Chilled Maple-Lime Citrus Salad

Chilled Maple-Lime Citrus Salad
vegan, serves 3-4

2 large navel oranges, rind sliced off, diced into large cubes
1 large pink grapefruit, rind sliced off, diced into large cubes
1-2 red plums, sliced
2-3 Tbsp goji berries
1 large lime, juiced + zest (+ reserve one slice for garnish)
2 tbsp grade B maple syrup
1 dash cayenne
tiny pinch of pink salt (optional)

optional to serve: candied almonds + cold-pressed raw pumpkinseed oil

Directions:

1. Prep all your fruit. Place in a large mixing bowl. If you have any leftover flesh or juicy skin, squeeze that juice into the bowl.
2. Add the goji berries, lime juice, plentiful lime zest and maple syrup to the fruit. Add the dash of cayenne and optional pinch of salt.
3. Fold gently.
4. Place fruit in the fridge to chill. When fully chilled and the flavors have marinated and the goji berries plumped, it is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestion: If serving on a plate, add a drizzle of your favorite cold-pressed oil. I used pumpkinseed oil and some homemade candied almonds. To make the almonds I add 2 tbsp sunflower oil to a skillet over high heat. And toast about 1/2 - 3/4 cup raw almonds for about 2-4 minutes. In the last minute I add 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup and a pinch of salt and spices. Toast for another minute or so and allow to cool before serving. Add a slice of lime and additional lime zest over top.

3-Day Apple Fast: Complete

Well... that was easy!

I was contemplating going a few more days this morning, but I decided against it for family reasons. My parents worry. I understand why, but I know myself better than anyone else does so I know what's best for me!

I would say yesterday was my best day. I was very uplifted, spiritually speaking; and experienced several personal insights. Physically, I had tons of energy and hardly needed any sleep. When you aren't concentrated on food, it frees up a lot of time and energy that you can focus on other things. For me, I focus it on inner knowledge, personal development, spirituality, and I do this through meditation and dreaming.

Speaking of dreams... during the fast I had pretty unusual dreams (for me) and not in a good way! They were all fairly dark and negative. I don't view this as a bad thing. Balance is always needed and 99% of the time I have great dreams, so as well as with other detox symptoms, strange dreams is one I experienced. I look at it as repressed emotions unveiling themselves and being eliminated.

The only thing I really did not like about the past 3 days was my body temperature. I was cold! I used to always be slightly cold. It got worse when I went raw for the first time. That was a year ago. Now I'm always slightly WARM! It was a great transformation. I was basically never cold, no matter my environment or clothing. Raw vegan super powers? =)
But after beginning my fast, I got cold again! I know it's just my blood going away from my skin towards my internal organs, to do some serious house-cleaning. Now that I'm eating other foods again however, I am back to normal. So nothing lost, a lot gained!
 
As gar as food goes: I began the day slowly with a grapefruit a few hours after waking (after a bunch of water of course), then some more fruit later. I know I should've stayed totally raw and quite light all day buuuuuuut  things don't always go according to plan =S 
I went over to my friends house later and ate some couscous sushi. Delicious and mostly raw so I don't feel bad. But still, my body probably would've preferred nothing. Ah well. No biggie.


I'm not sure when I'll begin my grapefruit fast, but it will most likely be soon.
As much as I'd LOVE to say "I'm gonna stay totally raw through the holidays" - I know I'd just let myself down, ha ha.
I love baking so I'll be making all sorts of delicious wholesome goodies, plus I'm sure my mom will make a bunch of vegan dishes for Christmas. I can't resist! So some serious cleansing before and after will be perfect. And at the end of the day, some whole wheat cookies and steamed veggies aren't bad for me, they allow me to share those moments with my family.

I don't think Christmas would be quite the same if at Christmas morning, my family is all sitting at the table eating our traditional cinnamon buns while I crouch in the corner, sipping my green smoothie...

It's situations like that that keep me eating a percentage of cooked food =) And it's NOT A BAD THING. I need to keep remembering that, because sometimes I get carried away with raw foodism. It's not a religion. I won't die if I eat cooked food! >.<

apple fast: day 3

Hey guys. Today's the third of my apple fast. I feel okay.
I think tomorrow I'll start eating other food again. I'll start with a green smoothie (YAY! I miss you, smoothies!) and then later probably have some raw soup... mmm =)

I've been looking into doing a grapefruit fast as well. Same idea, but instead of apples - grapefruit! I love grapefruit and I've read about some really amazing results as far as detoxing goes. Apparently it's supposed to help get rid of cellulite as well, but this isn't really a concern of mine... I'm 18 and pretty fit if I do say so myself.
I'm sure my parents won't be happy about it, but then... like I said in my previous post: you don't understand the philosophy and effects of fasting/cleansing - until you've tried it!

Anyway for now, my apple fast is almost done, and I feel better in general. I'd like to do it longer but my parents get worried. It's okay, I'll do longer cleanses when I move out!

Speaking of which... I have a great idea for my house when I move out. You'll love it. I'll write about it tomorrow! 

I wrote my final this morning and felt great mentally and physically, not weak at all, as my friends and mother were worried about. The third day of fasting is often my fave =) And this is one of the shortest fasts I've done. Because usually towards the end, it gets kinda hard because you really wanna eat. But since this one was only 3 days, I know I could go several more days.

When you fast, the thing people might think is the hardest part is hunger. Ironically this is the least of the discomforts. After the first night you really don't feel hungry at all. It becomes a feeling of lightness, clarity and cleanliness.

Yes, depending on the day and length of the cleanse/fast, you might feel weak sometimes, or even lightheaded.This doesn't sound good. But no pain, no gain!  

Having said that, there ARE many ways you can do a fast wrong, and it can be VERY dangerous. So please know what you're doing before you begin.

 You know it's organic when it looks this gnarly. 

No fake shiny wax coating or GMO red colour here! 

Some other things you might experience are a runny nose, headaches, weird body odor, sweatiness, feeling too hot/cold, unusual and strong emotions, and others.

Basically; these are all signs of detox - so be happy!  Generally speaking, when your system is digesting food, it's eliminating toxins. So when you fast it gives your body the best chance at detoxing as much as possible. It's kind of a dream come true for your system.

Your body is having to stir up all those built up toxins (including repressed/unconscious emotions, as strange as that sounds). When they're stirred up, you feel them! Also, your body is trying to get these toxins out in every way - through your skin, nose, and the main exit, if ya know what I mean. Everyone poops =)
Of course, use your common sense. If any of these symptoms persists or gets really serious, talk to a professional and stop fasting for now. Get informed before  you fast.

Alright, I'm gonna go enjoy my last apple now! Around the dinner table with my family. I think they're having a beef casserole. Ah well, it's local, humane and organic meat. So I don't have a problem =)