Daily Greens

CSA Extra's~ Sunburned Bell Peppers and Green Lemonade

Last week I was blessed by the extra's that no one wanted from our CSA.  In the brown bag are 2nd bell peppers, some are sunburned.  Follow my link for more information about these peppers and their benefits. In front are hot peppers.  Time to freeze and dehydrate.  I was able to salvage and freeze 3 one gallon baggies of whole bell peppers for stuffing at a later date.  The hot peppers I dehydrated for about 3 days before they were ready to store in glass jars.

Green Lemonade~my favorite!!

celery

cucumber

kale

ginger

lemon

liquid stevia

The juice on the left is my morning watermelon plus the rind juice!

CSA Share Week #7, Green Lemonade & Fruit Salad

Pictured from top right~

red potatoes

basil

summer squash

spearmint

green cabbage

swiss chard

bag of mixed salad greens

red beets

I also ordered 2 bunches of kale and 2 heads of romaine~but they are not pictured

This morning I got to play in the kitchen for a bit...

Did you know you can juice zucchini? 

They make your juice nice an creamy...

Green Lemonade

2 bunches of celery

3 cucumbers

1 zucchini

1 bunch of beet greens

1 c. of lemon juice

big piece of fresh ginger

liquid stevia to taste

Fruit Salad

1 pineapple

1 box of strawberries

3 kiwi

4 navel oranges

big handful of goji berries

My daughter made this smoothie for her b-fast

looks like someone is watching you! 

My daughter sighted this Owl Butterfly(oops, she says that it was a moth) in our front yard,

of course this picture does not do it justice.

It was quite beautiful.

God's creation is marvelous!

Praise and thank Him for all His Blessings today!

Green Lemonade, Ginger Carrots Juice and Energy Soup!

Today I went to Dr. Jean, my dentist (Hi Jean!) for a cleaning and when I got home I hit the kitchen!

Tomorrow I pick up my monthly veggie co-op order, so I needed to make room in the fridge.

This is what I came up with..

Green Lemonade

6-7 cucumbers

4 bunches of celery

1 pound of Spinach from my CSA farmer

3 big pieces of ginger

1 c. lemon juice

3 granny smith apples

liquid stevia to taste

I used two juicers....my leafy greens went in my Green Power Juice and most of the chunky stuff went into my Jack LaLanne.

As you can see this made 1 gallon of green juice.

I immediately drank a  quart...mmmmmmmmm..

If you are unfamiliar with the Benefits of drinking green juices..check out this site.  "Why drink green juice."

 I am recommending this site for information about Greens only.  I am unfamiliar with the products they sale.

As always, I recommend that you do your own research.

After I finished making the green juice, I figured I should use up some of my carrots

 since the juicers were warmed up.

Ginger Carrot Juice

approximately 5-6 pounds of carrots

4-5 granny smith apples

big piece of ginger

This was just a little shy of one gallon.

When I finished juicing it was time for a mid-afternoon meal...hence my

Energy Soup

3 roma tomatoes

5 stalks of celery

big handful of gourmet lettuce mix

handful of baby carrots

sliced jalapeno's

2 heaping T. of tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Amino's

little water to make it blend easily

I set my Vita-Mix on 3-4 and let it chop it to a soupy consistency.

I topped it with Dulse granules and had some of my Nacho Chipotle Chips on the side.

Cacao Fudge, Salads, and more Salads...

Lunch Time~

I've been in the kitchen most of the morning and had to take a break.  I will juice after lunch, clean up and go work out.  :)

On my plate today is: Beet Salad topped with raw sunflower seeds, Cauliflower Salad, Kale Salad and on topside is another one of Ani's Hemp Sun Burger's with Mustard and a piece Sesame Flax Bread.

