I’ve had this tropical green smoothie for breakfast every day this week! I’m getting in those probiotics.
Coconapple Collard Kefir Smoothie
2 cups coconut milk kefir (I use one by So Delicious)
2 cups pineapple chunks
2 bananas
all the stems leftover from a bunch of collard greens I used for salad yesterday (about 1/3 – 1/2 cup broken into little pieces)
1 fl oz shot of E3 Live
Blend in high speed mixer. Serve with love.
I didn’t get to make raw corn tortilla chips last night. I didn’t have enough corn in the freezer 
. And I’d gone to the store on my way home from work! I’d forgotten my list and shopped from my head. Figures that I’d forget the one most important thing. I blame exhaustion from getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before. I definitely felt it at the end of the work day.
The trick is to keep on keeping on. I did start sprouting my buckwheat. And, I’ll stop by the store again this evening and get the requisite corn. How can I avoid this type of forgetfulness in the future? By sticking to my regular organizational habits. I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (a.k.a. GTD). I use a GTD plug-in and Outlook to manage my schedule. Everything is synchronized with my Blackberry. Usually I write my shopping lists as an Outlook task. If I want it on paper, I can print it out before I go to the store. I tend to read my list right on my Blackberry though. No need to waste the paper.
I haven’t been able to synchronize my Blackberry with my desktop computer as often as I’d like. I’m a Mac user, but run Windows in a virtual machine (VM) on my workplace Mac. I’ve been having many, many, many problems with the VM. Blackberry software doesn’t play well with it. So, I’ve not been using my GTD as much as I should. I’m not offering this as an excuse, but as an explanation. If I know how an obstacle presents itself, I can avoid those obstacles. In this case, I can make sure to use the tools I’ve already got.
Of course, my computer has been crashing a lot today. Just because the solution is simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy. It will resolve itself soon however. I’m getting a bona fide PC from my tech people at the office. Once that’s installed it should be a bit easier to stick to the GTD habit.
Meanwhile, I’m planning another juice fast for tomorrow. And, this is really exciting, M. has agreed to do the fast with me! And she’s agreed to help me with the juicing and clean-up. How rad is that? I think this is M.’s first juice fast. My goal, as usual, is to make it the entire day on beautiful green and fruity juice. I’ve broken my past two mini-fasts at the dinner hour. It’s difficult for me to resist the food M. and Z. are eating for dinner. It will definitely help to have M. doing the fast with me. Once I make it through one 24 hour cycle, my next goal will be to make 48 hours, then 72 hours, and so on. I’d like to build up to one full week. The idea of that is kind of scary right now. I’m going to focus on just one day. It’s just one day! And I know I can do three days – I’ve done that much in the past. And I know I find it easy to do 3/4 of the day. It’s only the evening that trips me up. The key to success will be (a) keeping full on nutritious delicious juice and (b) finding things to do in the evening so that I won’t focus on food. Perhaps a yoga class. More likely that I’m going to be making raw granola – the buckwheat sprouts I’ve started should be ready by tomorrow evening. Good thing I don’t find the pre-dehydrated mixture very appealing as a snack. I won’t be tempted to eat it while I’m fasting. Oh! I can also post all the recipes and photos from all the things I’ve been making this week. I should have enough to do to keep myself busy and fasting tomorrow evening.
I’ve had a few set-backs this week so far. I know I can turn it around by thinking positively and by remembering that I have all the time in the world to nurture myself. I don’t hurt anything by shifting my schedule up a day or so. Flexibility is key. I always tell myself, “start the good work today. Tomorrow never comes!” Which is true. But it’s also true that I can’t stress out over timing. I need to trust myself that things will happen. The universe unfolds as it ought to … as long as you’re prepared, you can take advantage. I will be prepared.
I forgot to start soaking buckwheat groats this morning. It’s ok. I’ll start them tonight. They’ll just sprout for a little less time. Fortunately, they don’t need to get to the point of having tails. And, I had a little wiggle room built in. You only need to soak the buckwheat for about 8 hours and sprout for another 8-12 hours. If I start tonight, I’ll still be ready to make a rocking batch of raw granola tomorrow evening.
My excuse was that I didn’t sleep well last night. I probably only got about 3 hours worth of shut-eye. It made for a very grumpy morning. I was so tired, I forgot my vow to be vegan all week and had a few sips of the princess latte that M. brought to me in my bed (yes, I’m very spoiled). The rest of the day has been the most vegan-y of vegan eating. I’ve made a 5 cups of pro-biotic packed green smoothie. Enough for breakfast and afternoon snack. Lunch was a big-ass salad with .25 cup slivered almonds and some fat-free balsamic vinegar dressing. Dinner is going to be leftover carrot/cauliflower/tarragon soup and some steamed veggies done up in my own stir-fry sauce. I’ll post the recipes for all of those separately.
