7 Day Raw Food Rejuvenation Cleanse

As spring is approaching us and having recently removed all the mercury fillings from my mouth, I decided to embark upon a seven day raw food cleanse. If you know me or if you have read some of my previous posts, I often "flirt" with the raw food lifestyle and love to do cleanses as they are so balancing and they often give you a reality check on the importance of eating a high raw diet.

Some may be unfamiliar with a raw food diet.... 

 What is a raw or living foods diet? 

A raw or living foods diet is typically a lifestyle diet in which one eats a plant based diet consisting of foods that are not processed or heated above 118 degrees. It is said that food heated above this temperature have lost their enzymes and some of its nutritional value. Food that is not processed or heated retains its live enzymes and all the nutrients are in tact in its purest form. Food is prepared by blending, soaking, sprouting, dehydrating, freezing and chilling.  

I began my cleanse on March 1. I was able to enjoy, actually indulge in some fantastic foods that are easy to prepare. Some of the dishes are avocado soup, thai soup, thai pineapple salad, killer summer celery soup, mushroom Alfredo linguine, raw pasta with sundried tomato pesto, carrot cake and some very delicious smoothies, herbal teas, some fantastic energizing elixirs and fresh juices On days 1 and 2, I felt tired and irritable. However, on day 3 I awoke with energy and vibrancy but also with a sense of calmness and focus. This feeling remained with me throughout the duration of the cleanse. Yesterday the cleanse finished off but I don't really feel a need to start eating all sorts of cooked foods. One might think that I am dying to get my hands on something warm but I'm not. During the cleanse I discovered that I was naturally eating less because the food that I was consuming was so dense in nutrients that my body told me when it was time to shut off. Even though I have been vegetarian/vegan for some time now, I have never experienced this in the way I do with raw foods. I'm not sure if I'll ever be 100% raw, but doing these cleansing brings back those reminders to stay in the high raw zone. We often forget as we find ourselves consumed in day to day activities of busy schedules, eat and go as well as the social aspect of enjoying foods with others.  

From this cleanse, I have experienced a weight loss of 3 1/2 pounds, improved skin, reduction in skin candida (that's a whole new post), renewed energy and clarity. My weight dropped quickly the first few days and I dropped about 6 lbs. But, what I found the most interesting is that as I ate food naturally, that is in its natural state, my body confirmed for me what I thought my natural weight is. When I was heavy and began losing weight, I originally lost about 60 lbs. Because I had been overweight for most of my adult life, I had to experiment with weight and what worked best for me and my lifestyle. At my lightest weight, I was 123 lbs but I don't feel this is my natural weight. I conclude this from the way I felt, the effort it took to maintain this weight, the way I looked and my susceptibility to illness. After over 3 years of fitness that includes strength training, lots of yoga and cardiovascular training, I am still at it and enjoying it immensely. I have a lot of dense muscle. As we all know muscle weighs more than fat. I believe that if I didn't strength train, my body may naturally gravitate towards that 125-127 lb weight range but since I do train my body loves and like a magnet moves towards 135-137. Ideally, my body LOVES 137. I could not weigh myself for weeks and I will step on the scale: 137. During the cleanse, I was down to 134 and then my weight naturally stabilized and I finished the cleanse at 136.4. My body fat percentage is at around 18% which places me in an athletic category and I'm happy with that. With my lowest weight, I was at 12% which is lower than what I am comfortable with. 

All in all, I am so happy I chose to embark on this cleanse once again. Overall, I feel balanced and content. Here is some of the food I enjoyed over the past week....don't get jealous. These pics were taken with a phone so don't judge.

Fiesta Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing and Avocado Soup

Summer Salad and Killer Summer Celery Soup

Thai Pineapple Salad and Thai Soup

Mushroom Alfredo Linguine

Questions? Recipes? I'm here to help. email: thepowertodogroupfitness@hotmail.com

Here's to rejuvenation.

Namaste.

