Still drinking juice...

I am... really... every day.  LOL  I am just at the end of a month and am relying on what I have in the house to sustain us to a payday.  I have apples, carrots, plums, grapes, limes, lemons, beets and oranges and a grapefruit left.  I used the grapefruit, two oranges, two apples, two plums and purple seedless grapes this morning.  Over the next few days I will make a plain apple juice to use  up the apples left and might have to try a lemonade or limeade or a combination of the two as a treat for girlie weekend.  My daughter and I are doing a women's retreat together and might need to enjoy some lemonade for movie night on Saturday before the guys come in from their events.  

Here is today's picture... complete with my favorite jar glass.  

Day 13... Apples and Pears

Got a little swamped yesterday so I did not post but I had one of my favorite breakfast smoothies that I posted the recipe for on SparkPeople.com.  It has a five star rating from fellow sparkers!  How cool is that?

Today's recipe...

2 organic Gala apples

2 organic Granny Smith Apples

2 organic pears

Love the golden color of this one... such a fresh apple juice taste!

If I had some sparkling water it would have been nice in this one as a spritzer.

Day 11... Breakfast for Dinner

 It has been so warm this week and we are eating smaller meals already in the evenings.

This evening we had a banana/pecan encrusted French toast with homemade syrup.

I simply dredge bread in a mix of egg, mashed banana, whipping cream and a pinch of nutmeg and then dredge it in finely chopped pecans.  I use a cast iron skillet with coconut oil to cook it and then finish them off in a warming oven to keep them warm for service.

 Tonight's juice that we served with the French toast...

4 organic apples cored and seeded

a pint of strawberries with tops cut off

blueberries

2 plums pitted

Another winner!

 Note the frothy top of the fresh juice.  It is normal to have that.

Day 10 and Tea Season...

 I am huge tea drinker in the summer months.  I quit drinking sweet tea years ago but still indulged in the caffeine varieties but that is changing.  I have found a great alternative... Celestial Seasonings Fruit Zingers are fabulous!  I have been drinking them for years but now they will be on my daily tea agenda through the summer months.  I made the Raspberry Zinger today... YUM!

Today's juice recipe...

4 organic apples cored and seeded

1 orange peeled and seeded

2 plums pitted

1 small box of blueberries

On fruits like pears, plums and apples I leave the skins on when putting them in the juicer.

Perfect on this warm spring day!

Day 9... The Citrus Blend

Today's recipe...

1 large grapefruit peeled and seeded

2 oranges peeled and seeded

1/4th of a pineapple peeled and cored

I shared this one with my oldest and we both chugged it... it was delicious and full of vitamin C

Day 7.... a Savory Juice

Today's juice consisted of the following...

2 carrots

4 tomatoes

2 celery stalks with leaves

1 large bunch of parsley

a bit of onion

This recipe made 2 cups of juice and Dan and I shared it.

Dan seems to be troubled that he can taste the fact that I have not been peeling the carrots even though they are organic and scrubbed thoroughly before use.  Next time I make one for him I will peel the carrots.  For me this was adequate.  I have to say that my sweet tooth prefers the fruit to the veggies but it was not bad.  I would love to find a blend that is more like a V8 juice because I do love V8.  :)

For day 6 I did the same juice as day five except I used grapefruit instead of oranges and it was still good but not as nice as day 5's blend.  

This next week I will be trying my hand at a combination of juicing and blending for some new tastes.

Day 5... BEETS

I do believe this is my favorite one so far!

Today's recipe

2 medium sized organic apples

1 orange peeled and seeded

1/2 an organic beet washed and peeled

Is anyone else juicing?  

Let me know your favorite recipe please and 

I would be delighted to try that and share it here... 

with credit to you of course!  :)

I am also four days out from completing that 21 day Daniel Fast.

Because my protein level was noticeably low I have had two days where I put a lean protein in to kick it back up.  When protein is low you will have several marked symptoms.  My hands and feet began to swell some and I was retaining a lot of water.  I was also feeling that "slumped over tired" fatigue feeling a little. I do not feel I could be a vegan but to be more vegetarian with eggs as an option might work for me more than the vegan diet.

I do love a bit of fish or fowl from time to time, too.  I can definitely tell you that my diet will be much different than it was before I began this journey.  I feel so much better.  My fibromyalgia has been getting better and better with lessened symptoms each week.  I know it is still there but it is so much more manageable on this new way of eating.

I have been tracking calories at SparkPeople.com to make sure I was getting enough each day.  It is hard to keep up calories eating only fruits, veggies and grains.  I am looking forward to that scrambled egg on Sunday morning with the kiddos.  There might be a cuppa hot tea, too.  ;-)

for more experimenting with beets in juice try this page!

