Today’s Observations
For the past three days, I have had the pleasure of taking care of my friend Charisse’s Shih Tzu – Phoebe.  Besides being just about the cutest darn thing you’ve ever seen, she is an example of a life lived with joy and confidence and ease.  She’s a bit of a sleepy head, so while I did my morning yoga routine, she slept in.  But then after all, she wrote the book on ‘Downward Facing Dog’.  Once she wakes up though, she is so excited to go outside for our morning walk and see what the world has to offer.   She runs everywhere she goes. And whether she is running down the street, or chasing the birds on the beach, she literally leaps with joy and runs so fast that it blows her ears back as if she were a model on a set with a special effects fan.  And though she’s only ten pounds, she approaches much larger dogs with a kind of canine confidence that says, I know who I am and I know what I want… and right now I want to sniff you.  Filled with joy and confidence, Phoebe glides through life effortlessly.  Even her work (hunting for squirrels) seems like play.  For her there is no separation between the two.

Some might say that’s a dog’s life, but I like to think it is a people life too, and the kind of life I want to live.  I want my life to be characterized by that same kind of joy and excitement in greeting the day, a confidence that comes from knowing who I am and what I have to offer, and an ease in moving through life where the lines between work and play are blurred.  I think living with this kind of joy and confidence and ease is the way it was meant to be for all of us, canine and homosapien alike, and I for one am grateful for my ten pound role model.

Today’s Menu
Fruit Salad for breakfast
Asian Pear Salad for lunch
Snacks – LARA bar, pears, pecans
Guacamole for dinner :)

Today’s New Recipe(s)
I’ve missed writing my blog for a couple days, and I’ve also missed making a new recipe each day, but I have tried two new ones which were excellent – Watermelon Wow! and Greenmarket Salad with Macadamia Nuts.  The Watermelon Wow is the name I gave it after I tried this recipe for a watermelon granita shared with me by my friend Laura Taylor.  It is totally fun and refreshing.  Granita is typically served with a spoon in a bowl, but I like it a bit thinner as a drink.  A cool drink to share with guests.  The Greenmarket Salad from Raw Food Real World is another winner – especially the dressing.  Both will become part of my regular weekly menu.  Enjoy.

Watermelon Wow (4+ Yums)
1/2 petite watermelon (about 2 cups)
1 Tablespoon agave
Juice from 1 lemon
About 6 medium mint leaves, sliced
Ice

Place everything in blender except the ice, blend, and then add enough ice to get to the consistency you want.  Thinner for a beautiful pink drink (garnish with mint) or thicker for a refreshing desert you can eat with a spoon.

Greenmarket Salad (4 Yums)
Dressing
1 small avocado
1 cup OJ
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice
1 handful cilantro
2 green onions
1/2 small jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Blend everything except olive oil and pepper.  Then, with the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil until creamy and smooth.  Season with pepper.

Salad
1 large bowl of mixed greens
1 large handful of sprouted sunflower seeds
2 radishes
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
I also added more avocado and some other stuff I had in the fridge – celery and red pepper

In large bowl, mix salad ingredients and dressing to taste.

Today’s Affirmation
I live a contagious life of joy and confidence and ease.

Today’s Observations
I flew back home to Laguna Beach today from my parent’s house in Castle Rock.  As it turned out, the most challenging part of my visit was not eating raw, but dealing with my parent’s dial-up internet connection, which moves at the speed of molasses… on a cold, bitterly cold, winter day.  Just trying to get my mom set up on Facebook was painful.  After waiting 5 minutes for her picture to load, we finally bailed out.   Is it bad that I’ve learned to expect things to move at the speed 12.5 megabytes per second?  Not only do I expect it, but in fact, my daily life has come to depend on it – Skype, Facebook, GoToMeeting, google searches – this is where I live.  I love technology, and I happen to think it makes our lives better, more productive, and more efficient.  But theirs is a different kind of life in Castle Rock.  Its simpler and slower paced.  Focused less on technology and more on tradition.  The fact is, they love their life, and I love mine.  Neither is better, just different.  And I suppose that’s not a bad lesson to learn… even if it did take 28 kilobits per second to learn it.

Today’s Menu
Apples and pears for breakfast
Coconut, mango, raspberry smoothie for lunch
Cucumber Mint Gazpacho for dinner
Apples and avocado for snacks

Today’s New Recipe
I wanted to give this recipe from Raw Living Foods a try… but I didn’t really like it :(  A little too bland for me and a little too hot (from the Jalapeno).  But I kept it and will try to doctor it up a bit with Pineapple (it needs some sweetness) and some cilantro – which makes anything better :).  This version of the recipe is for 1-2 people.

