Favorite Recipies

Pineapple

• 1 apple, seeds removed quarered
• 3 carrots, greens removed
• 3 inches pineapple slices, with skin
• 1/4 inch fresh ginger

Joe's Mean Green

• handful spinach
• 3 stalks of kale
• 2 golden delicious apples
• small handful parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1 cucumber

Sunrise Juice
vegan, serves 1-2

1 small-medium pink grapefruit, peeled
1 small apple
*I used an organic Pink Lady apple
3-4 small organic carrots (length of a pencil, thickness of a dime)
*Fresh carrots, not baby carrots
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 small lemon, peeled, de-seeded

Beet juice has been TOOOOOO sweet for me but I just made a delicious batch that is not too sweet!

Recipe is:

1 beet

 1 celery stalk

 thumb size ginger

 two handfuls of parsley

 handful of spinach

1 carrot (I had a bunch of colored carrots from my natures garden delivered box, so it was a white carrot not sure if that made it less sweet) 

about 6-8 strawberries

1/2 lemon

1/2 lime

and 1 apple

Anti-inflammatory Grape and Basil Smoothie by Young and Raw

2 celery ribs
1 cup fresh or frozen grapes (green or red)
5 leaves fresh basil (or mint or parsley)
½ cup of water

Health Benefits:

Inflammation is one of the root causes of many diseases. Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer all have an element of inflammation in their disease process. This smoothie will help to bring down any inflammation levels in your body which over time can help to prevent illness.

 happy juicing!

Soup with Quinoa

I have also been researching the health benefits of quinoa.  It is good to use in place of rice or noodles.  So I thought, I bet it would be great in soup.  I found this website where she used it to make a chicken soup.

I followed the recipe but I didn't have Cajun spice, split peas, or smoked paprika (although I used a little paprika.)  I had an organic zucchini so I cut that up and added it.  I also chopped up a tomato I had and added that as well.  I felt that it needed more flavor, I think because I didn't have the split peas so I added some "better than chicken"  ( chicken bouillon).  It was delicious and even my husband loved it.

I do not have a picture but you can check out hers on her website http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/01/05/chicken-quinoa-soup-crock-pot/

Chicken Quinoa Soup (Crock Pot)

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6-8 stalks celery, diced
• 6-8 carrots, diced
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 T Cajun spice seasoning
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 C dried split peas (I used yellow, but green is fine)
• 1/2 C quinoa, rinsed
• 6 C low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 C water
• salt and pepper to taste

Cauliflower crust pizza

Next cooking experiment also inspired by www.detoxinista.com was a cauliflower pizza crust.

Follow her directions to make the crust.  The only thing that I did differently was to put it on foil to start cooking it and then when it started to crisp and could be easily transfered, I moved it onto a preheated pizza stone on the bottom rack.  The trick is getting the bottom to crisp all the way through.  It was surprisingly good and didn't taste that different from a pizza crust.

Because of the fantastic website I found www.detoxinista.com I started experimenting with almond flour and made some muffins.  I used her recipe but tweeked it slightly.

the recipe is:
 preheat oven to 350....1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2-3 soft bananas 2 eggs beat/mix until combined... in another bowl, 2 cups almond meal/flour,1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt (or sea salt), 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon... Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. You can add berries and/or chocolate and fold in if you want. (Taste the batter, if it is not sweet enough you can add a little more honey and or vanilla) put muffin cups in a muffin tin and poor batter into cups. Cook about 18 minutes turning the pan about half way through for even cooking.

They were really good and even my very picky toddler loved them!!!

After I finished my cleanse, I did feel much healthier.  I have been experimenting in the kitchen, motivated by health, I am using different ingredients and techniques to cook.  I am learning a lot and hope that it can help you as well.  A few of my resent experimets and recipies (that have been pretty successful) I will share with you on my next post.

I have also joined a Gym and can't wait for my soccer to start again in March.  I played last fall for the first time in 11 years and WOW was it rough.  I swore to myself that this time I will be prepared so that I can at least play well enough or, I should say, long enough to actually let my family come and watch.  I wouldn't let them come last fall haha.

Day 2 Detox - Day 3

My night from day one was fine.  Day 2, woke up and made my hot lemon water again and took the children to school.  When I got home I made my Kale recipe and that was my breakfast.  I tried to keep water around all day and sipped on it whenever I thought about it.  About 2 hours later I made a beet juice recipe.  After about an hour, I had a small handful of cashews.  I continued to drink water.  I made a green tea in the afternoon.  Then I juiced again for dinner.

I am not being descriptive because I just don't have the time lol but I posted some great websites where you can get the information.

I will say though that day 2 was no biggy for me and I think it was because I eased my self into this for several weeks before.  For several weeks I tried to eat very healthy, a.k.a very little meat, no fast food, little caffeine....... 

