Thanks for the tip, i ended up making a macadamia nut lemon dressing, which was delish but i never got to eat it.

I was heating it the way i always do on low in a crockery pot, it works great, and has many many times. Cept this time i put it on a small hotplate rather than the big one, and it must have heated too fast and it exploded!!! So, i had to toss it all coz bits of it were in the food, boooo.

Was so *ed off, tasted good when i tried it before i heated it. Ended up just having eggs and salad, grrrr.

Anyways, good news, this is now day 5 without any caffeine, have had to use decaf coffee to get there, but its getting easier and easier. I stopped getting headaches yesterday and am no longer craving caffeinated tea. I still want the decaf coffee, but for the heavy bitter hot drink, so making progress. Am proud, this has been the hardest thing for me to give up, i dont want to never have it again, i just dont want to need it every day.

Thanks missgiggles

Yeah i do love a good cup of chicory and dandelion, just plain dandelion isnt as nice black, and thats how i have my coffee now (that was an unexpected taste change on raw, dont want the creamy milk taste any more, love it black!).

I buy it from the health food shop, yeah i should defo go to it more often that i go to the decaf, but ill be honest im lazy and the decaf is easy, not tea pots involved (yeah im a snob with tea, has to be tea pot), whereas decaf can be made instantly, plus so much easier for hubby when he makes it for me.

But i do need to have that more often, its a habit i know, the decaf is organic free trade water decaf, so is pretty good, but still going to be acid forming in my body, so not ideal.

I caved last night on my no caffeine run, they had chai at a restaurant i went too, and i just love a good chai, so i had it with some honey, mmmm, was yum too, but back to caffeine free today. Ive taken to having raspberry leaf and peppermint as a herbal choice, so im not having the decaf too often. The raspberry is a great just got up cuppa, love it first thing. Peppermint is great if i have it with a date before hand, the sweet taste washed down with peppermint is reminiscent of mint choccie biscuits.

Im going to break raw tonight, were having a fire drum in the back yard to get rid of some dodgy looking wood (we keep stores for camping/backyard firedrums), so it seems a good excuse to indulge, i love the smoky flavour, no potatoes in the house to tempt me, but i do have pumpkin so going to have a chunk cooked in foil with my salad, so its a minor cave.

Lucky really, been wanting pasta for some reason all day, old school cheesy and tomatoey, but fortunately this has distracted me having the fire and i dont want it now.

Had a delicious salad out last night, just a regular garden salad but i asked for some cashews with it, since i saw they used them in a moroccan chicken salad on the menu, was a really good salad, not too many onions like it normally is in salads out, not too much dressings, good mix, perfect, and best of all was massive so it really filled me up.

Hi Kebbster great to see that you are getting over the coffee thing. I really, really sympathise with you!!! I'm also trying to give up coffee and not without struggle

Just wanted to post i made a yummy dinner tonight.

Was a lasagne like dish, but probs really a vegetable stack. Made it with eggplant, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms, spanish onion. All thinly sliced and layered. Covered with some blended tomato with a little garlic, basil, roughly ground pine nuts, lemon juice, and olive oil. Marinated for a few hours in the fridge then heated very slowly in the oven.

Ive never used the oven before to heat, have been worried id end up cooking the food, but it worked perfect on the lowest possble setting for about 2hrs, maybe just under. The oven was only warm coz i could put my hands in with no gloves and pull the dish out. I could feel the food was only warmed, defo was still raw.

So yay for me! I now know i can use the oven if i want a heated dish 

the eggplant was really good, went really soft and tasty, thats what i love about eggplant just absorbs other flavours so well.

It met the hubby approval test to haha.

Been a bit better today, have been fairly clear headed most of the arvo and managed some study, yay!

Had a green smoothie today, i think it really helped, my head cleared within moments of having it, when will i learn, haha, i cant skip them.

I made some carob truffles today out of sunflower seeds, sultanas, carob powder and a little cinammin, was yummy. Although my mother didnt like them, was intensly sweet and i dont think she liked the carob flavour. I think carob has grown on me, coz i remember hating it at first, but now i really like it, weird really how my tastes have changed. I detested it as a hot drink the first time i had it, tipped it out, now i use carob in stuff often. Lately been really craving it, and seem to be sprinkling it on nearly everything, not sure what thats about but read its pretty high in calcium, maybe im needing that.

Because it was so cold today, i just didnt want fruit much, so i just kept munching on my truffles, and now in just one day my batch are nearly all gone  Regret it now but, seems to have left my tummy a little skewed and is all acidy (funny how they are still calling me nonetheless). So its been a super high fat day, but hey how often is it this cold?

Im sitting here listening to little bird feet pattering over my head, lol. We have a tin roof on the back section of our house and a bird has recently discovered it can get in and out, we cant catch it because it just leaves, so now we have to work out where its getting in. Its actually kinda cute and amusing hearing the pitter patter of birds feed, its a busy little critter, moves more than i do, lol. Now if i was a proper grown up id be distressed about what damaging it might be causing, im sure its got a nest, but meh. Alls well, will deal with it later. Sorry unrelated, but its bizarre to listen to is as i type.

well it seems dairy really is the culprit. Now that im off it again im doing much much better. Am recovering really well, have been going well now all week, only got bad once when i got too cold and picked up once id warmed up.

All this has made me wonder if my improvements on raw are really the raw food, or more that i have had very little dairy, hmmm.

