CSA share~Gift from a Friend~Co op order

CSA pick up day was yesterday and today I received our Co op order.

CSA Share~
a small bag of heirloom tomatoes
2 cucumbers
bunch of kale
garlic
cantaloupe
bag of red bell peppers
eggplant~time to make eggplant bacon
basil
1 extra cantaloupe that had a tiny crack in it..this was not part of the share...when they have produce that can not be sold or is not good enough to include in the shares they send it as extra's...1st come 1st served..if you are there and they are available you may choose what you want to take.


A friend of mine that has an organic garden called today offering me a gallon of tiny yellow pear shaped tomatoes if I wanted to pick them. Of Course!!
I was able to enjoy her comapany, tour her garden and get some sun.
She was generous with her goodies...she gave me some strange asian green beans..they are about a foot long, some hot peppers, several lemon cucumbers, a few cucumbers for juicing and a couple of slicing tomatoes.
then....
While picking up my Co op order this evening I was given the leftover freebies from yesterday's CSA
2nd's ~16 small bell peppers~these are sunburned but are good after cutting away the sunburned portion~good for freezing or juicing
2nd's ~6 cucumbers~all are good for juicing

With the abundance of produce that we have on hand my husband and I are going to do a mini juice feast this weekend. I will be starting mine tomorrow and he will begin on Saturday. Time to clear out some cobwebs and flood the body with nutrition.

Co op order~
5# Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
1# of ground coriander seed from Frontier
5# of EastWind smooth peanut butter
Seitenbacher Vegetable broth powder
6# of organic mung beans for sprouting
10# of Red Star Nutritional Yeast
8# of organic green lentils for sprouting & soup~ing
25# of organic walnuts
25# of Newman's organic dog food
Pure Planet Just Barley powder~organic
Pines Wheat Grass Powder~organic
13# of organic raw shelled Brazil nuts


Thanks be to God for his provision....

Work & Farmer's Market

Today was a busy one...off early this morning to work. I had a close friend help me clean and I am glad she was there. We were able to do an 8 hr day in 4 hrs...then off to pick up a tie out for our dog. I had to go to a couple of pet stores to accomplish this task and on my way home I spied one of our local Farmer's Markets. I had to check it out. This was my first visit to this particular one this season. The first stand I came to had organic signs up!! Cool! We chatted for a while and I got a couple business cards to share with our co op groups. I purchased about 5-6 pounds of roma tomatoes, a basket of purple green beans, a jumbo zuchinni & 4 medium size cukes for juicing, some jalapeno's, and a watermelon & peaches from an Amish farmer. He was generous and threw a few extras in my bag.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS!!!

I also stopped by our local grocer and purchased some blueberries, grapefruits, romaine lettuce and red onions.
Dashed home to pick up my daughter and then we were off to Karate.
After a brief stop at Kroger to pick up some Coconut Milk Ice cream we headed home.
We are sweltering here in Indy..it was supposed to hit 110 degree heat index...not sure, but I think we made it.

My eats consisted of mostly smoothies, juices and blended soups....I did have a bit of the coconut milk ice cream...mmmmmmmmmm....dairy free, gluten free and sugar free...it is sweetened with agave...

Raw Food Benefit: Improved Digestion and Elimination

I just read this article ~Raw Food Benefit: Improved Digestion and Elimination.
This article is from Raw People. It will give you a general idea why you should eat raw for your digestion and eliminatory systems. If you are riding the fence about incorporating a raw foods into your diet, here is another reason why you should.

Visiting with my Daughter and Food Combining/Elimination Diet

My daughter has been here since Saturday morning.  She has been busy most of the time trying to stretch herself in many directions.  My son in law arrived late last night, so today was the day to visit with them and have some family time.  After cleaning ourselves up this morning we hit the door....dining out and shopping.
What fun!!!
The last couple of times they were here we went to Olive Garden.  It seems to be the best place for fellowship....most restaurants now have T.V's ... loud music and are too busy....too many distractions...we were able to sit at a circular table and really connect with everyone there.
It was a happy day!!!
Now they are off to the Windy City for a couple days and will pass back through on their way home.
I truly love my son in law and am so thankful he is part of our family. 

**************************

I have really been experiencing some good results from my liquid diet and I am identifying some issues that I have...one of the main things I need to do is adhere to proper food combining principals.  I have been reading Brian Clements book, "Living Foods for Optimum Health".  This  book has a great Food Combining Chart , step by step instructions, lifestyle suggestions, and more than 100 healthful recipes for a living food diet.   I love the way he and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo write.  It is an easy read.  It is not super technical but gives you enough information to help you understand the why, and the how to take control of your health. Good read... educate yourself...
I have read Many books on health and nutrition and I am finding this book still has more to offer and many good reminders of things I have already learned.




