Day 57

THOUGHTS- KANGAROO. So some environmentalists have decided that Kangaroos are a “greener” alternative to cattle. It’s very niave to think that the cattle industry will ever give way to this so if the kangaroo meat industry picks up we will just have both of them slaughtering animals. Needless to say who really wants to be eating one of our Aussie icons. I know I sure don’t. Nearly 7 million kangaroos will be brutally slaughtered this year with their joeys torn from their pouches and stomped on clubbed to death or just left to die from the cold and starvation. They are a useless by product of this industry.



Declaring that roos are pests and vermin are just a way for the industry to justify this killing. There are a number of species already bordering along the brink of being endangered. They have recommended changing 20% of your meat intake to kangaroo meat. There are only about 24 million kangaroos in Australia. Each roo produces 12kg of meat. Aussies eat 112kgs of meat every year. There are 20.1million Australians even ignoring the exported roos and just using that only 10% of our consumption is changed to roo meat we would as a country consume the entire population of roos in a year and three months. With none left to reproduce as the joeys are simply discarded so the next generation has no chance for survival. The late Steve Irwin said “it’s embarrassing for Australia that we eat our own wildlife… I’m here to tell you it’s not right… Simply do not buy, use or eat Kangaroo products.”



CHALLENGES- Not motivated enough to excercise

TRIUMPHS- Created a yummy lunch

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Fried potato.
Mushrooms, with garlic and sage.

SNACK- Banana

LUNCH- Cazza's curry
1/2 avocado with lentil and mung bean sprouts



Stuffed mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS
4 mushrooms
Garlic clove
cherry tomato
Avocado

METHOD

1. Remove stems from mushrooms.
2. Cut garlic and tomato finely
3. Mix together with mashed avodado
4. Spoon into mushrooms
5. Cook under grill until golden brown.

1 corn cob

SNACK- Pineapple ring
Handful of macadamias

DINNER- Lentil and mungbean sprouts
1/2 avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Glass of organic soy milk

DESSERT- Raw Vegan ice cream
Organic popcorn

EXERCISE- Nil.

Day 56

THOUGHTS- MOTHERS DAY. So taday was mothers day. Which meant a family day. I worked in the morning and then went to mums and spent the day with her and we went and visited nanny and grandma as well. It makes me think about how lucky I am to have those mother figures in my life and how unfortunately alot of people don't have that luxury. It also makes me think about the mothers and expectant mothers in poorer countries who don't get the appropriate care that they need to bring children safely into this world and there is a massive number of children and mothers who die every day because of this. In Tanzinia alone 9000 women die every year from complications in child birth.

The UN are doing what they can to raise awareness and funds to help prevent the unessesary deaths occuring. There are a number of organizations that are helping out by raising awareness and funds.

Marie stopes is one- http://www.mariestopes.org.au/
I'm going to be organizing a dinner a bit later in the year to raise funds for this cause.

Wilsons centre is another one to check out- http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?event_id=394874&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&topic_id=116811

Also I am starting up my own group which hopefully will one day be big enough to help out as well- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1652078755&v=wall&story_fbid=1419453980330#!/group.php?gid=116668358372019&ref=ts

So if you still have your mother remember how luck you are. If for whatever reason you are not talking, mend that bridge. Mothers are amazing and should be reckognized. I'm glasd they have their own day.


CHALLENGES- Having dinner at mums on a special occasion always means take away food.

TRIUMPHS- Getting good take away fod that listened to what I could have.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Potato, mushrooms and garlic. Cooked in olive oil.
Mixed nuts

SNACK- Wintertime tea
1/2 avocado.
Mungbean and lentil sprouts
Cashews
Pineapple slices

LUNCH- Cazza's Curry

INGREDIENTS
Chickpeas
Fresh tumeric
Sage
Parsley
Potato
Carrot
Ginger
Garlic
Mushrooms
Chilli
Eggplant
Red onion
Green Capsicum
Soy Milk
Bay Leaves
Water
olive oil

METHOD
1. Heat small amount of oil in pot.
2. Chop all veggies into chunks.
3. Add onion, garlilc, capsicum and ginger to oil.
4. Cook til onion is translucent.
5. Add all other ingredients to pot.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Simmer down until liquid has reduced and all veggies are soft.
8. Remove Bay leaves and serve.

Cashews lots of them

DINNER- Tofu and Veg stir fry with coconut rice

DESSERT- Raw choc chip ice cream

Day 55

THOUGHTS- EGGS- “But I buy free range eggs,” is a phrase that I hear often. People try to justify that what they are doing is better than what other people are doing. “Free Range” still doesn’t mean much. The only legal requirement is that chickens have access to the outside. It can still mean that thousands of chickens are crammed in a small shed with maybe a foot of outside running down the side of the shed which is often a strip of mud and still just as crammed as inside. Some people think that by cutting out meat and still consuming eggs (and dairy seen in a previous post) that they are stopping the slaughter of animal. This is false. Factory farming has reached its worst that there are now legal requirements for bigger cages and more food. That still doesn’t mean that they don’t spend their whole life with six other chickens in that cage. And this law has only increased the area needed for each chicken to the size of an A4 piece of paper Male chicks are of no use to the egg industry and are often gassed, thrown into the bin to suffocate or thrown into the grinder alive. The female chicks then have their beaks seared off with a hot blade and put straight into a cage or an over crammed shed. After about 18 months their battered flesh is not fit for human consumption and they are ground down into pet food. There is no happy farm full of retired chickens. In natural circumstances a chicken will live for 10-12 years. Much like a dog. If dogs laid eggs they wouldn’t be treated in this way so what makes chickens so different. Did you know that a chicken can recognize 100 different faces? They have brains and a central nervous system just like we do and if faced with the option of pain or running away you will see that a chicken will run. They have the same desire to remain unharmed as we do. If you consume eggs you are contributing to their deaths. Also from a health perspective one egg has twice as much cholesterol as a hamburger. And eggs are up there with the leading causes of food borne illness. From an environmental perspective we are once again using a lot of water to produce these eggs. We water the grain (which we could just as easily eat.) We water the chickens. The lucky ones get their cages cleaned occasionally. The eggs then have to be washed before they are sent to the shops. By cutting out the middle section and just consuming the grain we could be saving our planet one of its most precious resources. Those are some of the reasons that a Vegan chooses to avoid eggs.



CHALLENGES-

TRIUMPHS-

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Banana
Blueberries
Wintertime tea

SNACK- Cherry tomatoes, Carrot sticks, capsicum sticks, snowpeas.
Raw cashew cheese
Choc ball mix

LUNCH- Tempeh
Soy latte
Refresher juice- Pear, apple, celery

DINNER- 2 avocado sushi rolls
1 inari

DESSERT- Raw Vegan chocolate ice-cream
3 Cups of fair trade organic coffee with organic soy milk

LATE SNACK- Potato cooked in olive oil

EXERCISE- Performing a show.

