Moved

Because I am having problems with the layout on this blog I have decided to move to RawBluebell, so click here at RAWBLUEBELL and follow me there. I am starting my challenge with pics etc there and maybe the occasional video. I am still having problems with this blog, it keeps squashing everything up.....GRRRRR

Since Sunday

I have been rather busy over these last few days what with visiting, receiving visitors, grocery shopping, goody shopping, grandchildren, housework etc.

Monday was full on housework and a quick visit to Tesco for some Buckwheat.
Tuesday was full on all day shopping. Asda first thing in the morning, home to put groceries away. I then picked up Michael's girlfriend and my grandson and we went to Costco, Tesco, the Nutri centre and Argos then home again to do housework.
Wednesday Had grandchildren here for a visit, housework.
Thursday we went to Michael's.
Friday we had a visitor, took the car for it's MOT...passed....phew!! Went for a little run in the car then housework.

My eldest and youngest grandchildren, Ebony and baby Michael stayed overnight last night and at this present moment they are playing, Michael is in hysterics at something.

I decided to buy a work station/kitchen island on Tuesday. My OH took the kitchen table down and we put the island in it's place, so I now have extra cupboard space and an extra work surface....I LOVE it!!










This is a pic from the store but I will take my own pic of it soon.
I am hoping to get raw recipes done tomorrow as I might JUST manage to get some time to myself to do things I want to do.

UPDATED LATER IN THE DAY
We have been to my dads tonight, he is SOO funny and always cheerful, no matter what is going on in his life.
We have also been to A&E at the hospital to get my OH's leg checked out, he has torn the muscle in his calf and it is bruised from the knee down, it looks rather nasty.

I will make sure I am back tomorrow!!!!!

Newcastle And Pictures

Sorry I haven't been around for the last so many days, one day has led to another and before I knew it a good few days had passed.....CRAZY!

My dizziness had more or less gone but today it is flaring up again...totally puzzled as to why, but it has!

After watching a You Tube video where John was testing two types of Dehydrators, one being an Excalibur this made me aware that the temperatures could fluctuate which then prompted me to want to go and buy a digital thermometer. I done a search and found that Lakeland sell the digital thermometers that do everything except load the dish washer...teehee but the main thing that this digital thermometer does is that I can set it to a certain temperature and when my Excalibur reaches that temperature the digital thermometer will bleep and tell me if the temperature goes above the set temp. If you want to check out the you tube then click HERE
Here is a pic of the digital thermometer I bought incase anyone else is thinking of buying one to check their dehydrators.





















I was rather pleased to see that Lakeland in Newcastle had the digital thermomters because we were going there anyway to take Adam and James to the 'Science Museum' which was very good. Halfway through our visit a HUUUUGE, GIANT robot walked in, it looked like Robocop. It walked very fast and loud thumps were heard with each step....very scary, I was scared anyway...what a sook eh? It was all part of the science fun, I think I have decided that I dont like science anymore!!.....TeeHee I didn't get any pics of the robot because LUCKILY we were on the second floor....THANK GOODNESS!! And I would have only just been able to get a photo of the top of it....not that I would have minded that....teehee and anyway there was NOOOO way that I was going to go anywhere near it and if it had been able to get up to the second floor then I would have ran quick smart and out the building...OH MY...YES! MAMMA!!! Anyway, I did get other pics, so here are a few:





















A few dates.
















An old printing machine.
















Oliver Cromwell's death mask.....EEEEUUUUWWWW!
















A Victorian till....FAB!
















Victorian dress....BEAUTIFUL!
















The Printers.
















A jet engine.





















A Victorian classroom.

I am going to make Sauerkraut tonight...WooHoo.

The Raw Food

I have been SOO busy lately and I haven't barely had 5 minutes to myself, anyway, I have been starting to make my raw recipes that I had chosen to make. I started with the yogurt but I made it too thick, so no pic for that, I will make it thinner next time, then the eggless salad, well, sorry guys no pic for that either because it was SOO delicous, I ate it before taking a pic....teehee I will be making that again soon so I will post a pic then.
I also made Ruby's Raw Granola which is absolutely FANTASTIC! I am not sure if I can share the recipe with you but I will find out and get back to you!
















YUM! This is SOOO MUCH TASTIER and BETTER etc etc than any bought granola.

