Day 7: Easy Does It Every Time

Today is Day 7 of our 90 Day Detox. 90 days is a long time. I thought I’d include a picture of the dreamy wonder boy I had a date with this week. He he… Just kidding. But this picture is important and I’ll explain in a moment. First…

Yesterday I dipped my spoon a few times in the “Cream” of Broccoli Soup I made for the kids, so that’s my official cheat for yesterday. If you want the recipe, it’s a knockout and you can find it here! If you’re not on the 100% raw path for this adventure, this is a great vegan soup that is loaded with greens or whatever good veggies you have in the house.

I sure noticed how it threw me off to eat late the other night. Today I started off with some nibbles of grawnola, but I’d like to stick to water for the rest of the day and evening. I’d like to get back on track to eating first things in the morning and stopping in the afternoon.

3:00pm would be my last meal target.

Do you wanna try that with me tomorrow, Sunshine?

Here’s a very, very, very valuable piece of information that will really help you in life and help you if you’re going to take the 3:00 pm challenge with me this week:

Where you struggle to control some area of your life as you would like, simply approach the situation on a gentle gradient and soon you will have it handled.

It doesn’t matter what the subject is, the approach is the same. It can be a nasty relationship with your ex-husband (I love you, Jason!) It can be a office desk with clutter out of control. Food addictions, personal obsessions and phobias all fall under the same rule. Take change on a gradient. If you can control a small area of something and increate your control by a gradient over time, you’ll eventually master that area of your life and you’ll get it! (Whatever it is you’re trying to get, that is!)

Let’s take the example of eating late. Well, if this happens to be your main area of difficulty, something that you REALLY struggle to control, then gradually move toward your target on a gradient. Don’t jump from porking out on midnight corn chip sessions to expecting yourself to finish your last meal at 3:00 pm. Start creeping toward your target. You’ll get there.

If you’re not sure that you can make it at 3:00pm for tomorrow’s last meal, then how about if you eeeease and creep your way there with me this week? We can just stop eating an hour earlier every day. Then on Friday, you can stop at 3:00. If you think you can do 3:00pm right away, then go ahead! I’m going to try.

I hope you’re still wondering what’s up with that hot stallion above…

On March 7th, my brother, who I TOTALLY LOVE AND ADORE, has invited me to celebrate his birthday with him at a WRESTLING MATCH!! CRAZY! You should see the Facebook invitation he sent. I can’t believe he’s inviting me to get drunk and go wrestling. First of all, a few thimbles of any alcholic drink and I’m on the floor. We’re going to be shopping at second hand stores and dressing the part. Making posters and wearing greasy, neon t-shirts.  It’s going to be the strangest thing I’ve ever done and while a big part of me is completely repulsed by the idea, I loooove the strangeness of it all.

While the chances of me burping back beer are slimmer than he might like to think, I’m thrilled to be included in such a Trashy Adventure in spite of all my eco-obsessions! I’ll keep you posted when it gets a bit closer!

Speaking of wrestling and raw divas… this is so funny! When I first started this adventure, I had no idea that there were some hot wrestling babes known as the “Raw Divas”. Seriously. Anyway, it would perturb me that when people googled “Raw Divas” it came up wrestling babes everywhere. Well, Google says that we win the search engine war. At least, in text we do. While the first 2 listings in Google are our sites now, Google images pops in some hottie photos right on top. Anyway, for March 7th, maybe I’ll wear my “Raw Diva” hoodie and people will think I’m cool!

There’s something really important that I’d like to address tomorrow. A kind of detox that doesn’t get discussed very often, but amidst all that we’ve been doing, it’s the thing I’m most committed right now to “releasing” in the name of detoxification.

I love what we’re doing here, because it’s not just about the food.

I hope you’re doing well, Sunshine. I loooove it when you leave me comments. It boosts me, too. It really does. Like the little “Go, Tera, Go!” that I need to continue and make this my priority.

Thanks.

Tee RAH! Tee RAH!

