Spring New moon challenge

Tonight marked a very special time in the moon cycle. The rising of the first spring new moon and the rising of a new beginning.

Also tonight, I finalise my 4th day of liquid fasting as we see in this new moon and look forward to achieving new forthcoming goals and of course, sinking my teeth into a crisp fresh apple in the morning.
Taking this time to disconnect from the constant burdens of everyday food has wonderful benefits for overall health and mind. My life can be so revolved around food, everyday I am consumed by thoughts of what are we going to eat?.....just allowing myself permission to take time away from the constant repetition of preparing food and eating food, opens to a world of greater things.

My yoga session tonight at the YMCA was enhanced due to my complete emptiness and stillness and I was able to go deeper in my relaxation and meditation session.
I think fasting can be considered like a holiday for the mind and body, but just as much as it is great to be on holidays, its always nice to return back home, and tomorrow I am looking forward to returning 'home' to eating some fresh organic fruit. My appreciation for simple food has been reignited and I am ready to savour the pleasure of a simple bite of an apple.

To co inside with the arrival of the new moon, I spent a moment today setting goals in place to achieve during this next moon cycle. I have a few personal little projects I want to complete and have set the intention to complete them, we also decided on what last jobs need finalising around the house that need to be seen to, but as a major goal this coming moon phase, I have put in place a one month new moon challenge. I find that making a decision to do something for the rest of your life can be rather unreasonable and too overwhelming, so instead I like to set little challenges for the short term to see if this new change will fit in with my life and then decide after that, whether to continue in that direction. 

Before becoming a raw vegan, I took the 30 day challenge to eat only raw for that time and have since continued to eat raw. That was 10 months ago! The current challenge I have set for myself includes greater health and dietary guidelines that work towards a simplified eating options which I hope will help build an easier transition as we work towards a self sufficient lifestyle back east.  I am also challenging myself to increase my spirituality through meditation.

Here is my personal 1 month challenge I set forth to myself to accomplish on a daily level for the entire period of this new moon cycle: 

Drink 2 litres of pure liquid daily.
I chose to say liquid rather than water because I consider the liquid from young coconut flesh or green smoothies or juice of a fruit be just as beneficial if not more than filtered water. I never seem to drink enough liquid daily and hope this will set in motion a long term habit.

Participate in yoga daily (min of 30 mins)
I consider yoga a very important part to overall wellness for mind and body, therefore I would like to include it as a regular part to my everyday life rather than just the current 2 or 3 classes a week.

Meditate daily (min 15 mins)
To find stillness in the mind and body for just a few minutes everyday, has an enormous positive impact on ones emotions wellbeing and can also help to open up a connection towards greater spiritual awareness. 

Eat raw and organic food which are wholefood or the juice of that food (no dehydrating)
By eliminating processed raw foods such as nama shoyu, agave, nutritional yeast and dehydrated foods, and choosing to eat food that are in its whole natural form can greatly simplify ones eating habits in turn simplifying ones life which is where I believe happiness can be found.

Eat only during the hours of daylight  
By choosing to eat during daylight hours is a simple way to help connect back to nature and the natural cycles of life. With the use of artificial light, we corrupt our bodies natural rhythms, causing chaos. This will also eliminate the late evening, boredom eating, habit.

Indulge in 2 large meals a day - a high fruit and nut meal and a high green and vegetable meal  
By stating this guideline, I am hoping to simplify my meals to just these categories and then help to create a balanced daily intake from all raw food groups. Eating more than 2 large meals a day is not required on a raw diet, as your body will need to consume less, as it can absorb more.

Indulge in those snacks that are whole foods only - whole fruit, whole nuts, whole seeds, whole vegetables
Ultimately I would like to enjoy a life of snacks picked direct from the garden and orchards in our own backyard, so by including this as a part of my guideline, helps to bring this dream into reality. 

To keep me focused on these goals I have had them printed, laminated and clipped to the fridge for a daily viewing and included boxes to tick as I achieve these goals each day.