My OH has just come back with some new kitchen weighing scales for me...WooHoo I have had 4 sets of Weight Watchers kitchen scales from my Weight Watcher days in the last few years and they haven't lasted at all and they are expensive, so this time I decided NOT to buy any more Weight Watchers scales and buy a set of Salter kitchen digital scales.
I make a lot of raw recipes that just measure in cups which is great but some recipes measure in kg's but I am from the old school and I measure in lb's and ounces. I have the dial scales but I just CANNOT get away with measuring weights in kg's using dial scales, so new scales to measure in both kg's, lb's and ounces are what I needed and the beauty of these new scales are that they also measure fluids (aquatronic scales) BRILLIANT! Whatever next?

I will try to get back later today with pics etc as I am going to be making raw recipes using my new Salter digital kitchen scales.

Need To Be Prepared

Our grandchildren came to visit last night and when they visit they are here for quite some time, then by the time I have made the families evening meal and suppers and my OH's packed lunch for the next day it is then way too late for me to eat and in turn makes things harder for me to prepare my raw foods, I didn't even get my raw yogurt started, so I have decided that today is the day to be prepared and have raw foods prepared. My dad is visiting today so after he has left I will get into that kitchen and get raw fooding.

The time now is 9.52am and all I have done up to now is housework.

Back later today!!

"Lets Get Real Peeps" & Pressie

I got up this morning at 6.15am and I am still dizzy, (ear troubles) have been since I first mentioned it and it doesn't seem to be getting any better, I think it has been about 2 weeks now and could last a LOT longer.
I had a cup of coffee and then I got in the shower and when I was getting out of the shower the inside of my left knee pained and kept paining for a couple of hours for absolutely NO reason at all - I am constantly tired and constantly battling with myself to stay awake, I suffer with headaches AND migraines and I am on anti-depressants.
I am SOOO fed up with having one ailment after another so I have decided that it is, "TIME TO GET REAL" time to get into a healthy lifestyle at least 99.9%, can't officially call it 100% because some raw foods aren't officially 100% raw i.e. some nori sheets, rolled oats etc.

I have slipped again over the last few days and I have been slowly eating more cooked and processed foods, I wouldn't care but I am not even enjoying them. Whenever I have been good for a few days, I then blow it and pick at more cooked and processed foods and spoil all the good that I have done.....madness!

I am sitting here typing this and I can feel the dizziness, it's AWFUL!!
It is now 9.37am. I felt a tad acidy in my tummy earlier so I had a banana which has helped for now but I will be having more later.

I have compiled a list of all the raw recipes that I am going to make and try over a period of time, including some of my favourite raw recipes. I want to go raw so therefore I have GOT to do this and go raw, my health is suffering.

I am not sure if I could give up coffee at the moment but time will tell, the main thing is that I don't eat cooked and processed foods, these are doing me no favours at all because when I am raw for a few days I can difinitely feel an immediate, positive and healthy difference, albeit small but it would be small over just a few days but then as soon as I eat cooked again I can definitely feel a sluggish, UN-healthy difference.

I will document what I feel, how I feel and my food etc.
I will be introducing exercise but I am giving that a tad longer until the dizziness has eased, or preferably gone!!

I might pop out for some green coconuts today, not sure.
I will be back later today, GOTTA document everything!

"TIME TO GET REAL!!!"

Cont....I got my other present that I was waiting for, here it is....WoooHooo
ABEBA'S BOOK.....YeeeeHaaaa
Inside the front cover Abeba has hand written a little message and signed it. Thankyou Abeba!

I also received a bottle of 'New Chapter All Flora capsules' that I ordered. These are recommended by LOADS of folk on the Raw Food Rehab and other raw food folk, so after buying lots of other "good" probiotics in this country and not getting the results I wanted I decided to search out the 'New Chapter All Flora' probiotics which I managed to find in this country.

I have been up to the shop for my green coconuts and bought what they had - 11...teehee. I will make the almond and coconut yogurt tonight and try the new probiotcs in it.

I have just had 2 banana's today and I am feeling rather hungry. I have been feeling very tired again....nothing new there then.

I will be back later today to update more.

A Motivational Start +

I watched this first thing this morning and WOW what a GREAT way to start my day!!
Check it out!



Also, here is a link for a couple of FREE E-books. Click: Raw Food Diet Way

Strawberry Powder....

...weigh in and a present.

I have noticed that some raw food online stores are selling Strawberry powder and because I had a few strawberries that needed using I decided to dehydrate them and grind them down to make my own strawberry powder. I will use this in raw icecream, cookies and maybe try making a fudge with this in. I also dehydrated a few raspberries.....WOW! These fruits take a long time to dehydrate.
















Below, a present from my hubby. It arrived today, I am rather excited about this.
















Diana Stobo 'Get Naked Fast'
More recipe's, a new DVD, ALWAYS GREAT to have DVD'S! Also Diana's book etc Oh! And nut milk bags, I needed some new nut milk bags...BRILLIANT!
I am still waiting for another little something, cant wait!

