Yadi Crocker

I've been "cooking" up a storm lately. It's just so fun, I'm surprised. It all started when I got my dehydrator and decided to mix up a batch of ingredients I already had in the house without really following a recipe. How hard could it be to make chips? Turns out it requires more intricate flavor mixing than I had expected. My chips were gross and stunk up the house. I was determined not to throw the dehydrator out with my nasty creations and to follow some time-tested recipes instead.

I searched online for a few things I wanted to try and went shopping at Trader Joe and Whole Foods for the actual ingredients (no substitutions allowed - per Pierre). Here is what I have made this week:

The first things I made in the dehydrator were Falafel and Lemon Coconut Cookies. Both were YUM. I mixed the falafel with lettuce, tomatoes, chopped cucumbers and topped it with cucumber sauce. I would definitely make that again. I forgot to take a pic of the salad, but here is Joshua's version (same thing sans the lettuce):

Falafel with Cucumber Sauce


Click here for recipe. I actually did substitute something in this - agave for the honey.

The cookies were fabulous. Extremely lemony and coconuty.

Lemon Coconut Cookies


Click here for recipe. These were a hit with everyone.

That night I made Broccoli Soba in Spicy Almond Sauce for dinner. Pierre loved it. It was goood.

Broccoli Soba in Spicy Almond Sauce


Click here for recipe.

I then thought it would be good to make some bread. Here is the sandwich I made with it.

Mediterranean Almond Bread


Click here for recipe. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of this bread. Maybe it's because I haven't had bread in a month, but it was a bit too heavy for me. I omitted all the spices from the recipe since the person said they were overpowering - maybe I should've left some in because mine was sooo bland.

Pierre decided mid-day that he was in the mood for ice cream. I found a recipe for raw chocolate ice cream and substituted carob for cacao (lots of mixed reviews on the affects of raw chocolate on the body). It was ok. I was just happy to be eating something cold and creamy.

Raw Chocolate Ice Cream


Click here for recipe. I topped it with shredded dried coconut and sliced bananas. Pierre was a happy camper.

Later in the day, I wanted sushi. It turned out so yum...but I topped it with traditional organic soy sauce and got a major headache from the salt. I will make them again and use Nama Shoyu or something.

Nori Rolls


Click here for recipe. Pierre loved these.

This morning I decided to make carrot cake. The cake itself was ok, Pierre said the nutmeg was overpowering. I thought it was ok. I was not a fan of the icing, though. I would make this cake again if I could find a better icing. I kind of mixed two different recipes for it since the first one was too plain.

Carrot Cake with Lemon Date Icing (mixed with some cashews and vanilla extract)


Click here for cake recipe.
Click here for icing recipe.

I took the bread I made before, thinned it out and stuck it back in the dehydrator - determined to get my CHIPS! They turned out much better. Joshua ate them up. I made some hummus to go along with it. YUM. Pierre found it a bit too lemony, but I thought it was perfect.

Zucchini Hummus


Click here for recipe. It's towards the bottom of the page.

Phew! I'm pooped. Good food, good times. More to come! I still have so many left overs. Come over and eat this stuff! :-)

Feasting and Fasting

Whew - it's been quite a couple of weeks. Being raw was awesome. I didn't have any food cravings or detox symptoms. My skin conditions cleared up, I lost some weight, I was able to rise up early in the morning without the use of alarm clocks, my normal body odor was basically gone (didn't have to use deodorant), and I actually enjoyed the food. My husband and I feasted at Quintessence in NYC (a raw food restaurant - www.raw-q.com) and it was soooo good. I was smiling ear to ear with every bite. My husband enjoyed it so much he actually considered going raw afterwards! lol.

Yesterday on the way to church I felt lead to go on a 14 day water/juice fast. Now that I've been raw for two weeks, I figured it was the next logical step to really cleanse my body so that I can get the full benefits of being raw in the future. Well, if you count that my last actual meal ended on Saturday around 6pm, I've been fasting now for 51 hours (a little over 2 days). My gosh! Can we say DETOX??! I started feeling a little weak last night while my friends were over. I couldn't even get off the couch to say good night to them when they were leaving. I was tossing and turning all night to finally get up around 3am and vomit what I later found out was bile (iuuuooooooo). Apparently when your body is cleansing, the liver takes extra toxins and puts them in the stomach with bile so it doesn't get overtaxed. That was nasty. I had a little more of that tonight. Not to mention that my body odor is back with a vengeance, I haven't had a bowel movement (yes, you had to know that), I've been weak and dizzy and basically bed ridden all day. My tongue is coated with some slimy stuff, my legs are achy and I have had no desire whatsoever to drink juice. My husband made me a green juice this morning of romaine lettuce, celery and parsley. That's the only juice I've had, and only because he "made" me. I've only wanted water and have been drinking a ton of it.

