My Raw Journey; One year later
The moon woke me up last night. That's never happened before. Probably because my curtains cover my windows, almost entirely, minus a small crack in the middle of the pane, where the moon shone through. I thought it was a dream; sometimes that happens, I'll wake up after some ultra-inspiring dream and want to remember it, only to fall back asleep quickly and it disappears. But as I rolled my head onto my right side, it was blinding. I had to adjust myself to realize it was the moon, beaming its bright light straight onto my face. It was weird. And comforting. As if it was watching over me, and just wanted to let me know it's there.
I've always had a strong relationship with the moon. I know that might sound funny, but it's been a constant source of support throughout my life. More so than the sun, because you can actually look at the moon, and it plays a role in many of my memories. I often talk to it, and can remember distinct times where its beauty brought me to tears. Set among so many brilliant stars, the moon and the night sky is just as beautiful to me as any natural landscape I've seen on Earth. Mind you, I haven't traveled much, but as it stands, it's my fave for now.
Just before waking up to start my day, I had a wonderful dream. I was surrounded by a field of daisies, snowpeas and lavender. I had gone there to work, picking the lavender buds without a bucket and only using the palm of my hand. I remember thinking this made no sense, where would I put all the buds? I would have to leave the field many times just to keep refilling my palm. But I did it anyway. Next I found myself inside the farmhouse, set in the 50s with vinyl tiles in the kitchen. Tiny glass beads were pouring down the walls like a fountain of little critters, a living wall of creativity. I ran my hand along the wall and was impressed by the movement. I guess that's sort of what's happening to me right now; I'm definitely feeling creative, and usually when this cycle starts it's all-consuming. So I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, and also enjoy the trippy dreams I get to partake in.
Health is the field of lavender. And if I keep going back, filling myself up, I will get the job done. :)
This is definitely what I've learned over the past year, on my raw journey. Here's more, broken down.
*Appliances*
-Blender. Got lots of usage. I was always into making smoothies, but I also started using it for recipes. If you don't have one already, I would recommend getting a good quality one with many options as opposed to only a few speeds. I use it several times a week. I need to purchase a food processor. The shape of the blender makes it difficult to work with at times whereas the food processor would just make my life easier.
-Black and Decker juicer: $2 from a garage sale. I call it a baby-juicer because you have to cut up the foods pretty thin to fit it into the machine. It works great, although I don't use it often. I'm glad I only spent 2 bucks on it. Definitely a good deal!
-Rice cooker: Got it for Christmas from my mom and have used it often, it's great for days where I don't feel like making food for myself. I usually manage to find the motivation to measure out and throw the rice and water in. I've also used it for quinoa. I've substituted cravings for pasta with whole grain rice. It's filling and nutritious, whereas pasta leaves me feeling bloated and hungry for more.
-Coffee grinder: Totally useful, beyond grinding coffee. I've used it for nuts, herbs and surely can be used for much more. Dry ingredients I would guess.
-Dehydrator: Fun and I use it often, the brand I have (Top Chef) sells for around $45-60 at department stores. Depending on your lifestyle, and your level of adventure in the kitchen, you may or may not wind up using it. It's great for making snacks, dried fruit and veggies, and lots of raw recipes, but start small. I will more than likely buy an Excalibur when this one dies, but honestly I couldn't be happier with this starter dehydrator. The Excalibur is the Rolls-Royce of dehydrators, but costs above $250 and you have to order them online. The only downside to the de-hy that I have is that I have to measure out parchment paper to line the bottom of the tray if I'm making something like bread or crackers, otherwise it'll fall through. But it's no big deal. Kale chips are by far the best thing I've discovered and the zucchini bread is the most impressive.
-Camera: Very useful to document recipes and progress! I have a lot of fun taking pictures and trying to make the food look appetizing. Most of the time it works except for that really disgusting picture of papaya I took. It looks like insides.
-Kettle: Every home should have one. Even if you're a fast-food-college-kid-couch-potato. Drinking tea. It's spiritual. Tea is a big part of my life and I hope to one day replace coffee with it almost completely. God I love coffee.
-Fridge: Kept it fairly clean, happy to see how green it gets after doing groceries.
-Misc.: Good knives are a must, and dishes you love eating off of. That goes for your entire kitchen. Make it a space you love being in.
One purchase at a time, try it out, start small, use containers, compost, etc.