The dizziness is still there but not quite as bad, as soon as it has gone I will be able to start exercising. I am hoping it is going to clear up a lot quicker than it normally does!!

The weather today is rather nice, the sun is shinning which is unusual as it is dull so often lately. I LOVE it when it is sunny, I don't like it being too hot, cool and sunny does me.....PERFECT!

I have been good with my raw over these past few days and I am enjoying it and NOT craving the processed foods. Once I get over those first 3 or 4 days of not eating anything processed then I just don't seem to think about them or crave them, I actually start and want the healthier, cleaner, fresher foods.

On the scales this morning I have lost 3lb....WOOOHOOO

I might get back later today!

"Cheese & Wine"

I made the cheese last night and it has been fermenting all night and today. I am going to add Garlic and Herb to it because it will be exactly like a Boursin cheese. I cracked open a bottle of the Kombucha I bought last week or so and I have to say that this is a nice Kombucha, all that was missing was some raw crackers.





















My dizzy spells have come back these last couple of days and showing no signs of letting up. The last time I had dizzy spells it lasted 5 weeks and another time they lasted 7 weeks....5 and 7 weeks of dizzy spells, 1 day is bad enough!!! I have been to my GP about these but I have trouble with my ears and it is to do with that.

Raw Haul

I received more raw goodies this morning and over the last couple of days...I have such a generous Husband!
I bought a Pie bar from Raw Living last week and it was SOOO delicous I just had to buy some more...YUM! I ordered a few other bits and pieces at the same time.
















Also this morning I received my 5kg bag of Wheat Grass and Purple Corn Flour.





















This should last me some time, infact I still have some left in the other 5kg bag which has lasted for AAAGES!

Here are a few more pics. This pic is for the goodies I ordered and received from Vivapure. I placed an order with them last year and it took some time to get here but I found out that they had just started trading and were experiencing a few hiccups but I ordered again last week and this order came with no problems, so I will be using Vivapure again!! It is good to find a company that stocks products that are harder to find here in the UK. Coconut Nectar, Dulse Flakes. Oh! I ate the Chocolate Tree Cookies, so I took a pic of an empty packet...teehee but it lets you see that Vivapure stock Chocolate Tree products.
































I love Durian! Hence 4 cans. I also bought some bottles of Kombucha, I know I make my own but I wanted to compare and I can be lazy!
















Last but not least....check out that 1kg bag of Sundried Tomatoe's....FAAAAANTASTIC! It can be hard to find Sundried Tomatoe's that are not packed in oil and they are SOOO expensive for a tiny bag of them so when I found these, well, I wasn't NOT going to buy a bag.
More Irish Moss. After finding the Mayonnaise recipe on You Tube I just don't want to be without Irish Moss so I can make the mayonnaise whenever I want/need some.

Well then, I think I can safely say that I am well stocked up for the next couple of weeks.
I am still waiting for two more orders to arrive.

Today, I am washing laundry, I have already cleaned my floors this morning.
That is all for now, I may be back later today.

Willow Tree &....

The results from the pH test.
On Thursday morning I done the test for the acid levels in my body. I had to take two tests to get the result. The first strip read 6.50 which is a tad low and my second test read 7.25 which is a teeny tad high, the best reading to have is 7.0 - but anyway, I would say that these readings read an average of 7.0 so that is about right which I am very pleased about! So I am not acidic....YAY!!

Here is a pic of my Willow tree. It is still in a pot at the moment but I will get it planted in the garden very soon, it can actually be grown in pots anyway, so it is fine in the pot for now.





















I have been buying a few more bits and pieces so I will get a pic of those on here tomorrow and Monday.

The weather has been rather dull today which doesn't help with my depression and my eating so today has been a bit hit and miss but I am determinded to get my dehydrator cranked up this weekend.

Night Night for now

Some Buys

Yesterday I was so busy and in and out all day that I just didn't get time to update.
We got up bright and early yesterday morning and went grocery shopping before the pushing and shoving started. Straight to Asda for one big grocery shop. When we got back I unpacked everything and put it all away because I wanted to go to Costco also to stock up on fresh produce and I didn't want to be falling over groceries that still needed to be put away when I got back with yet more groceries from Costco. I always do a big shop at Costco.

Costco and another big fruit and veg shop done. I love Costco and the produce is excellent!
My fridge is now well stocked up and YES all of it will be eaten and not just by me, my family love salads. Adam and my OH also take salad sandwiches to work and college most days.





















