Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is over...sigh...time to detox before Christmas. Ha Ha just kidding, I seriously don't know if I will have anytime to think about detoxing during these three weeks before Christmas Break. But I know that eating right, getting enough sleep (which never happens), and exercising (again--hit and miss) is all I need to do to keep my body feeling great!

I had two Thanksgivings this year. One with my family and one with my husbands family. Both were DELISH and I have to admit that I ate foods I wouldn't normally eat and probably shouldn't have eaten. In fact my husband and I stuffed ourselves so much on Thanksgiving (not pleasant) that we did not eat at all on Friday until the evening meal and then we only felt like eating vegetables, I was very surprised, but I felt great the next morning!

I made some dishes to bring so I could make sure my Thanksgiving dinners were more light and healthful. I wanted to share these recipes with you so you can have an idea of what to make for Christmas--everything was soo yummy!

For my family's Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving I brought the Detoxinista's vegetable stuffing which really is a winner! And a yummy sweet salad of my own devising. I will give the recipe soon, but it included cranberries, kale, pomegranates and a sweet maple dressing...

Then for my husband's family's Thanksgiving meal I ended up making Celery Root and Cauliflower Puree with Garlicky Greens...

Also really yummy! the only thing I added to this dish was about 2 cloves of garlic to the food processor with the celery root and cauliflower. I think that adding roasted garlic cloves would have been amazing too.

Then I made roasted red potatoes specially for my husband who wanted nothing else this year :)

For the potatoes I used about 8 red potatoes chopped into chunks threw them in a baking dish and tossed them with olive oil, about 3 chopped garlic cloves, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then I roasted them in the oven on about 400 degrees for about 30 to 45 min. They were just what my husband ordered!

Finally, I made several healthy desserts...

Gingerbread Bars (detoxinista.com)

Vegan Pumpkin Bread in the shape of muffins and with added chocolate chunks (detoxinista.com)

Peanut Butter Gingerbread Chocolate Chunk Cookies made with almond butter and almond flour (chocolatecoveredkatie.com)

And not pictured Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream (cococakeicecream.blogspot.com) Which was a huge hit with my brother-in-law who, mostly, steers clear of my healthy food like it was the plague (except for raw cheesecakes).

I hope you enjoy this list of healthy holiday food and that you stay healthy this holiday season!

Happy Juicing!!!

10/20/30 Day Revive, A real food plan to Reshape, Repair, Restore

I asked my mom, Susan, creator of this last cleansing plan I did, to write a guest post for my blog. She really is a great inspiration to me! I love my mom and I am so glad she is around so I can bug her with all of my health questions. She has inspired me to be a better person, not only in health, but also in my personal life. You can find her at www.susandupper.com she has just begun her health coaching journey, but she has been on her own health journey for as long as I can remember. Look her up she has so much wisdom to share and she loves to help people in their own personal journey.

My Dad and Mom on top of Poughkeepsie Gulch

Me, my mom, and my sister Courtney holding on in the back of my dad's cruiser.

VALUE AND WARM, FUZZY FEELINGS

Did you know you are a perfect, valuable person?  Have you ever thought of yourself in that way before?  Let’s talk about how valuable you are so that when you think about yourself, you will have this warm fuzzy feeling and be able to share that with others around you.  In order to truly love and care for those around us, which some women have this gift naturally, we do need to love ourselves.  I’m sure you’ve known someone who is very self -absorbed and cannot reach outside of themselves.  Most likely this person does not like him/herself very much.   Now I’m sure you know how you don’t want to be so let’s talk about your value and how to truly value yourself.

Value yourself enough to eat well, sleep enough, nourish your spiritual life, move your body, excite your brain power, care about someone.  You alone have the power and the freedom to make a change.  While you are still breathing, there is hope and since you’re reading this, you are still breathing!  Yay!  Now, how to accomplish this in a fast-paced, busy, “there’s just not enough time in the day” kind of life.

EAT WELL

          1)       Make a salad or soup your first priority when planning a meal.                               

          2)       Drink water before eating a snack.

          3)      Only eat fruit and vegetables for snacks.

          4)      Read Alissa’s blog and make her recipes!

          5)      You’ll feel better about yourself!

SLEEP ENOUGH

1)      6-8 hours/night.  

2)      Go to bed and get up at the same time every day if possible.

3)      If I wake during the night, I like to pray, it calms my soul.

4)      You’ll get more done during the day!

NOURISH YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE

1)       Take time to detox from noise every day.

2)       Tune out and turn off electronics for a while every day.

3)       Find a group to be nourished by and to nourish others.

4)       Listen!

5)       You’ll feel more compassionate!

MOVE YOUR BODY

1)       Love yourself enough to exercise 3-7 days a week!

2)       You don’t have to run a marathon to call it exercise!