*New Foods I Love*
-QUINOA! It's the bombdiddy. An ancient supergrain, it's a complete protein and tastes delicious. Try it if you haven't yet, it cooks like rice and I'm starting to see it in mainstream grocery stores, probably found in the organic section. You have to rinse it before you cook it, because there's a chemical called saponin that coats the grain and it's not good for you. It's natural though. But still. Anyway, you'll find all kinds of recipes all over the place nowadays, and remember: It's pronounced KEEN-WAH! My poor dad had a stroke last summer and had the hardest time retaining the pronunciation. I once spent a good five minute coaching him through it. I think he's finally got it, and is doing fine, in case you were wondering. KEEN-WAH!
-Hemp seeds. Raw cashews. Medjool dates. Figs. Guava. Ground flax. Kale. Avocados. Black rice. Granola.
-Still love chocolate. That will never change. Apparently people who crave chocolate could be magnesium-deficient, and not just hopeless romantics.
*People*
-Ani Phyo: Got me hooked on rawness. You can check out her youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/aniphyo. She's super down-to-earth and charming.
-Tonya Kay: A raw vegan goddess who makes me want to be a little bit more badass every day. http://www.facebook.com/grapespacecoaster. She's sort of a street/circus performer and a burlesque dancer. Based in LA, had a cameo in Glee.
-Jae Steele: Montrealer/Torontonian. She wrote a few books with great recipes, Get it Ripe and Ripe from Around Here. Both have vegan recipes and tips on healthy living. Also has a helpful key to see which recipes are gluten-free, nightshade-free, raw, etc.
-Brendan Brazier: http://www.brendanbrazier.com/. He's a Canadian raw triathlete who's developed a whole line of sport health foods called Vega and written a book called the Thrive Diet, a whole foods approach to living with an emphasis on stress-reduction. Lots of accomplishments. I got to see him speak last year at Ruby Foos with my friend Carolyn. That was pretty rad.
-Rachel Avalon: http://www.facebook.com/HolisticLivingWithRachelAvalon. Another cool lady who's very eco-oriented. Well-spoken too.
-Friends and family: Lately there's been a surge of people I know showing interest in raw foods and what I'm doing. It's so encouraging and makes me feel great to know that maybe I'm opening a door for someone. That's also why I think it's good timing for the blog. So thanks, loves!
*Successes*
-Weight loss. Not that this was my main motivation for eating more whole foods, but it's such a nice side effect. I have lost and kept off ten pounds in the past year. Obviously it fluctuates, especially if there's cookies involved, but I'm learning that the number on the scale is so not important, it's how I feel that counts. Some mornings I'll wake up feeling particularly slim, and excitedly step onto the scale only to feel totally discouraged because of the number I see. This morning I weighed 135 pounds. I'm going to own it. I have spent many years ashamed of my weight and self-conscious of my rear end, but now I proudly strut it because I feel good inside and out. Boo-yah.
-Learning to love myself. I never understood it when I would hear "you have to love yourself before someone else can," because I never knew how to actually start loving myself. I thought maybe I needed to hug myself more often and tell myself good things. And that's kind of how it started to grow. I've always had a lot of self-respect and dignity, but to really love myself, to me, means to be gentle. Be forgiving. Be patient with myself. And now I feel it. I don't think it's something you can teach someone how to do. It's a process and a practice and is different for everyone.
-Stress reduction. The naturopath I saw taught me an awesome trick that I like to pass on to the kids I work with: buy some stickers. A few. Put them in places that you will occasionally glance at throughout the day, like the fridge door, travel mug, rearview mirror, etc. Every time you notice it, take 4 slow, deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. It takes 15 seconds. 15 seconds of deep breathing and you're set. It helped prevent me from getting overly anxious and stressed out. Eventually it just becomes a habit. I know I can rely on deep breathing when I'm feeling tense because those stickers helped me practice. I put mine on my car's rearview mirror. It's still there.
I also light candles in my room, write a helluva lot more, talk to God and the universe, listen to awesome music, sing, and take my dog to the dog park almost daily ('cept in the winter cuz it's frikken cold), where I relax and enjoy the sights. I no longer smoke a pack of cigarettes and drink a bottle of wine on Friday nights. LOL. I spent a few weeks in January not going out and not consuming any alcohol at all and it gave me the chance to appreciate weekend mornings a little better and I was truly far more productive.
Another thing I do is take myself out on dates. Most times they're not planned, and I just find myself somewhere enjoyable and decide to call it a date and it makes me feel special. Hanging out at a cafe by myself, people-watching, writing, or walking around, checking out shops and whatnot is peaceful to me. I'm about due for another one, come to think of it.
