Monday, December 13, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
9:00 . . . 12 satsuma mandarins
11:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding
1:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding
5:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 3 medjool dates
6:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding
7:00 . . . 10 satsuma mandarins + a few campari tomatoes
8:00 . . . a few valencia oranges

Play: dance, acrobatics, stretching, lots of rest!

Since yesterday was Sunday and I had no obligations or unnatural schedule, I could eat whenever I wanted. And I literally ate from morning 'til night! Ha!

Now that citrus season is upon us, I am greeting my old sweet orange friends and really appreciating the lovely smell they bring to the house. I never tire of oranges. Never. They are brightening and uplifting in every way.

And these mandarin tangerines are really wonderful. So soft and delicate and sweet. They are so gorgeous I almost don't want to eat them. Sigh. But I do.

I am buying these mandarins in great abundance. Which reminds me of this:

My #1 tip for people who want to go fruitarian is to always have PLENTY (lots!) of really good quality fruit that you LOVE on hand at all times.

My #2 tip is to take all the time, energy, attention and money that you currently devote to restaurants, recipe books and ingredients, kitchen gadgets and appliances, cooking and cleaning up from the cooking, buying and eating junk on the sly (busted!), being sick and miserable, supplements and medications, caffeine and alcohol, doctor and dentist visits, and beauty products, and spend it all instead on sourcing really good quality fruit.

I took my own advice today and bought 6 lbs. of local raspberries, 20 lbs. of Earth bananas, and 16 lbs. of valencia oranges, plus a few pounds of other stuff like cukes and tomatoes.

I feel blessed and grateful to be able to have such an abundant life. I know that many beings are struggling and my heart goes out to them. ♥

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 8 organic valencia oranges
9:00 . . . 6 organic valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 8 golden kiwis
2:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates
4:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe + a few dates

Play: dance, acrobatics, yoga

These golden kiwis are a blessing right now, when good fruit is not as abundant as I like. They would make a perfect baby food . . . soft and smooth and sweet, far sweeter than their green counterparts. When I see that there are some waiting for me in the store, I feel relieved and grateful. I like to cut them in half and eat out the inside with my bamboo spoon. Like most fruits, I don't eat the skin. I think of skin as the protective "packaging."

Citrus season won't be in full swing for another month. I am getting excited already thinking about it. It's hard to top really good valencias and honey tangerines. And I am stocked with some good organic dates from Arizona. I don't understand people saying they can't stop eating dates. To me, they are SO rich and sweet, I can only eat a few at a time. Dates stay longer on the tree than any other fruit, so they are loaded with sun energy! That is especially good at a time of year when we can't get so much sun energy directly.

Love the sun. ♥

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Candy! ♥

OK, so I just HAVE to include a pic of my current favorite candy! I am eating this every day lately . . . it is fresh locally-grown raspberries with some wet organic medjool dates that taste like caramel. For some mystical reason, this combination of tastes goes perfectly well together and I feel like a child eating candy. Except that this is WAY better than any candy I ever had. And believe me, I would know! as a former white sugaraholic.

And if you spend any time truly gazing upon a raspberry (which I do constantly) you will simply have to believe in the intelligence and order of the universe. Look at the form and function of all the little sweet packets stacked so cleverly all around: It is genius! And beauty! Who thought of this? Who created this??? Who invented this most lovely color? Soft gentle raspberries . . . I love you! ♥

Yes, all day long I think I am eating dessert. Sometimes it is pie, or cake, or candy. Or bubble gum or marshmallows! Caramel frosting! Except it is REAL and PERFECT and ACTUALLY GOOD for me. All sweet gifts from Mother Nature.

I am waiting patiently for everyone to figure this out so we can have a big candy party all day every day. Time now for some Sweetarts I mean pomegranates.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
10:00 . . 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 3 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 4 zucchini + 2 heirloom tomatoes + some baby okra
5:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates
6:00 . . . 3 bananas
7:00 . . . few more raspberries + dates

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

I took a pic of these few things I got at the Farmer's Market a couple of days ago. Those are zucchini, baby okra, heirloom tomatoes, and raspberries. So even though it is turning chilly, there are still wonderful things to be found from local growers. I discovered that one of my favorite families is growing raspberries all fall in a greenhouse. And there will be heirloom tomatoes (German Johnsons) available all winter long! This is very happy news!

There are also slews of apples at the Farmer's Market, but I am not a big apple fiend, so I just enjoy their beauty.

I have never been a big fan of raspberries, but after just one taste of these delicate sweeties I fell in LOVE! And when I pair them with dates, it is a match made in heaven! There are always surprises with this fruitarian lifestyle. Things are always changing . . . YOU are always changing.

Also in my kitchen now are golden kiwi, cantaloupes, a few persimmons, and a few pomegranates. I usually like to try a few tastes of seasonal fruits, even if they are not really staples.

For right now, I am paying attention to my current new love: raspberries. Mmmmmm. They are surely food for angels and goddesses. ♥

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
10:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 6 golden kiwi
2:00 . . . 1 heirloom cantaloupe
3:00 . . . 3 bananas
5:00 . . . 2 papayas
7:00 . . . 4 heirloom tomatoes + several zucchini
9:00 . . . 1 HUGE mango

Play: walking barefoot, dance, acrobatics, stretching

Lately I have come across some papaya and some GIGANTIC mangoes that are so good I can't believe it! Usually, I leave these tropical fruits alone in the store, as I think they are only really good right off the tree. (Not picked green and shipped.)

But wow, am I grateful for these sweeties! If I lived in the tropics, papayas and mangoes would be staples for me. They are such a treat! They both make me feel like a baby, eating the best quality baby food anywhere.

And also, this week I discovered a new (for me) fruit: golden kiwi. A super lucky find at Whole Foods! These also taste like baby food: light, creamy, soft, very sweet. These are far sweeter than green kiwi, and not acidic at all. I am in love with them! I'll add them to the list of things I would like to grow someday.

Man, I must be in the zone! This is usually a time of year where the pickin's are kinda slim until citrus season picks up. But right now I have so much good stuff that I don't know what to eat next! What a great problem. I feel almost guilty for so much abundance, when so many have nothing. If only we could get all of us and everyone planting fruit trees, this problem could be solved! There would be plenty to share.

I want to mention one detail, for those of you detail-oriented. I am listing what I eat and approximate times, not exactly accurate stuff. To me, it feels like I am eating all day long. I rarely actually sit down to eat a "meal." It is more like I am eating all day long, from morning 'til night, snacking on the best sugar on the planet! What a life!!! There is no way I could really record what and how I'm eating without being really anal.

Lately I have also been eating lots of black grapes and honeydew melons, and I just ordered the first organic dates of the season from Arizona. I thank my lucky stars every day that I am blessed to live this fruity life. ♥

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
10:00 . . 1 pineapple
1:00 . . . lots of muscadine grapes (pounds!)
3:00 . . . more grapes
4:00 . . . 5 local heirloom tomatoes + some okra
6:00 . . . 2 heirloom cantaloupes + 1 honeydew
8:00 . . . 1 GIGANTIC organic mango

Play: walking/running barefoot, stretching, acrobatics, dance

Wow. This fruit was all out-of-this-world excellent. I LOVE a day like this, when everything tastes just so so GOOD. I admit that it does occasionally happen that I open a melon that is hard and not sweet, or bite into a piece of fruit that is mushy or tasteless. So I'm grateful when fruit is really what it promises: sweet, rich, bliss-inducing!

