Day 141: Day ONE of Round TWO Cleansing

Day ONE of cleansing is almost to an end ...

I have to admit - this was not an easy day! I woke up excited to start this and that is half the battle ...

I had my green lemonade for breakfast and was off to the races.  I dropped the kids off at school and headed to the gym - I felt really good but was hungry as can be afterward.  I even tried to go through McDonald's for a smoothie but their machine was being cleaned. I think I had a brief moment where I wanted to crawl through the intercom and find the person responsible for this! I quickly composed myself and filled my water bottle.  Did you know that you can order one of the fruit smoothies from McD's without the dairy and it's raw??  Brilliant. 

The rest of day was full of green smoothies.  I know that body is thanking me for this but my tummy is wanting some of those bad yummies so it's been a battle that I will win.  One hour at a time, one meal at a time, one day at a time.

I am ready for bed - maybe it's because I am tired but also ready for Day TWO!

Day 140: Prep & More!

It's time to cleanse and I am excited that some of you will be joining me on these next few days ...

Most detox mixtures (like the lemon/cayenne pepper/honey mix) just lift the toxins into the bloodstream. When you stop the detox your body re-absorbs the toxins hence weight again. 

Solution: practice a deeper cleanse (green smoothie) as the first meal of the day

(Lunch too!)  to not only lift but to release toxins so weight drops completely. 

Here are my recipes that I will be using for now ... let me know what you are using and we can share!

Green Smoothie (made in the blender)

                             

(~4 servings)

1.5 cup spring water or more

1 head romaine lettuce

4 stalks celery

1 bunch cilantro (optional)

1 bunch parsley

1 bag spinach

1 whole lemon

2 apples

2 pears

1 banana

- Rinse all fresh produce

-Chop into small pieces then feed into blender.  IMPORTANT – otherwise your blender will get stuck!

-Add small amounts of water as you go to keep solution moist.

-Container will fill 2-3xs!  Please empty into large pitcher each time.

-Makes ~4 -5 servings.

*Its an acquired tastes so beginners may also like to add unsweetened fruit juice or carrots to the drink. 

 

  

I will also be mixing in my Green Lemonade ... here is the recipe again:

 

Green Lemonade (made in the juicer)

 

1 head romaine lettuce

5-6 leaves of spinach, kale, collards, celery, or dandelion greens, etc. (I use kale

1 whole lemon – peel, seeds, and all (Meyer lemons are sweeter)

2 fuji apples, cored (use 3 if you want to make it sweeter)

 

Juice and drink up right away.

Ok ...

There are a few ways you can do this -

1. Drink the green smoothies/lemonade for breakfast and lunch ... then for dinner eat a piece of fish or chicken with steamed veggies. 

or

 

2. Drink the green smoothies/lemonade for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

 

I like to do things in small steps - try it out for ONE day ... see how you feel - you may be ready to stop or you may be ready to try ONE more day ... before you know it, you have done it longer than you could have imagined.  You can do this and we will do it TOGETHER.

 

 

 HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 139: One more Day!

One more day of this ... then it's a FOUR day cleanse!  Anyone ready to join me??

Also, I created a page for Raw For A Reason on Facebook ... please click here to join:

Raw For A Reason Facebook

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Be safe : )

Day 138: Cleanse anyone???

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I am cleaning my house ... as my daughter sleeps I am going over in my head all of the yummies (but not so yummy) things I have eaten this month and have not helped my summer wardrobe or my internal highways!  Graduation parties, birthday celebrations, holiday bbq's, and more ... I need a cleanse (just like my house did today). Anyone want to join me???

I, like everyone else ... will fully enjoy this holiday weekend but am ready to start Tuesday off with a 4 day cleanse to get me back in the right mindset to eat clean and raw day in and day out.  Or maybe you just need to cleanse out your weekend eats and need to feel better about summer - whatever your reason may be - let's do it together.   I will be drinking my delicious smoothies and lemonades starting Tuesday morning through Friday evening at every meal (you could do something a little different) ... that doesn't mean it won't last longer but I like to think in baby steps.  I do well with an end date in sight ☺

So - anyone care to join me? Let's do it together ... we all are better when we have accountability!  We can keep each other excited, share recipes and conquer this short term goal together.

Load up on the greens this weekend (even if it's Monday night after the festivities wrap up!) ... and let's start off our summers together.  

I will be buying LOTS of:

Romaine Lettuce

Kale

Lemons

Apples

Pears

ANY fruit that looks yummy! (strawberries, blueberries, etc)

Parlsey

Celery

Coconut Water

...I'll let you know if I find more.   Go by your local farmers market!

