My good friend, Becca Sue, was asking me some specifics about juicing today and I realized that I should finally post more about the process we go through for juicing! So, here it is!
Step 1: Prep the produce!Washing the greens is fairly easy, I fill the sink with 2-3 inches of water toss each leaf in and essentially stir them in the water. This knocks most of the dirt and such off and conserves water because the faucet isn't running the whole time!
The apples and lemons we clean with a neat washing agent called Environne. (Washing instructions are on the bottles) Then each is cut into chunks that will fit into the juicer.
Step 2: Juice the produce!
We like to prep the juicer with a few leaves of Romain fist because, of all the ingredients, it is the cheapest. Then push two pieces of apple, one or two leaves of kale, one lemon wedge, and a few leaves of Romain. Repeat until you run out of produce but always try to end with Romain to push all the good stuff through!
Step 3: Strain out the pulp!
The reason a person juices is to get all the fantastic goodness that plants hold for us but there's so much fiber that it's hard to eat all of it. The juicer does a good job of removing most of the fiber, but there's still a lot left over. We use two different sizes of strainers. The first has a mesh with larger holes and the second has smaller holes. The first we only use once but the second we will use three or four times.
Step 4: Enjoy your Green Lemonade! Let me know if you have any questions!
Here's to your tomorrow!
I have a new recipe! Woot! I got it from Vive le Vegan! by Dreena Burton.
EASY PLEASIN' OAT BARS
Makes 10-14 bars (depending on how they're cut)
Brackets [] are mine
2 cups ground oats (can be made in a blender with whole oats)
1 cup quick oats
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup fruit sweetener or other thick honey alternative [I used Agave Nectar]
1/4 cup vanilla or plain non-dairy milk
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp canola oil [I used coconut oil! SOOOOO GOOD!]
[1- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract]
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3) Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, stirring until well combined. [I think it would work better to mix all the wet ingredients separately and then mix them into the dry mixture--the dry tends to suck up the liquid really fast!]
4) Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled 8"x8" or 8"x12" baking dish and press it down until evenly distributed.
5) Using a sharp knife, cut to mark out the bars before you bake them to make it easier to fully cut and remove the bars once baked. (I usually mark out 12 rectangular bars, but you can make whatever size you like.) [I cut them into tiny little bite size squares for Juriah!]
6) Bake for 19-21 minutes, then remove and let cool in the pan.7) Once cool, use a sharp knife to fully cut the bars, then remove with a spatula.
My first batch came out really dense! But that was because I kept having to add soy milk. Juriah and I absolutely love them and Jairus really enjoyed the taste but not the dense texture. I'm sure that would be fixed by mixing the liquid ingredients on their own and then to the dry ones! Burton (I love her last name--it always makes me think of snowboarding! Which is another reason I need to get in shape! We've got a trip planned for Dec!) mentions in a side note that 1/4 cup of dried fruits or toasted nuts can be added! I told Jairus about that and (being the Coast Guard chief that he is) he mentioned that I would want to soak the fruit in water for an hour or so to keep the bars from drying out! He said that it works wonders for oatmeal cookies! I'll have to let you know what I find out when I try it! I love this recipe because I can have maple syrup and agave! So it's a nice sweet treat without adding so much to my weight issue!
As for the diet, all is well! Okay, except for the break down I had at Home Depot today. It was the third errand today that took longer than I expected it to and Juriah was cranky because we skipped his nap--I know, I know, bad idea! Anyway, I've had my green lemonade--OH! and so did Juriah! I have a picture!
He even asked me for more! Well, that's it for today! Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Weight - Probably the same!
Green Lemonades - 16! Woot!
I love the Farmer's Market. We watched Curt (curtshow.com) juggle--absolutely hilarious! We walked around and enjoyed the atmosphere. We bought two flowering maple trees and a little wheel of sheep cheese. A couple people are starting to recognize us--of course, today was the third week of us buying 12-14 heads of romaine and 5-6 bunches of kale. It's pretty hard to miss a young couple pushing a double stroller walking a rare breed of dog (Shiba Inu) and hauling 5 or 6 bags of greens! We didn't think through how much to buy--we're going out of town and we weren't going to take our juicer. But now it looks like I'll be packing up the juicer and produce!