Citrus, avocado, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, nuts, romain, tomatoes, mushrooms, fruits, courgettes, aubergines, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, celery etc etc I have to have the full fat milk, margarine etc for the family.

I always like to go to Tesco and the Nutri Centre on the way back from Costco (the Nutri Centre is inside of Tesco)
I got my Sweet Onions and a few other things from Tesco and some bits and pieces from The Nutri Centre.
Here is a pic of Tesco and the Nutri Centre buys yesterday also the Cool Oil and nuts from Holland & Barrett which I bought a few days ago. I also managed to find the Udo's oil in the Nutri Centre, pleased about that!!


















I have been looking for larger jars for when I am making my Kombucha tea, I also have been keeping my eye's open for stainless steel bowls....AT LAST! I found these items in Tesco.....FAB! I also spotted a box grater, I already have an electric box grater but this grater will be quicker when I need something done quickly. I did actually buy 4 of the jars but I am using one of them for the rejuvelac.

I also bought a GORGEOUS Willow tree from Tesco which I will show you tomorrow.



















Here is the box grater.












Here is my Rejuvelac which will be finished tomorrow evening. I am going to make Grezzo Cheese using Rejuvelac, recipe is from Allisa Cohen's new book.





















This morning I received an order from Raw Living.

















I bought a Zapper which has a lot of health benefits. It is meant to eliminate parasites in the body and I am thinking because I am tired all the time could that be the reason? This Zapper is also good for Candida and lots of other problems so surely I can only feel good by using this little thing. I am going to put it on the sole of my foot tonight (kept in place by wearing a sock)
I also bought pH strips to check the acid in the body.
As you can see I also bought Lecithin, Cacao Butter, 3 YUMMY jars of Rawtella....YUMMMMMY! And I decided to try the NEW Naked Pie bar.

Back tomorrow with more pics and a pic of the Willow tree.
Night Night

Another Busy Day

Another BEAUTIFUL bright and sunny day....BLISS!! My Daffodils are starting to grow.

Yep, another busy day.
When I got up this morning I had my Banana for Breakfast then took my Multi Vitamin pill. I had 2 more loads of laundry to do so I set that going..... All caught up now.
After setting the washing machine for the laundry I then checked emails and read the blogs etc that I like to read and then I done some general tidying around.

Last night I got my Wheat Grain soaking for the rejuvelac, I also have sprouts sprouting, I want to keep a constant supply of sprouts.

I am hoping to get out for a fresh supply of vegetables etc tomorrow so I decided to give my fridge a good ole clear out and clean......1 hour or so later and all done, well, it is an American fridge freezer so it is rather big hence the time it took. I took all the shelves etc out and took the glass out of the shelf holders to give them a good clean also so now it is all ready for fresh produce.

I think that is all for today, well I did say I would try to come back daily even if I have little to report.

Night Night until tomorrow

Shopping & Housework

Yesterday, my sister came to visit and she took me to a JTF cash & carry warehouse (my OH had out car) and of course I joined....FAAABULOUS! I am now a member of Costco AND JTF. Whilst in JTF I started spending....naughty! I bought 4 carriage lights for outside my front door and patio door. I bought a guillotine which does straight cuts, wavy cuts and perforation cuts, this will be very handy for James' schooling, I also bought a pair of shoes and other little bits & pieces. I have such trouble with shoes, I HATE buying new shoes because even the softest of shoes rip my feet to bits, I was buying Hush Puppies but these shoes are quite pricey but they are the best and my feet don't suffer with Hush Puppies, I might have to start buying those shoes again.
My OH hasn't installed the carriage lights today because the weather is horrible, it is raining and dull today.

When my OH came home we then popped along to Holland & Barrett's health food store where I bought an oil which is on the same par as Udo's oil, I am still going to order some Udo's oil. I bought some Hazelnuts whilst there so I can have a go at making my own Rawtella...YUM!
After Holland & Barrett we then went to visit my lovely dad who is doing well, he is at home now. On our way home from Dad's we popped into Asda because I needed some Spring Water so I can make some rejuvelac, I am going to make Grezzo Cheese from Allisa Cohens new book.

Today I have been busy none stop! I have cleaned my bathroom and the wall tiles, I have vaccumed the bedrooms and down the stairs and polished my laminate floors and not forgetting heaps of laundry, I now need to get on and make the families evening meal and then I will have a go at starting the rejuvelac and rawtella Oh! By the way I found a Sauerkraut video from the Anne Wigmore Institute, looks good, check it out here!



Well, that is me for now. I will post pics of things I make.