Day 54

THOUGHTS- MILK.One of the most common reactions from people is that cows need to be milked. Yes I can see how most people see that but why are cows producing milk? Well when does a human produce milk? To feed their baby right. Well to keep up with the constant demand for the consumption of these products the farmers force breed the dairy cows so that they are pregnant every year. Then upon the birth of that calf, now that the milk is under production the calf is no longer needed. So every year after enduring the long preganancy and the agonizing labour they have their babies taken away. They bellow for their babies and the babies cry out to be with their mothers. But after only a short time together they will never see each other again. Male calfs are useless to the dairy industry they can’t produce milk. So they are sold off to become veal. The female calfs are only kept if it is time to “retire” one of the milk producing cows. By retire I mean time for slaughter. There is no big green happy paddock where all the dried up cows go to retire they are sold off as meat when they become not productive enough for the industry. They are often kept in overcrowded spaces or stalls where they can hardly turn. Some might say that the life of a dairy cow is harder than that of a beef cow. The beef cows have a short life and are slaughtered at the end. Dairy cows are crammed into small spaces, tortured, force bred, many babies taken away which breaks their heart each time and then after years of this treatment suffer the same fate as the beef cow anyway. So that bout covers the ethical side of why vegans chose not to have milk.

It’s also un-natural, humans are the only species that continue to suckle after being weaned. You wouldn’t drink your own mothers milk if she started producing it again would you? Yuk. So why drink the milk that is being created for an innocent calf. Also in the first year of your life your mothers breast milk contributed to the biggest growth spurt of your life and can be accounted for a 300% weight gain. Similarly a cows milk is designed to help a calf double it’s birth weight in 47 days and leave their four stomachs feeling full. Do you have four stomachs? I don’t. We are not designed to drink it. It is unhealthy and full of fat.

Dairy is also one of the top ten foods that cause allergic reactions in people. Mother nature didn’t design for adults to be sucking something out of a tit and therefore many people will react to it.

As for the health issue “Where will you get your calcium?” Sesame seeds, green leafy veggies, broccoli, nuts, tofu, figs, baked beans are all great sources of calcium. Animal proteins also acidify the body. Calcium then leeches from the bones to try and combat this and then causes bone loss. Also studies have found that countries with the highest intake of dairy have the highest rate of osteoporosis and many other diseases.

Also in dairy you might find traces of blood and puss from the teats of the cow that happens when a machine is attached to them for many hours of the day not only sucking out milk but rubbing and causing bleeding and sometime infections. There is also the antibiotics and hormones that the cows are pumped full of and you might even find some pesticides.

And in a time where water restrictions apply it seems silly to be using so much water for milk. The Dairy industry is the highest user of water. The crops need to be watered, to give the cows, the cows need to drink water as well, the lucky ones have water used to wash them and their stalls. When we could just as easily water the crop and eat them and cut out all the extra water usage. It takes 4000 glasses of water to produce 1 glass of milk. It only takes one glass of water to make one glass of water. Drink more water. It’s good for you.

And finally there is the environmental side. Cattle are the biggest producers of methane. If you would like to reduce your carbon footprint just cut back on products from cattle.

But I couldn’t live without chocolate/ice cream/ cheese/ milk/ yoghurt/ cheesecake… insert your own favourite dairy product here.” I also had this concern but ever year there are more and more alternative products on the moment and every time something new comes out it is better than the last. We don’t miss out or go without all our old favourites there are plenty of dairy alternative products out there. Just look and you will find.

So that’s why I personally don’t drink milk. I know there are many reasons that vegans chose the life they have.

CHALLENGES- No Challenges today.

TRIUMPHS- The fact that I had no challenges and did some actual excercise.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Flaxseed, banana, apple and cacao oatmeal. Topped with blueberries.

LUNCH- Lentil and tumeric veg.
Soy Latte
Raw sunflower cracker with raw cashew cheese.

DINNER- Soy slice
Soy flat white
Pecans
Soy Latte
Lentil and mung bean sprouts.

EXERCISE- 20 minutes aerobics

Day 53

THOUGHTS- Raw food. I know I have already done a blog on raw food. But I just find it so fascinating. I would like to be able to do an entire month on raw food. But at the moment I am just experimenting with as much raw food as I can. And I am finding it pretty easy. Though coming up to winter I don't know how well it's going to go. When I first heard about raw foodism I thought it was just a fad diet and that there wouldn't be many people doing it but there are so many people that do it. And there are so many premade raw foods available. Though part of the earth diet is trying to avoid anything packaged I am finding a lot of raw companies that are local and are very careful with their packaging and processing. Loving Earth and It's Rawsome are my two favourites at the moment but there are others that I want to try. I'd also love to get a dehydrator so I can make my own snack foods when I do decide to take on a full time raw diet.

There are also so many health benefits to eating raw. Did you know we are the only species that heats our food? Sure it's been happening since cave men period but how natural is it really. If every other species on the planet can survive on raw foods why don't we. Why must we complicate everything?

Admitedly I do enjoy a good cooked meal. But that is because that is the way society has taught us all that it should be. So try making some changes to your daily habits and you will not only notice a difference in your health but also in your electricity bill as well. Go on give it a go.

CHALLENGES- Not much time to make anything

TRIUMPHS- Still eating more raw than cooked foods.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Banana

Soy slice

SNACK- Raw sunflower crackers and raw sunflower cheese

LUNCH- Cazzas curry

SNACK- Cashews

2 glasses soy milk

1 glass chai

DINNER- Soy Slice

DESSERT- Raw vegan ice cream.

Raw choc wuth activated almonds and purple corn

Raw crackers with raw cashew cheese.

Day 52

THOUGHTS- I beleive that every person that enters your life comes into it because there is a reason for them. I am currently doing a show with some amazingly talented people and a group of people who are certainly here for a reason. They are always able to make me laugh and there is on who has a certain air about her. Whenever she talks to you it is like you are the most important and wonderful person that you have ever met. I love people like this. I always look forward to talking to her. She makes me feel special and interesting. She is interested in everything I do and is never without compliments. People like this remind me how good the human race can be sometimes.

If there were more people like her the world wouldn't be in such a terrible shape. She is a being that shines above so many others. Kind, generous, caring, talented, smart and beautiful. Some beings on this earth are just created perfect.

Talking to her has made me start looking more closely at myself and how I interact with others. I would love to be able to leave that happy glowing feeling with other people when I talk to them. It can leave you with a warm feeling to consider how the other person is feeling when you talk to them. So many of us just forget about the rest of the world and focus on our own problems. So next time you talk to someone try and make them feel like they are the most important person at the time.

CHALLENGES- Doing a show tonight and not having much time to get dinner.

TRIUMPHS- Eating more raw foods today.

WHAT I ATE-



BREAKFAST- Raw Choccy flaxseed oatmeal

INGREDIENTS
Flaxseeds
Banana
1/2 Apple
Tbsp Raw cacao powder
Blueberries

METHOD
1. Soak flaxseeds overnight
2. Blend ingredients together.
3. Top with blueberries.



SNACK- Beetroot, Carrot, celery and ginger juice.
Cacao, agave and flaxseed meal paste.


LUNCH-1/2 avocado


SNACK- 4 pecans
Iceblock- Pomegrante and Blueberry

DINNER- Brown Rice, Dhal, potato and pea curry, tofu and pea curry with cocunut.
Soy Latte

LATE NIGHT SNACK- Soy Slice

INGREDIENTS
Garlic
soy pulp
Capsicum
buckwheat flour
Cauliflour
Eggplant
Red Onion
Sage
Parsley
Chilli
Shoyu

METHOD
1. Cut all vegetables finely.
2. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Press into a lightly oiled baking tin.
4. Cook in a moderate oven until golden brown.



