This and That

I kicked some serious raw butt at the gym today! I'm starting to feel my old self comin' back, and it's sooo great to see me again! :)

I did 40 minutes of cardio...20 minutes running on the treadmill, and 20 minutes gliding on the elliptical. For my run, I took off my glasses, because without them, I'm pretty much blind as a bat, haha, and it helps me with inner focus to just run, run, run, with no distractions.

For the elliptical, I put them back on and watched a few minutes of The View, something I never do. (There are 8 freakin' TVs at my gym! All lined up like soldiers in case any of us have our own thoughts, lol. I never watch them, but today was different, oh well!) But The View... those are some funny ladies, man. Whoopie Goldberg is QUEEN. She's wonderful and real and funny as hell. My kinda girl.

Anyway, then I did a lower body workout, a kick-ass one I might add. Because my ass needs kickin'! All those months of SAD foods took their toll. Gettin' firmer by the week, though. Then I did my upper body, then some mat work (abs and stretching) then WALLA! An hour and a half later and I'm sitting here typing this, feeling pretty darned happy with the world.

I've worked out for years, on and off, and I've been raw on and off, but I've never aligned the two until now. I drink a blender pitcher full of green smoothie, and it sustains me beautifully for my workout. Today I added a Tbs of 'Twister' which is a blend of maca, hemp, and cacao. I use those anyway, but not always together, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I saw it at the health food store yesterday and thought, Oh cool, I'll give that a go.

Then I got home and my boyfriend told me it's so much cheaper to get them separately. Oh WELL. I don't always think like that, I admit. That's why I need him. But it balances out, I assure you. ;)
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I just polished off a little tub of kale chips I made yesterday. GO MAKE SOME! They're so damn good, omg! I've made them twice now, and the first time, I used dino kale, and while delish, it was only after using curly kale

that I had a foodgasm. Something about the satisfying airy crunch of the curls when they're marinated and crispy. So from now on, that's the way to go with those. curly kale - this is the stuff of heavenly kale chips!

dino kale

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I marinated some collard leaves this morning so that by dinner time, the leaves would be easy to wrap. A little trick I learned from reading Elaine Love's website.

3 Tbs lemon (about one lemon, juiced)

1 tsp sea salt

Dissolve together in a bowl.

Take 5 large collard leaves, and remove any thick stems that stick out, and then take a paring knife and shave off the thick part of the stem so that the stem is as flush with the leaf as possible, without tearing it. You don't want too many holes in your leaf as this is going to hold your wrap filling.

Soak each one thoroughly in the salt/lemon mixture.

Then place the leaves, stacked, in a pyrex baking dish. That's it! By the time you need to use the leaves as wraps, they will be really soft and pliant and ready for easy rolling. You won't recognize your collards!******************************************

There is going to be a viewing of 'Simply Raw' in my city very soon, and as soon as the date is confirmed, I intend to go see it. I'd like to contact my new raw friends from my chef/instructor weekend and maybe we can go see it together. I'll let you know how it goes.

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with 'incurable' diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin. The film follows each participant's remarkable journey and captures the medical, physical, and emotional transformations brought on by this radical diet and lifestyle change. We witness moments of struggle, support, and hope as what is revealed, with startling clarity, is that diet can reverse disease and change lives. Additional wisdom is provided by Morgan Spurlock, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Robbins, Rev. Michael Beckwith, and Doctors Fred Bisci, Joel Furman, and Gabriel Cousens.

Does that not sound spectacular and ground-breaking? I'm so going!

Have a fabu day, Rawkers!