I walked into town and back this morning and I have to say, I could feel it because I hardly do any walking or exercise now, but this is a start...WOOHOO!!

Last night I dehydrated some bananas and pears that was starting to look over ripe. I had them this morning for breakfast and YUUUMMY! They were so lovely!! I want to stock up on bananas and pears now and dehydrate them like a woman possessed...teehee. I might pop out and buy some BUT I will walk to the supermarket which is a 2 mile walk one way, so it will be 4 mile all told....GO ME!!

Breakfast: Dehydrated Bananas and Pears

I was up at the usual 6.00am. Showered, hair etc. I didn't get much sleep last night, I couldn't quite settle my mind for some reason and not because we slept through the day, my mind just wouldn't stop.
Well, after about 4-ish hours of sleep and because I don't want to sleep during today and I want to keep going I decided to have, 'Chia Up Love' for breakfast, so at 8.00am I had that. There are lots of superfoods in this breakfast and is why I chose it, in the hope it keeps me awake.

I haven't dozed off. I think once I get passed 10.30am I can usually stay awake...USUALLY!!
I got a tad peckish and chose 2 Clemintines; they are very sweet at the moment..YUM!

8.00am Breakfast - Chia Up Love
11.25am 2 Clemintines.

Up at 8am-ish.
11.10am Banana
Feeling tired today.

I am going to make 2 loaves of Russell James' raw garlic bread this afternoon, one of which I will make plain.

Yep, we had a lie down...for about 4 hours...unbelievable!! When we woke up around 4.15pm-ish I confess to grabbing 4 rich tea plain biscuits.
4.30pm banana
8.00pm 1 teeny tiny Yorkshire pudding. After having a couple rich tea and a small yorkshire I immediately took myself in hand and thought NO MORE! So for my evening meal I had a gorgeous fruit salad at 9pm then at 9.30pm raw fudge...YUM!!

Back Tomorrow

I was up at 8am-ish, showered, hair etc and then I checked my emails.

I can already feel a difference in my body from yesterday's raw day; I feel far less bloated.
11am Breakfast - I made a recipe called, 'Chia Up Love' by Kate Magic.

Chia Up Love
Serves 4

1C Chia
3C Water
1/2C Lucuma Powder
1 C Fresh Raspberries
1tb Yacon Syrup
1tb Raw Tahnini
1tsp Purple Corn Extract Powder
1tsp Camu Camu Powder

You can get Kate Magics, free e-book here. There are quite a few recipes and info in there.

I have had a very lazy day today and basically done nothing. I didn't have anything to eat after breakfast until 4.20pm - no reason why, I just didn't feel hungry. I think that might be good; to eat when hungry, or it might be better to eat every few hours to keep the metabolism going...I don't know. Anyway, here is what I ate for the rest of the day.

4.20pm Banana
4.50pm 2 Sharon fruit
5.20pm Raw Fudge
8.30pm I had my evening meal which was the same as yesterday, I also had some coconut water and then I had some more raw fudge for afters at 9pm

I feel am eating my evening meal a bit late in the day....TUT, TUT! I am going to have to be sitting down to eat my evening meal by 6pm.

Salad

Raw Peanut Butterscotch Fudge

Recipe Tina Jo

We are going to go to bed and watch some TV.

Back Tomorrow.

WoooHooo - Finally starting my, '66 Day Raw Food Spring Challenge' or a re-boot to raw food/lifestyle....yeah baby!

Up and showered and then I had a banana.

8.00am Banana.
OOps! I nodded off. I haven't slept through the day at all all week but this morning it got the better of me, maybe the week has just caught up with me.

12.50pm another banana - I need to make something more substantial, i'm feeling a tad hungry. I have so many recipes that I find it so overwhelming sometimes and I end up not bothering at all, maybe I should pick out 20 favourite recipes and stick with those for a time.

Lunch: 3 of my tomato flax crackers , guacamole, sliced tomato and 2 Sharon fruit.

I actually went back for another tomato flax cracker and guacamole...YUM!

I am going to get some wheatgrass growing in my NEW Lexen sprouter today. I have soaked and started the wheatgrass sprouting - the tails are there so it just needs to go into the sprouter now.

4.30pm Banana
4.45pm Glass of orange juiced that I squeezed using my citrus press...YUMCIOUS!
6.30pm 2 tiny Sharon fruit
7.50pm Evening meal: Salad and I made some raw cheese savoury....how did I make that? It even tastes exactly like cheese savoury...yum, yum, YUUUUM!

Raw Cheese Savoury

10.05pm....I know, a tad late in the day but I had 4 pieces of raw Peanut Butterscotch Fudge Bites. The recipe is Tina Jo's which you can purchase from her web site.

Well, that is me for today. No exercise done today....*slap*

 Back Tomorrow

So much for my 66 Day Raw Spring Challenge starting.Tomorrow is my day to start.

I weighed in this morning; details on my weigh in page, now I know where I am starting from. Not only am I wanting to release excess weight but I also want to gain more health...HEY! I have noticed that I am needing afternoon sleeps less and less, infact, I have not slept at all through the day all this week...WooHoo

I received a few goodies so here are the pics:

2 Jars of Artisana Coconut Butter and a new book...I LOVE books, books and DVD's!

5kg Buckwheat, 5kg Oat Groats and a small 500g bag of Wheat Berries

Another NEW sprouter; a Lexen sprouter.

I have Biosnacky sprouting jars, a Biosnacky Mini Greenhouse round sprouter, garden trays for sprouting and I even have my Freshlife Automatic Sprouter, but I wanted a sprouter that does it all; wheatgrass and sprouts, and this Lexen will do just that all in the one unit instead of having sprouters and soil filled garden trays on the go all at once and all over my kitchen, ANNND I can sprout wheatgrass soiless. I know that growing wheatgrass in soil is better for the nutrients to feed the wheat berries, but the less mess the better, and I will still get loads of nutrients etc from soiless wheatgrass.

Back later or tomorrow....check back.

I changed my starting date for my 66 Day Raw Spring Challenge to start today. I am going to log everything that I consume each day, this is to make me more accountable because if I don't then I sneak things in.... NAUGHTY!

As you will see on the right, I have added a link for you to purchase Tanya Alekseeva's e-books. I have two of Tanya's e-books and I have to say that they are very good. There is even a recipe for a small cream Easter egg called, Vanilla Cream Egg in the, 'Seduced' e-book...check them out!

Daily Food
6.45am 1/2 Banana

Back throughout the day.

*UPDATE*
TODAY HAS BEEN ONE BIG FAT FAIL!!

I am making tomorrow my day 1...I wont give up, no matter what!!

Here is a pic of some things I received today, no-one can say I wasn't ready, infact, I have been ready for years and I have been raw for years, on and off...not good enough though.

I have stocked up on superfoods for my tonics with Reishi, Camu Camu, Schizandra, He Shou Wu and Acai. I also bought Raw 'Garden Of Life' Protein Powder, Peruvian Carob (Mesquite) Stevia, Coffee Potent Extract, Cacao Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Kelp Noodles, Coconut Wraps and 'Igniting Your Life' by John McCabe.

I have been busy with laundry and housework today...very busy!

I will be back tomorrow with DAY 1...FOR SURE!!

(Bluebells. Photo taken in my garden © 2012)

I am starting my NEW 66 day Spring raw lifestyle challenge, commencing 24 February - 29 April 2012.

Breakfast:
I banana
3 glasses of mixed fruit smoothie.

Tonight I want to get things prepared ready for my Spring Challenge, so that means flax crackers, raw fudge, sprouts soaked, almonds soaked and anything else I can think of. I plan on making tonics a lot. I'm going to put some bananas into the freezer tonight.
I want to be prepared!!
I'M READY!! And that also means incorporating exercise!!

