The end. And a new Beginning!

On Feb. 12, a week ago, was our 29th day.
Breakfast- Oat Groats w/ Blueberries (a repeat, but really good)
Dinner-Braised Cabbage Rolls and Garden Vegetable Soup I had been looking forward to making the cabbage rolls.  They were relatively easy to make, and very tasty.  I filled them with the Pecan Mince (for a meat) and the left over Sprouted Quinoa and left over Red Pepper and Tomato Basil Marinare Sauce.  They were so good that I had it for breakfast the next day! They were definitely one I will include in the future. We were leaving town the next morning, so I looked for a soup to use up vegetables on hand, and the Garden Vegetable Soup fit the bill.  It was very good, although it is still a little hard to get used to cold soup!

Terri's BG- 112
Melanie's BG- 210??? (her meter is at school)

Final Day 30!
We were torn on what to do about our last day, but with traveling out of town for funeral, and staying with relatives for three days, we made the decision to end after breakfast on Feb. 13th.  I really love eating raw and the great benefits, however, I will not lie, that Melanie and I were very excited to eat normally (our old norm). Needless to say, we sort of pigged out! And it was fun!  But there is always a  price to pay for our decisions.
After the first day, my stomach was hurting, from the shock of the new foods.  After about 3 days, our Blood Glucose levels were  much higher. We returned to good, but not totally raw foods, and  our BG levels were still  crazy high. For me, I had from 150 to 200, and Melanie in the 300 and 400s. (This was without our exercise routines too)  We are so wanted to get back to a better plan!
I began working on my 60-70% raw plan, with other mostly clean and healthy foods (clean meaning unprocessed).  We will not be so rigid, but will make healthy choices.  I will let you know how that goes, and hopefully in a day or two, our BG levels will come back to good ranges.

Raw Benefits
I want to list a few of the things I noticed while eating raw.
1. Great Blood Glucose Levels
2. Energy (no desires for an afternoon power nap)
3. Clarity of thought increased
4. Not as much craving for snacks
5. I usually crash with a sickness in January after the Holidays, and I stayed well this year!
6. Clear skin
 I wish I could do my blood work, to see the comparisons, but that can come in time.
*Melanie didn't report noticing these things, but hers (Type 1 is a different ball game) I do think that she is seeing an appreciation for raw as her blood glucose levels are about 100 points higher this week than when we were strictly eating raw!
We will keep looking for natural health answers for her, and we will keep working on the Raw Journey.  I am thankful that we did it strictly for 29 1/3 days.  I was forced to know how to prepare the foods (if we wanted to eat). And we were exposed to such a variety!  I have confidence that I can make it work!

Thanks for following us on the beginning of our Journey, and we will keep you posted!

28 Days!!!

Breakfast- Cashew Mushroom and Red Pepper Scramble and Carrot, Zucchini Loaf
Dinner- Twice Baked Stuffed Tomatoes with Sprouted Quinoa Croquettes

Wow!  Those titles may make you think you are eating at a top cuisine restaurant!  I felt like I was working at one in the preparation! About the breakfast, if it was to replace scrambled eggs in any way, I think it missed the mark.  However, it wasn't awful.  I think we have just had a lot of dishes with the same ingredients lately.  It resembled another cashew cheese.  It was probably more difficult that I fixed a scrambled egg and cheese potato breakfast for the unhealthy part of our crew! I ended up putting more of the roasted veggies I made yesterday, on top and that put it up a notch. I was not so impressed with the Carrot, Zucchini Loaf. The buckwheat is my favorite toast so far...but I'm still exploring.

Because of the delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers from last week, I had my taste buds all pumped up that the Twice Baked Stuffed Tomatoes would be just as good.  It was a fun idea, but our family all agreed that the  Red Pepper,  Dill and Cashew Ricotta filling wasn't the best choice. It was a flavor clash to us.  We ended up putting some of the Sprouted Quinoa on top to balance it.  With a more meaty, warmer, and chunkier filling they would have been great! The quinoa was good and packed with nutrients and protein though.

Unhealthy Scrambled Egg Dish

Cashew, Mushroom and Red Pepper Scramble w/Carrot, Zucchini Loaf

Twice Baked Stuffed Tomatoes w/ Sprouted Quinoa Croquettes

 Terri's BG- 115
Melanie's BG- 153 (no exercise for her today)

 I'm still feeling great, and loving the nutritious foods! We will keep you posted!!

Day 27 and some Yummy Recipes

Here are some great foods and recipes I promised....

