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)

Ran with the dog a bit today. Was nice to get some exercise, but boy, it was hot! The dog’s pretty worn out, too. Also made a Costco run on the bike, but was pissed to find that they were out of spinach. Drat.

Today I had:

green smoothie
cucumbers carrots rolled in nori
zucchini and tomato pasta
ruccula and baby leaf salad with citrus dressing
homemade salsa and corn chips
bite of bread
avocado cacao pudding
lemonade

I slept in until almost noon today. That was decadent, but it felt great! After farting around on the computer I headed to Manna for a raw ice cream party of sorts, and ran into a couple of people I hadn’t seen in a while. After that, 6 of us (including Manna owners) headed out to check out their competition - a little hippie like cafe just off Omotesando Street. The place is called Tabi (meaning “trip” and they have no website) and it’s only open until November, at which time the owners are taking off on another world tour. The food was very nice, as were the people, though hippie types are probably not people I would likely hang out with otherwise. What was also interesting was the size of the place. I really don’t know how 9 people managed to squeeze into that… room!

Today I had:

small green smoothie
Asian slaw
raw banana split sunday
raw food platter
cool ginger cucumber drink
cacao nibs
pistachios

I made raw chocolates when I got back from my working on the film translation project with a colleague this evening. They were not only awesome, but I did not eat them all. The recipe is here.

I drank coffee today again, and seemed to be fine with it, but for dinner I went out for a simple soba (buckwheat noodles and wakame seaweed) at Hakone Soba. This is not raw and obviously somewhat processed, but not the unhealthiest of choices. And I have been eating soba from time to time with no major adverse effects. But I noticed something this time, probably since I was really eating on an empty stomach: my digestion was REALLY bad afterward. I had cramping and farting issues for hours. I have a feeling that I may have an intolerance to gluten as well as to dairy. I can only look upon this in a positive light: It’ll help me stay raw!

A lot of people are intolerant, or worse, allergic to foods and they don’t even know it. The only way to find out it to clean out your system (like on a fast or something), and then take foods individually and see how you react. That’s how I found out about milk. Wooahh, that was some kind of disaster! How could I have had dairy all those years and not known?

Both today and yesterday I had cooked and/ or processed foods. I think my system is gradually becoming more sensitive to what I put into it. I don’t feel genki (well; lively) after eating this stuff; I get a general sense of feeling down and lethargic. Again, I can only look at this in a good light.

Today I had:

green smoothie
bananas
vegetables wrapped in nori
Tully’s coffee
soba noodles with wakame
raw chocolates

A day in front of the computer finishing off my editing project (yeahhhh!) and then in front of the same computer but with my colleague in a cafe working on the film project (almost finished- yeahhh!)

Today I ate:

watermelon
green smoothie
spinach salad with avocado
2 coffees
salad bar at an izakaya
fried burdock root
no-oil, eggplant with soy sauce
red wine
potato chips

Today was hot as hell in Tokyo. I went to the store on foot just get a few groceries. My new roommate and her dog joined me, and all three of us were exhausted upon arrival home after what is normally a very simple outing. Showers were extremely necessary. This is why I try stay inside during the month of August. Actually, I usually try to leave the country, but finances were not agreeable this year.

Today I had:

green smoothie
walnut pate, zucchini, spinach rolls
green salad with citrus dressing
fuzzy navel (pecans, oranges, dates, ice)
banana ice cream with cacao nibs
cilantro pecans (yes, got at the nuts once again!)
red wine

My new (additional) roommate arrived today with her dog, Leo. Really nice to have a new friend and pet around! Didn’t get as much work done as I wanted, but c’est la vie!

Today I had:

green smoothie
chopped frozen banana with cacao nibs
walnut onion pâté, zucchini pasta, and spinach wrapped in nori
lemonade