The day started off with an impromptu decision to tag along with Darren and Joe to Joe’s hockey game in Rockville. I had planned to get up and meet my mom to take Flo and Zofia to church. But, surprisingly, I was up and ready earlier than expected, so the option to join Darren and Joe presented itself. Flo decided to stay home and accompany Grandma to church, so I figured a day out with just two kids would be a change of pace.

Though I was up earlier, it still left little time for pondering food prep for a day away. So, I fed Joe a bowl of leftover oatmeal and raw fudgsicle I made yesterday that he instead he must try… nice combo for breakfast. I then quickly blended up a green smoothie of spinach, apple, lemon, a few chunks of frozen banana and a hunk of raw ginger. I shoved it, along with a couple apples and water, in the cooler, and out the door we went!

We arrived at the rink early, and since I had a little time to spare, Zofia and I headed over to My Organic Market to grab a few snacks for the day while Darren got Joe suited up for his game. I went into MOM’s with the intention of just getting a few pieces of fruit and maybe some celery or box of greens. I emerged over a hundred dollars later with a bag full of raw goodies, including sprouted cashews, Turkish figs, raw chocolate truffles, kale chips, raw crackers, some lovely herbal teas, raw sauerkraut, raw salsa, Asian pears… oh, and some celery. We justify these occasional indulgences by the fact that at least we don’t have any other real expensive vices. Ha!

I headed back to the rink just in time to see the first, and second period of Joe’s game. The score was 10 to 0 by the second period, so apparently, that’s called a “shut out” and the game commenced after only a half an hour. Graciously, the losing team extended Joe’s team an invitation to stay and practice for a little longer, since they were all suited up and eager to play, anyway.

After Joe’s hockey victory, we headed over to Best Buy to browse around and add things to our wish list. Zofia slept in her stroller and Joe watched a cartoon on a big screen TV, so Darren and I just stood around talking, looking at various gadgets. We want a new digital camcorder, and we “need” a new computer, but rather than the general “buy now, pay later” mentality of this pre-holiday season, we’re opting to buy and pay at the same time… later. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the peaceful interlude and got some ideas to add to our list.

We then headed home, stopping in Frederick at the Common Market for a potty break. We picked up a small box of spring mix and an avocado, to which we added some of the raw salsa I got from MOM’s earlier. That, along with a shared bottle of kombucha, was dinner. Considering our earlier indulgence in sprouted nuts, imported fruit, and raw chocolate, this light fare was welcomed.

Upon arriving home, I promptly donned my reflective strip, and headed out for a walk with the dog for about 45 minutes. The weather was gorgeous today, and despite being just a tad chilly, my jaunt was a meditative interval and a nice way to wind down the day. Well, until I got back and had to face the day’s worth of neglected housework needing attention before I could go to bed… but, hey, only 1:30am, it’s all done!

I’m keeping it real today. The lyrics from the song “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter are playing in my head. Aside from a couple half hour reprieves on the treadmill and walking the dog, I spent most of the day in the kitchen, preparing food, or cleaning up the aftermath. Just when one meal was done, someone else was hungry. In the early afternoon, Darren got home from his weekly jaunt to DC for work, and I started making rice for this afternoon’s stir-fry for my in-laws and the kids. I suddenly just felt creatively drained and overwhelmed. I then almost unconsciously start nibbling on stuff over the next couple hours while preparing dinner… a bunch of frozen bananas, five or six dates with hemp seed and cocoa powder, handfuls of raisins and sprouted pumpkin seeds, a handful of goji berries, a cup of tea with hemp milk, an apple, and some raw chocolate smoothie I was making for Darren and his parents. All in all, these items don’t sound like a terrible junk-food binge, but it felt bad. I felt detached and unconscious, and that hasn’t happened to me more than a few times in the past five years.

Thus, I found myself, in the late afternoon, having to take a step back and assess the day’s dietary damage without beating myself up, but rather looking at it as an opportunity to examine why I responded that way. What was it I was responding to? My old self would have slipped into negativity, chastising myself for losing control and feeling weak or diminished in some way. My now self feels the physical impact of too many “sweets” and laments the setback. But, by tonight, after a few hours away from the kitchen, I feel resolute in my ability to go on tomorrow as usual, making sound and conscious food decisions for myself. In fact, I won’t even weigh myself tomorrow, because I know I won’t like the number. My old self could not resist measuring her self-worth by the number on the scale, especially after an episode of over indulgence. My now self says the number on the scale is a good indicator of long-term progress, but not an immediate measurement of success.

