Yesterday was a bit rougher than I had expected. My theory is that, because I’ve been eating so many raw foods and detoxing already lately, this cleanse was kicked into high-gear from the beginning. They say you’ll crave that which you are detoxing from. I was craving salad and hummus all day. Mostly, though, I felt grumpy and a uneasy at not eating all day.
Well, I’ve lost a couple pounds already (I believe that half will return as soon as the cleanse if over). The real test so far today was a trip to the store for more maple syrup and lemons. I thought that might test my will, but it didn’t seem to. So, here’s to day 2 and a healthier body!

Tomorrow, I am beginning the Master Cleanse. I just returned from the grocery store and am ready with mint tea, lemons, maple syrup and cayenne! Looking forward to this as lately I am feeling a bit weighed down, both physically and emotionally. I see these next couple weeks as a time to cleanse both the body and mind. Surely, much of this has to do with the approach of winter and recent life changes as well as illness in those I love.

I’d also like to take some time to think about the sort of diet I want to return to after the cleanse. I’ve been eating vegan for a few months now and have really come to enjoy the food. However, I first stared eating mostly raw foods with some cooked vegan food. However, as the days have gotten colder, I find myself drawn to heavier vegan food - cooked starches and soy products. Overall, I’m not feeling as vibrant as I was with lighter and less cooked foods. Of course, the holidays didn’t help!

I know I can make it! I’ve tried the cleanse, but it was only for 2 days (at the end of a couple week detox). This will be the longest I’ve gone without eating and I am excited about the challenge and the break. I love cooking, but can often find the focuses on finding healthy food each day to be time-consuming. With the extra time, I plan to read more, take baths and paint.

Weddings seems to come with the need for much paper: save the dates and invitations with their various inserts and whatnot. We decided to put much of this information online and save some trees while we’re at it.

Instead of printing up a save the date card, we sent ours out as a designed email. This was actually quite fun. Not only did I feel good about the decision, but we were also able to put much information online on our wedding website, such as event information and directions that might otherwise become printed inserts in an invitation. I absolutely enjoyed designing these pages and am also excited that that can be updated (unlike a paper version).

While we may end up printing paper invitations, it is exiting to know that there are socially conscious printers right here in Portland.

I’ve really been concentrating on trying to leave less of a footprint with my lifestyle. With two big changes recently - buying a house and getting engaged - there are countless choices for making choices that are good for the environment and our health. Over the next five months, I’ll be sharing our experience as we try to have both a wedding we can afford, enjoy and one that is as environmentally conscientious as possible.

Our first major hurdle was that of an engagement ring. I had heard previously that the diamond trade was fairly brutal, but I don’t own any, so I didn’t think much about it. However, I had a hard time thinking of a different stone that I would want on a wedding ring. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get anywhere asking the folks at the local mall jewelry store about this (remembering blank stares when I told a woman at Victoria Secret that I didn’t want to be on their mailing list because the used old-growth trees for their catalogs. She actually said, “Well, I don’t event know what old-growth is” - but I digress…)

Enter metalsmith Amy Tavern to save the day. Not only is Amy a fantastic local designer, but she can also put a conflict-free diamond in your wedding ring. This is really exciting, as we were able to work with someone local and feel good about where the diamond is coming from. Knowing that this ring is going to be with me for life, it really is uplifting to know that it is starting in a good place, rather than wondering who lost their life for my fancy ring.

I’ve been on a vegan, partially raw foods diet for a few months now and am feeling great. One change has caught me off guard has been weight loss. Ray and I have both lost over 20 pounds since starting this new diet. Sure, this feels great, but I was completely unprepared and hadn’t realized the consequences of such a change. Emotionally, it has been weird. I’m not sure what to say to people that want to try our diet. The moment I start talking about eating raw/vegan and all the health benefits, eyes glaze over and friends start slowly backing away.
The one that has really shocked me is that my clothes just stopped fitting. This was actually pretty stressful; I had a relationship with some of these clothes and some had just been bought last year. So, to get real with myself, I created a too big pile in the back of my closet and started throwing everything I tried on that didn’t fit. I’m still not exactly sure what to do with all of these - I mean, my favorite jeans in the world are in that pile, but they’re at least separated out now.

