Exciting Update

I know, I know, the last post I did was called 'Update' but I'm getting desperate, and I completely lack originality as far as post titles go.

So, what is this exciting update? Well, there are two, really.

1# I am moving back to Christchurch! For those of you who have been readers for awhile, you might have seen my post here about the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, forcing me to move to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. My adventures in Wellington thus far are detailed here. Anyway, after 6 months, we are finally moving home. When we moved we didn't know how long we were going to stay, but at that time a lot of things have come to light. Let me elaborate. When I was living in Christchurch, I didn't really like it. A lot of kids hate their hometowns, and I really wasn't an exception. I couldn't wait to get out. Looking back, I see that I didn't appreciate the beauty that was around me. They say you have to lose something for you to appreciate what you have, and that is definitely the case. Living in Wellington has been a great (but painful) experience, and I am so glad I had this opportunity, but I am so relieved to be going home.

Beautiful views of Wellington

2# if you read my last post here, you probably saw that I'd actually added some cooked food into my diet. While I was ok-ish with that (it wasn't ideal), my mum said we really should eat some cooked vegan food until we got home, due to the high prices of organic food in Wellington. However, my heart always yearns to be 100% raw, and I decided that I would! For the past 3 days, I have been 100% raw, and I'm loving it! I always feel great, I have increased energy, my body cooperates with me, and my stomach is always really flat when I'm raw haha. We have a lot of food, but we always seem to buy 'new food', so I'm doing my best to use the food we have. As a result, I have been trying so many new meals! I've been having Chia Porridge/Pudding for breakfast, and I've also started making wilted Kale salads (thank you, Russell James!) We've also been putting our dehydrator to good use and making heaps of crackers, and I've also taken a liking to Strawberry ice cream recently. Our camera isn't very good, so I haven't been taking photos, but I intend to start posting more recipes and photos on this blog.

Anyway, my posting might cease again (no surprise) for awhile, too busy packing, studying for exams and practice exams, and seeing family and friends before leaving.

Peace,

Felic x

Update!

I really think it's about time I did a post. I know, this year I have been a complete failure when it comes to blogging, but... life has taken it's own turns, so I've just had to cope with it. I'm going to do an honest post. I want to share with everyone the struggles and triumphs after the earthquake, and how I'm dealing with everything.

Am I still 100% raw? Unfortunately no. Organic food is verrrrry expensive in Wellington. I am about 70% raw throughout the day. This is what I usually eat day to day.

Breakfast (9:00am)

2 kiwifruit

1 glass of Kombucha

Lunch (12:30pm)

1 glass of freshly squeezed juice (usually contains carrots, apples, wheatgrass/kale/silverbeet, oranges, pineapple)

Afternoon/Dinner (4:00pm)

Small bowl of homemade cooked vegan soup (usually contains leek or pumpkin, agria potatoes, onion, organic olive oil)

Or if I'm eating 100% raw for the day I'll either have

More juice from lunch, or a small bowl of miso soup.

*Throughout the day I also snack on seasonal fruit, and occasionally raw treats like cake and ice cream.

I usually have maybe 3-4 days a week where I try to be 100% raw. But the strange and funny thing is, I don't even care about percentages anymore. I measure things by how my body feels.

I resented cooked food for a long time. I hated the way it made me feel. I was convinced it would hurt me. I still support those ideas, though. I know the way processed foods make me feel, it's no secret that they don't support the body. Since moving, I tried to comfort myself with foods from my past (that were vegan, but when you binge it makes no difference), in the mistaken idea that they would make me feel better. BIG MISTAKE, I gained about 28lbs. Not cool, at all. I ate a lot of bread, rice, oats, chips, and flour that really just made my life worse. I don't blame me though, I was confused, depressed, lost, torn, and just really screwed up in general. It was also because we were staying with someone who had these foods easily accessible. I also got into some unhealthy patterns of fasting. I want to warn people (especially young people) about their intentions when it comes to fasting, and also urge people who are or want to fast to seek proper support. I didn't have good intentions while fasting, and bingeing on cooked food immediately afterwards just confused my body even more.

When we moved to our little flat in the beautiful Aro Valley, I immediately tried to go 100% raw, but after eating so much 'white food' all I could eat was muesli, nuts, seeds, and as much fat as possible. It really made no difference. I was upset about the way my body looked and felt. I wasn't used to being 'fat' again, especially after being so comfortable and happy in my old slim figure. I relapsed off being raw, and then of course I tried to go raw again, and then relapsed. This continued for awhile. I got very depressed, not just about my completely ridiculous eating habits, but also because I felt like the earthquake had ruined my entire life. I'm not going to lie, I was crying every single day, and seriously contemplated suicide. I was behind in schoolwork, and I couldn't concentrate at all, which for me was difficult, as I was a straight A student. I still got As surprisingly, but I still found myself depressed, and being away from Josh (one of my best friends) upset me all the more. I didn't want to go to a normal high school, because I felt it would distract me more, and the only person I saw for about 4 months was my mum and her boyfriend, and I hardly even left the house, because I actually stopped fitting my clothes for awhile :/

I discovered after visiting the doctor that I had low iron. It was true, if we went out I would come home and end up being able to do nothing for about 5 hours afterwards, yet, at the same time I also had insomnia, where I couldn't sleep till about 2 or 3 in the morning.

