Thanksgiving Sluggishness?

Is sluggishness even a word? It makes me sluggish just trying to say it.

So, let's admit it: Most of us, even those of us with the best diets, let loose and eat a little differently on Thanksgiving. Either by eating foods we wouldn't normally eat, or by eating larger quantities than we're used to (or both). I vowed not to eat so much that I had to roll myself from room to room, but my sister-in-law made eggnog cream puffs and my brother brought pecan pie laced with chocolate chips and my mom made pumpkin cheesecakes with ginger snap crusts - so put me in food jail, I tasted them all. Truthfully, I just barely over ate. If I were in the overeating olympics, I would have only taken the bronze, or gotten an honorable mention or participant ribbon. Still, by nighttime I was feeling yucky so I went and ran on my mom's
treadmill (but not before I ate more pie - you know, for energy). Much better. The next morning all the cousins wanted to play on this bouncy mini-tramp my mom has in her exercise room, so my niece brought it downstairs and she unknowingly, yet strategically, placed it in the walk-way between the kitchen and living room so that every time we passed, we instinctively jumped on it a couple times. Later that day, after a lot of movie watching and singing around the piano, my mom and I joined the nieces and nephews in the exercise room and we rotated around the different machines for another "post-Thanksgiving" workout. Thus forms a new amendment to my eating philosophy: On holidays, eat what you want. As long as you're willing to pay for it.

My "Help-your-Thanksgiving-digestion-along" juice:

I made this today and it was YUMMY! Even the kids loved it.

3 apples (Any combination. I used 1 Red Delicious, 1 Granny Smith, and 1 Braeburn)
1-2 C cranberries (I freeze mine. Use the larger amount for an extra cranberry-y flavor)
1 - 1" piece ginger (I use probably triple this, but it might send you into convulsions, so start small)

Run through a good quality juicer and drink right away. If you don't have a juicer, you can blend in a blender and strain the pulp out. This will serve two.

Happy Digesting and Thanksgiving!

Always love,
Raw Melissa

Good News

I met some more amazing people last week. Two gorgeous women, specifically named Trina and Melissa. (Yes, Melissa. I know, it's strange to meet another person with my same name considering it's so uncommon. He he!). Trina's from Texas and was just visiting, but she told me she reads my blog regularly and was so excited when I wrote the post about Eduardo encouraging me to continue writing. She expected that I'd actually do what I said I'd do and kept going back to the site to see if I'd updated. Her answer: Not as soon as she thought. She also said that she wished I had more cooking shows on my site because she, "knows how to make the chocolate banana shake already!" (Okay, so I added the, "already" but I'm pretty sure that was her point). I know many of you agree with Trina, so I thought I'd tell you a little about what I've got going on so you can, not only get the "Good News" of future Raw Melissa goings on, but can also get an idea of why I've been updating so infrequently.

First, the Good News or, "Why I Haven't Been Writing":

I started my Raw Melissa business as a personal chef exactly two years ago. Six months later, I started selling my desserts wholesale to stores and the general public, so I've only been going for about eighteen months but have seen, and continue to see, more success than I could have possibly imagined! Because of this, I am working8-14 hours a day and am pretty exhausted when I end my day. A lot of my time is filled with reading emails from amazing people like you, and a big part is filled with creating great tasting and beautiful food. I am also doing a lot of the administrative work of the business, and oh, I forgot, I also try to have a life outside of my business!! People often ask me to tell them about my biggest challenge as a business owner. I always smile and say, "Success!" So, there are my reasons for writing less than I used to.

Next, the Good News or, "Why I Might Write More or Less Now":

I am currently working with an amazing web designer and an equally amazing programmer, to create a whole new website. YOU are gonna LOVE it! I guarantee! We have so many amazing things in the works that when we finally launch, you might have to watch yourself so when your significant other joins you for dinner, he/she doesn't find you still in your pajamas because you were online all day. :) I'm also working with a talented videographer/director and we plan to shoot several new food shows in the next month that will also be available for viewing on the new site. And the best news of all, (for me, mostly) is that I've just hired a personal assistant who is the most amazing assistant a person could have. The first day she worked for me, I emailed her a list of things to do, expecting it to be done by the end of the week. Four hours later I got a detailed and eloquently written work report in my email box. She had already finished. So, I am officially in love with her and will now have much more time to work on the content for the site and to (hopefully) raise my blogging rates to a level that will satisfy all, even Eduardo and Trina! (Just teasing, you know I love you both!).