Pumpkin and White Bean Hummus

I came across a recipe for pumpkin hummus in a magazine and lost the recipe. Determined to try it out, I improvised and made my own.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of organic pumpkin
1 15 oz can of white beans, drained
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil + a little extra to drizzle on top
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp dried parsley + about 1 tsp for garnish
1 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pepitas, dried parsley and olive oil drizzle in a vitamix or food processor. Process or blend until smooth. Add in 1 tbsp dried parsley until mixed in. Put mixture in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with remaining parsley and pepitas (optional: toast pepitas in a dry skillet first). Serve with veggies or flat bread.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Wilted Spinach

I whipped this up for lunch today and it was so yummy that I had to share. Measurements of the spices are approximate because I didn't know when I was cooking that I would be sharing the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 zucchini squash sliced and cut in half

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 roma tomatoes, julienne sliced

6 greens onion sliced

2 handfuls of spinach

splash of balsamic vinegar (to taste)

garlic salt, to taste

basil, 1-2 tsp

coriander, 1/8 tsp

olive oil in a spritzer if available. If not, enough to lightly coat the pan.

Directions:

Spritz skillet with olive oil. Add zucchini and onions and cook over medium heat until slightly tender, not soft. Add corn and cook until corn is warm. Add tomatoes and quinoa. Add spices and balsamic vinegar. Add spinach and cook until it just begins to wilt. Transfer to a plate and serve. Serves 2. This dish is excellent as is, but it might be yummy topped with tempeh strips. Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Vegan Mac and Cheese

I am a sucker for mac and cheese and its existence is perhaps one of the reasons I previously had trouble becoming vegan. So cheese lovers, here you go. Enjoy it to the fullest.


Ingredients:

8 oz whole grain elbow macaroni or any other pasta you desire....gluten free, shells, your choice

3 tbsp earth balance

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 cups rice or soy milk

3 cups daiya cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp non-gmo cornstarch

sea salt to taste

Directions:

Cook the macaroni as directed. Place earth balance in a sauce pan and melt. Once melted, add nutritional yeast and pepper. Add rice or soy milk, daiya and cornstarch. Cook on low to med/low till cheese is melted. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni and there you go. SO good.....even for non-vegans. Teenager, child and carnivore approved.

Options:

If you want to spruce it up, there are several options.

• Add meatless crumbles and/or...



• a veggie like peas, chopped asparagus or broccoli



• make it tex-mex style with meatless crumbles, corn and salsa



• Make the sauce only and pour over a baked potato, nachos...use your imagination



• Leave the recipe as is but top with bread crumbs and vegan Parmesan (I use galaxy brand) Then throw it in the oven at 350 till the top is crispy.

Garden Vegetable Soup

We've had some cold mornings the past few days. Yesterday, when I woke up it was 26 degrees and today not much warmer at 33 degrees. It seems to take me forever to warm up once I get that cold. I went to yoga where I was actually able to be a student and not a teacher and warmed up nicely but once I walked back into the elements, I felt frozen to the bone. I picked up my Kindergartner and wanted something really grounding and highly nutritious for lunch and I couldn't think of a better meal to fit my needs today but a large pot of homemade soup. So I decided to invent a really hearty, palate pleasing soup. I was so pleased when not only my husband really liked it but the teenager did too. She dished herself up a bowl before leaving for track practice and said she wasn't that hungry but it tasted really good so she kept eating it. Makes my heart smile. :)

Ingredients:
6 cups filtered water
3 Organic Gourmet vegetable bouillon cubes
1 can undrained diced tomatoes with basil (try to find the Eden Organics brand
3 small zucchini
3 carrot
2 red potatoes
3 stalks celery
1/2 of a large onion
1 cup to 1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms
6 oz broccoli (I used half of the bag that is pictured)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 strip of kombu seaweed
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
garlic salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop all the vegetables as desired except seaweed. Place water in soup pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add bouillon cubes and stir with a wire whisk until dissolved. Add the can of tomatoes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered 30-45 minutes until veggies reach desired texture.

Now warm up and enjoy!

Blackened Chipotle Tempeh Fillets

My husband is amazing with tempeh! This is so good!