The melons pictured are from the Turlock Fruit Company in California, and when I see their seal, I know it will be a very high-quality fruit. This year is the first time I have found their heirloom cantaloupes in the store and they are superb. On the inside, they look like any other cantaloupe except they are richer and darker orange, in the same way an heirloom tomato has a very rich color. And their taste is definitely sweeter than the average 'loupe.

I am taking advantage of the varied assortment of fall produce, so wonderful. Because soon enough it will be winter and back to my staples of oranges, dates, bananas. But hey, I love them, too! Everything has its' season.

Lately I have also been eating some dates and bananas to fill in when I can't find much else.

And this discovery of the HUGE organic mangoes has me very happy. It is very rare to find shipped mangoes in a store that taste so excellent. I bought one when I saw them, on sale for 2 for $5., not expecting much, and it was so unbelievable that I ran back to buy LOTS. Now I have them ripening on the counter and they will be my dinner tonight, for sure. So excited! These mangoes are the best baby food! So sweet! I feel like a lucky baby when I eat them.

I have to say that I never got this excited about my old junk food. REALLY.

I read a quote last week I want to share, so true:

"Eating junk food is NOT a reward. It's a punishment." Drew Carey

Now if only he could discover the truth about fruit. If only EVERYONE could! ♥

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . lots of muscadine grapes
4:00 . . . 1 papaya (sublime!) + 1 huge organic mango
6:00 . . . 2 heirloom cantaloupes + a few heirloom tomatoes
8:00 . . . more muscadine grapes

Play: walking/running barefoot, dance, stretching

My love affair with the muscadines continues. Although the organic growers are all finished this season with the best grapes EVER, I am finding more elsewhere, even though they are of a lesser quality. I'm already dreaming of next year.

That is one cool thing with this lifestyle . . . you fall into a rhythm of the seasons. I know when my favorites will appear and I look forward to greeting them like an old friend. And then there are those nice little surprises that show up just in time. Like finding really nice papayas and mangoes, which rarely happens. But I found some the other day while urban foraging . . . you know, looking around in stores and at roadside stands and such.

I also found just last week honeydews AND heirloom cantaloupes from my favorite grower in Texas. (More on that next time.) This is the first time I've had heirloom 'loupes and they are seriously outstanding! VERY sweet and mineral-rich. I have a new love! ♥

We fruit lovers are so fickle!

And I have to give a shout out to whoever is growing these UNBELIEVABLE heirloom tomatoes that I have lucked into at a fruit stand minutes from my house. I am spoiled rotten now on their sweetness and richness and dark red soft interior that melts in your mouth. I am eating them like a fool as long as they last. They're called German Johnsons. I gave some to my mother-in-law and she called to tell me that they are the best tomatoes she's had in years. And she is a serious foodie. It's going to be a long winter without these sweeties. So I am giving them all my love and gratitude and attention every day. I'm about to eat some now!

Once you embark on this fruitarian path, the Universe will help you in so many ways. Like how I just came upon a really great papaya and some gigantic organic mangoes. Usually I steer clear of them because the quality of these picked-green and shipped tropical fruits is so bad, but on a day when I thought there wouldn't be much good to eat, these amazing beauties appear . . . just for me! Thank you, thank you, everyone. ♥

If I lived in the tropics, I would be all over the papayas and mangoes. Ripe on the tree is the only way. A really good papaya tastes like maple syrup, only better! Back in the day, I did love me some maple syrup, but I'm sure it would make me very nauseated now, like all of The Other. A lot of The Other is just trying to imitate really good fruit. Don't be fooled. Go for the real deal.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . .1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 3 bananas
3:00 . . . lots of organic muscadine grapes (in the car)
4:00 . . . more grapes + a few tomatoes + some pickling cukes
5:00 . . . ~ 2 quarts muscadine grapes
6:00 . . . ~ 2 quarts muscadine grapes
7:00 . . . a few more grapes! : )
8:00 . . . one last grape (or 2, or 3 . . . Ha!)

Play: walking, yoga, acrobatics

It is now major grape season and I am all about these grapes! I put my hand in the picture so you could see how gigantic these organic muscadines are. They are to LIVE for!!! I am so happy and grateful to give these lovely growers my money. They are the dearest peeps. In return they give me large bags of their precious grapes. One of their friends told me that they work very hard tending to their vines and that they put a lot of love into creating their vineyards. It is obvious! ♥

The season is so short that I just give myself over to it. There will be time later for more melons, for bananas and dates, for oranges and tangerines. Right now it is GRAPES! They should be around for about 3 more weeks. I'm sure I will be having some days of mono grapes.

Nothing is easier than this: popping one super sweet grape into my mouth after another. They are VERY FUN to eat . . . and no preparation, no utensils, no clean-up! Just sweet grapey goodness.

I have to say that all other grapes pale in comparison. They were a delightful new surprise this year at the huge Farmer's Market. So wherever you are, be open to looking around everywhere. I have fruit radar now. Plus, the Universe is helping me, now that it is known that I am on the fruit. ; )

Also, on the little mountain where I live there are now lots of muscadine grapevines growing all over the place, thanks to me, Julie Grapeseed, who has strewn seeds everywhere in past years. I ate a few this morning on my walk around. They are not quite fully ripe yet, but it is very cool to be walking in Nature and stop when hungry/thirsty to eat right out there off the vine!

I intend to live this way every day in a fruitarian paradise of my own making, eventually. But if I am living then somewhere tropical, I will REALLY miss these grapes.

Best to be grateful NOW for what is. And I am. ♥

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . 1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 4 peaches + 4 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 6 peaches + 4 medjool dates
5:00 . . . a few tomatoes + pickling cukes
6:00 . . . 2 quarts muscadine grapes
7:00 . . . 2 quarts muscadine grapes

Play: barefoot walking/running, dance, stretching

Whoa. Where does the time go? This summer is FLYING!

But right now is really my favorite time of year. The local produce is at its' best and the days are warm and sunny.

I'm not usually much of a peach person, but they are SO good right now and with a few juicy dates, it is DESSERT all day! Chloe is checkin' 'em out . . . they smell good even to her!

And I am very excited and happy because my beloved muscadines are in. Not only that, but I found a new grower this year who is growing them certified organic! Man, they are super sweet. I am drunk with happiness on these grapes. ♥ The growers were surprised when I wanted to buy 8 quarts at once. Shucks. That's nothing! These are the best grapes I've ever had in my life. They taste like a Nehi soda, but much MUCH better. ; )

I'm eating some right now. Sigh. Blissfully legally drunk.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . several glasses valencia orange juice (hand pressed)
11:00 . . juice from 1/2 watermelon
4:00 . . . more orange juice
5:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
6:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes + a few tomatoes
8:00 . . . bit of watermelon juice

Play: walking/running, hiking in forest, acrobatics, stretching

This pic is what I have on hand right now: watermelons, cantaloupes, bananas, ataulfo mangoes, tomatoes, and valencia oranges. Plus I have a large bag of cherries and 3 lbs. of medjool dates. I try to keep a decent supply of food, enough for a day or two. I don't stock too much beyond that. I like to feel free to get whatever I want in the moment. I wouldn't want to commit in advance, for example, to a whole week of just mangoes, even if I got a great deal on them. Besides, it is possible that when you buy a lot of something, it may not all be of good quality. And THAT is a Big Bummer, to buy fruit that isn't good.

