lot of dogmatism, from many sources. Religious, medical, dietary, financial, etc. As soon as you run across passionate arguments coupled with vague sources, coupled together

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/avoiding-dogmatism-of-any-sort.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-10871550805074979202008-11-08T14:39:00.000-08:002008-11-16T00:55:38.355-08:002008-11-16T00:55:38.355-08:00

My son, John-Paul, started this adventure, and invited my husband and I to take part. I have to tell you, I lucked out with this boy! I always say that he is an angel masquerading as a boy. He is now 20 and has not ever needed a time out! I am truly blessed to have him in my life. Enough bragging for now.Since I am overweight, am way past 50 and conscious that my choices in the past have not been

Ceciliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008740435622345361noreply@blogger.com1http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/introduction-from-cecilia.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028680361527084238.post-52864065387875386182008-11-08T04:42:00.000-08:002008-11-16T00:55:49.225-08:002008-11-16T00:55:49.225-08:00

I discovered the concept of raw food on September 14 of this year after stumbling across a book on scribd.com which had a brief blurb on raw foods, along with a few recipes. This prompted a search for ebooks which brought up the Raw Food Bible by Craig Sommers. The health benefits, particularly the drastic detoxification followed by heightened clarity of mind and energy, were very appealing to me

John-Paulnoreply@blogger.com0http://rawfoodchange.blogspot.com/2008/11/introduction-from-jp.html