Despite all the bad symptoms I'm feeling, I'm excited to be getting clean inside and out. So many people live with toxic bodies like I have for so many years. I'm turning 30 at the end of this month (March) and want to be in the best shape I've even been in - Spiritually, Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, Socially and Financially. I'm on my way! In a sick way, this is kind of fun. I KNOW the grace of YHWH is encompassing me through this whole journey. Yay! I'll keep you posted.

Evolution of Yadi

I haven't touched this food journal in several weeks. First I thought I had this thing down and could keep everything I ate in my mind. LOL. Seriously. I figured I had learned the lesson that needed to be learned (no mindless eating) therefore I no longer needed to heed this discipline. After that I went on several binges which included eating red meat. I hadn't eaten red meat in 8 years. I gained close to three pounds back and decided to stop weighing myself. That's where I've been.

So now this journal is taking a different direction. It is with great trepidation of the thoughts of my readers that I say the following - I am now a raw foodist. For a full explanation as to why I made this decision, see my personal blog here. I feel the need to write a disclaimer. Going raw is not for everyone. I'm doing what I know is right for me.

That being said, I am now going to use this journal to document my experience as a "raw foodist" (a term which I detest and will only use this one time). I officially went raw on Monday, February 11, 2008. That makes today my 3rd day. The last time I weighed myself was February 4th and I was 173 point something. I didn't weigh myself again until today because the rest of that week I ate atrociously and knew I had gained even more weight. Today, after only 3 days of eating raw, I weighed in at 170.2. I know the numbers aren't everything, but it is always nice to see them going in the direction of a healthy weight instead of the opposite.

Since I prefer to live an intuitively and spirit-led life rather than cerebrally-led, I prefer not to set a time frame on how long I will be raw - and I definitely won't say it's forever. At this point I can see myself transitioning to a high raw diet (mostly raw with a few cooked whole grains, still vegan) - but who knows? So my journey begins and I'm looking forward to the fabulous changes this will bring.

Day #24

Breakfast 12:30pm
1 large bowl of honey nut cheerios with rice milk

Lunch 3pm
Homemade salmon pizza

Dinner 8:30pm
WW pasta with organic tomato and red pepper soup, soybeans, corn, artichoke and marinara sauce.

Day #23 (with review of previous days)

Today I'm supposed to be fasting. I'm not sure if I'll make it the whole day as it's currently noon and I'm famished. I also haven't gotten my period (4 days late) and am not sure if I'm pregnant. That would put a bit of a damper on the whole weight loss thing. lol. It's probably just because I've changed my routine. Will keep you posted.

Breakfast 12:30pm (yea...)
1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons soybutter
1 slice whole grain toast with soybutter
3 tamarinds
4 Belgian chocolates

Lunch
I don't remember...

Dinner
Brown rice and salmon with lemon dill sauce

Monday January 21 - Tuesday January 22
I ate a bunch of junk including Belgian chocolates and homemade pizza...but I exercised!!!!! Woohoo!! First time in a long time. It felt good.

Sunday January 20
Breakfast 11am
Scrambled egg and cheese on an everything bagel
A few chunks of honeydew melon

Lunch
Veggie lomaine and broccoli in garlic sauce

Dinner
My mother-in-law's cooking (I don't remember what it was)

Saturday January 19
Breakfast
The usual

Lunch
I went to a birthday party at a Colombian household. I broke ALL the rules. I had red meat for the first time in years. I even had wine (which I'm not supposed to have at all on this plan). Overall, I ate 1 chicharon (fried pork), vegetable rice with chorizo (sausage) mixed in, potato salad, avocado, beef lasagna, and marble cake with strawberry mousse filling.