Today’s Inspirational Story:

(I know I owe you another one from yesterday!) This comes from Alissa Geurink who has been an incredible support to our community and programs behind the Diva curtain. Here’s a story that is at the heart of the things that matter most to me in life–getting people off psychiatric drugs. There are few things that spark my inner fire than knowing people are being put on psychiatric drugs. The fact that the innocent are the primary target through school systems is the kind of thing that would make me a popular writer on Mike Adam’s website. The guy kicks Psych-butt and I love him for it. Around here I try to keep things more positive, rather than rage against the evil of the world. It’s not that I can’t see it, or am not aware of the things that are going on out there–it’s just that I believe that what we put our attention on grows… validate what you want to create more of in the world. There are enough merchants of fear and choas in the world. ‘Round here we like to keep it poppin’ with good vibrations. So give it up for an incredible sister with a powerful story of tranformation: (loooove you like glue, Alissa! Thank you for all you do to support us ’round here!)

When you are on anti-depressants you are treating the symptoms and not the cause. There are several things that can trigger depression from a life changing event to a change in your diet. All of my life I feel like I have suffered from depression. I just did not feel right. Life in general did not click. I managed it pretty well for a long time, often times that would include putting up a fake façade and hiding in the crowd. I started to lose it when I had a year of changes. It was 2002: the year after the terrorists crashed into the twin towers, the year that I got married, the year I moved to a different city, the year my mother died, the year my brother died, the year I started to lose it. I think I pushed that back in my head and didn’t give myself enough room to cope with all of the changes. I went on with life.

A couple of years later, hormones entered my body as I started gearing up for the biggest change in my life – A child. That was it; after Alexander (whom I refer to as my little angel – different story) was born I went into a huge depressive state. It was not a matter of coping – it was hitting me hard. I felt all of the changes that occurred flood back into me. At that time my job was shaky, and I was butting heads left and right with my mother-in-law. I also felt the past depressive state come forward too: all of the feelings that I had all my life – the feeling that life was not clicking, not being worthy to be on the same plane of existence, feeling ugly, fat, the list goes on. I went to the doctor and explained what was going on (at that point I did not want to live). She put me on a high dosage of Lexapro. This helped me to cope with some of the issues that were going on in my life. I tried to go off of it about 6 months after I went on it, but found myself going right back on it. According to the doctors Lexapro is not addictive, but I found myself needing to take it otherwise I would get dizzy and fuzzy minded. I wouldn’t have control over what I was saying. That was about 2 ½ years ago. About 4 months ago, I wanted to get off the stuff. I felt that I was walking around like a zombie; I was in a constant state of “whatever”. I started losing my creativity. I wanted my passion and fire back, only without the ups and downs of my depressive state. I wanted to look in the mirror and love the person staring back at me! I wanted to be the me that I have always wanted and dreamed to be!

They tell us depression can come from a chemical imbalancement. I have explored gluten and dairy free options before and I knew that I had felt so good when I wasn’t eating wheat or dairy. I thought why not give it a try. During my research I came across the raw lifestyle. It clicked. I knew it was going to be an uphill battle with lots of protesting and questions from my meat eating husband (I think we had one of our biggest arguments over raw food), but I wanted to give it a try. And I did… I got tons of cook books (okay, un-cookbooks) and went out grocery shopping for raw food type substances. But it never happened. I was too addicted to cooked food and by that time to wheat and to dairy. Some time in the fall, I received a flyer for the Body Enlightenment System through one of my raw food websites that I joined. It looked pricey, but I knew that this would be the push that I needed! It was a support group for people who wanted to get a better lifestyle through raw foods. I would even get a buddy! Someone who I could get a hold of when I felt like eating a donut! This seemed like an amazing program so I spent the money and joined up.