Oy! It’s been a busy day. I have washed, dried, folded AND put-away seven (yes seven!!) loads of laundry. I have washed Julius Seizure, our half-blind epileptic little doggie. I have swept floors. I have tidied. I have cleaned and organized. I started some alfalfa sprouts. I made carrot, cauliflower and tarragon soup. I shredded and marinated some collard greens.
M. and I have been eating a lot of recipes from Donna Gates’ Body Ecology book, including the carrot/cauliflower/tarragon concoction mentioned above. I’m still feeling utterly wretched in the digestive realm so I’m sticking to vegan-ism this week. The best way to do that is to make sure I have good yummy food handy. Keeping it anti-candida a la Body Ecology help the tummy troubles. Fortunately the soup recipe yields an abundant amount of food. M., Z., and I will be eating this all week. Add a few salads or steamed veggie sides and it’s a full meal. No need to think or do much when it comes to the food I’m eating this week.
That leaves me time to focus on some longer term prep. It’s easier to stay raw when I have some staples stashed away in the pantry. I try to make a big batch of this type of food each quarter. On tap this week: “Golden tortilla chips” , “Pizza flax crackers” , and some “Grawnola. These recipes are time intensive, although little of that is hands-on. There’s soaking and sprouting to do. And I need to consider the amount of space available in my dehydrator plus how long each recipe is going to be taking up space inside. It’s a little tricky to have things ready-sprouted in time for the dehydrator opening.
This is the food prep schedule I’ve planned on top of everything else I’ve accomplished today.
Tonight : raw chocolate macadamia ice cream, peach cobbler, and my green smoothies for tomorrow’s breakfast & lunch.
Monday a.m.: rinse sprouts, rotate fruit, soak 2.5 cups of hulled buckwheat groats
Monday p.m.: drain and rinse buckwheat, start sprouting it, rinse alfalfa sprouts, make golden tortilla chips and put them in dehydrator for 24 hours.
Tuesday a.m.: rinse alfalfa sprouts, rotate fruit, rinse buckwheat sprouts, soak 1/4 cup each of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and flax seeds.
Tuesday p.m.: take tortilla chips out of the dehydrator, cool, and put into ziplock freezer bags, store in the fridge. Make grawnola, put into dehydrator for 24 hours.
Wednesday a.m.: rinse sprouts, soak 2 cups of flax seed.
Wednesday p.m.: make pizza flax crackers, put into dehydrator for 24 hours.
I’ll decide what other staples to make on Wednesday. By that time I’ll need a night or two off from food prepping.
So far today I have stayed true to my word regarding my renewed commitment to healthy eating practices. I made a kick-ass green smoothie for breakfast.
Jump Start Smoothie
1 cup pure cranberry juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup coconut kefir
1 shot glass (2 fl. oz) E3 Live
3 big collard green leaves
4 frozen bananas
Place all ingredients into high speed blender. Blend. Serve with love.
OMG! Nom, nom, nom. So delicious. I’ve been sipping on it all morning at work. I love tart drinks. And it’s got superfoods and lovely probiotics. I’m having digestive issues (as usual) and I know that if I’m consistent with the friendly bacteria that it will get better.
I’ve also managed to work on my other commitments – I brought my gym bag with me to work. Lunchtime workout here I come! This will be the 1st time in exactly 5 weeks that I’ve done more than a gentle walk or bike ride. I suffered a most unfortunate groin pull back in July and I’ve been resting in order to heal. I’m very prone to injury (loose tendons and joints I’m told). I really need to be careful that I heal fully and prevent further injuries. I know that Iyengar yoga can help me with this, but I’ve yet to put that into practice.
I will be writing my goals and objectives down. Making commitments is one thing but in order keep my initial motivation, I need to get SMART. SMART = Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-framed. That means formalizing exactly what I’m going to be doing. That should provide a framework for keeping positive and letting myself know my progress.
I have to admit – I have an overly healthy sense of cynicism. I look at the regulars on the raw food circuit and think to myself, “are they really that freaking positive all the time?” It’s a great advertisement for eating living foods if they truly are. I find myself alternatively inspired and incredulous. Philip McClusky evokes these mixed emotions in me. I know it reflects my own insecurities, so I keep reading his blog anyway, hoping something will rub off.