All stocked up with beautiful, fresh, gorgeous produce....oh how I love it when my fridge is well stocked!!
We started off our day by getting up at our usual time of 6.25am. I showered, got hair and makeup done and out the door.....Oh No! The tyre was flat on the car, so my hubby sorted that out, then, Oh No! The battery was as flat as.....two flats in one day; flat tyre and flat battery....teehee. Got the battery sorted and in Asda by about 8.45am-ish. A small fortune was spent just getting through the fruit and veg section. I bought:
Kale
Spinach
Aubergine
Cauliflower
Living Basil Plant
Living Parsley Plant
Living Mint Plant
Cabbage
Bananas - love bananas
Pears
Sharon Fruit - a small pack
Carrots
Portabello Mushrooms
Oriental Pears
Fresh Growing Living Lettuce
Chinese Leaves
Curly Lettuce
Iceberg
Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli
Pineapple
Celery
Beetroot
Sweet Potatoes
Toiletries/Cleaning Products
Miscellaneous
Freezer Items
Store cupboard items i.e. cans, jars, rice, dairy etc - for the family

We got home and I put some of the items away and grabbed a quick cup of coffee then back out the door and on our way to one of my favourite places...Costco, now this is THE place for fabulous quality produce. I LOVE IT!!
This is where I tend to spend quite a bit of money but all worth it. I bought:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Cherries
Grapes
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Grapefruit
Clemintines
Tomatoes - a huge box
Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers x 2 bags
Sharon Fruit x 2 boxes
Cucumbers
Medjol Dates x 2 boxes
Avocados x 2 nets
Bananas
Apples
Mushrooms - small
Courgettes
Spring Onions
Romaine Lettuces x 2 packages
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Fries - for the family
Chicken Breast - for the family
Tea
Coffee
Guacamole

I am thinking of dehydrating some of the tomatoes, hence a huge box.

I also bought two oil misters, gorgeous they are. I bought these for when I just want to coat all of my salad with just a little oil.
This picture does NOT do these misters justice.

On our way back from Costco we went to Tesco where I go to buy my sweet onions, Tesco's seems to be the only store that stocks sweet onions...Thankyou Tesco! I also bought a couple of mangoes, fresh sage, cashews and a bag of chickpeas for making my hummous

Whilst in Tesco I popped into the Nutricentre...as I do....I LOVE THE NUTRICENTRE! I love a lot of places dont I?...TeeHee
I bought:
Raw Coconut Oil
Yerba Maté Tea
Organic Hemp Seeds
Dairy Free Chocolater Drops
Organic Golden Flax

I normally buy a 500g box of golden flax seeds for £5+ but these organic golden flax seeds where only £1.79 for a 500g bag....pays to shop around sometimes.

On our way back from Tesco and the Nutricentre we popped to the shop for young coconuts. They only had 3 decent coconuts so I grabbed those.
I also bought a few other little bits n bobs:

An onion storer, for when I don't use a full onion then I can put the remaining into the onion storer and it wont transfer smells.
A silicone rose chocolate mould and 4 silicone small flan cases.

The weather today, although overcast it has been rather pleasant!

I may get back later today, if not then I will be back tomorrow. ♥

I hope you all have a LOVELY Valentines Day! ♥ My husband wrote me a poem. He is EXCELLENT at writing poems! So much better than poems that are already in cards, infact, he should write the insides of cards, he truly is that GOOD! I always ask him to write me a poem/verse for my Birthdays and our Anniversaries.

Anyway, I have had a chia porridge for breakfast again this morning. I need to get on with some housework. I have put Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's rota's below and crossed out what I have done. I know it's only Tuesday but I'm trying to get ahead slightly. I want to try to get some beauty in today...WooHoo AND I am thinking of getting a bit of exercise in today also...HEY! GO ME!!

WEEK 1
Monday

• Clean Bathroom and bathroom loo
• Clean downstairs loo
• Clean patio doors/patio windows/Kitchen Window & Back Door
• Clean 1 kitchen cupboard

Tuesday

• Change beds
• Vacuum bedrooms
• Vacuum stairs and landing
• Polish bedroom furniture
• Vacuum along front door
• Vacuum inside the livingroom furniture - under the cushions etc
• Vacuum under furniture

Wednesday

• Clean Kitchen Cupboards fronts
• Clean Ovens
• Wash furniture covers - I don't need to wash these this time.
• Bleach kitchen sinks

OOps! I fell asleep. I haven't been sleeping the best over the last couple of nights.

