Day 172

Thoughts: I got a daily inspirational email today from Jinjee who is the creator of The Garden Diet. The Garden Diet is home to father Storm and mother Jinjee and their five children! Storm has been eating a raw-vegan diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their natural unheated state for over 30 years and is known for his body builder's physique. At 61 he looks far younger than his years. Jinjee started eating a raw diet 17 years ago. Her before and afters show her weight loss transformation. Their family is 100% raw-vegan and thriving! On their site they share experiences through photos, blogs, and videos. The children all look so healthy, shining and glowing, clear pure skin and bright white eyes. It is very inspiring. www.thegardendiet.com 
The email from Jinjee said "I was talking to an older wiser friend today, and we got to talking about our ego and how incessantly it can chatter to us, usually about negative things. She found that even better than pushing the thoughts away and trying to think positive thoughts, if she just observed the negative mind-chatter from her mature center, her essence, her core, looking at them without judgment but with just mild interest, then they would soon fade away.
Patience with ourselves is very important. Anger at ourselves just gets us more angry with ourselves. A lot of addiction, including food addiction, stems from trauma, and trauma is just a part of life. We have to really love and be patient with ourselves, as we would with a child we really love. And through this patience, we will be able to heal and grow in to better choices. Our emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health is healing and growing as we attend to each of these areas, and when we grow in one area it affects all the others to create balance and harmony in our being." 
Storm Talifero, below at 53 years old, raw vegan for 31 years! Workouts include yoga, weights, martial arts, swimming, mountain climbing, bicycling, running, hiking. 

Challenges: I'm good at finding something wrong with this moment. I take myself out of the moment by thinking. And the thinking has self indulgent thoughts of "This moment would be better if I had some more nectarines. If I had water im really dehydrated. If I wasn't so full. If I wasn't so bloated. If I wasn't so puffy. If I hadn't of put on the weight I just did. If my career was going exctly the way I want it to. If I had an abundance of money". I have been being aware of this and then reminding myself to be in the divine moment and to give up that there is something wrong. 
Triumphs: The more people that think yes we can, the more people will think yes we can and then YES we can. 
What I Ate Today:
Breakfast: Water with lemon juice. A cucumber. Peanut butter (pure crushed peanuts). Chocolate Balls.
Lunch: Brazil nuts. Brown rice, I love just plain rice, it's so simple and so fufilling. 
Dinner: Eggplant with garlic, basil, tomato, and green beans and brown rice. Recipe below mmm mmm mmm! 


Dessert: Blackberries! Mmmm I love them, they are so squishy and bouncy in my mouth and then they pop and fill my mouth with a sweet sweet sweet taste, and sometimes a little sour too!
Snacks: No snacks. 
Recipe: Eggplant and Basil 
Ingredients:-Eggplant-Garlic-Tomato-Fresh basil or dried basil (Fresh is always best)-Walnuts-Baby spinach-chilli-green beans-brown rice
Directions:Pre cook some organic brown rice1. Chop all your veggies. Small pieces if you like delicate mouthfuls, or chunkier pieces if you like a whole mouthful ;)2. Fry garlic and chilli in olive oil3. Add eggplant, let it cook for a few minutes until the eggplant has soaked in the juices4. Add the tomato, beans and fresh basil. Put a lid on and let it steam for a few minutes so the smells and tastes can whirl around together.5. Add the baby spinach and walnuts. Put a lid on it and let it steam until the spinach is soft and read to eat6. Serve with rice ... Enjoy!
Exercise: Practising presence while doing menial tasks!