Let me know ... hopefully we are friends on Facebook (if not, let's be!) and I will make a group page for us - this is the way to reach a goal for yourself, take the first step to say YES and we can do the rest together ... as Nike says, LET'S DO IT!

Happy Weekend and ...

HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 134: Thank you!!!! And a little something for you ...

THANK YOU to all that came out tonight!  I honestly was hoping if there were a handful of people that came I would be okay with it ... and it was a full house! Sweet Tammi from Mama Jeans said it was the biggest turnout they have had for anyone that is not nationally known - I am humbled and thrilled. 

I am inspired by all of you that are interested in knowing more about eating raw - enjoying a healthy lifestyle and living a green life.  Please let me know if I was not able to answer any questions or you need anything - I would LOVE to get a group together to support, encourage and be there for one another.  You amaze me.

As a THANK YOU ...

The first person to sign up as a new 'follower' on my blog will receive a $20 gift card to Mama Jeans that attended this evening - hopefully it will help you begin your new raw journey! Please leave a comment that you were there tonight and it's all yours - and again, thank you for coming ... you all made my week ♥

HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 132: You're Invited!

I wanted to invite everyone (ok ... I guess just those who live in Springfield) to join me (and hopefully my friend Lindsey) to Mama Jeans tomorrow evening to TALK RAW!  They have graciously asked me to speak tomorrow evening about my journey, I am both flattered and excited!

Mama Jean's Market

North Store

1727 S. Campbell

417-831-5229

Tuesday, May 24th

6-7pm

I am bringing some goodies ... a giveaway and I'm sure the word 'poop' will be used ... good times all around. There will be LOTS of great info about eating a clean and healthy diet, how to eat raw as much or as little as you would are ready for in your lives!   But puh-lease stop by if you can!!  Would love to see your smiling faces and meet some new ones. ☺

And to all that cannot make it ... I still love you and for following this journey!  To my dear friends Tasha and Loren who live in different states, I REALLY wish you could be there as  you get ready to start your own journey ... I am cheering you on from afar and can't WAIT to hear your successes, big and small!

I'll be back to let you know how it goes, wish me luck!  Do you think anyone will show up??? Ahhhhhhhh!!

HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 119: Proper combining ... and the AHA moment!

Life is crazy these days ... and I have missed writing about my journey!! So, I am back ...

Raw is going well. Not so much over Mother's Day weekend but a girls gotta indulge, right??

BUT, the great thing about eating healthy and raw is ... you always come right back to making your body, mind and spirit healthy after actually seeing and feeling the benefits. So as good as that yummy ice cream was to finish off my Mama's Day ... it was right back to 'doin' a body good' on Monday.  

I thought I would share with you my 'blueprint' on how I eat and the categories that I have mentioned a few times.  No matter how you eat, this is and hopefully will be an 'aha' moment for you.

Here goes:

There are 4 basic foods for the purpose of our body - 

1. Starches

2. Fleshes

3. Nuts/Dried Fruits

4. Fresh Fruit

To give you the Easy 101 behind all of this, these food groups should NEVER be combined.   I have described to you before that our digestive tract is much like a highway - if you block the lanes, you have a traffic jam which means it doesn't properly digest and that is extra weight we are holding on to. Yes, weight...the extra pounds we all would like to go away!  Sooooo, if you follow these groups, then your highway will always be traffic-free and your body will start to shed the extra weight it is holding on to!  IT'S THAT EASY, I promise!

Here is a chart that I LIVE by and basically plan my meals around:

I know the picture didn't come out so well ... let me know if you want a copy and I can email it to you!  

How do you do use this chart?  It maps out how you should combine your foods throughout the day.  Vegetables (fresh and steamed) can be combined with the first 3 categories ... Fruit should always be eaten by itself. I know, I have told you that before ... it even got it's own post!  

If you're going to have a 'flesh' for dinner, eat a wonderful piece of fish, or anything else you see on the list above (preferably organic but who am I to say!) and have a great BIG side of steamed vegetables on the side.  And my goodness, have another piece of meat/fish that you made, better to eat more in the same category than go to another food group.   BUT don't put rice with the meal because it's in a different group.  At our house, I used to make a meat/fish for an entree, vegetables (my mom always said there had to be a color on the plate) and some brown rice ... I was wrong!  The meat (flesh) and the rice (starch) cancel each other out and don't properly digest in your system.  Basically (mom, cover your ears) ... the two get stuck in your digestive tract and it could be weeks before you poop it out!  GROSS, I know but I have never talked about poop so much.  But that's the way it works, folks! You eat, you poop. There is no extra 'weight' in your body that turns to fat.  

