VICTORY!!!...and other things

Well, it's way past 21 days. I feel bad for not writing on Day 21, but, well, life got in the way. I got busy, then my dog passed and I couldn't write, let alone speak without sobbing for quite a few days. That's life. This is life. So... Where were we?..

Ah, yes. The cleanse. I'm happy to report that I completed the 21 days! Not only that, but technically we're still on the cleanse and now in day 29. We decided on the eve of day 21 (after realizing that we were doing this whole thing during lent-- to keep it up until Easter.) We're not just doing liquids anymore ( I think I might die if that were the case--that was NOT the fun week). We've basically gone back to the week 1 system, and are eating cooked and raw foods, just no animal products/alcohol/stimulants/processed foods/sugar (except maple syrup in our celebration cookies after day 21--which ps were so freaking worth it).

The best part...I HAVEN'T HAD A CIGARETTE IN 29 DAYS!!! GO ME!!!

My hubby and I spent a lot of time talking in weeks 2 and 3 about the things we had cut out of our diet, and thanks to the book The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, we decided to commit for GOOD to a vegan diet. Huge Change! And I have to say probably the most difficult one for me. This decision was actually more difficult than giving up cigarettes if you can believe it. After making the decision and stating it out loud I craved meat for a week--hamburgers--oh-juicy-wonderful-summertime-food-hamburgers. BUT...I just can't go back to eating meat, dairy and cheese knowing what I know now. Having learned that my decision to eat a hamburger is playing a part in extreme cruelty to animals and to our planet (I won't go into detail here, but it's not pretty), I just can't do it anymore.

Wow.

Big statement. It's hard to even write it, but I'm taking a stand and making a choice about my character as an individual here. I learned that according to the United Nations, adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is the quickest way to bring about change in the fight against global warming. Seriously!!! It does so much damage to our planet to produce mass amounts of milk, meat, poultry, and fish. I'm originally from southeast Texas, down near the Gulf, so when I read that agricultural waste from factory farms along the mississippi had leached so much bad stuff into the river that there is now what's called "the Dead Zone" at the mouth of the river in the Gulf Of Mexico, where NO LIFE can sustain itself, it crushed me. Worse, "The Dead Zone" was almost 8,000 square miles in 2008. I can't even think that large, and that's my home. I didn't want to know this but I had to find out the truth. I guess its part of becoming more of an adult. Owning up to the responsibility and consequences (whether good or bad) of our actions in life. ALL of our actions.

So that's lifestyle change #1. We're vegan.

#2...We shop at the farmer's market now, like, all the time. In our quest to live this cleanse in a somewhat economical manner (Cause lets face it- organic IS more expensive) we tried to figure out how to cut corners without sacrificing our health or hurting the planet. The answer: Shopping ONE day a week only, and doing it at Farmer's Markets (only purchasing odds and ends at big grocery stores like Whole Foods). Here in California the farmer's markets are especially amazing. Just this past Saturday we got leeks, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, an entire tray of strawberries (for only 11 bucks) blueberries, blackberries, rasberries, potatoes, red onions, purple carrots (how cool!) portobello mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, rue, dill, fresh french bread and kalamata olive bread (from a crazy little bread man who we are falling in love with), apples, pears, HUGE grapefruits, tangelos, rutabaga (never cooked this before-exciting!), bell peppers, kalamata olives, an ENTIRE 36 OZ. JAR OF GREEN OLIVES FOR ONLY 10 DOLLARS, wheatgrass (my honey likes the stuff--yick), persian cucumbers, asparagus, and this amazing little fruit we just tried for the first time (its incredible and so sweet/custardy it could stand alone as dessert) called the cherimoya. The man who sold it to us said with a smile and an arm around his adorable wife that they eat them and then spit the seeds at each other. Love at the farmer's market. The coolest part--we got ALL of this for only 130 bucks. ALL of it locally grown and pesticide free. It would have easily cost me 400 or more at whole foods for all that. Plus-we got enough to eat for an entire week, plus more to dehydrate for snacks. So I'm helping my wallet and the earth at the same time. I'm a double winner. Here are the other amazing things about shopping at the farmers markets:

1. Fresh air. I spend an hour or so outside in the fresh air and sunshine.
2. Know where it comes from. I actually get to meet the farmers. Trust me, it feels way different when you buy direct.
3. I'm interracting with my community (which we all need to do a little more).
4. I'm supporting local agriculture, supporting my state and the people in it, instead of some factory farm in another state or another country.
5. It's fun. Period.
6. I feel like I'm on a date with my honey, and all we're doing is getting food. ( He gets points without even knowing it!)

So look in your area for local farmers markets and take a trip to see what its like, or if you already buy local (good for you!) take the plunge to commit more to it. I LOVE this lifestyle change!

I think those are the two most major ones. There's lots of little things, but really who has time to recount all the details of the last two weeks? ...One really cool thing... I MADE MY VERY FIRST NUT CHEESE LAST WEEKEND! Now, I know what you're thinking, I thought it too. I never thought in a million years I would ever be one of those nut-cheese-making-granolas. Sorry. That's really what I thought. So wasn't I surprised when I found myself making nut cheese all by myself in my kitchen. Just a little dose of how bout we don't judge others for me! Shockingly, incredibly, it was awesome! My hubby, myself and our friend ate almost the entire bowl right then and there. It was SO good and was like eating a really sharp soft cheese (which is good cause I love sharp tastes in cheese.

So, its not bad. Its really not bad at all. We're actually finding amazing things and cooking takes less time eating this way, plus I don't get all freaked out about whether or not I cleaned my cutting board well enough to get rid of all the raw meat microbial thingies anymore.

Yesterday, we went to a raw dessert class held by the chef and owner of our new greatest find, CRU in Silverlake. That's me chowing down on their out-of-this-world raw chorizo tostada on a recent night at CRU.  In the class we learned how to make and then got to eat Chocolate ganache, strawberry "cheesecake", and coconut macaroons. All vegan, all raw, all flippin orgasmic. You wouldn't believe how good this stuff tastes. We're definitely not missing out. That's for sure. Until next time...go with green.