I had my first Client Meeting yesterday with Marie of Marie Natie! She was kind enough to stop by the house after arriving in LA! It was really nice to sit down and chat about our plans! Her company is absolutely amazing and I’m in love with her products! Not to mention – she’s totally gorgeous and adorable! Follow her on twitter here – she was nice enough to give me a little shout out!! 🙂 Her all natural cosmetics are absolutely delightful, and I’m totally inspired by everything she does! As she said, it’s really nice to meet “the right people” here in LA and be able to team up! I’m really excited to be representing them as a model, photographer and spokeswoman!
The first few days at the new house have taught me a lot about myself. One of the most important things I’ve realized is that: I’m a grazer. I graze all day long, like a cow. I feel like I am consistently eating, having eaten, or in the process of making something to eat. I also feel like I am constantly nourishing myself, which is a remarkable feeling. I always have been battling myself: that plans, that school, that work, always came before nourishment. That it would be “too hard” to eat veggie or raw because that’s ” not catered to”.
Do you notice that the people who often change their diets, even if they are consistently ” on one ” don’t seem to lose as much as they expect? That the people who switch up their exercise routines aren’t consistently well? I know that if I am forced to stop doing anything – running because of a sore muscle, for instance – for a long period of time, getting back into it is never as natural as I expect. Well – your body, and your mind, run exactly the same way. The first thing I did to combat this, was to switch the idea of a Raw Diet to a Raw Nutrition Plan. It doesn’t give me as many restrictions and I eat raw about 3/4ths of the day unless my body tells me otherwise.
Here are some of my rules for that Plan that have worked well for me:
Eat Seasonally
There’s a reason they’re called “Fresh Fruits and Veggies”. You want to be putting into your body what has just been taken out of the ground – no more, no less. The longer they’ve been sitting around (and still seem fresh) the more likely that a tremendous amount of pesticides and toxic chemicals have been used to keep them that way. A huge reason I am inspired to take good care of my plants is because if my basil isn’t tasty, I don’t want to eat it. In fact, it can straight up ruin a smoothie. So, for fall – stock up on pumpkin and squash ( I made this amazing soup with them both the other day ) and pecans! For summer – grab a pomegranate – in some states you won’t see it again for another 6 months!! Stay nourished in what nature best provides for you!
Stay Home
One of the biggest questions that I get asked is ” Isn’t it hard to raw/veggie?” And all that I can think of when I hear that truly is the vast fruit, nut, and veggie aisles at my local grocer!
If you’re willing to stay home and cook – make a night of it – open a bottle of wine and have a date – I promise you’ll be okay in your decision. If you make meals or snacks in bulk, it won’t feel at all like you spend a lot of time in the kitchen. And the best part about this plan is that most snacks – almonds, flax seeds, protein bars (which you can make yourself) are “on the go” items.
Get Creative
Speaking of “on the go” items, as someone who travels every 3 weeks or so, I have gotten quite creative about what I am allowed to bring through TSA and what I’m not: ( YES: Granola bars, nuts, fruits with peels NO: Kombucha, Tea, Easter Candy?, apparently) Now that I have a big space in the home, I’ve carried that over in to the kitchen. Some of my favorite things to make are Creative Concoctions: It’s how I’ve discovered making Baked Avocado and Eggs, Grilled Tofu, Pumpkin and Squash Soup, Squash and Apple Soup, Butternut Squash and Spaghetti Squash Soup ( are you noticing a trend here? :)) This site is remarkably helpful for throwing together whatever is left in your fridge before that next grocery run! Get creative and have fun! Who says that cheese and chocolate don’t taste good together? 🙂
Buy a Blender
For less than $30, you can change your life! Now that you’ve opened up your mind… it’s time to open up your heart! A blender gives you all sorts of great options for everything from smoothies to soup! I get almost all my protein from these guys – they’re perfect for chopping nuts if you have a high speed one, or eggs – and give you a place to throw in all your seeds and leftover juices, green powders, you name it! I have found that having this option really opens up my mind when I’m grocery shopping as well for new healthy options like whey protein mix for before bed!
Listen to your Body
The one thing I’ve noticed about changing my Nutrition Plan is that I still crave salt. Usually, to combat this, I will indulge. But not in chips or junk – I’ll have some sushi. Or a tuna sandwich. And for chocolate, I always indulge in some Go Raw Power Cookies or Cacao baked goods! Even some coconut, honey drizzled on almonds is a great way to give into cravings without any toxins!
Share some of your Creative Concoctions, home experiences, cooking, baking or cosmetics tips with me here! I’d love to hear from you!
xo