3)       The people that live the longest, healthiest lives walk every day, and garden!

4)       Choose something YOU like to do not something someone told you to do!

5)       You’ll have more energy!

EXCITE YOUR BRAIN POWER

1)       Read to yourself or someone else.

2)       Memorize something.

3)      Sing or play an instrument!  Music makes you smart and happy!

4)      Breath deeply every day.  Your brain needs oxygen!

5)      Learn a new skill!  You’ll feel smart and powerful!

CARE ABOUT SOMEONE                                                                                                   

1)       Give a hug to someone in need.

2)      Water a plant!  Even plants need love!

3)      Make delicious healthy food for someone!

4)      Keep silent!  Show someone you care by just listening!

You probably know all this but maybe you can look at it a little differently by seeing your value first and then seeing the ripple that this shift can make around you.

RECIPE ALERT!  RECIPE ALERT!

Now here’s my favorite go-to, fast, easy, healthy and tasty recipe to delight you and your taste buds from 5 Leaves and 2 Wishes health coach!

EASY MEXICAN SWEET POTATOES

Sweet Potato – done to perfection in the oven.  Wrap in foil and bake 45 min. to 1 hr.  Then slice in half and take a moment to look at the beauty of that deep orange.  So beautiful and delicious!  Microwave without foil if you’re in a real hurry!

Black Beans - 1 can or 2 cups, cooked

Salsa - 1-2 cups fresh or cooked, your favorite kind will do

Combine beans and salsa in a sauce pan and heat thoroughly until desired temperature.  Pour over sweet potato and enjoy with a tossed salad.  A beautiful, colorful, vegetarian, complete meal.  Did I mention fast and easy?  Oh, and cheap too!

Susan Dupper      

Proud Mom, Health Coach and Fitness Trainer, 

5 Leaves and 2 Wishes                                                                              

Author of the 10/20/30 Day Revive, A real food plan to Reshape, Repair, Restore (A work in progress)    

Susandupper.com

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse Update

Today would mark Day 15 on the cleanse, the middle day, almost finished right? Well, I decided that I couldn't be on a diet anymore--I needed a break--I was done (I've technically been on a "diet" for a month and a half). A lot has been going on in my personal life since Wednesday, more than I want to talk about in a public blog. Doing this cleanse began getting in the way of work and personal relationships in a way that should never happen. Last week I became obsessed with my weight and how my body looked. To top it off I was having horrible cravings, I was super cranky, and extremely tired of planning so much and not being able to enjoy meals away from home with my extended family. Part of cleansing and losing weight is to become happier and more at peace with yourself and when a cleanse becomes more of an obsession than a 'cleanse' it is time to stop and focus on what is really important. I recently read a blog post that really brought this message home to me and I realized I was focusing more on my body and my food than my relationships and my work. If you have a chance to read Marlena Torres's blog Health Through Indulgence she really has some good advice on how to learn to love yourself instead of judging.

Now, after saying all of this I want to first say that I loved the cleanse I was on and I will probably do one or two or all three of the phases again one day, when I have the time to focus on it. I really like this cleanse, which my mom has recently named "10/20/30 Day Revive, A real food plan to Reshape, Repair, Restore" because the diet is easy to follow and it is also easy on the budget. There are no expensive super foods to buy, you just use what is available and in season (like cucumbers). Also it is not too extreme. I have gotten pretty extreme in my eating habits, but this is a diet any one could implement and it can be customized to fit any person no matter what they are used to eating. I will say though if you are addicted to carbs and sugars you will have some major withdrawals when you begin this diet because the sugars are almost completely eliminated. Which is excellent to get anyone eating healthier for life.

Just because I have gone off serious dieting to focus on my spiritual life, work, and relationships doesn't mean I am not going to eat healthfully. Nor does it mean I will go silent on my blog. I want to go back to my own version of a 80/10/10 ish / rawish diet. I loved how the focus on fruits made my cravings almost completely disappear and so that is what I will be shooting for. I want to eat peacefully and enjoy my food without obsessing about it. What you see above is my dinner from last night, stir fry on top of a roasted spaghetti squash and topped with raw Napa Cabbage from my mom's garden. It was so yummy I stuffed myself (which is also something I am trying not to do). I will be sharing periodically some more recipes and what my husband and I both eat so, if you are trying to eat healthy, but have to cook for more than yourself you can get some good ideas. I also have a guest post planned from someone I admire very much and this post is definitely something you do not want to miss. I have some good stuff planned for you and some more recipes coming your way very soon!

Happy Juicing!!!

Have you ever decided to 'diet' by not dieting? How did you feel? 

 

30 Day Cleanse: Day 12

Today was a good day. I was happy with the kids, I got some testing done (which I can't wait till I'm finished with it) and I got to spend some time with my husband. All in all a good day with little to report.