Back later ♥

Up and showered etc at my usual time, 6.25am. I didn't have the best of sleeps last night, I was just cat napping all night....ummm
I'm not sure what to have for breakfast this morning, I would normally grab a couple of bananas first thing just to sustain any hunger pangs until I knew what I wanted, or should I say, until I knew what I could be bothered to make or even get the time to make but I haven't any bananas...BooHoo I have run out of a lot of produce so we are going for a big grocery shop this week.

I stripped my bedding when I got up and that is in the washing machine, I also want to get some vacuuming done and floors cleaned today. These are some of Tuesday's jobs but I am trying to get ahead because we will be busy later in the week getting our big grocery shop which takes me into many different shops and takes a little bit of time.

WEEK 1
Monday

• Clean Bathroom and bathroom loo.
• Clean downstairs loo
• Clean patio doors/patio windows/Kitchen Window & Back Door
• Clean 1 kitchen cupboard

Tuesday

• Change beds
• Vacuum bedrooms
• Vacuum stairs and landing
• Polish bedroom furniture
• Vacuum along front door
• Vacuum inside the livingroom furniture - under the cushions etc
• Vacuum under furniture

I want to start again and follow my beauty rota - Oh! And use my slendertone daily, I will measure my so called waist....teehee before I start to use it....REGULARLY!

As each day goes by I am feeling more and more positive.

Oats, dates and almond milk is what I had for Breakfast. I did eye up the rich tea biscuits but instead of allowing myself to get any more hungry and nose dive into the packet of rich tea I made my oat breakfast, I'm now glad I did.

*UPDATE*
Well, I have got a garlic bread, a plain bread and a tray of flax crakcers into my dehydrator. I am going to put some strawberry and vanilla flax crackers into the dehydrator tomorrow. I could have put the sweet crackers into the dehydrator along with the garlic bread...apparently BUT I prefer to keep sweet and savoury seperate in the dehydrator. I must start and take pics of the recipes I make, taken at each step throughout the recipe. I might be also making some cupcakes tomorrow and if I do I will try to take the pics at each step.

I didn't manage to get all the jobs done today but I will finish them tomorrow along with Wednesday's housework. It feels good when I try to stick to my rota's.

I am now going to go up the wooden ladders, wooden hill, upstairs....whatever...teehee and watch some TV  in bed.

Back tomorrow.

I made Chia Porridge. I watched Jason Wrobel on You Tube and this is it.
I couldn't make this to the letter because I didn't have some of the berries, it was very nice though! I used cranberries instead as that was about all the berries I had.

Superfood Chia Porridge - Jason Wrobel

1/2 C Chia
1 1/2 C Nut Milk
3TB Vanilla Agave
1tsp Vanilla Powder
1tsp Maca
1/4 C Cacao Nibs
1/4 C White Mulberries
1/4 C Goji Berries
1/4 C Blueberries
1/4 C Hemp Seeds
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
1tsp Coconut Oil

Put the chia seeds and nut milk into a bowl and leave for 10 - 15 minutes until it thickens.
Add remaining ingredients.
Serve and enjoy!

A very quiet day today so not a lot to report; hopefully more to report tomorrow.

Dandy Blend...WOW! Worth every single penny! It is FABULOUS! And yes, it DOES taste just like coffee; a refreshing, healthy tasting coffee drink, BUT! - Isn't there always a but? But! It isn't entirely raw. Ingredients: Extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root and beetroot. Going from coffee to dandy Blend is easy - there are no withdrawal symptoms.
I first discovered Dandy Blend on Dara Dubinet's You Tubes; she uses Dandy Blend.

I had a little buy today. I needed a new chopping board, although there is nothing wrong with the chopping boards I have except for the size. I have the 'Joseph&Joseph' coloured chopping boards which were not cheap by any means but I needed a different sized chopping board.
Joseph&Joseph are excellent for new innovative kitchen equipment. Do check them out on the linked name.
I'm am not knocking Joseph&Joseph because they are very good and I do have a few things from them, I just needed a different sized chopping board

This is a pic of one of the Joseph&Joseph board/s

Here is a pic of my new chopping board bought today with a Joseph&Joseph chopping board on top....check out the difference in sizes.
Whenever I was chopping foods on the smaller boards the food would spill off over the boards.
My new board measures 50 x 36 x 3 THAT'S BIG!