Today I did go off of my liquidy adventure as my daughter and hubs were here. 
so here is what I ate today~

I had a green smoothie and  2 green juices before lunch.

Then at the restaurant I ate some lettuce, tomato, olive, onion salad, no croutons, a side order of steamed zuchinni and two small fried zuchinni slices.

 Later I had another green smoothie

a fresh tomato sliced on romaine lettuce leaves with a bit of Vegenasise~my version of a LTMayo sandwich

some fresh lemonade with stevia and some air popped lady finger popcorn (organic).
 
This popcorn ,is an extemely small and delicate HULLESS popcorn...it has never bothered my tummy...I love this stuff.  I get mine from the Amish family that provides our CSA.  I sprinkle it with nutritional yeast , no soy vegan buttery spread from Earth Balance and Himalyan Salt.

Overall, I feel good about my cheat day. I decided ahead of time that I would modify my liquid diet today since we were going out with my daughter and her hub.  Therefore I was not stressed about what or where to eat today.  I did carry a cooler full of smoothies and green juices if the need arose.  I did not experience any digestive distress with the choices I made.
Tomorrow I am going to drink a lot of liquids and smoothies and maybe some fresh fruit and more fresh tomatoes (thanks to our neighbor for sharing).  I am going to continue to try to limit my diet and discover any other triggers that create any type of distress.   You could say this a version of an elimination diet.

Land of Liquids....

It is another day of liquids...I made several yummy things this morning..

Berry Smooth Smoothie

Blueberries

Blackberries

Strawberries

Frozen Mango

Spinach

ginger

water

this made 4 pints

Green Juice

5 bunches of celery

5 granny smith apples

2 large cucumbers

2 large pieces of ginger

1 c lemon juice

stevia

this made one gallon of juice

Pictured above is my Green Soup~Strawberry Lemonade~Raw Almond Milk

Green Soup

1 Avocado

4 small vine ripe tomatoes

1/2 red and green bell pepper

4 radishes

1 good size red jalapeno

3 baby carrots

4 celery stalks

stuffed the rest of the large Vita Mix container with romaine lettuce

added yesterdays' leftover green soup~about 1 1/2 c.

splash of lemon juice

Blend until smooth..this made 2 quarts

Watermelon Smoothie

1/2 of a small watermelon

Blended....making 6 cups

I probably will not get all of this consumed today....but it will be a good start on tomorrow...Busy Day planned...it will be my last day with my daughter for a while.

So far today I've had:

water

12 oz of green juice

smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, maca, cacao nibs, ice

1 qt of green soup

1 pint of Tummy soothing smoothie

I'll be drinking more of the above as the day goes on.........

have a good one!

Another Juicy Day

Yesterday,  I began a Juicy/Liquid adventure to give my digestion a break and promote some healing.
Today when I got out of bed I could definitely tell a difference in my gut.  I didn't realize how bloated and how much pain I have been in for some time now.  I guess I got used to a certain level of discomfort.  To most people they would say I eat a healthy diet...but some things do not agree with me and do not promote optimal gut health in my case. 
a couple of the things I've indulged in are...a piece of Panera whole grain baguette with my salad topped with goat cheese, a piece of Amy's no cheese pizza...raw brownies (nuts & dates combo and I don't always agree) these things were not consumed on the same day..but a little here a little there.....You know,  I think I've written a similar post before....there is a pattern here....this is one great thing about blogging..I can see patterns because there is a record .
I haven't had time to record my daily eats, so it is hard to think back to remember if there were any other items....oh yeah...a few handfuls of healthy (?) potato chips~the ones you get at the health food store..Right!
I knew they weren't healthy...but I wasn't feeling bad..so I chose to eat a few...
I share this because I know other people with similar  issues and how hard it is for them to stick to it...you get to feeling good and you think~oh, a little won't hurt.... what I have experienced is that a little does hurt...it is accumulative...maybe I don't hurt the first time...maybe not even the second time...it is just a gradual internal inflammation that starts so small sometimes that I get used to it...maybe a little discomfort at first and then a little again....until the big pain occurs and then it becomes frequent and then I have to begin again...
If this is where you are...don't give up... and you are not a loser...it is a process....one that I hope will not occur repeatedly in my life. 
My condition at this point is a functional disorder.(functional means I can function, but sometimes it is painful or I may not enjoy what I am doing because of the discomfort it causes..certain activities do cease)...but I would like it to go away...and that means that I must stick to the program...High raw...lots of juices..wilted salads, very few nuts, smoothies and blended raw soups and seeds (I will be experimenting with sprouted tortilla's in a couple of weeks when my Daiya cheese arrives..I'll post the verdict)

I had planned on only consuming liquids, but my daughter is here from Tennessee and I don't have as much time as I'd hoped to have.  Therefore, I have decided to eat a little fresh fruit in between juices and smoothies and raw soups.