He once posted a poem by Portia Nelson which really spoke to me. It illustrates the various stages involved in breaking patterns using a metaphor of falling into a hole. Patterns are akin to routines, hence my interest. Habits are a pattern. Indeed, she says:
I still fall in (the hole). It is a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
I think I’m at the “think I don’t see it” stage. It’s called denial. I have been indulging in my cravings for fudgesicles this week, undoing the beautiful juice fasting of last week. My eyes are open again. My bodily aches and pains remind me why I need to nourish myself. In order to walk around the hole – or even take another path entirely — one has to recognize the obstacles. In this case it’s being tired after a long day at work and needing to reward myself.
I can make raw fudgesicles. I have a few ideas. In the meantime, I recomit myself to my regular eating pattern: fruit salad or smoothie (preferably green) for breakfast; big ass salad and soup for lunch; more veggie and some sort of raw entree for dinner; fruit and/or nuts for snacks. I also recomit myself to my lunch hour exercise. My gym bag has been gathering too much dust.
When I perfect the raw fudge-sicle recipe, I shall post
I’m ready to juice fast today. I didn’t add pineapple to my carrot-orange-ginger combo. I just diluted it with water. That should cut down the carrot-y taste. Plus it’s hydrating. The added bonus was that I didn’t need to cut up the pineapple.
Juice Rainbow
I did make two “quarts” of watermelon lemon juice. I wish I could make it more lemon-y but I the side-yard lemon tree only had two ripe ones to give. When there’s more lemon it tastes like heavenly lemonade.
Laura’s Lemelon Juice
4 – 5 cups of watermelon balls
1-2 lemons, skins removed
1. Take an ice cream scoop and dig out 4-5 cups of spheres from a watermelon and place them directly into the blender.
2. Cut the skins from the lemons and place the lemons directly into the blender.
3. Blend at high speed until the mixture liquefies. You may need to use a wooden spoon to move the fruit bits around to start the centrifugal force or you can add a bit of water to make it blend easier.
4. Pour mixture through a nut-milk bag into a pitcher. Squeeze the bag to remove all of the liquid, leaving the fruit pulp behind.
5. Pour over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint or pineapple sage for a pretty presentation.
6. Serve with love
I started the day with a quart of warm water mixed with lemon and MSM. I like the crystal form since I think it assimilates faster into my digestive system. I’ve been waking up with stiff and sore achilles tendons. Probably from running around in flat sandals for the past few months of summer. I hope if I’m consistent taking the MSM that it will help.
Juice Feast Supplements
I don’t use Rich’s MSM, the brand of MSM recommended on juicefeasting.com. I couldn’t find it in my local Whole Foods. I have to trust that this one will work. I expect miracles from all of the testimonials I’ve read. I’ve also read a lot of testimonials extolling the praises of E3Live. The final supplement I’m using is HealthForce Nutritional’s Intestinal Drawing Formula. It’s supposed to help cleanse the gook from my insides. I don’t know if the mild beginner dosage is going to do much good on my single day of juice fasting. According the label, you’re supposed to build up your dose and it can take some people up to 15 tablets a day to get to the optimal level of cleansing (3-4 movements a day). It’s just as well. I’m going to be going to the wash room every hour as it is given the amount of liquid I’m going to consume today. I don’t need another 3-4 trips.
The goal for today is to fast for the entire day. Usually when I juice fast I only do it doing daylight hours. I’m enticed by the dinner that M. and Z. are having and end up breaking the fast. I have gone as long as three days on a juice fast but the last time I did that was in December, 2005. I need to build up to that one day at a time.
I decided to juice feast tomorrow. I’ve indulged a lot this week and need to clear my head. It’s not a good day to do it. It’s never a good day. I’m headed out to a birthday party in the evening. There’s always something which will lead to temptation on a day I’ve decided to stick to juices. I figure I might as well accept it and carry on. Otherwise, it would be too easy to say, “I’ll do it the day after.”
Empty Quart Jars
The folks over at juicefeasting.com recommend drinking 4-5 quart jars of juice per day when fasting. It’s a lot of mo-fo’ing juice. It’s to keep yourself full and nourished.
Any other time I’ve juice fasted, I’ve only managed to drink a bit more than 3 jars . Despite making my own yummy juice, I just get tired of it by day’s end.
The quart Ball jars (a.k.a. Mason jars) aren’t even a full quart. I measured. They hold about 3.5 cups. A full quart = 4 cups. I guess the recession is hitting everything. Full quart or not, it’s still enough liquid to keep me hydrated (read: peeing) all day long.
I had a lot of produce in the fridge which was a bit soft for eating. Perfect for juicing!
Abundant Produce
I got quite the cornucopia once I emptied out the vegetable crisper slimer.