It is now about 2 months after the program ended. There is a new program starting up in March. I have never thought twice about the money I spent. Going on this program has been the best decision I have made. It connected me with so many wonderful people. Some helped me, and I know that I have helped others. Eating the way that the BES showed us allowed me to lose about 10 pounds and slowly go off of Lexapro! To this day I do not regularly take Lexapro, I am off it and I feel great!!!! But most importantly I feel like I have a grasp of what life is. I feel connected to it and know what path I should take. Every day I wake up smiling and ready to give a big hug to who ever wants it. I can’t help to giggle in the morning when I blend my green smoothie. People have noticed and have asked what my secret is: I tell them the BES system!

making a killing

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you, or someone you know, are currently taking psychiatric medication, I think really think you should see this. It’s a DVD called, Making A Killing and my only professed Raw Food hero, Mike Adams is a shining star feature in this DVD. (He’s even on the back cover, which is what made me pick up the DVD in the first place.) This DVD is a reality-shattering film. It totally uncovers the psychiatric drug story for what it is.

Watch it and get a whole new perspective on life. Buy it, watch it, then leave your copy on a coffee table in the waiting room at the doctor’s office when you’re done.

There is a way out and people deserve to know this.

One more good reason to go dairy and gluten free!

I loved this film so much I ordered a case so that I could help get the message out there. You can order your copy HERE! (only 96 copies available!)

Day 6: The date.

It’s Day 6.

So much for the “Daylight Diet” last night. I didn’t eat dinner until 11pm.  I’d planned this late night picnic before and so I decided to just go with it. I can confirm that this morning I certainly felt a bit groggy because of it.

What follows is addressed to the ladies in the house. While I don’t mean to exclude men, and perhaps there are lessons to be learned here for them, too, I want to address something of importance to me.

Ladies,

You know that feeling when someone looks you “up and down” in the wrong way? Or the feeling that someone is “checking you out”? It’s a threatening feeling–a violation of one’s space. It causes us to turn inward, to feel self conscious and introverted.

Imagine the opposite of that. Imagine a situation where you’re with a person who GIVES you space. Someone who doesn’t appear to have judgment in their eyes at all. It’s not that he is unconscious or just doesn’t notice you, but that he doesn’t appear to have an agenda. He doesn’t care if you have mascara on or not. He doesn’t care if you wear pumps or flats, and wouldn’t even notice whether or not you have cellulite on the back of your thighs. He’s just there, with you, because he wants to know WHO YOU ARE.

Well, that’s how I felt last night.

No offense to the men in the house, but I’ve never been with a person and felt that comfortable. I don’t think it would have mattered if I’d had on a designer tomato red bikini or a parka. It was ME he wanted to get to know, and so because of that, it was one of the most satisfying date experiences I’ve ever had.

I’ll let you know how things progress, if they progress. I’ve been through enough life experience to know that I’m keeping my eyes on my goals:

1. Creating a thriving community of women ON FIRE about health and about life!

2. Living my passion and expressing it passionately in the work I do.

3. Commit to the things and people that make life work–that make me stronger, more able and that AFFIRM who I am.

4. To be, as Sebastian calls me, “The Best Mom in the Whole Wide University.”

5. To be unapologetically ME, and to have that be a good thing with the people around me.

And so, while I was all giddy and playful last night, this morning I feel a general sense of calm, appreciation and…

…serenity.

I know I have a lot of enthusiasm, I have playfulness and all these glorious action-filled emotions. But I think serenity sits just slightly higher than these on the ladder of life’s expressions and it comes with a certain sort of ease–like you just know all is well in your world and it always will be. And you don’t fight against your mess and you don’t race against a clock. You just ARE and in that space the world and all its elements just sorta fall in place like pieces of a puzzle. You hit all the green lights when you drive, you make it to the bus on time and Sally calls you just 2 minutes after you’d had her “on your mind”.

That’s a fun place to be.

I think I’m going to sit there for a while, and I’ll get back to you later.

Still love you like glue, Snickerdoodle.

Thanks for being here. Thanks for being you, too.

TeeeeRAW!

Day 5: I Feel ALIVE!

It’s Day 5 and I feel ALIVE, Girlfriend! (Or boyfriend if you’ve managed to brave the pink storm and join us for some detox fun!)

I think I need to take a nap before my spa adventure. Did I mention we’re also going skating under the stars, too?! How fun is THAT!?