Day 3 went about the same for me but before bed I had a "Smooth Move" before bed because I was not going #2 on the toilet during this cleanse like I was hoping for.  Smooth Move is an organic tea that you can get at your local grocery store or pharmacy.  It is actually good tasting too. 

Back to day 3:  I was fine, a little hungrier than the days prior but I read all the warnings (which I listed in my blog) which said that you may be tired, irritable, hungry, skin may break out, and other symptoms.  I experienced this a little but not bad.  DON'T STOP however, if you do experience this keep going anyway.  Everyone says day 3 is the hardest so just make it through it and day 4 you are supposed to really start to feel the benefits of the cleanse.

Day 1 of detox      January 28, 2013

Started the day with warm water and lemon (to replace my usual coffee), then I made a green juice using:
about 6 stalks of Kale
tablspoon size of ginger
1/3 of a lemon
1/3 of a lime
3 stalks of celery
1 apple
1 papaya
a few mint leaves


I continued to drink water during and after
I had a small handful of cashews

Next I made a beet, carrot, apple, mint juice

1 beet
5 carrots
1 apple
mint leaves

this one was just WAY to sweet for my taste so I squeezed in some fresh lime juice and that helped

So far so good but I just made the children some mac-n-cheese for lunch.... I cannot deny that it smells good!

For dinner I made a smoothie

I mixed a small amount of organic yogurt (which I know is not what I really should do because part of the juicing diet is avoiding dairy but...) with strawberries, blueberries, 2 ice cubes, almond milk and some chia seeds.

Later I had Smooth Move tea, (to help aid in getting rid of the toxins)

Research

So this portion I call experimentation and research.

1st I wanted to know what to expect, side effectsand this is what I found out:
 During a cleanse, the body is essentially tearing down all of the "bad stuff" and rebuilding with new material. To make room for that new material, the "bad stuff" needs to leave; how it makes its exit is your potential crisis. For example: when the body eliminates coffee, symptoms usually include headaches, nervousness, and shakiness. When protein, meats, and fats are eliminated, you may experience skin eruptions, foul body odor, or a coated tongue.
FUN!  But apparently the first 3 days are tough, the 3rd is apparently THE WORST.  If you make it past that third day you start to feel great!  We will see....

1st eperiment:
Did not go so well, EWWWWWWWWWW.... I thought carrot juice would be a good juice to start with so without really a recipe I added 5 carrots, celery, 2 pears, 1 apple, 1 mango and then I got really crazy and added some ginger (such a rookie).  It wouldn't have been bad tasting but I put way to much ginger and the entire thing just tasted like ginger.  I do not love the taste of ginger.

So I poured it out and started reseaching.  So far I have found these helpful websites:
http://myjuicecleanse.com/category/juicer-recipes/juice-recipes/
Very helpful, good info and a lot of recipies
http://www.juicing-for-health.com/juicing-lessons.html#Lesson-3
More step by step to understand juicing.  Ex.  how much and how often
http://www.omegajuicers.com/juicing-recipes
http://fitlife.tv/juicing-benefits-parsley/
Drew Canole has a lot of good information, recipies, and nurtitional facts
More recipies
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/48-hour-weekend-cleanse-recipes?page=2
Dr. Oz's 48 hour detox recipies and info
Shopping List for Dr. Oz's cleanse:  GREAT! Very helpful

Day 1

Side Note:  I am not a blogger so there will be no witty,cutesie posts here.  Just facts resources and my personal experiences.

I am tired of being sick and tired!  I randomly came across a documentary called Food Matters which has both motivated and inspired me.  It finally explains why my body is "freaking" out!  Let me elaborate and explain a bit:

Like I stated before, I am not a blogger but I wanted to keep a record of my journey to health and to hopefully help others.  In order to understand what this is about, I have to start with what is both my ailment and inspiration.  I have suffered my entire life with, what I thought was, strange reactions in my body.  Migraine's, hives, rashes, eczema, extremely dry skin, fatigue, horrible stomach pains, constipation and now nails pealing, hair falling out, and patches of dry skin on my face.  I have been to Dr's all of my life that have not given me any concrete answers only theories.  This has motivated me to take matters into my own hands and started my own research. What I have discovered is that I think that I suffer from an autoimmune/thyroid dysfunction.  This runs in my family and I have watched as my sister, who suffers from this with even more severe symptoms than myself, go from Dr to Dr with little to no answers on how to treat her.  Their solution is medicate or surgically remove her thyroid.  We are not satisfied with either of these options because nothing else has been tried yet and they are not even completely confident that this is the problem.
I have always felt that food plays a large role in what is upsetting my body but thought that I am a relatively healthier eater.

SOOOOO after seeing this documentary I am ready for a change. It was a real eye opener and I don't think that I will ever see food in the same way again.  What to do first?
Step 1: buy my juicer                       check
I bought the Breville Juicer and it is awesome, seriously.  Now I don't know anything about juicing, yet, but this thing is amazing (to me).