Day 4... Juice for three

 Today was about a liquid diet for my girlie.  

She had a huge molar pulled and has not been able 

to eat yet so we went with Boost supplements, 

juices and broths all at room temperature.

Today's recipe was...

2 apples

2 pears

6 carrots

enough for three large juice glasses full.

Day 3... a smoothie

Today's Smoothie is my traditional with an extra pear added.  My standard is a blender full of spinach or kale and two bananas, one apple and 16 ounces of water.  To that I added an extra pear today.  It fills a Nalgene and then lasts me throughout the day when I get a hunger craving or just all at once for breakfast if I wake really hungry.  LOL

 Green goodness...

No dyes, chemicals or preservatives!

Straight up healthy and delicious!!!

Juicing Day 2...

Today's juice recipe...

1 pink grapefruit

1/4 of a pineapple

That is all... simple and delicious!

I am starting more simple to test combinations.

My understanding of juicing is that you are basically safe to use apple and carrot as your base for both fruit and veggie juices.

Here are some links I am considering as I go...

Juicing Tips

Juicing 101 Getting Started

Juicing for Beginners

30 Juice Recipes for 30 Days

More Juicing Tips and Recipes

30 Days of...

Day one 

started with a lovely simple juice...

6 carrots

2 Gala apples

1/2 of a pineapple

8 strawberries

We had this with breakfast and five of us  had a small glass of juice.

Over the next month I will be using the blender and the juicer to make a variety of fruit and vegetable concoctions.  I will try and remember to take a picture and share a recipe each day from what I did.  I will use some other resources some days and just experiment on other days.  The goal is to just add more fruits and veggies to the diet through this medium of preparation.

If you would like to join us or share a favorite smoothie or juice please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know you are joining or sharing.  

I have purchased a variety of fruits and veggies to get started...

grapefruit

oranges

apples

pears

carrots

celery

pineapple

lemons

limes

greens

strawberries

blueberries

ginger root

Some things I will be getting as I go...

beets
grapes
melons

cucumber

tomatoes

cilantro

parsley

mint

and other things I discover along the way.

So, let's get started! 

*RAISES GLASS*  

Here's to our health!

Stay tuned for lots of yummy healthy blogging!  :)

End of week 2...

I have come to the end of the second week of the fast.  I am feeling good and the detox has passed.  I have been off all fibromyalgia meds for all 14 days, too.  The only thing I find physically challenging at this point is the lack of protein.  I do not eat soy and so tofu and soy options have not been something I can rely upon to fill the gap.  I have upped the bean, nut and seed intake but still find it very difficult to hit 60 grams per day.  I don't think I have hit it in the two weeks previous...

I am feeling the effects of it... puffiness and tiredness.  I am looking forward to eating some lean meat and eggs again but things will definitely be different when I go back to a regular diet.  I am thinking cheese will not be a regular anymore.  The sugar and caffeine will be very scarce, too.  I like the amount of fiber and the way the fresh fruits and veggies make me feel.  I started juicing this week some, too.  I got a free juicer from a friend who was willing to clear it out of their way.  It is magnificent!  It is a big Jack LaLanne juicer.  Praising God for the freebie!

Love that it comes with a book to do more than juice with it, too!

Winding up for week three!

Raw Foods Fermentation Class...

 Here is the table set up for our Kimchi lab.  You will see the bowl of veggies and cabbage for the slaw and the crock for the Kimchi.  The container next to that is the Kombucha jar.  The machine at the far right end is her dehydrator.  She will be offering a dehydrator class sometime I am hoping.

 This is what is called a SCOBY...  Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast 

Here is a cool link that tells more about this Kombucha thing and the SCOBY

 This is the Kimchi crock up close and personal.  The thing in the top is the "weight" that keeps the concoction of cabbage and veggies, spices and herbs under liquid during the fermenting process.  

 Another photo of a crock and work station for our class.

 Here is the mixture that went into the crock before sealing it up to ferment.  This process takes weeks to complete.

 Oh, YUM... a jar of chilled Kombucha ready to enjoy during the workshop.

 Here is nice hummus we had during one of our breaks.

 Here is another spread we had on raw dried crackers

 A nut cheese we enjoyed.  For the cheeses we basically soaked and pureed nuts and added probiotics and set in a cheesecloth to drain the liquid over a day or so and then shape and garnish for service.

 Here is the finished sauerkraut being put into jars.  This was one they made ahead to send home with us.  We made one to replace this for them and it would take about a week to ferment.