My new moon challenge daily accomplishment checklist

These are my personal goals that I have chosen to undertake over the next 30 days with the intention to incorporate their principles within my lifestyle as a journey towards our intended lifestyle of optimal health, greater spiritual connection, simplicity, self sufficiency and complete contentment. I hope they may inspire you to create your own.

  

Third day of detox

As the third day of my detox ends, I still feel a sense of lightness in my body, but not a starving hunger that would be assumed. My energy levels have maintained to a regular level as I went about doing the usual housekeeping and mothering chores throughout the day.
I did notice an increase in irritability today though which came as a surprise as I felt so calm yesterday. I have heard that not only are toxins released during a fast period, but also emotion stresses can surface. I think a few irritable emotions were released today and hope I feel a little more relaxed tomorrow. 

Tomorrow we celebrate the 'dark moon' or 'new moon' as we end the last cycle of the moons phases and begin the journey into the next. This will be the last day of my juice fast. Tomorrow is a very powerful day to release old habits and let go of emotional hangups. It is also an important day to make new goals and set forth new beginnings as we celebrate the coming new cycle of the moon.  I will be setting myself a new moon challenge which I will finalise tomorrow, setting new goals towards simplified eating, greater physical health and achieving a greater spiritual connection. 

Both Michael and I will also be jointly setting some financial goals to prepare for our long awaited journey towards reaching our dream lifestyle of self sufficiency on our destined parcel of land back east. Finally after almost 10 years of discovering and searching, we will soon be in a position financially and spiritually to find our 'space of love' and start living a life we were meant to live.

Second day of my Spring detox

Just a quick update on my current spring detox as we lead up to new moon.

Today I indulged on my second day of fasting, incorporating freshly squeezed apple juice and deliciously sweet young coconut water to my day.

I spent the morning enjoying a low energetic, yet deep yoga session with the gorgeous Hayley at the local YMCA before attending the yearly Spring festival at Hammond Park under a blazing warm spring day till late afternoon, surrounded in stalls, people, entertainment and the endless wafting smells of sausage sizzles and hot chips, without a tickle in the tummy.

Tonight as I sip on the remainder of my juice and relax, I find a sense of stillness in my body and a sense of peace in my mind.




  

Spring detox begins

Ok, so I have put off the fasting for a couple of days to accommodate for the hubby's weekend off, physical work in the garden and Rhody's birthday...but no excuses now, it's officially my first day of my fasting period as I welcome the coming spring new moon.

I do consider a regular fast and detox period as an important part of my wellness. I choose to use the last quarter of the waning moon as the period to fast as this is the time in the moon cycle when our bodies are more responsive to the benefits of a detox enhancing this important ritual. When we work with the natural rhythms of our universe, life can become easier, so I like to use this highly powerful energy of the moon however and whenever I can.

My first day of a detox will consist of drinking only water. This may seem like an impossible task, or a very un-enjoyable one at that to most, as we all consider food an essential part of every day life and assume we cant go a day without some form of solid food. Through my personal experience and further reading on detoxing since becoming a raw enthusiast, a day or even a week without solid food is not only quite possible, but enjoyable and extremely beneficial.

My first experience with fasting was at the beginning of the year when my husband and I attempted a '3 day cleanup', which ended up evolving into something more. We started the first day with a complete day of just drinking water. Now understandably, this was very difficult as it was the first time our bodies has experienced a day of just water. By the usual mid morning, our stomachs were aching for food. We thought about food all day, but persisted through to the evening, still consumed by hunger pangs. By this time, our bodies were a little lethargic and our motions had slowed. During that night, I woke and was physically sick and staggered off to bed.

The next morning, my body was very weak, even a little dizzy and shaky. It was on this second day of the detox we allowed fresh fruit juice into systems. It was a welcome drink of freshly juiced watermelon. It was like a shot of energy and our bodies absorbed it with pleasure. Throughout the day I drank a large amount of watermelon juice and slowly my body began to come alive. By the evening, I felt really good and my hunger was only minimal.

On the third day, it was recommended to eat fruit only. Michael was keen to gnaw into a juicy big apple for breakfast, but after I had bounced out of bed with an unfamiliar lightness, I decided to continue on the watermelon juice into the third day.  Michael's circumstances are currently dictated by his work and it was his last day off, so it was recommended he begin to introduce the solid foods before he began his usual 13 hour working days.