I am not going to do another juice cleanse though...its too cold and I hate juicing in the cold. I have even changed the time I drink my morning juice so I can be warm in the car while I drink it. (I drive to work at around 6:30 in the morning so I can be at school at 7:00) So anyway...

Yummy eats

20 oz beet, carrot, lettuce juice with dandy blend, cinnamon, cacao powder, and stevia
Raw Tomato soup with sprouts
32 oz carrot, orange, avocado, spirulina, cinnamon smoothie

Coconut lemongrass soup and 2 crystal rolls with peanut sauce (oops, tofu is not on the diet and I am sure it had sugar) from Swing Thai.
Raw chocolate dipped in almond butter
Almond butter mixed with coconut butter and cacao nibs
And I am going to finish the night off with some hot canela (cinnamon tea).

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse: Day 11

Today was a really down day for me. I am not sure what the problem was...maybe I ate too much last night, maybe it was weighing myself, maybe the weather is changing,  maybe it just carried over from the bad night I had last night. Whatever it was I was pretty depressed today. I juiced during the day, but just felt like I needed something tonight so I ate some leftover soup and that seemed to do the trick. I feel a little better now, but I really need sleep so I'm gonna keep it short.

Today's eats

8 oz hot lemon water
24 oz "Waldorf Salad" Morning Cleansing Juice
24 oz "Fall Harvest" Midday Cleansing Juice (really yummy!)
24 oz carrots, kale, ginger, apple, cucumber, lime juice
1/2 bottle of homemade berry kombucha
Daikon radish and asparagus soup
a couple of the cookies I made last night
fudge brownie chocolate protein bars (which are very good, I didn't put protein powder in them and I used agave for sweetener. But the vegan chocolate chips probably are cheating. I probably won't eat much more of them because I don't think that black beans are very nice to my system.)

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse: Day 10

Yeah! First phase is finished and on to the second phase. I can eat nuts now...So excited, but first a three day juice cleanse :)

Today's eats (oh I did cheat today. I ate organic ketchup, mustard, and I forgot my stevia at work so I sweetened my cleanse-ok cookies with agave.)

8 oz Hot Lemon Water
Lots of tea
16 oz beet carrot ginger orange
Jicama with All-Veggie Hummus
16 oz kale, lime, apple, cucumber, lettuce, ginger
3 baby carrots
1 pear
Leftover kale salad

Lentil Cauliflower Burger wrapped in lettuce, with raw onion rings (Ani Phyo) and raw daikon radish fries.

To end the night I made some quinoa spice cookies, which I will post the recipe when I finish tweaking.

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse: Day 9

I am almost finished with the first 10 days!!! I am so excited! The first phase will be finished and I will eat a little almond butter and cacao :) Not that this past 10 days hasn't been full of good eats...but I am definitely ready to eat more like I am used to eating.

On another note...I need to remember that weight loss does not only hinge on food. I also need sleep, exercise, and reduced stress and working all day then making food and juices all evening does not help weight loss. Someday I will learn...baby steps, right?

Today's eats...

32 oz Low Sugar Creamy Strawberry Smoothie
1 pear
Jicama and all veggie hummus for snack
1 pear
More Jicama and hummus

Carrot-Ginger Sauce (Detoxinista) warmed with chopped broccoli, mushrooms, and zucchini on top of daikon radish noodles (not my favorite noodles). After we ate this dish I added some soy milk and arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce and my husband really liked this cooked version.

2 apples baked with apple pie spice and dipped in spiced vanillacado

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse: Day 8

Finally on the last two days of the first 10. I have been having cravings today! Granted this diet is not as extreme as what my diet has been; I've been cooking my food, eating beans, and some whole grains. But I am really missing sweet fruits, chocolate, and almond butter. I am so excited to be able to add in chocolate, nuts, and squashes next week! I can't wait!

Today's Eats...

1 pear
24 oz kale stems, cucumber, beet, oranger, ginger juice
1 pear
8 oz No Pumpkin Cream, warmed

Baked and raw daikon radish hash with siracha sauce and homemade, raw ketchup
Apple pie quinoa topped with buckwheat crunchies and pomegranate (not on the cleanse, didn't realize this until I had spent the time opening 3 of them--my husband will get to enjoy the fruits of my labors, "sigh")
Leftover Quinoa Bowl

Happy Juicing!!!

How is everyone doing who accidentally started this diet with me? Are you having any cravings?

No Pumpkin Cream: Iced or Hot

This dessert is perfect for the first phase of this diet. There are no added sugars, no bananas, and no actual pumpkin. This would be really yummy in an ice cream maker, if you have a small one. I just stick mine in the freezer for a little while. It is also yummy warmed, but if you warm it watch the stove so it doesn't boil, check the temperature often and take it off just when it is warm to keep as many nutrients as possible.