It's not really orange season, and I normally wouldn't buy oranges at this time of year, but I just had a hankerin' for them and they looked OK to me. They turned out to be surprisingly sweet so it has been a treat to have some fresh OJ.

The watermelons continue to be excellent! The other day I got 4 big ones (over 20 lbs. each) for $14. at the farmer's market. I have found one grower to have consistently sweet melons so I just keep going back to them. I feel spoiled with the abundance of great produce. There is so much to choose from I can hardly decide. And people think I am deprived because I am eating ONLY fruit. Ha!

What about horses, who eat only grass, or squirrels, who eat only nuts, or koalas, who eat only eucalyptus leaves?

We humans, natural frugivores that we are, have totally lucked out in the food department. ♥

I'm not so sure about the brain department, because from the looks of things we're not too bright. ; )

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . watermelon juice from 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . .watermelon juice from 1/4 watermelon
12:00 . . 16 oz. cucumber juice (from a juice stand)
2:00 . . . several medjool dates
4:00 . . . a few more dates
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . 3 glasses orange juice + 3 tomatoes

Play: walking and stretching

This watermelon juice is FANTASTIC! With all the heat we're having, nothing hits the spot like this juice. It totally reminds me of my childhood when I drank lots of red Kool-Aid. Except this is WAY better than that fakey Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid WISHES it tasted this good! Ha.

I do not use an electric juicer or blender for anything. So the way I make this juice is simply by using a large spoon to gently scrape the inside of the melon. Little wells form, the juice fills the wells, and I ladle out the juice into a glass. I usually put a mesh strainer over the glass to catch seeds and fiber.

It is super fast and easy this way, and very little to rinse off. With fruit, you never need to "clean" glasses or plates. All you have to do is rinse them and they are squeaky clean. So just imagine what the fruit is doing to the inside of your body . . . yup, it is rinsing everything squeaky clean!

Every day I am aware of the atrocities taking place all over the world, especially in regard to what humans are doing to animals and other beings. I see it everywhere. Yesterday I saw SO MUCH harm being done I could hardly stand it. My heart was breaking all over the place.

Our animal friends need us all to wake up, heal ourselves, come fully alive, and become emotionally mature. I'm working on this in my own self, an endless process it seems. A GIANT first step to to drop the eating of all animal "products" and start living on fruit. You can do it if you really want to. It will bring you more pleasure than you can imagine, FAR more than what you are currently experiencing.

Today I am dreaming of a world where all life is considered sacred, and all beings are loved and cherished. ♥

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
12:00 . . 1/2 large watermelon
2:00 . . . 1 lb. organic raspberries
3:00 . . . 4 bananas
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 1 large glass watermelon juice (to live for!)
7:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes

Play: barefoot walking, dance, acrobatics, stretching

It's been a long time (years) since I actually bought some raspberries. Usually, I sample some and find them sour, or they look old and moldy. Raspberries are so delicate. But these were unbelievable AND they were organic AND they were on sale! (magic words) They are such a perfect color and so soft and SWEET. I didn't know raspberries could be this sweet. I'm swooning! And I'm hoping there will be more tomorrow, 'cause I'm bringin' my money.

You may notice that I don't really eat "meals." It's true . . . I don't. I just eat when I want with no regard for schedules or customs. I feel so FREE. Sometimes I'll say I'm having a "snack." My cat Sophie loved the word "snack." ♥

And speaking of animals, one of the greatest benefits of the fruitarian lifestyle is knowing that you are not eating any of your animal friends. I cannot imagine looking at a beautiful animal and thinking, "I'd like to eat you." When I look at my cat Chloe, I only want to hold her and love her. It would seem like a crazy idea to want to eat her.

There are things going on in this mixed-up world that are unspeakable. Heaven help us. ♥

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
12:00 . . 1/2 watermelon
2:00 . . . 3 black mission figs (divine)
3:00 . . . 3 bananas, as pudding
5:00 . . . bag of cherries
7:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes + a few heirloom tomatoes (SO good)

Play: barefoot walking/running, dance, stretching

It is summertime and I have been traveling, vacating, and, I confess, experiencing a bit of summer languidness. And by languid, I mean LAZY!

The figs I ate yesterday came off of my own little fig tree. This year it has had over 30 figs already, and is still growing more. Each year the tree gets bigger and I can imagine that one day it is going to be huge and a prolific fig producer. These figs are just unbelievable. To me, a fresh fig tastes like a soft sweet marshmallow with a rich strawberry preserve center. These are the best I've ever had. No surprise, because I get to wait until they are really super ripe, so ripe that the tree actually drops them into my hand. It is a heart-opening and awe-inspiring moment when this happens. Love and gratitude. ♥

The whole thing of fruit growing on trees . . . of watching the fruit form, taking in the sun and rain and earth and wind . . . slowly ripening . . . developing into a work of art . . . becoming sweet food . . . it is really a miracle, isn't it?

There are also some tomatoes growing, and there are muscadine grapevines EVERYWHERE. I can hardly wait for the grapes to be ready. I feel at the moment that I am living in a beautiful little orchard. It is really lovely. And there is little or no effort involved on my part. Nature is doing it all! I can only dream and imagine how fantastic it would be to live in a year-round orchard that could provide all of one's food needs.

I have been buying most of my food from a fruit stand near my house and from the large farmer's market. The local melons and tomatoes are just perfect right now. In my kitchen I currently have watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, pickling cukes, valencia oranges, cherries, and bananas. I have actually been eating some bananas every day lately. Having a few each day seems to work like a charm. I go heavier on the bananas in the winter. You can always count on them for a reliable sugar hit. For now, I am revelling in the summer produce. Back to the farmer's market today for more 'maters and melons!

P.S. As I look at my list of food, I realize that I technically eat more than what I list. I mean, I am snacking all the time, a bite of watermelon here, a few cherries there . . . just so you know. : )

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
1:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
3:00 . . . bag of cherries
4:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes (refreshing!)
5:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . bit of watermelon juice

Play: barefoot walking, acrobatics, stretching

Summertime. . . and the eatin' is easy. . .

Man, the cherries are really good right now. Firm, sweet, minerally. And there are so many fruits available that I can hardly decide what to have. The Summer Solstice is tomorrow, and the abundance only gets better from there.

The watermelons keep getting crisper and sweeter. Each piece is like a large sugar cube to me. I never tire of them. ♥

Living on fruit is so EASY in the summer, and in warm locales. No slaving over a hot stove or grill, no complicated preparations or clean-up. While everyone is complaining about the hot temperatures, I am delighted it is finally warm. I feel cool as a . . . cucumber, cool as a . . . watermelon. Yes, these summer fruits really do help us stay cool and hydrated. Such beautiful intelligence from Mother Nature.

Lately, this thought is running in my mind, and it applies to everything, including eating:

Why choose complicated, when EASY is available???