BEET SALAD

2 bunches of beets~peeled and shredded

6 garlic cloves

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. lime juice

sprinkling of ground clove

salt to taste

Saving my tops for juicing

KALE SALAD

2 bunches of curly kale

1/2 red onion

handful of raw pumpkin seeds

4 garlic cloves

1/4 c. lime juice

1/4 c. olive oil

3-4 T. Bragg's LIquid Amino's

Set up for Juicing~

2 bunches of beet tops

5 cukes

3 bunches of celery

bowl full of kale stems, broccoli stems, cauliflower greens

I will add approx. 1 c. lemon juice

5-6 granny smith apples

big piece of ginger

and enough stevia to taste good to me

I'll be juicing my greens in my Greenstar...and the pulpy stuff in my Jack..you can see my nut milk bag in the pulp catcher...it is quicker this way and it keeps for about 3 days

Cheezy Kale Chips

2 bunches of Kale washed and large stems removed

place in a large bowl

In a blender or Vita-Mix blend until smooth & then pour over kale and massage until completely covered

1/4 c. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C. Bragg's Liquid Amino's

1/2 c. filtered water

*you may need a little more water~you need to be able to pour this out of the blender

but you don't want it runny.

3/4 c. Tahini

1 garlic clove

2 T. dried onions

1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

Place on Teflex sheets in dehydrator and dehydrate for 6 hr @ 115 degrees.

 

Dessert....

Cacao Fudge

1 c. raw walnuts~grind into flour

add: 1 c. pitted dates...one at a tim until mixed into nut mixture

add: 1 c. raw cacao

dash of salt

process until it sticks together...you may need to add a bit of water to get fudge consistency..add very slowly though, so you don't get a sticky, globby mess..

top with cacao nibs and place in fridge for 1 hr.

I also made a batch of Carob Fudge by substituting carob in place of cacao...

I made this for my hard core raw vegan son.... :)

Vacation~ Cafe 118 & Pasha

green lemonade
1 bunch of celery
6 oz of spinach
2 lemons
1 lime
thumb of ginger
5 squirts of liquid stevia
2 c. r/o water

WOW! This is one of my best lemonade's yet as I sit here drinking it and typing.

I've been in Florida for the last two weeks. The weather was great..hot and sunny with only one morning that we couldn't go out because of the rain.
Our first week we spent in Orlando, Florida at Orange Lake Resort. www.orangelake.com
This was a great time for the whole family....Lazy river, miniature golf, regular golf for the guys, swimming, movies, fitness equipment at two locations within the complex, restaurants and grocery stores... lots of activities available..a shuttle bus to take us anywhere we wanted to go within the complex. We really had little need to leave for anything.
I brought some groceries from home to get us started and then off to the grocery store to stock up.
I had my green juice everyday, thanks to my trusty Vita-Mix and nut milk bag. I ate mostly raw with the exception of my corn tortilla chips. I did indulge in Starbucks and a wanna be frappuchinno.
We had a wonderful dinner and desserts at Cafe 118...pictures coming soon. Everything on the menu is raw, organic and delicious. One of children, my husband and I had stuffed peppers. For dessert I had a pumpkin tart. My son had lasagna and still is talking about how good it was. He had key lime pie to finish it off.
My other daughter had the Pad Thai, which was delicious...I finished hers off. Desserts for everyone else were a delicious S'more, a Berry Parfait and a smoothie...I have to say the S'more was supreme!!! This place was a little pricey, so be prepared if you go...it was a classy place, everything was good...it was definately a gourmet raw restaurant.
Our second week we spent on Ormond Beach at the Ocean East Resort. We had very nice accomodations there as well. http://www.oceaneast.com/
Green & high raw everday. I did have a slice of pizza on Thursday night and Friday we went to Pasha Middle East Cafe http://pashacafedaytona.com/
I was moaning the food was soooo good. My oldest daughter was a bit embarrassed, my husband was pleased. It is a rare thing for me to go anywhere and enjoy a meal that the whole family can enjoy also. My husband and children had falafal wraps or gyros and we shared the other items..cabbage rolls, tabouli, hummus and pita bread..everyone was happy!!
I ordered a Greek salad, one falafal with tahini dressing and I splurged and had a small piece of Baklavah...it was my birthday. This food was amazingly delicious and easy to digest..if I had eaten this meal anywhere else it would have been a digestive disaster. If you are not 100% raw and are a vegetarian or not.. I would highly recommend this place. The cost was reasonable.