 More nut cheeses garnished and ready to enjoy

 and another tray of nut raw vegan cheeses

 Our lunch spread.... complete with raw vegan dried patties made with mushrooms, nuts and a variety of herbs and spices.  A little salty for me but that is fixable.  

 Our Fruit Kimchi mixture and then we put it in jars to take home and ferment

on the counter.

 

We finished the day with a latte made with coffee and almond milk and these delightful raw vegan cookies made with lemon and coconut.  These were fabulous.  The recipe is on the website for the Raw Food Rules group that offered this class.  They have lots of other great recipes to try, too... check them out here!

Mango Salsa...

or Pineapple Salsa... I make them the same but use either pineapple or mango that is in season.  The above photo is the pineapple version.  I don't use exact measurements for this.  I make until I love it and then eat it on chips or pork or chicken or whatever I feel like eating it on.  

Start with your main ingredient... pineapple or mango

then add to that

red onion

cilantro

lime juice

kiwi or strawberry

small amount of chopped chipotle peppers (I buy the canned chipotle for this and use it sparingly unless you like lots of heat)

add a little honey or agave nectar

salt and pepper to taste

Almond Milk... and CHEEEEEESE

I spent some time this morning putting together a few raw items to help me stay on the healthier track.  I am not sure if all of you know that I have lost about 27-28 pounds over the last 18 months.  It has been slow coming off but it has been the little changes that have made all the difference and I feel so much better than I did.  I still have about 12 pounds left to shed to hit goal weight.  One of things I am beginning to incorporate more and more is some vegan and raw vegan menu items.  As summer approaches it is so much easier to eat this way naturally.  

One of those changes is getting off of dairy.  I have the lactose issues and it has just made me feel better to drink non-dairy alternatives.  I have been buying them...

The thing about these is that there is often sugar added and chemicals to keep it from going bad.  They are great in a pinch and taste great, too, but when there is an opportunity to make it fresh I think I will take advantage of that from now on.  I got to enjoy the fresh stuff at that workshop I attended on Saturday and I am hooked!  It is delicious!!!

I made a sweeter version this morning using vanilla and raw agave to enjoy with my granola and as a treat when I need a little sweetness in my coffee or just a glass of "milk" for whatever reason.  Here is my stash...

Here is the "cheese" spread I made this morning to have on my raw crackers I will be making later.

Almond Cheese

2 cups nut pulp
1/2 to 1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch dill, cilantro, or other herbs for flavor
1 clove garlic

You can also add onion or bell pepper/red bell pepper.  I just happened not to have those on hand right now because I need a grocery run soon!  ;)

Blend all ingredients until smooth (in a blender or food processor). Use as a soft cheese dip, spread, or you can dehydrate it for a more solid cheese.  Use a cheese cloth to shape it for drying if you like.

My next project, after I get some real work done around here, is to clean up my dehydrators and start testing some cracker and chip recipes.  I could get carried away with this and take lots of pictures and share recipes so beware.  That might just happen over the coming weeks!  LOL

Raw Food Basics Workshop...

 I spent the day with the Raw Food Rules Team

 We started the day with a lecture session with lots of information on eating raw and why it is good for us to make changes even if they are small and over time.

 Then we learned about wheatgrass and it's amazing benefits and how to grow our own

 Then we used an extractor to get wheatgrass juice

 it is recommended to have from 1 ounce a day if you are healthy to about 4 a day if you are fighting things such as cancers and chronic illnesses.

The second session was on making nut milks.  This one was almond.  Then we learned about using the leftover pulp to make nut cheeses or flours for raw desserts.  Here is the lump of almond left after making the milk...

 The next session was a recipe session where we saw a zucchini "pasta" and marinara sauce being made and then we got to enjoy our demo foods

The assistant showed us how to do the zucchini in a spadoodle machine to make it look like pasta.

We also had a quick discussion about Kumbucha and then samples.  This was FABULOUS!!!

Our second recipe was a taco salad 

with a walnut "meat" mixture made using cumin and coriander with walnuts that had been soaked and then dried in a dehydrator to activate the enzymes in the nuts.

It was served over a "tortilla round" made by pureeing frozen/thawed organic corn and adding a little salt and cracked black pepper and then dehydrating it until crispy.

I think this one was my favorite meal item of the day... YUM!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

We ended the day by seeing the instructor demo a use for the almond paste flour from the milk that was made earlier.  She ground it in the food processor and made it into a raw cupcake with a cashew cream frosting on top.  We enjoyed them with our vanilla almond milk as our final dessert before heading out.  

We had a great time and delicious food and came away feeling energized and rejuvenated.  I am looking forward to more workshops in the future here.  I think we have a "cheese and fermentation" session coming in the summer.  I will share more if we do...