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

7:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
9:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
1:00 . . . 4 bananas
3:00 . . . bag of cherries
5:00 . . . hunk of jakfruit (in photo)
6:00 . . . more jakfruit
8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon

Play: dance, stretching, yoga

This was a nice surprise at the local Whole Foods: jakfruit! Well, it was cut and packaged in plastic, and it was STILL really good. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be fresh and ripe right off the tree. You eat the yellow parts and it tastes like Juicy Fruit gum. And to me, it has a crisp and refreshing feel and effect. I still have some left for today and I am really happy about it. It was my first thought this morning: Oh, boy. . . I have more jakfruit today! : )

So yes, jakfruit tastes like Juicy Fruit gum, and bananas taste like bubble gum to me. So I was really reliving my childhood yesterday, as I used to be a bubble gum fanatic! Sometimes I can't believe that I really get to eat sugar all day, and REAL sugar, at that. I am sure that the fake stuff would taste abhorrent to me now.

The cherries are really good now as summer's abundance grows. Yesterday, my husband and I met up to run some errands and wound up under a tree somewhere, eating cherries, one after another. Sometimes, life really IS just a bag of cherries! These fruitarian moments throughout the day are always so special, so REAL, so beautiful, so life-affirming. Gratitude. ♥

And I'm looking forward to picking up some local tomatoes and pickling cukes (also called Kirby cukes) at the fruit stand near my house later today. I need more watermelons, as well. In case I haven't told you 87 times, watermelon is my favorite fruit! Well, unless I am eating mangoes off a tree, or some fresh mamey, or muscadine grapes warm off the vine, or . . . . .

Really, how is it that not EVERYONE is fruitarian??? You are missin' out, peeps, BIG TIME!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/2 medium watermelon
12:00 . . handful of sweet dark cherries (good!)
2:00 . . . lots of organic strawberries off the vine (heaven)
5:00 . . . more strawberries (lots!)
7:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes

Play: barefoot walking ~4 miles, dance, stretching

I made one more trip to the strawberry farm. And now strawberries are over for me this season, because after having them in a state of perfection, I wouldn't want anything less. More sweetness and aliveness, warm with the sun, melt-in-your-mouth softness. Super magical fruit pleasure. Sigh.

We as humans are so lucky. Most animals do eat mono in Nature: horses eat grass, squirrels eat nuts, koalas eat eucalyptus leaves. We get to eat fruit . . . and what an amazing variety of tastes and beauty we get to enjoy! There are so many types of fruit around the world that no matter how one would try, one could never get to sample them all.

So getting to eat strawberries this year just twice (but in abundance) I feel like some kind of fruit princess. What other surprises await? ♥

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 valencia oranges
11:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
2:00 . . . strawberries, right off the vine (lots!)
4:00 . . . more strawberries
6:00 . . . strawberries + local tomatoes (yes!)
7:00 . . . strawberries

Play: walking/running ~5 miles, dance, stretching

So I finally went to the organic strawberry field and picked my own. I went later this year than usual and the berries seemed sweeter than ever. It was just such a lovely day all the way around . . . very warm and sunny with a cooling breeze. Most of the time I was out there by myself, which I loved. So peaceful and quiet with all the sounds of Nature.

This is what is meant for us, to be picking our fruit right off the vine or trees, eating it warm with the sun and so alive and vital and SWEET. I ate an entire meal right off the vine. One for me, one for the basket. Two for me, two for the basket. I told the nice people that I wanted to pay them extra for all I ate but they wouldn't take it! It's toward the end of the season and they were just happy to have someone there at all. So I got a free meal of the sweetest strawberries EVER. Livin' the fruitarian life. :)

Each berry was so indescribably soft and light and sweet . . . each one literally melted in my mouth. They were like sweet marshmallows with a jammy sugary sweetness and a rich, rich strawberry flavor. Out of this world MAGICAL! The ones right off the vines were the best of all, full of prana. It was really interesting to experience how the ones I ate later were still wonderful, but missing a bit of vitality. It was noticeable, definitely.

So this serves to remind me of how fantastic it would be to really be living the dream . . . eating all my fruit right from the tree or vine, every day. I believe I will fit in one more visit to the strawberry farm before they are all gone. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you, organic growers. ♥

I will never forget this day. One of my best fruitarian experiences ever. ♥

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
3:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
5:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes
11:00 . . 8 valencia oranges + a few tomatoes

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

Oh, boy. The good watermelons are here. And I feel a great peace and happiness, even more than usual, to know that for the next 6 months, I will have an endless supply of my favorite fruit!

Eating watermelon in hot weather reminds me of my childhood. Not because I used to eat a lot of watermelon, but because watermelon reminds me of Kool-Aid and icy slushees and popsicles, which were my summertime staples. I lived on those during the summer. . . lots of liquidy, fruit-flavored treats. (I knew. I KNEW.)

And the greenery in the above pic are muscadine grapevines. They are growning wild now, all around me. And all because I just threw the seeds from grapes everywhere as I walked around outside, eating my favorite grapes. I have done NOTHING to propogate them. What a fantastic gift from Mother Nature! I get to watch them grow and develop all summer. The grapes will be ripe probably in late August into September. There is nothing better than FREE wild fruit! ♥

But for now I am focused on my beloved watermelon. I am eating some right now! : )

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 small watermelon
12:00 . . 1 pineapple
4:00 . . . several glasses valencia orange juice + a few dates
8:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe

Play: walking, dancing, yoga

This is the first whole watermelon I bought this season. It's still early and you can tell it is not of the best quality. BUT I have to say it was crisp and sweet. From here on out they will just get better and better each week.

When one is eating only fruit, the feelings of thirst and hunger are pretty much the same thing. They are not separate. To me it is like a baby drinking only mother's milk for the first few years of life. This one thing takes care of both thirst and hunger. Maybe we came up with two separate words to explain how one must hydrate after taking in dry food and poisonous spices and condiments.

And watermelon is one of the most wonderful thirst/hunger-quenching foods around. I am so happy it is almost watermelon season. Watermelon is the food of angels. ♥

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . hand-squeezed pineapple juice (SO good!)
12:00 . . several glasses honey tangerine juice
1:00 . . . some local strawberries
3:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
6:00 . . . lots (!) of cantaloupe pieces
8:00 . . . a few dates

Play : ballet and stretching, walking

Yesterday I really felt like a princess with so many super good things to eat. I cannot express how vital and sweet the pineapple juice was. I wanted gallons of it! And the feeling and thought of it stayed with me all day. You just KNOW when you get something your body loves and needs. ♥

And I felt the same with the honey tangerine juice. Like a silky sweet waterfall for my cells. My tastebuds were tingling with happiness.

Eating these strawberries reminded me that the very best strawberries I've ever had were in Costa Rica, grown by an organic farmer. They were sugary sweet! I didn't know strawberries could even be that sweet. The second best I ate last year, right off the vine at an organic farm. I'll be going there again this week for more fruity pleasure.

Yes, it is so worth it to scout out the very best fruit you can find, wherever you are. After a while, you develop a 6th sense about what you need and what is going to be really good quality. All the time and attention and money that I used to spend on complicated recipes and the latest kitchen gadgets and restaurants and on thinking of what I should eat/shouldn't eat (whew!) I now spend on simply finding good fruit. MUCH easier and far more enjoyable and the payoff is THE BEST!