Today I had
16 oz of green lemonade
Rawpuchinno

snack~small handful of almonds, pecans, walnuts
1/2 bag of baby carrots

lunch~Blended Salad~ romaine, cabbage, radish, carrot, two tomatoes, chia seeds and green goddess dressing and some corn chips

supper~10 oz of green lemonade
Blended salad~ 1 red bell pepper, romaine, cabbage, radish,carrot, tomato, chia seeds and asian dressing & chips

Busy Day on the Homefront~

Busy day here. Trying to catch up on things and preparing for an adventure. Therefore, everyone is in action. My little one is down with a sore throat, headache and runny nose. Not sure what is going on here. She has been eating loads of watermelon, so she may be in a detox mode. She has a slight fever right now, but that is okay. It means her body is just doing it's job.

Her diet has improved quite a bit over the last few weeks. She is eating less and eating higher nutrient dense foods!! Yippee!

God made our bodies to know what to do, how it repair itself and how to cleanse. Think about it...our skins heals when it's cut our liver gets rid of poisons and our eliminatory organs eliminate them...lol...down the drain they go. We just need to give it the fuel it needs so that it can run efficiently. The better fuel, the better results we get.

May we consider the fuel we are giving our bodies today...how about it...is it fuel that imparts life or death....??? Our cells need water, minerals, oxygen and activity. Are you clogging them up or releasing them to do their job?

52 oz of green lemonade

strawberries, blueberries, banana & walnuts


late afternoon~

bed of mixed greens
1/4 c. beet salad
1 garlic clove
1 tomato
1/4 red bell pepper
nutritional yeast
lemon juice

snack
NUTTY BANANA

1 frozen banana sliced
carob powder
raw blue agave
vanilla
1 t. water

mix & eat

snack~
almond cheese & whole wheat wafers

herbal tea


I made some juices today

carrot/beet/cucumber


Green Lemonade

4 bunches of celery
5 lemons
3 beets
3 c. kale
ginger
stevia

I also made some RAW CRACKERS

RAW CRACKERS

pulp from carrot/cucumber/beet/celery/kale/very little lemon pulp
soaked golden flax seeds
soaked sesame seeds
chopped sunflower seeds
oregano/basil
dried onions
nutritional yeast

mix together and spread on teflex sheets, score and dehydrate @ 108 degrees until dry and crispy
sorry I don't measure...be creative!



30 mins on the rebounder and some upper body with weights

My hubby's 20lb weight loss and my moment to be real

For the past six weeks my husband has been eating watermelon and grapes in abundance for breakfast everyday. Then for lunch most days he has eaten scrambled eggs and one slice of toast. I pack his evening meal to take to work. He takes more watermelon and grapes, some bananas, one sandwich cut in two and some days a small bag of chips. More recently he has opted out of taking a sandwich and wanted a bag of cashews. There has been one or two days of variations, depending on the fruit I had on hand. Over all this has been his diet. This is a drastic change from his greasy, sugary vending machine, fast food fare. My hubby has now lost over 20 pounds by eliminating sugar and making some simple dietary changes. (although he has eaten something sugary on three different occassions, during special events).
Snicker bars and snack cakes used to be part of his daily diet, so this is a BIG change. He says he no longer craves his sugary treats.

My husband has always believed in my healthy living practices, even though he did not desire to join me wholeheartedly. He has shared with others whatever he has learned from me or has picked up from other healthy living resources. He has encouraged many people to change some of their eating habits. He has taken his green smoothies to work and of course everyone wants to know about the green stuff he is drinking..this has created an open door to share his knowledge. I know of at least one person who started drinking them because of this.

