Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Day Four Reboot Juice Fast

Day Four is finished!  I am still feeling fantastic.  For breakfast I had a bowl of fruit.  (Sorry no picture).  This included, kiwi, pineapple, grapefruit, mango and fresh mint!







Mid morning juice was a Mexican Style Jugo.
2 large cucumbers
4 cups cilantro
1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper
1 apple

I enjoyed this juice very much!  

For lunch I had a cucumber salad and sunset blend juice.


 Sunset Blend juice had one sweet potato, 1 carrot, 1 red bell pepper, 2 red beets, 2 apples and 1 orange.  This so far has been my least favorite juice....but I did drink it all!


This was my afternoon snack.  Green soup. All the green veggies you can think of!







Sweet potato and carrot fries for dinner plus baked zucchini with tomatoes and herbs.

Day four complete.  I feel AWESOME!!!!  Day five is my last day to chew....I will only be juicing from  Wednesday to Sunday.  I'm a lil scared.

Peace out,
j  






Monday, April 16, 2012

Day Two and Three

Hi Friends!!  I am currently on day 4 of my Reboot Juice Fast!!  But here is what has been going on during day two and three-




I did wake up with a horrible headache one day one- which was gone with an afternoon nap.  Day two, I awoke with just a slight headache but thankfully, it was gone before I even realized it.  I have been feeling great ever since.  


These are pictures from Day 2-  This was my breakfast.  Kiwi, pineapple, mint, blackberries, pear and flax seed!  Yumm!!








This is a V28 juice.  3 beets, 2 carrots, 2 celery, 4 plum tomatoes, 4 cups parsley, 1 Jalapeno and 12 red radishes.   It tasted a lot like beets to me.  I like beets so it was all good!!

That was mid morning juice.  I had a carrot dill salad for lunch with dried apple rings.  This was a very big salad so I had the rest for dinner.  I forgot to take pic!

Day Three-

Baked apple for breakfast



Minty Fresh Berry- 2 cups blueberries, 2 kiwi fruits, 16 strawberries and 2 cups mint leaves.  This was delish!!!

I had Roasted Acorn squash stuffed with mushroom and sage for lunch!  Oh my goodness....healthy goodness!!

Dinner was sweet potato and carrot fries with veggie soup.  If you have never had sweet potato fries, you are totally missing out.  Again, I forgot to take a picture but here is the recipe!

Sweet Potato and Carrot Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 large carrots
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Cajun spice (or any spice you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel sweet potatoes and carrots.  Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and slice each halve into 4 equal wedges.  Cut carrots in half crosswise into two chunks.  Slice each chunk into 2 pieces lengthwise.  Put all ingredients into gallon size ziploc bag and shake, shake, shake.  Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.  Enjoy!!

I get to enjoy these tonight for dinner too!!  I can't wait!  

In light and love,
j











Friday, April 13, 2012

Day one- Juice Fast

Day one of Reboot 15 day juice fast.  For breakfast I will have cherry cinnamon bake.  Mid morning snack is that lovely green juice up there :)  The green juice consists of 2 cups of Kale, 2 cups of spinach, 1/2 cucumber, 4 stalks of celery, 2 green apples and ginger root.  I will be having a salad for lunch with mustard vinaigrette dressing and carrot ginger soup.  Dinner is a salad with green beans, snow peas and broccoli with ginger honey soy dressing. You can find all the recipes and the different reboot juice fasts here.  I start and end my day with herbal tea or hot lemon water.  


Ha, I just noticed the dog treats behind my food.  No doggie treats for me!!!


I woke up with a headache this morning, which I am sure is from lack of sleep.  I didn't go to bed until late.  No coffee this morning is going to hurt.  I don't think I over-do the coffee but I definitely LOVE my cup in the morning!!!  


I will be trying some new vegetables that I have never tried before.  I put Jicama in my lunch salad today.  It is an australian yam bean or also known as a mexican potato.  It is kind of sweet and crunchy.  Sort of like a cross between a potato and a pear.  


No extra protein in these meals.  It will be all plant based.  I am wondering how that will affect me.  


Until tomorrow,


love j

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead....

I just watched the movie, Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead.  Forks Over Knives was a documentary about a eating a plant based diet and how eating this way can actually reverse disease in the body.  If you are a vegetarian and considering becoming a vegan, this is the movie to watch. I'm on the fence about this because I feel we need more protein....there is protein in veggies but I'm just not sure if it is enough.  Like I said, I'm still on the fence so I can't give you a good opinion on that.


Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead was a documentary about a 40 year Australian man who was literally Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and decided to see if he could change his health by only putting the best and freshest food in his body.  He did a 60 day juice fast.  He did end up reversing his health problems, lost a lot of weight and helped a lot of people along the way!

I would never recommend a 60 day juice fast unless it is totally under doctor care.  But this juice fast got me to thinking....could I do it....will I be hungry....will I feel any different?  Let me say this, I LOVE to chew my food. I am NOT one to drink anything but water, coffee or tea.  The official website is here.  There are several different reboot juice fasts that can be done.  I have chose to try the 15 day reboot.  I have two weeks left of my one ingredient diet so this is the perfect time to try it.  I am starting tomorrow.  I will do five days of eating a plant based diet AND juicing...followed by five days of only juicing....followed by five days of eating a plant based diet and juicing.

I have never been a big person on detox diet fads.  I do feel that if you eat a healthy diet, your body will cleanse itself.  With that being said, I'm going for it.  If juicing will help someone that has major health problems, how will it help someone that is healthy?  Will I go through detox?  Hunger?  Weight loss?