Ingredients:

• 1 package tempeh




• 3 tbsp vegenaise




• 2 tbsp agave plus 1 tsp




• 2 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tbsp




• 2 pinches of crumbled nori




• 1/2 tsp garlic salt




• 1/4 crispy dried onions, crushed or crumbled




• 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper

Directions:

Grate tempeh into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp oil, vegenaise, 2 tbsp agave, nori, garlic salt. Mix. With a heavy object or "meat" tenderizer smash mixture 1/2 cup at a time on a cutting board till it meets the consistency of shredded tuna. Form into two fillets. On a plate pour remaining olive oil, remaining agave and chipotle pepper. On a separate plate, spread out crushed crispy dried onion. Dip one side of fillet in oil mixture and dip the top side in the dried onion. Place fillets in a skillet sprayed with oil and cook on low for 10 minutes on each side. Tempeh will begin to blacken from the cayenne; this is not burnt. After you cook slow, cook for 4 minutes per side on high heat.

Serve on a bed of warmed apple sauce with a side of grilled or steamed asparagus. Enjoy!

Change is the only constant in this journey of life.....

The latter half of this year has been an amazing ride. The first part of 2011 was somewhat lukewarm and uneventful. I felt myself settling into a routine that did not challenge me in any manner. However, as the end of summer approached, changes happened and my zest for life was once again awakened. Philip McCluskey on facebook posted this quote a few weeks ago, "Detours, challenges, and crisis, are simply covers for miracles that had no other way of reaching you." That is simply beautiful. My detours and challenges occurred on many levels and one or tow I will share and some were very personal that I will keep to myself.

One of these challenges not only involved me but my husband as well. And I would love to share. My husband paid a visit to the dermatologist to have a spot on his back checked out and found out it was basal cell carcinoma. Of course, it was removed. The results of this information have been life changing as my husband decided to adhere to a first vegetarian diet and later to a vegan diet. He wanted to try out the veg thing for a month or so which is quite a decision for him since he loved his meat. He LOVED ribs, prime rib and large steaks. He had cut way back on consumption of meat for the past few years but I NEVER thought I would see the day that he would give it up completely. During those first thirty days, I bought the book Skinny Bastard for him. We also watched the documentaries Forks Over Knives as well as The Gerson Miracle. Both of these films are usually available on Netflix live streaming video. After watching these videos not only was he committed to being vegetarian, it was on to veganism. Amazing changes have occurred not only for him but for me and my entire family as well. I have been vegetarian since 2009. I tried as best as I could being vegan but I would cave at times. This was mostly in part because I was the only one in my family trying to follow this diet. So, if they were eating an organic cheese pizza, I would sneak a few bites after I finished my pizza with Daiya Cheese. If something had a little milk or egg in the ingredients, I would say, oh no big deal. and eat it anyway. I suffered from allergies that I contributed to dairy but I didn't think that a tiny bit of organic dairy would make a difference. Little that I knew it did. My husband had the same problem. He contributed this to seasonal allergies but the strange thing was is that he would really flare up in November/December. Not a lot of pollen in the air during that time of year. He would take an Advil Sinus or something of that sort almost daily just to cope with sinusitis. He went vegan and my world was turned upside down in such an amazing way. No allergy flare ups for either one of us. I became more committed to what I knew was the right thing for my body. Not only was it Jason and I following this diet but we passed it on to our girls as well. My oldest still eats meat and dairy usually at school or when she is out and about but a large percentage of her diet is vegan. She is in pre-season track and is showing an amazing amount of strength in her workouts. Jason has lost 15 lbs since the change and is stronger than ever. He looks amazing....hair, skin....the whole package He has the six pack he's been searching for since he was 16. :)

Jason discovered cheddar Daiya Cheese and then something wonderful happened. He became the most amazing vegan cook. He imitated unhealthy horrifically bad food and made it healthy and vegan. For the remainder of this month, I will be giving to you (what a better season to give the gift of health) the recipes of some of our amazing vegan food. We work together at times in the kitchen coming up with the most bomb food you've ever tasted. I cannot commit to a daily recipe but I will commit to a few each week.

There you have it. One of the changes in my life, that makes my heart beat stronger and has allowed me to see life in a whole new dimension.

Stay tuned for some awesomeness that will make your taste buds soar to new heights. 'Tis the season.