HELLO I AM BACK!

Quick post but I am back! You all will be hearing a LOT more from me in November as I take on the Saved By Sugar 'challenge' with Tina Grundin (@tinagrundin) and Jil (+Jilicious Journey). Needless to say, I am so excited!


Other updates, because this is a lifestyle blog.

• Breakup with my best friend who I love very much but the feeling was no longer mutual. Still struggling to stay positive on that one.
• My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, however it was caught very early and she is recovering wonderfully.
• Cross Country started and is ending on Thursday with sectionals!! I am thrilled to be a part of my schools sectionals team and truly grateful for the friends I've made.

So I know I'm not super interesting but I'm so excited to be back.


Love you all,
Riley

Vegan skin care

I'll say this before I even write anything else. I don't have perfect skin to say the least. I have moderate-severe acne. My doctor and I have ruled out everything and the acne I have now is from hormones and will hopefully clear up within the next year or so. In this post I'd like to talk about what I'm using to control my acne, as well as the vegan makeup products I use. So without further ado, here we go. 

Facial scrub, face wash, and spot treatment: I use alba botanica AcneDote. It works really well for me (and also leaping bunny program certified). 

Toner/astringent: Just plain old apple cider vinegar (I use braggs). It works wonders, trust me, it's worth the sting. 

Moisturizer: It took me forever to find a reliable moisturizer that hydrates my skin without making me breakout. The one that works for me is Lush's 9 to 5 cleansing lotion. It feels amazing on the skin and one bottle with last you forever. 

Foundation, primer, concealer, powder, and setting powder: Tarte! The worlds best skin makeup in my opinion. It feels so light and stays on all day. 100%vegan and cruelty free, and it's the only brand I've ever truly loved. 

(Products from left to right: clean slate pore less primer, Amazonian clay waterproof concealer, Amazonian clay full coverage foundation (liquid), Amazonian clay full coverage airbrush foundation (powder), smooth operator Amazonian clay pressed finishing powder) 

So that's basically it for my skin care and skin covering routine. Right now I'm too insecure to go without foundation but I go makeup-less around the house whenever possible. I've had great luck with tarte though, it's never added to my skin problems which I'm thankful. 

Questions or comments? Let me know. 

Contact:

Instagram: @riley.in.the.raw 

Email: riley.in.the.raw@gmail.com 

Much love,

Riley 

P.S. I apologize for the photo quality, I hope it doesn't bother anyone too much. 

Salt, what's in it and where does it come from?

So I get a lot of grief about my refusal to eat basic salt. The salt sold in most grocery stores and supplied in most restaurants is iodized salt. So you might think it's no big deal, salt is salt right? Nope not exactly. Iodized salt is not only salt and iodide. Iodized salt is full of dextrose which is a "flavor enhancer" made from corn. What's in dextrose you may ask? High fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin. Two ingredients that are not included in most lifestyles based on eating whole, natural, foods. 

Another thing I get a lot of grief about is the amount of these ingredients that are in iodized salt. Here's some food for thought. 1 (1/4tsp) serving of salt isn't a lot, right? Well 1 tbsp of peanut butter isn't a lot either, but who eats just one tbsp of peanut butter. Most people I know eat well over a tablespoon of salt per day. That's a ton of salt and most salt isn't real salt. Anything in moderation right? Sure, but we don't consider salt something we should be eating less of. It is calorie free, right? Yeah, but so is MSG and we all know that's no good, correct? So limiting/cutting out iodized salt is an important move if your striving to live a whole food lifestyle. 

Now I should probably talk about what kinds of salt are part of a whole food lifestyle. 

•Himalayan pink salt (yes, it's pink naturally)

•Sea salt (make sure the ingredients are just sea salt) 

•Hawaiian black salt 

•Celtic sea salt 

• Ok this one may surprise you. Salt! Yes if you can find just pure, natural salt, go for it. It's usually used in products like peanut butter and crackers but rarely available to purchase in large quantities. So if you find salt with just salt in the ingredients, that's perfectly fine. 

Much love, 

Riley. 

"Positive Self Talk" and My Story

Positive self talk is something I've always struggled with. It's something most people struggle with in fact, some more than others. Whether you struggle with body image or self esteem/ self worth issues, it's draining. I spent too many years of my life hating my body, as well as myself. It hurts now, knowing that I wasted so much time hating myself that forgot to enjoy life. I still struggle some days with my body image and the way it see myself in general, however, since devoting myself to a compassionate lifestyle, my self worth has significantly increased. Here's my story. 