There is A LOT going on around here and I just want to take a moment and take inventory on all that we’ve got on the go:
Health In High Heels has officially rolled off the diva presses! You can CHECK IT OUT HERE! Thanks to Shayla, we’re able to get these out a lot more regularly now. I have to admit, we’re so fortunate to have an incredible team of people supporting us. Maureen Lauder has been doing some great writing behind the scenes and I can’t wait to show it off. Angela Elliott and Shannon Leone are hard at work in preparation for the release of our new natural Beauty Book. This is SUCH an incredible book–sassy, natural and loaded with great recipes. We haven’t picked the release date, yet, but watch for it.

There is a cozy team of women also preparing a very special release for the 2 year anniversary of The Raw Divas. You’ll LOVE IT! And and and and aaaaaand, we just got word from Blendtec yesterday that they will be sponsoring us with a gorgeous, shiny RED LOVE MACHINE as part of their sponsorship for our Spring Twitter Festival. (I’ll tell you all about that VERY soon) You should also know that we have a St. Patrick’s Day version of the Green Smoothie Challenge coming up, too. Usually the Green Smoothie Queen dons her crown for 3 days at a time only, but in the name of the luck of the Irish, we’re doing lucky number 7 days of a Green Smoothie Challenge for St. Patty’s Day!

The Body Enlightenment System will start up again when the tulips pop their heads!

Vanessa Stewart, our Clutter Free Diva is going to be hosting a steamy call about romance and how to use the tools of Feng Shui to enhance and improve your current relationship or attract your ideal mate! This call is going to be on Sunday, March 1st at 4:00 p.m. EST, and you can read about it here. Once spring comes, watch our Clutter Free Community prepare for a MAJOR office clean-up, too!

Behind the scenes in Raw Mom land we have some AMAZING projects preparing for release. A gorgeous (and I mean GORGEOUS) new recipe book for kids written by Joanne Newell and illustrated by my kids’ Dad (yup! my ex-husband) who is doing a fantatic job making this book come to LIFE!

You know what’s crazy about all that I just wrote? That’s not the half of it!!

May 24th marks the impending release date of an incredible program for women that I am creating with Catherine Garceau, an olympic medalist and recovered bulimic. Together she and I and a panel of experts in health and medicine will be putting together a support program for women with “eating disorders”. This is going to be such a passion-filled and life-changing program, I am on the edge of my seat with excitement about what’s coming and the people that will be involved.

And there’s more, my dear. So much more, but I can hardly think it all in a day. That’s why, if you did sign up for the high-support version, and you ARE going to do some volunteer work, we can always use help! There’s a lot to do and the more we connect as a community, the more exciting things get around here.

WHOoooooooaaaa, Nellie!

I just finished up the most energetic, enlightening teleseminar I’ve had in a loooong time. Paul Nison, YOU ROCK! If you missed the teleseminar, please listen to it HERE! He’s on to something and I hope that call will inspire you to make some changes in your lifestyle. This call was practically MADE for me. These are all my biggest stumbling blocks–eating and working too late at night. I’m thrilled about this call and really looking forward to implementing some of the changes.

ACK!

Only 3 hours until my date. I haven’t even done my hair, yet! I made pizzas and my grawnola and a sweet potato pudding. It’s delicious. now I’m just going to whip together a creamy cashew drizzle for decoration and then I’m throwing my skates over my shoulders, my bikini in my backpack and I’m outta here.

I LOVE YOU, you crazy raw food eater, you! I don’t know how you got here, but I’m sooo grateful you made it. I’m having a blast getting to know you, hearing your stories and receiving your positive feedback and encouragement.

Do have a spectacular day and you better darn-well believe I’ll be updating YOU on this evening’s adventure’s tomorrow. Mmmmmmuah!

It’s a red bikini, by the way. Deep tomato red. Gorgeous! Love IT! Hand made in Montreal at my FAVORITE shop.

Love you like glue, my little snickerdoodle,

TeeeeeRAW!

