Sunday, February 28, 2010

Get Moving!

Yesterday my husband and I began an early start on our workout routine.  I have been a workout a-loner for some time now and not as consistent as I would like, so I'm excited that he wants to start working out.
We are beginning with the Power 90  In-Home Bootcamp. We did the Sculpt routine yesterday.  I had picked up a couple of these videos at a garage sale for $2, but they were only the sculpt videos so  we ordered the whole package for $6.99,  used on Amazon and should get it tomorrow.  You are supposed to do one day sculpt, one day cardio and abs.... so in the meantime I had my hubby pick out one of our 30 min cardio video's.  His choice was Billy Blanks Tae Bo Kicks...for kids. Funny you say..when just starting out it is okay to start small and work your way to bigger things. For some this may be discouraging, but it is all how you look at it. My husband was able to complete the video and see where stands at this point. Just think how encouraged he will be when he reaches a higher level of fitness.
Sometimes it's better to complete something than to quit and have feelings of failure, especially when just getting started.
The Bible say's, A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul"...even in the little things.....I say.
Billy Blanks video is a great workout to do with your kiddo's and it can make you sweat a little.  This was a good one for my husband who has been sitting around for a long time.  After the video we went to our workout room and used the ab-roller and then weighted ball for some additional ab work and some final stretching.
We are thinking positive, so when we ordered the used Power 90 we also ordered the PX90. I am pretty pumped about this.



Yesterday eats for both of us~
Green lemonade, carrot juice blends, Carrotopia
Chipotle veggie salad...no rice for me but I did have a few chips.

Today~
Me~regular a.m. Smoothie, Green Lemonade, Eggplant bacon lettuce, tomato with vegenaise
Carrotopia

Hubby~Carrot Juice
Green lemonade
2~Salads~romain, celery, onion, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes,asian dressing
2 bowls of veggie mushroom barley soup
2 donut holes
Carrotopia

GMO'S ~ get educated and share your knowledge

I receive a great little magazine called, "No Greater Joy" and was pleasantly suprised to find and article about~ GMO~genetically modified organisms.  The article,"SCIENCE FICTION HORROR STORY" , by Michael Pearl is a great introduction to this topic.  I encourage you to check it out.
Here is where you can find out all you want to know about, "GMO's", The Institute for Resonsible Technology.  I highly recommend you watch the Video, "Everything you HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods".
Here is another link to the Non-GMO Shopping Guide~You can download this guide and print it for reference or download it to your i phone for ready reference.
By the way, if you don't know what they are~scientist have irreversibly changed the DNA of plant, animal, and human cells by inserting genes from other species into each other to achieve what they think will improve on God's creation.  We were designed by a Great Designer and we function on action~reaction, reaping and sowing.  Now we are reaping disaster that have not fully come to be realized.  Disease and permanent damage that we can only imagine wha the conclusion will be.
This is a topic that we need to educate ourselves , our children and anyone who will listen.
Here are a few resources to read more on this topic.

Friday, February 26, 2010

It's Friday Night!!! Yeah! Carrotopia!

My eats today~
a.m. Smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, maca, lacuma, mesquite, cacao, chia seeds, ice

16oz Green lemon/lime gingerade

Blended Salad~2 roma tomatoes, 3-4celery stalks, romaine, water...a blended and kinda chunky soup topped with tahini dressing and hemp seeds..this made about 3 cups

Amazing Green Grass Chocolate Smoothie~1 1/2 c. raw almond milk, 1 1/2 banana, 2 scoops of Amazing Grass powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao, mesquite, ice....this made about 28oz...

Eggplant bacon/lettuce/tomato with a little vegenaise


For the last several days I have overindulged in my donut holes & kale chips.  As I said in an earlier post only make a double batch if you have self control. You can eat too much of a good thing.  :)  Too many dates and nuts and dehydrated foods do not agree with my sluggish colon especially when I am not eating enough water dense fiberous foods.
A little colon cleansing was in order and getting back to what works.   Blended salads are my friend and I love them, so you should be seeing me post them more often.  
Balance is the key...balance your diet with loads of nutrient and water dense foods first and then treat yourself, but don't make the treats your major food group.  :)

My children and I visited a Health Food Market yesterday.  I enjoyed a Ginger Zinger~carrot, beet, apple, lemon and ginger juice..love, love, love it!!! I also had a smoothie called,
"Carrotopia"~ frozen banana & pineapple with 1 carrot, 1 apple and ginger juice...yum, yum, yummy!  This was my lunch and it was
delicious!