And don't get my started on fruit ... if you were to eat the yummy meal I mentioned above and then have a bowl of fresh fruit afterwards for dessert, it ferments that delicious meal you just ate ... yes, ROTS the food and it doesn't come out.  Yes ... this was MY 'aha' moment in eating.  It's all about the 'Quick Exit combinations'.  And it works.  Try it for a week but don't forget to let me know how it goes.  There is A LOT you can eat on the table above that most of you didn't know!

Ok, that was exhausting ... I hope that makes some sort of sense to you.  Let me know if you have questions or if I can send any info to you!!  Summertime is right around the corner ... that goes for me too! Happy combining ... and 

HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 112: Fruit, Fruit, Fruit!!!

A friend (thanks Mollie!) sent this to me and it is exactly along the lines of eating raw and how to eat fruit ... when I learned this in doing all of our research for going raw, it changed the way I will eat fruit FOREVER, so please read!

We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It's not that easy. It's important to know how and when to eat fruit.

What's the correct way to eat fruit?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER A MEAL! FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.

Let's say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it's prevented from doing so.

In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You've heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat!

There's no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT the concentrated juice from the cans. Don't drink juice that has been heated. Don't eat cooked fruit; you don't get the nutrients at all. You get only the taste. Cooking destroys all of the vitamins.

Eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body. Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange!

AN APPLE a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants and flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits and protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

EATING 2 - 4 ORANGES a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent and dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C and Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.

HAPPY GREEN!!!

Day 111: The Best of the Best

Happy Day!

What are the best of the best that we need for juicing and living a raw/healthy lifestyle?? Here are some reviews and would love to hear from you what YOU love! 

 Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL  *Est. $300

Pros

• Large chute
• Powerful motor
• Two speeds
• Stainless-steel exterior
• Most components dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Bulky and heavy
• Noisy
• High price

Reviewers agree that the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL is the top juicer in its price range. Its 3-inch chute means that many fruits can be juiced without having to be chopped up first, saving time and effort. The powerful, two-speed motor allows for better torque when juicing hard foods, such as beets and carrots. Reviewers say that cleanup is fairly easy; although the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL has several parts to clean, most are dishwasher-safe. Its drawbacks, aside from the high price tag, include its large size and noisy motor. The Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL carries a one-year limited warranty. If you don't want to spend $300 on a juicer, reviewers say that the 820-watt Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67650 (*Est. $75) is an excellent value.

**I have this one and L.O.V.E. it ... a little secret for you - I found it on craigslist for $150 brand new in the box - they're out there, just look!!!

Excalibur 3000 Series  *Est $200

 

• 8-15 square feet of drying space
• Adjustable Thermostat: 85-145 degrees F
• 400-600 watts
• Optional 26-hour timer
• Special packages for Outdoorsmen
• Special packages for Raw Foodists
• Special packages for the Health Conscious
• Special packages for Gardeners
• 10 Year Warranty (+$30)
• Prices from $189.95 to $249.95

These days, you can find food dehydrators in various shapes and sizes. The round ones are good, but the square versions are better. You get more usable space because they don't have a hole running down the center. Efficiency is up because there's no wasted space. 

They also vary in drying method. Some have a bottom mounted heating element, making the bottom trays dry faster. Depending on what you're making, it could mean that you'll need to remember to rotate the trays. Also, there could be a dripping mess, making the product a pain to clean. 

One disadvantage to the square dehydrators is they're not expandable. So, if you can afford it, get the larger model so you won't need to upgrade later. Even if you get a round one that can grow, you'll still have to buy additional trays.

Vita-Mix 5200  *Est. $500

Pros

• Powerful motor
• Heavy-duty blending capability
• Large 64-ounce jug

Cons

• Expensive
• Noisy

Both owners and professional reviewers concur that the Vita-Mix 5200 is the best blender if you want an appliance that goes well beyond making smoothies and pureeing soup. Its main competition, the Blendtec Total Blender (*Est. $400), is also a good choice, with the differences boiling down to a user's preference of features. For example, the Blendtec has a lower height that makes it easier to fit under kitchen cabinets, but the Vita-Mix has a longer warranty. The Vita-Mix 5200 has a powerful 2-horsepower (1,380 watt) motor, and users say its blades spin so fast you can make hot soup in it. It's also powerful enough to make perfectly blended cheese fondues and to grind grains into flour. Reviewers like its large 64-ounce jar, but they note that polycarbonate can scratch and stain over time. The Vita-Mix 5200 comes with a seven-year warranty. Drawbacks include the price and noise, which at high speed has been compared to that of a jet engine. If your blending agenda includes mainly smoothies and purees, the Vita-Mix 5200 is overkill.

**I have a Hamilton from Target ($100) and it works GREAT!

What do you use? Love? Reviews??

HAPPY GREEN!!!