All Is Good

The sun has shone ALLLL day, it has been beautiful and just what I needed!
For the last couple days I haven't felt the urge to fall asleep during the day although I couldn't fall asleep yesterday anyway because I had my grandson, Michael, I LOVE that little tot!
I dozed off on Tuesday unfortunately....grrr I slept for 4.5 hours and when I got to bed that night I slept fairly well again which is very unusual for me because I don't usually sleep too well ANY night whether I have slept through the day or not and no matter how tired I am, so, things are looking up energy and sleep wise because the last few nights I have slept quite well, could it be the increased raw food?

I walked baby Michael to meet his grandad from work yesterday so a little exercise there. I am not starting my Zumba until the week after next, I feel I can be more committed to it then but in the meantime I will be as active as possible. I have been quite active yesterday and today with housework i.e. cleaning the patio doors, loo's, tiles and floors, washing and cleaning laminate floors, stripping beds etc etc.

I weighed in this morning and I am at 197.9lb - could be better!! I am now officially having Thursdays as my weigh in day, I like Thursdays!!

Tonight I am going to make and prepare to make some raw cheese sauces, Almond milk, Almond butter, Almond flour, marinated and dehydrated mushrooms and Mayonnaise, have to say, my last lot of mayo was so beautifully thick...YUM! I must be getting good at making mayo now.

I think that is all for now.

Week 1 - Zumba

Okay, I watched Bill on RFR and he showed how to do his 60 second exercises and so I tried them and PHEW! I really felt it but the worst of it is, I started to feel it after just about 25 seconds, so I came to the conclusion that I SERIOUSLY need to start an exercise programme, it's not as if I am short of a variety of DVD's or exercise equipment is it? I have HEAPS of stuff i.e. treadmills 2 of, electric and manual, vibration machine, leg master, ab roller, gym balls, pilate equipment, yoga equipment, pilates machine etc etc etc and for the DVD's I have Salsa, Aerobics, gym ball, pilates, yoga, belly dancing, step box, zumba etc etc etc the list goes on!!
I have decided to start the zumba programme which is as follows:

WEEK 1

Day 1
Zumba Basics DVD - followed by total body stretch

Day 2
Zumba Basics - followed by TBS

Day 3
Zumba 20 minute Express

Day 4
FREE DAY

Day 5
Zumba 20 minute Express

Day 6
FREE DAY

Day 7
Zumba 20 minute Express

So there you have it. Looks good!

Yesterday
I noticed we had a red light on our NEW (less than a year since it was installed) gas boiler, so my OH phoned British Gas at 6.30am they said they would send an engineer to check it but my OH had to tell them not to send anyone around until the afternoon because my OH had to go to work and I had to take my eldest son, Michael to the scrap yard for things for his car. I ended up sitting in the car waiting for Michael for 2 hours....pfft - After waiting for over an hour I was starting to get worried incase he had come to harm, scrap yards are dangerous places, so I went into the yard, a man came to help me and after chatting to the man he told me that Michael was still there and that he had got two items he wanted but he wanted more things...I had a feeling I had longer to wait after hearing that, and I did....gotta laugh! The things we do for our kids eh?

I got home for about lunch time and waited for the gas engineer who came at 2.00pm he told us the problem was nothing and fixed it within seconds. Finally I could get the heating back on.

Today we had our grandchildren around for a visit and I have my grandson, Michael for the afternoon tomorrow, that should be fun, it will be because baby Michael is so funny!!

Well, I just wanted to update you of my latest but I am now back daily, I have been missing not updating daily!!

Okay night night for now, back tomorrow.

Today

I found this today and just had to post it.

Audrey Hepburn's beauty tips...
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes..seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. ..... Remember if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older you will discover that you hve two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

You might also like to take a look at this blog if you are interested in raw and don't know how to plan your meals: Raw On $10 A Day

BACK LATER...

Yum Yum Raw Un-Baking

I made my raw goodie's...YUM!
Choccies in progress.
















I also made some choccies with a nut filling but I am filling these choccies with a delicous caramel cream filling...Yum.

For the caramel cream watch this You Tube for 'Raw Turtles.'
(if you want me to remove your video from my blog Colleen then just give me a shout)



Here is the end results of my choccies. I have cut one of the nut and one of the caramel choccies in half so you can see the centres.
































Ever so YUMILOUS onion bread. This is my favourite EVER!
















James LOVES these crackers.

Well, I have been raw all day today starting with a green juice this morning, onion bread at lunch time, snacks have been 2 persimmons and a few raw choccies and tonight I am going to make Penni's at RFR Eggless Salad from her 'Revolve To Evolve' e-book...YUM! WOW! All these delicous foods!!

