I finally tried the BaBa Ganoush recipe I’d put up on my blog, and it wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t give it a perfect score. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly as I thought there was too much garlic and oils, but next time I definitely will follow it, as I found it just a tad bland. Needed more spices…  A typhoon is coming. We are stuck inside, but air conditioning is no longer needed. Thank the Lord. I have had quite enough of the heat, and look forward to spending more time outdoors!

Actually, I did go out in the rain today. I really fancied a little jog with the dog. Leo is sleeping now. Perhaps I wore him out? Unlikely - he was the one pulling ME around the “track” in the park. We had to stick him in the tub when we got back, though. Wet dog is bad enough, but rain and mud wet mutt is a no-go.

Today I had:

green smoothie
BaBa Ganoush with carrots, cucumber, and organic sea salt tortilla chips
2nd helping of BBG above with whatever was left of veggie kingdom in fridge
olive bread
red wine

I didn’t allow enough defrosting time for my eggplant, so I’ll have to make the BaBa Ganoush tomorrow. I spent the afternoon in the SoftBank store, hoping to take advantage of the last few days of the iPhone campaign. Too bad so many others had the same idea. Not only did I have to wait several hours, but I have to wait 2 weeks to get the new phone. Waiting in the store meant putting up with effeminate SMAP characters signing “the Locomotion” as part of SoftBank’s current campaign, but it also meant viewing different versions of the White Dog Dad campaign, which for some reason I find highly entertaining. (I get a free pair of “Dad” dog slippers for signing up). (Sorry to all readers outside Japan - everyone else will know exactly to what campaigns I am referring.) The timing was good though, as my AU contract is finishing this month, and my cell phone’s pretty worn down (though the camera in it is much better than the newest iPhone’s. Actually, Japanese cell phones are still better than the iphone, I think; it’s just that the iPhone will mesh well with my Mac, is international in its scope, and will work overseas. Plus there’s all the neat applications. I can’t wait for the map application. Yes, other cell phones have this, but I just love the iPhone interface. I won’t need my hard copy maps anymore. Then again, I can’t recall if the maps were in Japanese or English when I checked out the app in the store. All in Japanese is a pain in the ass when you don’t know the reading (and this is not a complaint exclusive to gaijin!) In any case, taking advantage of the promotion on offer means I’ll save 50% off the services and the phone itself. I can’t wait to get another Apple product!

Today I ate:

berry green smoothie (ran out of spinach so upped the powdered green dosage)
zucchini and tomato sauce
guacamole, left over tomato sauce, raw veggies and organic totilla chips
pistachio balls
OJ (and vodka)

It was a bit of a rush at home today getting off a couple of work applications for next year. One position demanded that I hand-write everything in Japanese, and not only does my penmanship suck in English let alone in Japanese, but I re-injured my shoulder in the morning, trying to show off a judo move I learned in CEGEP to my roommates. A typical “me” move that ended in the regular disaster. As a result, writing all day was extremely painful. The selection committee will unlikely be impressed with my application, which is too bad, as this job would be very convenient! Well, you never know.

Today I ate:

green smoothie
2 salads of arugula and anything else I could find in the fridge
whole grain bread and marinated olives
guacamole and salsa dips for raw veggies and organic tortilla chips (fried, of course, but surprisingly no nasties)
OJ
raw lara-like balls (am addicted to these… I know they are condensed in fat and sugar… and that’s probably why!)

I’ve known this about labeling for sometime, but the gentleman in this video explains how we are deceived quite well. It’s troublesome indeed!

I did my usual today - work on the computer broken up with a roller blade expedition with the dog. It was a good day, but I didn’t accomplish as much work as I’d hoped. I ate too many date nut balls…

Today I had:
green smoothie
arugula salad with tomatoes and citrus dressing
tomato sauce on zucchini pasta
pistachio-date balls with cacao nibs
OJ (and vodka)

I found yet another food-related DVD out on the market, this one called Processed People. Here’s one of the trailers:

I just got the DVD Food Matters in the mail a couple of days ago. (That’s the one my friend and I watched over pizza - how ironic!) It was good. It was more a set of interviews with people about the pharmaceutical industry more than anything, but very enlightening indeed. A main point to be ingested is that the big drug companies have nothing to gain by keeping us healthy, and food manufacturers (didn’t food at one time not require manufacturing?) have nothing to gain from us eating directly from nature. They are coming out with a Japanese version by the end of the year that I hope to get a hold of. A good thing, as the content is less visual than wordy.