Where am I going with this? This is a lifestyle. But to make it a lifestyle it takes time. My husband likes to say he is in transition. He has been in transition for quite some time. That is okay, you don't usually change your lifestyle overnight. Changing the way you eat is Hard, ask most people. I didn't just get where I am overnight and I haven't arrived or graduated into perfection. That comes when I am dead. Thanks be to God. I am just striving to glorify God in my body, and that means that I take care of this temple He resides in so that I can be effective for Him. He has given me life and a body to live in. I do not want to destroy it because I choose to ignore what my habits are doing to it. For years I did not really consider how my eating habits were impacting my life....physically, mentally or spiritually. Therefore I suffered in many ways. Now I see a clearer picture of the connection of diet and lifestyle and its impact on all of these areas. I choose life today, a life of vibrant, healthy living so I can be involved in it... and not be set aside or put on the shelf because I feel too bad to actively be a part of it.

I'd like to encourage you to begin making healthier choices by adding more raw fruits and veggies into your diet. Go ahead begin the transition. It doesn't matter how long it takes, it just matters that you begin.

Today's menu~


16oz green lemonade

3 oz wheatgrass with water from young coconut (my husband and I split the water from one coconut)

afternoon~Chocolate/coconut shake

evening~ Bok Choy salad

snack~2 very ripe bananas sliced and sprinkled with raw cacao powder, raw blue agave & a few walnut pieces. mix and eat

My kids and I watched a couple of sitcoms~those old habits of munching on something die pretty hard and that bag of chips that the kids like to eat are sometimes difficult to keep my hands off....so I indulged....but I've got to say...greasy..greasy feeling all over my mouth and teeth...I want to be free from this. I had some kombucha ginger tea so that will help with my digestion. I am human and it is okay..I am okay that I did this and I won't beat myself up for it because I know that for the most part I am eating a good healthy diet...but I am also hopeful that I can make a better choice next time. I do know that if that junk isn't there I won't eat it. So maybe someday it won't be there, maybe all of my family will want to be on this train and maybe they won't. Time will reveal what it will and I'll be blogging about it, Lord willing. Until next time~try to make healthy choices and when you don't just keep striving to do better. :)



Chocolate shake~

meat from one coconut

1/4 c. raw cacao powder

1 t vanilla

stevia

ice cubes



I had about 10 oz and two of my family memberers had about 16oz each



Dinner~



Bok Choy Salad



1 head of bok choy

3 bell pepper~mixed colors

handful of mixed greens

shred all of this in food processor

Dressing

1 mango

1 tomato

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 celery stalk

juice of one lime


pour over salad mix and enjoy!

Green Lemonade




GREEN LEMONADE

4 bunches of celery
5 lemons
1 bunch of beet greens
1 cuke
1 beet
1 finger of ginger
stevia

Busy Day

I've had a busy day cleaning house again....

a.m
32 oz of green lemonade

late morning~bowl of strawberries & blueberries

ealry afternoon~
bed of romaine lettuce, homemade salsa, raw corn salad topped with a few tortilla strips (salsa & corn salad recipes are on a previous post)

mid~afternoon
Chocolate/Strawberries/Banana/Coconut Smoothie1 1/2 c. cold water
2 T. powdered cacao
4-5 frozen bananas
2 big handfuls of frozen strawberries
chunk of creamed coconut
1 t. vanilla
big squirt of liquid stevia
Blend in Vita~Mix. This was enough for 3 of us and plenty left over to freeze for ice cream another day...I will probably add some chopped almonds to the ice cream after it softens

Evening meal~


bed of mixed greens topped with beet salad and a sprinkle of raw sunflower seeds

snack~small handful of almonds

Green Lemonade
each new batch is always different~this one is sooo good!
4 bunches of celery
5 lemons
1 bunch of beet tops
1 cucumber
1 finger of ginger
6 squirts of liquid stevia


ALMOND CHEESE~thanks to Sergi & Valya Boutenko for this recipe...I made slight alterations.

In the food processor
2 c. almond pulp~leftover from making almond milk
1t. dried dill
2 T. heaping dried onions
1/2 lemon squeezed
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

1/2 green bell pepper & 1/2 red bell pepper chopped fine( I added this last after processing all the other ingred)

process and place in bowl...sometimes I will drizzle a little(very little) olive oil on top if I haven't put quite enough in...all of my measurements are approximate, because I usually don't measure

I had a taste of this with a red pepper...