Still, today brings up all sorts of old addictive feelings and almost post-traumatic flashbacks of long periods of time spent not liking myself as a result of my relationship with food. Having covered the spectrum of disordered eating behavior, I pride myself on the recent years spent in the middle of that spectrum, practicing balance and moderation. It’s a good place to live; a platform for true growth and the experience of one’s authentic nature without the clutter of self-abuse. It’s where I want to stay, and even the occasional emergence of old thought patterns or compulsive behavior won’t take me back there.

So, rather than foster optimism from repentant promises to myself to go on a diet tomorrow, or start doing something differently, I draw inspiration from the awareness I’ve gained in recent years, and the certainty that I can accomplish anything I truly aspire to, as long as I just don’t get in my own way! Today my unconscious self was telling me something, so I will reflect on that, rather than the behavior it manifested, and see where that leads me.

Off to bed…

I’ve lost count of which day we’re on, but counting back from Nov 18, which is the end of the challenge, that would make today day 87… I think. Anyway, the raw food adventure continues.

This past weekend, Joe had an early morning hockey game in Reston, Virginia, so we stayed overnight down there as a little weekend getaway. Of course, I took the opportunity to visit a few Whole Foods Market stores in the vicinity during our travels. This pretty much blew the budget for the weekend, but it was fun!

Since we were going to be down there, anyway, we decided to check out a local raw foods MeetUp group that was having their potluck on Sunday after Joe’s game. We’ve wanted to go to several of their events, but scheduling and babysitting are always factors, and we’ve never worked it out. So, I made a batch of my pumpkin seed cheese to bring along. It was really nice meeting everyone and there were even some kids there, so Flo and Joe enjoyed themselves, too. After the potluck, they had a panel discussion, led by several long-term raw foodies. It was interesting hearing their experiences, as well as, just talking to other group members. I hope we can make an occasional event down there.

In the past couple weeks, I decided to start a raw food MeetUp group out our way, in hopes of just getting together once and awhile with others in our area who enjoy preparing… and eating… raw food. I don’t expect the turnout to be high initially, but it’s more of a fun thing for me. Attending the potluck in Virginia this weekend gave me some good ideas for meetings, and I got some tips on attracting new members. So, I’m curious to see how it goes.

We made our first batch of kombucha in the past ten days or so. We just bottled it tonight, and have to wait another five or six days before it’s done. Assuming all goes well, it’s definitely much more affordable than buying the individual bottles for almost $4 each!

Darren is doing well. He has kind of hit a plateau with his weight loss, and wants to start some sort of regular exercise routine, but hasn’t really been able to prioritize that yet, with work and helping tote the kids around to activities. I have a hard time getting my 30 minutes of walking in everyday, so I certainly know the challenges of adding just one more thing to the to-do list.

As the winter weather approaches, it’s natural to crave warmth, and Darren has mentioned craving warm foods, especially soups. So, we’re going to work on finding a few more recipes that we can “warm” up in the VitaMix or the dehydrator. We’ve also been indulging in some nice organic herbal teas, which is pleasant on a cold day. I haven’t made a conscious decision to give up my daily scoop of organic decaf instant coffee, but I find that more often than not, the day goes by, and I haven’t really wanted it. I have lots of other things that I enjoy.

My favorite dessert of the week has been something really simple. I mix a little bowl of hemp seeds, vanilla powder and a pinch of Himalayan salt and chop a banana and mix it up with the hemp seeds. Sometimes I will add a little cacao powder to the mix, for that chocolate banana combo. And, occasionally I will chop up a date to add to it, or just dip a date in the hemp seeds. Yum.

We also ordered a fancy juicer (Green Star Elite), which should be here this week with our order of goodies from NaturalZing. We’ve managed to rally together a small wholesale buying club to place fairly regular orders. I have a long wish list I’m working my way down. Flo’s favorite is a raw chocolate bar she calls the raw KitKat, and I have numerous things coming like raw cacao powder, Ulimana raw chocolate truffles, coconut butter, hemp seed, kelp noodles, vanilla powder and Himalayan pink crystal salt. Fun stuff!