No Pumpkin Cream

5 carrots

1 apple

1 knob ginger

1 avocado

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

Juice the carrots, apple, and ginger together then pour the juice into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Put in the freezer or warm on the stove, Enjoy!

Happy Juicing!!!

30 Day Cleanse: Day 7 (oops)

Today was such a wonderful day! We got to go trail running up at Red Rocks Amphitheater. If you  have never seen Red Rocks you have to look up some pictures, it is just gorgeous. It is very close to Denver and there are trails crisscrossing all over the place. We usually choose a trailhead about four miles from the amphitheater and my husband runs to the amphitheater and I turn around at about two and a half miles. The sun was shining and the sky was a glorious blue--just a perfect start to the day/week.

I think that today I have hit the happy place for my body. Today I feel like, if I could look this way for the rest of my life (or until my body decided it was too tired and needed to look old) I would be happy. I also had a revelation while I was running this morning. I think that it takes a long time for a person to get used to the way she/he looks if that person has lost a lot of weight or has lost weight quickly. I think that it would be very easy to sabotage a person's progress because in the person's mind they still look the way s/he did before and your mind wants to get back to that image. I feel that is a very good reason to be content with the way you look no matter what and practice seeing yourself the way you could look or really do look. I have an extremely hard time being content with most anything, especially the way I look. I am practicing though and the more I practice the more of a habit I will form.

Here are my eats for today. I did make one big mistake today--I didn't eat enough, oops!

8 oz hot lemon water with stevia
24 oz Jason Vale's Beyond Detox from his 3 day juice detox
2 pears
Dinner was sprouted black beans cooked with tomatoes and jalapenos, kale salad massaged with avocado, raw daikon radish hash browns, and lettuce leaves for tortillas
Dessert: No Pumpkin Cream Iced

Happy Juicing!!! 

Day 6

Yesterday was day 6, I thought I would write this morning because I didn't write last night. I will post tonight also. We had a really good day yesterday. It was a beautiful day so we went to the mountains to find firewood for the winter. It was a nice, relaxing day.

24 oz strawberry, lettuce, raw coconut water, lime juice, avocado, zucchini smoothie
2 pears
snacked on carrots, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber dipped in a all veggie hummus
pumpkin cream, iced
Dinner was roasted veggies on top of a quinoa and kale salad. It was really yummy,

Happy Juicing!!!

Day 5

Today went really well, I didn't have to go to work! We are on Fall Break so I got to stay home and, sort of, be lazy. I was really hungry today and couldn't figure out why. Then I realized I hadn't made my juices and eaten regularly and I got to go to a hot yoga class this morning. More exercise with less food planning and almost no food left in the house makes for a very hungry me. :)

Well I am done with a pure juice cleanse for a while. On the plan the juice cleanse part is supposed to last for 3 to 5 days. I had planned a seven day cleanse with Jason Vale's 3 day cleanse at the beginning so yesterday finished off my juicing.

I am very sad about one thing though. Figs are gone! I just found out I love them and now they are gone! I have to go back to waiting for persimmons, "sigh"

Today's Eats...

16 oz kale, chard, lemon, apple, celery, cucumber. parsley (cleaning out my fridge) juice mixed with a 1/2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
3 Apples
1/2 Avocado with salt, pepper, and lime juice
16 oz carrot apple juice blended with the other half of the avocado, cinnamon, and nutmeg
2 small asian pears
Almost a whole 16 oz bag of baby carrots
Baby kale salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, marinated mushrooms and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Almost raw tortilla soup with daikon radish as the tortillas
Few spoonfuls of Pumpkin cream, iced (recipe to come)

Happy Juicing

Now I'm on Day 4 with Sweet Grapefruit Juice Recipe

I was ok most of the day today after getting only six hours of sleep. I was having a bad morning until one of my students made me laugh. I was asking him why he was pretending that another space ship was shooting at his spaceship, he didn't really know so he said "actually that's just how they roll."
Food went ok today, I enjoyed my juices and didn't really crave anything until I had to skip a juice and got really hungry. I was craving cookies today though, because I made two amazing kinds. This week my theme in my classroom is fall so today we made pumpkin cookies and I used a gluten free recipe from kibbysblendedlife.com that I absolutely love. The kids loved the cookies too and it was so difficult not to eat one (actually I did lick the bowl, but shhhhhh, don't tell). Besides the pumpkin cookies my first and second grade class earned a reward and so did my preschool class so I had to make them a treat (I started making homemade treats so that I could regulate how much sugar they ate in class.) My first and second graders chose gingerbread cookies of all things so I convinced my preschoolers to choose the same treat. I ended up making PB Gingerbread Chocolate Chunk Cookies from chocolatecoveredkatie.com because I could make them gluten and dairy free (there are some allergies in my classroom) and the kids just loved them. I was very pleasantly surprised, but that didn't make it any easier not to taste a cookie "sigh".

Yummy Juices:
12 oz hot lemon water
lots of tea
16 oz dandelion, kale, apple, cucumber, parsley, lime, celery
12 oz beet carrot dandelion apple
16 oz Pearfection by thevegetablecentrickitchen.com
16 oz Sweet Grapefruit Juice (Recipe below)

I dislike grapefruit very much, but I love this juice. It has the pleasant taste of grapefruit without the bitter taste.

Sweet Grapefruit Juice

4 leaves dandelion (optional, will make the juice a little more bitter)

2 apples

1 grapefruit

8 carrots (adjust to your liking or until you get 16 oz of juice)

Juice all ingredients and enjoy!

Happy Juicing!

Day 3 Cheating?!?

Today went really well! I felt really happy this morning and I was energized and playing with the kids. I was not even very hungry for my first juice, but drank it anyway because I knew I needed it. I thought, "This is my juicy high!" Then the state representative showed up and everything got messed up. The state sends someone to all the preschools to make sure they are following state standards each year and we have been waiting for this. I was super nervous, but the worst thing was I didn't get to drink my juice at snack time! and by the time she left I was starving! Not good. I drank a huge carrot juice and thought everything was fine, then the weirdest thing happened. I was picking some groceries up at Natural Grocers and I suddenly felt super shaky and really hot. I can't explain it, its never happened to me before and I don't know why. So I quickly drove home and ate some "emergency" food that I am now feeling a little sick over. I finally came to the conclusion I had been drinking to much caffeinated tea! Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and I am excited for some yummy juices!

16 oz dandelion leaves, celery, lime, apple, chard, ginger juice
12 oz dandelion leaves, carrots, apple, beet
12 oz pear, celery, kale, parsley
24 oz carrot, grapefruit, orange, cucumber, ginger
1 pear (emergency)
12 oz broth from last night blended with 1/2 avocado
other 1/2 avocado with Himalayan pink salt, pepper, and lime juice (emergency)
 1/3 cup homemade coconut butter mixed with bee pollen and peppermint stevia (emergency and I don't think coconut butter is even on the diet, oh well)

Happy Juicing!!!

(Hee Hee, sorry everyone who read this post before this morning, yesterday was only the third day. I guess I was tired last night )

Cleanse Day 2

Today I was REALLY hungry. I learned that I need more juice otherwise I may cave in and eat something I shouldn't, I was craving anything and everything today. So tonight I made more juices to take with me in the morning and now I am exhausted so here are the juices that kept me going today...

16 oz kale, chard, lemon, apple, ginger juice
12 oz beet, kale, apples, spinach, lemon, ginger
16 cucumber, pear juice
12 oz green kombucha (store bought because I was so hungry)
24 oz tomatoes, green onions, poblano pepper, carrots, celery, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice mixed with warmed veggie broth kept frozen from last spring.

Well goodnight

Happy Juicing!!!

If you are also following this cleanse let us know how you are doing in the comments below or on my facebook page!

30 Day Cleanse

After I finished my raw month I went a little crazy for one day and ate things I don't eat all the time, like Seitan Wings from City O' City. But then I started Jason Vale's 3 lbs in 3 days juice detox because the Big Juice Reboot starts on Wednesday and I wanted to join, but had something else in mind so I did it early. I lost about 5 lbs in the three days, which I assume about 3 of them were the water weight and bloating I gained from the raw food.

Today I started a new 30 Day Cleanse :) I like doing challenges, they keep my diet interesting. This cleanse is really special because my mom designed it. She has been a health nut for as long as I can remember, always weighed less than me, and has taught exercise classes since I was born. She is currently in school so she designed this diet to help people lose weight and start eating healthier (I will let her tell you more about it later). It is not perfected yet so I decided to make her 30 Day Cleanse my next challenge. The first 3 to 5 days are juicing or raw days and I decided to juice for about 4 and a half more days so today was my first day continuing to juice (and I am starving right now!)

I decided to document what I eat this month. So here goes...

8 oz. Hot Lemon water
Lots of tea (with caffeine, sorry)
16 oz My version of Green Lemonade (courtesy of Natalia Rose)
12 oz Beet juice
32 oz Green everything juice with spirulina
16 oz Carrot, orange, ginger juice
12 oz beet juice mixed with homemade kombucha and a little stevia
Lots more tea

Happy Juicing!