I will let you know!!  In the mean time here is a great recipe I made the other night!


Serves 2; Adapted from Your Lighter Side.


Ingredients:


1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*


Directions:


To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself. 

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.


To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!   *Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.






This is the crust before cooking.....


After cooking....I did double the recipe and I think I should have cooked the crust just a bit longer....









With my toppings....basil pesto, spinach, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms.



The end result!!  YUMM!!!


Namaste,
j

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

What would J do?

One of my friends and clients wrote something and left it on the front desk.  Somehow when I read it, I knew she had wrote it even though she did not sign it.  She is to be admired because she is very in charge of her health!  I wanted to share with you what she wrote-
            
     Is It Really All Good?

In times of Trouble
Loneliness
Fear
Temptation
Celebration
Heartbreak
Boredom
Failure
Depression
Recession
Frustration
On a Vacation
Shopping at the Grocery Store
Hanging Out with Friends
Dining at a Restaurant
Watching Movies or TV
In Every Situation
Ask Yourself
W.W.J.E.?
Remember your body is a Temple
Try To Keep it Clean!

What Would Janet Eat?  Clean & Healthy.  Be Inspired!!

Thank you Victoria!!!  I am very inspired reading that and I couldn't have said it better myself!  If you look at each situation, food always accompanies them.  We eat when we are in trouble, lonely, scared, bored, frustrated, on vacation, with friends and in front of the tv!!!  Sometimes it is easy to say, "Just this once, I will treat myself to _______"   But one situation turns into two which turns into a bad habit of eating the wrong foods.  Consistency pays off friends.  Small changes in each meal- every day will make Huge results in your health.  

The next time you are in one of these situations, ask yourself- 
What Would J Eat?

In light and love,
j

Friday, March 30, 2012

Water-water-water....we are all told over and over to drink our water every day.  We are made up of up to 50-70% water, depending on our size.  I tell my clients to hang up the soda, diet or not, and drink water.  They come back to me with, "But I don't like the taste of water!"  


Personally I Heart drinking water.  Not that I haven't had my days where I don't want to drink water. If I'm not thirsty for water, chances are I am not drinking anything else to replace it. Not good!  I just have my days where I'm just NOT thirsty.  While I was on vacation, I visited a spa that had cucumber water.  I have heard of putting cucumbers in water but I've never actually tried it.  Have you?!  






If not, I highly recommend it!!  It tastes SO refreshing.  It instantly transforms you to feel like you are standing outside on a warm summer day with slight hint of the smell of fresh laundry hanging on the line.  You do have to close your eyes when you drink it :)  Makes you want to try the water, yes?
Seriously, it is delicious and I found myself drinking more water because of it.  I bought this cute little glass container with a lid at Wal-Mart.  I wanted a lid so my water didn't take on the flavors of the fridge.  I bought one for home and work. I also tried putting orange slices and lemon slices together.  Love that too but the cucumber is my favorite.   






Why do we need water?  

  • regulates our body temperature
  • transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
  • moisturizes the air in our lungs
  • helps with our metabolism (we need all the help we can get right?)
  • protects our organs
  • helps digestive tract keep moving
  • helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
  • protects and moisturizes our joints
  • detoxifies our body     
  • muscles consists of 75% water 
  • brain consists of 90% water (now I know why I can't think straight if I am dehydrated)
  • bone consists of 22% water
  • blood consists of 83% water


If I try to work out and I have not had enough water, I notice I am not nearly as energized.  I have a very hard time getting through an hour.  I am tired and fatigued.    
Here are some other signs of dehydration.
  • migraines
  • constipation
  • muscle cramps
  • irregular blood pressure
  • kidney problems
  • dry skin
  • cravings
  • hungry

So how much water should we drink?  Of course we have all heard the 8 glasses a day water rule.  I truly believe you should listen to your own body and do what is right for you.  I noted in a previous blog that I read where we should drink a gallon of water a day.  I tried it and it was too much water for me.  A good way to tell if you are drinking enough is to look at the color of your urine.  If it is dark yellow or orange you are dehydrated.  It should be pale yellow to clear.  The bad thing about drinking the amount of water we should drink....too many trips to the bathroom.  Glad my bathroom is close to my desk!!!


I am well into my third week of eating only one ingredient AND no sugar!  I am dead tired friends!!  By one or two in the afternoon, I could sleep standing up!  Not sure what is going on here.  Detox of sugar? Didn't think I was having that much sugar before this challenge.  I'm unsure where this extreme fatigue is coming from.  I feel better today so maybe the worst is over. Maybe I just need a nap.  I heart naps!!!


Don't forget to pick up some cucumbers at your next trip to the grocery store!  You will LOVE it!!


In light and love,
j


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Being a redhead, people think I have a hot temper.  I really don't.  I am a very easy going redhead.  It really does take a lot to get my redheaded temper out.  Todays blog does just that.  Take a few minutes to check out the links below.  


As much as 50% of the olive oil sold in the U.S. is not actually pure olive oil, as some brands claiming to be "extra-virgin" or "100% Italian," have actually been adulterated with toxic rapeseed oil [canola], soybean oil, and other low-grade oils.

Check this link out!





Interesting... I am happy a whole foods is coming to South Bend soon but I am not happy about this! Gahhhhh!


Organic or not?




I know we have heard a lot about the pink slime in our meat lately.  This explains a little more.  


Pink Slime- what's wrong with our food industry?!

We have to stand up for ourselves friends!  We have to stop letting these big companies walk away with our money only to provide us with bad quality foods.  




Knowledge is power friends! 


Inhale, Exhale.  Repeat.


  j