Dinner 9pm
Veggie Lomaine w/ broccoli in garlic sauce
1 veggie egg roll
2 Tostones (fried plantain)
1.5 cups Snapple

Friday January 18
Breakfast
1 egg fried in two teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice whole grain toast with soybutter
1 cup frozen berries
1 cup soymilk

Lunch
French Bread Pizza (organic mozzarella, pizza sauce, tomatoes and red pepper flakes)

Dinner
Blackened Cajun Salmon
Brown rice
Spinach and tomato with balsamic vinegar
2 butter cookies

Day #17

Breakfast 10am
1 bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios

...felt dizzy afterwards :(

Lunch 1pm
Homemade veggie sandwich (multigrain french bread, romaine lettuce, raw baby spinach, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, avocado, cucumber, shredded carrot, mustard, organic shredded mozzarella cheese, a splash of apple cider vinegar)

2 butter cookies

I know I know! I said I gave them away! I did...except the burnt ones which I kept because they weren't worthy to be given away and I didn't think I would eat them. I was wroooooong.

Dinner 5pm
Homemade pizza (ww crust, tomato sauce, organic mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, baby spinach)

Less than 1 serving of multigrain chips

A few freeze dried mangosteins

Snack ? 8pm
2 butter cookies.

They're gone now. For real.

Day #16

Yes, I have totally fallen off the wagon. I think it all started on Friday when I checked my weight and saw that I had lost over 3lbs. I got too confident...and my son's bday party on Saturday only exacerbated things. Now I'm back at square one. I haven't written my food choices down in days. I'm starting again today. I'm dreading that 4 week weigh in. I haven't exercised (except for housework) and I can't find my work out dvd. No excuses. I must get on the ball!!

Communion 11am
Small piece whole wheat matza
tiny bit of organic grape juice

I thought I should start my day with communion to get refocused on what I'm doing.

Breakfast 12pm
1 fried egg
1 slice whole grain toast with soybutter
1 cup soymilk
a few frozen strawberries
...2 butter cookies I baked this morning.

Lunch 2:15pm
1 homemade veggie sandwich (multigrain french bread, romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cucumbers, mustard, a dash of apple cider vinegar and tarter sauce)
1 butter cookie

I could've done without the tarter sauce (made it kinda gross) but I thought it needed something extra since I didn't have any special sauces to put on it. Darn those butter cookies.

Snack 3pm
2 butter cookies

OK, I gotta give these things away and never make them again.

Dinner 5pm
1 slice homemade pizza (whole wheat crust with pesto, tomato sauce, organic mozzerala cheese, tomatoes, and spinach)

Went to church and gave all those darn cookies away!

Day #12

Saturday, January 12 - My Son's First Bday Party

Breakfast 10am
2 homemade pancakes with maple syrup

Snack 2:30ish
A bunch of multigrain tostitos and salsa

Lunch 3:30ish
A slice of pizza

Dinner 6ish
Rice and beans with chicken in sauce
Another slice of pizza

Later on I had some bday cake.

Day #11

Breakfast 11am
3/4 pumpkin muffin with organic strawberry fruit spread

Lunch 2pm
Yellow squash, cherry tomato and feta omelet

It was mostly squash.

Dinner 5:30pm
6" Subway veggie

Snack 7pm
1 serving baked bbq Lays

Movies with my sister...
We shared a large nachos and cheese and I had a serving of Nestle Crunch Dibbs.

Bad. Bad. Bad.

Day #10

Thursday, January 10th

Breakfast 10:30
1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice whole grain toast with soybutter

Snack 1pm
I shared a small homeade pumpkin muffin with my son

Lunch 2:30
Baked salmon and bean salad

Dinner 5:30
1 slice whole grain toast with peanut butter

I did housework for exercise. I drank water and had my vitamin.

Day #9

Breakfast and Lunch
Corporate Fast

My church goes on a fast every week from Tuesday evening at 7pm to Wednesday evening at 7pm. I started late last night due to my pizza rampage.

Drink 5pm
1 cup black tea

Dinner (breakfast) 7pm
Rice and beans with fish, spinach and a little plantain (my mother-in-law's cooking)

Dessert 8pm
1 small homemade pumpkin muffin

I got a stomach ache after that.

I exercised today in the form of housework. Drank lots of water and had my vitamin.

Day #8

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Breakfast 11am
1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice whole grain toast with soy butter

I'm fresh out of berries and didn't feel like having milk, so that was it.