We went to an outdoor wedding yesterday, by a lake with beautiful geese, and it was lovely to be outdoors. Plus they had a huge platter of endless fruit, and I latched onto the melon. I ate many plates of melon and got to talk to people about eating fruit. I love promoting the idea of it and giving my message to the world. It is slow, it is subtle, but I can feel that people are waking up. Me included. There is still so much to learn and understand about this life experience and beyond! :)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
12:00 . . 1 pineapple + 2 champagne mangoes
4:00 . . . 3 cherimoyas
8:00 . . . 12 mandarin oranges

Play: lots of yoga

Wow. These cherimoyas were an unusual treat. Very ripe and sugary sweet. Their taste is really like just pure sugar. SO good. I got them at Whole Foods. And the seeds are really beautiful. I saved them for planting and maybe for making a bracelet.

And I am sad to report that it seems the honey tangerines are indeed on the wane. I'll make one more attempt today to scout some out in a new section of town. I have cleared them out of all the stores around me. Ha!

Fortunately, melon season is upon us, and watermelons will take the place of my beloved honeys. But yes, I am VERY sad to see them go. Not only were they delicious and vital, but they were reliably excellent. I could count on them to be perfect every time. I am very spoiled and picky now about my fruit.

Right now I am also stocked with papayas, mangoes, and cantaloupes. I am buying watermelons already, but they are not yet excellent. Still, it is like welcoming back an old friend. So goodbye to one friend, and hello to another. : )

In my fantasy fruit world, there would be honey tangerines, muscadine grapes, and super sweet and crisp watermelons all year 'round. Plus sweet papayas, mameys, jackfruit, and endless new fruits to try. Sweet heirloom tomatoes and small pickling cukes. Someday. . . some way. . .

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 3 glasses honey tangerine juice
1:00 . . . more tangerine juice (lots!)
3:00 . . . 1 pineapple
5:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes + 8 small pickling cukes
6:00 . . . 1 large papaya

Play: dance, acrobatics, stretching

Life is full of surprises. This papaya was the BEST papaya I've ever eaten, and that includes the ones I've eaten in the tropics. It was so good that after one bite I had to take a picture, to remember the moment. Ha, ha.

It was so super sweet and magical that I could hardly contain myself. I probably drove my husband crazy talking about it. I had to thank the papaya, and Mother Nature, and the person who grew it for giving me this euphoric experience.

So naturally I went today in search of more papaya. I brought two home. I'll find out soon enough if they are on par with the other.

In fact, everything I ate yesterday was just SO GOOD. It is hard for peeps to believe that a snack of just tomatoes and cucumbers could be so satisfying and truly delicious. Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. But once your taste buds become unadulterated and clean and correctly sensitive, the taste of simple foods is outrageously delicious. I love this food in a way that I never loved all the complicated junk.

It has taken me YEARS to get to this place. The place where eating simply seems natural and easy and what I want. I am filled with gratitude. ♥

Monday, May 3, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . a few glasses honey tangerine juice
12:00 . . more tangerine juice, fresh-pressed
3:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
5:00 . . . ~ 20 honey tangerines
7:00 . . . more honey tangerines + 1 lb. campari tomatoes

Play: walking/running outside, dance, stretching

A few days ago I got 8 dozen honey tangerines and they were gone in a couple of days! Between me and my husband they don't stand a chance. And I was thinking that may be the last of them since I bought out the store. Then yesterday I went out urban foraging and found another supply at a different store. So I bought THEM out and got 9 dozen! What a coup! I was in heaven! I guess I'm just going to go around town snatching up the last of the honeys. I have no shame.

This year their orange syrup seems even better than ever. I am blissfully dizzily drunk on their soothing sweet nectar. I feel like a baby drinking mother's milk when I drink the juice. I am in love.

Yesterday I was thinking about how I used to prepare a meal for guests. With a salad + dressing, a vegetarian entree, some bread, and a dessert, there would be like a million ingredients in there! The salad dressing alone had 7-8 ingredients, then say another 7-8 in the salad, probably 10-20 in the entree, 8 in the bread, and another 10 in the dessert. That's around 50 ingredients that the body has to deal with like a chemistry laboratory! Just in one meal! No wonder my brain felt mixed up all the time. : )

Now I usually have ONE ingredient at a time. (Sometimes I go crazy and have 2 or even 3!)

And the one ingredient I currently cannot live without is honey tangerines. I am going to go into mourning when they are gone. I will be like a drug addict in a panic, I fear. Sigh.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . several glasses honey tangerine juice
12:00 . . more tangerine juice
2:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 pineapple
6:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
8:00 . . . some tangerine juice

Play: walking/running 6 miles, stretching, relaxing

I am still living in honey tangerine land. And I am grateful every day when I see these beauties waiting for me at the store. I seem to be the only one buying them. Today I bought about 60-70. When people ask me about it, I say they're the best food in the whole store!

The funny thing is that if I really suspected they would make a run for them, I'd keep quiet. Ha! You know, life being survival of the fittest and all. ; )

And my husband has discovered that he LOVES them, too, so there is a bit of competition going on there. But it is tough to outeat Fruity Jules on the fruit! Not many want to try. Plus, I am younger and faster! (Line from Fried Green Tomatoes. Fruit tip: Do not fry your tomatoes!)

Honestly, I say a prayer every day for tangerine season to keep on going. I will seriously mourn its' passing. Thank you, Mother Nature and fruit growers, for these amazing orange sugar bombs! They are better than any candy or any soda EVER. And as a lifetime sugaraholic, I would know.

About having juice: I think that eating the whole fruit is optimal. But I also have no big issue with sometimes having some juice. It is a super treat if the fruit is of good quality. This tangerine juice tastes better than any glass of rotten grape juice I mean wine. ; ) It gives you a REAL high with no hangover and no brain poisoning. Lots of giggling and euphoria. Wow. ♥

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines
5:00 . . . 8 honey tangerines
8:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines

Play: lots of yoga

At the present time, my 3 favorite fruits are watermelon, honey tangerines, and muscadine grapes. If I only had access to these 3 fruits for the rest of my life, I could live on them and be very happy.

If I lived in the tropics, I would surely have a different list of favorite fruits. And in fact, it is almost a silly exercise to try to choose favorites. We are so blessed as humans that fruit is our food. Because there are so many types and varieties of each type that it would be impossible to try them all. Most animals live on only one type of food: horses and cows on grass, koalas on eucalyptus leaves, squirrels on nuts and seeds. So we really lucked out in the scheme of things! What tastes better than ripe sweet fruit?! Nothing!

But I digress.

Since honey tangerines are one of my favorite foods, it is easy to take advantage of their season and live mostly on them for a month or so. Yesterday that is all I ate! I had a mono day of honey tangerines. 50 of them! Or maybe more. I wasn't really counting.

This is not something I plan out ahead of time, although that is just about all I have in the kitchen right now. Pineapples are looking good, too, and I've had a few in the last few days.

I prefer to go day by day, moment by moment, not planning with my mind what will happen next. But when it does happen that I have a mono day, I really enjoy the simplicity and ease and my body really likes it, as well.