Flo appears to have come down with the flu today, so I’m hoping it’s short-lived and she’s feeling better tomorrow. It’s hard seeing your kids not feeling well. And, I’m hoping it doesn’t make the rounds this week, because my in-laws are coming to visit at the end of the week for five or six days, and it would stink if we were all sick! So, I’m off to get an adequate amount of rest to help ward off the germies!

It’s astonishing to me how quickly time can go by, and how something as simple as sitting down at the computer to write a few paragraphs can become a real challenge. This past week was really busy, and I’m happy to see there’s finally nothing on the calendar for tomorrow! Well, for me, anyway. Darren is taking Joe to the Verizon Center in DC tomorrow night to compete in a hockey shoot out during the intermission of an NHL game. So, it’s a pretty exciting day for Joe. But, aside from yoga in the evening, which is optional, I don’t have anything on my calendar. Big sigh...

This morning, I took Joe to the allergist again. He had a bunch of allergy testing a few months ago, which revealed additional allergies to soy and wheat, in addition to dairy, tree nuts and legumes. We’ve eliminated soy and wheat from his diet for the past few months, but have been wondering how vigilant we should be with allergens that don’t cause acute symptoms. When Joe had his test for Celiac disease, we fed him a lot of wheat for the couple days prior to the test, and he had an obvious gastro intestinal reaction. So, that seems reason enough to not feed him wheat. However, after a long discussion with the allergist today, about the goals of managing allergies, I think it’s probably in Joe’s best interest to not completely eliminate foods that he can moderately tolerate, as there is some evidence to suggest that complete abstinence from these foods can actually increase sensitivity in the long-run. That’s not to say that these foods should be staples in his diet.

Nonetheless, I think we’ll just take a step back, keep his diet wheat-free, and maybe include occasional whole food soy items, like edamame and tofu. And, we’ll forego any further testing for now, because getting positive test for things that he’s already eating without apparent reactions is just likely to limit his diet even further without real long-term benefits. We’ll do some of our own food trials here and there with elimination and reintroduction, but only with the foods to which he’s never had a severe reaction. It’s fairly apparent that his allergies to nuts and legumes are going to be lifelong. I find the whole subject of immunology and allergies to be fascinating. I still feel that boosting the immune system with a healthy lifestyle (good nutrition, exercise, sunlight, good relationships, sleep, etc) is the best approach to having the best quality of life while still living with some allergies. So, that’s where we are with things for now… it’s a continually revisited topic.

Anyway, the 100 day raw food challenge is progressing smoothly. We go through a few days every now and then where we get a little bored with the routine of smoothies and salads, but usually, out of that boredom comes some new tasty dish. Last week I sprouted quinoa, and found that I actually like it better than cooked quinoa. It has sort of a nutty taste, and makes an excellent addition to salads, parfaits, or just plain with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper. I even got the kids to eat it by mixing it with diced apples, a little agave, cinnamon, vanilla and hempseeds.

Today, I had a little more time at home, and was able to make raw hummus from the Raw Food Revolution Diet cookbook by Cherie Soria. She was at Vegetarian Summerfest this past summer, and I picked up her book there. A lot of the raw hummus recipes don’t use chickpeas at all, but this one uses sprouted chickpeas and zucchini. I sprouted some chickpeas a couple days ago. It was pretty easy. But, they have strong flavor, so they’re more of an accent to a dish, then the dish itself. But, the hummus turned out super yummy. We ate it on whatever chunks of veggies we had available, and put some on our salad for dinner, too.

I also got the idea for raw caramel apples, too, from Annmarie and Kevin on the Renegade Health Show (YouTube). I tweaked their recipe a bit, as they used almond milk. I just used hempseeds and a little water, room temperature dates, a tablespoon of coconut butter, a teaspoon of vanilla powder and a pinch of salt. I blended that all up and it came out like a creamy caramel. I just stuck chopsticks in the ends of a few apples, rolled them in the “caramel” and refrigerated them for an hour or so. I was quite happy with the results. It’s not the stick-your-jaw-together sticky caramel, but the consistency was really nice, and the taste was very much like caramel.