*Challenges*
-Detoxing. I tried the Master Cleanse in the summer, when Montreal was hit with a 40-degree heatwave. That was probably the craziest thing I've done to myself, way more intense than getting tattoos and piercings, believe it or not. I decided to try it out at exactly the same time I'd committed to helping my cousin Jenna paint her house. So combine the physical labour, light paint fumes, and stifling heat with the fact that I wasn't consuming anything except the lemonade, laxative teas, and salt-water flushes, and I was bound for failure. I lasted three days, which is a major accomplishment all things considered, but a foolish time to try a detox. Someday I'll try again, but I might try a juice fast instead. I'm not sure yet. All in good time.
-Consistently preparing food. Yikes. This was definitely a challenge. Eating raw food means you need to be creative with your ingredients and willing to give your meals some time to prepare. Every raw recipe I've made has been super simple, but sometimes I just don't flippin' feel like chopping vegetables. But as I mentioned, I've learned to go easy on myself, and be more forgiving. I go through spurts where I'm super organized, and making regular stops at the market for food, to times where I steal Kraft dinner from my mom because I'm too lazy to do anything about it. So weird. But it's a process and I'm okay with it. Overall I eat very healthy and the occasional comfort food ain't gonna kill me.
-Winter! It's cold! Sometimes I just want soup!
*Future Goals*
-Taking a yoga class. That leap will come, but somehow I'm treating it as if I'm going to get a tattoo. I think about it for a while, see if the idea sticks, then develop a plan, and finally take the plunge. But both tattoos I have are pretty huge so I'm confident that when I finally do commit to going to yoga it will be epic.
-Working on a farm. That dream I had last night is also a dream I have in reality. I would really like to have the experience of working on an organic fruit and vegetable farm to watch and take part in the process. I'm lucky enough to have my summers free due to my awesome job, so I'll have time available to volunteer. The idea of pulling a carrot straight out of the Earth and taking a big crisp bite is really inspiring to me. I can't wait.
-I want to go back to school and study holistic nutrition. Get some street cred. And finally, I want to travel the world and eat raw food. Nuff said.
*Wrap it Up*
This first year has been amazing and I know that there's so much out there that I have barely scratched the surface. I barely nicked it.
My life is in motion. The wheels are turning and things are happening. I trust the process.
Peace and love,
Katie
I've always had a strong relationship with the moon. I know that might sound funny, but it's been a constant source of support throughout my life. More so than the sun, because you can actually look at the moon, and it plays a role in many of my memories. I often talk to it, and can remember distinct times where its beauty brought me to tears. Set among so many brilliant stars, the moon and the night sky is just as beautiful to me as any natural landscape I've seen on Earth. Mind you, I haven't traveled much, but as it stands, it's my fave for now.
Just before waking up to start my day, I had a wonderful dream. I was surrounded by a field of daisies, snowpeas and lavender. I had gone there to work, picking the lavender buds without a bucket and only using the palm of my hand. I remember thinking this made no sense, where would I put all the buds? I would have to leave the field many times just to keep refilling my palm. But I did it anyway. Next I found myself inside the farmhouse, set in the 50s with vinyl tiles in the kitchen. Tiny glass beads were pouring down the walls like a fountain of little critters, a living wall of creativity. I ran my hand along the wall and was impressed by the movement. I guess that's sort of what's happening to me right now; I'm definitely feeling creative, and usually when this cycle starts it's all-consuming. So I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, and also enjoy the trippy dreams I get to partake in.
Health is the field of lavender. And if I keep going back, filling myself up, I will get the job done. :)
This is definitely what I've learned over the past year, on my raw journey. Here's more, broken down.
*Appliances*
-Blender. Got lots of usage. I was always into making smoothies, but I also started using it for recipes. If you don't have one already, I would recommend getting a good quality one with many options as opposed to only a few speeds. I use it several times a week. I need to purchase a food processor. The shape of the blender makes it difficult to work with at times whereas the food processor would just make my life easier.
-Black and Decker juicer: $2 from a garage sale. I call it a baby-juicer because you have to cut up the foods pretty thin to fit it into the machine. It works great, although I don't use it often. I'm glad I only spent 2 bucks on it. Definitely a good deal!
-Rice cooker: Got it for Christmas from my mom and have used it often, it's great for days where I don't feel like making food for myself. I usually manage to find the motivation to measure out and throw the rice and water in. I've also used it for quinoa. I've substituted cravings for pasta with whole grain rice. It's filling and nutritious, whereas pasta leaves me feeling bloated and hungry for more.