Soon it will be time to go pick some strawberries. ♥

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few medjool dates
3:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 1 lb. campari tomatoes (love them!)
6:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
8:00 . . . few more honey tangerines

Play: ballet, stretching, hiking in woods

This book caught my eye at the public library so I brought it home. Wow. It is a work of art. It has beautiful pics on every page of the most gorgeous varieties of heirlooms, over 200 of them. And some interesting info about the history of tomatoes in general and about each variety. Fascinating! I am really enjoying it. My mouth is literally watering. It makes me want to try them all!

I love the names of the varieties: Banana Legs, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Hungarian Heart, African Queen, Black Cherry. And they all look so mineral-rich and delicious. Oh, I am not kidding. . . I want to try every one of them!

One lingering unresolved question I have regarding fruit has to do with the tomato. There is a lot of conflicting info out there about tomatoes. There is plenty of info all over the internet if you are interested in doing your own research. Some peeps think tomatoes are somewhat poisonous since they are members of the "deadly" nightshade family. Plenty of people claim that they have allergic reactions to tomatoes or that they cause arthritis. I suspect that some of the problems may come from pesticides or from cooking them and/or having them in a sauce with MSG and salt. But I can't deny that there is SOMETHING about them that I'm not exactly sure about.

I know that if I eat a LOT of tomatoes, I sometimes get a slight reaction like feeling a bit flushed or waking up with itchy, swollen eyes. My conclusion at the present is that tomatoes are a bit suspicious, at the least.

BUT, I have to admit that I love the taste of tomatoes. Some in particular are just out of this world to me. So I will continue to eat them and enjoy them until my intuition tells me otherwise. I just won't be eating tons of them at a time like I do other fruit.

Looking through this book also reminds me of the infinite varieties of ALL fruits. There is such an abundance out there. . . it would take many lifetimes to get to try everything. What we are exposed to in the local grocery stores is SO little compared to what is out there in Nature all over the world.

This book is wonderful and I wish I could show you all the photography. Maybe your library has a copy for you to enjoy. Nature is just so amazing. . . how could we not appreciate all the beauty and splendor, even if just pictures in a book?!

And if you have a strong feeling or clear understanding about tomatoes one way or the other, I would love to hear about it! ♥

Friday, April 16, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
11:00 . . . 6 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines
6:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe + 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
8:00 . . . handful of medjool dates (7-8?)

Play: walking/running 4 miles, dance, acrobatics, stretching

Man, I am so grateful for these honey tangerines. They are getting me through this transition to summer. And I am SO not tired of them. Actually, I will be sad to see them go. They taste like CANDY to me, so unbelievably sweet! I just bought up the whole supply at the store for the weekend. I hope it is not the last of them.

Right now I am learning a new acrobatic stunt which is taking me longer to "get" than I would like. So I am reminded of the old adage: Often, before things are easy, they are hard.

This applies to everything, including eating fruity. Eventually, it does become so easy that you wonder how or why it ever seemed difficult or challenging. So please don't give up. Keep going, a little at a time, until it becomes second nature. You are gradually living your way into a new life.

And to inspire you even more to action, I will share one of my favorite sayings that I often use with my yoga buddies. This was seen written on a wall in India:

The human body is a gift which does not often come around.
This is no time for sleep, you fool.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
6:00 . . . 12 honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running 6 miles, dance, yoga

This pic is a branch of the Black Mission fig tree I planted a few years ago. I bought it for $12. at a local nursery. It was all alone, looking pitiful and almost dead. I brought it home, calling it my Charlie Brown tree, and nursed it along. Now it is firmly established, beautiful and happy, and grows more every year. This year it has already started putting out figs. You can see 2 on this branch. There are dozens all over the tree. This tree has its' own wisdom and personality. I never know what it is going to do. Last year it didn't have any figs at all. I think it was resting. And now, it is putting out figs early. A wonderful gift!

Who needs TV or computer when one can just watch what is going on in Nature. There is so much to see and learn about. It never ends.

And one of the greatest marvels is watching fruit form and grow. An entire tree grows up out of the earth from just one little seed. And will produce thousands of fruits, all with little seeds. How is this possible?! It's a miracle, really.

And as the world of Nature is coming more alive (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) I feel myself coming more alive. Lately I have really been feeling "in the zone." Thank goodness for the sun and its' light and warmth.

May all beings everywhere be happy and free. ♥

Friday, April 9, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
11:00 . . . 6 honey tangerines
2:00 . . . a few big strawberries + a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
7:00 . . . 12 honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running ~4 miles, acrobatics, stretching

I went to the Farmer's Market for the first time this year. It is such a good feeling place with beautiful sights, full of freshness and life. Although right now they don't have much, really. They have mostly greens and sweet potatoes and such. But I did get some early tomatoes and strawberries. Happy Spring!

I am living mostly on honey tangerines and cantaloupes these days, and very happily so. I had 1/4 of a watermelon the other day, and it was heavenly, even though it wasn't the best quality. It was a tease of what is to come. The Easter Bunny brought it for me, along with a SLEW of honey tangerines. ♥

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
11:00 . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 14 small honey tangerines
3:00 . . . a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
11:00 . . . a few honey tangerines

Play: barefoot walking/running ~ 5 miles, acrobatics, stretching

Here is how I sometimes eat tangerines. . . cut into pieces with the middle section containing seeds cut out. It is like avoiding the core of an apple, and in citrus, the middle section is the most sour section of the fruit. 2 plates like this one make a nice little snack for me. These honey tangerines are SO good and I am not tiring of them at all. I'll be sad to see them go.

But there is such a rhythm and pattern to Nature, to the seasons of the fruits. Every time a "new" fruit comes into season, it is like welcoming back an old familiar friend. I think this would be true no matter where one lives.

I live in the woods, and I get to observe lots of animals in their habitat. They definitely have a rhythm and pattern to their daily cycle. For the most part, it seems to me that they have a period of activity, followed by eating, and then a time of resting/sleeping. Then the pattern is repeated, on and on.

And when I have total control over my life and my schedule, that is exactly what I like to do, too: be active, then eat, then rest/sleep for a while. It is simple and simple pleasures are the best. It is fun to experiment with being a true animal of Nature, which we often forget that we are! ♥

Friday, April 2, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . .1 large cantaloupe
2:00 . . . a few medjool dates
4:00 . . . 4 bananas + 4 dates
6:00 . . . 10 small honey tangerines + a few campari tomatoes
7:00 . . . 8 small honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running ~ 4 miles, dance, stretching

Some people think that living on fruit is too expensive. Not true! I am sure that I am spending way less money on food and associated items than I used to. No money for bottled water, supplements, Starbucks, restaurants, spices, pots and pans, silly kitchen gadgets and appliances, medications, doctor visits, etc. The other day a woman in front of me had a basket of supplements that cost over $300. Little plastic capsules inside little plastic bottles. And I had lots of REAL FOOD for <$25. I could hardly carry it all! Some people spend thousands a month on medications. I know people who think nothing of spending $100. to eat out one meal, and man, that is some expensive poison! And how many thousands for an emergency gall bladder surgery? It's crazy how much peeps are spending on their unhealthy lifestyle. And all for the ultimate result of feeling TERRIBLE.