OK, so I’ve had to get over the initial shock and overall, starting over has been quite rewarding. I’m not a big shopper by nature (or wallet), so most of my wardrobe was slowly collected over years - mostly gifts or sales. Starting basically from scratch has made me realize that I haven’t really loved most of my clothes - they just weren’t a reflection of who I am now. So, over the last couple months, I’ve been slowly built my wearable wardrobe to exactly 2 pairs of pants, 2 dresses and a few shirts. I’ve got to tell you, though, I adore every one of these items - they feel like me!

A recent Christmas shopping trip in NW Portland felt like a dream. From Seaplane came the most amazing hoodie ever, along with a funky new lavendar cable hat. And, finally a dress that fits from The English Department. I’m afraid this could get addictive.
Overall, the body change has been a good thing and some fun with fashion has come out of it. However, such drastic and quick changes are not something to take lightly. Had I anticipated such drastic changes, it may have been a bit smoother of a transition.

I’ve been reading a lot of personal finance books lately and I realized that, in many ways, I’ve gone about my own finances pretty haphazzardly. For example, I keep sending large chunks of money to my student loan and then using credit cards to buy clothes. Huh? In my reading, I kept hearing about paying off debt with the highest interest rate first - and that won’t be your student loan! So, I am excited to say that today I just wrote my last check to pay off my final credit card bill. Feels good!

My plan now is to only put on those cards what I am willing to pay off at the end of the month - or to use cash. Here’s to a better tomorrow!

We (Needmore Designs) have just released a a social recipe sharing website for raw foods! Take a look - I’ve got a ton of recipes up there already and will be adding more each week.

goneraw.com

I’m really excited to see what delights others put up there - I have a goal of making one new recipe from the site each week.

Wrapping up the short series on raw burgers are a couple condiments - ketchup and cheese.

Ketchup - UPDATE: This recipe has been moved to Gone Raw, our new raw recipe sharing site.

Sunflower Seed Cheese - Combine the following thouroughly in a high-speed blender, adding the sunflower seeds lasts.

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Nama Shoyu or Braggs
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds, very finely ground in a food processor

This raw onion bread is hearty and delicious! Use this bread as a burger bun, for vegetable sandwiches or cut into smaller pieces and dip into hummus.

UPDATE: This recipe has been moved to Gone Raw, our new raw recipe sharing site.

Recipe book back in hand, here is the recipe one in the burger series, an incredibly versitile recipe that can be spread on a teflex sheet to create a nut loaf or formed into burger patties.

• 1.5 cups raw almonds (soaked for 3-4 hours, drained and dried)
• 1.5 cups raw walnuts (soaked for 3-4 hours, drained and dried)
• 1.5 cups raw sunflower seeds (soaked for 3-4 hours, drained and dried)
• 2.5 cups portobello mushrooms, briefly marinated in 2-3 T Nama Shoyu
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cups chopped celery
• .5 bunch parsley, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 T cumin seed
• 1 cup Nama Shoyu
• .5 bunch tarragon, stems removed and leaves chopped
• .5 t cayenne pepper

Preparation: Using and green star juicer and the homogenizing attachment, homogenize the almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds. Then, mix with rest of ingredients. Spread mixture evenly on Teflex sheet (or make burger patties - about 12). Dehydrate at 100°F for 12 hours. Flip the tray over on an empty tray and gently peel the Teflex sheet off. Return to the dehydrator for another 20 hours.

My Take: I don’t have a green star juicer, so all of those nuts just got tossed in a food processor - maybe that’s why mine were a bit crumbly, but in between all of the other burger toppings, that turns out fine. And, I didn’t notice that I was supposed to use cumin seed, so the powder was used instead.

The book says that this recipe is for 4 servings, but I’d say there are more like 12! These worked out so well - even the neighbors ate burgers with us at our first ever garage sale last weekend! This is a fantastic recipe to make over the weekend and have on hand throughout a busy week.