Then, this evening, I decided to start a batch of the raw onion bread from Matt Amsden’s RAWvolution cookbook. Several people have mentioned it to me recently, so I decided to give it a go, since I have a surplus of onions. However, it calls for sunflower seeds, and I wanted Joe to be able to eat it (he’s allergic), so I substituted half pumpkin and half hempseeds, and I used sea salt instead of the nama shoyu (raw soy sauce), so we’ll see how it turns out. It has to dehydrated until tomorrow night, then be flipped over and continue until the next morning. So, if all goes well, it will be ready by Friday.

Then, to round out the day, I made use of some of the eleven packages of sprouted corn tortillas I got this month through our food co-op to make dinner for the kids. I used some leftover black beans, and just spread it on the tortilla. I sprinkled on some raw “parmesan” cheese stuff I made from pumpkin and hempseeds, nutritional yeast, a little salt, and spices. To my delight, they actually ate quite a bit, and there were no looks of disgust or rolling of the eyes. They even ate some salad. Yeah!

So, it was a productive and fairly relaxing day, aside from a couple interludes of squabbling siblings and an energetic toddler. My mom stopped by in the afternoon and sat with the kids for an hour, while Darren and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Well, Darren rode his bike alongside me while I walk with the dog, but we both got some exercise, fresh air, and time to talk. That’s always nice. Now, I’m hoping Zofia cooperates and falls asleep soon, so I can rest up for another day of fun and excitement with my Petite Trio!

Joe woke me up early this morning because he was “starvin'.” I lovingly dragged myself out of bed and got him a bowl of quinoa with hemp milk, apples and a little agave… that seemed to appease his six year old appetite for the time being. And, knowing I wasn’t going to have any success trying to get any more sleep, and since Zofia was still sleeping, I decided to head to the basement to walk on the treadmill and watch the backlog of Oprah’s on my DVR. Things were going well… not even 9am yet, and I could check exercise off my to-do list for the day!

I then proceeded back upstairs to make my morning green smoothie. But, I guess it was lack of sleep that prompted me to not make the connection between the spicy taste of mustard greens and their lack of compatibility with a fruity green smoothie. So, I promptly stuffed the Vitamix with a full bunch of mustard greens and two apples. This combo always works well with dandelion greens, so for some reason, I just wasn’t thinking about mustard being so spicy! Well, needless to say, the first gulp was quite a surprise. Being the committed green smoothie drinker that I am, I forced myself to take a few more sips, but ultimately had to surrender to the fact that there was nothing I could add to this existing combo to make it more palatable. So, I chopped up a couple apples and sprinkled them with cinnamon, grabbed a container of kale chips, and got started on the mound of laundry awaiting me.

The rest of the day progress uneventfully. I found myself really bloated again, though. This has been a chronic symptom for quite awhile, to which I cannot really pinpoint a connection between any particular foods. I think my biggest hindrance to feeling really great these days is stress and lack of sleep. I’m not complaining. I know a lot of people have a lot more to deal with than I do. But, just the daily challenges of parenting, homeschooling and housework, leave little time for anything else, so managing stress is a big factor in feeling my best. It will always be something to work on.

On that note, I wanted to go to yoga tonight at 6pm. But, I knew I had to be done eating a few hours prior, or the bloating factor would make the class rather uncomfortable. So, around 2pm, I dug through the fridge to see what I could use to make a meal. I used the last of my butternut squash to make a soup and I had plans to make a nice salad, to go along with it. But, I was so tired, I didn’t feel like chopping stuff up, or chewing, for that matter, so I shoved the lettuce I had put in the bowl for the salad into the VitaMix, added and apple, a frozen banana and a few leftover frozen raspberries and called it a day.

I did make it to the yoga class in the evening. Flo came along with me while my mom watched Zofia and Darren and Joe were at hockey. It was a relaxing hour, and I came very close to falling asleep during the relaxation part of the class at the end. I think they should have a nap class for tired moms. Bring your yoga mat, light the candles, listen to soft music and sleep for an hour!

Tonight my body demands I go lay down, and I’m going to heed its insistent nudges and join Zofia, who is strewn out across my bed. Darren apparently fell asleep reading to Joe. I could go wake him up and tell him to come to bed, but I think I’ll let him have the possibility of a good night’s sleep without being kicked by a toddler. He got up at 3:30am today to go to DC, so I’m sure he feels equally exhausted as I do. At least if one of us is well-rested tomorrow, the day will likely go much better.