In 2012 I entered middle school (I'm going into highschool now). I entered middle school kinda chubby, eating a SAD (standard American diet). However I was healthy for the most part, and I was active. In September-October 2012 an event happened that turned my whole world upside down. I won't go into detail but it through me into a downward spiral. I ate minuscule amouts (rarely healthy) and I would workout for up to 4 hours a day. There were days I would only eat popcorn with spray butter. However my body could only take so much abuse. In January 2013 I became vegan after watching the documentary vegucated. Soon after this my starvation and over exercising caught up with me. I started over eating and I couldn't stop. It was scary, I gained back all 25 lbs I had lost and I hated myself for it. (I was 100% vegan this whole time).  I now realize why this happened to me, I deprived my body for so long and eventually my body couldn't take any more abuse. I stopped binging in November of 2013 when I began a raw till four lifestyle. I am now 8 months binge free. I honestly never thought I'd make it out of the disorder I was pulled into. Here's my tips on how to love yourself. 

•Realize that your body is your home and your body carrys you and keeps you on your feet and to abuse yourself by depriving your body, also deprives you of living. 

•Eat a balance of foods that nourish your body and foods that nourish your soul (yes, I mean foods that are usually considered unhealthy)

•Don't be afraid to get up and move. Something as simple as a walk can increase your mood and make you feel better about yourself.

•Avoid body checking. It's hard I know, especially for me, but you'll find stepping away from the mirror and just appreciating how much your body does for you is a big step in the fight against negative self talk. 

And last but not least,

•Take a moment everyday and realize that you're not alone in this fight. People all over are fighting this battle right alongside you. Reach out and talk to people, that's including me. My email is riley.in.the.raw@gmail.com and my kik is riley_loves_21 if you ever needs to talk. 

Never forget that at the end of the day, you can't love anything else, if you can't love yourself. 

Much love,

Riley. 

Recipe: Thai peanut sauce- single serving size

Ok so I'd first like to apologize for my absence, life just got busy the past month but I'm back now. So without further ado, I have created the perfect single serving size Thai peanut sauce. Here's the recipe 

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp organic peanut butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1-2 tbsp rice vinegar

Water to desired consistency 

Himalayan salt (optional)

Directions: 

Just mix together and enjoy. 

I love to eat this sauce over rice noodles or even as salad dressing. I personally prefer it thinner so I add more water (it just makes it go farther) this peanut sauce is easy, simple, and delicious. It's perfect for any Thai dish. Enjoy!!

Much love,

Riley. 

Meatless Monday recipe!

I apologize this wasn't posted on Monday, the publishing failed but it's here now!

So for my delicious dinner tonight I prepared some low fat vegan tostadas! They were so so yummy and I'm excited to tell you about this lovely meal. 

Ingredients:

For the tostadas:

Corn tortillas (I used food for life brand sprouted organic corn tortillas)

Organic  black beans (if using cannedj  beans, rinse and drain) 

Diced Tomato 

Avocado 

For the sauce:

Sriracha (I use an organic brand)

Organic Spicy brown mustard

Apple cider vinegar

Agave if desired 

I broiled the tostadas at 500 degrees farenheit for 5-7 minutes because I love them crispy. To prepare them just place the tortillas on a baking sheet and put everything on them! Feel free to add anything else you'd like on them.

The sauce is optional but adds lots of flavor and spice. In my opinion it makes the dish just that much better. 

I served them with broiled crispy Brussel sprouts over a bed of spinach. It was a satisfying and delicious dinner. 

Happy meatless Monday everyone!

Much love,

Riley 

Easy, refreshing tomato soup!

I've been posting a lot of recipes lately but I've really been enjoying creating in the kitchen. I recently found this delicious tomato soup recipe and I just had to share. 

Ingredients 

Stewed tomatoes (no salt, the ones I used were frozen) 

Herbs (basil, oregano, onion, garlic, thyme, etc.) 

salt to taste (I used a pinch of Himalayan salt but it's totally optional)

Heat  up the tomatoes simmering, and spices and salt, stir, pour into a bowl and enjoy. 

Much love, 

Riley 

Passions, fulfilling your reason that you are... You.

So this is a topic very near and dear to my heart. I am a musician. I play the violin, piano, trumpet, and I'm a vocalist as well. It's my passion, although it strikes me at odd times sometimes. There are days I don't want to play. I don't want to pick up my violin and make music, or I don't want to play the piano. It happens. But somehow I manage to drag myself to my music and after I finish playing I feel awakened almost. 