As for the vegetarian transition, it's really easy to not eat chicken! Of course, that comes in part because I have done the vegetarian diet before. Because of this, I have decided that I'm going to cut out chicken and turkey! I'll reserve fish for twice a month (sushi is awesome!) I got the sheep cheese today because I think I'm going to start gearing up for the transition to veganism! My logic in that is this: I LOVE cheese! even though I don't eat it much right now, if it's available, I'm all over it! If I switch to goat and sheep cheese, it will be easier on my body and, hopefully I won't miss giving it up so much. Of course this may back fire on me. I'm head-over-heels for the sheep cheese I picked up today! *Deep sigh* If nothing else, at least I'm trying!
Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Weight - 183, bummer for the extra 2 pounds!
Green Lemonades - 13
I've been forgetting things lately--a lot. I forgot my supplements two days in a row! The most important of which was the St John's Wart, 5-HTP, Evening Primrose and Vitamin D. All of which are for my depression. I didn't realize exactly how important those were! I'm way more tired, my passion for proper diet is waning, I'm not feeling confident--it's amazing how that can all slip away so fast! Because of all this, I started my day off with the Green Lemonade, like usual, and 5-HTP! I got the rest of my vitamins in at lunch.
Changing the subject: My milk is coming in much better! I was a little concerned about how my milk production would be if I was eating even less meat than before. I skipped ahead in the Raw Food Detox Diet to where Rose talks about nursing, kids, and teens. She shared her experience with her waning milk supply. After being told to eat stake, ice cream and other foods like those, she realized that cows make milk without eating all of that! They eat tons of grass! She started consuming 2 lbs of greens every day! And her supply came in better! I was very encouraged to read that. It has been even more encouraging to experience it for myself! I have also noticed that my daughter, Jessenya, doesn't seem so ... picky? Things had to be just so--granted, girls just seem to be that way--but she isn't so finicky. She really seems to have calmed down! I'm sure it has to do with the nutrition she's getting from the Green Lemonade! Oh, Green Lemonade; as a wise man once said, "You are loved like a fat man loves his cake!"
Stats:
Weight - Probably around the same.
Green Lemonades - 10... wait... I messed up my counting... I'm at 12! Woot!
My son drank Green Lemonade yesterday! And he liked it! Woohoo! I cannot fully express to you all how excited I am! He barely tolerates veggies and there he was yesterday, sipping on his grandma's Green Lemonade! Talk about awesome "whole food" baby vitamin!
Aside from that, the diet has been going well! Last Sunday was the only time I've had meat since the sushi incident and it was only turkey. I would have been able to make myself a veggie sandwich, but I waited too long to go make it. As for "sugar-free," I'm doing well with that also--it has been hard though! I keep forgetting what that I can't have things: soda, lattes, chai lattes, most chocolate--I'm even giving up stuff with evaporated cane juice in it! That limits things even more! Thankfully Jairus has been helping me keep an eye on things. Yesterday we went to Dutch Bros and I brought my own cup with some vanilla extract and agave nectar. Unfortunately, the gentleman making my order dumped dirty water in it and I had to have a plain iced latte instead--which it didn't taste too bad! He was incredibly sorry and gave us the drink for free and extra punches on our punch card! It could have been worse.
Overall, I'm feeling very empowered by this diet change--even if I'm only doing baby steps! I'm feeling more alive and ... functional? I feel like I'm actually interacting with my spouse and children! I'm enjoying the activities of day to day life! I'm taking a yoga class and I went out on my own to run an errand! I am healthy! There have been so many times in the last week where I could have given into the depression and I didn't! Every one of those opportunities, I have met head on with honesty and determination. I caught myself spiraling, took action and dealt with the real issue in a healthy manner. My mind may be slippery, but it's awake! Yesterday, I weighed myself and I have lost 4 pounds! I'm feeling more mobile and a tiny bit more trim! The results are fantastic and it's only the second week! I'm so excited!
Stats:
Weight - 181!