-Coffee grinder: Totally useful, beyond grinding coffee. I've used it for nuts, herbs and surely can be used for much more. Dry ingredients I would guess.
-Dehydrator: Fun and I use it often, the brand I have (Top Chef) sells for around $45-60 at department stores. Depending on your lifestyle, and your level of adventure in the kitchen, you may or may not wind up using it. It's great for making snacks, dried fruit and veggies, and lots of raw recipes, but start small. I will more than likely buy an Excalibur when this one dies, but honestly I couldn't be happier with this starter dehydrator. The Excalibur is the Rolls-Royce of dehydrators, but costs above $250 and you have to order them online. The only downside to the de-hy that I have is that I have to measure out parchment paper to line the bottom of the tray if I'm making something like bread or crackers, otherwise it'll fall through. But it's no big deal. Kale chips are by far the best thing I've discovered and the zucchini bread is the most impressive.
-Camera: Very useful to document recipes and progress! I have a lot of fun taking pictures and trying to make the food look appetizing. Most of the time it works except for that really disgusting picture of papaya I took. It looks like insides.
-Kettle: Every home should have one. Even if you're a fast-food-college-kid-couch-potato. Drinking tea. It's spiritual. Tea is a big part of my life and I hope to one day replace coffee with it almost completely. God I love coffee.
-Fridge: Kept it fairly clean, happy to see how green it gets after doing groceries.
-Misc.: Good knives are a must, and dishes you love eating off of. That goes for your entire kitchen. Make it a space you love being in.
One purchase at a time, try it out, start small, use containers, compost, etc.
*New Foods I Love*
-QUINOA! It's the bombdiddy. An ancient supergrain, it's a complete protein and tastes delicious. Try it if you haven't yet, it cooks like rice and I'm starting to see it in mainstream grocery stores, probably found in the organic section. You have to rinse it before you cook it, because there's a chemical called saponin that coats the grain and it's not good for you. It's natural though. But still. Anyway, you'll find all kinds of recipes all over the place nowadays, and remember: It's pronounced KEEN-WAH! My poor dad had a stroke last summer and had the hardest time retaining the pronunciation. I once spent a good five minute coaching him through it. I think he's finally got it, and is doing fine, in case you were wondering. KEEN-WAH!
-Hemp seeds. Raw cashews. Medjool dates. Figs. Guava. Ground flax. Kale. Avocados. Black rice. Granola.
-Still love chocolate. That will never change. Apparently people who crave chocolate could be magnesium-deficient, and not just hopeless romantics.
*People*
-Ani Phyo: Got me hooked on rawness. You can check out her youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/aniphyo. She's super down-to-earth and charming.
-Tonya Kay: A raw vegan goddess who makes me want to be a little bit more badass every day. http://www.facebook.com/grapespacecoaster. She's sort of a street/circus performer and a burlesque dancer. Based in LA, had a cameo in Glee.
-Jae Steele: Montrealer/Torontonian. She wrote a few books with great recipes, Get it Ripe and Ripe from Around Here. Both have vegan recipes and tips on healthy living. Also has a helpful key to see which recipes are gluten-free, nightshade-free, raw, etc.
-Brendan Brazier: http://www.brendanbrazier.com/. He's a Canadian raw triathlete who's developed a whole line of sport health foods called Vega and written a book called the Thrive Diet, a whole foods approach to living with an emphasis on stress-reduction. Lots of accomplishments. I got to see him speak last year at Ruby Foos with my friend Carolyn. That was pretty rad.
-Rachel Avalon: http://www.facebook.com/HolisticLivingWithRachelAvalon. Another cool lady who's very eco-oriented. Well-spoken too.
-Friends and family: Lately there's been a surge of people I know showing interest in raw foods and what I'm doing. It's so encouraging and makes me feel great to know that maybe I'm opening a door for someone. That's also why I think it's good timing for the blog. So thanks, loves!
*Successes*
-Weight loss. Not that this was my main motivation for eating more whole foods, but it's such a nice side effect. I have lost and kept off ten pounds in the past year. Obviously it fluctuates, especially if there's cookies involved, but I'm learning that the number on the scale is so not important, it's how I feel that counts. Some mornings I'll wake up feeling particularly slim, and excitedly step onto the scale only to feel totally discouraged because of the number I see. This morning I weighed 135 pounds. I'm going to own it. I have spent many years ashamed of my weight and self-conscious of my rear end, but now I proudly strut it because I feel good inside and out. Boo-yah.