EXERCISE- Performance.

Day 51

THOUGHTS-“But you can still eat fish right?” A common question vegans are often asked by meat eaters. Well here is the answer: They feel pain too. Studies have shown that fish have well developed pain receptors in their brain. So when their mouths are pierced by hooks they feel it. Fish use their tongues and mouths as hands. Fish learn from each other and actually contrary to belief have excellent memories. And when studied can even learn complex tasks that even dogs can’t complete. You wouldn’t stab your dog or cat in the mouth so why think it’s ok for a fish. Most of us have seen Finding Nemo. “Fish are friends not food.” They watch each other and learn from each other and when a predator approaches they hide. They have a desire to stay alive. Fish who are caught and released suffer internal injuries, exhaustion and the loss of their protective coating. Studies say that 43% or the fish returned to the ocean will suffer a slow painful death. Germany has banned catch and release fishing altogether because of its cruelty. Tuna fish even comes with a warning on the label that it is not fit for consumption by preganant women because of the levels of mercury. Do you like having mercury in your system. It’s also just simply unsustainable. There are not enough fish in the world to feed 6.6 billion people. Whales, dolphins and sea birds are starving because we are taking away their food source. Also our means to capture fish with nets and lines and hooks also kills turtles, dolphins, whales and birds. There has been such an uproar about the Japanese whaling why not look a little closer to home and help out our other friends in the ocean.


CHALLENGES- Not having time to prepare anything between work and the theatre.

TRIUMPHS- Getting devine Indian food at a place that actually listened to what I can and can't eat.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Sip of juice. Mixed nuts. Quinoa. 1 banana.

LUNCH- 3 raw sunflower crackers with raw cashew cheese.
Soy Mocha
Lentil and mung bean sprouts.
Handful of blueberries

DINNER- Soy Latte
Chickpea curry with saffron rice.

DESSERT- Cacao, flaxseed and agave mix.

EXERCISE- Rehearsal.

Day 50

THOUGHTS- B12. Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin that has a key role in brain funtion and formation of blood. Neither plants nor animals can synthesise B12. Only bacteria can do this. Your body stores only small amounts of B12 and tiny amounts of it are lost over time. B12 is readily found in products that come from animals. So if you are following a vegan diet you need to be careful that you are still getting the correct amount. By consuming fortified foods such as cereals and soy milks. It can take a number of years for a B12 deficiency to become evident due to the very slow loss of this vitamin. But when a deficincy occurs it can be very bad for your health. The symptoms of a B12 deficiancy can include-

1. Itchy or tingling tongue. The tongue suddenly itches from time to time without warning. This occurs on the edge of the tongue, along one side or the other or at the tip. Some individuals experience stinging, pain, or tingling instead of itching.

2. White spots in the skin, resulting from melanin becoming absent in the area. These often occur on the outside of the forearm, but may occur in other places. The longer these spots are there, the whiter they get. As time goes by, the spots become very dry and flaky to the extent that small raw spots of skin may be exposed.

3. Sharp stabbing, tingling pain in the palm of one or both hands. This occurs suddenly and for no apparent reason in a spot directly below the ring finger, approximately where the first palm crease is. If B12 deficiency is not treated, a tingling pain may begin to occur along the outside edge of the hand, starting from the wrist. This pain occurs when the wrist is extended.

4. Sores at the corners of the mouth, sometimes extending along the edge of the lip. These are raw spots, not blisters, and they tend to come and go.

5. Nerve shock in the side of the body. It can be felt coming on a few seconds before it hits, and then it hits almost like a mild but deep electric shock and quickly subsides. It can occur at the side of either hip or on either side of the upper body, along the ribs. It can occur consecutively in at least two or three locations, one right after the other.

6. Shortness of breath, but without chest pain. This can occur when walking just a few yards.

7. Hemifacial (one side of the face) spasm usually manifesting in the eye. Can occur in multiple spots on the face such as the lip, nose, eyelids, and eyebrow.

8. Facial pain, usually on only one side of the face at a time. This pain varies so much that it would be difficult to describe all the possibilities. This can present as a dull pain in the cheek bone right underneath an eye, or a sharp shooting pain across the forehead, sometimes coming downward from the scalp to the edge of the nose by the eye.

9. Tingling along the back of one or both thighs, starting at the hips and shooting downward.

10. Memory loss and/or disorientation.

11. Migraine headaches. These may be preceded by a temporary blind spot in the center of the field of vision, usually lasting about ten minutes, and sometimes followed by facial pain under the eyes. After the blind spot vanishes, there may be zigzag streaks through the vision that may last up to hours. Even in the same person, there may be extreme variations in the headaches themselves. They may be quite severe with nausea or they may be virtually nonexistent.

Migraines of most individuals have causes other than B12 deficiency, but migraines of certain individuals diminish or stop completely after they are treated for B12 deficiency.

12. Irritability and/or depression and/or personality changes

(Symptoms from wikipedia.)

You also need to be aware of quick fix energy boosters such as spirulina as it holds the same properties as B12 and will mask a deficincy as it fights with B12 for absorption.

A dfeficiency in B12 can be serious so make sure you are getting the correct amount even though you only need a small amount that small amount has a key role in brain function and blood formulation.


CHALLENGES- Being sick and not feeling like much food. Then getting really hungry at nite.



TRIUMPHS- Eating pretty healthy today. MAKING IT TO DAY 50!!! WOO!!!!!



WHAT I ATE-



BREAKFAST- Cashews

1L of soy Milk



LUNCH- Tomato, cucumber slices, grated carrots, sliced mushrooms, shallots.

Wintertime tea



SNACK- 1 potato cooked in olive oil. Sea salt.

Wintertime tea



DINNER- 1 avocado

Carrot sticks, snow peas, alfalfa, snow pea and mung bean sprouts.



DESSERT- 1 apple



LATE SNACK- Brown rice with sea salt.

Day 49

THOUGHTS- HOMOSEXUALS- My friends facebook status update read.
"So let me get this 'straight' - Larry King is getting his 8th divorce, Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting married for a 9th time, Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage. Jesse James and Tiger Woods are screwing EVERYTHING, yet the idea of same-sex marriage is going to destroy the institution of marriage?? Really? REALLY??"

Which was followed by a barrage of comments from both sides of the fence. People are so quick to judge others. I have a lot of gay friends and they are all fantastic wonderful people and they have the right to enjoy the same privelidges as every other human does. I know that mankind have come along way over the last 100 years. There were times that women couldn't even vote and now we are seen as more equal. When different races were veiwed as less and some even enslaved. Times have changed and as Martin Luthur King had a dream that dream needs to continue. All men are created equal. We should all be allowed the same rights. There have been strong homosexual rights movements since 1960. There have been alot of victories over the last 10 years but still many more battles to be fought. I know I would be pretty dissapointed if I wasn't allowed to marry the person I loved. Even if you are not gay you no doubt know someone who is. And even if you are opposed to gay marriage whether it be religous or personal think how you would feel. Also think of the gay people you know. In some cases you will know alot. Think of how wonderful all your gay friends are and how much you love them because I love love love looooooooove all of my gay friends alot. In some cases more than some of my straight friends and it makes me mad that something like marraige can be taken for granted by those who have the priveledge. But for those who would respect it the priviledge is denied. I know it's not the way things are but it's the way they should be. So support your gay friends and when they have a protest or a rally go along just for them. :)



CHALLENGES- still not feeling to well and just wanting to eat junk food.