My wonderful husband is getting ready to add a work out regimen to his healthy diet.  The big day is March 1st, so I'll be joining him.   It is easier when you have support/community.  Remember to move today.  I didn't have much time to exercise today, but I did go on Yoga Journal and did a 12 mins practice, which is something and something is better than nothing.  As a Christian I do not endorse or adhere to everything spiritual that you will find in Yoga.  I use Yoga as a practice for strength, toning and stress relief.  I do focus on Jesus Christ during my practice as I worship and thank Him for His grace towards me.  I have found Yoga to be a great exercise to bring calmness to my busy life.
My husband and I will be utitilizing  Beachbody Power 90 - 2 DVD Set with Tony Horton (The 90 Day In-Home Boot Camp for Total Body Transformation)  along with a variety of other things for our workouts.
 
My husband weight loss has been great and his appearance is changing along with many other positives.
He no longer grunts when he puts his shoes on or takes them off.  He has lost a few inches in his waist which accounts for this.  He continues to comment about how much better he feels.  Many guys are still asking him about his green smoothies.  He has me scheduled to make a batch to take to work next week for his fellow workers to try.  I am pretty excited about this!!!  It is great to be able to share with someone that they don't have to be sick and there is a better way. 
Remember~other people are watching~what is the message you are sharing by your actions?
Is it love and goodwill? or __________?  you fill in the blank.

Free 21 and 28-day programs to kick start you on your journey to health

You may have noticed that I have posted several free programs on my sidebar. I encourage you to do something to make positive changes in your diet. There are many healthy programs out there. Examine each program to see which one is right for you.  These are links to help you make a positive change towards better health. Today is the day!!!

Dr. Neal Barnard is doing a 21-Day Vegan Program by clicking on this link:
PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Program: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

Dr. Flora van Orden is offering a free 21-Day Wigmore -based program through Jim Carey's site

Dr. Flora van Orden III has a PhD in nutrition, was Dr. Ann Wigmore's personal assistant for 22+ years, traveled the world with Dr. Ann, and has been a Wigmore Practitioner for 40 years.

Flora has graciously agreed to run a 21-day Wigmore-based Detoxification and Rejuvenation program. This program is designed to get you back you on track to a healthy, non-toxic lifestyle.
The program starts on Monday, March 1st, and will be internet-based. They will email you the plans, goals and recipes for each day, and coaching and interaction will be done though comments on RawLife.org.
This program is free! Sign up here: http://rawlife.org/detox/an-invitation.htm

OR~
You can take Dr. Oz's Raw Food Challenge~this is a 28-day plan to transition you to a raw food diet.

Some of you may have heard of Rip Esselstyn author of ~ " The Engine 2 Diet"

Rip has appeared on Dr. Oz's show recently.   This is a plant strong diet with proven success.  This diet will lower your cholesterol and burn away the pounds!  Rip has filled his book with lots of recipes for foods that you are familiar with, but with a healthy twist and never short on flavor.
If you are a raw fooder like me living with cooked food eaters, this is a great book for information to share with your family and recipes to make to keep them healthy and happy!  Your manly man can relate to Rip as they watch his video explaining this diet.


Rip is such a great guy and wants to help you on your journey to health that he has some of his recipes available right here for free.  Don't wait....do something good for yourself and your family.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Ani Phyo's Donut Holes!

A few days ago I made Ani's donut holes and they are a hit around our house.  They are sooo good I've been speading the word.  My ( husband )~J  wants me to ship some of them down to Tennessee to my newly married daughter.  A good friend is requesting a hard copy of the recipe, so I want to post her books so you can get these great recipes for yourself.  Follow the links below.  Ani's new book ,"Ani's Raw Food Essentials" has over 250 recipes and will come out April 1st. If you pre-order it you are guaranteed the lowest price.
BE CAREFUL: ONLY MAKE A DOUBLE BATCH IF YOU POSSESS SELF-CONTROL!! :)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Work and Exercise

When my daughter got married she passed her housecleaning business to me~ this is my new job! I have only worked for little over a week and today I was offered more work.  This is a true blessing, because my husband's work has diminished over that last few weeks.  God has provided.
This type of work is excellent exercise.  I went non-stop for about 5 hours today.  Talk about body movement. Not only does this burn calories but it works and tones the muscles.  This has also improved my sleep habits.  Mostly because I get tired now.
I am listening to my youngest jump on the rebounder and I'm watching my son chop wood.  Both of these things are providing them with a good workout. There are many ways to get exercise.  Remember to make exercise a part of your life.

today's eats for me~
Smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, cacao, chia, mesquite, lacuma, maca
64 oz. of Green lemon/lime-ade

1 banana

Eggplant bacon, lettuce and tomato wraps with Vegenaise
Greek salad~cukes, tomatoes and black olives with Bragg's apple cider vinegar, lemon and a splash of cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil
Cheezy Kale Chips

dessert~Ani Phyo's donut holes

My husband just called and said he was down a few more pounds!!!  203 on the house scales!  He is pleased that he can eat and still lose weight.  This last loss occured after his all day smoothie feast.