I have done housework today and that is about it.
I will post a pic of my evening meal, eggless salad later or tomorrow.

Little Waster....

"Happy February peeps"

I'm no little waster. I made my green juice last night....2 jars full one of which I had this morning for Breakfast. I kept the pulp from the juice to make crackers with.....no waste there!

This evening I made my hubbies sandwiches for his lunch tomorrow and instead of putting the scraps into the bin or composter I grabbed a lock n lock tub out of the cupboard and I have put the lettuce spines, cucumber and bits of tomato into the tub and into the fridge, I will do this for a day or two and then I am going to make juice with it.....no waste there either.....I do believe I am getting the hang of all this, forward thinking.
I used the veg pulp from the juice last night to make the crackers tonight which are now in the dehydrator and will be done tomorrow. I followed Bills recipe, Bill is a member on RFR. I soaked some Chia seeds added the pulp, 2 mashed up avocado's, hemp seeds, salt, a little water, gave it all a thorough mixing and then spread it onto 3 dehydrator sheets, I think these are going to be lovely! I tasted a tad of the mix and it was delicous! That is the beauty of raw food, foods can be tasted/eaten as is or dehydrated, so tasting is good whereas if I were making a meat loaf for the family then I obviously couldn't taste the mix before it went into the oven because of the raw meat.....I would end up ill....BLEURGH!
I have also put 2 trays of onion bread into the dehydrator, like an oven, we gotta fill those babies up.
I have to say, my youngest son, James loves onion bread and I have also discovered he likes hemp seeds also....WOW! Of course he eats a few hemp seeds and walks away saying "I'm a raw foody now"....teehee

A couple of days ago when I made the raw choccies I had a couple of the choccies that mid morning, after eating them I noticed that I felt wide awake, alert and full of energy, the reason for this I am putting down to the Cacao, so I am going to make some more tonight and maybe have a small mid morning treat tomorrow morning to see if it is the Cacao that is making me alert. I am constantly tired and falling asleep mid mornings and I CAN NOT keep doing that, it isn't right!!

I will post pics of my crackers, onion bread and choccies tomorrow.

Okay, I'm going to quickly make some raw choccies and then to bed.
Night Night

Being A Bit Slow

I could have sworn it was the 30th today and I'm sure that even the date on my computer displayed the 30th......durrr - I doubt it somehow, I will put it down to brain strain...teehee - Oh! I know what it was.....my hubby had the use of our brain cell today....my turn tomorrow...teehee.
Well then, as it is 31st January today that obviously means it is 1st February tomorrow....WoooHooo - I am so pleased that we will be out of January, January is the longest, most dreary, depressing and draining month of the year, time for sun to start and shine again....."HELLO February!"

I made some raw choccies the other day with an Almond Butter filling, I know I should have taken a pic, but I couldn't resist and I scoffed them....OOps! I think the choccies might have contributed to a migraine that I have had, will I learn??? Probably not!!

Okay then, tonight I am going to juice some veg etc for my Breakfast tomorrow, that is what I am going to start to have for Breakfasts as often as I can....what a good girl eh??

Okay then off I go and start a juicing.

Night Night for now

Continued

Yep, continued from yesterday. Sorry I didn't get back yesterday but remember I told you I received some devastating news just after Christmas? Well, it was to do with my lovely dad and yesterday my dad had to have a 5 hour operation which pretty much took over my thoughts.
I have been to see my dad in hospital today and WOW! He is looking rather good and has a good colour instead of that yellow colour he had for quite a long time. The doctor came to see him today and it is looking very VERY GOOD!!! for him - THANK GOD!!
It has been an awful time since I heard the devastating news but things are looking good now!!! Still a little way to go until he is all well and back to his usual, sprightly self but with the attitude my dad has that wont take long.

Right then. I did take some meal pics yesterday and here they are.
















Breakfast. This is Apple and Cinnamon cereal which is very similar to a Special K type cereal. Sliced Strawberries and raw homemade Almond and Coconut Yogurt.

Anjii B makes the Apple & Cinnamon cereal here. You can also visit Anjii B's (313HealthyMe) blog here http://rawrealmblog001.blogspot.com/
And You Tube http://www.youtube.com/user/313HealthyMe

"Anjii! If you want me to take your video off my blog then just give me a shout!!"



And here is Dan making the Almond and Coconut Yogurt.
Here is a link to the liferegenerator's vlog

"If you want me to remove this video Dan then just give me a shout"



Here is a pic of my lunch
















A green salad, Mock Tuna (recipe from RFR) Raw sauerkraut, bought from 'Raw Living' and homemade 'Charlies Mayonnaise' (link for 'Charlie's Mayo' on yesterday's post)

My youngest son, James (11 years old) LOVES sauerkraut...AMAAAAAAZING!!!!! ANNND broccoli with mayonnaise on top, I am TOTALLY SHOCKED!! He is the pickiest eater EVER!!!!!