I took the dog for a 30 min walk in the sunshine today! This evening I jumped on my rebounder/mini trampoline for 30 mins

Being Prepared, Wheatgrass, Watermelon juice & Green powders

1st thing this morning I drank 8 oz of watermelon juice

After watching a youtube this morning I was inspired to have some
wheatgrass/coconut water juice~this juice is alkalizing, hydrating and cleansing... for the benefits of wheatgrass check out this site http://www.hippocratesinst.org/Wheatgrass/Benefits-of-Wheatgrass.aspx
for the benfits of coconut water go to here http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/export.php?ID=320&type=PDF

noon~bowl of pineapple, banana, raspberry, blueberries, blackberries, sprinkled with sesame seeds and coconut flakes (unsweetened)

8 oz of watermelon juice(prior to my walk)
MSM~ 3 capsules

Snack before dinner
1 red bell pepper, 1 red hot sweet pepper~didn't know it was hot til I started chewing!!!
handful of fresh strawberries

dinner~Big Salad with mixed greens~leaf lettuces, collards, parsley, celery tops, grated carrots & cabbage, cherry tomatoes, pressed garlic, 1/2 avocado diced, squeeze of lemon
Salad Dressing~ small tomato, 1/2 red bell pepper, clove of garlic, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 of a lime squeezed and blended in vitamix
I added a light sprinkle of nutritional yeast for some added flavor
My salad was too big I couldn't finish it.....

My daughter and I went on a 3 mile walk in the 90 degree weather today....we had a good sweat!

Today I was not prepared so I did not drink the amount of juice that I usually drink...I really enjoy my green lemonade and always feel energized and super hydrated during the day.
Being prepared is essential to this lifestyle. Watermelon juice is an easy one to make quickly.
Just throw some chunks into a blender and strain or pour into a glass and watch the pulp come to the top. Drink the juice and toss the pulp into your compost pile, unless you have blood sugar issues. You may want to drink it with the pulp as a smoothie or skip the watermelon juice. It can be too sweet for some people and spike the blood sugar. They digest so quickly that they will cause digestive distress for most people. I find it is best to have them first thing in the morning and then wait for at least 30-60 mins before I have anything else.

Sometimes I use green powders. They are very convenient for when I don't have time to make my juice. You add the powder to water or juice, it can also be added to smoothies. Powders are not the best choice but it is better than doing without. Always make sure that the powder is dehydrated at a low temperature and organic. This will preserve most of the valuable enzymes.

Another way to be prepared is to always have fresh fruit and veggies around the house and take some with you when you go out. That way if your errands take longer than planned you'll have something to eat and not be tempted to indulge in something that is not good for you. I like to take a cooler bag with an ice pack and some juice and fruits and/or veggies. If I don't have time to cut them up I will try to clean them and pack a knife if needed. You could also take some seed crackers~ I usually keep a box in my car. Raw nuts, raw trail mix are a couple other choices. Just don't over indulge. Nuts are fatty and remember to drink plenty of water with your dehydrated fruits. Beware some people have trouble digesting nuts and fruits. It is always best to practice proper food combining. (You can find food combining charts on the web for free)
If the ideas shared are not feasible there is always a grocery store. They have fresh fruits and veggies. Just go to your produce department, get some bottled water to clean them up and there you go. You can usually find produce chopped up and ready to eat. Just read the label to make sure it is preservative free.
Also, keep a paring knife in your vehicle for times like these.

If you are really ambitious ~after your purchases you can clean and cut up some of your produce and have it ready to throw together a quick meal or take along. Usually one day a week I will try to spend several hours in the kitchen making 2 to 3 salads and other dishes that are ready to consume for my busy scheduled days. This is extremely helpful.

I have many other ideas I will share as I go along but for now that should get you started.