Blueberry Chocolate Hemp Squares

 Blueberry Chocolate Hemp Squares
1 1/2 cups raw shelled hemp seeds, soaked for 30 minutes
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen-and any type of berry)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/3 cup raw agave nectar (could use another sweetener)
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (melt on dehydrator for 15 min. or in a shallow bowl over a larger bowl of hot water)

In a blender, combine soaked hemp seeds, berries, cacao powder and agave nectar.  Blend at high speed until smooth, scraping the sides down as you blend.
Add water and coconut oil and blend until smooth.
Transfer to a baking dish and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until firm enough to cut.  I froze mine to be quicker and actually like them frozen.  They taste like a blueberry chocolate!
** I really like this recipe for it's versatile possibilities, the taste, the protein and low carb value of the hemp seeds.  I have been getting Raw Hemp Hearts from Costco at 14.99 for 28 oz. (which would be hard to beat!) They are also great as an added protein to yogurt, cereal, or salad.  I put it on the Raw Pizza and it seemed to add a cheesier flavor.  I have also used it to replace pine nuts in a recipe, since pine nuts are out of my price range right now. The flavor is similar.

Roasted Basil Vegetables

Roasted Basil Vegetables
About 3 cups of small cut veggies of your choice.(broccoli, onions, red and green peppers, zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms)
Toss them in 3 T. of Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil, 1 T. dried basil and a t. of sea salt.  Lay them on a non stick dehydrator tray for 2-3 hours until they begin to wilt.  Use them as a side dish with anything, or just a snack. (they are good cold)
I made a batch yesterday and they are gone today!  So good and full of nutrition.

Breakfast- Oat Groats and Blueberries (this is a good stand by to have soaked in the fridge)
Dinner- Left over Taco Salad and the Jicama, Mango Salad

Terri's BG-102
Melanie's -190 (We are going to have to increase her insulin a little)

Five days left... (day 25 and 26)

We continue to have some fun meals... I'll share.
Saturday Feb. 8th.
Breakfast- Had planned Cashew, Mushroom And Red Pepper Scramble-but realized I used the mushrooms and red peppers for something else.  Can you believe I would go through 9 red peppers in a week?  So I did a back up plan and had Breakfast Muesli again!  It was great. I just had to put it on the night before.
Dinner- Sun Dried Tomato Basil Tart and Mango, Jicama, Pumpkin Seed Fresh Herb Salad. Wow! This was a fun one!  I have a picture of both below.  The tart is something I would take to a nice dinner.  The Mango Jicama, Pumpkin Seed ...Salad was a fun way to blend foods I would never had thought to blend on my own!  It was really good though.  I also made Jicama Fries while I was cutting up the jicama.

Terri's BG- 123 

Mango, Jicama, Pumpkin Seed Fresh Herb Salad

Melanie's- 211  (mmmm???)

Sun Dried Tomato Basil Tart

Jicama Fries

 Sunday, Feb. 9th
Breakfast- Leftovers! And Good!
Dinner- French Onion Soup  and Taco Salad- It was a little strange having a cold French Onion Soup.I warmed it for the non -raw family members.  It was pretty good though. We realize it is really good with Corn and Carrot Nachos The Taco Salad was delicious.

Dessert-Blueberry Chocolate Hemp Squares I was looking for an easy dessert that had ingredients I had on hand and would fit our raw diet.  In the Eat Raw, Eat Well  book I found these.  The original recipe called for Raspberries, but I had Blueberries.  It was so good!  It tasted like a yogurt to Melanie and I, and is packed with protein from the Hemp Seeds.  Best of all, it was non-dairy!   I will share the recipe  and a picture for this tomorrow.

Terri's BG-105 (exercising Friday made a difference for this weekend)
Melanie's BG- 182 (she has been quite sick today, so this always throws off her numbers)

My Theories- Day #24

Nori Hand Rolls

So for me, the raw diet has been a little frustrating, and that it why I haven't been posting. My blood sugar has been ALL OVER THE PLACE! It has been hard to keep going since there hasn't really been a difference.
          I have figured out why the diabetics in the movie 'Simply Raw' were healed. At the beginning of the 30 days, they were taken off completely,greatly lowered their medication intake. They ate and did everything as normal, but they exercised if their blood sugar levels were high. The food that they ate was able to heal the pancreas, because of the live enzymes and cells that were in it. There was a need for the pancreas to be healed, since the fake insulin was there to do the pancreas's job as usual. Man- maid insulin, I believe, is a horrible drug for the body, so healing food is eaten with non- healing insulin, the counter block each others duties, and no results occur.
            This is my theory why my blood glucose and diabetes has not showed any differences or improvement during the raw diet. In order to cure diabetes, I need to be off all of my medication, I need to be able to exercise at any time when my blood glucose levels go too high, and I need to eat strictly raw. If I do all of these things at the same time, I believe I will be able to overcome my diabetes. But this also comes with a sacrifice. I am pretty sure I would have to be home schooled or just hardly ever go to school, because going to school and being away from the resources that I have at home would ensure that I would not be okay to be off my medication unsupervised and with out stuff to get my blood sugar levels up when they are low. It would be risky, and my doctor would NEVER approve taking me off my medication. (Not that I let him determine what I do:)

