Here She Goes Again! 92 Days of Juice Feasting!

Those who know me know that I am a doer.  When an idea inspires me, I'm off and running.  I don't spend time thinking and pondering and contemplating.... I just go! I also have a tendency to tell people about it.  Knowing that people are "watching" me is a great accountability measure.  I attribute much of the success of my Clean Eating Quest (Oct 19, 2011 - October 19, 2012) to just letting people know that I was doing it.

Now that I've planted that little seed, let's talk about juicing.  I currently juice a couple of times each week, just for variety in  my diet.  Mostly,  my diet consists of green fruit smoothies, huge, satisfying salads and some nuts and seeds. Early on in my healthful pursuit, someone asked me if I was into juicing.  The answer was no.  Up to that point, the research I'd done wagged it's finger at juicing, shouting "too much sugar!!  You need fiber!"  So I stuck to whole foods, smoothies loaded with nutrients and fiber and juice just occasionally.  Since then (17 months ago), I've learned a tad more - and my perspective has changed.  Fruit and whole fruit juice are not the devil.  While they do have a heavy sugar content, it is natural sugar.  Therefore, my body knows exactly how to process it and use it.

I've done juice fasts before.  Several years ago, I did a 30 day fast.  Though, at that time,  it had nothing to do with my physical health.  Rather, my spiritual life.  Just prior to Christmas this year, I did a 10 day juice fast - this time for health!  I wanted to reboot my system and eradicate any and all cravings and addictions that were tempting me - particularly because Christmas (the season of  endless eating!) was coming.

While I make wise food choices that vast majority of the time, I am human!  So there is an occasional taste of this, or indulgence in that.  It's amazing how fast addictions and cravings can return when you open the door - even just a crack.

Unfortunately, my 10 day juice fast before Christmas didn't have the lasting effect I'd hoped it would.  The cravings and temptations still popped up now and again, so I moved on - back to my mostly raw vegan lifestyle and my occasional indulgences.  Three months later, I'm really feeling the need for a total system reboot! A new goal!  A new challenge!  (Because training for my first 1/2 marathon isn't enough...)

Juice Feasting  is done for varied lengths of time; 2 weeks, 1 month, 60 days.... I'm shooting for a 92 day juice feast.  (juicefeasting.com)  Feasting on fresh, juiced fruits and veggies for 92 days has the power to regenerate every cell in my body and release toxins that have been stored up since elementary school.  A feast of this length is not common, but it has been highly researched and achieved by many.  After devouring every bit of information I could from juicefeasting.com and rebootwithjoe.com, I've decided to go for it.  Today, March 9, 2013, is DAY 1 !!

I am not expecting this to be easy.  But like my first quest, I have no doubt that it will be worth it!  I am not the same girl that I was 17 months ago.  I will, do doubt, be different once again in on June 8th, when my feast reaches completion.

Certainly one of the greatest struggles will be the constant presence of food in my environment.  I hoped my family would agree to not eat for the next 3 months, but they declined - as did my friends and co-workers.  Darn.  But I see that as a simple issue of resolve - as it was when I gave up sugar, bread and all processed food.  There are, however, a few specific "obstacles" that are in the forefront of my mind.

1. Cost.  YES!  This will be costly.  But I am willing to give up other things for a while in order to complete this task.  It will be worth it!

2. Social Situations.  This won't be a problem for ME - but it tends to be a problem for others.  They "just feel so bad for me" - not being able to eat with them.  Trust me when I say, I don't consider this to be a sacrifice.   I can go out with friends and enjoy a cup of tea or glass of water while they eat.  It's no big deal.  I've been EATING (and eating and eating and eating) for 41 years.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to miss any once-in-a-lifetime eating opportunities over the next 92 days. :)

3. Time.  I'm going to have to start getting up earlier.  Ugh!

One thing I'm NOT concerned about: Being hungry.  This is a juice FEAST!  If I'm hungry, I'll simply drink more! :)

Here is how you can help me, if you're so inclined.  Pray for me!  Ask me how it's going once in a while.  Be my cheerleader. :)

I'm hoping to blog regularly over the next 92 days.  I'd love to promise that I'll blog every day, but it's just not realistic.  I'll do my best to stay current.