Today's drinks~

smoothie~
raw almond milk
banana
maca
cacao nibs
ice

cantaloupe~mushed up in my mouth....didn't have time or the desire to place it in the blender
my daughter is here from Tennessee for a short visit..


24 oz of Green Lemonade~celery, swiss chard, ginger, lemon, stevia
After my 35 min power walk/run in the heat this was delicious!

My three children and I enjoyed hanging out on the lake today on our pontoon...fun in the sun.
A good friend of our daughters' joined us.

I took a smoothie and a red ruby grapefruit

I ate the grapefruit...yummy

here is the recipe for the smoothie I had on the boat

Tummy Soothing Smoothie
1 c. water
1 banana
frozen mango
ginger
this made 2 pints...I drank one and am saving the other for tomorrow


Strawberry Lemonade~this recipe was inspired by my oldest daughter from TN

1 pint of strawberries
1 c. of lemon juice
blend this until smooth and then
add:
5 squirts of liquid stevia
enough water to make 3 quarts

I had a couple glasses of this today


Cantaloupe Smoothie

cantaloupe
ice
to make 12 oz


Green Soup of the Day

In my Vita Mix & in this order I placed
1 avocado-pitted
1 red jalapeno with seeds
1 large yellow/red striped heirloom tomato~quartered
2-3 celery stalks roughly chopped
I stuffed romaine lettuce on top of this to fill to the top of my Vita Mix
splash of 100% organic lemon juice
blend until smooth

This soup is delicious.  It made about 3 1/2 cups...so I'm saving 1/2 of it for tomorrow

I'm checking out of my blog for today...but if I have anything else tonight it will be one of the above liquid items posted

Liquids Please

Thanks to Penni Shelton of Raw Food Rehab for inspiring me to go liquid....

Today I've had:

smoothie~
raw almond milk
1 banana
1 T raw cacao nibs
1 heaping t. of chia seeds
1 t. maca
ice
this made 2 cups

Green lemonade (12 oz)
celery, swiss chard, lemon, ginger, stevia

smoothie
4 small vine ripe tomatoes
2 large celery stalks
Bragg's Liquid Aminos
cayenne pepper
allspice
this made about 2 1/2 cups

smoothie
1 orange peeled
2 c. of frozen tropical fruite blend~mango, papaya, pineapple, strawberry
1/2 frozen banana
3 large handfuls of spinach
coconut water
this made about 1 1/2 quarts~I drank 1/2 of this

Green Lemonade (same as above)

Smoothie  to take to the tennis courts~I'm playing with my daughter
1/2 c. coconut water
1 container of alfalafa sprouts
handful of romaine lettuce
large handful of strawberries
splash of lemon juice
ice
almost made 1 quart

For some reason the alfalfa sprouts are distressing my digestive system....uggg!!!
Every time I make a smoothie with them, this happens...so I won't be doing it again.
Previously I've been making smoothies with the sprouts and green powders...I thought the powders where causing the problem....NOT!  I am glad to be aware of this....finally.
Sometimes it is hard to determine what foods trigger symptoms.....elimination diets are the best way to find them out.

Besides Penni inspiration.... the digestive distress I have been having moved me to jump on board.  I was tired of the bloating and the pain....I wanted some relief and knew that a liquid diet would provide this.  I felt great all day, until I added the sprouts.....Now this issue will be resolved for future days....
If you have been reading for awhile, you know that I purchased a bulk of sprouts...and since then I've been dealing with the pain & bloating...just because something is supposed to be good for you, doesn't mean it is good for YOU.  We are all unique individuals with our own weaknesses.
 It has been a process of discovery for me, when I pay attention to my body and what I am eating I have been able to figure things out.  BE MINDFUL......when you eat and how you feel.....


Lemonade~
lemon juice
liquid stevia
cold water and a straw........

Weekly CSA Share~

1 cantaloupe
1 bag of yellow squash
3 heirloom tomatoes
1 eggplant
1 pint of blackberries
3 cucumbers
4 red bell peppers
6~bell peppers (called 2nd's~these are sunburned...but you just cut it off and they are good)
basil
cutting celery
lemon balm
Hot peppers

My husband and I did our share of volunteer work today.  I like to be there first thing, prior to the trucks arriving...we get everything set up and in order and then unload the truck...after that we divide orders, label, them and do some filing.  It is actually a lot of fun working together to help to make our CSA run smoothly.

After our morning work we had lunch at Chipotle.  This is our favorite out to eat place.  We both had a veggie salad with guacamole. 
Then to the store to pick up a few incidentals....romaine lettuce, a couple watermelon, gala apples and some strawberries.

Now I am off to my home gym....making time with Tony Horton and P90X.