We bought a Hurom juicer. Possibly one of the best purchases ever made! We started having juice everyday, and I did start losing weight again, but I had an insatiable appetite for cooked food and craved it madly. When I was raw vegan before the earthquake I would eat hardly anything, which I couldn't help, because I wasn't really hungry often, and I didn't need much for unlimited energy.

Now for the event that changed my life. My mum (who had suddenly become the social butterfly) had made a friend while gardening in the community garden called Lyndsey. My mum told her our plight and Lyndsey, who was very interested in EFT (also known as tapping) suggested that we come round to her house and try some. My mum went, but I didn't. I was a recluse at that stage haha. She came back with a spring in her step and a twinkle in her eye, which I'm aware sounds rather strange, but she told me it was great and that we should try it together. So we did. My food issues were the principle stress in my life, and I knew exactly what I didn't want. I didn't want to be tempted by cooked food, I didn't want to binge on cooked food, I didn't want to be thinking of food constantly, I didn't want to be bloated, I wanted to be raw, I wanted to weigh the same I had before the earthquake. We tapped on these issues. At first it didn't work, and I started crying again. We tapped again a few more times, without much change, but we started to change up the issues a bit more.

Then it was like I woke up. Something changed. I don't even know what it really was. I stopped needing to eat all the time, I stopped craving foods, I stopped bingeing, I stopped stressing, I stopped telling myself how much I hated myself. As of today I have lost about 20lbs. We continued tapping on other issues in our lives, and I feel as though I've left behind so many issues that were constantly plaguing me my whole life. I had a whole new energy about me.

Something else exciting happened after that, but I think this post is already too long, so I'm just going to leave that till next time.

Peace,

Felic Pear x

Day 2 of Green Smoothie Challange

Today I had a spinach, raspberry, and banana smoothie, which unfortunately I didn't take a picture of. It was very nice too, I love raspberries!

I had a lot more study to do today. It's criminal the amount of work they pile on the fragile children of my age. Once again the green smoothie aided me through, and my concentration was clear. My skin is also looking rather nice right now. Last night I had a bit of a headache and a bit of pain in my stomach, but in the morning it was all gone, so I guess it was toxins.

Pretty much feelin' great!

Organic in Wellington

So far I have to say that I LOVE living in Wellington. And since yesterday, I have been feeling more that way than ever!

Yes, yesterday I discovered paradise. Commonly known as Commonsense Organics. A huge organic food store, with everything I'd ever dreamed of.

The person holding the trolley is my mum HAHAH ;D

They had so much fruit and vegetables, not even joking! They had everything I'd ever dreamed of. And it was all organic too -- SCORE.

And then we stumbled on THIS.

Nearly everything on this shelf was Raw. Raw chocolates in every flavor imaginable, Grawnolas, Macaroons, Crackers, not to mention all those super cool ingredients that I have been wanting to find forever so I can try some recipes. AND CACAO NIBS.

This was all the stuff we decided to get in the end.

We enjoyed our feast sitting beside the water front (sort of) and looking at Mt Victoria.

Stay tuned for more of Felic's Wellington Adventures!

Peace and Raw Food,

Felic

Felic eats a Raw Italian Feast

My beautiful friend Meredith A.K.A. Padmapani Little Sky asked me to try some of her recipes from her new eBook 'Raw Italian Feast'.

They all looked SOOO good! I had a difficult time choosing just a few! Her eBook at a glance is exquisite. I have always loved her photographs, and her recipes are always exceptional. The great thing was that when I was looking through the eBook, I realized that I wouldn't actually need to buy too many ingredients, we already had a lot of them, which is always a fantastic bonus :D

So I planned a Raw Italian Feast with:

Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms

Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce

Pizzelle Ice Cream

The first item on the menu was the entrée of Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms.

Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms with Zesty Italian Cheese

These are so incredibly easy to make, and the taste... oh the taste. I was trying to figure out why they were so amazing when I was eating them. Was it the soft warm mushroom, the savory cream... or the crumbled sausage on top. I couldn't figure it out. In the end I concluded that it was 'all of it'. Three completely different textures harmonize perfectly, and this is coming from someone who used to hate mushrooms - I am now converted!

I could see these being the hit of a party as well. They are so unsuspecting... but when you take that first bite, you will never look back.

Fresh outta the dehydrator!