I went roller blading today and outran the dog. My roommate usually takes Leo out at around 5pm for a walk and a poop, but she had a job interview in the evening, so I joined them while the sun was still out. Woah, was it hot! I had a good workout though. Also did some yoga this morning and also cycled to Costco. That all sounds great, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t overcompensate with calorie intake…. ugh.

Today I ate:

orange pecan date smoothie
green smoothie
tomato sauce and flax “crackers”
almond butter on same crackers
giant green salad with avocado
green tea
pumpkin seeds and goji berries (not really fond of the latter, I must admit)
OJ
red wine

My roommates headed into Shinjuku today for the soul purpose of getting some bread from an awesome bakery chain called “Paul,” which thank the Lord does not have any chains in my neighbourhood. I acquiesced when they offered (strongly) to get me some whole grain bread, but thankfully they were out (I was called from the bakery), and subsequently managed to refute offers to get me a white flour (albeit very nice quality) substitute, saying that, and actually this is no lie, it doesn’t digest well for me. It’ll be difficult to watch them enjoying that bread. It really is an awesome bakery… However, with the pizza I had the other day and even the whole grain bread earlier on as well, I really noticed an immediate, negative impact on my body. I got all crampy, farty, and lethargic. I think my system has really become sensitive. I want to eat more raw!

Having a new smoking (only outside), omnivore roommate who only wants to please through food and who is completely at a loss with this raw food gig is proving challenging. It is not her fault that I have in recent days consumed senbei and bread, albiet whole grain. However, were she not here… no, I would not have eaten them to be honest. I have to follow my own advice with regard to good-intentioned sabotage. The best (and thankfully true) excuse is to say simply that cooked / processed stuff doesn’t make me feel good, sometimes makes me feel sick, and then offer to make some banana ice cream (always a hit!). Of course, when you really do want to eat the food (which I did at the time), it is more difficult. You have to have a certain thinking ingrained in you. For example, it is EXTREMELY easy for me to avoid eating meat in any situation; eating animals is simple something I do not do. However, I am not at that stage of thinking when it comes to my old favorites, such as certain breads. Umm, nor do I necessarily want to completely ban them from my life. I never wanted to be more than 80% raw, after all. For me personally, 100% is just a tad too counter-culture, at least at the moment.

I am starting my 6th month on a mostly raw diet today. I’ve been good and bad, had ups and downs, but am generally feeling pretty good about it. I have a lot of progress still to make though, especially with regard to exercise. Soon it won’t be so bloody miserably hot and humid, so I’ll be up for some action. I plan to bike to school at least twice a week in the fall.

Today I had

giant green smoothie
raw flax crackers with raw almond butter
leftover fig balls
warm raw miso soup with carrots, mushrooms, and cucumber
seaweed salad with lemon
almond date balls
dried nori

Today I managed to get up before 9am despite all the drinking last night, and even did a bit of yoga with Yukiko (and the dog. Yes, he was a natural at downward facing dog. It’s his favorite pose!) I procrastinated dealing with a project that I’d rather not do by preparing my class lists for classes starting in the fall term. It feels great to get stuff done. Thankfully I know what students I’ll be having way in advance, and this helps a lot! (At both the beginning and end of term there’s a lot of paper work).

Today I ate:

green smoothie
ruccola and spinach salad with miso dressing and mushrooms
raw almond butter on whole grain toast
homemade fig cashew balls with cacao and coconut (raw and yummy!)
guacamole with senbei and raw veggies
red wine

My friend and colleague Haruko came over this afternoon, and the plan was to go rollerblading and then out for dinner at a vegan-friendly place near the station, but just as we were heading out the door, torrential downpours started. What did we do instead, then? Watched movies, drank wine, and ordered… pizza. Umm, the only thing I can say in my defense at least I had the cheese-less version.

