Be Aware of Negative Self Talk

I want to train myself to be aware of the negative thoughts that come into my head and then let them go. Examples of negative thoughts: “I’m too fat,” “I’m not good enough,” “Good things never happen to me,” “Life sucks.” This is programming from others that I have adopted as my own thoughts.
The spotlight on this came to me when I was watching Letsgetraw youtube channel. She wants to be a raw foodist so bad, but cannot turn the corner. I think she should try to be vegan first then hit the raw side of life because raw is hardcore vegetarianism. She makes informative videos about beginning a raw diet, foods that one can choose, the health benefits of a raw diet, and how a raw diet aids in significant weight loss for those who have excess weight. And yet, she misses the key component of the raw diet—the spirit. If the spirit is not ready, there is nothing the body can do to get the spirit to move. Change moves in waves; sometimes it flows quickly as if one has been hit by lightening. Other times change’s movement is barely felt, and yet change is happening. It is the only constant.
With that being said, I think both Letsgetraw and myself need to just relax and let it happen. Letsgetraw inspirational speeches have a slight negative bent. She calls herself a failure for not losing weight. She gets angry at herself for needing cooked food. I do the same thing, get angry at myself for need. I saw (and still see) myself in her. We are both wrapped up in perfectionism. There is no perfection, life is messy; learning is messy, and it is okay.
A thought came to me about cleansing the body, so the spirit can focus. I feel like I am clearing toxins out of my body, so I can move in a higher vibration. It’s just a thought.
Okay, People, I am out of here. I wish you peace, eye candy everywhere you go, and love.

Check out Letsgetraw talk about her one year journey as a raw foodist.

Vegan Sushi Rolls

I started making sushi rolls in January. When I went to the Japanese store to get the burdock, I asked to woman who works there if she can recommend items to put in my sushi rolls. She told me that she really doesn’t make sushi at home. She and her husband go out for sushi. She made some vain suggestions then showed me the sushi she had waiting in the glass refrigerator. She kind of made me feel stupid for wanting to make my own sushi. I made my rolls, and they were pretty darn good, but I was haunted by the Japanese store lady. I kept hearing her say, “Oh, I, we really don’t make sushi, Japanese go out for sushi.” I felt like there is something wrong with my sushi. I had to get to a Japanese restaurant where I will have REAL vegan sushi rolls.

I went to Misaki’s, a Japanese restaurant on Monday. This was the first time that I have gone there since I became a vegan. I did not know what to order. Usually, I’d take a box 13, which is the grilled salmon, California rolls, tempura vegetables, rice, soup, and salad. In the lunch box section of the menu, there was not a vegetarian choice. Everything contained some type of animal whether cow, chicken, or fish.

I sat at the bar. I usually sit at a table. I was not comfortable. The space at the bar was small, and I do not like having my back to the door. The waitress seemed impatient and rushed me to order. When I asked if there were vegetarian options for items on the menu, she could not answer my questions. I should have had her come back, but I felt rushed. I wanted to order the fried tofu, a salad, soup, cucumber/avocado rolls, and rice. I had the taste for the tempura vegetables, and I asked the waitress about them, then the guy behind the counter (the sushi maker guy) said, “Get the tempura vegetables, it has rice and soup. So, I ordered the tempura vegetables and cucumber/avocado rolls.

The rolls were okay. I did not like sitting in front of the guy making my lunch. I could not relax and enjoy my lunch. I wish the rolls had more spice to them, they were rather flavorless. In rolls with fish, the flavor comes from the fish. When the rolls do not contain fish, the vegetables must be flavorful, and there must to be some type of spice or herb.

Vegan food does not have to be boring and bland. Vegan food requires imagination on the part of the cook. It takes more effort than just putting vegetation on a plate. Nutrition and flavor are important. As a vegan, I want to be satisfied after I eat a meal. I don’t want to pay $20 for lunch and still feel hungry. I want food to taste and look good.

The tempura vegetables were greasy and tasteless. All I could taste was oil. The serving size was enormous. There was no way, I was going to eat a big ass plate of fried tasteless vegetables. I ate two pieces and that was it. I got my check. I put $2 in the tip bowl and paid my bill. The hostess asked if I liked my lunch. I said, “No, not really.” I left.

The Misaki encounter had me thinking all week about sushi rolls. I can make rolls that have more flavor than the Misaki rolls. I have made rolls that are delicious. You’re probably thinking, “Now, she is going to ask me to make sushi rolls, is this chick nuts because I don’t have a bamboo mat, I cannot roll, and I’d rather buy sushi.” You do not need a bamboo mat to make sushi rolls. Take a clean dry cutting board, lay down a sheet of cling wrap then place a paper towel on top of the cling wrap. Now you have your rolling surface.