Day three for me was a major turning point. The feelings of lightness, extra energy and relaxed attitude made the last two days totally worth it. I didn't want to jeopardise this unique feeling of aliveness by eating too soon, so for the following 2 more days, I continued my watermelon juice fasting. The feelings associated with having an empty stomach and no feelings of hunger, while feeling highly energised is something that has to be experienced to be appreciated and understood. I could truly feel the benefits of juice fasting and understood the powerful benefits it had on my body. I now had first hand experience and knowledge to believe that not only can we survive quite easily without food for a period of time, we can also thrive and benefit highly from it.

By the final day - day six, I decided I would slowly introduce some solid food, starting with fruit - a mango in fact as it was the season for mangoes and I do love my mangoes. Taking only a small piece at a time, eating very slowly, I ate my first food in 6 days and within literally 5 mins, it came right through and out the other side, without a blemish! My juice fast had certainly cleared my system and my body was not in the mode of digesting. I have read articles on fasting and the importance of how it allows the body to 'switch off' from its daily task of digesting the over consumption of food and allows it time to do some 'in house keeping' and 'general repairs'. My body had certainly not been ready to digest that mango! 

After another attempt of more fruit later in the day, my body accepted this and went back to its usual functions of digesting.

On the seventh day, I introduced light salads and by the eighth day, I was eating back to my usual diet of anything raw, but noticed my reduction of appetite and a significant amount of shrinkage of the stomach. I had also gained a renewed sense of gratitude for food. An avocado had more appeal, it seemed creamier, a simple green salad seemed crispier and fresher. The simplicity of food was more appealing. It was like abstaining from food for almost a week brought me closer to its basic form. 

Since then, I have continued my monthly waning moon fast lasting anywhere from just the day of the new moon, to a longer periods of up to 6 days leading up to the new moon. I welcome them as an important part of my health and well being. I find by the time this cycle of the the moon passed over, my appetite is low and my care factor in preparing food is almost zero. I know then it is time to disconnect and then reconnect. 



So today I enjoyed a day at the park with the kids, the warmth of the spring sun on my face, intrigued in a good book, sipping on my bottle of filtered water.

More raw sweet treats, kale chips and green seeded crackers

Even while juice fasting, I have found motivation to churn out some more delightful raw snacks which I cant wait to feast on once I am finished my detox.

I have now enjoyed an easy 4 days of juice fasting which has been without any side effect. The more I indulge in fasting the easier it becomes. I have not pangs of hunger, no sensations of dizziness or lack of energy - completely opposite in fact. I have enjoyed 4 full days of constant activity, including 2 great yoga workouts, rollerskating with the kids and even found the motivation to give the interior of our car a thorough clean, tomorrow its the house windows and I am nearly up to date with my laundry which doesn't happen often! This is what you would consider a complete clean, inside and out!

As for my juices, they have been a variety of concoctions. I am limited to the variety of fruits as we are still in the season of winter, so a lot of oranges, apples and pineapples. I also made a 'mix up of anything juice' to use up all my old fruits and vegetables before welcoming a new box of organic produce for the week. Pictured is a mixed juice of apple, carrot, beetroot, pineapple, lemon, spinach and ginger. Even with such a variety of blends, it still tasted great!

So anyway, here is a snippet of whats been produced from my kitchen over the last couple of days to add to my snacks and crackers reservoirs

Raw Banana and fig balls, Raw Coconut and Chocolate rounds, Raw Vanilla and almond balls 

Raw Banana and Fig balls have been something that I have made regularly for many years - ever since Starzi was born. Its simple and enjoyed by everyone. I usually have all of these simple ingredients on hand at all times.

Recipe:

Process until combined:

2 fresh bananas

about 8 or so dried figs

a cup of sesame seeds

and a cup of dried coconut.

Roll into balls and roll in more coconut,

Please adjust quantities to your preference as I usually just use handfuls at a time to make my mixture.

I like to freeze a large batch of these to store for a long period of time. They are easily eaten direct from the freezer and are not hard like you would expect.