His eats today~

1 cantaloupe

Mushroom Veggie Soup
Salad~romaine, corn salsa, carrot ginger dressing
2 donut holes

packed for dinner  and snacks
4 16 oz green smoothies~spinach, banana, pear, strawberries
carrots~1 sandwich baggy
celery~2 sandwich baggies
1 small cantaloupe

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sunday~Donut Holes and preparing for Monday.

I love Sunday's when we the whole family can attend church together for worship, teaching and fellowship.  My husband's crazy schedule for the last five years has made this extremely challenging and at times we were unable to attend for a great length of time. 
Jesus Christ is who holds my family together .  I pray that you  know Him! 

Now that I am a working moma/wife I have to be in the kitchen on Sunday's to make sure that my family has eats ready for the next couple of days.   So, today I made some veggie/mushroom soup to have in the crock for their lunch while I am working.  If your family is like mine..not everyone eats as much raw as I do.
I also have prepared roasted red pepper hummus or avocado for them to make sandwiches and a big bowl of romaine and other veggies ready for salad or sandwich fixins.
I also have Green Juice for my to-go bag in the a.m. I normally try to drink just liquids until mid-afternoon.

Veggie Mushroom Barley Soup~Not raw~this one is for the family
8 cups water
Seitanbacher veggie broth powder to taste~I kept adding more...
2 potatoes cubed
1 c. celery diced
1 c. baby carrots chopped
a few dehydrated green beans & zuchinni  & 1/3 c. dehydrated baby bella's I found in my pantry
1 can of muir glen diced tomatoes w/ garlic and basil
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 c. barley
2 cloves of garlic
1 T. parsley
1/4 t. thyme
3/4 t. oregano
1/4 t. basil
sea salt
braggs liquid aminos
lemon juice

My Eats for the day~

Smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, maca, lacuma, mesquite, cacao
32 oz of Green lemon/lime ginger~ade
(celery, spinach, lemon, lime, ginger and liquid stevia~juiced)

Lunch~ romaine wraps~spread w/ Rich Cheddar sauce, dulse flakes, shredded carrots, tomaotes and Braggs Liquid Aminos and tahini dressing
celery sticks

Snack~Amazing Green Grass Chocolate smoothie~ green grass powder, raw almond milk, banana, cacao, mesquite

Dinner~Kale Chips (from the dehydrator before they were done, so they are wilted, not dry)
Extremely lightly steamed (just to warm it a bit) broccoli w/  Braggs Liquid Aminos

I also made some of Ani Phyo's Raw donut holes.  My son has been waiting on me to make these for a year.
They remind me of Hostess Zingers.  Watch Ani make them here

1 c. almonds dry
1/4 t. sea salt
1 vanilla bean scraped, just use the seeds ( I used vanilla extract)
1 c. pineapple dried and sulfur free, chopped
1 c. dates pitted
3 T. shredded coconut and extra to roll them in

Chop almonds and salt in food processor and place in bowl
chop together dates, coconut and pineapple in processor ( I modified this part and it worked well for me)
mix all ingreds and make donut hole size balls and roll in coconut.  
store in a air tight container in cold storage.
Yummy~I ate three of these today!

I also have some Eggplant Bacon in the dehydrator

As you can see I posted twice today...the previous post was actually from Saturday......

I did get a reasonably good work-out  yesterday after setting up my room....
15 mins. on the rebounder, 20 mins. on the treadmill, 2 mins punching the reflex bag, 60 mins Hatha Yoga, ab roller, crunches and oblique work with a weighted ball.  I think I'll head back to the room after this post, but for just a brief hand weight set...don't forget to move.....

Gearing up to Work-out!

 My oldest daughter has vacated her bedroom, which opens up more space to use our creativity.  My youngest child has moved into the vacated room,  so we have made the smaller bedroom into a mini-gym.  Last year I moved my gym to the sunroom, but it is not heated so it has gotten little use since the cold weather began.  We now have a treadmill, workout bench and weights, Needak rebounder and two other rebounders up against the wall, the reflex bag and a small t.v. for workout videos and my Yoga/pilates/The Firm video collection in a tiny room. I have one of those over the door shoe- holder bags filled with various  elastic straps and other hand weight gadgets and on the floor. My  hand weights and an ab roller are in a corner.  Stacked in another corner are several mats/cushions and yoga bags.