This bag of so-called overripe bananas was super cheap . . . I got 9 bananas for $1.25. Actually, they were perfectly ripe and I ate 3 of them right away outside the store. Bananas are not my favorite fruit, but there are times when they really hit the spot with their sweet creaminess! For me, 9 bananas is more than one meal and probably about 2-3 snacks. Some people say that bananas are the rice and potatoes of a fruit diet and I can agree with that. Except that bananas taste a LOT better and don't require cooking or condiments to be tolerated. They're perfect just as they are.

I love what it says on the handle: The Original Fast Food. That's the truth! : )

And in the summer, I can find gigantic watermelons for $3 or $4 at the Farmer's Market. A 30-lb. watermelon is a lot of food, folks! Angel food.

And lately, I have found large cantaloupes at 2 for $5.

Of course, when it comes to talking about how much fruit costs, I cannot help but ponder how all other creatures in Nature eat for free. I dream of a paradise world where all beings are vegan, and all food is abundant in Nature, freely given, plenty for all to share. ♥

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
4:00 . . . a few medjool dates
6:00 . . . a slew of honey tangerines (20?)
7:00 . . . few more dates

Play: dance, stretching, walking in woods

I just now took this pic of the food I have for the next day or so. When I look at this, I feel SO blessed, rich, and grateful. Many beings around the world have no food to eat, or are relegated to having only terrible food to eat, or have to work really hard to find something suitable.

It is not perfection to buy your food in a store. Perfection would be strolling through groves of tropical fruit trees, seeing what looks most delicious, and choosing the ripest fruits right off the trees in the fresh air and sunshine. But for now, I am happy for what is, and all that is given. ♥

There are about 40 tangerines in that bowl and about 2 pounds of dates. 11 bananas and a cantaloupe. That will take me through today and into tomorrow.

I find that early Spring is the most challenging time of the year for fruit eating, but also the most hopeful time of year. Soon there will be local melons and tomatoes at the farmer's market and fruit stands. I am dreaming already of crisp sweet watermelons, my favorite! ♥

Friday, March 26, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
1:00 . . . kiwi, strawberry tomatoes, dates, pickling cukes
3:00 . . . more kiwi and dates
6:00 . . . 4 large bananas + a few dates
8:00 . . . a few honey tangerines

Play: stretching

I made a beautiful fruit platter yesterday for a family gathering following a funeral. I wish I had thought to take a picture. No food represents life and vitality like a big pile of vibrantly-colored fruit. Everything else looks dead, IS dead, in comparison.

The fruit platter had kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberry tomatoes, spears of pickling cukes, and a big mound of medjool dates in the center. It was GIGANTIC. But I could have eaten the whole thing, really. I had to restrain myself, so there would be plenty for everyone. For most people, it is an unusual treat to have so much fresh fruit. For me, it is just another day! I know there is always more, always plenty.

So for dinner, I got to have my favorite "heavy" meal: bananas and dates. It really does taste just like vanilla cake and caramel frosting. And for a person to fully appreciate the amazingly DELICIOUS taste of fruit, one must go for a while without anything else, to let the taste buds become clean and correct. Only then will one understand that no food on earth can top fruit. ♥

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
11:00 . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates
3:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few local tomatoes
5:00 . . . 2 large bananas + a few dates (Vanilla cake + caramel icing)
10:00 . . pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, red pepper

Play: hiking in woods, stretching

Are these bananas GIGANTIC or what?!?! When I saw them in the store, a whole hand of them, I just had to get them. I could tell they were going to be delicious, and they were. Remember how I said that there is about a 5-minute window when bananas are just perfect? Well, I timed it right on these. Perfection! These bananas were so huge the clerks were all laughing about it. Me, too. : )

I want to tell you guys that it took me a LONG time to get free from The Other. I thought I would NEVER stop falling out of the fruit tree. But now, you couldn't pay me to eat that stuff. I went to an event last night that had lots of fancy, catered "food" and it didn't even look like real food to me. It's hard to explain my thought process but it looked like nausea, pain, darkness, and a bad taste in the mouth to me. Luckily, there were large beautiful platters of fruit that I sampled from, but I am so picky and correctly sensitive about my fruit that it didn't taste very ripe/sweet to me, so I didn't eat much. But I do appreciate the effort. ♥

Monday, March 15, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . 8 honey tangerines + a few medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
4:00 . . . handful of dates
5:00 . . . a few honey tangerines
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates + 2 bananas

Play: walking/running ~ 4 miles, stretching, relaxing

I'm grateful for these big juicy dates, because they are getting me through this last little bit of late winter/early spring.

A few years ago I wrote down something that I will share with you:

There is always excitement before and during an act of dissipation, but afterwards, only sorrow and regret. ALWAYS.

I wrote this on a card and carried it in the car with me, for those times I was tempted by the idea of The Other. I wanted to remind myself that no matter how I was feeling now, I WOULD regret it to the max later. For sure. Every single time.

We each have these little tricks that help us. Maybe this one will be of some help to you.

Another trick that helped me was carrying an Arnold Ehret book with me in the car. He is one of the most powerful and inspiring writers on the fruit diet and having his book with me felt like having a friend right there, present and guiding. Thank you, Arnold! I love you still. ♥

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 1 large cantaloupe + 2 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
4:00 . . . a few dates
6:00 . . . 8 oranges + a few dates
7:00 . . . 1 large fuji apple + a few dates (caramel apple!)

Play: yoga, gymnastics

I have been reading around on the internet now for years . . . learning, observing, sharing, and being part of various discussion groups for "raw food," for 811, for fruitarianism. And I have been reading all this time of people's challenges and struggles to change their lifestyle and give up junk food. The challenges are many: illness and disease, lack of support from family, friends, and society in general, emotional issues, comfort from old habits, lack of belief in the new lifestyle due to societal brainwashing, to name a few.

It seems to me that the peeps who have the easiest time of it are athletes who have a focus and a goal other than food. Guys, for example, who are marathon runners or cyclists who want to improve their performance and see diet as just one of many tools to tweak to perfection. They actually get excited to find a new way of eating that will help them achieve their sports goals and boom, they switch over night, no problem, and no looking back.

If food is the center of your life, and everything in your life exists to support this habit, it is going to be a big challenge to change only the food. I believe it will help immensely to have some sort of physical practice that you LOVE doing, and start making this the focus instead of the food. This way the eating of fruit will be fueling you for all these things you love.

And again I will emphasize, because we cannot hear this enough, that one must eat LOTS of fruit to satisfy and fuel this lifestyle. I do not count calories and I do not subscribe to the calorie theory. But I know that I eat between 20-40 pieces of fruit a day. Even more sometimes! It took me a while to really get it that I can eat all I want, no worries and no problems. I wish with all my heart that everyone could know about this and believe it and accept it and give it a try. ♥

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe (syrupy sweet!)
12:00 . . 1 large cantaloupe + a few dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + 6 pickling cukes (refreshing!)
4:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
5:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
6:00 . . . 10 valencia oranges + a few medjool dates

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

Yesterday I scored some great sweet cantaloupes plus a few pounds of really squishy medjool dates so I feel very satisfied and rich with food at the moment. It makes a HUGE difference to have fruit that is DELICIOUS. I put all my food focus there, on procuring the best I can find.

As always, I see what other people are buying in the store and I feel so sorry for them. Frozen, dead, dry, oily, salty, NASTY stuff.