Lunch 1:45pm
a bowl of homeade bean salad
a handful of almonds

Snack 4:45
1 ricecake
1/3 organic dried fruit bar from Trader Joe

Dinner 5:30pm
a bowl of whole wheat pasta in tomato sauce

2nd Dinner (I know) 9pm
2 slices of pizza (one red, one white)

I did a lot of housework today and was totally stressed out by the time my husband got home. He was holding left over pizza from my favorite place (Brooklyn Pizzaria here in Jersey). I grabbed it from his hand and consumed the two slices. Not hunger, pure stress. He said, "You're gonna have to write that down!" I didnt' care. It was worth it at the time. I felt icky afterwards.

I've been taking my multivitamin daily and drinking my water. Exercising in the form of housework and a few crunches here and there.

Day #7

Breakfast 10am
1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice whole grain toast with soybutter
1 banana

Lunch 2:30
1 bowl of homemade bean salad
1 chocolate macaroon

Gosh darn it! I found those macaroons in the fridge this morning (divine intervention?) and gave them to my husband to put somewhere else (who refrigerates macaroon??). He had taken some from my mother-in-law's house. Low and behold I go to make lunch and there they are again! Chocolate got the best of me.

That was the end of eating for today. I got caught up in doing things around the house, then I had a meeting in the city and before I knew it it was too late to eat. I'm hungry right now. Breakfast will be sweet tomorrow. lol.

Day #6

Breakfast 10am
The usual minus berries (ran out of time on the way to church)

Communion 12:50pm
A small piece of mazta with a tiny cup of grapejuice (lol)

Snack 2pm
1 cup of red grapes

Lunch 3:15
Rice and beans
Red snapper in red onion sauce
5 plantains
1 smidgen of chicken
1 cup of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

The smidgen of chicken was because my husband said my mother-in-law baked it and made it extra spices with peppers so I wanted to taste it.

Snack 7:30
1 serving pretzel rods and almond butter

Still full from lunch.

Good day.

Day #5

Breakfast 10:30am
The usual, except I ran out of strawberries so I had a cup of red grapes

Lunch 1:30pm
Small Blimpie veggie sandwich on whole wheat with mustard and a little mayo

I hate mayo, but on this sandwich it tastes so delightful

Stress Drink 4pm
1/2 cup of eggnog

I admittedly drank this because I needed a mood boost. Not a good idea...but it was sooooo good. I drank it slowly and enjoyed every sip.

Snack 5pm
1 serving pretzels with almond butter

Dinner 6:30pm
Salmon in dill sauce
Rice and beans
Greenbeans
2 scoops of Breyers vanilla icecream topped with organic chocolate sauce and ground almonds

Ok, so I had official dessert today. I'm telling you, I was putting this icecream in the glass and I felt like crying with joy. I mean I got so excited for this thing it was like I was about to indulge in the most exquisite food known to man. I felt tingles throughout my entire body as I ate it. My smile stretched from ear to ear. Was it a nutritious, calorie dense food? Heck no. Yet I'm so proud of myself because that icecream has been in the fridge all week long and normally I'd be dipping my spoon in it all day, every day. Yes, this food journal is good.

So today I forgot to take my vitamin. I had moderate water intake and walked around the mall for a few hours with my mother-in-law. I passed right by the dude handing out free smoothie samples :) lol The fact that I'm proud of that after eating everything I did today makes me laugh - but I am proud nonetheless.

Day #4

This is for yesterday, Friday Jan 4th

Breakfast 10am
1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 teaspoon of soybutter
1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup of soymilk

Fork Lick 1:30pm
Rice pilaf mixed with pureed sweet potato

I was squooshing my son's food together and licked the fork. Why is that worth writing down? Because I didn't notice I did it until around 5 minutes later. There will be no mindless eating this year!

Lunch 3pm
Rice and beans with red snapper in onion tomato sauce (courtesy of my mother-in-law)
1 chocolate macaroon

My mother-in-law's cooking is THE BEST. She's one of those wonderful women who don't need recipes; a little of this and a little of that. Yum. As for the macaroon...I savored that thing.

