Today’s Observations
Today is the first day I feel like I struggled a bit… mostly because – I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record – I did not plan well for the time I was away from the house.  I had a gig this afternoon and only had a smoothie before I left the house… with no lunchbox.  Of course, around 2:00 I got really hungry and went in search of food.  The first stop was the deli next door, hoping they might have a salad or a piece of fruit – but there was nothing but cured meats and cheeses – strike one.  Then I got in my car, which drove itself instinctively to an old favorite – Baja Fresh.  When I got there,  I remembered that their garden salad has cheese, and tortilla strips – and if I ate that, I’d have to confess it on my blog – strike two.  I decided my best option was to find a good ol’ grocery store where I could pick up some fruit.  Stater Brothers came up on the GPS, so there I went.  Now I’ve grown accustomed to buying organic whenever I can, but given that there were no organic fruits available,  I bought non-organic raspberries, peaches, bananas and apples.  Can I just say…  organic tastes so much better.  I don’t think its my imagination… it really does.  And I actually started sneezing when I ate the apple, which made me wonder what was on it. Apples are one thing I really try to buy organic whenever possible because they are so heavily sprayed with pesticides.  In any case, I was grateful for the nourishment, but found that my energy level really took a hit because I waited so long to eat.  Planning ahead for my food is one skill I look forward to developing better as part of my 30 day raw experiment.

Today’s Menu
Green Smoothie with cucumber, pears, ginger, parsley and raspberries
Banana, raspberries, peach, apple for lunch
Snack –  I had one of those go raw seed bars.  It was dry and disappointing.
Tabouleh salad for dinner with some pine and macadamia nuts
Banana and raspberries with raw chocolate sauce for fun :)

Today’s New Recipe – Tabouleh
Last year I had a consulting gig in NYC.  While I was there, I discovered a great little Greek restaurant that had a Tabouleh salad I loved because it was mostly parsley, no bulgar, and incredibly flavorful.  Tonight I set out to to recreate that dish… but honestly, I don’t think I quite hit it.  I think I put too much parsley in it.  But I learned a lot and know what I can do to improve it next time.  This recipe is a modified version of the recipe in  Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis.

Tabouleh Salad (3 Yums)
3 cups tomatoes. diced
3 cups cucumbers, diced
3 – 5 cups parsley, finely chopped – adjust to personal taste
1/2 cup diced onion (yellow, red, or green)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon salt
Pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy.

Today’s Affirmation
I joyously cultivate new habits.