Thanks, in advance, for your support!

One Year Later... I DID IT!!

One year ago  I turned 40!  The “I’m getting old” thing didn’t strike me as depressing… but being 40 and fat did!  Last year, on October 19^th, I weighed ……..182 pounds!!!  It’s true!  I was wearing solid 16’s and felt like crap.

I decided I needed to do something major;  a one year goal that I would devote myself to until my 41^st birthday.  My CLEAN EATING QUEST.

 *My immediate objectives were:

·         *Eliminate all processed food!

·         *Eliminate sugar in all its forms (except raw or frozen fruit)

·         Read something every day that would teach me how to care for this body of mine

Then, in order to increase my chances of success, I told everyone.  Most people said “good for you!”.  Some said “that’s a pretty big goal.  Maybe you should just try moderation so that it’s actually achievable”.  And I’m sure many (myself included) thought.. “here she goes again.”

I am SO PROUD to report that I STUCK WITH MY QUEST for the full year!  I now weigh 140 (a 42 pound loss!) and I comfortably wear a size 8/10.

I have some pretty hideous “before” pictures of me in my underwear last October.  (My poor daughter, having been forced to take my photo, is still in counseling).  You’d be amazed at those before and after pictures!  But I’m just not bold enough to show them to the world.  Instead, I’ve included a picture of me at Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) in my birthday crown last year and another picture of me at Grand Hotel last week.    

My Journey….

I immediately conquered my first three objectives.  I cut out sugar and processed foods cold turkey!  It wasn’t nearly as hard as I’d imagined.  I focused on eating foods in their most natural form.  I really focused on getting my mind trained for this QUEST.  I knew I wouldn’t be happy munching on celery and carrots for a year!  I needed to learn what else was out there that was good for me, that I could learn how to prepare.  (As a result, I now regularly consume hemp seed, quinoa, coconut oil, bee pollen.)  I hoped that the more I learned, the less desire I’d have to eat crap.  Friends, THAT was the key to my success!  Not only did I make it through my year long quest – I have gone far beyond where I imagined I would, and can’t imagine every going back!  You truly don’t know what you don’t know!!

As I studied and soaked up information, I’d make decisions to test various philosophies to determine if they were true for me.  For example, I read a lot about wheat and gluten and their negative effects on the body.  I was tested a few years ago for celiac disease.  It came back negative.  But after reading so much about this, I decided to eliminate all wheat, bread, pasta, crackers, etc.. from my diet.  I continued this for 2 months.  After two months, I reintroduced some whole grain pasta into my diet.  The negative results were immediate!  I was in pain!  So clearly my body prefers to abstain from those things.

The other major change that I made was to eliminate animal products from my diet.  The research is overwhelming!  Animal products are killing us  “BUT WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN?!?”  I don’t believe our bodies need NEAR the amount of protein that we hear about.  But even if we did, do you have any idea how much protein is in leafy greens?  MORE THAN ENOUGH!  I also eat nuts and seeds daily – but in moderation.

I’m not perfect!  Every once in a while I’ll indulge in a little cheat.  But my diet is now completely plant based, free of sugar and processed foods, and 80% raw.  I feel great!  This is no longer a “diet” for me – it’s truly a lifestyle!

While the year has come to an end, and my QUEST has been accomplished,  I feel that I’m really just beginning.  I had so much fun on my QUEST, I’ve decided to do it again.  This year, I’ll focus on fitness.  I don’t know exactly what that will look like yet – but I have decided it will include a half marathon in April!  (My son thinks a marathon next October.  We’ll see… J)

To those of you who have been a constant support for me this year, THANK YOU!  I think my children have been my greatest cheerleaders!  They’ve joined me on this journey, along with my husband, and have endured much!  As a family, we now have green smoothies every morning!  They try every new vegan recipe that I make, and generally find positive things to say about them!  I’m so grateful for the support!!

HOORAY!!!

More Before & After Pix...