The next item on the menu was the Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce.

Al Dente Zucchini Pasta, with Mama Meat-less Meat Sauce

I really love these recipes, because I find them SO EASY to prepare! This took me something like half an hour to make, and I have got to say, the taste was sensational. I followed Meredith's serving suggestion, and I served with some Zesty Italian Cheese on top. As well as looking impressive, this was also very filling.

Me becoming impatient and deciding to start eating

Whether you are new to raw or a seasoned pro, you have to taste this ice cream. It is completely indescribable - I can't even find words to explain the taste. Pure indulgence. I have tasted quite a few different ice creams in my time (raw and non raw) and I can actually say that this is the best ice cream in the whole wide world. Yes. I wasn't paid to say that, either, but I have to admit, I was gasping in shock as I ate it, it is that amazing. You will not be disappointed.

Pizzelle Ice Cream A.K.A The Best Ice Cream in the World

I am so impressed! I have truly had a feast, and the great thing is, these recipes are so easy (even for me with my terrible kitchen skills) with ingredients that don't cost the earth. They are so versatile that if you are missing one ingredient, it can often be very easily substituted. I am so eager to continue this feast and finish all the recipes in the book, and it is a possibility, because a lot of the recipes re-use other recipes in the book, verrry clever.

So what are you waiting for! If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the eBook which is only USD$11.11 (make a wish, haha), click here.

Got a job!! :D

Well, a new, and maybe a tiny bit better job!

Ok, I loved my last job, which was working in a Christmas shop, but this new job, oh this new job, is the best thing ever.

I have got a job working for the one and only RAW RESTAURANT in Christchurch!! Well, they also sell some vegan stuff, but it sells mostly raw things. Not only that, but apparently my job will entail 'eventually working in the kitchen' but the thing is, the main chef is actually one of the top 50 raw vegan chefs in the world! Yes, I am very happy.

Me and my mum had been going there for awhile, and we got an email the other day asking if I would like to work for them. And of course I said yes.

{Images courtesy of... someone. Sorry I don't know!}

Peace,

Felic Pear x

The Best of Raw Chocolate

It has always saddened me that chocolate is supposedly so bad for me. Amazingly enough, RAW chocolate is very healthful! Because the nutrition isn't bubbled and boiled away, the raw cacao (which is a superfood) can deliver the antioxidants, magnesium, and iron. Please note: this is RAW chocolate we are talking about, the other stuff will just go straight to your hips. :)

Because I live in a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, I was amazed to find a place that sold raw products, and then I stumbled upon raw chocolate bars!! We decided to try them all, and I have to admit, these Tama Toa bars (pictured right) are my definite favorite.

I really love the whole raw chocolate eating experience. Maybe it's because the chocolate is handmade, and beautifully packaged. This chocolate is different, it's not the sort you buy and quickly shove into your mouth. It's the sort where you carefully remove the wrapping, savor the sight, and equally savor the taste, texture, and moment.

I've noticed with other raw chocolate that they often aren't sweet. I have a sweet tooth, and so I was delighted to discover that the Tama Toa chocolates are sweet!

It trult melts in the mouth, too, and because Pixie (the creator) adds nuts, seeds, goji berries and a few other delights to the mix, they have a nice crunch to them.

(I'm starting to salivate looking at the pictures, excuse me.)


Great news, we are selling a few from our stash! But be quick, we will not sell many, and they are sure to go quick, due to deliciousness and the fact that I know where my mother has hidden them.

Contact me at felic [dot] pear [at] gmail [dot] com, if you would like to purchase one.

Or you can order them directly from Pixie's website rawhearts.com

Exciting Updates!

Recently, I sort of lost my love of creating raw food at home. I still loved trying other people's raw food though. Just me, personally, had lost the excitement. There will always be good and bad people in the world, and I just have to try to not let them influence me. I shall explain further.

When I first started being raw I would eat cake and ice cream at every meal. I hadn't eaten that sort of thing in a long time, due to not eating sugar for 5 years. It may have been slightly unhealthy, but at the time I was new to raw, and the food tasted so good and was so good for me! I was feeling alive, happy, well, health issues went, and loving the fact that I could eat cake and not worry, because in fact I was losing weight!

Then I logged onto the internet (as you do). Big mistake. I felt like I was being shouted at by a million different raw food 'gurus', being told that what was feeling so good to me was completely wrong, and that I was going to die a slow and painful death (or words to that effect).

Of course, there were nice people online too, telling me that whatever I was eating was good because it was raw, and that everyone was different, and what may work for others was not specifically for me. But I couldn't shake other people's negativity.

But recently something great has happened! I'm back to my old self! I don't even know what it was, but suddenly I have that feeling in my stomach, a fluttering, that just makes me feel like that good things are going to happen! I've got that love of creating food back, and I have major plans!