          This raw diet has been a good experience for me with what I have learned! I am not sure if I will keep trying to heal my diabetes or not, knowing me, I probably will because honestly I would do just about anything to cure it! I can't even imagine how nice it would be to be medication free, and not on meds every hour of my life. I know it is possible, For "With God, all Things are Possible". But maybe right now is not the time that I am supposed to be healed. Maybe there are more things I need to learn and more experiences I need to experience. But for now, I am going to keep living life to its fullest, for "There'll never be another day like this, so much is coming that we don't want to miss....."
-'Best Days' by: Beyond 5

Beyond  5

------------Melanie

P.S. 
Breakfast-Banana Pecan French Toast This was really good, but it is sweet .  See the picture.
Dinner- Nori hand Rolls with Zucchini Noodles and Sweet and Sour Thai Almond Butter Sauce These were as much fun to make as they were to eat! (kind of a sushi)

Terri's BG-109
Melanie's 185

Banana Pecan French Toast / with Caramel Sauce

The 23rd day of Raw

    Today I had some fun sharing one of my favorite raw dishes with some friends.  I took the Buckwheat Sunflower Seed Pizza Crust with some favorite toppings to a lunch gathering. My friends were anxious to try it.  I had some positive feedback and they shared excitement of their new view of raw foods, seeing that there is a variety-not just salad, fruits and carrot sticks! I was asked to post more of the recipes for them to try.  I will share a few more of my favorites. The book Eat Raw, Eat Well has so many things to try, just the few I post will only be the tip. I really think all of you would love the book. Get it from the library first, if you are not sure about buying it.

     Back to our routine.
Breakfast-Apple, Almond and Ginger Chia Seed Bowl- A repeat, but a good one.
Dinner-Pasta Bolognese- In the picture, you'll see that it is Zucchini Noodles with a Red Pepper Basil Sauce, and Walnut Mince (southwest flavored) It is an easy dish to prepare.  This could be another stand by that doesn't require much soaking or any dehydrating. The recipe called for mixing these all and serving, but I would rather put the components separately so as to keep the zucchini noodles together. The zucchini noodles are just grated zucchini done with a julienne grater (a simple hand held tool) and can be used with any sauce. So Versatile!

Terri's BG- 111
Melanie's BG- 150!   Note this, she didn't exercise today! Crazy?

Pasta Bolognese

Buckwheat and Sunflower Seed Pizza Crust (pictured on Day 11)
2 cups buckwheat groats, soaked (soak in double the amount of cold water for 30 min. Rinse, and drain)
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked (same as above)
3/4 cup  chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
 1/4 cup cold-pressed (extra virgin) olive oil
2 cloves garlic
 1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1/2 cup filtered water
1 cup ground flax seeds
    In a high powered blender, process the carrot, red pepper, olive oil, garlic, oregano and salt until smooth. Add the soaked groats, seeds, and water. Mix until smooth.  Transfer to a work bowl and stir in the ground flax seeds. Let sit for about 10 minutes so the flax seeds can absorb some of the moisture.
     Transfer to  nonstick dehydrator sheets and using your hands (and a bowl of warm water to help smooth and form the crusts) shape into circular small pizza crusts about 1/2 inch thick.  At 105 degrees, dehydrate for 5 to 6 hours, then remove from the nonstick dehydrator sheet and a mesh dehydrator sheet for a couple more hours, or until  dry on the outside and soft in the middle, but done.
    Top with a cashew cream cheese topping, a marinara topping, and any of your favorites.(spinach leaves,  softened broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, tomatoes, green onions, hemp seeds, and almond Parmesan)
Enjoy!

22 Days and feeling great!

All is well, except we are still puzzled with Melanie's morning highs. We had some great meals, again.