Raw Banana and fig balls

 Raw chocolate and coconut rounds was something that just happened from an 'on the spot' mix of ingredients as I was gaining inspiration from a mix of recipes.

Recipe:

In a high speed blender, combine until smooth:

1/2 cup of cacao nibs,

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup of honey and a couple of dates.

Add this chocolaty goo to:

1 cup of crumbled macadamia nuts,

1 1/2 cups of coconut shreds,

dash of vanilla powder.

Roll into balls and flatten and coat in more coconut shreds. Mixture will be quite soft, so let them set in the fridge to harden.

Raw Chocolate and coconut rounds

I also made a batch of what I call raw almond and vanilla balls. These were also a made up selection of ingredients based on what I had an excess of.

Recipe:

Mix in a large bowl:

2 cups of almond meal left over from making almond milk

1 1/2 cups of dried coconut

1/2 cup of honey and some dates

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 Tblsp of vanilla powder

Roll into balls and either eat as it, or dehydrate a portion of the batch to create a crunchier ball - as I did.

Dehydrated almond and vanilla balls on left - fresh almond and vanilla balls on right

I also made up another batch of candied nuts due to the huge success of the sweet and spicy pecan and walnut mix I recently did.

Here is a macadamia version.

Chili and lime Macadamia nuts

Recipe

Soak macadamia nuts for 2 hours.

Rinse and dehydrate for 1 day.

coat dehydrated macadamias in a mix of:

3/4 cup of honey

juice of half a lime

2 Tbls chili powder

2 tsp salt

dehydrate for a further day until honey has candied slightly.

Raw chili and lime macadamia nuts

For something savoury, I made my favourite raw falafels from Gabriel Cousins - Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine book which I use a lot.

Recipe:

Process all ingredients in a food processor until combined but still textured.

1 cup of soaked almonds

1 cup of soaked walnuts

1/2 cup of sesame seeds

1/2 cup of fresh parsley - (I use more herbs then advised as I love the herb taste of these raw falafels)

1/2 cup of fresh coriander

2 cloves of garlic - or more

10 fresh sage leaves

10 fresh oregano leaves

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 Tbls olive oil

Roll into balls and dehydrate for up to a day or less

Raw herb falafels

I also made some more kale chips because we love them so much. I tried a new flavour variation today  - curry.

I made this up using a surplus of carrot pulp from my juicing.

Recipe:

1 cup soaked cashews

1 cup of carrot pulp

2 Tbls coriander seeds ground

2 Tbls cumin seeds ground

pinch of salt

2 Tbls mild curry powder

1 Tbls turmeric

Blend in high speed blender until smooth, and then coat kale pieces before dehydrating overnight.

Rhody was enjoying these before they went in the dehydrator!

Raw Curry flavoured Kale chips

And finally using up more left over excess produce in the fridge, I made these batch of green seeded crackers. I cant recall exactly what went in the final product but it was a lot of everything. Here is what I remember I used in a mix of quantities:

Flax seeds

pumpkin seeds

black and white sesame seeds

almond pulp

tomato

spinach leaves

fresh parsley

zucchini

and some herbs like oregano, thyme

and a few sprinkles of seasoned salt.

I basically threw all the vegetables in the food processor and blended before adding to a large bowl filled with the seeds and nuts. I stirred it all together and spread on teflex trays and dehydrated overnight flipping once. This is one way to ensure your kids are getting a dose of greens, calcium from the sesame and omegas from the flax.

raw 'Greens and seeds' crackers 

   

This just goes to show that anything goes - blend it up, mix it up and make it up!

Its all good!

New moon Fast

Yesterday was the day of the new moon. This is the day of the month that the body is naturally at its highest capacity to detoxify. That is why I choose to regularly fast on and around the new moon. Last month I undertook a five day detox, ending on the new moon, while this month, I only fasted on the day of the new moon. If you decide to at least, make the new moon a 'fastday' every month, then you are doing a lot to prevent your body of major illnesses.  On this day of fasting, I drink only water for the entire day. Because I do this regularly, it has become easier. I now don't suffer any major feelings of hunger over the course of the day, as I have allowed my body to become more intune with the flow of the moon cycles.