TRIUMPHS- Eating pretty well.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-1 potato in olive oil.
4 mushrooms and two cloves of garlic.
1 Banana

SNACK- Snow peas, carrot sticks, snow pea sprouts, mung bean sprouts.
Planet organic claming tea
So Good- Soy Milk Lite
1/2 avocado with mung bean and alfalfa sprouts

LUNCH- Lentil dish with Quinoa

SNACK- 1 Fruit salad Ice block- organic mango, organic banana, organic orange
www.iceblock.namel

DINNER- Inari- Rice in tofu pockets.
Loving Earth Raw mint chocolate
1 Avocado
Phoenix- Apple and pomegranate juice- apple juice, organic pomegranate, elderberry juice, black currant juice & vitamin C
Goji Berries, cacao nibs, sinflower seeds and pepitas.
Pecans
Soy Latte.

EXERCISE- Rehearsal.

Day 48

THOUGHTS-

Too often in our lives to we look for the simple answers. Oh I have a headache I'll take a panadol. Bloked nose- sudafed. There is a pill for everything and even pills for things that don't even need cures. You can take a pill to lose weight, to ease your cold and flu, your headache, period pain, migraine, aneamia etc etc etc. If you can name it there is a pill for it. But eliminating the symptoms of a disease are not the same as eliminating the disease. I will admit I was in the trap of taking a pill every time I had a mild headache or slight tickle in the throat. I had a cupboard full of pills and gels and vitamins and medicines. And I was taking around six pills a day. One for iron, a multivitamin, one for reflux, one for my underactive thyroid, an olive leaf extract and it's been so long now I can't even remember what the other one was. I still felt drained and ill all the time. I started weaning myself off these pills and now that I am no longer taking them I no longer need them ever test I have had since then tells me that my iron is fine and my thyroid condition is no longer there. I often wonder if doctors get a comisson on prescriptions they are always so quick to be handing out scripts.

Not to mention the amount of chemicals and no doubt animal testing that goes into most tablets should we really be recommended to take so many that we rattle like the bottles do? I'm new to natural cures and still learning the basics but started getting a but fluey and instead of turning to tablets I have opted for lots of garlic and orange juice. I noticed that my director came down with same sort of virus at the same time and while he was pumping his body full of pills I opted for the more natural way and you know what I noticed. I got better quicker than he did. Everyone thought I was crazy for not wanting to take any pills but it worked for me and I'm sure it will continue to. Clearly in a life or death situation I would accept medications but for all the day to day ailments that I went running to the medicine cupboard for it is time to stop that and start living and that's what I intend to do.

CHALLENGES- Being sick and wanting to take medications so badly.

TRIUMPHS- Proving to everyone that you don't need drugs to get better. Just lots of garlic and orange juice.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Glass soy milk, 1 banana
Charlie's Honest smoothie- pressed apple juice, mango puree, squeezed orange juice, banana puree, passionfruit juice, pineapple juice, vitamin C and A.
Green Grapes

SNACK- Banana, Organic Throat soothers,
1 Avocado, snow peas.
1L Berri Australian fresh OJ- Orange Juice and Vitamin C.

LUNCH-Mushrooms and Garlic cooked in olive oil.
Mixed olives.
Banana
1/4 avocado with sprouts- mungbean, snow pea and alfalfa.

DINNER- Soy bean pasta, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 mushrooms, carrot, olives, capers, olive oil, tomato and 1 shallot.

DESSERT- Banana and watermelon.

EXCERCISE- Rehearsal.

DAY 47

THOUGHTS-
PECANS- I've been getting pecans from work in their shells still. Organic and as close to it's natural state as possible. Also because they are in their shell by the time I crack them open and eat them I get over it so I am not eating near as many of them. There is also something rewarding about getting a food straight from it's shell. I'm receiving them as nature intended. The only thing better would be to pick it from the tree myself.

Wikipedia- "Pecan" is from an Algonquian word, meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack.

Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats and also Omega 6 fatty acid.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 2,891 kJ (691 kcal)
Carbohydrates 14 g
Dietary fiber 10 g
Fat 72 g
saturated 6 g
monounsaturated 41 g
polyunsaturated 22 g
Protein 9 g

These delicious buttery flavoured nuts are very high in all sorts of amino acids and antioxidants. They are however not officially a nut. They grow from a tree that is the member of the hickory family and they are the fruit of that tree and like walnuts are botnically a drupe.



CHALLENGES- Very hungry today and very little food in the cupboard or time to preapre anything.

TRIUMPHS- Didn't eat as much as I really felt like eating. Starting to be able to control my habits.

WHAT I ATE-


BREAKFAST- Buckwheat, stevia and water pancakes. Topped with agave syrup.

SNACK- Cashews, macadamias, goji berries and cacao nibs.
Small bowl of cooked Quinoa



LUNCH- Quinoa with tumeric veggies. Capsicum (red and yellow), carrot, asparagus, leek, zuchinni, eggplant, snowpeas, garlic, ginger, tumeric, olive oil, mushrooms, chilli and celery.

SNACK- 5 pecans from the shell and 5 olives.

DINNER- Quinoa, olives and capers.
Soybean pasta, tamari and pepper.

DESSERT- Goji berries and glass of soy milk.

EXERCISE- Rehearsal.

Day 46

THOUGHTS- Auckland Zoo. Today we went to Auckland Zoo and though I feel sad for animals not being in their natural habitat I also love the chance to be able to see them for real. And I did my research before going and the Auckland Zoo is big on conservation and have lots of funds that go towards saving animals. A lot of the animals they have are used for breeding and raising awareness. There was a giraffe there that was only a few weeks old and he was the cutest thing ever. I find animals so amazing and as much as I have learnt while trying to find out all about them there is still so much I don’t know. I love watching them and the traits they exhibit that aren’t too unlike our own. They have their own ways of communicating with each other, their own families and hierarchies. I could watch animals all day. It often puzzles me while watching them with their own little characteristics how people could kill them whether it be for sport, food or even just by clearing their habitat. When did we become so greedy that the lives of other beings no longer came into play.
Merekats are my favourite to watch. Just by watching them you can see the personalities come through. There was one that just sat on the log and sunned himself he was the lazy one, then there was the fat one that was always looking for food, the two younger ones that just wanted to play, then there was the sensible one who played sentry and stood at the highest point and watched out for danger. I know meerkats aren’t generally on the menu and they aren’t endangered but just watching their antics and the personalities they have makes me realize how similar all animals are. They have personalities, feelings, pain receptors and a survival instinct.
I had a great day I love days when I get to see animals. Also got to see the Kiwi Birds which was the main reason I wanted to go because we don’t have them in Australia. They were so cool. Their enclosure was really dark because they are nocturnal so I didn’t get any good photos. But I took heaps of the other animals. Then caught my flight back to Australia.