Breakfast- Buckwheat, Hemp, Chocolate Granola-  So good.
Dinner- Stuffed Bell Peppers w/ Red Pepper Mole Sauce, and Sweet Potato, Apple, Raisin Salad
I was so excited for the pepper meal. I softened the peppers all day with an olive oil and salt coating.  The filling was a mixture of Cashew Alfredo Sauce, a seasoned Pecan nut mince, and tomato marinara sauce. I wasn't sure what a Mole sauce was, but thought I would give the recipe recommendation a try.  It was so divine, so the recipe is below. The peppers were the best stuffed peppers I had ever eaten, so flavorful and filling! A favorite for sure!

Terri's BG- 109- I'm pretty sure of my exercise theory!
Melanie's BG- 189- With her high's mostly before 11 a.m. ????

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Sweet Potato, Apple and Raisin Salad

 Red Pepper Mole Sauce
3 red bell peppers
1 T Olive Oil
1t. sea salt
3 T melted coconut oil
2 T. raw cacao powder
2 t. pure maple syrup
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground coriander
pinch of cayenne pepper
Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Great topping for many things.(burritos, Taco Salad, rice etc)

Tomorrow's Banana Pecan French Toast

Day 21 and a Favorite Recipe

Breakfast- Blueberry Scones- We were excited for these.  I don't think they were as good as I anticipated though. I imagined them tasting more like a traditional scone, a favorite for us, but these could better be named Blueberry Biscuits. They were still good, but a little on the dry side. We served them with Chia Seed Strawberry Jam, Almond Butter,and Sunflower Seed Miso Butter with blueberries on top.
Dinner-Meatloaf  (which is really a nut, veggie and seed loaf) with Caramelized Onions as a lettuce wrap sandwich.  Another really delicious meal!  My husband really loved the caramelized onions! He wants me to bake them in the oven sometime.(so I can kill all the good nutrients) :)

Terri's BG- 107 (I think the exercise is kicking back in)
Melanie's BG- 177
We are discouraged about Melanie's high blood glucose levels during the early morning and first part of the day. We discussed that perhaps the reason she is not showing more improvement is because we are using insulin, which could prohibit progress.  We will have to do some more studying.  Maybe we jumped into this experiment too soon, and not properly prepared.   I cannot regret it though.  We
are learning so much!

Here is a delicious recipe for a delightful and nutritious breakfast cereal.

Buckwheaty Hemp Chocolate Granola
1 cup of buckwheat groats, soaked for 30 min., rinsed and drained
1/4 c. raw whole almonds, soaked for 30 min.
5 dates blended together with 1/2 cup water
1/4 c. raw cacao powder
3 T. raw shelled hemp seeds
1 T. sesame seeds

In high powered blender, mix well, the dates with water and cacao. Add the soaked almonds and blend briefly so the almonds are a little chunky. Transfer to a bowl. Add the soaked buckwheat, hemp and sesame seeds until they are well incorporated.

Transfer to a nonstick dehydrator sheet or two if you need, using your hands to spread evenly.  Dehydrate for 4 to  5 hours or until completely dry.  Allow to  cool.  You can eat  them immediately or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month.

Day 20 and a word about EXERCISE.

Our menu was a fun one with some new ideas.
Breakfast- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Bananas . That one wasn't new.  In fact it is about the 3rd time making it lately.  It is a good and filling stand by.  I think anything I can make without a days planning, soaking and dehydrating will be a stand by!
Dinner- Ratatouille w/Parsnip Rice.  I am unfamiliar with that name as a food, just a movie.  As we
began to enjoy our meal, Melanie stated that this might be her "favorite". I liked it too, but my faves are still the Pizza and Taco meals. The fun part about this was preparing it.  It called for a mock version of sauteed veggies (zucchini, onions, red and green peppers, and eggplant) in Olive oil and spices.  The sauteing part was of course done on the dehydrator! They were only on for a couple hours, but they were delicious and the nutrients were still with them!  I realize the veggies could be a wonderful side dish to go with any meal. Then they were added to a delicious red pepper tomato sauce. All this was over the Parsnip Rice, which as such a warm, buttery taste!