The past few days have been busy with a houseguest, homeschooling activities and just the general upkeep and maintenance of a home and family. I seriously feel like I just run out of time at the end of every day. Projects I intend to get to the next day, keep getting put off. This is leaving me somewhat distrustful of the fact that I will ever have enough time to feel I’ve had a fully productive day, and cognizant of the fact that I may have to make peace with this feeling and best utilize and appreciate the time I do have, rather than lamenting that which I don’t! Ya… easier said than done.

Today I finally had a day with not much on the schedule. This afternoon, I had to go into the grocery store to pick up a few things for the kids, so I ran down while Zofia was napping and Darren was working. It was good timing for napping, but not for shopping, because I went when I was really hungry. I got the few things I needed, then grabbed a couple bags of organic green and red grapes, thinking it’s the end of the season, and I’d splurge, since they looked really good. Grapes are like nature’s candy… love ‘em! But, when I eat too many at once, I find they give me the same feeling as if I’d eaten something really sugary. And, while I ran the rest of my errands, I munched on a few too many grapes, then arrived home feeling like I was on a bloated sugar high. Oh well, live and learn.

This past weekend, I decided to start a local raw foods potluck group through MeetUp.com. Two months into our raw food challenge, I’m feeling the need to commune with others and hear about some other people’s experiences. So, our first potluck will be on November 7, just a week or so before the completion of our 100 day challenge. But, I’m feeling good and having fun with this, so I won’t be changing much on day 101. I like eating this way, but if I ever crave (in a healthy, intuitive, not stressed out kind of way) something, I’ll eat it. I foresee maybe including some cooked veggies, beans and stuff like quinoa or rice in my diet over the winter, just to facilitate a few family meals that don’t involve dishes, but we’ll see.

I like the challenge of seeing what I can create with whole raw foods. So far, I do not feel deprived or like anything is missing at all. We’ve made cookies, chips, ice cream, chocolate, puddings, soups, dips, pâtés , noodles, salads, smoothies and more. Some days, it is easy to get in kind of a food rut, gravitating towards just smoothies and salads, but I don’t think being in a rut is inherent to the raw food diet, but just simply a byproduct of a busy life and fatigue. Regardless, I’ll continue to challenge myself to find balance, create tasty, nourishing foods for myself and my family, and be open to change, as it is inevitable.

Pardon the extremely long blog entry. I have just written a sentence or two in my word processing program every day for the past couple weeks, hoping to have time to string them together into a paragraph or two worthy of posting. It’s evident that won’t happen, so this is the awkward compilation of our continued RawFu adventure. It’s going fairly well. The challenges I occasionally have are not so much related to being on a raw food diet, but more just trying to accommodate everyone’s food needs within the confines of our schedule and my energy level. Some days I get a creative whim and come up with some really yummy stuff. Most days, Darren and I eat green smoothies, chia seed “pudding” parfaits, salads, fruit and chopped veggies. The kids eat a lot more salad now, and sample many of our raw creations, too. I supplement them with stir-fries, beans and rice, and gluten-free spaghetti with veggies, gluten-free oatmeal, buckwheaties with hemp milk, and a variety of fairly healthy snacks. I think we’re doing pretty well.

So, here’s a recap of the past ten days…

On Day 40, Flo and I went to Gold’s Gym to try a yoga class. The instructor is Flo’s former kid’s yoga teacher, so we thought we’d try out her class since it’s included in our gym membership. It was nice to see her, and it was relaxing to have an hour of solitude. I’d like to make a habit of going at least once a week.

The next morning, we were up early for our homeschooling co-op. I’d had a couple days where I’ve taken a green smoothie break. It’s not rocket science to make one, but I’m often in a rush, and it’s easier to just grab a couple pieces of fruit on the way out the door. But, this day I did manage to bring along the “green goodness.” That night I got in a nice long walk in the evening with Zofia. Walking isn’t always relaxing with the kids in tow, but tonight Zofia complied, and I enjoyed the exercise and fresh air. Unfortunately, it was followed by a rather restless night of sleep. I had been up late obsessing over how to simplify our overly busy schedule, and I guess that was just too much to think about right before bed time.

