In the Raw

Hi guys!

Thank you all for the sweet comments earlier…unfortunately I am still quite congested but I made a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow afternoon (the first available!) so hopefully I can just make it through this night and tomorrow and then get some meds!

This morning after my workout (speed intervals on treadmill for 20 minutes followed by triceps and biceps) I snacked on half of this Primal Strip for a protein boost. I was eating lunch in an hour and not really hungry anyways but you should always try to replenish your body after exercising! (notice Cuppy & Kleenex in background. Meh)

The verdict?

Great!!! I am SO pleasantly surprised by this product because the whole concept of it (meatless beef jerky) seems rather…odd to me. However, this has a great texture and TONS of chew. I loved the flavor of the bbq and it actually really did taste just like the real thing.

The highlight of my day today definitely was the a-m-a-z-i-n-g lunch at Grassroots that I shared with Courtney! I’ve eaten at Grassroots tons of times before, but for my new readers that don’t know—Grassroots is a 100% vegan and mostly raw restaurant here in Tampa. You can click on the link to check out their menu….I LOVE this place!!!

Everything is so fresh and healthy and you leave feeling revitalized and full of energy. I immediately ordered some hot green tea upon sitting down because I need the extra vitamins right now!

Every time I go I usually order my favorite sandwich, which is just called “Sabrina’s Favorite Sandwich”, and is a combo of raw cashew sheeze with raw hummus (made from nuts, not beans), sprouts, lettuce and avocado on raw onion bread. However, this time I really felt the need to branch out so I took the risk and ordered something else…..the raw burrito!

Look at how pretty this was! Not your typical burrito by any means but it was to die for! The burrito featured the restaurant’s signature “raw-fried beans” made from sunflower seeds and spices and served with huge chunks of avocado, lettuce and parmesan sheeze, all served on a huge lettuce leaf! The flavor in this burrito was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed every last bite. Courtney ordered my signature raw sandwich and she loved it!

There was a point when we were eating when we both looked at each other and went, “we NEED to learn to cook like this!!!” Agreed.

And then, the highlight of the meal (and my day) was what came next………….dessert! When we heard that the dessert of the day of vegan key lime cheesecake we totally made the splurge!

IT.WAS.THE.BEST.THING……..EVER!!!!!

No seriously, this slice of pie was heaven. It was extremely cold, creamy and had a very definite key lime taste. You could not in a million years guess that this cheesecake was vegan. The only reason it wasn’t raw was because the base was tofu. Everything else (the crust included) was raw and it was drizzled with agave nectar. We both went to town on this and afterwards I was so impressed (I honestly didn’t think it could be THAT good!) I even sought out the chef to see if maybe I could have the recipe. Sadly, that was a no-go because it is apparently “top secret”. 🙁 However, I was pointed in the direction of a few raw cookbooks that they highly recommend, so I immediately went out and bought the one they raved the most on—-

Everything in this cookbook looks SUPER easy and you don’t even need a dehydrator for most of the recipes. I read the book cover to cover this evening and am thoroughly obsessed with Ani. Check out her making these donut holes—I NEED to make these! She is also releasing a raw dessert-only cookbook on May 1st and you better believe yours truly will be getting a copy. This is reason number 1,0000 why its very cool to have a pastry & baking degree…..playing with cool new techniques and healthy ideas!

After lunch and Borders, I headed over to Sarah’s house for our Thursday afternoon bible study. It was great as usual…Beth never lets me down! The subject of this week’s study was fear and how, really, there is no need to ever be afraid because the Lord knows what He is doing! Such great words to hear, especially with everything going on with the economy right now and the sense of doubt and uncertainty we all might have. Its such a comfort to know that the number one commandment in the bible is “DO NOT BE AFRAID”. In every single troubling situation we should ever find ourselves in, we can 100% count on God to comfort us and give us a sense of peace. Psalms is such a great journey for learning to release our fears and trust in God…I’m still reading every single morning (at 3 am!) if anyone wants to join me for the remainder of the month!

Quote of the day: “You may be only one brave decision away from the most important turn in your life” Beth Moore

Midway through the video session, I snacked on this bar

It was just meh. Or maybe not so good because I can’t taste or smell ANYTHING right now 🙁

I also sipped on this deliciousness!

Oh my goodness…SO good. I tried to drink only half so I could bring the other half to work tomorrow morning because it was seriously amazing. All the goodness of the mojito without the alcohol. Very refreshing with a slight hint of yummy spearmint!

For dinner I had a huge salad first with organic greens, grape tomatoes, carrots and raw broccoli topped with Sabra’s hummus:

And then I made an “un-raw burrito” (haha I just now realized I had two “burritos” today) using a Rudi’s 7 grain & flax wrap with organic vegetarian refried beans, a sprinkle of part skim mozzarella, salsa and tons of hot sauce

It was good but actually not as good as my burrito at lunch!

Again, I reallyyyyyy wanted a glass of red wine tonight (please, please, please!) but knew it would only make my congestion 500 times worse, so I stuck to coconut water again

Dessert was a lovely macaroon (which I froze and now are suuuuuper chewy) and a tiny square of chocolate

Sleepytime tea (celestial seasonings brand) in my favorite tea pot

I got this teapot when I visited Miravel Spa after I graduated high school (sigh…take me back there PLEASE) and love it…brings back such amazing memories!

Airborne!!!!

I’m very very happy tomorrow is Friday. This week has been rather tough and I’m looking forward to just relaxing with the boy and then running my race on Sunday! I’m going to unfortunately have to rely on benadryl again tonight (even though it didn’t do anything for me last night or the night before) and try to get to sleep early. I think the fact that tomorrow is Friday will motivate me even more!

In the blogworld—

• Check out Heather’s fantastic Turtle Mountain coconut milk product giveaway! The deadline is tomorrow so yall better rush to enter….yummy coconut!
• Bobbi, from N Her Shoes, is doing a MixMyGranola giveaway...I love the whole idea of mix-and-matching my granola! Thanks, Bobbi =)
• The deadline for Gina’s Quaker giveaway is fast approaching….umm tonight! We all know how comfy that robe is, so you better hustle for another chance to win new Simple Harvest Trail Mix bars plus the soft and comfy organic robe and slippers!