I decide to make rolls yesterday. Check out the recipe.

Vegan Sushi Rolls
Ingredients:
3 cups of cooked brown rice
Seasoned Rice vinegar
Black sesame seeds
Sesame seed oil
Agave nectar
Nanami Togarashi (usually contains chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, Japanese pepper, ginger, seaweed)
Wasabi powder (mix to paste by adding water)
1 pk of burdock
1 cucumber sliced length wise
Sliced pickled ginger
Mushrooms
1 avocado

4 sheets of nori

Step to prepare:

The trick to making rolls is having all the ingredients prepared and ready before beginning to roll. I am not going to give exact measurements for the seasonings, just add a little at a time, and taste it to see if you like it. Use your taste buds to determine how much vinegar you needs. Use your eyes to add the sesame seeds. Remember to go easy on the sesame seed oil because it is strong and can overpower your rice, so start with a little (a capful) and go from there.

1. Mix your rice with some black sesame seeds, sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and a squish of agave nectar, and divide the rice into four sections, so there is enough rice for each nori sheet.
2. Toast your nori sheets over the burner on low heat to keep from getting burned. The toasting takes just a few seconds.
3. Spread a bed of rice over a nori sheet, but do not spread the rice to the ends of the nori sheet. Now sprinkle the rice with Nanami Togarashi, this is hot, so sprinkle to your taste.
4. On the bed of rice, lay down some cucumber, avocado, mushrooms, ginger, three sprigs of burdock, (note: make sure that there is enough vegetables for each roll. You can also mix and match the vegetables.)
5. Put some wasabi on the tip of your finger and run it on the rice bed next to the vegetables (note: wasabi is strong, so use it to taste)
6. Roll the nori sheet with the bed of rice and vegetables.
7. Make sure the seam side is down and cut into six pieces.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 7 with each of your nori sheets. This recipe makes 24 Cole Rolls.

BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

One of the problems I have encountered on this vegan road is breakfast. What do I eat for breakfast as a vegan? Before becoming vegan, I would usually eat a breakfast that contained some type of animal product whether dairy or meat. Generally, I ate some combination of the following eggs, cheese, and butter. On rare occasions, I would eat bacon, or sausage. Before, I can tell you the food choices I make for breakast. I have to explain my opinion on using tofu as a substitute for dairy because my view of tofu is the basis for the composition of my recipes. If you want to know what I have tried, what I like, and what I despise then read on.

Tofu scramble is absolutely ghastly! Fresh tofu is fine in Asian dishes, but when tofu is disguised, or used to substitute for an actually diary ingredient such as eggs, or ricotta cheese, it stinks. I can detect a back note similar to the taste of penicillin. It does not matter how tofu is chopped, blended, flavored, roasted, or toasted; I can always identify the penicillin taste. If I am eating tofu, I like to have it as the star of the dish. I do not try to disguise its flavor or appearance, and that makes tofu delicious to me.

This morning, I had a strawberry, banana smoothie for breakfast. I am adding more fruit into my diet. I’ve read that fruit is good for the eyes. We are all looking to die in good health, so I’m starting my day with a fruit smoothie. One thing I notice about drinking a smoothie is that it is an easy way to consume a large quantity for fruit—three servings of fruit per blender. After drinking a couple classes of breakfast smoothie, I feel energized. I also like how it makes my breath smell--sweet. Lately, I am all about smell. Check out my recipe for BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE.


Breakfast Smoothie:
1 cup of ice
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of strawberries
1 banana
1cup of almond milk
½ cup of orange juice
Add all ingredients together in a blender, then consume. This recipe serves two. If you want it creamier, add more bananas. If you want it juicier, add more orange juice and almond milk. This recipe is adjustable to your tastes. Notice, it does not have soft tofu in it. If you use frozen berries, omit the ice.

I know that I have lost weight, but I am still fat. It is like my fat lost weight. I must have been really huge. I don’t have that many pictures of myself from the last three years. I did not want to see how fat I had gotten. Now, I move better. My ankles do not hurt. I can cross my legs.

It has been a year since I started actively pursuing weight loss. I am walking on a regular basis. I stopped drinking beer. I started consuming more fruits and vegetables. Sounds idyllic, but there are aspects of myself that I really need to work on if I want to rid myself of the excess weight. I need to organize my thoughts and communicate them clear and concisely. I need to have a work ethic by designating a particular time of day to write or to read, and not watching television. I need to watch less television. I need to get to the gym five days a week for the cardio dance classes.