 

Zucchini "pasta" Bake

I'm amazed at the bounty my garden is producing already!  In the last 3 days, we've harvested 10 or 12 zucchini!  They are beautiful - and I'm so proud that the are growing in my yard!  

At church yesterday, I was talking to a friend who is quite an accomplished backyard gardener and she told me about a way that she utilizes her abundance of zucchini.  Beth makes a type of lasagna using thin slices of zucchini, layered with spaghetti noodles, tomatoes, garlic and lots of motz!  Well, I don't currently do pasta, and will never do mozzarella.  But the basic idea sounded delish!  So I adapted!  Fortunately, my wonderful husband surprised me late last week with the spiralizer I've been wanting.  A spiralizer, by the way, reminds me of the little playdough toy that allows you to make hair.  Basically, you just push your zucchini through this simple gadget and "noodles" come out the other end. SO FAST, SO EASY, SO CREATIVE & very cheap!  (About $40 on Amazon)

*** You do not have to have a spiralizer to make this!  The spiralizer makes the zucchini fun and appetizing, but you can just slice and layer your zucchini.  OR if you do pasta, use pasta!  (No need to cook it first!  The zucchini and tomatoes produce plenty of moisture in this recipe.  The noodles will cook while they bake).  Of course, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I didn't remind you that "white ain't right"!!  Eat whole grain pasta!  

Most importantly, NEVER FORGET - this is your kitchen, so you can do whatever you want!  This is a basic template for you!  Use what you have and what you love!  There is no right or wrong!

Don't you just want to devour this!!

Ingredients:

4-5 zucchini

4-5 tomatoes

red onion - as much as you like!

Fresh basil

Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Mushrooms (I used portabello)

Pasta Sauce

Oregano (fresh or dried)

Process:

Pour a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan.  

Using the spiralizer, process 4-5 zucchini.  Place a layer of zucchini noodles over the pasta sauce.

Thinly slice tomatoes and layer over the noodles.  Slice onions (I like long arcs!), and mushrooms and layer over tomatoes.  Chop fresh garlic (as much as you like!) and sprinkle over top.  Sprinkle with fresh basil and oregano.  Add another layer of pasta sauce and repeat the whole process.  Because I am basically vegan, I would only sprinkle a small amount of Parmesan over the top before baking.  My family, on the other hand, LOVES cheese, so you can see by the photo that I kept them happy by sprinkling cheddar over 1/2 the casserole.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  This recipe will produce a great deal of liquid!  I just scooped the food right up out of the liquid and served it.  When it was time to store the leftovers in the fridge, I poured the "juice" into a container.  Afterall, it is loaded with nutrients!  The next day I drank it like V-8 juice.  Yum!!  My family (even my mountain dew and Dorrito eating son) really enjoyed this recipe!

IF YOU EAT A RAW DIET... this is just as awesome raw! As a raw dish, I skip the pasta sauce and instead, create my own fresh pasta sauce using just tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic and a food processor.  Cooking does remove a substantial portion of the nutrients of these wonderful veggies.  Don't be afraid to try it raw sometime!

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Enjoy life's bounty!

I'm in love.... with Banana Porridge!!

It's been a quite a while since my last post!  I have a great excuse, though!  My first born graduated a couple of weeks ago.  (I'm so proud of him!)  But end of the year... graduation... grad party.... take a lot of time and energy!  Thus... no post for a while.

I am happy to report, however, that I have not strayed from my QUEST!  My self-education continues and I'm feeling so empowered to take control of my health!
To date, I have shed 40 pounds!

As I continue to research a plant based diet, I've encountered Dr. Douglas Graham and his 80/10/10 philosophy.  He teaches that 80% of our diet should be carbs, primarily in the form of fruits and also some leafy greens.  NO MORE than 10% should be fat.  (By the way, on a 2000 calorie diet, 10% fat would be just 14 almonds!) NO MORE than 10% should be protein.  While we're constantly being told to eat more protein, our bodies only need a certain amount.  (About 6-7% of total calories, actually)  Beyond that, our bodies don't know how to process the excess protein or what to do with it.  This is a vegan, low fat, ALL RAW diet!  It's not too far off from what I've been doing the past few months - so I've decided to give it a try for the summer; Memorial Day  through Labor Day.  I'm looking for some very specific changes/improvements to my health.  I'll be sure to report the results and I continue through the summer!