Step 2: RESEARCH

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-that-detox-the-body/

1. Fruits

Fruits are high in liquid-content, helping the body wash out toxins. They are also very easy to digest and are high in antioxidants, nutrients, fiber and important vitamins.

2. Green Foods

Fill your refrigerator with blue green algae, barley, wheatgrass, kale, spinach, spirulina, alfalfa, chard, arugula or other organic leafy greens. These plants will help give a chlorophyll-boost to your digestive tract.
Chlorophyll rids the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. They also aid the liver in detoxification.

3. Lemons, Oranges, and Limes

Citrus fruit aids the body in flushing out toxins and jump starts the digestive tract with enzymatic processes. Lemon juice aids the liver in its cleansing processes. To increase detoxification, start each morning with a warm glass of lemon water.
Remember, vitamin C is one of the best detox vitamins around, as it transforms toxins into digestible material. Eat vitamin c foods often to help get more of these benefits.

4. Garlic

This pungent little bulb is one of the best detoxing foods out there. It helps stimulate the liver into producing detoxification enzymes that help filter toxic residues from the digestive system. I recommend adding sliced or cooked garlic to a suitable dish, as this will help aid any detox diet.

5. Broccoli Sprouts

Extremely high in antioxidants, the ability for broccoli sprouts to stimulate the detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract is unparalleled. The sprouts are actually more effective than the fully-grown vegetable.

6. Green Tea

Packed full of antioxidants, green tea washes toxins from the system via its liquid content, but also contains a special type of antioxidant called catechins, which are known to increase liver function.

Juicing Tip

While juicing make sure to pay attention to the amount of sugar in the fruits and vegi's you are using as not to take in too much sugar.  Choose fruits and vegetables with low sugar levels for juicing. Check a glycemic index food list to learn the sugar levels of fruits and vegetables.

(info came from www.livestrong.com)

Glycemic index

Medium GI Fruits

Mangoes, bananas, raisins, papaya, figs and pineapple have a medium GI value, which ranges between 56 and 69. Although these fruits do not produce a sharp rise in your blood sugar levels like a high GI food would, their influence over your blood sugar levels is significantly higher compared to low GI fruits.

High GI Fruits

Watermelon has a GI of 80 and dates have a GI of 103, making them high GI fruits. Eating these fruits, especially in large quantities, can cause your blood sugar levels to rise quickly. High GI foods should be consumed in moderation only.

Low GI Vegetables

Most vegetables have a low GI, with only a few exceptions. If you are aiming to lower your dietary GI, you can include an abundance of vegetables such as carrots, eggplants, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, green beans, bell peppers, summer squash and cabbage. These vegetables will help you keep your blood sugar levels more stable.

Medium GI Vegetables

Beetroot is one of the only vegetables with a medium GI value of 64. It can be part of a healthy and balanced low glycemic index diet if eaten in moderation.

High GI Vegetables

Pumpkins and parsnips have a high GI, which is above 70. All potatoes, whether they are baked, mashed or fried, also have a high GI value. Eating high GI vegetables can result in a sharp increase in your blood sugar levels.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/379508-the-glycemic-index-table-of-fruits-vegetables/#ixzz2HUSSU8gx

Good info from Dr. Oz

This info comes from his page.  After my initial juicing detox, I want to start adding his ideas into my diet.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/48-hour-weekend-cleanse?page=2#copy

Breakfast: Quinoa With Chopped Prunes

Ingredients (Makes 1 Serving)
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp flax seed oil
1/3 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup rice milk

Directions
In a small pot, stir 1/2 cup quinoa, a pinch of nutmeg and 1 tsp of grated ginger into a cup of water.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the prunes and rice milk. Cover again and cook another 5 minutes.

Snack: Detox Drinks

Kale, Pineapple and Ginger Detox Drink

Ingredients (Makes 4 Servings; Drink Throughout the Day)

1/2 cup pineapple

2 large cucumbers

1 bunch kale without stems (4 cups chopped)

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1/4 inch of ginger

1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup)

Directions

Combine all ingredients and blend in juicer.

Alternative: Pineapple, Lemon and Pomegranate Blend-Free Detox Drink

Ingredients (Makes 4 Servings; Drink Throughout the Day)

3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 lemon

1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice

3 cups water

Directions

Combine all ingredients and mix in a cup. Enjoy!

You can consume as many of these snacks as you'd like throughout the day.

Alternative Snack: Fresh Veggies

Ingredients

Celery

Radishes

Cucumber

Green beans

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Cut up celery, radishes, cucumber and green beans.

For dressing, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well.

You can consume as many of these snacks as you'd like throughout the day.

Before serving, stir in 1 tbsp of flax seed oil.