How to Stay on the Wagon When You're Under the Weather. Or Not.

If you read the last post, you'll know I caught a nasty cold last week. I've never had the strongest immune system and there was a period a year or so ago (before I went raw) where it seemed like I was catching a cold every month or so. I'm still waiting for my body to fully detox and rejuvenate from all this healthy living, bolstering up my immune system, but then I've only been at the raw thing since January 1st.

Having a cold, with its attendant sniffles, sneezing and seething nasal passages, has brought with it its own raw challenges and temptations. I craved comfort food, which meant that when I went out to eat after my daughter's egg hunt (I just couldn't stay inside and miss her egg hunt -- after all, how many will she have in her life?), I wanted hot food so I ordered corn tortillas, beans and rice along with a cup of hot herbal tea. The next day, I really wanted salted, roasted peanuts, so I indulged. Neither instance is a horrible digression: I didn't eat fried food or processed sugar or dairy products, but cooked food makes you crave cooked food so I've had to be extra diligent since then not to give in.

Harsher on my system perhaps was my indulgence in Nyquil two nights in a row. It got me through the worst of the cold symptoms, but the following night my body was thrown off and I couldn't sleep at all.

If anyone has any suggestions for what you do when you're sick and want old comforts like hot food and over-the-counter medicine, do let me know. I'd like to be armed and ready next time. Heck, I'm still not feeling great, so I may just implement them now!

Another Sleepless Night

I woke up around 3 am when my daughter cried and haven't been able to go back to sleep. Bear with me if my train of thought is a little choppy.

We hung out with friends today and when my husband ordered pizza, I was pretty proud of myself that I didn't even allow myself to be tempted. I immediately hopped over to the kitchen and made myself raw tacos: collard green "shells" filled with raw vegan sour cream (actually a plain nut cheese cultured with probiotic powder -- the thickness helps to keep the taco from being too messy), taco filling from Matt Amsden's Rawvolution book, homemade salsa, guacamole, cucumber slices and hot sauce (not raw).

I haven't always been pleased with the results of recipes from Amsden's book, but this simple recipe for taco filling is really satisfying and super easy/quick to make. I think this will be a staple when I go back to work. That being said, it is heavily nut-based, so I am looking forward to possibly taking this raw foods class where one of the recipes is a taco filling described this way: "keeping with her low to no nut agenda, Elaina will demonstrate how to take root vegetables & turn them into the most flavorful, juicy, mouthwatering taco filling that can be eaten in a taco, on your salad, in your Enchilada Spirals or dehydrated into crunchy snacks or burgers." It's taught by Elaina Love and Chaya Ryvka. I've volunteered to be an assistant in exchange for tuition -- I hope they take me!

Take That Fried Food Cravings!

Yesterday I tried this recipe with a few mods: I halved the garlic, added a teaspoon of garam masala, a pinch of sea salt and a dash of Spike seasoning. Instead of the vegetables listed, I used what I had, cauliflower and green beans. The result? Fa-bu-lous! It was good straight, but extra yummy with a dipping sauce of apple cider vinegar, nama shoyu and La-yu (a chili pepper infused sesame oil). It not only tasted like tempura, it didn't lose its crunch after it sat around a while (unlike the real thing). It completely satisfied any craving I had for fried food. I think with a bit more garam masala or other spices, it'd replicate pakoras pretty well too (I have to investigate what spices are in pakora batter). Anyway, here's a pic: