Nutrition

The science of nourishment

Monthly goals

September 1, 2009
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I wrote about my monthly goals on Sunday, but thought I’d summarize them in a single easy to reference post.  For September 2009 my goals are:

  1. Complete a 30 day 100% raw vegan challenge 09/01-09/30
  2. Exercise for 30 minutes 5 days per week
  3. Take at least 1 Iyengar yoga class this month
  4. Cycle to work 3 times, if possible, once the air quality improves.  I’m very close to the Station fire and it’s currently raining very chunky ash

That’s enough I think.  Don’t want to overwhelm myself.  Got to keep things Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-framed.   It helps that I’m already raw for two meals per day.  I made my fitday account publicly viewable, so folks can see what I’m eating.  I did pretty good staying raw yesterday.  I had some toast with cheese in the evening.  I simply forgot I was going to stay 100% raw.  I’m used to having cooked ovo-lacto veg food in the evenings.  Good thing it was still August.  I technically hadn’t started my Sept. 100% raw challenge.  Today has been 100% raw so far.   I think if I make it 3 days, I’ll be ok.  It’s like juice fasting.  Once I get through the initial hump it gets easier.  I need to watch out for the things which can interfere with my goals.  For tomorrow, I’ll figure out what the obstacles are and come up with work-arounds.

Coconapple Collard Kefir Smoothie

August 25, 2009
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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.

Oops

August 24, 2009
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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.

Jump Start Smoothie

August 21, 2009
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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.

Juice Rainbow & Laura’s Lemelon Juice

August 14, 2009
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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

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

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.

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