And so I begin again

As many of you will recall, I was a practicing vegan (except for alcohol, of course) until just after I started my blog last September.  I didn't eat anything that had been cooked or overly processed or preserved (except for martini olives and tofu).  I ate organic raw nuts, veggies and fruits.  I made my own salad dressings from organic cold-pressed olive oil.  I made side salads from seaweed and raw yams.  I grew my own sprouts.  This lifestyle involves lots of planning and effort to maintain.

I did it for almost a year. 

And then, one day, I had a dolma, and then I had a tiny nugget of grilled chicken, then I had some tuna, then some cow's milk, then a big-assed buffalo burger.  Of course french fries weren't far behind.  And bring on the cheese. Before I knew it I was scarfing down a chocolate shake.  My diet was snowballing into hell.  My energy level avalanched in tandem with the crap I consumed.  Mysteriously.  All of that affected my drive to climb back on the wagon.  I told myself that eating right didn't make THAT much difference to my body, mind, and spirit.    Over the last few months, I have had to admit as I look in the mirror at my naked body that it does.  I am starting to roll out of bed in the morning instead of leaping.

But today I turn the leaf over again.  Today, I return to my all-day crunching and munching of raw veggies and lovely fruit.  In fact, I just went to the grocery store to stock up for the week.  It took me four trips to the car to get all the bags of fruit and veggies in.  Plums and Mangos and Peaches, Oh my!  I also got yellow squash, zuccini, avacados, red leaf and grean leaf lettuce, broccoli sprouts, clover sprouts, cabbage, peppers, snap peas, yam, pears, apples, grapefruits, rasberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, onions, broccoli, mache, chickpeas, corn, etc. etc. etc.   I etcetered myself right into a $200.00 tab for one person.  I forgot how expensive it is to eat raw food.  Crazy and counterintuitive, isn't it?

Because I am only eating raw fruits and veggies, it is really important that I make them interesting and filling enough to keep me going through the night.  I have found that if I chop raw cabbage (don't sliver or shred it) into my salad and mix it with the lettuce, herbs and sprouts, my salad feels heartier and keeps me going longer.  Of course, I also add lots of squash and other veggies or fruits, nuts and wildflowers too.

Alright - gotta get moving - I have lettuce to sort, wash, and tear.  AND I have to "get myself up to go out"...for a walk. (<extremely obscure movie reference)

Oh - and NO MORE BEER!  (Except for the 12 I have in my fridge now.) 

Now taking your wagers on how long this promise lasts....