Cucumber Mint Gazpacho (2 Yums)
2 english cucumbers peeled and cubed
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 jalapeno
1/4 red pepper
10-12 mint leaves, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend the cucumber and lime until smooth.  Place in a bowl and add the other ingredients.  Mix and serve.

Today’s Affirmation
I am grateful for the growth that is available through difference.

Today’s Observations
I have always been struck by how delicious raw food is.  When I first went raw, that was the thing that surprised me most – it was actually really, really good.  I would follow a recipe and thow a bunch of things in my blender, and was just blown away by the aromas and the flavors.  When I’ve invited friends for dinner and fed them a raw meal, this is always the theme – suprise at how good it tastes.  In fact, I made a raw meal recently for some friends from Texas – the land of steer and oil, where I would think you wouldn’t want to be caught dead with cucumber noodles on your plate – and now these gals are hosting thier own raw dinner party.   I love that.  This has been my experience for the past year and a half.  I don’t know why I found it surprising then, when my mom reached over with her spoon at lunch today to sneak a taste of my watermelon gazpacho… and actually liked it.  I mean, she said it out loud, and then came back for a second taste and said it again – “That is really good…. it is so flavorful!  Wow!”.  My brother followed suit, and even requested his own serving.  Now everyone else was eating chicken salad sadwiches, on large fluffy croisants, with fresh tomatoes slices.  Not a bad meal by any standard.  But it is interesting to me that fresh raw flavorful food has become such an exception in our culture, that it would be seen as unique and unusual… and surprising.  As for me, I was happy to be eating watermelon soup, but most of all, I was happy to be enjoying it sitting next to my Mom, and surrounded by my family.

Today’s Menu
Fruit salad of apples, nactarines, and bananas for breakfast
Pam’s Simple Watermelon Gazpacho for lunch
Snacks – bananas, raisens, peacans
Cucumber noodles with Basil Pesto for dinner

Today’s New Recipe
I have made a watermelon gazpacho in the past that I really enjoy, so when my brother, aunt, mom, and I were elbow deep in watermelon this morning (prepping for my dad’s birthday party), I thought that would be a great thing to have for lunch.  The version I share below is my own “on the road’ creation.  Basically I started with the watermelon puree, and then threw in whatever veggies I could find.  It made for a simple, yet delicious soup.

Pam’s Simple Watermelon Gazpacho (4 Yums)
2 cups of pureed watermelon (in the blender)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4  cup celery, diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Today’s Affirmation
I am grateful for the precious gifts of family, friends, and food.

Today’s Observations
Today I treated myself to a far infrared sauna.  If you’ve never had one of these things, you have got to try it.  Infrared sauna is mentioned in a lot of literature about detoxification.  Rather than heating from the outside like a conventional sauna, this sauna heats you up from the inside out.  This heating from the inside out, helps toxins move through and out of the body.   Besides detoxing, the infrared sauna also boosts the immune system, improves cardiovascular health, can reduce stress, enhance weight loss, and a whole host of other great things.  But, in addition to feeling sort of euphoric and cleansed afterward, the thing I love most about the sauna is how it makes my skin feel – soft as a baby’s bottom.  The sauna increases collagen production, which is the stuff that makes your skin soft and supple.  When paired with a raw food diet, which is notorious for hydrating your skin and giving you that raw ‘glow’,  I feel like I’m walking around in a new skin suit… and I’m lovin’ it.

If you’re interested in trying out the infrared sauna and you live in SoCal, I encourage you to check out the sauna at Integrated Wellness in Corona Del Mar.

Today’s Menu
Apple and banana for breakfast
Kale Salad with avocado and mango for lunch
Snacks – apple, cardamom ice cream, coconut water
Avocado Soup with Orange, Mango salsa for dinner
Cardamom Ice Cream with soaked raisins for desert (yauum)

Today’s New Recipe
I love raw soups, and I particularly love raw avocado soup, so when I  saw this recipe in Living Raw Food, I had to try it.  Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing.  The soup itself is a bit bland, but the thing that saves it is the Orange, Mango Salsa.  I think a few modifications would make this recipe better, so I’ve included those in my modified recipe below.  Enjoy.

Avocado Soup (3 Yums)
2 cups chopped cucumber, skin and seeds included
3 ripe avocados
2 cups OJ
2 cups water
1 small shallot or green onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large handful ciliantro
1 tablespoon sea salt

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Orange, Mango Salsa (3+ Yums)
3 Oranges (preferably blood oranges if available)
1 large ripe mango, diced small
1 small red bell pepper, diced small
1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
Salt to taste
I’d also add about 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, or more if you like the heat.

Peel and segment the oranges, then dice the segments in small pieces.  Add all other ingredients and toss in a bowl.

To serve, place a small amount of salsa in the middle of a bowl and pour the soup around it.

Today’s Affirmation
Everyday my body is moving toward a more perfect expression of perfect health.