Last night I was thinking of trying a carrot "cake" like bread with shredded/processed carrots with some groud flax, raisins and agave nectar! Doesn't that sound good? I think it might make up like a sweet cracker in the dehydrator! I'm going to test it out soon!!

Did you ever make these?  If you're looking for something similar, try these carrot-raison bars.  http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12271.0  They are easy and really freakin good!  I kept them in the fridge for a while too and they didn't go stale.

CW!!! Do you have a Whole Foods? if you do--they have a great fresh nut butter bar thingy where you make your own...

hey, thanks for those other links, babe!
I've been on goneraw a few times before, but the others will no doubt come in handy....I will probably have plenty of questions to ask throughout the whole deal, though...so I'm glad You and Storm are here to help me along.  :)>>>
I just searched and found out that there are four in ATL, and one is just a quick 2 miles from my place!! *glee*
my co-op (which is much closer, pricey, but cool) has two grinders, one for almond butter and one for PB, but both are roasted. I just filled up a jar tonight with PB, and I'll probably still eat that in moderation during my pseudo-Rawliday....but I will definitely check out WF! I've never even been to one before, this will be fun!

I know what you mean about fresh produce prices, but there are some things that shouldn't be too expensive this time of year.  I stalked your profile to see where you are....Georgia apples!  In season and should be relatively inexpensive.  It's also citrus season so prices should be good there too.  Here is a link that lists seasonal produce by state.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/

So you're going to need to keep your protein intake up.  I'm going to say nuts and nut butters, but again with the very expensive.  You should be able to do okay though, since you are going to keep beans in your diet.

I'm jealous of your juicer!  Do you have a thermometer to test your oven temperature at its lowest setting?  I found that mine is too high to dehydrate within raw guidelines.  If you find that yours is above 115°F, you can always just crack the oven door to let some heat escape and keep the temperature lower. 

Welcome on board and good luck!

ohmygawds, I keep forgetting that I actually live in a warm climate now! ...coming from Iowa, where We're known for growing things, even though there's very little good produce 3/4 of the year..  :P  it's mid-November...the fact that it's citrus season just boggles my mind...but I'm uber grateful, because I LOVE citrus fruits.
and what a GREAT site that is! Thank You so much for that link, it's going in my "foodstuffs" bookmark folder right now!

I'm definitely going to keep buying raw seeds and nuts as my budget allows, in addition to the cooked and/or sprouted beans.
raw sunflower seeds are 2.29/lb at my co-op, and that's the cheapest of the bunch...pumpkin seeds at 3.69, cashews at 7.00ish, and it goes up from there...blarg.
but yeah, thanks for the tip! I'll definitely keep that in mind.........do Y'all suppose that I could sub my raw SF seeds in place of other nuts and seeds in some recipes? like if it's just ground up and mixed with other things...I did that with the carrot-walnut "burgers" that Cappie posted during Rawgust, and it worked quite well.

Oh yeah, my sister is one of those people who spends tons of money on gadgets and mostly unnecessary things, then gives them away after realizing that they just collect dust in her house.  ;D bonus for me!
I have a gas oven, and I've taken advantage of the pilot light by dehydrating stuff in there before...I don't have a thermometer (though I suppose one might be a good investment whenever I get the $$) but cracking the oven door would work too, and probably help keep the kitchen a smidge warmer as well. another bonus!

although, I wonder.......since the pilot light is always on, how much gas is flowing when the oven's not even ON..?? and how much of that will seep out into my apartment if'n the door is left slightly open?
I grew up in a house with a gas oven, so I'm pretty confident that it won't harm us humans...it's just my little rats that I worry about. Their tiny respiratory systems are so delicate and prone to irritation/infection/etc., and I have to be extra cautious about the air in my living space now.

... some gas will definitely escape into your home and that the amount all depends on your stove.  He recommended a carbon monoxide detector if you don't already have one.

eww...well, that's good to know. I hope I can find an inexpensive CO detector, because that's something I definitely WILL invest in.

When the rawoliday starts on Sunday, I'm giving up the feta and going vegan for good!

YAAAY!!! This will be SO good for You, and I'm glad You'll be sharing the experience with Us!