I intended to make Green Giant Juice and some watermelon/lemon juice. I had about 2 lbs of carrots and a whole bunch of oranges about to go so I decided to juice those with a bit of ginger.
It’s takes a fair amount of time to juice a pile of produce this big. I love my Omega juicer, but it does require that I chop things into bits that can fit into its chute. I washed all the lovely live food and started slicing.
It took up most of my counter space. And that was just the green stuff. I didn’t have the room to start dealing with the oranges and carrots so I set those aside for awhile.
I like to juice my greens before my fruits. I find that putting the juicier stuff in afterwards helps get the tougher fibrous bulk pushed through the hopper. I alternated kale, celery, and cucumber.
Veggies Prepped
It took about half an hour to do the greens. I added the apples in afterward. I think I had about 6 of them. Typically I’d use 2 apples for each quart of Green Giant. I’ve not been liking the greenish taste of that recipe lately. I find I’ve been adding even more apples than usual. Guess I’ve just got a sweet tooth.
The point of the juice fast is to give your digestive system a break from the work of digesting. Fiber is good for you. You want that going through your pipes most of the time.
Just not when you want to clean out what’s already there.
Juiced Greens Yield
All of those greens yield a small amount of juice. All of that bulk is indeed fiber.
Compost
And all that fiber got returned to the Mother. My wife loves a nice pile of compost.
I got a higher yield when I added the apples. By this point I was getting mighty tired of juicing. I think I’d spent about 45 minutes on it at at that point.
Greens with Apples
I was getting close to having enough juice to do the fast tomorrow.
The greens with the apples gave me two “quart” jars. That’s enough greens.
I juiced up all of my extra carrots and oranges. It didn’t quite get me a “quart.” I briefly entertained the notion of cutting up a pineapple I have on the counter. But I was really really sick of juicing and I still had to clean everything up.
Fortunately, the Omega juicer as a snap to clean. It’s even got a handy-dandy brush for getting the fibrous bits out of the gears.
Green and Orange Juices
So I’ve got 2 and 3/4 quarts prepared for tomorrow. I probably will add some pineapple juice to the carrot – orange – ginger combo.
I’ll also make a jar or two of watermelon lemon. I love watermelon and lemon juice. It’s better than soda.
The real trick will be getting up early enough to make the juice. I’ve stayed up so late juicing that I know I’m going to want to sleep in. If I sleep in, I’ll end up more groggy, and getting out of bed will be difficult.
I’ll want coffee at that point. I’ll be setting out some green tea before I get into bed. That way, I’ll be less tempted by the java. The jars sure look pretty on my kitchen windowsill. I’m looking forward to that first glass in the morning.
I’ve been spending way too much of my time messing around with WordPress themes. I want this blog to look good. I want it to visually convey a message: establishing healthy eating habits is do-able. I want the look and feel of this publication to be unique. Problem is, I’m really not a visual designer. And every pre-made theme is going to be used by others. The solution is WP frameworks. They allow you to hang your customizations onto a foundation of code. Sounds good to me. It still leaves this blog looking rather plain until I dive into the CSS or hire somebody to do it for me. I definitely need to hire-out logo design.
While I figure that out, I think I’m either going to stick with Magazine Basic or Arras. I’m waffling. I guess I’ll have to ask M. her opinion and go from there. Whichever is easiest to tweak while I work on the framework will win out. I wish I could get the design done and then blog, but I’ll never get around to blogging if I wait around to do that. Besides design, there are a zillion other things to figure out like adding video, search engine optimization, microformats, etc. etc. etc. I really just need to focus on content and let the design evolve organically. Unfortunately, I’m the type of person that likes to tinker under the hood. It’s yet another area where I need to learn how to strike a balance.
Green Giant Juice
I’ve been juice fasting feasting today. M. & I had a late dinner of Boca Burgers last night which left me feeling even more sluggish than I did yesterday. Soy and wheat = stuff sticking around inside of me.
I was definitely in need of a cleanse when I awoke. M. brought me a lovely latte in bed but it just didn’t taste good, nor did it give me the caffeine kick I craved.
Enter the green juice. My favorite green juice recipe is from Cherie Soria. I pretty much love all of Cherie’s recipes. Not surprising, since I attend her culinary school. The recipe is published in her latest book, “Raw Food Revolution.”
I usually use 2 apples instead of 1 to cut the saltiness of the celery juice. The lemon is critical to balance the heavy green chlorophyll-y tasted of the kale.
Green Giant Juice
8 oz kale (1 bunch, including stems)
4 celery stalks
1 cucumber
1 apple
1 lemon
Juice all ingredients and serve immediately. Yields 3 cups. 2 small or 1 large serving.
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