My Month Eating Raw

I finished my month of eating raw on Tuesday! I went through so many interesting experiences during September I wanted to share them with you so if you every want to do something like this you may have a better idea of what you are doing than I did. The one thing that really surprised me was that eating raw was so much easier than I anticipated. It was also full of amazingly good food (I ate way too many nuts:)

When I began eating raw I really didn't know what I was doing. I made some yummy raw biscuits and a yummy Apple Sauce smoothie that I shared with you. But during the first week I started to get these really weird dizzy spells, one of them happened while I was driving and I felt so disoriented I had to pull off into a parking lot and wait until I felt better. So when I got home I called my dad (the doctor) trying to figure out what I needed. He said "I never thought I would have to be telling YOU this, but you need to eat more!" Well I didn't think anyone would ever have to tell me that either, I love food a little too much! but I started counting my calories and realized that I had only been eating around 1000 calories a day--not good. So I made some yummy raw cookies full of almond butter by the Detoxinista and started watching Fully Raw Kristina's videos. I found out that a fully raw vegan and someone who is following the 80/10/10 diet eats around 2000 calories in fruits and greens a day. So I amped up my calorie intake and began eating a whole lot more fruit. I was not exactly following an 80/10/10 diet because I ate quite a bit of nuts, especially those first two weeks, but I did what I felt I needed to keep eating raw. By the end of my second week of eating raw I was feeling so good, eating less nuts, and most of my cravings for food had gone. I felt very peaceful about food and I didn't feel I needed chocolate, which was great!

My menu during this month included some super yummy things such as figs--my new fav! raw cupcakes, raw lasagna, raw cheesecake, raw almond butter oreos, lots of raw kale chips, and lots of raw pasta :) I will be posting a few more recipes when I get pics.

One of the things that didn't sit so well with me during this month is that I became incredibly bloated with all the fruit and extra fiber I was eating. It was very uncomfortable, but I found out that one day of juicing takes care of the bloating. If I ever go raw again for any amount of time I will do a three day juice cleanse every ten days and be very intentional about eating less nuts and a whole lot more veggies.

I am now starting a few more goals which I will share with you in a couple days, but until then I hope this post helps guide you if you are thinking about going raw. I did give some fun blogs in this post, but if you want more either connect with me on Pinterest via lifeandveggiejuice.blogspot.com or just ask in the comments.

Happy Juicing!!!

Applesauce Smoothie

Another smoothie recipe thanks to my all raw month, which I am absolutely loving even if I have made a few slips. I will write a post when I am all finished so that if you decide to do something similar hopefully you will know more about eating raw than I did when I started this month. 

Ok, ok, smoothie time! This smoothie is amazing--I wanted to follow someone's apple pie smoothie and ended up making my own. When I tasted the smoothie it tasted so much more like yummy applesauce than a pie. I even poured it over a raw biscuit I had made and my husband smothered a piece of toast in the appley goodness :)

Applesauce Smoothie

                    6 red delicious apples, cored (you could use any type of apple, but I like the 

                         softness of the red delicious apples for this smoothie)

                    1 handful baby greens

                    1/2 cup nut milk

                    2 tsp apple pie spice

                    1 leaf Aloe Vera

                    a handful of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Happy Juicing!!!

Snickerdoodle Smoothie

Since I have been eating raw I have been eating heavy treats probably more than I should be, it helps me stay on track. One night I was really wanting Snickerdoodle cookies which are my absolute FAVS, but the version I want to make needs to be dehydrated overnight and I wanted them RIGHT NOW--So this smoothie came out of my craving for Snickerdoodle Cookies and it tastes AMAZING!!!

Snickerdoodle Smoothie

1/2 avocado

1 cup homemade nut milk (or milk of choice)

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp honey

2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

12 ice cubes

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes two servings. Serve, sprinkle with cinnamon and cacao nibs and enjoy! 

Happy Juicing!!!

What is your favorite cookie?

Summer Recap

Well, I thought I was going to have lots of time this summer to study health, have some leisure time,

write blog posts, and make the recipes on my blog more accessible. Obviously that didn't happen since you have been checking my blog all summer and not finding any new posts. I have lots to share with you and many new recipes I am VERY excited about. But first I thought I would write a post about what I did this summer. Even though this summer ended up not being the best for me health-wise I did find some fun healthy food items and different, healthier ways of cooking some fun things.
The first thing we did this summer was to go camping. We always take a week off the first week of June for our anniversary (and because I am exhausted from school). We have been married six years now! I still can't believe its been this long. homemade graham crackers and dark chocolate bars with sea salt. We also got to go White Water Rafting down Brown's Canyon, which is so much fun! and I have found an enjoyment of bike riding. We did a 36 mile round trip ride to the museum and back to our apartment for the free day. We were so tired at the museum we saw one exhibit and then sat down to rest and drink our green juice for the rest of the time before we rode home.
We didn't do anything super exciting this year, just chilled at home and went camping for a few days

near Buena Vista, which is beautiful! This camping trip did not include many of the food items that I am used to eat when we went camping. We did still eat canned vegetarian hot dogs and we roasted a lot of veggies over the campfire. I think my favorite food was sweet potatoes cut into strips and cooked inside aluminum foil on top of the campfire--YUM! I don't think we used the camp stove once during this trip. I also made sure to bring sprouted hot dog buns and I ate roasted zucchini instead of the hot dogs. This year I found some vegetarian marshmallows, which are still full of nasty sugars, but don't have the gelatin in them that most marshmallows have, after seeing a picture of bones on facebook, which gelatin is made from, I can't eat things with gelatin anymore. The marshmallows did not burn like normal marshmallows and I didn't have quite as much fun with them, but they did taste good, especially with some sea salt dark chocolate.

