Hey everyone! How have ya been? Sorry for the long break. Crazy times, but I will save the catch up for another post. Went backpacking twice this summer – and I was diggin it! Check out this pic of the Sawtooth Backpacking trip I took with the hubby my son, and his brother. We had a blast and the Sawtooths are awesome by the way! I fell in love with Sun Valley – too bad my bank account does not match my love for that area! Hope to chat with everyone soon!
Happy Saturday night everyone! Hey, so my kids wanted Thrifty (now Rite-Aid) ice cream. So like a good mom I went and got them some and had to hold two pints of cookie dough and pralines and cream ice cream in each hand for the drive home..How agonizing was that? I do not care how healthy the raw diet is, I miss ice cream. So I decided to make a quickie raw version using some brazil nut milk I had in the frig and some fresh blackberries. It was like magic – well almost…it turned out pretty good and calmed my ice cream cravings down.
Now onto the confession part – Forgive me for I have sinned. I am a very bad raw girl! It has been five months on the High Raw Diet – and yesterday I decided to treat myself to some crappy fast food at my fav place Del Taco. I ordered a small bean burrito no cheese. Its VEGAN. So why did I feel so guilty?
I am sure the guilt stems from that the fact that there is probably crappy ingredients in the tortilla and beans. I can make my own beans and buy my own tortillas and at least know every single ingredient that is in there. I do know that Del Taco has vegan beans and tortillas so at least that is good to know. But I have to confess that I LOVED EVERY BITE OF THAT BURRITO. I do feel deprived on the raw diet lately and I cannot help it. I am going thru a "If I eat another salad I am going to kill myself" phase!
~ Although this salad with Creamy Tahini dressing (recipe from
www.kristensraw.com) was really good ~
It is such a pain in the butt to make salads and eat healthy sometimes!
Ya know Dr. Fuhrman (the Eat to Live Doc) says if you can eat healthy 90% of the time you have mastered the art of healthy eating. So maybe I should treat myself every now and then to vegan cooked stuff. I am still high raw (like on average 80-90%) but I do enjoy the cooked vegan food ALOT when I have it!
Here is a list of cooked vegan food I have had throughout my duration of being High Raw (I have been 100% Vegan since I started and NEVER deviated from that – my kids were daring me to try a bite of real ice cream tonight!)
Now I have stayed high raw even though I have incorporated some of these items into my diet now and then. I could really see myself going more cooked vegan and REALLY enjoying it! So I am going to start making that transition. Especially since I cannot stay raw and backpack in the high Sierra's for two weeks, I better get my bod used to digesting cooked food.
I have to be careful though as I could easily be an overweight vegan. I like to eat ALOT of food and I can do that on raw and not gain weight. I know I would gain weight eating alot of vegan spaghetti and scones!
So I hope everyone has a great weekend! Summer is almost here! I went for a four mile walk today with the hubby and daughter. Trying to get into shape for upcoming backpacking trips!
Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I find myself feeling blah – and I do not know why. So I am trying to remind myself all the things I have to be thankful for and the list is long. God, husband, kids, family, friends, my life, etc. I need to express my gratitude everyday to all the good and wonderful things in my life. This seems to help the blahs!
So what's going on this Wednesday with you? This year is already flying by if you ask me. Of course ever since I turned 40 last year (ahem, cough, cough - lol) I feel like time travels at the speed of light!
So, I am starting to introduce a little more cooked, vegan food into my diet. Not everyday, but maybe twice a week. Got to get ready for a big backpacking trip in July (Sawtooth's? Justin you going?) where I will be eating cooked food every night. So I thought I would take a shot at some veggie burgers…..tada!
This morning I had green juice that was about the best green juice I have made as of late. I am trying to cut down my fruit in my green juice so I was a proud mama, only including one apple in this recipe. I LOVE celery in juice, do you? It gives such a salty kick to juice.
Today is ENBREL day. For those of you that do not know what this is, it is a Biological RA med that you inject 1 or 2 times per week depending on the type of ENBREL you are prescribed. RA is an autoimmune disease. So the short answer is, if you have RA, your immune system is attacking itself. Can I get a big BOO to that? ENBREL helps stop some of that bad-action-immune-system-attacking from occurring. So I got to inject this stuff and lately my thighs look like I am junkie. My bruises from the injections linger forever! Could I have a vitamin deficiency? We shall see as I am getting a full blood panel next week.
