Prepare yourself for a blow by blow my almost unbelievable day.

Remember way back to my Breakfast Part I and Breakfast Part II this morning? Yup, me too. I was good to go until nearly 1:00.

This is CRAZY TALK. Most days, especially days when we stay home and don’t go anywhere, I’m ready to eat NOW and lunch is typically on the early side.

Today for lunch I made a lettuceless salad.

An entire zucchini, shredded
An entire ear of corn, raw and sliced off the cob
An entire avocado, diced
A bunch of grape tomatoes, sliced in half.

Into the bowl and mixed with last night’s Carrot Ginger Dressing.

So. Good.

I’d planned to save half for Zak for dinner. But I couldn’t help myself and ate the whole dang thing. It was easy enough to make I figured I’d just whip up another one for him for dinner.

Considering I ate what I thought was two servings, it seemed like a lot at the time. But then I thought about it: an ear of corn, a zucchini, an avocado, some tomatoes and dressing? It’s really not that much. It was totally filling and satisfying even without any bread or crackers, hummus smeared sandwich or wrap to go along side it, like I would otherwise normally eat and have this salad on the side.

Some dark chocolate and raw almond butter for a finishing touch.

Raw almond butter is definitely different than the roasted almond butter I usually eat. I’ll say now that I like roasted better but I’m willing to let the raw AB grow on me a bit.

Now here we go again… normally I’m watching the clock wondering when I get to have a snack. But today I was too busy playing, vacuuming, scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom floors with a scrub brush and toothbrush on my hands and knees… I felt like I had endless energy. Around 4 we ran out the door to get a couple of groceries (MORE PRODUCE) and I thought about having a little something as my natural inclination is to eat something before we go anywhere, so I’m not out and about as a raging hungry lunatic trying to herd cats.

I questioned my hunger and it was practically non-existent so out we went at 4pm, girls topped off with a snack but nothing for moi.

A week ago this would have been UNHEARD of.

As we were heading home about 45 minutes later I noticed this strange feeling in my stomach. Not a bad feeling, just the realization that my stomach was empty. I even heard it growl. But I didn’t FEEL hungry. It’d been almost 4 hours since my last meal, which was properly combined so it made sense that it moved through my system in about 3 – 4 hours. But no hunger? Really? Who is this girl?

I don’t know if I’ve clearly expressed yet at how truly shocked I am by this. Normally I am hungry and totally grumpy and irritable until I’ve had something to eat, especially if I’m at the “growling stomach” hunger point.

I had put bananas in the freezer this morning for my afternoon snack. It was about 5pm when I decided I’d make whipped bananas as planned, knowing bananas take about 45 minutes to go through your stomach (all other fruits are 30 min) and I’d probably be ready for dinner around 6 or 6:30.

My mom was here just in time to experience the wonder that is whipped bananas.

Around 7:00 I made some new dressing and then got started putting a normal lettuceful dinner together.

I’m not sure what to call this, Miso Ginger I guess!

< 1/2 c canola oil
3 Tbsp NAKANO Rice Vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp Miso Paste
1/2 a small onion, minced
2 Tbsp grated ginger and juice
Splash of lemon juice

I love rice vinegar, it has such a distinct flavor. Thanks NAKANO for the new bottle and an excuse to make a new raw salad dressing!

This is my cute little flounder that I use to grate ginger on.

I cut off the outer hard skin and then scrape the ginger nub on the flounder bumps and am presented wtih ginger mash and juice.

A typical salad… organic red leaf and green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, a small hunk of avocado, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, tossed with my fresh dressing.

And my happy ending; some almond milk hot chocolate.

Unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with warm almond milk and a little agave nectar. Pure bliss.

I don’t know if it’s the raw foods or the food combining, but whatever it is, it’s working. Even if I do nothing but maintain my weight and don’t lose the 5 – 10 vanity pounds (as Jillian puts it) I’d like to lose, I can live like this. I am practically giddy over how I felt today. Eating this way has really not been that hard, and the results make it that much easier to stick with it.

I think it’s also worth nothing that I haven’t been having anything to drink with meals lately. This morning I did have a cup of coffee but it was an hour or so after breakfast. Drinking fluids with meals dilutes digestive enzymes and slows down digestion. From the Raw Food Detox Diet, The more work it takes to break down your meal, the less weight you will lose and the more sluggish you will feel. Can you hear me pushing my water glass away at meal time from here?

I’ve also found that with all the fruit and vegetables I’ve been eating, I’m drinking less in general, but “everything else” (if you catch my drift) has stayed the same. Natalia explains in the book that the water that comes from raw fruits and vegetables is organic and contains all the vitamins, minerals and live enzymes from the plant. Organic water? Oh yeah, sign me up.

I hope I’ve conveyed what a difference I’ve felt from this way of eating in just a matter of DAYS. I feel so blessed to have found this way of eating, this way of life! Thank you my raw food blogging friends for giving me the courage to live outside my comfort zone and discover this RAWesome way of life.