CHALLENGES- After spending my last amount of money at the zoo and not having much food leftover from the day before I was starving on the plane and for some reason they didn’t have any meal for me so they went and got some nut packets which were ok and breadrolls. I was so hungry it had been such a big day of walking and I ate them.  My first big slip up of the diet and I felt awful. Forty-Six days in and I messed it up. And bread doesn’t even taste good any more.

TRIUMPHS- Not craving bread. Not liking the taste. Noticing the changes that my body is making.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Organic tofu, white rice, olive oil and pepper.

SNACK- ½ soy latte
Vege sushi- capsicum, avocado and radish.

LUNCH- Indian Veg with Chickpeas and Rice.

SNACK- Nuts lots of packets. Small amount of lettuce and 3 Breadrolls 

DINNER- 1 potato cooked in olive oil. Very late.

EXERCISE- Walking around the zoo for hours.

Day 45

THOUGHTS- 90 Mile Beach and Hot pools. The natural Beauties of New Zealand. Today after finishing our show we went for a drive along the 90 mile beach to the tip of New Zealand. It was beautiful. It’s an experience that I am glad I have had the opportunity to partake in. Sure we got hopelessly lost and it took us so much longer than we originally intended. We even ended up on a logging track. Certainly a unique day. We finally made it to Cape Rienga and it was amazing. When you walk down the path right to the tip near the lighthouse you can see where the Tasman Sea meets the pacific ocean. And when these two great bodies of water meet they send up massive sprays of water and it was just beautiful. Had the sun not been setting already and if we didn’t have a five hour drive back to Auckland could have sat there for hours. I took plenty of photos but nothing is the same as actually being there.

On our way back down we stopped at some hot pools. I can’t remember the name of the place but it was amazing. They are just pools that volcanic water has come up into and each pool is a different temperature. Some are just lukewarm and others are scalding. They are so good for tired muscles and so natural as well. We often forget that nature provides us with all the cures that we need for everything. We were talking to a gentleman while we were there and there are some other pools not to far from there and there is one that you put your face in and open your eyes in the water and it helps with your vision and they have heaps of different pools that help with all sorts of ailments. It’s such a naturally beautiful country and I would be very happy to return.

CHALLENGES- Not having anywhere to stop and cook anything and no way of preparing any foods. So having to eat out.

TRIUMPHS- Making the places make earthy foods for me.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Left over last night chickpeas and brown rice with salt.

SNACK- Double shot soy latte
Mother Earth Nut mix

LUNCH- Grilled mushroom and tomato in olive oil.
Small salad lettuce mix, tomato wedge, cucumber slice.
Soy Latte

SNACK- 1 Apple
1 pkt peanut and sultana mix
1 packet cashews salted
1 just juice
½ L Rice Milk

DINNER- Indian Vegetables with chickpeas served on Rice.
1 Just Juice Pineapple and Mango

EXERCISE- Doing childrens show.
Walking along the track to the very tip of New Zealand.

Day 44

THOUGHTS- Pride. I landed in New Zealand yesterday and today it was pouring with rain we drove for about five hours to get to where we were staying for the next school. Even though it was raining I could see the beautiful countryside. It’s such a lovely country. And they are so proud of their heritage. Almost every place you go it has the name written in English and in Moari as well. Mad me think that we don’t have anything like that in Australia and I got in touch with my good friend Liana to put me in touch with one of her indigenous friends. I found that even if Australia had the disire to start writing town names in our indigenous language it would be near impossible as each tribe has it’s own language and there are very few left as it stands and when we Europeans came over we tore them apart spread them across the country side, killed, enslaved them and stole their children.

So it was great for me to see a country that holds so much pride in it’s heritage and would be great if more countries would be the same instead of the way most countries are. We all know about James cook and the white settlers but how much do we really know about who was here before that? If you are reading this from overseas… Welcome. Now think to yourself how much do you know about your country’s heritage? And are you proud of it? Because I am proud to be an Australian. I’m not so proud of some of the events that took place in the history of this great land but I am proud of who I am now and where I live. I still however was overwhelmed by the pride of New Zealand. Though it’s only a few hours by plane and geographically less than half the size of Australia the pride that they have could outweigh our own. And to that I say good on them. Well done New Zealand for being a cool little country thanks for letting me visit. And thanks to my guide Claire. I hope to be able to return again soon.

CHALLENGES- Being in another country and seeing all the cool vegan foods and restaurants they had and not being able to try them out because non of them were earthy. Did have a few juices due to depleating energy levels. Very hard to find something healthy and vegan that I was able to just heat up as we were staying at a backpackers and it was toooooo cold for me to try eating raw for the night. So I did my best with what was available.

TRIUMPHS- Finding good Earthy foods that I could have

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 3 slices of tofu (Certified organic soybeans, filtered water, natural coagulant- Nigari), cooked in olive oil, seasoned with pepper.
Soy latte
Organic Rice Milk (Water, brown rice, sunflower oil, sea salt)

LUNCH- Last nights left overs- Chickpea and vegetable dish.
Phoenix organic apple and pear juice- apple juice NZ, imported pear juice, natural aroma and vitamin C
Just Juice Tropical- fruit juice, apple, orange, pineapple, mango, passionfruit, vitamin C.

SNACK- Packet of pecans
Mother Earth deluxe mix- cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, macadamias.
Just Juice orange and mango- apple, orange and mango juice, vitamin C
Rice Milk

DINNER- Sun rice brown rice packet- Brown rice, water, vegetable oil (sunflower oil, antioxidants) distilled monglyceride.
Pam’s chickpeas (canned)- chickpeas, water, salt.

EXERCISE- Doing childrens show lots of running around and lifting big boxes.

Day 43

THOUGHTS- Every moment in life has a reason for it. This reason may not be visible to you but you exist for a purpose and that purpose may be world changing and why shouldn’t it be. If you want to change the world what is stopping you. I can bet money on the fact that the only thing stopping you is you. Your doubts, your fears. Your purpose may be to save someones life or alter it completely. Look around right now. There may be someone closer than you think that needs your help. This morning at about 3am I found a person who needed me today. I’d spent some time with a friend after being at the pub which I hardly ever go to. And since not drinking much at all anymore the pub was not an ideal place that I wanted to be going to. But I made some new friends, drove home, packed for my flight and came back to hang out with them. I had an early flight and had to be at the airport at 6am but there was something that drove me back. After spending time with my new friend I headed back to my car and as I passed the pub there was a woman of about my age perhaps a little younger walking out of the place hysterically crying her eyes out. Everyone else looked at her and continued walking. I had to take a few looks as I heard her sniffing at first and I thought what a fool I would be asking if she needed help if all she had was the common cold. But upon turning I saw her tears and heard her sobs and stopped from walking any further. Simply asked if she was ok and she pretty much collapsed into my arms sobbing. People continued walking past and just looked at us funny. Her reason for being upset is not what is important. But the fact that I took the time to stop. It angers me how many people walked by her. She asked me to direct her to the train station and I told her there was no way in hell she was catching a train alone so I asked where she lived. And before she had even told me I had in my head that I would drive her home. I had three hours to be at the airport and as long as she didn’t live more than an hour and a half away it would be fine. She was only half hour the opposite direction only adding an hour to my trip. We are such a suspicious race of people. The thought did cross my mind that it could have been an act to rob me. But then a second thought of ha then the jokes on her all I have in my car are some crappy clothes that are way to big for her. A fake guess handbag worth about $15 and all my bank cards have no money on them. And as for my car I would probably get more from the insurance company than what it is actually worth. So then after that little giggle to myself I drove her home and wished her well. I was there that morning for a reason. Who knows what could have happened to her had she been left to wander the disgusting Brisbane streets. And I slept better (all beit for an hour in my car) knowing that instead she was home safe.