I cannot stress enough how important body movement is to our health.  Click on the links below to see the benefits of :
rebounding
yoga
pilates
walking
stretching
weight-bearing exercise: 8 workouts for strong bones

Get your body moving...find an exercise that you can enjoy so that you will continue to do it. 
Get your children involved.  I take my youngest rollerblading when I take my walks in one of our local parks.  We always keep her blades & gear in the car so we are ready anytime we are out running errands and I find that I have at least 1/2 hr. to spare.  She enjoys this and so do I...quality time in more ways than one.  Of course we only do this in warmer weather...I can hardly wait!!!

Today's eats`
Smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, Amazing Green Grass Chocolate, mesquite, lacuma, maca, hemps seeds, chia seeds, cacao
48 oz of Green Lemonade

Spring Rolls~ 1~avocado, shredded carrots, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, dulse, tahini dressing
this made two spring rolls

Lettuce Roll ups~Rich Cheddar Sauce, shredded carrots, red bell pepper, dulse, grape tomatoes

celery &; grape tomatoes

Superfood almond truffles

Green Ice Cream~thanks to A Bitt of Raw...go here for her recipe
fresh mango
frozen banana
spinach
hemp powder
Blend in Vita-mix~this would probably work in a food processor...I had to add a couple ice cubes..It works better with frozen mango

I topped this with carob syrup (carob & agave and  little water to thin) and hemp seeds for a nutty texture




Rich Cheddar Sauce  by Carmella from Sunny's Raw Kitchen


Adapted from "Rejuvenate Your Life" by Serene Allison



1/2 large red bell pepper

¼ c water

1 c raw cashews, sunflower seeds, and/or almonds (I use a mixture of these and soak them overnite)Kathy says I used only soaked macadamia nuts....very creamy!!

1 T tahini

2 T nutritional yeast

1 ½ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons onion powder (or a small slice of onion or 1 tbs or so of green onions)

1 clove garlic

2 T lemon juice



Blend until creamy. Add more water if it is too thick.
 
 
My husband is still hangin in there...today he is doing a Green Smoothie fast~

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Back to a new Reality

Life is always changing, of this we can be sure. I started working outside of the home on Monday after a 20 year leave. I am blessed to be my own boss and I will only be working 2 days a week, but nevertheless, it is a change. As this change comes I am embracing it and looking forward to how God will use this in my life and the life of my family to bring about His purpose. I believe we need to always be looking above to our Creator and resting in His plan for our lives, even when we don't know where it will take us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the festivities of my daughter's wedding I allowed myself the freedom to not feel bad about some food choices I made. I did not go crazy or go back to a Standard American Diet, but I did have some wedding cake and some seafood. I am ready to get back to my regular diet though. I really prefer to eat an extremely High raw vegan diet. I have not had any adverse effects from those indulgences, but I just did not feel as good as I normally do. Also, when I worked Monday I felt like I was dragging.


Today I ate & drank~

Smoothie~almond milk, banana, maca, lacuma, mesquite, raw cacao
32 oz. Green Lemonade

Salad~romaine, grape tomatoes, celery, red onion, red sweet pepper and Penni Shelton's Lime Cilantro dressing (I added 1/2 avocado)
topped with 1/2 c. black beans & a few blue corn chips

8oz Carrot/apple/lemon/ginger juice

Leftover salad

2 Superfood balls (recipe on sidebar or below)


My husband is back on the wagon too! I enjoyed falling off a bit too much. Sometimes once you begin to indulge it can start those old cravings and this is what happened to him over the last few days. He gained about 4 lbs. but he has already lost all but one pound in two days.

Husbands eats today~

1 cantaloupe
1 green smoothie

Large salad (same as above) except he had a bowl of black bean soup

packed to dinner on the road tonight~ (he is a trucker so he drives long hours)

1 cantaloupe
2 kiwis
2 bags of carrots
1 bag of celery (these are sandwich baggies)
4 green smoothies ~ water, spinach, pears, handful of mango, banana

Beautiful....My daughter's Wedding!!

Saturday was my daughter's wedding and it was glorious!!! It was a testimony to God's faithfulness. I wish all my reader's could have been a witness to it. The wedding day is over and their new life together has begun. I am excited to watch them grow in their love for one another and to see what God has planned for their lives.