It might be the cold weather, but im actually really over raw atm. Lately i just havent been able to stand the thought of raw at dinner, so ive been having some if not all cooked, and taking a digestive enzyme supplement when i have cooked. Im very careful how i cook so its only lightly cooked, the miso soup i made tonight was actually mostly still raw, but last night i had a vege stir fry with rice. I havent felt any worse for it, in fact its been better, means im having smaller meals and not getting bloated anymore.

So now im having my smoothies or just fruit in the morning, starting tomorrow im going to have a big salad at lunch to get in more greens, and dinner will be something very healthy but either part or all will be cooked, like stir fries, eggs and salad, steamed veges, that sort of thing.

Its made hubby happy as his well over raw as well. He's also agreed to try having salads at lunch for a bit rather than sandwhiches, so im going to make him a lunch salad when i make mine every day for him to take to work the next day. Will see how this plan goes, it will likely cost me a bit more, but at least we'll both be healthier for it.

So ill still be fairly high raw, but just not as strict as i was.

Ive bought a mini tramp and been using that most mornings, its really helping my energy levels. Im taking olive leaf extract again and its also helping plus daily probiotics. Also taking some valerian at night to help me sleep better. Overall the regime is working really well, and i seemed to have found my balance. I want to be honest that im not aiming for 100% raw anymore, but im doing whats best for me. It is great to no longer be getting bloated, or at least its rare now. Also really enjoying being able to eat more veges like brocolli, as i could just never digest it properly raw.

Hubbies excited, ive promised him potatoes for his lunches sometimes, his craving them, its been so long since ive bought them, lol. Funny the things his really missed.

So basically, raw all day, probs 50/50 raw to cooked at night on average and digestive enzymes when food is all cooked or if i have animal protein with the dish. Strictly no dairy, no gluten, nothing processed.

I sorta feel a bit of a failure that i cant keep up all raw, but its only a small part of me, most of me thinks ive learnt alot eating raw, and progressed faster than i would without it.

Things ive learnt that ill never stop doing:
- Green smoothies (they are just too good)
- Have learnt to eat alot of fruit, before raw i ate fruit very little
- Eat nutrient dense meals, rarely using staple type foods like rice, potatoes
- Eat greens, lots, and daily
- When i do cook food, i know now how to retain the nutrients and will never ruin my food again but cooking it down to mushy gunk.
- Have developed the taste for hot drinks without milk, and love it better than ever
- Have learnt so many fantastic salad recipes that i dont imagine i could ever be short an idea of what salad to make.
- Banana icecream, mmmm
- Raw sweets, who needs chocolate 

That tea sounds sooooooooo good raw sensation.

Thanks for reminding me too how it can take years to transition. I think i have been a little hard on myself, being as strict as i can, it feels good to have cooked and enjoy it without guilt.

Well, ive finally worked out why ive been so sick the last few weeks, dairy was a culprit, but after getting diarrhoea 3weeks in a row i worked out its because i never recovered from my stomach bug, i just hung on the edge, kept trying to push through, and every time i slightly overdid it it came back. This is also why ive been so slack on the posting, just been too ill to be online.

Well ive been resting up, superdosing on probiotics and i think im finally on the mend. Ive learnt a valuable lesson though, im really just not ready for work, its been work thats made me get so sick and stay sick. I was doing really well before that. So from now on the focus is on study and becoming a good housewife (so less burden for hubby).

I feel relieved to have come to that conclusion, its been a hard one, ive been so determined to work, like its the indicator that im well, but its unrealistic and has been the source of repeated setbacks everytime i try and work.

So, now i know too, its nothing ive done wrong, i havent eaten the wrong thing or anything like that, just overdone it, got a bug, and didnt heal. The dairy was a problem but, and since ive cut it out ive stopped getting the muscle weakness. Also, my period this time round i only actively bled for 4 days, and it was only light to moderate, the other days were just spotting. This is the best its ever been, so im clearly still improving despite my recent bout of illness.

The plan is now just to rest up this week, we've (me and hubby) have cancelled some weeknight plans we had so i can get better. Slowing down ive also finally managed to be able to start my assignment, which is good, i was beginning to fall behind and now have to play catch up from being sick.

On the raw front, well im still eating pretty high raw, but i must admit being able to eat stir fry's again and steamed veges has been wonderful in the cold weather. I think when it warms up ill try and go higher raw again, but i dont think ill be as strict. As long as its dairy and gluten free and high raw its helping me heal.

Im loving being able to make hubby salads for lunch, so he isnt having sandwhiches every day, its good to know we are both eating healthy.

Im tempted to buy some essene bread, or one of those really dense ones as a treat, but in all likelyhood i could make one alot cheaper. I dont have a dehydrator so without much hot sun id say it will have to be cooked, but i kinda feel like having one, will see but, i am lazy and dont trust prepackaged stuff anymore.

Made a yummy raw icecream last night, was soooooooooo good.  Frozen bananas, some cherries, and a bit of vanilla essence (i dont think the vanilla is raw). Was the best! and who ever said healthy food isnt tasty.

Been getting into the carob lately (not sure if ive mentioned that). But im out now, so no more till i can get out to get some more, its not the easiest thing to find raw carob, and im not even certain the stuff i buy is truly raw. Made a yummy thickshake today with frozen banana, put in some soaked hazelnuts (werent soaked long, was unprepared and impatient, probs half an hour), and carob powder. Blended it up and mmmmmm.

Ive discovered warm salads for dinner are a good compromise to keep up more raw, adding cooked to a raw salad makes it all warm, and thats great in this cold weather (so why do i keep eating frozen deserts? good question, lol).

My mother has offered to help me shop more often since its such a challenge for me, she took me today and while it takes longer, its alot easier having that help pushing the trolley and carrying bags.