Also today I flew to New Zealand. It’s so beautiful. I had never flown overseas before and it was great to see how different places can be. Esspecially with food. It is so much easier to get organic healthy foods at pretty much every shop. The Earth Diet is still a bit of a challenge but the foods are beautiful and today I tried a Fejoa. It was beautiful. The girl I stayed with her neighbour had a tree of them and we just went and picked some. It’s so earthy to be able to pick something and then eat it. Knowing that no-one else has touched that food but me is quiet invigorating.

CHALLENGES- Going to the pub

TRIUMPHS- Not drinking any alcohol and still having a great night and finding that everyone is where they are for a reason.

WHAT I ATE-



BREAKFAST- Veggie Fritters- Soy milk, Buckwheat flour, red onion, red and yellow capsicum, brussel sprout, fresh tumeric, garlic, ginger, red cabbage, celery, chilli, parsley, caulfilour. Cooked in oliv oil.
Soy latte
Emma and tom’s Karamarama juice- orange juice, pineapple juice, mngo puree, passionfruit pulp, Siberian ginseng and Korean ginseng.




LUNCH- Carrot sticks, taste raw broccoli, four raw mushrooms, carrot sticks, 2 cherry tomatoes, 5 sugar snap peas.
Watermelon, red grapes, honey dew melon.
Rowies chocolate raspberry cake.
Sip soy milk
Glass pineapple juice- no additives.

SNACK- Glass organic rice milk
Cashews
Fejoa



DINNER- Kumura (sweet potato), onions, potato, capsicum, zuchinni, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, chickpeas, table salt, olive oil, sugar, paprika, salt, chilli, oregano, natural lemon flavour.

EXERCISE- Walking

Day 42

THOUGHTS- ANZAC Day. Heroes. The heroes of our nation. Many gave their lives so that we can live in a free country. Today is the day that we remember those that fought and died at Gallipoli. I know that many just see it as a long weekend. Another holiday, another day for drinking. As do most of my friends. Being that I am not drinking much at the moment I was the sober transport to get a friend into the pub in the city. Not only did I have am awesome time but I met up with a few of our current defence force personel that keep our country safe in this present day. I’d like to take this chance to thank them. I’d like to extend that to many thanks for those who did fight and die at Gallipoli. We take what we have for granted and often forget that someones fathers, brothers and sons all died so that we can live in this country the way that we do. I am thankful that this means that my father and brothers do not have to make the sacrifice that was made by others. We take freedom for granted when so many other countries don’t have the same luxury. We should be thankful for every day that we have. Every woman that can walk the street without being covered head to toe, or without having to be accompanied by a man and the right to vote that we all have and now we can even fight for those rights in our defence forces. We should be thankful for every child that is not stolen and forced into slavery. Our country is one of the greatest countries in the world and we have the one day to honor and respect the fallen and so many people just take that as an extra day to go drinking. Take a moment now if you didn’t on the day to stop and think about what luxuries you have and the lives that were lost so that you could have them. Be thankful. Those lives are the lives of heroes. Also take the time now to think of someone who is a modern day hero to you. They might not be fighting in the forces but they might do something that makes your life and probably the lives of many others better. Take the time to pick up the phone or send them an email to let them know what a hero they are to you. There are heroes everywhere and it is time to acknowledge those in your life.


CHALLENGES- Going to the pub and not drinking with everyone else.

TRIUMPHS- Not even feeling like drinking and then staying up all night and not feeling as tired as I would have used to.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Left over veggie patties

SNACK- 4 pecans




LUNCH- Stir fry- Red onion, red and yellow capsicum, snow peas, carrot, zuchinni, eggplant, celery, brussel sprout, garlic, ginger, parsley, asparagus, olive oil, tamari. Served on a bed of Quinoa.



SNACK- Sunflower, blueberry and pomegranate smoothie.

DINNER- Two potatoes cut into chips and cooked in olive oil.
Bag of macadamias
Soy latte

EXERCISE- Lots of dancing and half hour walk.

Day 41

THOUGHTS- Happiness. We spend so much time trying to be happy. We rely so much on other people and things to make us happy. Or we have goals that we must reach before we are happy. Why can’t we just be happy? Answer these questions.
Are you alive?
Do you get regular food?
Are you free (not a slave)?
Do you have somewhere to live?
If you answered yes to all of these questions then you are ahead of a large percent of Earths population. Shouldn’t that make you happy? I know I’m not the happiness fairy and I too have bad days but there are people I talk to who are down all the time. Admittedly I understand that there are people with clinical depression. But even those people are sometimes happier than other everyday people. Lately when I have found myself in situations that would normally bring me down and reduce me to tears. I ask myself the above questions. When I answer yes I then tell myself “Suck it up Princess.” Lately after reading Liana’s blog on the slaves in Africa (insert link) I have had a new view on life. Whenever I am having a hard day I think of those children that are doing it so much harder. If I am saddened by the fact that I can’t afford new shoes or clothes I think of those who have no shoes or clothes. You can call me what you wish, hippie, weirdo, fruit loop. But it just makes me human. Somewhere in this human race there is something called caring. Some people possess more of it than others. But through this caring and worrying about what is happening around the world. I know there are things happening here in Australia that need addressing as well. But I am greatful for what I have. I know mum used to always say “Eat that broccoli there are starving kids in Africa that would love to be eating that.” Sure enough my answer was “They can have it cos it tastes like crap.” But now when I think of the kids in all the countries that aren’t as priveldged as us it makes me realize what a fantastic country we have and how we are lucky to have what we have and should be happy. There is always someone suffering more than you and instead of wallowing in your own pity you should be getting out there to do something about it.

CHALLENGES- Feeling a bit down and just wanting junky food. Put too much oil on everything today.

TRIUMPHS- Finding Nudie juices. I know they are processed and packaged by someone else as are a few of the things I eat. But the ingredients are all from the Earth. When I was craving a coffee but could not find anywhere that did fair trade. A Nudie juice picked me up just as well if not more.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Apple, peach and strawberry juice
Apple and passionfruit juice
Buckwheat, soy milk and stevia pancakes, cooked in olive oil and topped with agave syrup.

LUNCH- Soy patties- soy pulp, capsicum, onion, tumeric, celery, chilli, red onion.

SNACK- Goji berries and cacao beans.
½ avocado lentil and mungbean sprouts.
Nudie juice- pressed apple, crushed mango, squeezed orange, juiced passionfruit and mashed banana.


DINNER- 2 potatoes cooked in olive oil.
Veggie patties- Garlic, ginger, tumeric, soy milk, buckwheat flour, red onion, redcapsicum, celery, eggplant, brussel sprout and parsley. Cooked in olive oil.