The next week I started my summer class, which turned out to be a lot of work, but very informative and now, if I can't tell you all about Special Education Law--I can at least tell you where to find what you want :) 

Chava and I only had about two weeks to get started on our summer classes and then some of our very good friends came to visit us. We got to go to the Aquarium--very nice, go hiking, and spend a day at Water World--soo much fun. We did eat at Cinzetti's after Water World, which I hope not to repeat. I am learning that one of the best ways to realize I don't want to do something unhealthy is to do it and realize how awful I feel afterwards, I am much less likely to repeat the same mistake because I remember that feeling.
We then traveled to Ouray for the Fourth of July with my parents and tried out my dad's Land Cruiser which he just finished rebuilding. He climbed up Poughkeepsie Gulch right after someone who had rolled a very nice jeep down the steepest part. While in Ouray I learned that when I do not have a juicer around a Green Smoothie makes an amazing breakfast! I am sad we didn't get to see fireworks this year, but the nighttime jeep parade was super fun:)

So then after a week of being home and trying to get caught up on classes, we drove to Lincoln Nebraska for a good friend's wedding. Which was very beautiful and it was so much fun seeing some friends we hadn't seen since college.
The last two weeks of summer were spent finishing my paper for the summer class and putting my classroom back together after the summer. I was not ready to start back to work, but as soon as my new students walked in the door I remembered why I decided to teach! I am loving my new preschool class (not that I didn't love my class last year, but every class is different and I love each of them for different reasons) and I am also enjoying my new assignment as the first and second grade reading teacher. Its a new learning curve for me so I wasn't able to start my fall class and I hope this gives my some time to write a little more on my blog :) (no promises).
To end the summer we just got back from visiting some friends from high school, one of whom is moving and I am going to miss her very much! but we had such a fun weekend! we got to make-up not seeing fireworks on the Fourth by watching the show at Fort Carson! A nice end to a very eventful summer.

So now that summer is over and I have slowly gotten into eating less and less healthy I have planned some new goals, which I will talk about later, but I have started a month of eating raw food and am excited to see how my body handles a totally raw diet. I don't feel ready to go completely raw forever, but I am exited for a challenge this month. I hope to keep you updated and post some recipes which have been waiting since April to be posted, but again no promises:)

Happy Juicing!

How was your summer? Did you do anything excited? Did you keep up with your health goals this summer?

Exciting Juicy Stuff!

Sorry I haven't followed up after the juice cleanse. I have been very busy and super stressed! My job and the children I care for have taken all of my thoughts for the past two weeks and I haven't been able to think about much else, but the problems seem to be mostly resolving themselves and I can go back to thinking about other things :) Only now I have a final paper to finish in one week! Well, I guess it will have to get done!

So after the Big Juice Spring Clean you could send in a video about your experience to win a prize to Jason Vale's newest juice retreat in Portugal. You could also send in a picture. My husband sent in both and, while he didn't win the prize we are getting Jason Vale's Funky Fresh Juice Book for creativity and the video is posted on the website! So I wanted to share it with you because I am so proud of my husband:) 

 His picture also did not win, but it was featured in the collection of pictures that were sent out on email.  See if you can find it!
 

That is what I will leave you with tonight, but I have three really exciting recipes to share with you! Look for another post soon, I can't wait!

Till then...

Happy Juicing!

Juice Cleanse Days 11, 12, and 13

Day 11 (this would originally have been day 10, but I forgot to count day one)

Wednesday was a very snowy Colorado day. I felt VERY cold and juices did not sound particularly appetizing in the least. I drank my juices because I was hungry and not because I wanted them and I definitely drank my share of hot tea! I was supposed to go shopping on Wednesday (it happens to be double add day at sprouts.) But I just did not want to because it was snowing. So my husband picked me up from work and on our way home we stopped at Tokyo Joes. Probably not the best place in the world, but it was cheap and after a big bowl of Miso Soup with nothing but onions, I was feeling much better. I went home and did some yoga and drank some yummy peppermint cocoa made with brazil nut milk.