The new moon is also the best day to start afresh as it is a day to let go of bad habits, negative thoughts and emotions and begin a new cycle of new goals and positive ideas. It is also a day to relax and do nothing or as little as possible as energy is at its lowest. Put this day aside each month to give yourselves permission to just slow down and take a break.

Day 5 last day of Detox......

It’s the last day of my detox and I am still on a juice high. It’s truly a regenerating feeling for your mind and body to detox regularly. I value the feeling of emptiness and contentment in my body as I allow it time to perform routine maintenance without being clogging down with the constant supply of food. I also value the increase in energy that I have felt over the past five days. I enjoyed a good hour and a half yoga session at the YMCA tonight and felt a deeper connection with the breathing exercises because my stomach was entirely empty.  I also extremely value the break I had from constantly preparing meals for all the family for almost a week. It’s not only a detox for the body, but also a detox from the labour and endless preparation of food. The long absence from food for this week has slowly renewed my appetite and interest again and I am definitely looking forward to chewing into one of my juicy organic pears in the morning, and maybe followed by a crisp organic pink lady apple. I am also keen to tuck into a fresh bowl of my sprouts topped with a creamy avocado… The simple pleasures of eating have been revived!

Day 4 of detox....

Another day in detox land and I feel fantastic. Energy levels are high and hunger pains are absent. I feel lighter and clearer in mind and body.


Today the kids and I went 'foraging' on our bikes. Kalgoorlie has the perfect climate to grow an abundance of citrus fruit and almost every second house in the town has one growing. Some of the back lanes have overhanging branches loaded with orange, mandarin or lemons just rotting. Today we gathered a wonderful supply of old fashioned lemons and a few madarins. Often we will also just knock on the front door and ask to pick the fruit if the tree is not accessible from the outside. Most people respond with a 'help yourself, they are just wasting away'. With all of this home grown local produce going to waste, I began to envision a yearly Kalgoorlie event - 'The great citrus pick'. A day when volunteers go around picking the unwanted fruit in all the backyard trees of donating locals to be sold at St Barbara's Square in the centre of town with all money raised going to charity, or even just freely given away to anyone who wanted a bag. It seems like such a waste, and the weirdest thing is, people are buying these same fruit in the local supermarkets eveveryday, yet they are rotting at the base of trees in their own town, even possibly their neighbours tree!    


Anyway, back on my detox...a lot of people shy away from fasting and detoxing because they think they couldn't survive without food for a day, but that is far from the truth. The benefits are amazing. I actually look forward to my regular fasting periods and enjoy the benefits long after. I will usually base the timing around the new moon, as it is waning, because this is the time of the moon cycle when our bodies are naturally detoxifying and cleansing. Its a time to slow down and look within. Fasting is exactly that. As for the time I will spend on a fast depends on my body and a lot on my family life. Now that Michael is back to eating meals and I have a couple of raw food social engagements next week, to make life easier, I will enjoy one more day of juicing tomorrow, before slowly introducing whole fruit and then salads the following days.
I have began to get 'organised' for my return to the land of the eating, by soaking a collection of seeds for sprouting, which I intend to document in the following blogs, and some kamut and spelt grain to try my hand at my first batch of Essene Bread. I am also intending on trialling some raw oat and buckwheat porridge recipes to make a comforting breakfast for the early worker in our house that gets up at 4.30am. I will post the results to those experiments in the comming days. Stay tuned......

Day 3 of Detox.....