Thankfully, the next day was a rather lazy Saturday and we got a quiet interlude in the afternoon while my mom had Flo, Zofia took a nap, and Joe played by himself. We had quite a few butternut squash in the fridge from our co-op, so we decided to make raw butternut squash soup. We didn't really follow a recipe; it's pretty simple. We kept it more on the savory side, rather than sweet. We warmed it up a bit in the VitaMix, and topped it off with some of the leftover shredded cabbage for a little texture; “souper” yummy! The leftover cabbage was from our first batch of raw kimchi. We've just started dabbling in fermented foods. Fun!

The following day, Day 43, we headed down to Arlington, Virginia to watch Joe compete in a hockey shoot-out. He got to meet his favorite goalie, and is moving on to the final shoot-out at the Verizon Center on October 15. It was fun watching him, but quite a marathon with Zofia in tow. We stopped at My Organic Market in Frederick on the way down to get a few “raw” goodies, and then hit the produce section of Whole Foods after hockey. We didn’t get home until after 9pm, so it was a long day, and I was really dragging by the end of it.

Day 44, a Monday, was a busy day. I started out feeling kind of bloated from the previous day’s trip and haphazard eating in the car. Then we were off to a birthday party at the ice rink… back home for a few hours… then out to a board meeting at church… back home… took a walk with dog, Flo and Zofia… everyone asleep by midnight… But, then I was up until almost 3am trying to catch up with my to-do list. That’s a lost cause.

Day 45 was our weekly organic produce delivery day. I sorted everything, and then went over to my friend, Jessica’s, to drop her stuff off and visit for awhile. I left Flo there for the afternoon, so it was more quiet than usual when I got home, since Zofia napped for a couple hours, and Joe worked on his reading and math with Darren. We also opened the first batch of kimchi on this day. I really liked it, though I think we could tweak the amount of salt next time (too much). Darren thought it smelled bad and is hoping it’s an acquired taste. We’ll try another batch, or try some different cultured veggie recipes at some point.

Again, those feelings of being a bit overwhelmed lately with scheduling and my food prep responsibilities came to the forefront mid-week. I know I’ve been stress eating a lot lately. Rarely are my meals ever able to be enjoyed slowly and without constant interruptions. I was also been nibbling on too much dried fruit and nuts. We got a bunch from our co-op, and I guess having a lot around makes it easy to be more creative with recipes, but also lends to an extra handful or two here and there. So, I’ve been trying to be more conscious of that.

Regrettably, sleep deprivation doesn’t always lend to conscious eating, or conscious anything for that matter. I got up early the next day, after almost no sleep, to take the kids down to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary for a field trip with our homeschooling group. Darren was on his way home from DC, so he stopped by and took the tour with us, then took Joe home with him afterwards. Flo, Zofia and I had intended to find a nice state park somewhere and take a little hike, enjoy the picnic lunch we brought along, and head home in the afternoon. As it turns out, Zofia got car sick, causing us to detour to find a place to clean her up. We then ended up down in Sterling, Virginia, in the parking lot of Borders. Flo enjoyed a salad from Chipotle, which was in the plaza, and I cleaned up Zofia. We then headed home on Route 15, which apparently is carsick-inducing, as well, because Zofia got sick again! We had just stopped at a produce stand to grab a couple pieces of fruit, and on our way out, she threw up all over herself. I pulled over again at a small park and cleaned her up, but we were out of extra clothing, so she was down to just her diaper in her stinky car seat.

We finally made our way to Frederick, and decided to look around the Good Will store for an excuse to stretch our legs and get Zofia a cheap outfit, so we could go grab a few groceries at the natural foods store without carrying Zofia around in a diaper. So, we went over to the Common Market, grabbed a few things, and sat at a picnic table beside the parking lot; me enjoying a nice salad from my cooler, and Flo, enjoying a sampling of a new hemp ice cream. Zofia must have been hungry, because she gobbled up half of my salad, too!

After getting almost home, then hitting grid locked traffic on I-70, we detoured through town and finally made it home around 7pm. I then put away the groceries, removed the cover from Zofia’s car seat and hosed the seat down. Then it was out the door for a half hour walk and back home to make Joe something else to eat. Then, finally, a little potential downtime availed itself around 10pm, but Zofia foiled that plan again. Drats!