I have been watching a few, 'Hot Raw Chef' vids this morning, they are making recipe's for Valentine's, now I have a few choccy recipes that I can make for choccie fillings i.e. Mint truffle, caramel etc.

I think that is all, so Night Night for now

The BEST Mayo EVER

WOW! Is all I can say about the mayonnaise that I made last night. I made the 'Charlies Mayonnaise' from Kevin Gianni's You Tube (I have posted the YT video a few posts/pages down or click on this link- http://raweautiful.blogspot.com/2010/11/raw.html) This mayonnaise is AMAZING!! I will post a pic later.

I also made a raw tuna recipe which is GREAT! I am going to have the tuna and mayo for lunch today....can't wait. I got the tuna recipe from Raw Food Rehab. I should have made some onion bread to go with the tuna and mayo.....MMmm

Back later today

Weigh In

Well, weigh in today and I have LOST 2.7lb....WooHoo.

On Thursday night I made some Kombucha tea in my GORGEOUS big Kombucha pot. I didn't have any luck the last time I made tea using this pot so I am hoping it turns out good this time.
Here is another pic of it. It was handmade and came with a certificate. I LOVE it!!





















I also made some more Raw Apple Cider Vinegar which is fermenting.

I am going to make a few things tonight so I have a few more things to hand, things like: Raw Mayo's, raw granola, eggless salad, raw Lara bars, Crackers etc etc. I NEED to be prepared and to be able to put my hand on something raw for my meals.

Well, I THINK? That is all for today.

The Salad Box/Bar & Sauerkraut

Here are two more vids

A Raw Milk Video

I received one of my other parcels today, my Jack La Lanne Power Juicer ELITE and it is FANTASTIC!! I can make Nut milks, Rice milks, Soya milks and of course juice fruits and vegetables. I already have a Soyabella machine which I absolutely LOVE!! My Soyabella makes all kinds of milks but when I just want a quick milk then my Jack La Lanne is going to be SOO handy.

I managed to make a short video today making Almond Nut milk. I had just taken my new juicer out of the box, quickly washed the parts and made the milk so excuse any mistakes.



Here is a pic of the Jack La Lanne.





















My day has been very good, raw wise. I am going to make some raw yogurt tonight.

If I don't get back later then I will be back tomorrow.

Start Weight & Pics

First things first, my weigh in. Okay, I weighed in at 201.8lb's. My first goal is 10% so I need to get to 181lb's.

Now to the pics, there are quite a few, are you ready?
















Here is a pic of my Raw Living order. I ordered a jar of Sauerkraut, I am going to start and make my own. The Rawtella is SOOOO YUMMY! I will be buying more of those. The kelp is to add to Alissa Cohen's Mock Tuna.....YUM!
The lovely folk at Raw Living sent me a free bar of their chocolate...."THANKYOU to you all at Raw Living!"
My order came to quite a large amount of money, I wont say how much....OOps!
















A box of Choccies....just for me! Gotta love that! This is a pic of the box of Raw Choccies that I ordered in the Raw Living order.
(Click on the pic to enlargen to see the inside of the choc I cut open)
















I bought these Microplane's in December from Costco but I thought I would show them. These are FABULOUS!!

















A spend at the FANTASTIC Lakeland. I bought some more choccie molds, Almond and Orange oil, food rings and live probiotics for when I make my raw yogurts. I have to store the probiotics in the fridge so this should be great for my raw yogurts.





















I know, when following a raw lifestyle we should try to wean ourselves off coffee but that is going to be one of the last things I give up. I have wanted one of these 'Cuisinart Grind and Brew' machines for quite some time so when I was in Lakeland I seen this last one at only £102.50 when it used to be about £150.00 well, quite a saving, so my hubby bought it for me. Belated Birthday present.
















This one arrived this morning. Bare Escentuals Mineral 20 Eye Colours. Another Belated Birthday present from hubby.
















When I popped to Asda a weeks or so ago I spotted this Pilates Deluxe Kit. I do have the Pilates machine but this should be good to just do a quick Pilates routine AND because my Pilates machine is at the back of beyond in my spare bedroom....OOoops! There was also a DVD in with this kit.
(enlargen the pic to read what I got in the kit)
















This is one of my FAB Christmas presents...ZUUUUUMMMBA!....WoooHooo which I did get at Christmas. I am going to do the Zumba challenges that are in the book.