Yes, it is day three when you really come alive and know why you decided to take on the fast.
I woke this morning feeling very refreshed even though I didn't sleep very well. Other than staying up until after midnight doing the usual things, I found myself at 1am in the morning, balancing on a tower of chairs and stools, outside with a headlamp on, clearing the mandarins off the neighbours tree that overhangs into our yard. And when I did finally convince myself I should be sleeping, found it hard anyway with the kids all over the bed, sleeping sideways and upside down, feet in the back, snoring in the ear... Anyway, I woke to a beautiful fresh glass of mandarin juice. I felt very energetic, so I enticed the kids for a long bike ride down town and then to the park for a play.
It was today I got to experience that incredible feeling you get while fasting, to have an empty stomach, yet not feel hungry. I feel clear inside, energetic and contented.
Michael arrived home from another 14 hour day at work, drinking juice alone. He said he would continue the juice fasting for longer, and then I caught him searching the fridge and pantry. He finally succumb to a fat bowl of kale and avocado salad with pepitas and lemon juice dressing. Its not often a hard working grown man will come home from a full day of work requesting just a bowl of salad. I think it is one of the wonderful benefits of fasting. Its great to just take the focus for a day or even more off food and give your body a rest and to gain new appreciation for food. We take food for granted, its in our lives everyday, we are surrounded by it and we can access it any time of any day. we loose respect for it, even if it is healthy food or purely raw food. We start to look past the simple foods and look for more gourmet meals. I started to feel like that previous to my fast this week. I had indulged my self so much in food over the past 2 weeks, because I held two raw food workshops at home in a space of one week that I was either eating it or thinking about it. I basically had lost my appetite - which is healthy and happens to align with the moon cycles as we wind down to the new moon this week. I now have detoxed my body and my mind of food for three days and I see myself looking at a simple piece of fruit differently. Not just looking at an avocado and thinking what I could turn it into with some spices and a blender, but looking at the avocado for what it is and respecting it in its whole form as a food. Fasting to me is like resetting the mind, bringing it back to the basics and respecting the simple things for what they are. It also reconnects me with my stomach and tunes me into being contented. When we eat constantly through out the day, everyday, that feeling is rarely achieved.

Day 2 of detox....

Well its the end of the second day of my detox and I enjoyed a day of drinking a mixed concoction of freshly squeezed juice. I must admit I didnt bounce out of bed after spending the day on water alone yesterday. I even felt a little nauseas mid morning, but by midday, I started to feel really good. I had enough energy to clean the house and take the kids to the park, with my thermos of fresh juice under one arm.
While I am fortunate enough to take on the detox at home, with the oportunity to 'do nothing much', poor Michael has to keep on working during his detox. He has had a day of solely drinking his packed juices at work while performing a 12 hour shift on site, and his only comment this evening was that he felt good, other than a little hunger for something like a fresh kale salad. I have once again pre-made a couple of large bottles of juice for him to take to work tommorrow. I am thankful that Michael not only supports me in most of my endevours, but is usually happy to join me as well. Detoxing on a juice fast is made so much easier when both partners are doing it together.

This was what was on the dinner table tonight

Carrot and apple, wheat grass and apple, celery and apple

The kids also enjoying a freshly squeezed carrot and celery juice with celery stirrers..

In my experience, its on day three that you start to really feel the benefits as energies rise, the hunger fades and the body kicks into 'housekeeping' mode.

A little detox to begin with....

The main purpose behind creating this blog is to share with a few interested friends my raw eating lifestyle, but can feel it is already going to develop beyond that as I begin to share many more aspects about my life. I have been following the raw lifestyle for almost six months and have found a deeper passion and respect for food. We have been a long term organic family, vegetarians for almost two years and then the natural progression was to turn to raw. I have stepped easily onto this path of raw eating as it connects so easily with my beliefs and desires, therefore feel I want to share this passion with everyone.
I mark the first day of creating my first blog with the details of this months detox, which also happened to start today. I generally like to give my digestion a break once a month around the new moon period and do a simple juice fast for a few days. Today is the first day of this detox. I have woken to a glass of pure water and have drank only that for the duration of the first day. I'm feeling a little hungry of course considering it has been 24 hours since I ate, but I do know that it will pass and I will start to feel the great effects of fasting, as my digestion slows and takes a break as the body goes into housekeeping mode.
I am looking forward to a freshly squeezed juice of oranges, apples and pineapples when I wake in the morning. Mmm, my mouth is watering at the thought. I am very fortunate that Michael is very supportive of this lifestyle and once again has joined me in my fasting. I have made a fresh juice for him to take to work tommorrow to enjoy.   
So no pictures yet of any delicious raw creations made from my kitchen..they will have to wait untill I have detoxed.....