BANANA PORRIDGE is an 80/10/10 recipe that I stumbled upon recently.  It is so delicious and easy - and my family loves it too!

You'll need to make banana milk!
2 frozen bananas
1 cup of water (or so... add more to get a think milk consistency)
4-6 dates (soaked for 20 min first)
cinnamon to taste

Put all of these ingredients in a high speed blender and let it zip along until you have a thick, creamy milk consistency.  The dates are optional - but I always have dates in my house, so I use them for extra sweetness!

Next...

Chop up bananas into small pieces (I used about 6 bananas to feed three people today)
Chop up any other fruit that you have.  Today, I used fresh Michigan strawberries (because I bought 2 flats yesterday!), and some organic apricots that I needed to use up.
Mix all in a bowl and pour "milk" over it.  Eat with a spoon like cereal.  YUMMMMMMMY!!!

And now... I'm off to the beach with my kids!  I'm taking Friday's off this summer and have declared every Friday  BEACH FRIDAY!  As a super exciting side note... my bathing suit from last year is HUGE!  So, my 15 year old daughter gave me her bathing suit top from last year.  She is a tiny, athletic little thing, so I'm feeling awesome that I can comfortably wear her top!  Her bottoms will NEVER fit me! lol  So for the time being, I've pinned mine.

Bring on the Artichokes!

Tonight I was craving something with a "gourmet" feel.  Something easy, of course - as I'm not an accomplished chef! Far from it, in fact!!  But something to change up my smoothie/salad routine.  I started flipping through my Moosewood Cookbook and found just the thing!!  GREEK PIZZA!  It was delicious AND easy! 

Here's the recipe:

Topping

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
3 T water
4 tsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves (or more!)
5 cups fresh spinach
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup fresh chopped tomatoes
1 jar (or can) artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 cup feta or asiago cheese (I used feta - and only about 1/2 cup)

Dough:
Anything you want!  I used  gluten free, wheat free rice tortillas.  But you could use any crust you prefer.

In food processor, puree the chickpeas, water, lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, 1 T olive oil and salt.  Add more lemon juice or salt to taste.

In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the garlic and mushrooms in 1 T olive oil for just a moment, before adding spinach.  Cook for a minute or two, until the spinach has just wilted and is still a beautiful bright green.  Place in colander to drain.

Spritz a bit of olive oil on back of crust and place on pizza stone, or cookie sheet.

Spread the chickpea puree over the crust and top with spinach, tomatoes and artichoke hearts.  Sprinkle with oregano, pepper and cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

I found that this amount of ingredients made 3 tortilla sized pizzas.  I could only eat one!  It was very satisfying!!  To me, the artichokes are what made it divine!  They were perfect on this little pizza!!  Give this recipe a try!  I know you're going to love it!!

Keep in mind, this is YOUR pizza!  You can make it any way you want! 

Chocolate Coma!!!!

Today I made a 10 minute recipe that was so rich and decadent, it nearly put me in a coma!!  My taste tester, Sophie, enjoyed as well (as evidenced by the photo below!)

This recipe could not be more simple and full of raw nutrients!







Raw Cinnamon Brownies (courtesy of Kristen Suzanne)

Yield one 8×8 glass baking dish (12 to 16 brownies)

• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• Pinch Himalayan crystal salt (or regular salt, if you're not a hippie like me!)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more)
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 12 to 15 soft medjool dates, pitted

Frosting

 

2 T cocoa pdr

2 ½ T agave (or honey)

2 tsp vanilla

1 avocado

Dash salt

Dash cinnamon

Beat with hand mixer to ensure all avocado is blended and invisible.  (I promise!!  It will not taste like avocado!!)

Using a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, grind the seeds, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, and chocolate powder to a coarse grind. Add the dates. Process until it starts to stick together. Press into an 8×8 glass baking dish.  Top with frosting.  Enjoy!  (Keep it in the fridge until they're gone.  It won't take long!)