Day 12

I started Thursday on a wonderful juice high and had a really good day. After school we went to this nice little produce warehouse that is on our way home and bought all the veggies for the next day. When I got home I was still in a good mood and I started making myself and my husband a HUGE pot of soup/broth. While the broth was simmering I made all of my juices and then sat down with my dinner to  figure out what veggies I was going to need for the next week. By the time I was finished with all of my 'work' I felt depressed and extremely irritable. I made some tea and took a bath which helped a little, but I was still feeling awful when I finally went to bed. 

Day 13 The End

Ok, even though I decided to end the cleanse early I learned a lot today and I think that today was a very nice breakthrough for me in terms of discovering me and what I am able to do. I woke up horribly irritable this morning partly, I think, because I did not wake up in time to work out. I just kept telling myself that if I would only work out I would feel much better. When the kids came in to school their smiling faces made me feel so much better and I was ready to have a good day--for about 15 minutes. Then they decided to be more quarrelsome than usual all day long. So I was very glad to finally leave at 1:00. At this point I wanted food! I thought, I am going by Natural Grocers I will stop, get a Kombucha and some nice, dark chocolate. Then I ended up doing some self talk. I realized something epic--Food Never Solved Anyone's Problems! This realization made me calm and peaceful, I drank my juice and thought, "I can do this I can go one more day." I realized I didn't need food to solve my problems. I only need food to quench my hunger. I am now a little more free. 

Having said that, I still decided to end the only juice part of my cleanse. I was ready for a nice meal with my husband which didn't involve me cleaning the juicer. We went out to the Watercourse and got veggie bruscetta for an appetizer (I realize I probably shouldn't have eaten the bread). Then I ate a wonderful, Build Your Own Salad with arugula, spinach, avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes, and grilled zucchini with Balsamic Vinaigrette. We ended the night polishing off my Strawberry Cheesecake (really yummy) and I probably ate way too many mini vegan chocolate chips :) But I feel very good and accomplished. And I am excited for a grilled zucchini, sprout, sandwich tomorrow on raw bread!

I must say I am really impressed with those who can Juice Feast for an insane amount of time! I have really been enjoying following Rande's 90 day juice feast and she has really inspired me. I think I will eventually do a long juice feast, but not in the near future. I've decided sometime when I can take a little time to pamper myself every night so I don't go so crazy. 

What I Learned

Well I promised to tell you what I learned during this cleansed. This is really quite simple, but I guess we sometimes have to be hit over the head by something before we really 'know' it. This past winter I was under a great deal of stress because of work, school, and a very bad relationship. I began to gain weight which in turn made me feel more stress. In all I think I gained back about seven or more pounds. After Christmas I did Jason Vale's 'The World's Biggest Juice Detox' and began to feel AMAZING. But I didn't lose any weight, I played around with my diet and still didn't lose any weight. I didn't feel bad, just kind of annoyed. Finally, this time, I lost seven to ten pounds, easily, in one week! What made the difference? I am convinced that it was the time of year, SPRINGTIME. Apparently your body wants to cleanse itself and so if you give it the tools the body slims down--naturally! I have learned that during winter my body needs some heavy foods and it needs to eat, pure juicing may not be the best thing for my body during winter. I may put on some pounds, but that is ok. It is cold and the body naturally wants to protect itself. When it is time my body will naturally detox and lose the 'winter weight'. I am very happy to discover this and will (hopefully) not worry about it next winter. My plan is to eat less, but eat the foods I feel my body needs and be reassured that, in the spring, everything will go back to normal. I am also putting away the scale because I feel that every time I step on it I begin to define myself by the number. I will no longer be a number! I am a beautiful, confident person! And so are YOU!

Happy Juicing!!! 

Juice Cleanse Day 9?

Today started out horrid. I could have gotten up at 4 this morning to do some yoga, but I didn't and when I did wake up I was very irritable. I was extra strict on my kids today and almost everything annoyed me. I didn't want to drink my juices, but got so hungry I finally did and they turned out to taste better than I thought. At snack time we made Chex Mix for the letter Xx. I let the kids take some chex cereal, honey roasted cashews, and pretzels and we drizzled some melted peanut butter on top. I really wanted to eat that peanut butter! I had a spoon in the jar and when I finally started cleaning up I looked longingly at the gooey, sugary spoon. Scraped it off and threw it away! After that my day got better for some reason. I did not care to eat food anymore and when I was deciding what to buy at the grocery store tomorrow, I thought, "I can finish this, its easy!" I do think eating broth at night is really helping during these couple cold days. 

I made a mistake in my last post. I actually started my juice cleanse last Friday, ate some food on Saturday, but then when straight back on Sunday and have been juicing ever since. So I actually have just finished my tenth day! Exciting! 

I promised a couple days back to tell you what I learned from this past winter and juice cleanse, but it will have to wait because once again it is late and I have to get up early. The latest I will post what I learned will be Friday.

Happy Juicing!!!