A tad difficult to see because I put my new chopping board on top of my wooden work station/island....Durrr...teehee

Click on the pic to enlargen.

I am going to go into my kitchen now and make some orange and clemintine juice - so yummy!I am also going to make some almond milk tonight and use the pulp for raw bread, Russell James' raw bread. I am feeling a tad in the mood for making raw cupcakes also.

Back later or tomorrow.

Coffee! I LOVE coffee!! So, I bought some Dandy Blend which is a coffee substitute and can be blended with other things; superfoods, nut milks etc. This Dandy Blend dissolves in water also.

I feel that this Dandy Blend is a tad pricey at £13.67 for this 200g bag and this was at a reduced price, and then the p&p on top making it £16.17 but worth it if it gets me off coffee or stops me from drinking as much coffee as I do. I haven't tried it yet but I will either tonight or tomorrow.

I dozed off today, I didn't feel like I needed to but when my OH came in from work he wanted to have a snooze so I joined him.

I am getting in the mood to do some raw un-baking....watch this space.

Back later or tomorrow

I decided to make the kids some pitta pockets for lunch today and although I am eating raw, or trying to, I did have one pitta pocket with a salad filling and because of the simple ingredients in this recipe I thought it wouldn't hurt, and it's healthy. The recipe I used is incredibly easy. I had never made pitta  bread pockets before until today. If anyone wants to make them here is the video:



Pitta Bread Pockets
13/4 C Wheat berries
1 tsp Salt (optional)
1 C Water

Grind the wheatberries to a very fine flour in the Vitamix - 11/2 mins
Add water into the middle of the flour and pulse.
Keep pushing the dough down using a spatula - I used the tamper until it forms a ball
Roll out amounts of the dough, rolling from the middle outwards
Bake 425 - 3 mins until puffed up.

Here is a pic of my lunch today.

My first ever attempt at making pitta bread pockets.
I made a fruit smoothie last night which I had for my breakfast this morning...YUM!

I have noticed that some of you readers live near to where I am, so why not leave a comment letting me know where you are.

Here is a raw recipe.
Vivapure

Liquid Chocolate Nirvana

:: INGREDIENTS ::
4 Cups Almond OR Hazelnut Milk (preferably homemade)
3-4 Medjool Dates (Pitted) or Organic Coconut (Palm) Sugar to taste
1 Teaspoon Ground Pure Vanilla or Vanilla Extract (We use Medicine Flower)
2 Heaping Tablespoons Raw Cacao Powder
1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
½ Teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt
1 x pinch of cinnamon powder

:: INSTRUCTIONS ::
1) If Making Milk From Scratch: Put the water and the nuts into a blender. Blend until you can't see any nut bits.
2) Hang your Nut milk Bag or other strainer over a bowl or pitcher and pour the mixture into the bag or strainer.
3) This is the fun bit.. Squeeze the bag until all the yummy fresh milk is out, keep one hand at the top of the bag to stop it all coming out the top.
The remains left behind is known as the pulp. (Freeze this for later use in cookies and veggie burgers etc.)
4) Now put the smooth nut liquid back into the blender and add everything else.
5) Blend until smooth.
Pour into the most sophisticated glasses you own. (cocktail glasses are lush)
Share with a special one or more.
Voila!
Pair with a bowl of fresh raspberries for a seriously sensual experience.

Just had to come back and say, "WOW! I AM STARTING TO FEEL SOOO MUCH BETTER!!...WooHoo!!" I haven't needed to sleep through the day for the last couple of days either AND I have been more active, albeit just around the house, not exercise as such but more active nonetheless..WooHoo
Still missing my dad, SOOO VERY MUCH!!!

Back tomorrow.

I am going to do a big grocery shop next week so I am going to clear and use up things in my fridge, so that will mean plenty salads, raw pasta's, sauces, dehydrated things etc etc.

I know I said that I am going to start my rota's but I still haven't quite yet, slowly getting there. Spring is on it's way also so that means getting out for some walks. I am going to take James to a lovely area for some river water next week for a science experiment so I might take some pics whilst there....*NOTE TO SELF* Take the camera!