-Learning to love myself. I never understood it when I would hear "you have to love yourself before someone else can," because I never knew how to actually start loving myself. I thought maybe I needed to hug myself more often and tell myself good things. And that's kind of how it started to grow. I've always had a lot of self-respect and dignity, but to really love myself, to me, means to be gentle. Be forgiving. Be patient with myself. And now I feel it. I don't think it's something you can teach someone how to do. It's a process and a practice and is different for everyone.
-Stress reduction. The naturopath I saw taught me an awesome trick that I like to pass on to the kids I work with: buy some stickers. A few. Put them in places that you will occasionally glance at throughout the day, like the fridge door, travel mug, rearview mirror, etc. Every time you notice it, take 4 slow, deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. It takes 15 seconds. 15 seconds of deep breathing and you're set. It helped prevent me from getting overly anxious and stressed out. Eventually it just becomes a habit. I know I can rely on deep breathing when I'm feeling tense because those stickers helped me practice. I put mine on my car's rearview mirror. It's still there.
I also light candles in my room, write a helluva lot more, talk to God and the universe, listen to awesome music, sing, and take my dog to the dog park almost daily ('cept in the winter cuz it's frikken cold), where I relax and enjoy the sights. I no longer smoke a pack of cigarettes and drink a bottle of wine on Friday nights. LOL. I spent a few weeks in January not going out and not consuming any alcohol at all and it gave me the chance to appreciate weekend mornings a little better and I was truly far more productive.
Another thing I do is take myself out on dates. Most times they're not planned, and I just find myself somewhere enjoyable and decide to call it a date and it makes me feel special. Hanging out at a cafe by myself, people-watching, writing, or walking around, checking out shops and whatnot is peaceful to me. I'm about due for another one, come to think of it.
*Challenges*
-Detoxing. I tried the Master Cleanse in the summer, when Montreal was hit with a 40-degree heatwave. That was probably the craziest thing I've done to myself, way more intense than getting tattoos and piercings, believe it or not. I decided to try it out at exactly the same time I'd committed to helping my cousin Jenna paint her house. So combine the physical labour, light paint fumes, and stifling heat with the fact that I wasn't consuming anything except the lemonade, laxative teas, and salt-water flushes, and I was bound for failure. I lasted three days, which is a major accomplishment all things considered, but a foolish time to try a detox. Someday I'll try again, but I might try a juice fast instead. I'm not sure yet. All in good time.
-Consistently preparing food. Yikes. This was definitely a challenge. Eating raw food means you need to be creative with your ingredients and willing to give your meals some time to prepare. Every raw recipe I've made has been super simple, but sometimes I just don't flippin' feel like chopping vegetables. But as I mentioned, I've learned to go easy on myself, and be more forgiving. I go through spurts where I'm super organized, and making regular stops at the market for food, to times where I steal Kraft dinner from my mom because I'm too lazy to do anything about it. So weird. But it's a process and I'm okay with it. Overall I eat very healthy and the occasional comfort food ain't gonna kill me.
-Winter! It's cold! Sometimes I just want soup!
*Future Goals*
-Taking a yoga class. That leap will come, but somehow I'm treating it as if I'm going to get a tattoo. I think about it for a while, see if the idea sticks, then develop a plan, and finally take the plunge. But both tattoos I have are pretty huge so I'm confident that when I finally do commit to going to yoga it will be epic.
-Working on a farm. That dream I had last night is also a dream I have in reality. I would really like to have the experience of working on an organic fruit and vegetable farm to watch and take part in the process. I'm lucky enough to have my summers free due to my awesome job, so I'll have time available to volunteer. The idea of pulling a carrot straight out of the Earth and taking a big crisp bite is really inspiring to me. I can't wait.
-I want to go back to school and study holistic nutrition. Get some street cred. And finally, I want to travel the world and eat raw food. Nuff said.
*Wrap it Up*
This first year has been amazing and I know that there's so much out there that I have barely scratched the surface. I barely nicked it.
My life is in motion. The wheels are turning and things are happening. I trust the process.
Peace and love,
Katie
A fun read. You have talent Katie. Your adventure this past year may make you famous
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to read about all of your reflections on this bold commitment to yourself, and the strength you continue to take from it :) You're incredible. Re: the working on a farm - have you heard about wwoofing? I had a friend who did it for a summer on the gulf islands off the coast of Vancouver and she loved it! I majorly regret not using one of my summers to give it a try. And re: yoga-- don't make it out to be something too exotic or intimidating! Try Moksha, here in Halifax they are amazingly welcoming to new comers and every class I go to has a first time yoga-er in it. Maybe it could be your next Katie-date? xo
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