Today I ate:

green smoothie
green salad
leftover hummus, veggies & senbei
tomato pizza
red wine

I continued to work on video selection for next term’s integrated English classes at Aoyama University today. Instead of continuing with discussions based on newspaper articles, I figured this will be a nice change of pace. I’ll have students check out TV commercials in English too. Gotta love YouTube!

Today I ate:

green smoothie
curried carrot paste nori rolls with spinach and avocado
cold tomato sauce used as dip for raw veggies
banana ice cream with honey and pecans
humus and raw veggies
OJ

We gave the dog a bath this afternoon, with 2 pleasant surprises. 1) The dog (Leo) was not bothered about having someone touch his hind legs (he was abused as a small pup). 2) He was lovin’ the feeling of being fresh and clean and tore around then apartment in joy, pouncing on all of us and licking the salt off our faces. Yes, it’s nice to have a dog at home. This particular poodle doesn’t freak out at the sound of a blender or food processor either, so there is peace in the house.

Today I had:

green smoothie
leftovers of broccoli soup
peanut date balls with cinnamon and cacao (wow!)
corn chips and senbei (naughty!)
green salad with citrus dressing
banana ice cream
lemon juice
OJ
beer

Today I ate:

green smoothie (really nice today - added apples and green powder)
broccoli soup
home-made marinated olives
homemade OJ
homemade macadamia-date balls
green salad
nori rolls

Today I was feeling much better, though still a bit dodgy in the tummy. And don’t ask me why I did it, but I had a strong craving today, and “let myself go” and went out to Capricciosa’s for my favorite REAL pasta dish - tomato and garlic sauce, and, I dare say, parmesan cheese. And coffee. Two things worth noting: 1) As expected, I felt down and sleepy afterward, but not sick, as I had on the raw nuts. 2) I did not experience guilt. This latter point is a huge breakthrough for me. It means I know that I have the confidence to eat well most of the time, and therefore can finally ENJOY having no-no foods once in a while. (Previously, I’d have no-no foods all the time, and feel shit (physically and emotionally) all the time.) Yippie!

Today I had:

green smoothie
coffee
garlic tomato pasta and green salad
freshly squeezed OJ
green salad with avocado and sesame dressing
banana ice cream
home made raw chocolate pecans

The guy in this video is a tad sarcastic, and uses colourful language, but that’s what I like! Here is why I avoid wasting money on bottled water:

I didn’t write it down last night as it was late, but while watching a streaming Sci-Fi movie (”District 9″ - South Africa is doing some good flicks recently) online in bed, I decided to crack open a pack of nuts (raw, Mayan spice mix). I loved them, but they didn’t love me: From 5am I proceeded to rush to the toilet to hurl out as many as possible. After my tummy settled, my intestines suffered for the rest of the day, starting with violent diarrhea that gradually slowed as the day wore. I don’t reckon it was food poisening, but obviously my body wanted it all out. Maybe I am sensitive to spices now? I’ll never know. Today was obviously not a big eating day.

Today I ate:

oranges
bananas
frozen berries
baked potato pieces
zucchini pasta with tomato sauce
herb tea

I made and posted one of Alissa’s recipes for broccoli soup today. Wow, very yummy. Lots of fats though, from the avocado and almonds, so I tried to exercise self-restraint. I’d like to have shared with my roommates, but one doesn’t like garlic (ooh, God, can’t say the same for me!), and the other is not accepting food from me since we had a spat. Their loss, but unfortunately, my gain, if ya know what I mean! It’s another hot as hell day out there, but I am very content to now be enjoying some time off, farting around on the computer, enjoying the decadent luxury of air conditioning. No, I am not quite the poster child of perfect environmentalism. Umm, not quite the child either…

The dog (Leo) recently got hold of my stuffed toy dog and teethed it to death. Oh well, I guess now that the real Mackoy is in the house, I should not complain. However, I’ve caught him with my slipper in mouth a few times, too…

Today I had:

green smoothie
broccoli soup (lots!) with sliced carrots and zucchini
banana ice cream with vanilla extract
papaya
nori rolls with baby leaves, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, peanut butter…
fuzzy navel (oranges, pecans dates)
lemonade (just lemons, honey, ice, and water)