Day 4: Nothing But Good News

Hi, Lovebutton. Only 86 days to go!

How was your Day 4? I’ve been eating very little and feeling pretty good for it. Mostly just one meal a day! I haven’t had much of an appetite at all, so just going with the flow. Today I wrapped some sprouted chickpea hummous in a collard leaf with sprouts and a sprouted sunflower seed dressing. It was pretty good. That and a bit of citrus are all I ate today.

Tomorrow I have a  date! I’m going to the Scandanavian Spa where we do hot room, cold rinse and repeat until well done! I’m totally excited and I had to go and get myself a new bikini for the adventure! This is just a friendly date, but with SUUUUUUCH a nice guy ao I’m TOTALLY excited. He’s been busy making raw food recipes this week (he’s been raw for 2 years already) and I made some of my Mountain Girl Grawnola! Yuuummmm!

Time For Treats and Special Giveaways

Chica, if you post a comment below, letting me know you read this post, I’ll TOTALLY send you my AMAZING Grawnola recipe. You’ll need a dehydrator, but it’s AMAZING!!

I’ll have to take a picture of my new bikini and let you see it! (Not on me, of course!)

I hope day 4 is going well for you so far. I have been busy preparing to make a few announcements. Tomorrow we should be sending out the latest issue of Health In High Heels. We have another new book from Angela Elliott to show off and some other treats and surprises. Buuuuut, the thing that I am the MOST excited about telling you today is the fact that WE FOUND THE PERFECT DOCTOR to support the second half of our 90 Day Detox!!!

Yeeeeeehhhhaw!

I know many of you were hoping to be able to do a 90-day deep tissue detox, and we’ll definitely be working with our new Doctor to make this happen. She’s great and has already been supporting what we do around here. You can learn a bit more about her here! Dr. Ritamarie! I’m So, so, soooo excited about this and as you’ll see poking around on her site, we’ve got a winner on our hands. I’m sure many of you will be able to relate to her, as she’s a family woman and a working girl all wrapped up in one. Let me know what kinds of things you’d like us to interview her on? I’ve got some ideas brewing, that’s for sure.

Oooooh! The other thing I did today was meet with this CRAZY intuitive friend of a friend who does Iridology. HOLY SMOKES!! It was soooo interesting. He’s taking off for Costa Rica, but back in a couple months and we’re going to take pictures of my eyes and he’s going to do a little mini consulation with me ON THE BLOG so that you can see what he does. VERY fascinating stuff.

I think this is the most exciting thing we’ve every done around here. I’m just thrilled, thrilled about the process and hope that you’re enjoying things too. I know my inspirational messages aren’t coming out like clockwork on any particular time of the day, but they’re coming. My 90-day commitment to myself, to this community and to my blog is DEFINITELY going to be in place, I just can’t promise sometimes when I’ll get my cheerful message of love out here to share with you all!

Tomorrow I’ve got to leave early and run the kids to school. Tonight I still have some pizza crusts to make (yes!! Raw pizza crusts) for after the spa tomorrow night.

I want to leave you with raspberry kisses and a couple inspirational comments I’ve received this week soa far already. Again, I just want to say, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for being here. I hope you’re doing okay and if you’re not, weeeell, just drop me a line and let me know. We’ve got a hug, an ear and a kick in the derriere if you need that, too, just waiting for you.

Read and Believe It! Hopefully your story will be next, Sugarplum:

“Dear Tera,

When I found the “raw divas”, I was looking for a natural detox because I’d been feeling bloated for a while. I had recently done a “detox” that included some morning concoction and weird pills to take during the day and at before bed. About a month after I was done, I ballooned up like I’d never seen before – I knew something went wrong. So I started to look for a healthier alternative and landed on the “raw detox diet” and then the raw divas!

I initially signed up for the 7 day detox program, but I didn’t go through with it. Then, last month, I tried the 3-day green smoothie challenge and just LOVED it! I literally lost 5 pounds right away and I was sooo impressed that I decided to try the 7-day program again. Although it was tougher to do, I got through it and lost an additional 5-6 pounds (my scale won’t make up its mind).