That afternoon I began to make Blueberry Scones using Coconut Butter as one ingredient. That was new to me, and tasted like a treat.  I'm really excited about the scones.  I'll let you know tomorrow how they turn out.
 Our Records:
Terri's BG- 123 (a highest day for me for a while.  It could be the not exercising over the weekend?)
Melanie BG- 174 ( she tried the doctor's suggestion about eating before exercising, not sure why hers is still high)

**A word on exercise... I have been diabetic for about 9 years, and had been taking a moderate dose of metphormin for that long.  It seemed to be controlling my diabetes okay. My average A-1C's had been in the 6.5-7 range for the past 5 years. I had always had the goal to get off of medication, through natural means.  I had worked to improve my diet, exercise, use essential oils, etc.  I had not been successful until June of 2013.  I had worked on exercising more intensive with Melanie since January that year along with adding new elements of healthier eating as we discovered.  My doctor had always told me I could keep trying, but that I most likely would take medication all of my life for control, because my condition seemed to be more genetic, and not because of added weight or an unhealthy lifestyle.  At the doctor's visit in June last year, my doctor asked if I needed to renew my prescription.  I told him no, that I think my A-1C will show that I could get off of medication.  He gently reminded me of what he had always said.  I told him teasingly, "I was here to prove him wrong."  He smiled and walked out, waiting on the test results.  A few minutes later, he came in with a big smile, "What did you say you have been doing? Well keep doing it. Your A-1C is 5.9!"  Boy was I so excited! The main difference I could see over the years besides improving the diet,was  training for a 5 K and a Jillian Michaels Ripped In Thirty workout video.  I don't agree with her lifestyle, but I am sure thankful for her work out ethics! Since then, I have committed to continuing a more rigorous exercise routine.  My follow up A-1C in December was 6.5, but the doctor agreed that as long as I kept it under 7 without meds., I could stay off of Metphormin.  I think this improved diet will help!

Over the Hump! - Days 16 - 19

      We made it half way.  It is all down hill now.... well maybe not that easy!  It has been a busy weekend, so I'm doing some catch up here.  We are still at it, and holding true, other than a small taste here and there of something we've cooked for the other family members.

Day 16 

Breakfast- Almond Banana Crepes. These were very worth waiting the extra day for. I was apprehensive at first because they seemed like banana fruit leather in circular shape. However, they were very tasty with peach and banana filling, and also we filled some with the Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding.  The crepes tasted like a Mexican or Italian dessert!  We felt guilty to have such treat for breakfast.

Dinner- Left over Lentil Sloppy Joes and Broccoli Soup  It was yummy again!

Terri's BG-94
Melanie's BG- 145

Day 17
     
Breakfast-Breakfast Muesli. This was delicious!  It was similar to granola.  I don't know the difference between granola and  muesli but it was so good and easy. I don't ever want to buy cereal again.
Dinner- Taco Salad with Nachos. What a great meal! Another favorite!

Terri's BG- 123
Melanie's BG-161

**We visited Melanie's Endocrinologist today and asked about the high's during exercise. He told us that it would be wise to eat something a few minutes before she exercises, because when the liver feels it's body is going to do something that will require a lot of energy, it will dump a store of glucose into the blood to help get through it.  Some exercises such as running or a continuous movement will use it all, but an exercise that has stopping and starting will not use it all, and maybe more will be dumped. It was a good hint. We should have known that already, but we are still learning!

Day 18
 We spent time planning meals and shopping this weekend.  We have some very delightful  meals to look forward to.  We were careful with the flax seeds this time, and had no embarrassing moment!  Although, when we sighted the clerk at Good Earth who cleaned them up for us,we noticed  him turn and go the other direction!

Breakfast - Soaked Oatmeal with Blueberries. That was a late Saturday Night Back Up plan because the Eggplant Bacon did not look like it could be done by morning. It turned out to be a right premonition. I rolled the oatmeal with my roller so it was from fresh oat groats and soaked in almond milk in the refrigerater  all night.
Dinner- Zucchini Bacon as a BLT with Buckwheat Toast.  It was over rated!  Of course, the recipe called for Egg Plant the store was out so I substituted zucchini. The Buckwheat Toast was not a favorite.  I'll have to give it one more try before I throw the recipe out (maybe I did something wrong).

Terri's BG- 113
Melanie's BG- 184

Nineteenth Day!

Breakfast- Fasting
Dinner - Zucchini Manicoti  and Sesame, Hemp and Carrot Slaw  I cooked Chicken Rolls and Orzo for the other family members, so knowing how good their meal would looked, and how hungry we were, I quickly put together some Pumpkin Seed Re-fried Bean Dip on Buckwheat Toast, so we wouldn't feel so deprived.  It helped.  Their food looked and smelled so good, but at least we were filled, and ours was tasty!
Terri's BG- 121
Melanie's BG- 133

* My average has been a little higher the last couple of days.  With the busy weekend, I didn't exercise, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully, that is why it is higher.  Exercise, is a key! I think Melanie was encouraged by her numbers!