I was asked why I don't eat tropical fruits. I do eat tropical fruits, like bananas and pineapples and melons. I guess dates and oranges are subtropical, technically. But I don't live in the tropics (yet) so I eat what is available to me. When I have visited the tropics, I have LOVED with all my heart eating all sorts of tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, sapote, sapodilla, granadilla, and mamey. I sat one afternoon in Costa Rica and ate rollinea right off the tree, one after another, warm and sweet with the sun. Rollinea tastes like lemon custard. And I have eaten mangoes right off the tree, as well. They were SO (!) good. Out of this world. Warm and super sweet, they melt in your mouth.

Fruit is meant to be eaten right off the tree/vine/plant, perfectly RIPE. That way it has received all the sun, air, and nutrients possible to be at peak ripeness. Perfectly ripe fruit is very sweet and mellow. Commercialized tropical fruits are picked green to be shipped long distances, and they never really ripen correctly. Some never ripen at all. At best, they taste "off." Bananas are an exception and that is why they are so popular. I have never once bought a mango in a local grocery store that was delicious. I gave up wasting my money on them a long time ago. I kept being disappointed, knowing what they taste like in their natural element.

I do believe that tropical fruit is the very best and is what we are meant to be eating. Tropical fruit contains some kind of magical stuff, for sure. It'll have you blissed out and trippin.' : )

I am grateful for the abundance of fresh fruit available to me, especially the tropical fruits. As long as it is sweet and delicious, I do not tire of it. ♥

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 2 cantaloupes + 2 dates
4:00 . . . 1 lb. grapefruit sections (refreshing!)
5:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
8:00 . . . 6 bananas + a few dates

Play: yoga

These bananas are right on the peak of ripeness. It's a funny thing with bananas. . . it seems that there is about a 5-minute period when they are perfectly ripe. If you can hit on the exact perfect ripeness, bananas are heaven. The smell, the taste, the feeling in your mouth, every cell in your body reacting with happiness. It can make you fall in love with bananas. ♥

And when I have a few juicy dates to enjoy with the bananas, it is fantastic. I call this combo Vanilla Cake with Caramel Icing because it tastes THAT good to me. When I ate this last night it gave me a feeling of euphoria. I also felt euphoric after the cantaloupes. Giddy, even. When I get that feeling, I know the fruit is of a good quality.

I NEVER EVER got that euphoric feeling from eating cooked and/or processed food. Not by a long shot. All I ever felt from that stuff was sick and tired.

I didn't know it was possible to feel SO GOOD from your food until I had been eating just fruit for a few weeks. I think this has to be one of the biggest secrets on the planet. I certainly never heard anyone talk about it my whole life. Well, it is time to start talking about it! ♥

Monday, March 1, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

10:00 . . 12 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few cherry tomatoes
3:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges + a few dates
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates
8:00 . . . 1 large fuji apple

Play: walking/running in the fresh air and sunshine ~ 4 miles, stretching to music, relaxing

The beauty and symmetry of fruit is endless and always amazing. Humans cannot create something so beautiful as what is found in Nature.

And for those of us living in places that have winter, the tropical fruits are literally a dose of sunshine.

They are predicting another winter storm this week, with more snow and sleet, freezing rain. When I hear this I think, "Oranges! Pineapples! Must stock up!" In the old days, I would have been thinking Other Things which I won't mention here as it is definitely food porn. Ha! It is a relief to know that my thinking has changed. I changed my behavior and my habits first, and then my thinking begrudgingly lagged along behind. Beware the addictive mind. It has been trained like a seal to think crazy and wrong things. Very strongly and powerfully so.

We all must be patient but consistent with the retraining of the mind. Spending more time in Nature and away from cars, TVs, computers, radios, cell phones, flourescent lights, and other man-made chaos and confusion will help tremendously. Since we are always trying to harmonize with our environment, it helps to choose a simple and natural environment as much as possible. Then our thoughts will be more simple and natural. ♥

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Daily Fruit + Play

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 6 valencia oranges + 4 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
5:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few dates
7:00 . . . 12 oranges + handful of dates

Play: yoga, stretching, acrobatics

Well. Time flies when you're not sitting in front of a computer all day. Sorry for the lapse, fruity peeps.

I recently came across a journal I was keeping when I first started becoming "raw" about 10 years ago. Actually, I had several short journals because I started over so many times. It was funny to read my sweet and naive entries. I kept being so determined and so frustrated because I was falling off the wagon like every single day! It was redonkulous!

With the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight, it is no wonder I couldn't remain "raw." I would start the day with nothing, go off to work, determined to have an "all-raw day," come home for lunch and for my first meal of the day I would eat 2 oranges and a banana. Ha! Then an afternoon snack of celery and guacamole (avocado, lemon juice, sea salt.) And an evening salad of mixed greens, more avocado, and lemon tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice, water, sea salt.) Then I would just want to EAT AND EAT all kinds of stuff. Vegan junk! I'd make a big peanut butter smoothie with maple syrup. Two of them. Ugh.

Of course, now I can see that I simply wasn't giving my body what it REALLY needs: Living Water and Fruit Sugar. So my body kept wanting and wanting. . . . something. . . . and that something was fruit sugar. But instead I was giving it all that fat and salt, heavy and addictive and dehydrating, to say the least.

I remember when I started to really get it, that my body wanted FRUIT, and I decided to try an all-fruit day. It was such a revelation and an amazing feeling to eat fruit and nothing else all day. I had some watermelon morning and afternoon, lots of it. Then for dinner I had arranged to buy myself a large fruit platter from Whole Foods. I remember that it cost $20. and was loaded up with cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, strawberries, and pineapple. It was HUGE and I imagined that it would last for at least a couple of days. I had been used to having some kind of salad or raw veggies for dinner with sea salt in there somehow, so when I started in on the fruit platter, it just tasted SO DARN GOOD and refreshing and I remember very clearly the feeling that went through every cell in my body. It was a feeling of RELIEF.

And I could not stop eating that fruit platter. I ate the WHOLE THING! And wanted even more!

Yeah, it took me even more time to REALLY get it. There was plenty of back and forth, falling out of the fruit tree and such. Boring. But I just wasn't eating ENOUGH fruit. It takes time to understand how much you really need. No restrictions. Lots of fruit. All you want.

But I couldn't help but notice that every single time I ate just fruit, it felt like a giant RELIEF to my body. Every single time. And that is still the case. Because fruit is like the correct key that fits into your lock. It is just right, perfection!

I have been asked if I had problems with detox on fruit. Honestly, I did not. I only had problems with RETOX. Ha! True! That is, every time I ate just fruit I felt BETTER, and every time I ate some junk I felt WORSE.

As soon as I was able to go 2-3 weeks on just fruit it felt one day like a rebirth. Like a GIANT RELIEF. Like all the days of darkness and sickness and tiredness were GONE. Whew. Thank Goodness. ♥

So each of us have our own path to go, our own levels of toxicity to deal with. I was very sick and toxic when I started on this path. And it did not take long, once I was shown the truth, to clean out the junk.

I wish this RELIEF for everyone. I know it is possible. And so easy and simple that it is hard to believe. Eat fruit. Lots of it. All you want.