I’m sooo happy with the results! I feel soo good just from less than 2 weeks of eating good food – I’m more clear-headed and focused, I drink more water, I have less cravings (although I still get some occasionally), I definitely think less about food, etc… I never thought of myself going “raw” (and I’m not completely there either) and now here I am, salivating at the thought of a green spinash smoothie – thanks to you and the wonderful community of raw divas out there!

Green Smoothie Queens all the way!!!!!!

Nora”

Okay, and here’s something that came in this afternoon that totally warmed my heart! One of the volunteer/work exchange participants of the program is going to be translating all of our materials into Spanish! AAaaand, we’re actually going to help her set it up as her own website, so she can start making a living doing what she loves, just like we do! Here’s one of the messages she sent me today:

Yeiiippp!!

I can’t believe that we’re doing this!! It is amazing and I’m starting to work in the translation so it will be ready very soon.

I feel so full of motivation to do this work as well as to follow the 90 days of detox that it is just incredible how life is! Since Monday, I cut all chesse and gluten from my diet. This week was a little bit difficult to fast or to be completly raw, but I’m going to be gentle with myself and as you said, and I won’t be obsessed with the food. Just one step at a time!

Yesterday at night I was craving for some bread and then I just realized that I had some raw corn bread in the frezeer, so I just warm it and eat it with some avocado and a little salad! I felt great with myself!! and also I did yoga yesterday and today I did pilates! I’mm sooooo motivateddd!! I sent an email to all my friends inviting them to join us in the 90 days detox! I hope that some of them decided to do it.

Thanks again and again for this amazing opportunity!! and yes!! Raw DIVAS are crossing the language boundaries! yeipp!!

Love and a lot of pineapple hugs!

Lau-raw

Can you see how totally amazing and perfectly serendipitous it is when we all come together to make things happen? I’m on fire! I love this program and all you gorgeous people involved in making it happen.

But just in case you might not be having an easy go of things… just in case you’ve already fallen off the proverbial “wagon” I want you to know you can tell me that, too. Tomorrow I’d like to share a story about a very special friend who is having SUCH a hard time in life right now. I want to let you know the ONE THING that is going to get her through this difficult time and why YOU need to know about it.

Loooove you like CRAZY and hope you’re swirling and spinning in your own good news and great vibrations. Wish me luck tomorrow night! Skating under  the stars, the Skandanavian Spa (in my new, super-gorgeous bikini), the tea by a fireplace! Mmmm…

Adventure and celebration of life are in the air!!
Can YOU smell it, too?

Love,

Tera

p.s.

YES! I do have a cake recipe to go with that icing recipe from yesterday. I’ll pass it along tomorrow.

Green Smoothie Made With Love (Dinosaur Kale, Blackberries, Bananas, Medjool Dates)

Today I thought about the conversation that I had with another mom as we were waiting to pick up our children from school.  It’s funny how I am known as the mom always talking about ‘green smoothies’.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this at first because my first reaction was that I do so much more than just talk about green smoothies, but I had to check in with myself and feel gratitude that I could be in a place (mind, body and spirit) where I could feel happy to share the many wonderful benefits of drinking green smoothies.

When friends or family members see me coming, I usually have a green smoothie that I’ve made for someone.  I feel so blessed to be able to share something with someone that I made with LOVE.

Growing up, my mom was not much into cooking and I didn’t embrace the idea of cooking until I moved from Chattanooga, TN to New York City.  I prepared meals for myself that were healthy and tasty, but I never shared my food with friends because most of my friends back then were meat eaters and weren’t too impressed with my vegetarian cooking.  So when I make green smoothies for friends, family or just about anyone I meet, I have a smile not only on my face, but in my heart.

Who will you share a green smoothie with today?

Dino Blackberry Green Smoothie Recipe

• 1 to 2 handfuls dinosaur kale
• ½ C. blackberries
• 2 bananas
• 3 to 4 Medjool Dates (remove pits)
• 1 C. water (optional)

Enjoy!

~Tracy