Congratulations to Barry and Emily!!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Last Girls Night before the Big Day!

Just posting our eats~

His~

1 cantaloupe
Big Salad~red leaf, cilantro, celery, carrots, corn salad and raw ceasar dressing from Natalia Rose's book Raw Detox Diet

Lentil Veggie Soup~
green lentils
3 qts water
veggie broth powder
garlic
onion
celery
carrots
1 potato
long grain brown rice
Braggs 24 herb seasoning
oregano, basil
rosemary
bay leaf
chopped tomatoes

packed to go~
1 cantaloupe
2 pears
2 green smoothies
Peanut Butter and celery sticks
carrots


Hers~
Smoothie~raw almond milk, maca, lacuma, mesquite, cacao nibs

32 oz green lemonade

Eggplant BLT with vegenaise (I love this fake bacon)

Amazing Green Grass Chocolate smoothie

5 raw pecans and chocolate sauce

celery sticks sprinked with dulse and topped with grape tomatoes
carrots

1 T. raw almond butter and 1 T. raw honey mixed with 1T. cocao

bowl of lady finger popcorn with nutritional yeast and earthbound spread

Tonight was my last girls night with my soon to be married daughter...so all three of us girls watched Father of the Bride!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Let it Snow

We are expected to get 4-8 inches of snow by tomorrow a.m. Hopefully this will clear up before my daughter's wedding Saturday. We are expecting some out of towners. Namely, the groom and his family. The groom is an essential. So, we are trusting God to do what he does. He is Good!

My husband is still pluggin along on his raw food journey.
Today he ate~

1 cantaloupe
Salad~romaine, red onion, tomato, honey mustard dressing, topped with corn salad
Lentil Rice Soup
raw crackers with almond cheese

2 Superfood almond balls

Packed to go~
1 cantaloupe
2 pears
2 green smoothies
carrots & celery
carrot juice


For me~

smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, maca, mesquite, cacao
48 oz green lemonade

Salad from Panera
Whole grain baguette (lunch w/ my soon to be married daughter)

Eggplant bacon, on Romaine lettuce leaf with roma tomato and Vegenaise

Amazing Green Grass Smoothie (chocolate)w/ cacao nibs, mesquite

2 Superfoood almond balls

Short post today~ I may be out of touch over the next few days as we move into Wedding festivities....and I'll begin a new job next week...which should prove interesting as I attempt to design a new schedule for family life and food preparation

Monday, February 8, 2010

My husband is hangin with it!!! He got on the scale today at 206. This was at our house. When he originally weighed in at work he was at 230 lbs.
There are a few pounds difference in the scales, but less than 5. His official weigh in at work will be Thursday, so I'll report his loss then. BUT regardless he has lost a good amount of weight.

Today His eats~

1 cantaloupe for B-fast

Big Salad-red leaf, celery, carrots, avocado (small), cilantro and homemade mexican ranch dressing
Small bowl of red lentils soup
zuchinni hummus and a few raw crackers

Packed-to go
1 Cantaloupe
2 pears
2 green smoothies
carrots and 2 sandwich baggies of celery
2 8 oz jars of carrot juice


I've been in the kitchen most of the day. Here is what I prepared~

Corn Salad

1 bag of frozen corn
1 diced red sweet pepper
cilantro
jalapenos
lime juice

Salad Dressings

Honey Mustard~ Penni Shelton' Raw Food Cleanse




Raw Ceasar-
Carrot Ginger - Both recipes are from Natailia Rose's Raw Food Detox





Tabouli

1 bunch of parsley
2 c. cooked or sprouted quinoa
5 roma tomatoes diced
1 c. diced celery (I usually use cuke, but didn't have any)
1/4 red onion diced (I usually use green onion)
2 lemons juiced
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. cumin
2 T. dried peppermint
black pepper

SUPERFOOD ALMOND TRUFFLES~modified from Raw Food Cleanse

2 c. raw almonds
grind in food processor until fine with a crunchy PB consistency
Place in bowl and add:
1/2 c. raw honey
mix together and add:
2 heaping t. of maca
2 heaping t. of mesquite
1/4 c. caacao nibs

roll into balls and coat with dried unsweetened coconut

These are very sticky. Place most of them in the freezer and they will keep for weeks in an airtight container.