I write this post tonight because I had a very special moment involving music tonight. It's a moment that I feel embodies passion at it's finest. I was playing the moonlight sonata on the piano. It's a melancholy song but it is so beautiful. I'm no pro at playing this piece but tonight I was not feeling my best. I felt the need to sit down and play. I played the song all the way through 7 times. It captured all of my emotions perfectly and after I finished I didn't feel sad, or run down, or tired anymore. I felt like I had been woken up. I felt renewed. 

That's what passion is. It is us. It makes us feel like we can fly. I encourage you all to go find your passion. If you already know what it is then go and do it. Do what makes you feel like you can fly. Let your soul soar. Let yourself be happy. ❤️

Much love,

Riley

What I eat....Thursday?

Yes I know it's supposed to be what I eat Wednesdays but I completely forgot to log my food yesterday so I'm just gonna do what I eat Thursday instead. So here we go!

Breakfast: coco-cinnamon green smoothie from my last meatless Monday post. 

Lunch: carrots and organic oil free hummus (lunches are lighter because of school) 

Dinner: sushi! Avocado roll, asparagus roll, cucumber roll with 2 bowls of white rice on the side (carb up!!) 

Night snack: salt free rice cakes with organic jam 

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Much love,

Riley

Fitness. What do I do to stay in shape?

I get this question a lot. I'll clear one thing up right now, I'm not skinny, but I am active. I've never been one to sit around. I love the feeling of working out and the endorphins I get when I finish. Two of my absolutely favorite ways to workout are cycling (my number one!) and HIIT (I'm working  my way through wayofgray's HIIT 101 ebook right now and I'm loving it!). Cycling has been a passion of mine since I was very young (5-6). I've been surrounded by some incredible cyclists and I am very lucky to be able to say that. One of my best friends is an absolutely amazing cyclist who's far beyond my level of skill and fitness and he's taught me so much and is so inspiring to me in many ways. Cycling is a great way to get your heart pumping and it leaves you feeling great. You can make it as hard or as easy as you like. I've found that as long as you show up and do your very best, the cycling community will respect you. And let's be perfectly honest, riding bikes is fun!! 

On to HIIT, the workouts I've been doing from @wayofgray's ebooks are so awesome. They leave me feeling on top of the world and I've seen some amazing changes not only to my energy levels but my attitude towards home workouts with these workouts. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and that's exactly what it is. They're short workouts (<30 minutes) but they're hard. So give them a try! You might find you absolutely love them like I do!

Fitness should never be percieved as a burden, it should be enjoyed. It took me a very long time to get in that mindset but it is 100% true. Love yourselves enough to honor your health. 

Much love, 

Riley 

Raw fast food, yes it does exist!

So yes, I'm aware that the original fast food is fruit. But here's how I ate raw without available fruit. My mom and I stopped at jimmy johns which is a sub shop in my area (upstate ny). She got a vegetarian sub and I got the same thing with only two exceptions. I got no cheese and asked for it in a lettuce wrap. The employees were a bit confused at first but then made exactly what I asked. It was perfect! A large butter lettuce leaf with cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and shredded lettuce on top. I got two of course because they were only maybe 150 calories each. Delicious, easy, and healthy!!! 

Much love,

Riley

Happy #FULLYRAWFRIDAY!!!

Yes, I know. Most people reserve their Friday instagram posts for #flexfriday or something like that, but I'm here to bring the hashtag #FullyRawFriday to all of you! Instead of posting pictures of just you flexing whatever muscles you have, maybe make Fridays a day to eat Fully Raw, or eat fully raw and flex. Or maybe post a picture of you flexing with your fruit, that works too :). I aim to eat fully raw every Friday and sometimes Tuesdays as well. Although I don't always make it, I believe its best to eat nothing but whole fresh fruits and veggies at least one day of the week. On days that I eat raw I feel peaceful and always finish 

out the day glowing with a big smile on my face. A fully raw day for me would typically consist of...

Upon waking: 32oz of water

Breakfast: a big smoothie or a (huge) bowl of fresh fruit\

Snack: Usually citrus or bananas if I have ripe ones on hand. (never eat these two together though!!)

Lunch: a platter of fresh fruit (typically apples because they're easy to take to school

Dinner: a big fruit platter with whatever fruit I have at home, followed by a HUGE (yes, its that big) salad full of greens and other fresh veggies.

And I make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay properly hydrated.