I hate taking this stuff. Yes, it makes my RA alot better, but the side effects suck – like Cancer, TB, infections, oh and even death. How's that for a cure for RA? Haha –
I won't get into the logistics of how ENBREL works to stop the immune system from attacking itself. But know this, ENBREL is EXPENSIVE. If you do not have insurance it is around $1500 for a one month supply. And it probably will not go generic since it is a biologic drug made in special facilities. It is very sad to think there are people with RA who cannot afford to take the latest breakthrough drugs to ease their symptoms. And if you are on Medicare fughettaboutit! With Medicare's tier pricing, you are in the donut hole in less than two months. Can you see why we need healthcare reform in this country?
*SIGH*
I started a RAW diet to see if I could get off this stuff. ENBREL helps me ALOT, but the side effects suck. Some of the side effects I have experienced recently are nerve issues in both hips and ENBREL warns about nerve damage among other things. But, if I do not take ENBREL, I will never get out of bed – Yes, RA sucks that much!
Let me list the positive things that the RAW diet has helped me with:
The good things RAW has done
What I am still waiting for RAW to do
Okay, so there you have my long-winded post! I hope everyone has a terrific night. My hubby and I are watching LOST on Hulu (my son, Cody, got us addicted, and we are on the final episode of season 1.
Love to all! – More backpacking pics for your enjoyment!
Another past backpacking adventure into the Sierra's. In July 2008 we trekked along the John Muir Trail (JMT) for most of the trip. We made our way from Piute Pass (near Bishop, CA) past the North Fork of the San Joaquin River into Evolution Valley and up to Dusy Basin, and came out Bishop Pass (and almost were killed in a rock slide but that is another post).
For the record Bishop Pass scares the crap out of me. It is just a series of steep, narrow switchbacks cut into the mountain. With each step there is the threat of the overhanging rocks giving way. There is even a sign that basically says "move your a$$" as you are in rockslide territory. Well it really says "Hikers should enter at their own risk and keep moving" – which means "move your a$$". This is just a section of the switchback you have to navigate your way around.
Anyways, I got side-tracked! Okay, back to my original post about duct tape, RA, and backpacking into the John Muir Wilderness.
Yep, this is me! Athletic Tape and an ole ace bandage to support my crappy joints! Hey whatever it takes right? This pic is up near Evolution Lake. Just taking a much needed rest. My wrists are wrapped tight as they get excruciating with RA pain, but…
Yeah…Whateva!
I know what you are thinking. "What a nice leg!" Haha. I got so many comments on my duct taped knees while hiking! I did not pack my knee braces for this trip, but I was trying to shave off ounces from my pack. I will not make that mistake again! By the way those are Montrail Hiking boots, and I LOVE them. They have the greatest heel support eva! I purchased them at REI – the greatest place to shop in the world.
This makes the duct tape and wrist braces all worth it. Evolution Lake in the High Sierra's. This is in the heart of the John Muir Wilderness. He was an amazing man and naturalist. Did you know he had memorized the entire Old Testament as a young boy? Among many of his accomplishments, was the founding of the Sierra Club and the preservation of Yosemite Valley and other wilderness areas. He considered the Sierra Nevada Mountains his home. 
"The mountains are calling and I must go" – John Muir
One of my favorite places in the backcountry is Evolution Lake. I could live here all summer long. Me and the hubby stopping for a photo op. We decided to go a bit further and camp at No Name Lake…what a creative name. But there is no name on the map, so that is what we called it.
Our campsite at No Name Lake. Now this is really the high country. We are way above tree line and the camp site is a little rocky, but it was still pristine and beautiful.
A view looking back on our way up to Muir Pass. You can see Wanda Lake on the far right which was named after John Muir's daughter.
The John Muir Shelter (hut) at 11,955 feet in Kings Canyon National Park was built in the 1930's to provide shelter for hikers. A young couple (I say young cuz we are like the oldest hikers in the backcountry usually!) And if I recall they were vegan. Well she was, and had packed all vegan stuff. he was dreaming about In-N-Out burgers.
Until our next Raw food, Backpacking, Arthritis adventure!