...
CW--OK! Please don't use your ove as a dehydrator! First--it will get hotter than 115 F and end up killingmost of your live food, plus it will waste a lot of energy andcost you way more money to run like that then just getting a cheapy dehydrator and third and fourth you can get sick from the gas escaping or set your house on fire--so PLEASE don't do that!!! Check your thrift stores--you might find one there! I found mine on clearence at Koh;s for $15! So you never know where you might pick one up :)

*ugh* I feel so fat and unhealthy right now--I've gained 5 lbs and I've binged like every day trying to eat up all this cooked food! I am going to be so happy when Sunday gets here! I'm almost thinking of doing a nice colon cleanse on Saturday--I just feel yucky!

Well, my oven's pilot light is always on, along with the one in our heater.....so we'll always have some gas seeping out into the air so long as our gas is on, which it'll have to be since it's starting to get chilly outside (brr! 50 degrees! hah).
I've read about other raw foodies using their ovens--NOT turned "on" at all, just using the pilot light--to dehydrate, and I think that's what I'll have to do until I find a dehydrator I can afford.
You got a super good deal on Yours! wow...I will certainly keep my eye out for one I can afford....it's just that I'm literally broke, and struggling to pay bills as it is. Any money that I can save up will totally go toward my "important stuff fund," which will include a carbon monoxide detector, a dehydrator, and probably a new cage and/or cost of spaying my ratties. (I want to avoid dealing with mammary tumors as much as possible, You see....)

Don't feel too bad. I've been literally bingeing* nearly every day for the past week and a half, and yesterday was my first "good" day in a while. It's not just the weight I've gained (yeah, 5ish lbs here, too), but the utter turmoil that my intestines are suffering, as well as the depressive symptoms that come about with the binges.

* remember, even if You've eaten somewhat more than You intended, or have eaten some large portions, including "unsafe" foods, You needn't beat Yourself up and call it a binge. It may seem like it...but I just see too many people (I'm guilty of this, too, sometimes) referring to a meal or a snack as a "binge" when it only seems that way to their disordered thought process. I'm not accusing YOU of this necessarily, but it's just something to keep in mind.
Binge eating is, of course, a serious problem...not only for the body (and how!) but for the mind as well....

I'm sure that We will all feel much, much better once Rawliday begins!

Yeah, I'm stoked for this too...I've gotta get around to posting in my blog about my specific goals and plans, and also keeping up with my "Pre-Rawliday Cleanse," which is happening this week (I'm basically cutting out the junk and getting closer to what I'll be eating during Rawliday), as well as starting a meal plan/daily food log...

Your friend? is this the cute runner guy? either way, sweet!

Yeah, I too have problems with all of those things (save for purging, just never worked for me) when I'm not eating a well-balanced, structured diet. This will be SUCH a relief.....I mean, just since Sunday, when I started my Pre-Raw cleanse, I've had more energy, felt TONS better, and things are finally...*ahem* .."moving regularly" again. :-D

the big trick for me will be surviving the 4 or 5 days I'll spend back in Iowa, over T-Giving weekend, with my lovably old-fashioned, non-vegan friends and (maybe) family. I've gotta get a plan for handling that...

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd44/fabulous_cole/Quotes/drunk.jpg

HA! that just made me laugh extra hard, including two good snorts.
nice.
and hey, CONGRATULATIONS! This is a big day for You!  :bigsmile:
oh, and I agree that You must have some sort of awesome-gauging dyslexia..because I happen to think You're one of the most awesome people around, and Your awesome level doesn't include a decimal until after at least 7 figures.

CW--yes, the friend is CR *sigh* god he is soooooo hoooooot...why does he have a girlfriend??? *sigh*
...
Oh! CW! I have a link to a great food log you can download for your computer--it is really great, it tracks all your vit, min, nutr, fat, cal, etc! I love it!! it works really, really well and it's FREE!
http://spaz.ca/cronometer/

ahh, Murphy's Law strikes again. He's totally beautiful and crush-worthy, so of COURSE he's already taken. *sigh*

oh, but about that cronometer....I downloaded that not long after You mentioned it around Rawgust (I think it was You, anyway), and I entered in all my info....and the damn thing tried to tell me that I need something like 150 grams of protein daily!! wtf is with that? I'm certain that given my age, size, and activity level at the time, I'd only need 50-60 grams.
I'll give it another shot, but I just want to make sure that thing is giving me the right numbers.

I had SUCH a productive day in the kitchen yesterday!! I will be posting in my blog about this later today, which will include some pre-Rawliday plans and whatnot...so yeah, I feel good.