My eats for today~

a.m. smoothie~ 1/2 banana, raw almond milk, mesquite, maca, lacuma, cacao
38 oz of green lemonade

2 superfood truffles

2 Nori rolls~I used one avocado, diced red sweet pepper, cilanto
tabouli topped with diced red pepper and raw ceasar dressing

5 raw pecans dipped in chocolate sauce
baby carrot

Sunday, February 7, 2010

End of Juice Feasting

Today we decided our Juice Feast was over. My husband was hungry and had accomplished his goal of losing 5 lbs. I lost 3.5 lbs.
We began our day with juice until about 5pm including some orange/grapefruit juice before going out to Panera's for a salad.
This is not the ideal way to break a feast. Water dense juicy fruit for a day is the way to go and then follow this with a day of fruit and then salad.
My husband had some frozen blueberries for a snack and some raw crackers.
I drank an Amazing Green Grass Smoothie.
My husband feels good and does not want to do this again any time soon. I enjoyed it and will probably do a one day juice feast once in a while. I enjoy the good feeling a fast gives my digestive tract. After suffering from IBS in the past I cannot fully express how healthy my GI tract feels.
Praise the Lord!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Day 2 of Juice Feasting

This morning my husband and I both had a slight issue with low blood sugar..so I made some O. J. I mixed mine with grapefruit juice and water and he added some water to his O.J. This did the trick.
I hit the juicer again this morning preparing carrot & pear juice, Green Lemonade, Virgin Mary's and some additional O.J., grapefruit, ginger juice for me.

Today we will each drink 1 gallon of juice of these combinations, plus water.

We have also been taking an herbal laxative (smooth move tea or Genesis Today 4 Total Cleanse)


I lost 3 lbs and my hubby lost 2 1/2 lb

My husband is still talking about food.
I am feeling a little tense and tired today.

Both my husband's tummy and mine is churning today and my husband is ready to stop after tonight. This is a major accomplishment for my husband and I am proud of him.
I'm not sure what I will do tomorrow. I really do not want to lose any more weight, so I'll keep you posted.

signing off~

Friday, February 5, 2010

Juice Feasting Day 1

I am looking out my window at a beautiful winter wonderland. It has been snowing here all day. It is the wet fluffy kind of snow. I live in a wooded area and the tree branches are covered in white, the usual dead of winter look is clean and white.
Today my husband and I are beginning our first day of juice feasting. Our aim is to do this for three days. This really takes some mental preparation.
I struggled with my thoughts last night about my morning smoothie. It is so easy to become addicted to something. I literally prayed that I would not fail. My prayer was answered and I have gotten through the day just drinking juices. My stomach has been making some noise today, mostly airy. I have not been hungry.
My husband is on the juice too, but he has been hungry, so I keep placing the juice in front of him.

When I got up this morning I had
16 oz of Grapefruit ginger juice and did a 55 min Yoga practice.

Followed by~
Green Juice 32 oz
Orange, Grapefruit, Carrot, ginger juice 20 oz

Raw Mojito~Penni Shelton's recipe below 10 oz.
8 oz of orange, grapefruit and ginger juice

Green Juice 32 oz

My husband has had at least a gallon of all of the combinations above excluding the Raw Mojito


Raw Mojito~Penni Shelton
I modified mine by using raw honey & ginger kombucha and only made 1/2

the juice of three organic limes
a bunch of muddled fresh mint
a good squeeze of agave nectar
16 ounces of rejuvelac or kombucha

Place all ingredients into a martini shaker and gently mix. Pour into chilled martini or wine glasses. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Day 7 of my Husband's Cleanse and Juice Feasting begins tomorrow!

My husband is still singing! He has set his goals and is moving towards them. Last night the chips were calling him, but when I mentioned that there are some of you out there cheering him on, he was encouraged and passed them up. Community is so important! Thanks to my readers!

Today my hubby had~
32 oz of Green Lemonade

Large salad~red leaf, carrots, celery, cilantro, avocado...I topped it with some black bean soup
Raw crackers

Dinner box (packed on ice)
2 green smoothies
1 cantloupe
carrots
celery
2 pears


My eats today~

Smoothie~ raw almond milk, banana, maca, mesquite, lacuma, cacao, chia seeds, ice

38 oz. Green Lemonade

Blended Salad ~leftover from yesterday w/ a couple of raw crackers

Green Ice Cream~This idea came from A Bitt of Raw~I modified mine
fresh banana, frozen mango, spinach, goji berries (she added protein
powder)

Zuchinni Hummus and 4 cuke slices

1 banana with chocolate sauce

In preparation for my husband and my juice feast tomorrow I went ahead and juiced a couple gallons of green lemonade. Drinking your juice fresh is optimal but circumstances usually have an influence on when I make my juice. If I drink my juice within 48 hrs. I do not notice much of a difference in taste. Realize that once the produce is juiced it begins to oxidize and lose nutrients. Therefore I fill my glass jars to the very top and secure the lids and place it in the coldest part of the fridge. Just make sure it isn't too cold or they will freeze and burst. Been there, done that!