Since I had given up trying to accomplish anything with Zofia awake the night before, and just went to bed with her around 11pm, Day 48 started off with a good night’s sleep behind me and a much more optimistic outlook of what I could accomplish in a day. The day was basically filled with a few household chores, lessons with the kids, making coleslaw for the next day’s monthly vegan potluck and taking a long walk with Flo around downtown Hagerstown, while Joe and Darren were at hockey practice at the ice rink.

Of course, to every high, there is a low, and the previous day’s good night sleep was negated by a night of insomnia. I was up until 4:30am, not particularly agitated about anything specific, though my mounting to-do list and overly-filled calendar are definitely fodder for anxiety. I had got a burst of culinary inspiration, and was up until around midnight making a raw pie to take to our potluck the next day. It turned out well, so at least it was worth the effort, but I made a note to myself to not start any kitchen projects after 9pm.

For our potluck on that Saturday (Day 49), we brought the pie, along with some raw coleslaw, smoothies and some bananas. Our meal was so yummy that we didn’t even feel deprived foregoing the array of vegan vittles. And our lovely friend, Shawna, even made a spicy raw carrot/coconut soup, and there were some nice salads, so we felt indulged. Despite not sampling all the dishes, it is still fun to see what people create and I enjoy sharing recipe ideas. After getting home from our potluck in the evening, I was watching a YouTube video on seed yogurt, and got inspired! So, I put a batch of pumpkin/hemp seed yogurt in the dehydrator (doubles as a yogurt maker). It’s always fun to have something in the dehydrator to check out in the morning.

Thus, Day 50, the halfway point, commenced with checking on the yogurt’s progress, then putting it in the fridge to try with lunch. It was definitely a bit tangy, and not very thick. I’ll have to work on tweaking it a bit. I have another batch in there now. I didn’t put any of the non-dairy yogurt starter in this time, so we’ll see how it turns out.

On that note, Day 50 comes to a close. We’ve reached the peak, and I think it’s all downhill from here, with the exception of the arrival of my in-laws the day before Halloween. They’re staying for a week, so, we’ll see how much salad they can eat before they throw up their hands and head out to McDonald’s! Ha! Well, I’ll try not to starve them anyway, but having guests is always a bit of a source of anxiety for me, when it comes to meals. I’m very aware that our eating habits have deviated pretty far out of the mainstream, and not everyone will be excited by our culinary offerings. But, I do my best, and we haven’t scared anyone away yet, though I think we’ve given a guest or two a case of increased fiber induced gastrointestinal distress!

Today was a busy day, and far from perfection with regards to balance. I had a green smoothie of kale and pear for breakfast. Then, around noon, I ate sun gold cherry tomatoes and raspberries while I was sorting the produce from our co-op. If that wasn’t a bad enough combination, while putting away the month’s delivery from our other natural foods co-op, I ate four or five handfuls of cashews, almonds, raisins, a few dried apricots and figs while trying to sort them into containers before Zofia got into everything. After that, I was too full to eat a salad, so I ate a few handfuls of lettuce while making a salad for Darren and the kids. I topped off that completely unbalanced meal with a cup of tea with almond milk and one dark chocolate truffle ball from Natural Zing. Eww… I feel like I ate a brick.

But, on a positive note, my mom stopped by briefly in the afternoon, and Darren and I got a chance to take a walk alone for an hour. He rode his bike, so I could keep a good pace walking beside him. It was nice to have a chance to talk. He works at home, but sometimes I feel like we hardly see each other!

Later on, we actually went to the gym for the second day in a row! I rode the bike for about 20 minutes, walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes, and did some crunches. It wasn’t a superbly intense workout, but it felt good to be moving and doing something a little different.

I rounded out the day with a quick trip to the bookstore to pick up Dan Brown’s new novel. Now if I can just sequester myself in a corner for a few hours here and there, I’ll be able to enjoy reading it!

So, not a bad day, but I’m really craving veggies. I’ve got to get more organized and prepare some things a day in advance, so I have healthy stuff on hand when I’m actually hungry. I got cherry tomatoes, butternut squash, pears, watermelon, crimini mushrooms and raspberries in today’s produce delivery. I think I’ll go surf around for some interesting recipes.

Bon nuit!