So with this new positive mind, I logged onto Flikr, and created an account. Here is the link. I also spent my morning looking through the millions of raw recipes that I have, and decided on a few which I would like to create.

Today is also my best friend Josh's birthday, and I have decided on a great present, which I think he might possibly like. For those who don't know, Josh has been an amazing support during my raw journey, and is surprisingly open minded to raw foods. I'm lucky to have him as a friend, as a bonus he is hilarious. Happy birthday, Josh. :)

And even more exciting news, I tracked down the website for my favorite (ever) chocolate bar, ordered some bars, and I am going to review them when they arrive. If you want to order one or two feel free to email me at felic.pear@gmail.com. More information on that later though.

I would actually just like to do a review of one of my favorite blogs at the moment, Really Raw by Raederle. Her blog has so many features, a recipe section, articles, polls, q & a, etc! I really like it because I think a lot of her opinions she voices very fairly, but still comes to a healthy conclusion which supports raw living. You should definitely check it out!

I have found so many beautiful recipes that I would love to create within the next few weeks. So what if some of them are nut-based? You only live once, you may as well enjoy it.

What a pleasant surprise!

As you may have read here, I was at the 'Vegetarian Expo' on Sunday.

When I was there I bumped into one of my old friends who I hadn't talked to in about a year, Hayley.

Me and Hayley met in French class, and I have to say, she is pretty awesome!

So when I saw her I said Hi, and she said Hi, and we were both like :D

Then I wrote on her wall (this would be the Facebook wall. If you don't have a Facebook, you may not be down with the lingo), and said, "Hey, it was cool seeing you! We should meet up!"

This may seem incredibly boring to you, but keep reading, it gets better!

And she said, "Yes we should! Are you a vegetarian? I'm a vegan."

I was so amazed, I knew she also was quite sick last year and had to take time off school, but seriously! She's a Vegan?! I was amazed, so I wrote back straight away and told her I was Raw and that I was so happy that I knew someone around my age who was also 'enlightened'.

Today me, my mum, and my mum's non-raw-vegan friend went to lunch at a restaurant that serves raw food (as well as vegetarian and vegan), called the Lotus Heart.

I like this friend of my mum's, because she is really supportive of our raw veganism. It's about 50/50, some people like it, others do not, and argue about it. But this friend is cool, and she also paid for lunch...


This is what my mum and her friend had, I didn't have it because the rice paper it was wrapped in was cooked. It appeared to be similar to a Christmas present.



And my favorite, a Cookies and Cream drink! Because two photos are better than one :D


This is what I had, the Raw Nori Roll. I have had a few rolls in my time (that sounds slightly disturbing), and I have to say, this was a gooood roll. Very good indeed.

To go with it I had a Raw Couscous Salad. I think it was made up of cauliflower, brocolli, cilantro, and raisins.


And for dessert, (who doesn't have dessert with lunch?) I had a Chia Swirl, and a Mayan... Thing. I've forgotten what it was called! I think it may have been 'brick' or 'block' or something, but that just doesn't seem right. Memory fail!


Then, because I was so well behaved in public for a change (that was a joke), my mum's friend bought me a raw Chocolate Bar! I ate it before I could photograph it, but photographed the wrapper anyway, which was funky.

I have some very very very exciting news, this is possibly the best news I've heard in forever.
My beautiful friend Meredith from the raw seed is releasing a new eBook, Raw Italian Feast ! I am so excited! I have promised her I will write a review, and you will not be disappointed!

Meredith has already put out two eBooks, they are both amazing, they feature her beautiful food, and stunning photography. You can purchase them both here. But wait, there's more! The profits from these eBooks go towards Meredith and her husband Dustin's project, known as Bleu Bee, an old school bus which they are lovingly converting into a home which they plan to use to travel in all over and spread raw food as far as they can, which is totally worth supporting!

You can also make a donation by heading over to her page, and clicking on a link there.

I also got my university essay and test results back, 89% for the essay and 96% for the aural test. :)

Peace and Raw Food,
Felic x

Ice Cream Week Announcement!

To mark the arrival of an Ice Cream Maker to my house, I have decided that in honor of "Creemy" (as it's known), to mark this week as Ice Cream Week.

Every single day from this Sunday through to Saturday I will post a new flavor of Ice Cream, invented, photographed, tried, tested, and tasted by me. Sigh, it's so difficult being Raw Vegan, I tell you...

All of the posts are below.

Sunday - Orange Cacao Bean Chip Ice Cream

Monday - Cacao Cashew Ice Cream

Tuesday - Vanilla Cherimoya Ice Cream

Wednesday - Strawberry Ice Cream

Thursday - Kiwi Ice Cream

Friday - Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream

Saturday - Purple Boysenberry Velvet Ice Cream

I also wanted to add that I WILL be publishing an Raw Ice Cream eBook in the future, featuring all of the above recipes, and more!