Now I have to go and make my green lemonade!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just finished with my kitchen duty for this evening and am sitting down with my raw milk cheese some peppers and seed crackers...I made almost one gallon of green lemonade, 3 pints of smoothies, watermelon juice ( I cut up a watermelon for my hubby to take to work & with the white edges and some red parts I made my juice~he doesn't like the white parts, which are good for you, so I let nothing go to waste)

almost 1 gallon of GREEN LEMONADE

4 bunches of celery
8 rainbow chard leaves
1 large zuchinni
1 large cucumber
1 beet
5 lemons
1 large piece of ginger
6 squirts of liquid stevia

It looks kinda dirty but taste delish...cannot wait to devour some in the a.m.

I also made some smoothies

MANGO/BANANA/KIWI SMOOTHIE
2 mangos
3 bananas
2 kiwi
spinach to the top of the vitamix
1 c. of water

blend and fill 3 pint jars

Rise and Shine & a visit to the Farmer's Market!

Upon rising I drank
32 oz of Green lemonade

Mid morning I had fresh pineapple & blueberries sprinkled with Hemp seeds~Thanks to Matt Monarch

Mid afternoon~ Salad bowl filled with mixed greens(collards,leaf lettuce,celery leaves, fennel),grated carrots & cabbage, 1 yellow heirloom tomato thanks to my CSA(community supported agriculture)friends 1 red bullhorn pepper (from the farmers market, 1 crushed garlic clove, organic extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 lemon squeezed.,sprinkled with hemp seeds and a little raw milk gouda cheese..from my Amish friends.....now I'm thinking of a bit of Cacao Bliss..1 teaspoon...yummy

I visited the farmer's market this evening and here is what I picked up..
6 watermelons...my hubby is devouring almost one a day and my kiddo's try to get what they can
red bell peppers/bullhorn peppers/green peppers/sweet banana peppers
2 quarts of raw honey
some lettuces
cherry tomatoes~which I munched on in my car

I have to confess to a very human thing I did on my way home...one of my struggles that I am trying to give up completely... a tall coffee frappuchino :( I have really cut way back on these in fact I have gone a few weeks at a time without one...someday I hope that the desire is all gone...
I did give up my chai tea soymilk latte's in the morning quite some time ago...Yippee!

late supper~ 1 bullhorn pepper split down the middle with very thinly sliced raw gouda and one crushed garlic clove...kinda like a cheese quesadilla :)

This afternoon before my errand run I jumped on my trampoline for 33 mins and after my human thing I went to the park and walked/ran for 3 1/2 miles...

Blended Salad & Green Lemonade Recipe

As I said on my last post people are always wanting to know what I am eating and how to make it so I'm going to begin posting what I eat as often as I am able...this is for my own accountability and to give you some ideas too....

I began my day with 32 oz of green lemonade~ I juiced celery, rainbow chard, spinach, cukes, zuchinni,beet tops, lemon, ginger and added stevia
mid morning~ 1 c pineapple and 1 c blueberries
water
mid-afternoon~
Blended salad~ 1 mango, 4 roma tomatoes, handful of romaine, handful of spinach, a few sprigs of parsely
for my sweet tooth I had~
1 t. Cacao Bliss (raw chocolate coconut butter)
1t. Amazon Bliss (raw coconut butter with superfoods ~acai, yacon, cacao nibs & goji berries)
evening~
nori roll~guacamole, grated cabbage, shredded carrots, diced red bell pepper, diced cuke, squeeze of lime, diced tomato and I use the tomato to wet the nori roll before rolling it up...yummy!


I just made a gallon of green lemonade for the next couple days, I store it in brown glass bottles in the coldest part of the fridge...be careful so they don't explode from freezing...this took me some trial & error...
4 bunches of celery
5 lemons
1 finger of ginger
3 small zuchinni
1/2 cuke
tops from 1 sm bunch of beets
8 collard leaves
7 squirts of liquid stevia

I'm drinking about 24 oz of this green juice right now and it is good...

I jumped on my mini trampoline for about 25 mins and did some strength training with weights.