I also do my best to stay active on days that I eat fully raw. Friday is usually a rest day for me, but I always try to get outside and keep moving. Plus, its a beautiful May day where I live so it would be a shame not to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Please feel free to tag me (@riley.in.the.raw) in your #fullyrawfriday posts so I can see what delicious fruits and veggies you're eating on this lovely Friday.

Apples, a superfood in disguise?

Most of us have heard it. The produce section is the healthiest section of the grocery store. When you ask the average person "Think of a random fruit," most people will say one of these three: apples, oranges, or bananas. Well I'm going to be talking about one of those today: Apples. A fruit that frankly, doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. Here's some of the (fabulous) nutrition facts about apples.

Apples are high in fiber and very low in fat, making them a fat burning food my nature.

Apples are very water dense, making them a filling snack (or meal, but you have to eat a lot).

With a glycemic load of 3, its a great food for anyone watching their GI. 

Apples are 95% carbs, 3% fat, and 2% fat making them a perfect food for raw foodies and omnivores alike.

Apples are high in essential amino acids (yes, even though they're low in protein!).

With over 7,500 varieties of apples available worldwide, its impossible to get bored. 

Of course there's many more amazing things about apples that are out there. In general, apples are a fabulous food for anything. add them to fruit salads, eat them as a snack, or anything else your heart desires. My personal favorite way to eat this amazing fruit is with a fabulous date dip. It's chips and dip, raw vegan style!

Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon vanilla date dip:

1cup chopped dates

1tsp organic vanilla

1tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup water

blend in a high speed blender for a smoother texture, or pulse in a food processor for a chunkier texture. Chop up apples and enjoy!!

Much love,

Riley

Happy meatless Monday!

Happy meatless Monday everyone! (Or in my case, meatless everyday,haha). In honor of meatless Monday I've decided to post an amazing and super simple green smoothie recipe for you all. I'm drinking it as I write this for you and it is simply delicious (that's saying a lot considering I'm horrible at combining the correct flavors for a green smoothie. I've had some horrible ones in the past) so without further ado, here's the recipe 

Coco-cinnamon-banana green smoothie (raw):

5 ripe bananas 

1-2tbsp coconut sugar 

3 cups ice 

1 cup water/coconut water

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 scoop of wheatgrass powder or one handful of spinach 

1 tsp organic coconut extract (optional)

Blend in a highspeed blender and enjoy!!

Now this recipe is big and I don't have the exact calorie amout but it's around 600. Don't be afraid to eat large amounts of fruit.  I eat 2000+ calories a day from fruit. Check out freelee the banana girl and riceandraw on YouTube for more on this topic. 

Until next time, enjoy your meatless Monday and feel free to try out the smoothie and tell me if you enjoyed!

Much love, 

Riley

Me enjoying this beautiful green smoothie by the pool. 

Hello, and welcome.

So we'll start at the beginning. Hello! I'm Riley and I've been an ethical vegan since January 21, 2013. I am currently 14 years old and on a journey toward overall health and vibrancy. I'm a strong believer in a plant-based diet and I've been experimenting with lifestyles such as 80/10/10 and Raw till 4 since November 2013 and so far I've been loving it!(I'm currently raw till 4 and plan on sticking with it) Now, some of you may be confused by this. No, I am not fully raw at the moment. However, my blog title is riley in the raw because this blog is going to be me in the raw. Just the truth (or what I believe to be the truth), no sugarcoating, and nothing fake. I can promise that this blog is going to be all raw.

Now on to what I'll be posting! I'll primarily post whatever people want to see. If you have a request, contact me (I'll put all of my contact info at the end of the post) and I will do everything I can to meet that request. here's what I will be willing to post...
- Recipes
- Reviews on different foods/products (if there's something you think I should review, email me!)
- Personal experiences with different versions of veganism (ex. 80/10/10, raw till four, oil free, paleo vegan, etc...)
- Favorite foods for ______ (detox, weightloss, acne healing, refueling, etc...)
- Favorite products (skin, hair, etc...)
- Fitness
- Restaurant reviews
Side note: I'd also love to feature guest bloggers so if you (or anyone you know of) would like to have your experiences with veganism/fitness/etc. published on here, email me and let me know!

Again, let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to talk about on here!

So that's about all I have to say for now but stay tuned!

email: riley.in.the.raw@gmail.com

instagram: riley.in.the.raw

facebook: coming soon!

youtube: coming soon! (I've still gotta figure out how to edit videos)

kik: riley_loves_21


Much love,
Riley