I am feeling better with each passing day and I am feeling a lot more positive lately, infact, more positive than I have felt in a long time!!

Might get back later today or tomorrow FOR SURE!!

Here is a BRILLIANT "produce" song...WHOO!!

Of the rest of my life! I had a lie in this morning and didn't actually get up until 11.30am. I coloured all the grey in my hair and done a body and facial scrub. When I came downstairs I cut up 2 persimmons and ate those whilst the rest of my family were frying up bacon and egg, amazingly it didn't bother me because I feel positive about things and about getting my life back on the raw, healthy and fit track, and anyway, I can have bacon anytime I like so I am going to make some aubergine (eggplant) bacon, hopefully today

I am going to clean my bathroom and my loo's today then we are planning on going for a little walk around the cemetery to see the flowers that have been left for my dad. I am feeling a lot of comfort just knowing my dad is in the cemetery at the back of our house.

I am getting back on track as of tomorrow; Sunday 5th February 2012. I want to be healthy, although I don't feel great at the moment with grieving for my dear dad, I do know that I need to focus on my health, so tomorrow I'm back on track with raw food and rota's, yes, including exercise. I will also be posting the pics of the foods and or recipes that I make.

Today we went to see our new grandson at home...WOW! When a lady has a baby nowadays they are allowed home with baby the same day or the next at the latest depending on what time the baby was born, I remember when I had my sons I had to stay in hospital and with my eldest son the norm was to be in hospital for the week.
The new baby is GORGEOUS! He has quite a bit of dark brown hair, and of course he pulls the most amazing faces...teehee I think they have finally agreed on, Jayden for the baby's name.

Well, I think that is all for now so I will be back tomorrow.

I was reminded of this song today whilst saying bye, bye to my Dad. My Dad used to sing this to us when we were kids. During the funeral the vicar talked about a song my Dad used to sing to us kids (My brother, myself and my 2 younger sisters) when we were young and immediately I looked at my husband and said, "Two Little Boys" I remembered it at that moment, this song is so my Dad, he would help anyone.
Here it is. "This is for you Dad, I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH!!"



The vicar went on to say that my dad couldn't cook...and I have to say, he couldn't...teehee but she then said but he could cook one thing, I again looked at my husband and said, "poatao cakes", the vicar then said, potato cakes....teehee...it did make me giggle. I remember we used to ask my dad often if he would make us potato cakes....he made a mean potato cake!! I have tried to make them myself but can't make them quite like my dad did.

I miss my Dad SOOO VERY, VERY MUCH!

My eldest son, Michael's partner has gone into labour today, so our second grandson should be arriving soon, we haven't heard anything yet.

"DAD, I MISS YOU"

Our grandson has arrived. He was born at 8.57pm and weighed 8lb 8oz...big baby. They don't have a name for him yet. Pictures will come soon. "Happy Birthday" to our new grandson. We now have 4 grandchildren.

Back tomorrow.

Yes, I am feeling quite a bit better today. My dad's funeral is on Friday at the cemetery that is at the back of my house. My dad lives a few mile away from me but apparently he has chosen to be at the cemetery here. His parents are here also so that is why. I am finding this quite a comfort knowing that my dad will be right beside me.
My dad had kept letters that I sent to him in the 80's when he lived a lot further away, he kept them but unfortunately when I got them back today they have been right round the family first....private letters doing their rounds, not nice for me or dad because they were to my dad not everyone else. His wife (step mother) should have gave them back to me, not to a family member to give to another and another etc to eventually get back to me. I personally would have given them back to the author at the funeral at the very least. Shows what sort of person his wife is...NASTY, SLY AND EVIL!!!...NO, I DON'T LIKE HER AT ALL! NEVER HAVE DONE AND NEVER WILL!! And I'm NOT the only one!!

I am so pleased we are out of January...WELCOME February

The sun has shone a bit today which has been nice; it has been so dark lately.
Apparently we are in for a big freeze here in the UK, we'll see.

I got my nut butters made yesterday which are now in the fridge ready for recipe's and for crackers...YUM!

Oh! Our 4th grandson hasn't arrived yet, he is late now...lazy thing!

Might be back later today or tomorrow.