Green Lemonades - 9
Jairus and I juiced our Green Lemonade again this morning! It had been sorely missed yesterday! Last night, as we were preparing the produce for this morning, I realized how nice it was to be doing this with my husband. It has become an activity that we enjoy together! We now have something besides TV to connect on! Jairus has tried to get me interested in juicing before, but I would only humor him and try his crazy drinks so I felt less guilty about not liking the idea in the slightest. It was a blessing that I didn't expect to come from this experiment. Deep down, I can feel the effects of this diet change already and it isn't necessarily from the food itself. Jairus and I are interacting over something that had interested him at one point and has now become a common interest! I feel healthy all over!
Stats:
Weight - I don't know what my deal is--I forgot to weigh myself again!
Green Lemonades - 7
Properly Combined Meals - 11
Well, I'm one day away from reaching my goal of having Green Lemonade every morning for a week! Woot! This morning, though, Jairus had to pull me out of bed so we could juice! I got a nasty bug bite that became swollen and my entire foot ached so last night I had to take a Benadryl. Oh Benadryl, my arch nemesis! I fought it's hypnotic pull to keep me in bed and had my Green Lemonade, swept the floor and tidied the kitchen a bit. But the Benadryl still won out and I went and took a fantastic nap. Except for the dream that I had... a strange mix of Harry Potter and the summer Bible camp I went to as a kid.
Aside from that, the day went well! I stuck to the all fruit breakfast and had a fantastic, well combined meal for lunch; SW Black Bean Gardenburgers, 1 1/2 avocados (I'm really craving avocados!), and sliced tomatoes--oh! and I finished off my son's lunch of fake "chicken nuggets" that are made with corn instead of soy or gluten protein! So yummy! All in all, I did AWESOME! Although I did have sushi for dinner... dang it! I forgot about the fish! I'm so used to allowing that one! Fish is easier to digest so I haven't given it much thought. Bummer. I didn't realize that I was going to have to make that choice about fish. Chicken was obvious for me to realize that I need to stop eating. Pork and beef actually make me sick now when I eat it so that's not hard to stay away from. Turkey is going to be another hard one for me to give up!
I've got some thinking to do.
Stats:
Weight - I'll check on that tomorrow and get back to ya.
Green Lemonades - 6
Properly Combined Meals - 9
In January, I have the pleasure of standing next to a dear friend of mine on the day she gets married! I am so excited for her and her fiance but I'm nervous too because I REALLY don't want to be a frumpy matron of honor who has just let herself go. Therefore, I have decided to try a detox method that's safe for nursing mommies and their babies. It's called the Raw Food Detox Diet (the book is by Natalia Rose) and it's safe because it's a life style change rather than a traditional diet. My husband, Jairus, and I have decided to start off small. On page 48, Rose presents the Green Lemonade recipe and suggests drinking it on an empty stomach a half hour before eating a breakfast of fresh fruits. We have decided to try this for one week and see how we feel! Here's the recipe for those of you who are interested in trying it (as from The Raw Food Detox Diet--brackets [ ] are my addition):GREEN LEMONADEMakes one serving1 head of romaine lettuce or celery [we're sticking to romaine for this experiment]5 to 6 stalks of kale (any type)1 to 2 apples (as needed for sweetness--I recommend organic Fuji)1 whole organic lemon (you don't have to peel it)1 to 2 inches fresh ginger (optional)I know, it's a lot of lettuce! You should have seen the looks on people's faces when we bought 6 days worth for 2 people!This morning was our first day trying it out--well, Jairus has had it before, but that's besides the point. It really didn't taste too bad! Mine was about 24 oz and I drank all but 4! To get the most enzymes, we have to drink it within the first 15 minutes of juicing so I was gulping it down as fast as I could. I actually felt tingling in my extremities when I was about half way through, it was very strange. Half an hour later I had half a plum and about an hour after that I had about two cups of cherries. I'm really proud of myself! I was able to stick to the fresh fruit breakfast and wait the recommended 30 minutes before moving on to a lunch of yummy tofu and brown rice! It was an awesome experience and I'm sure I would have more to say about having more energy but I stayed up WAY too late last night watching Harry Potter. As a side note, I've noticed that my milk production has been doing better today after having the Green Lemonade!Stats:Weight - 170ish (I don't currently own a scale)Days of drinking Green Lemonade: 1Properly combined meals: 2
