Community Supported Agriculture, Banana Split Ice cream smoothie & Raw Cheese Quesadilla

We are having a hot and humid 90 degree day with sunshine!!! Lot's of Vitamin D available today.
Wednesday's are my pick up day for CSA (community supported agriculture). If you are not familiar with them..here is a website to learn about them.. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ Each week I get a share of my local farmer's crop that feeds a family of four that consumes a primarily plant based diet. Prior to the planting season I make arrangements to pay for the seasons harvest, which is 26 weeks. I have been doing this for 5 years and we love the fresh variety of produce and we get to support our local farmer's. We have been working with our farmer for about 7 years and he uses only sustainable & organic farming methods..Our portion today consisted of a bunch of kale, bok choy, mixed salad greens, (Yah!! for greens) 4 red peppers, a couple of tomatoes, a bunch of carrots, butternut squash, basil, okra, chives and
2nd peppers (2nd's are not choice but they will throw those in as freebies)so...with all of this plus yesterday's produce I purchased at the Farmer's Market our family should be set with more than enough and with the overflow I will dehydrate what I cannot use.

The family that host the CSA also has access to raw milk cheese, raw milk, organic meats, bakery goods, homemade soaps and other items as well as ordering wholesale from the warehouse to purchase organic and other healthy foodstuffs and personal items. I also network with another group that purchases wholesale organic produce from a distributor locally, which we order monthly. This is really great in the winter months. This is community support in action as we all work together ~some providing, some helping, distributing and delivering to one another when needed. Each of us is needed and mutually blessed~

This morning I had 1 quart of watermelon juice
2~16 oz bottles of green lemonade
bowl of banana, pineapple, blueberries topped with walnuts

mid afternoon~ romaine lettuce, 1 heaping T. of black beans & corn, 1/3 c. pico de gallo, grilled zuchinni & peppers,small amount of guacamole, non-raw chipotle dressing & about 6 corn chips

After this meal I couldn't hardly stay awake... Live enzymes are where it is at...
I went out to eat with my youngest daughter to have some special alone time with her and by the end of our time I felt like a zombie...we went for a walk and I could barely keep my eyes focused.. :(

So when we got home I prepared a banana split ice cream/smoothie & I ate 1 cup & sprinkled more cacao nibs on it. I am awake now :):):)

BANANA SPLIT ICE CREAM/SMOOTHIE

In this order put into a Vitamix: 12 oz of coconut milk, 4 bananas, raw cacao nibs, frozen strawberries, raw honey and vanilla, blend and add enough ice to make it super thick..what we didn't eat I froze for later. You could also use frozen bananas instead of ice.

RAW CHEESE QUESADILLA

late night snack...which I need to give up...raw cheese quesadilla~red bullhorn pepper sliced lengthwise and filled with pressed garlic & gouda raw milk cheese..

This afternoon I jumped on the trampoline for 10 mins. and did a 55 min cardio sculpt workout and this evening I walked for 3 miles

I would also like to say that every day I drink lots of water...this will go without saying(posting) from now on :)

Rise and Shine & a visit to the Farmer's Market!

Upon rising I drank
32 oz of Green lemonade

Mid morning I had fresh pineapple & blueberries sprinkled with Hemp seeds~Thanks to Matt Monarch

Mid afternoon~ Salad bowl filled with mixed greens(collards,leaf lettuce,celery leaves, fennel),grated carrots & cabbage, 1 yellow heirloom tomato thanks to my CSA(community supported agriculture)friends 1 red bullhorn pepper (from the farmers market, 1 crushed garlic clove, organic extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 lemon squeezed.,sprinkled with hemp seeds and a little raw milk gouda cheese..from my Amish friends.....now I'm thinking of a bit of Cacao Bliss..1 teaspoon...yummy

I visited the farmer's market this evening and here is what I picked up..
6 watermelons...my hubby is devouring almost one a day and my kiddo's try to get what they can
red bell peppers/bullhorn peppers/green peppers/sweet banana peppers
2 quarts of raw honey
some lettuces
cherry tomatoes~which I munched on in my car

I have to confess to a very human thing I did on my way home...one of my struggles that I am trying to give up completely... a tall coffee frappuchino :( I have really cut way back on these in fact I have gone a few weeks at a time without one...someday I hope that the desire is all gone...
I did give up my chai tea soymilk latte's in the morning quite some time ago...Yippee!

late supper~ 1 bullhorn pepper split down the middle with very thinly sliced raw gouda and one crushed garlic clove...kinda like a cheese quesadilla :)

This afternoon before my errand run I jumped on my trampoline for 33 mins and after my human thing I went to the park and walked/ran for 3 1/2 miles...

Home Gym & IBS

Greetings to all of my raw and curious friends out there! I have had a very busy summer. My husband and I joined a gym, which was a great kick-start to getting back into routine work outs. I love to walk outdoors and we live in a great place for this...lots of trees and fresh air away from the city. I set up my home gym in our sunroom and have used this to encourage my youngest child to get into the habit of exercising. We have been doing some fun 5k's in the local parks this summer also.

Prior to this year..for 3 years I have been battling IBS/colitis in a wicked way as I have been discovering what works and doesn't for my body. During this time I have lost a lot of muscle and strength. I'd begin to feel better for a time as I implemented a high raw diet and then I'd do something to mess it up again..like eat pizza, cooked food or bad combination and then I'd flare up again. Constipation, pain, inflammation, bloating, trapped painful gas, enemas, colonics and fear of eating again, etc. I think one of the worst things about it was that it interferred with my family life. At one point we feared that I would die because I was so weak and sickly. BUT over this past summer I figured it out..RAW, RAW, RAW....and good food combining..fresh air, exercise, a positive attitute and having friends to encourage you. I felt great all summer, life has been good.

THEN....I decided to indulge a bit...a little here a little there...then kaboom!!!! I had a flare up! The first week ..I fruit/juice fasted and went and got a colonic...it really drained me but the second week I was feeling a little stronger. I share this so you know that I am human and I fail, but I know that when I am 100 percent raw or even high raw I am symptom free and I feel wonderful...high energy, my skin glows and my attitude is more positive...I have a freedom to live and I am not bound by my physcial condition.

This raw living is a lifestyle....it attracts people...they want to know what you are eating, why you eat this way and they see a difference in you, a vibrance, a life force !!! It gives you a great opportunity to share with others that they don't have to be sick and feel bad. It is a process of growing and learning and educating yourself and also becoming aware of this wonderfully complex body that we live in that must have a master designer and what a Marvelous designer He must be!!