I will also be jucing grapefruit/orange/ginger juice; carrot, pear and ginger juice.
I have some watercress, cilanto,spinach, red leaf, romaine and parsley in the fridge that I will probably utilize along with 30 bunches of celery, 2 lbs of ginger and 25 lemons

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Day 6 of my Husbands High Raw Cleanse

Today when my husband and I were talking, he told me after he left yesterday he was so happy! I quote, "I was singing and I didn't even know it, I was singing to the dog! I can't believe how good I feel!"
This is Great! He is finding out how what we eat affects hormones which in turn affect our moods and just about everything else.
Most of the time we do not even realize how bad we feel or what kind of attitude we have. We may be exibiting a negative, unhappy character that could be influced for good by making some positive changes in our lifestyle. I encourage you to examine yourself today and see what you can change today to effect a postive change in your character.
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While making almond milk yesterday I had a wonderful thought about using my almond pulp. Normally I will make Valya's Spicy almond cheese or some almond cookies. Today my thoughts went to Pesto!
Here is my recipe~

Almond pulp Pesto!(this is very light and fluffy) and Stuffed Portabellas

almond pulp
lemon juice
dried basil (you can use fresh)
olive oil
sea salt

mix and enjoy!! I tried it on some raw crackers and it was delicious..
I also used the four Large Portabella mushrooms I had in the fridge and stuffed them. First I washed, de-stemmed and removed the gills and then filled them with stuffing. Ours have been in the dehydrator since last night and we will enjoy them for lunch today.

I try not to let anything go to waste. Food cost can be expensive so be creative. If you don't have time to use the pulp from making nut milks, dry it out in the dehydrator or pack in glass jars in the freezer for later use. We drink a lot of almond milk around here with my family of five so that makes a lot of pulp. If time allows I will be grinding up the dried pulp and making almond flour to sell at our local CSA this season. This way I can bless my friends and my husband by being a good stewart of his hard work. Who knows I may even offer almond cheese/pesto for sell once a month....mmmmmm.....get those creative juices flowing....


my hubby's eats~

32 oz green lemonade

Large salad~
red leaf lettuce, red onions, cukes, alfalfa sprouts, pumpkin seeds, roma tomato, dressing*

*Dressing~avocado, tomato, sweet red pepper, lime juice, cayenne pepper

Stuffed Portabella~half of one

Raw Crackers~pulp from juices I made last night~celery, spinach, lemon, ginger, tomato...I added... soaked golden flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, onion, cumin, gourmet italian herbs, oregano, nutritional yeast, mexican seasoning (from frontier)
these came out very light and crunchy

lunch box menu~

1 cantaloupe
2 pears
celery, carrots
black bean soup
green smoothies 1 1/2 quarts


My eats~

Smoothie~almond milk, banana, maca, lacuma, mesquite, cacao
I usually add chia seeds to all of my morning smoothies but I have neglected to post this

16 oz green lemonade
16 oz virgin mary

Blended salad~red leaf, alfalfa sprouts, celery, carrots, cuke, tahini, braggs and topped with diced red onion, a few shredded carrots, hemp seeds

raw crackers

1/2 Pesto stuffed portabella (it was a little dry so I drizzed a small amount of cold pressed olive oil on it) (recipe on yesterdays post)


Shopping for my Mother of the Bride dress~I packed
28 oz. Amazing Green Grass Chocolate Smoothie

16oz Virgin Mary

Time for a movie with the kids, so I'm taking
16oz of freshly made Grapefruit juice with a dash of stevia

My husband called tonight and we are going to endeavor to do a 3 day JuiceFeast this weekend!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Day 5 of my Husband's Cleanse

Today is a Great Day!!! We are moving closer to my daughter's wedding and things are falling into place. Now I just need a dress. :)

My husband is doing wonderful! He weighed in at work today after having a nice lunch and still showed that he has lost 10 pounds!!! Whoo Hoo!!!
He is loving how he is feeling and that he does not have to go hungry.
His taste buds are changing. He called me earlier and told me how good the stuffed mushrooms are.
My husband is very encouraged. He is doing a Biggest Loser Challenge at work along with what we are doing at home. His employer has offered money to the team and the individual that loses the most weight by April. My husband is trying to help the men he works with by sharing information about the changes he is making. Many of the men he talks to are working on the starve yourself diet and then gorge when you cannot take it anymore. I have shared with my man that he will succeed because he is doing it for health and making it a lifestyle and not just a diet for a brief period to lose weight. We have been having many conversations about this since he began his journey on January 14th, which was 20 days ago. He is now seeing the difference in how he and these men are doing and what works toward success. He has always agreed with my way of thinking, but was just not ready to make the committment to change. He is now working out his beliefs through his actions and is getting the satisfaction of the reward. The Bible says, "A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul" Proverbs 13:19a. Oh, how true God's word is!