Well, that has made up for not posting many pics over the last few months.
I am still waiting for a couple of things to arrive so a couple more pics of my purchases to follow, and foodie recipes.

Night Night, until tomorrow.

About Time Too

I will be finally be able to blog regularly as of NOW! I have NOT been able to get on this computer regulary for what feels like AGGGGESSS!

I took a start weight BUT!! I have to confess to doing my start weight as from this morning which I will blog tomorrow but for now I just want to let you know the jist of things.

I have had a good ole spend these last few days, belated Birthday presents/spending from my hubby which I will be posting all the details and picutres of them tomorrow. We went out to Newcastle, Costco, Tesco and the Nutricentre, but for now....something for you all to see, a few snowy pics from last month.





















Here is a pic of my 24 year old eldest son, Michael (on the left, black pants, jacket and white top, he doesn't have black eyes, his eyes are deep set) and his friend. They made this snowman which appeared on the local news when they were showing snowy, wintery pics in December 2010.
















A snowy pic that I took from my bedroom window. December 2010.
































Above, two more snowy pics form my bedroom window. December 2010.

I am blogging tomorrow with my start details and exercise challenges that I want/NEED to do. I am going to post yet MORE pics of my purchases from Raw Living, Funky Raw, Lakeland, QVC, Costco and other places where I bought some goodies which may also give some of you some idea's of things that you might want to buy.

Night Night for now.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yep today (8th January) is my 45th Birthday ANNNND I have to confess to not going raw properly yet. I wanted to go 100% raw on 1st January but I just could not get myself motivated because I knew my birthday was coming but now I feel that I can because now all the celebrations are done.....well they will be after today. Tomorrow is my new life of RAAAWWWW! I have been as much raw as possible since the 1st January but just not as dedicated as I could have been BUT because I have been as much raw as possible I have lost a couple of pound on the scales, I will be back tomorrow with all those details.

I have received some lovely presents today....such fun! Presents for Christmas and then presents 2 weeks later for my Birthday, although I hadn't received 3 presents through the post that were meant to be for my Christmas but on Thursday one of them arrived and this morning the second arrived, still waiting for one more. It was nice to receive another one of them this morning on my Birthday which was a single hair epilator. I wanted this SINGLE hair epilator for my chinny hair....arrrggghhh! It is fine to epilate those chinny hair but DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT shave them, I know this because I am qualified in Beauty Therapy. Shaving causes blunt ends and they come through coarse but tweezing, waxing or epilating them pulls them out from the root and eventually they will not come back or they come through a lot finer.

My eldest son Michael and his grilfriend had a bunch of flowers delivered to me, this was a lovely suprise! The florist van pulling up outside my home. The card read, " To Grandma, Happy Birthday. Lots of Love from Ebony, Ellie and Michael xx" that was so sweet and a FANTASTIC suprise!!
About an hour later Michael, Kaylie and the grandchildren arrived with yet MORE presents. A GORGEOUS bottle of perfume, a pair of soft footwear that I had wanted, a pen that has 'Grandma' on it and a tin of Quality Street sweets. My youngest sister wanted to take me out for a meal but I had already taken a joint out of the freezer to defrost which I did indulge in....no more now though....WoooHooo. My dad sent me a LOVELY Birthday card and he rang me to sing 'Happy Birthday' to me, he does this every year....teehee. My hubby got me a book which arrived 3 days ago, it is the Everday Raw Desserts by Mathew Kenney. There are some whopping dessert recipe's in this book.




















My hubby has ordered a few more things for me, one of which is the Jack LaLanne juicer that also makes nut milks which I thought would be good for those quick nut milks when caught out with no milk made. So, I have done rather well today! I have had a REALLY LOVELY Birthday!!

*Note to myself*....find the cable for the camera so I can post pics.

I WILL be back tomorrow.

2/1/11

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We went for some coconuts yesterday but I didn't buy any because they weren't the best, I will maybe go back next week when they will have had a new delivery.

Yesterday and today have not been good raw wise because of knowing I had the choccies in the freezer which I have now binned....GOOD MOVE EH?
There are now no naughties in my house so things should be a lot easier for me. I am the type of person who CAN NOT have those types of foods in my house.

I might make some raw granola and dehydrate that ready for breakfast in the morning.

My OH popped to Asda for me this morning to buy some Romaine Lettuces, Kale, Carrots and Cherry Plum Tomatoes.
All I have been doing these last couple of days is housework and that is about all I will be doing tomorrow also.
I am starting my exercise routine on Tuesday when the house is quiet, hubby at work and Adam at college.

Back tomorrow.