Dinner 6pm
Pumpkin soup
1.5 slices of haitian bread

So we went to Pierre's grandma's house and being that it's still technically "New Years" week, there was more pumpkin soup. The difference between this one and the one I had on New Years day is that my mother-in-law knows I'm an aspiring vegetarian, so she cooks accordingly. My husband's grandma is old skool; we're talkin' beef, chicken, potatoes, and two different kinds of pasta in this pumpkin soup. I ate around as much of the meat as I could. As for the Haitian bread...think of the whitest, most dense bread you could imagine. Those 1.5 slices were probably 3 servings. After this meal I got a severe case of the "itis" and as soon as we got in the car to go home, I was OUT. I got home and it was all I could do to put my son in bed before I collapsed on my bed. I slept for an hour before I could move to take my coat and boots off. Seriously.

All in all it was a good day. I got to bed early. That's always nice. I don't plan on eating heavy meals that knock me out again any time soon. No formal exercise (can I start next week?) and moderate water intake. I took my vitamin:)

Day #3

Breakfast 10:15:
1 egg fried in 1 teaspoon of soybutter
1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 teaspoon of almond butter
1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup of soymilk

I thought I didn't need the 2 teaspoons of butter...I was wrong. My egg got so stuck to the pan it almost dissolved into nothing. Good thing I had that almond butter to sustain me.

Lunch 1:30:
Sprouted wheat pasta with marinara sauce, yellow squash and sundried tomatoes (left overs from what I made yesterday)

I ate this pretty quickly out of the tupperware while on the computer. Not a good idea.

Snack 3:20
1 cup of red grapes

Snack 4:45
1 serving pretzels with almond butter

I guess those cute grapes didn't sustain like I thought they would.

Dinner 9pm
Wild rice medley and sword fish with mixed veggies (broccoli, corn, soybeans, red peppers, artichoke). I added some pesto sauce to the veggies while they were cooking. Yum :)

This was really delicious, but I got a wicked stomach ache afterwards. I don't even normally say 'wicked', that's how bad it was.

I did worse on the water today. I really have to get that habit down. No formal exercise, but I did some housework. On the positive note...I got my multivitamin today and will start taking it tomorrow. I'm about to down a ton of water before I go to bed to catch up. lol

Day #2

Breakfast 10:30

1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 teaspoon of soybutter
1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup of soymilk

It worked so well yesterday, I did it again. This time I couldn't even finish the berries.

Snack 12:30

1 serving multigrain pretzels with almond butter

I was sooo hungry...but very happy with my choice of snack (and that I stopped at 1 serving)

Lunch 2:30

Sprouted wheat pasta with marinara sauce, yellow squash and sun dried tomatoes
2 large red grapes

I don't know why I ended up eating every 2 hours today, but I only ate when hungry. By this time, if I didn't have to write anything down, I would've just gone in the fridge and grabbed some icecream or something (yea, it's in there). But I actually cooked something healthy for myself. Go me!

Dinner 5:30

1 slice of plain pizza and 2 bites of dh's eggplant parm pizza.

I would normally have at least 2 full slices with juice.

Snack 9:45

1 Trader Joe Passionfruit dried fruit bar

I have church on Wednesday nights and I'm always famished afterwards. I don't really want to eat this late, but normally I would've had a panini or some other heavy food. The fruit bar curbed my hunger a tiny bit...I don't mind going to bed a little hungry, though.

I did better on my water intake today. I had about 30oz. My goal is at least 48oz. No formal exercise again. I have to figure out how to fit it in my schedule.

Day #1

Breakfast 12pm-ish:

1 egg fried in 2 teaspoons of soybutter
1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 teaspoon of soybutter
1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup of soymilk

Even though this basically cut my usual breakfast in half, adding the berries made me full. This was surprisingly enjoyable.

Lunch 2pm-ish:

Pumpkin soup and lots of it (a Haitian tradition for New Year's Day) made by my mother-in-law

Dinner 5pm-ish:

Foot long Subway Veggie Delight (the works, no cheese) on honey oat bread with fat free honey mustard dressing.

Misc 7pm-ish:

1 homeade chocolate macaroon (I HAD to taste them)

Snack? 8pm-ish:

1.5 cups of oatmeal

I didn't exercise today (officially), but dh and I walked around the mall for a good few hours. That should count! :) Knowing that I have to write down everything I eat deterred me from eating several things today that would've packed on even more calories. I didn't realize how much I pop into my mouth without even giving it a thought. My starting weight is 178lbs. My goal weight is 125. I will weigh myself again in 4 weeks. Overall, I feel really good :)

**PS**
10pm - My dh hands me a glass of eggnog (the real stuff) and I took a sip...