It can be very difficult for most of us to let go of our comfort zones as far as eating goes. We have been so conditioned in the things we eat. This began long ago when our mothers began feeding us, so these habits can be very challenging to overcome. Just take it one day at a time, or one meal at a time. At least do something each day, then as you conquer one new habit, begin to add another, then another...and one day you will look back and see that you have changed. It is also a good idea to rid yourself of a bad habit also, but I have found as you begin adding new habits the old ones will fall away.
Pray for strength when you feel weak. We have a Great and Powerful God who loves us and gave His life so that we might have new and abundant life in Him!
I pray that you know Him and if you don't that you will come to know Him.
Jesus~He is our life.


Today was a traveling day for me. We live our in a rural area so when I have something to do or somewhere to go, it means traveling. Before I left home I made sure I left a note with instructions for my man for his meals for the day as I would not see him before he left for work.
Here is what he had~

Fresh pineapple

Large Salad~red leaf lettuce, carrots, celery, cilantro, artichoke & garlic salsa, pumpkin seeds, and Thousand Island dressing (raw)

Black bean soup from yesterday with Valya's Spicy Almond Cheese and raw crackers

for his lunchbox~(dinner box)
16 oz of carrot ginger juice
1 cantaloupe (they are only 99 cents here)
2 pears
2 green smoothies
carrots, celery, radishes
4 small stuffed mushrooms (leftover from yesterday)


For Me!

Smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, maca, lacuma, mesquite, cacao
48 oz of Green lemonade

Salad from Panera with part a whole grain bagette (lunch with my son)
Bread is a rarity for me...I probably won't eat it again for many moons if at all ( this is one of my trigger foods~bad news)

Amazing Green Grass Smoothie~(chocolate) almond milk, banana, lacuma, mesquite, cacao, maca

Green lemonade
Virgin Mary ~recipe by Penni Shelton (check out her facebook page or my link)

Pesto with raw crackers, celery, grape tomatoes and dulse flakes

My body loves me when I practice yoga and do other body movement activites. Try to incorporate movement into your day and see how much better you will feel. As Monk says, " You'll thank me later" :)

I'm gonna take a hot bath, then grab a bottle of Kombucha and hang out with my kiddo's!

Blessings from above~
kathy

Day 4 of my Husband's 7 day Challenge

My husband is packed up and off to work. I can see that his body composition is already changing. He has not lost very much more weight, but he is glowing, he feels good and he is beginning to look like a new man!!

Today for hubby~
8 oz. carrot ginger juice

Large Salad~red leaf lettuce, tomato, celery, carrot, rashish, green pepper, 1/2 avocado, pumpkin seeds, 1/2 c. fresh artichoke/garlic salsa and some raw sunflower seed ranch dressing

small bowl of black bean soup (black beans, carrots, celery, jalapeno, red onion, diced mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, basil, cumin, a bit of brown rice

2 raw pecan halves dipped in chocolate sauce (cocoa & raw honey)
this is his reward and incentive to keep going

I packed his lunchbox with~
1 cantaloupe
2 pears
1 green smoothie
carrots, celery, green pepper strips, cherry tomatoes (1/2 sandwich baggie each)
a few stuffed mushrooms

My husband does not usually eat all of his fruit, but it is better to have than have not.
BTW~I am posting this a day later and He did eat it all!!

Stuffed Mushrooms~
gourmet mushrooms (stem removed)
stuffed with Valya's almond cheese (Eating without Heating)
topped with Cashew cheese

dehydrated overnight~we call them raw cheeseburgers (my son likes to dip them in organic catsup)

Today I have eaten~

smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, cacao, mesquite, lacuma, maca

48 oz Green Juice

Salad~Red leaf, carrots, tomatoes, celery, topped with marinated veggie/portabella wilted spinach (leftover from a previous meal)
tahini dressing, pumpkin seeds

1 banana sliced and topped with chocolate sauce and pecans~this is better than pie!!!

Amazing Green Grass Chocolate Smoothie


celery sticks and chipotle hummus

Ginger Kombucha

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