EXERCISE- Nil

DAY 40

THOUGHTS- Tempeh. Tempeh is made by natural culturing and controlled frementaion of soybeans. The process binds them into a cake like form. Unlike most other soy bean products Tempeh did not originate in china or japan but in fact originated in todays Indonesia. The protein in tempeh is more easily digestable because of the fermentation process. Similar to tofu but tempeh is whole soybeans binded together and not just the milk. Tempeh goes great in wraps (if you’re not Earth dieting) in salads and stir fries and if your lucky sometimes you can find one nice enough to eat by itself. Just heat it up and enjoy. We have a few different tempehs at work. If you are earth dieting make sure you take a look at the ingredients and make sure there hasn’t been to many flavours or additives added. I am yet to try making tempeh at home. Still struggling with making tofu. So tempeh is another store brought product that has no additives (if you get the right brand.)

CHALLENGES- Having such a junk food day. Kept craving junk. Didn’t give in to the temptation though.

TRIUMPHS- When craving bad food I still only ate good earthy foods.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Two potatoes cut into chip slices and cooked in olive oil.
Handful cashews and macadamias
Soy latte

SNACKS- Tempeh- organic soybeans, tamari, ginger and sesame oil.
Cacao nibs, goji berries, pepitas, macadamias and pecans.

LUNCH- 1 Avocado, lentil sprouts and mungbean sprouts (Home sprouted)
Bliss Ball\- Apricots, sundried sultanas, sulfur free figs, currants, dates, toasted coconut and raisins.
1 dry pineapple ring.

DINNER- Tandori Marinated tofu.
Loving Earth Raw mint chocolate bar.
Cashews

EXERCISE- nil

Day 39

THOUGHTS- Opportunities. Every day is full of them. How many will present themselves to you today? And how many of them will you take? Some you may not even see as an opportunity. Even the bad things that are happening in your life right now are giving you the chance to change and make things better. You may lose your job, that simply means that a better one is waiting just around the corner. Crash your car, it’s clearly not the car you are meant to have. Walking down the street and notice someone else seems a little out of sorts that’s your opportunity to make a difference. So many of us walk through life with blinkers on or even rose coloured glasses. Well it’s time to take them off. It’s time to see what the world really has to offer you. If you are reading this than you have access to the internet (or Liana was inredible enough to get the book deal) but either way you have the opportunity to be spending money on luxuries that have enables you to read this. So remember how lucky you are. You will no doubt also have a home, a bed and food on the table. So many people do not have these luxuries. You might think that if you don’t think about it that it doesn’t happen. But every minute somewhere around the world a child is dying from starvation. You may not think that there is anything you can do about it but there are plenty of things you can do. You can donate to missions, sponsor a child or even make your next holiday a volunteering holiday and help out the less fortunate. Not only will you get to see another side of the world but you will get to feel great about it. So open your eyes to the opportunities that your life is presenting you and take them. Take those opportunities and run with them.

CHALLENGES- Feeling like pancakes all day.

TRIUMPHS- Not snacking as much as usual.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Buckwheat flour, grated apple, cinnamon, water pancakes cooked in olive oil and covered in agave syrup.

SNACK- Watermelon and mint juice.

LUNCH- Apple, cinnamon and buckwheat pancakes with agave syrup.

SNACK- Cacao nibs with goji berries.
½ avocado with home sprouted lentils.

DINNER- Left over stir fry with brown rice
Potato and leek soup
Pecans (From shell)
Soy Latte.

EXERCISE- Walking

Day 38

THOUGHTS- Exercise. I hate doing it but I know I have to. I feel better on days that I do exercise. But there are so many days that I don’t. There is always some excuse. Too tired. Too Sore. Not enough time. I know I am not the only one our there making excuses. Hello Obesity epidemic. So it’s quiet clear that a lot of us need to do something about it. So what can we do? Join a gym. Too costly. Join a sports team. Not your thing. What about plain old walking? Surely there is something that interests you. I’m not really the best to be preaching about exercise I know the exercise section of these blogs is often left blank. But I have increased the amount of exercise I do compared to what I used to. And really that’s all you need to do. I’m not talking about going to the gym everyday and pumping it out for two hours before work and two hours after work and having no social life. Take a look at what you do now for exercise. In my case it was nothing. So add a few extra things a week. Look online for some simple exercises that will tone the areas you need. And do some cardio as well. If you are already walking step up the pace a bit. Make sure you always consult a professional before undertaking anything to strenuous and make sure that whatever you decide to do is not going to aggrovate any injuries. The first few times may leave you feeling a little sore and sorry but once your muscles adjust to whatever your new exercise is you won’t even remember what the big fuss was all about. Now week by week I am trying new things and starting to add things in to my exercise routine. Eating well is one thing but I have still been feeling run down and that’s because my body hasn’t been getting enough movement. I have found that the best way for me to get more energy is to use some energy. The more I sit around doing nothing the more my body wants to sit around doing nothing.

CHALLENGES- Still snacking late at night. Need to stop doing this.

TRIUMPHS- Eating lots of veggies today instead of raw choc and pancakes

WHAT I ATE-



BREAKFAST- Veggie fritters- Onion, capsicum, garlic, brussel sprout, parsley, chilli, tumeric, celery, cauliflour, Organic Buckwheat flour, vege stock (recipe on earlier day) Cooked in olive oil and seasoned with pepper.



LUNCH- Veitnamese coleslaw. Shallot, red cabbage, white cabbage, mint, yellow capsicum, carrot and lentil sprouts.
Dressing- lime juice and garlic.

SNACK- ½ avocado with mung bean and lentil sprouts. Home sprouted.
Capsicum sticks, snow peas, pea pods, lentil and mung bean sprouts.
Soy latte.

DINNER-Stir Fry- Zuchinni, carrot, snow peas, parsley, red onion, red capsicum, garlic, ginger, tumeric, olive oil.
Esspresso.

LATE NIGHT SNACK- Cashews
Potato and Leek soup- Veggie stock, potato, leek, garlic and Thyme

EXERCISE- 30 minutes cross trainer.

Day 37

THOUGHTS- The world is full of amazing people and another one of these people is Leigh Chantelle Koch. Organizer of the Green Earth festival and creator of Viva La Vegan. Leigh is a very passionate woman who leads a cruelty free life and helps others on their way to becoming more environmentally aware.


INSERT INTERVEIW HERE Interveiw coming soon has just been misplaced.




For more information on Leigh-Chantelle and Veganism please go to the following sites.
http://www.vivalavegan.net/
http://leigh-chantelle.com/
http://greenearthfestival.net/

Thanks Leigh-Chantelle for your time and devotion to veganism.


CHALLENGES- Today was my brothers birthday and as with all birthdays and I often struggle with the temptation of party food.

TRIUMPHS- Today I told my family about the Earth Diet it has taken me a while to explain it to all of them as they think that I am weird enough already being that I am a vegan so explaining the Earth diet to them was interesting but they were all curious to see what it was about and what I was eating so the word is out there about the Earth Diet and more people are finding out about it. Now that I am over the hurdle of the family it means that I will be more confident to tell others about it.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Raw flaxseed porridge- apple, banana, soaked flaxseeds and cinnamon quill.
Handful cashews.

LUNCH- Tumeric veggies with Quinoa

SNACK- Lady finger banana and cashews

DINNER- Veg kebabs- tofu, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, zuchinni.
Marinade- lime juice, lime zest, rice malt syrup, tamari and olive oil.

DESSERT- Choc balls- Ground walnut, ground cacao nibs and agave syrup. Mix together and roll into balls.
Fruit skewers- pineapple, watermelon, blueberries and strawberries. Covered in passionfruit pulp.
SNACKS- Almonds and Cashews.


EXERCISE- 10 minute jog on spot.

DAY 36

THOUGHTS- Feeling much better after a weekend of raw foods. Slowly I am going to start introducing more raw foods and recipes to my diet and start having less cooked foods. I know this is going to be a massive challenge coming into winter but I feel that my body needs that extra cleanse. There are so many ideas and recipes that I would have never thought would taste any good. And so much that you can do with raw food and the nutritional value of raw foods is amazing. So I am setting the challenge that by the end of the Earth Diet I will be living on a completely raw vegan diet for a few months. Then who knows maybe forever.

Also as part of the Earth Diet I have been discovering so many new wonderful foods and creating my own amazing recipes. So much so that I would love to start doing a recipe book. As a matter of fact I think I might just do that.


CHALLENGES- No challenges today

TRIUMPHS- Ate well and am feeling good about everything.

WHAT I ATE-



BREAKFAST- Buckwheat flour, Besan flour, soy milk and stevia pancakes cooked in coconut oil.
Toppped with agave syrup.



LUNCH- Tumeric veggies with Quinoa cooked in veg stock.

RECIPE
VEGE STOCK
INGREDIENTS
Celery
Capsicum
Corn
Peppercorns
Parsley
Basil
Tomato
Shallot
Sweet Potato
Carrot
Cucumber

Method

1. Fill Large Pot with water
2. Add all Vegetables (You can vary the vegetables you use I just use all the left over or extra vegetables I have.)
3. Bring to boil.
4. Drain and Keep liquid.
5. Sometimes you can add more water and make up to about six litres of stock. When the water isn't becoming coloured anymore then throw the veggies out.

TUMERIC VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS

Eggplant
Zuchinni
Onion
Tumeric
Garlic
Ginger
Celery
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflour
Vege Stock

METHOD

1. Heat non stick pan.
2. Cut all veggies into chunks.
3. Heat onion, ginger and garlic until beginning to brown.
4. Add Zuchinni and Eggplant until begining to brown.
5. Add other vegetables.
6. Add stock and tumeric. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce to simmer until stock has evaporated.
8. Serve with Quinoa or Rice.


SNACKS- Lots of cashews with a few almonds and hazelnuts
Raw Energy bar (Ingredients on a previous day)

DINNER- Salad- Sprouts- snow peas, alfalfa and mung bean. White cabbage, red onion, tomato, cucumber, parsley, cauliflour, pepitas, sunflower seeds, cos lettuce, celery, olives and capers.

DESSERT- Raw ginger bar

EXERCISE- Rehearsal

Day 35

THOUGHTS- Sprouting. I have started sprouting some beans lately. It turns out that it is pretty easy. I thought it would be a bit more difficult but you simply soak the beans over night like you normally would before cooking them but instead of cooking them you simply drain them put them in a jar and leave them on the window sill and in a day or two you will have some sprouts. Lentils are the easiest ones to start with. Some beans will need more care and time than others. Bean sprouts are very high in protein and great for anyone on a raw diet. Also today I had an audition for B105 which is one of our major Brisbane radio stations. They had over 700 applicants and only auditioned 50 people so I was pretty stoked to get to that stage. I explained to the auditionees all about veganism which was pretty good to get the word out there about what vegans can and can’t eat because there seems to be such a blurred line as to what people think a vegan is. So I am becoming a very active vegan which makes me feel so much better about it. Seriously why do something if you’re not proud to be doing it. If you couldn’t stand on a rooftop and yell out what you are than there is something wrong with your reason behind it.

CHALLENGES- Second day of raw food. I normally cook two or three meals of every day so to go two days I thought would be really difficult.

TRIUMPHS- I did it. I went two days without touching a single item of cooked food.

WHAT I ATE-


BREAKFAST- Raw oatmeal- Flaxseeds, apple, banana and cinnamon. Soak flaxseeds over night then put all ingredients in a blender and enjoy.

SNACK- Fruit salad- pineapple, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, ¼ peach and 1/3 pomegranate with a squeeze of lemon juice.




LUNCH- Rawslaw- (my own recipe)- Red cabbage, white cabbage, grated carrot, cauliflower cut finely, Homegrown shallot, home sprouted lentils, shop brought mung bean, snow pea and alfalfa sprouts. Celery, parsley, grated ginger, garlic, chilli and lemon rind.

SNACK- Carrot sticks, cumber sticks, snow peas, three pea pods and 3 cherry tomatoes.

DINNER- Salad- Rocket, spinach, parsley, mint, red cabbage, white cabbage, snowpeas, snow pea sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, mungbean sprouts,grated carrots, grated ginger, grated garlic, grated chilli, ½ roma tomato, red onion and shallot.

DESSERT- 3chocolate balls (see previous days for recipe)
Handful cashews and ¼ avocado.

EXERCISE- Walking around all day. Then running up and down stairs for audition.

Day 34

THOUGHTS- Today ate only raw foods. I thought it was going to be a very challenging day and after the night I had had I thought I would be very hung over but there is something about the more earthy wine that doesn’t affect me in a way that other alcohols would have. Also I had set the challenge earlier in the week that I would have a raw weekend and I decided that now when I set myself a challenge I will stick to it. So that’s what I did. I highly recommend to anyone who has an iPhone to get the SAF application it has plenty of raw food recipes and the ones I tried were very nice. I had a lot of cauliflower today and it is normally a food that I dislike very much but until today I had never tried it raw. I still don’t think I could eat it by itself but the recipes that I had it in made it very nice. I was however very tired today and normally when I don’t get much sleep I am very peckish all day and all I crave for is fried foods. Today seemed to go very well. I felt quiet good at the end of the day less bloated than I normally would. It was very satisfying I don’t know how long I could keep it up for if I went raw full time but I would definitely like to give it a try. After a few more earth diet months I will definitely try a month of raw foods. There are so many recipe books out there now and I am going to be incoperating one new raw recipe every week into my diet so that when I make the change it is not such a big shock to the system. Raw foods are a lot better for you as the hold the nutrients. Cooking foods over 40 degrees changes the nutritional properties of the food. There are a lot of people going raw these days or at least trying it for some time.

CHALLENGES- Not going to get take away after a very long late night.

TRIUMPHS- The fact that I stuck to raw foods all day and didn’t have any cooked food.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 1 banana

SNACK- Raw sushi rolls. (Recipe available on saf) Cauliflower rice, salt, pepper, pine nuts.
Mushroom in shoyu sauce, snow pea and alfalfa sprouts, red onion, nori sheet, lentil sprouts.
Blend caulflower rice. Put on nori sheet. Place other ingredients in row and roll like sushi.

LUNCH- Half an avocado with lentil sprouts

SNACK- Choc balls- cacao, mixed nuts, linseeds and agave syrup.



DINNER- Cauliflower risotto- Cauliflower, shallot, garlic, parsley, sea salt, peppercorns, flaxseed oil. Put ingredients in blender and blend.

DESSERT- Fresh apple juice
Cacao, agave and mixed nut meal. Mix together and eat with spoon.

EXERCISE- Nil.